Desire for revenge.

By: Penny Jordan.

Synopsis:

Ex-lover, new boss Sarah believed in love at first sight. But after meeting the man of her dreams, and spending a night of pa.s.sion in his arms, she was scared the magic couldn't possibly last. So she left before he awoke.

Joshua Howard had met his perfect woman, and lost her again in one night. Now he vowed to get his own back on her, and his revenge was going to be slow and sweet.

It would begin as soon as he introduced himself as Sarah's new boss!

BY PENNY JORDAN.

DID YOU PURCHASE THIS BOOK WITHOUT A COVER?.

If you did, you should be aware that it is stolen property as it was reported unsold and destroyed by a retailer. Neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this book.

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B. V. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

MILLS & BOON and MILLS & BOON with the Rose Device are registered trademarks of the publisher.

First published in Great Britain 1985 by Mills & Boon Limited This edition 1998 Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

Penny Jordan 1985 ISBN 0 263 80836 X Set in Times Roman 11 on IV/i pt by Rowland Phototypesetting Limited Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk Printed and bound in Spain by Litografia Roses S. A. " Barcelona cover ill.u.s.trator for the Penny Jordan Collector's Edition Erica Just is an artist and ill.u.s.trator working in various media, including water-colour, pen and ink, and textiles. Her studio is in Nottingham.

Her work is inspired by the natural forms, architecture and vibrant colours that she has experienced on her travels, most especially in Africa and India.

Erica has exhibited her work extensively in Great Britain and Europe and has works in private and public collections. As an ill.u.s.trator she works for a number of companies and also lectures on textile design throughout the country.

Artwork copyright Erica Just 1997.

CHAPTER ONE.

'look David, I think this has gone far enough I. "

"I want you Sarah, and I always get what I want, especially when what I want happens to be a green-eyed witch with red hair and a body just made for love, even though something tells me that that body has never actually experienced the total reality of a man's love."

She felt trapped; half mesmerised by the deliberately soft monotone of his voice, and not even the fact that they were in her office, within easy screaming distance of her fellow employees, had the power to make her feel fully safe. And besides, what sort of executive would she be if she let one mere man s.e.xually intimidate her to the extent where she was panicked into reacting like a naive teenager?

Gathering herself together, Sarah took a deep breath and then said as calmly as she could, "David we've been through all this before. You might be a valuable a.s.set to the company, but I am not prepared to go to bed with you just so that you will continue to use Leichner & Holland as your publishers. And I'm sure that Steven would back me up in this."

Steven Holland was the owner of Leichner & Holland and it was he who had been responsible for promoting Sarah a year ago from being a.s.sistant editor to the status of fiction editor, with a special responsibility for the new avenue of fiction aimed at women, which they were pursuing. Sarah did not delude herself as to her abilities;

she had been promoted as a result of something which had really been little more than a lucky fluke. She had been idly reading through a ma.n.u.script which James Richards, the chief fiction editor, had thrown on one side and had immediately been struck by the emotive way in which the story had been written. The name of the writer had been unknown to her, but she still found the novel powerfully compelling.

She had been reading it one lunch hour over her coffee and sandwich when Steven had pa.s.sed her on the way to his office. He had questioned her about what she was reading, and after being amused by her enthusiasm had said that since she was so enthusiastic about the work he might as well read it for himself.

Slightly to Sarah's surprise he had been as enthusiastic as she was herself, and the result was that she was now officially Fiction Editor (Female) for Leichner & Holland.

Of course her promotion had not been without problems. For one thing James Richards had objected strenuously to it, and Sarah had heard only the other day that he had actually now given in his notice. There had been a lot of talk about who might replace him, but as yet nothing official.

"I mean it Sarah...1 want you and I mean to have you..."

"But not here I trust, David..." she managed to quip acidly. His remark about her virginity rankled and worse, made her feel acutely vulnerable. Sarah was no fool. She recognised very strongly in David Randal a very basic masculine drive to possess and subjugate the female s.e.x. The fact that, as he had so correctly guessed, she was still a virgin made him all the more keen in his pursuit of her.

She watched him get up and leave her office, gnawing anxiously on her bottom lip. How he felt about the female s.e.x came across very clearly to her in his books. Sarah did not like them at all. He wrote under a female pseudonym, and that in her opinion, was the only reason he managed to get away with some pa.s.sages that were in effect little more than a lascivious description of female degradation. She had already expressed her doubts to Steven about David's latest ma.n.u.script, but it was an undeniable fact that the long historical novels he wrote, sold well. At the last group meeting of the editors responsible for the various types of books the firm published, James Richards had bitterly opposed her suggestion that they ceased publishing David's work. He had even accused her of wanting to cut David from their lists because she disliked him personally as a man, which had been a very difficult accusation to refute without revealing the truth.

Sarah had few illusions about either her own ability or the security of her position. If she once admitted that she could not handle s.e.xual hara.s.sment from an author she could well soon find herself demoted. It was ridiculous that at the grand old age of twenty-five she should find herself in this position, but trying to make it plain to David Randal that she did not find him in the least attractive was like trying to build a snowman in the Sahara desert--a complete waste of time and effort.

She even suspected that he found her dislike of him a challenge. It was her virginity that attracted him the most, Sarah thought wryly, as she sat back in her chair. Without that she would simply be another pa.s.sably attractive woman. How had he guessed? Perhaps it had something to do with the way she always recoiled from him whenever he came anywhere near her. She had disliked him even when she had had little to do with him, but now. She had heard it said that an experienced man could always tell when a woman was unawakened. Until now she had never really believed it.

She picked up her pen and toyed absently with it. The simplest answer would be for her to leave and find another job . but where would she find one as congenial as this? And one that paid as much. With her promotion had come a very useful pay rise. And very timely it had been, too, with Gran suddenly too feeble to look after herself, and Jane worrying herself sick about how she was going to cope with triplets under five, a husband, a rambling, half-modernised country vicarage, an a.s.sortment of pets, and Gran as well.

Especially when the doctor had told them that because of the delusions she sometimes experienced, Gran needed to be watched for most of the time.

The extra money she was earning, plus the sale of Gran's small house, plus what Jane's husband, Ralph, could provide had meant that they were able to pay for Gran to stay in a really good residential home close enough to the Gloucestershire village where Jane and her family lived, for Jane to be able to visit once a week, and for Gran to join in all the family events. If she had to go back to working merely as a secretary--even in a really good job--she would not be able to make her contribution any more.

Tears blurred her eyes for a moment and she brushed them away impatiently. She so desperately wanted to do all she could to help Jane and Ralph. They had done so much for her. Jane had been twenty-one and newly engaged when their parents had been killed in a road accident; Sarah had been fourteen.

Ralph had not hesitated. Although he had just been on the point of leaving the firm he worked for and setting up in business on his own, he had said instantly that he and Jane would marry, and that Sarah would make her home with them.

Right through university Ralph had supported her, and it was only in this last year that he had realised his dream of starting up his own computer software business. Ralph was the complete ant.i.thesis of a man like David Randal. He was a devoted husband, a caring father.

hardworking, good humoured. He had done so much for her. helping out now with the expense of caring for Gran was the least she could do.

So what was the answer? Sarah didn't really know.

"You look pensive... Problems?"

She looked up and smiled at the pretty, curly haired brunette standing in the doorway.

Rachel had taken over from her as a.s.sistant editor, having been Steven's secretary previously, and Sarah liked her very much.

"Not really," Sarah lied.

"Does Steven want me for something?"

"Not as far as I know. It's lunch time and we have a date..

remember?"

Lunch time already? Sarah sighed. How long had she been sitting there worrying about David?

"I see you've had a visit from one of our least favourite authors this morning," Rachel commented, when Sarah got up to join her.

"Is he giving you problems?"