It was already four months since Bryan Ferdinand started working with them and already he was a voice to be reckoned with. She had watched grimly as he became the director. At board meetings, he dominated, pushing David further and further away. This was what she had been afraid of but even now, David would not listen to a word against him.

At the office it was as though everyone and everything revolved round him especially the female folk. Half the women were in love with him and the other half was fascinated with him except for her of course. Sharon still despised and distrusted him just as much as she did the first time they had met only now it was much more.

Amanda one of the share analyst would not allow her rest with talks of Bryan.

'I do not know why you detest him this way', she said. He is the hottest thing that has happened to this office. Look at the hot deals he has won for the bank since he started with us'.

Sharon did not know how else to do away with this girl. She seem not to take hints at all.

'Amanda, haven't you got any work to do?' Sharon said looking at her computer.'Because if you haven't, I have. With David ringing in to say he's working at home today and our trip to Rome starting tomorrow, I've got so much to do. I'll be working until very late tonight, so get off my desk and go away'.

'In a minute', Amanda said wriggling like a child on the edge of the desk, her small feet swinging back and forth. 'I wanted to ask you something....'

'Well what?' Sharon was impatient to be done with her.

'Has he got a woman tucked somewhere? I mean he hasn't dated anyone since he joined us. He says he isn't married and I do not believe that he is gay, so is there anyone in the background?'

'I do not know and frankly, I do not care. And since you are that interested in his private life and have nothing else to talk about but Bryan Ferdinand, why don't you ask him yourself? Now will you get off my desk, I have work to do'.

She frankly wished that she had never heard of the man. He was growing more and more irritated with him and the mention of his name.

The last time she had spoken about this to David, she had told him how Bryan was taking over from him and pushing him further and further to the background and had even taken over his clients and the most lucrative of them all at that.

'At my suggestion dear girl!' David has insisted. 'I am trying to shed some of my workload. You told me that I was working too hard, remember?

'I didn't ask you to hand over some of your best clients over to Ferdinand and neither did you tell me that you intended doing that's.

He had given her an apologetic look.

'I knew you would get agitated and let ture me on your favourite subject'.

Startled, she asked, 'What do you mean?'

'Bryan. Now don't deny it. You only trust him as far as you can throw him'.

'Yes, I do not trust him but I do hope you are not making a terrible mistake letting him get into such a position of power in the bank.

Her uneasiness had not lifted when a few weeks later, Amanda would not get off her desk for talking about Bryan Ferdinand.

She pushed Amanda off her desk and Amanda turned a laughing face to her.

'Oh come on, I bet you are secretly crazy about Bryan too -you just won't admit it!'

'I'd rather date Dracula! Sharon snapped just as her office door opened.

She and Amanda both looked round, both frozen in confusion. Bryan was at the doorway, his dark eyes hooded and unreadable. His powerful body briefly at test which she knew was already was rate for him since he was constantly in motion, a man with burning energy always racing against the clock or himself or the world, she did not know which.

'What's Dracula got that I haven't?' he drawled and Amanda began to giggle, half in relief because he didn't seem angry, half in embarrassment because she didn't know how much of the earlier conversation he had overheard.

'Don't tempt me', she said and Bryan looked into her eyes, his mouth twisting.

'Could I?'

Amanda's eyes went round as she gazed from one to the other in fascination, waiting to hear more.

'No', Sharon said through her teeth.

'Weren't you just going, Amanda?'

Amanda hesitated, wanting to stay and eavesdrop but Bryan's eyes were hypnotic and she swung her waist as she walked towards the door and Bryan watched her with a glint in his dark eyes.

Amanda was like a little Venus, high chested with a tiny waist and rounded hips and she knew how to move to attract the attention of the men and she did the same now.

When she got to the door, she looked at him, smiling and said, 'Dracula doesn't have anything that you haven't got'.

'Then why aren't you afraid?' he asked drawing his face close to her baring his teeth as though about to sink his fangs into her.

She shrieked in delight and fled.

Bryan straightened and looked across the room at Sharon, his laughing gaze met Sharon's cold ones and the laughter stopped and his face tightened and turned cold.

He walked towards her and let the door slam behind him.

She quivered at something she saw in his stare.

He stopped beside her desk and for one awful moment, she turned red and then white sure that he was going to touch and kiss her.

He watched her inexorably.

'One of these days, I shall tell you the reason you can't stand the sight of me', he said softly, 'and then you will really hate me'.

'I already do!'

It came out before she could do anything about it and she bit her tongue. She had not wanted to be so upfront about her real feelings towards him. She could not believe that she had allowed herself to lose control that way. In her line of work, she often came across men that she loathed but she never let it show, always in control of her feelings.

'I'm sorry', she said not quite meeting his gaze. 'I lost my temper, please forget that I said that'.

If he were to tell his cousin, then David would not be happy with her. In fact she was not happy with herself for losing control that way.

'I never forget anything', he murmured and she believed him. She had noticed that he had the most fantastic memory, remembering even the tiniest detail about public companies and private hands and calling up the most minute detail from memory when least expected.

'That's up to you', she said trying to hide her dismay. No doubt one day he would make her pay for losing her temper and that was why it bothered her that David seem to trust him so implicitly.

She was afraid that one day, Bryan Ferdinand would make David pay for the way his family had treated had treated Bryan's mother.

Sharon swallowed her uneasiness and looked at the screen in front of her.

'Have you seen the lastest Japanese figures?'

'More or less as I predicted', he shrugged.

'Yes, right again, as usual', Sharon said with saccharine sweetness.

He laughed. She couldn't even make him angry. It was infuriating. She wished he would go away. He was ruining her morning.

'I am rather busy', She said, 'So unless you want to tell me something important....'

'David just rang me from home', he said, 'About the Rome Conference ....'

'Yes?' She was supposed to fly a road with David to Rome for an international banking conference and she was looking forward to it. It had been so long that she had been anywhere interesting and she wanted to get away from the office now dominated by Ryan Ferdinand for a little while.

'His doctor has advised him to stay in bed for a week, so he won't be able to go', Bryan said coolly.

'What's wrong? Is he I'll?' Sharon asked but Bryan shook his head.

'Just tired, I gather. A touch of flu, too maybe. Nothing serious He asked me to explain it to you and say how sorry he is to miss the Rome trip'.

'Of course, I understand', Sharon said, deeply disappointed, her face falling, 'Though I can't say that I am surprised.He has been looking out of sorts and really I'll for the past few days. He really needs a long vacation but a week in bed is a start. Well, I'd better cancel everything, but I don't think we shall be able to reclaim the price of the air tickets. The hotel can be cancelled without problem, of course'.

Sharon put out her hand to the phone but Bryan gently caught hold of her wrist.

' No don't cancel anything. The trip is still on. It's just that I'll be taking David's place'.

'You?' Sharon said stifling.

His mouth curled. 'Sorry, I am no match to David in your eyes, I am aware of that but he wants the bank to be represented and he is supposed to give a talk at the conference, so I shall have to be the one giving the talk'.

Sharon knew all about the talk. Why David felt the need to ask Bryan to give the talk when he knew that she could do that well best her.

'You know of David's old fashioned view of the role of women in banking', Bryan said.

'Which you share obviously!' she said bitterly.

'As a matter of f t, I don't but David was really I'll and it didn't seem the right time to argue with him, so I just went along with his directives. I believe you have got all his documentations, by the way? Tickets etc?'

She nodded and stood up and Bryan made way for her to pass and she picked up the scent of his aftershave and decided that she didn't like it.

She found the folder containing all the travel documents and handed them over to him.

'The name will have to be changed, I can do that'.

'Don't worry, my secretary will deal with it', he said as he turned to walk out, 'See you tomorrow on the plane'.

She looked after him, half inclined not to turn up. Only her loyalty to David made her decide to go. Someone had to keep an eye on Bryan Ferdinand.

They met at the Heathrow and bought piles of magazines and newspapers and tried to ignore the noise and discomfort of the seats they sat on.

At last, the plane began to take off and in the end, they were two hours late in leaving for Rome.

Rome did not look as exciting as Sharon had envisaged and she looked up depressed.

By the time they got to their hotel, she was barely able to stand and was very fed up.

She collected the key and went straight to her room, which turned out to be charming, beautifully furnished and a magnificent view of the rocks and cliffs and the town as a whole.

It was still raining. She leaned on the window for a while, gazing out. Even in the rain, Rome was still noisy, bustling, over full of people and vehicles.

Sitting there with the window open made her shiver after a while. She stood up,closed the window and went into her modern bathroom to take a long warm fragrant bath, pouring deliciously scented bath oils into the water before she climbed gratefully into it.

Bryan had suggested that they meet for dinner at eight o'clock in the bar. The first gathering of the conference was at nine o'clock the following morning and was scheduled to take place at another hotel which was a popular conference. entre with efficient modern facilities.

Most of the delegates were also staying at the hotel but David had wanted a peaceful place to retire to when banking policies be ame too hectic. It often helped to be able to escape for a while.

After her bath, Sharon went to her bed to sleep and her dreams were as chaotic as the city itself.

She woke with a start when someone knocked on the door.

She was disoriented, not knowing at first where she was.While she had slept,night had fallen and the room was dark.

She lay there starring blankly until that knock again. She walked to the door to open it after stumbling out of bed. The light from the corridor was blinding and caused her to blink.

It was z Ryan in an evening dress looking ultra- civilized a d menacingly primitive, a very disturbing and lethal mix.

Added to that, just the sight of his smooth- skinned, closely shaven face and sleek black hair, his gleaming black eyes, his powerful body, sent a shiver of weakness through her.

Ever since she met him, she had been both alarmed by and hostile to him, working on instinct buried deep inside her, too deep for her to be quite sure what it was about the man that set all her alarm bells jangling.

Aren't you dressed yet? We agreed we'd meet at Eight o' clock'. Bryan reminded her, his gleaming eyes roaming slowly over her dishevelled, damp could of auburn hair, her flushed face, the short black robe that she wore which left her long legs bare and revealed the deep cleft between her breasts.

They had indeed agreed to meet to discuss and pull ideas concerning the conference that was going to take place the next day at nine o'clock am.

The way Bryan was undressing her with his eyes made her self conscious and she instinctively put a hand to pull her robe lapels together to hide her breasts and saw Bryan's mouth twist in wry comprehension.

'I must have fallen asleep', she said feeling disoriented. 'Why don't you go ahead into the bar and keep yourself busy with a drink, I shall be ready in a jiffy, I promise'.

She shut the door quickly, afraid that he would notice that she was trembling, switching on the light, she leaned on the bed for a moment, to steady her nerves. What on earth was wrong with her? Maybe she had picked up some bugs? The same one David had got? If that were the case, she wouldn't be surprised because that was exactly how she felt - I'll, feverish, weak- legged, shivery.

She didn't want to get dressed or do her hair nor even have dinner with Bryan Ferdinand. She did not feel strong enough But how could she get out of it? They were here, representing the bank, standing in for David. She couldn't simply duck out of her responsibilities. She would be letting David down.

She would just have to pull herself together.

With Shaking hands and nerves, she began to get dressed. She had picked out her dress before having a quick shower: a dark green velvet, figure hugging, with a deep scoop neckline along which ran a Greek key pattern in gold thread, a tight waist and very short skirt which left her legs bare.

It was formal and elegant but once she had put it on, Sharon had second thoughts.

She stared at herself in the mirror biting her lip. She had forgotten how tight the dress was, how short the skirt. It made her feel half naked.

It had never bothered her before and she wondered why it should suddenly do so.

Even David had loved the dress, that was why she had picked it but wearing it for David was one thing and wearing it when she was going to spend an evening with Bryan was a different ball game entirely. The very thought of it made her hair stand up on the back of her neck.

She looked at her watch and groaned. There was no time to change either. If only she hadn't fallen asleep on the bed!

She still had to do her hair and her face. She picked up her brush and began to work hurriedly.

When she walked into the hotel bar, she saw Bryan watching her from a table on the other side of the room and a shudder ran through her.

Deja Vu, she told herself hurriedly. That was what it was, deja Vu because this was almost a re run of the night they had met and she remembered with another shudder the way their reflections had shimmered in the dark glass behind the bar. It had seemed significant then, more so now.

He is dangerous to me, she thought. Dangerous to David and dangerous to the bank.

Yet there was something darker involved. Something she had not quite faced or didn't want to admit.

She did so now. I'm afraid of him, she admitted, ice trickling down her spine. He terrifies me.

She thought of David's pale face and tired eyes, the sadness in his heart and she hated Bryan Ferdinand. David didn't have the drive nor the desire to fight back if he was attacked but Bryan was going to destroy him irrespective of that.

But he wasn't going to destroy David if she could stop him and she was determined to do just that. So, she pushed her fears away and began to walk towards him through the crowded bar.

Her auburn hair glowed like a dark flame in the light if the chandeliers. Her oval face so classical with her green shadowed eyes, elegant nose, wide full generous red mouth. Her slender, rounded figure swayed under the tight green velvet, the low neckline drawing eyes to her high white breasts. Her pale legs moving gracefully, the green dress constantly sliding up to give glimpses of her slim thighs.

The lively hum of voices,the clink of glasses, the laughter died away as people's heads turned to watch her, although Sharon was unaware of the effect she was having on all the other people in the bar, she was too absorbed in trying to stay cool and getting herself under control.

The only watching eyes she was aware of was Bryan's. She did not raise her eyes to meet them but she could feel them fixed on her, black, brilliant, intent and the way they watched her made a pulse beat hard on her throat.

He stood up to greet her. She slid into the upholstered seat beside him and the noise in the bar broke out again.

'That was quite an entrance', he said drily. And then, 'What would you have to drink?'

She looked at his glass and was not surprised to see that it was mineral water with a twist of lime in it.

'The same as you, thanks', she said.

He ordered the drink and handed her the menu. 'I have decided what I want to eat but take your time and choose. The food is terrific here a d since this is a special occasion, I thought we might try a glass or two of their excellent wine. You do take wine, don't you?'

'Sometimes, not always', she said looking at the menu and realising that she was hungry.

She hadn't eaten on the plane because she hated unreal food and with shock, she realised that her last meal had been breakfast at the airport.

'What a huge menu, I do not know what half these dishes are'. Remembering that he had been in Switzerland for some time, she looked at him and asked, 'Could you recommend something?'

He shifted along the seat and looked over her shoulder. She felt his thigh touching hers,his arm against her, smelt his cologne.