Those Angstrom Men!. (2 page)

“I’ll take you to dinner then,” said Ian, not giving this charming lady a chance to refuse.

“I’d like that very much, Ian.” Refusal was the last thing on Maggie’s mind.

She was oh so aware of how she tingled when their hands brushed, how deep and captivating his eyes were, and she longed to run her tongue over his lips as she ran her fingers through his hair...

“I have a car and driver picking me up. We can drop your bags and then go and have a meal. Somewhere casual, eh?”

“Yes, please. I don’t feel like changing into something dressy.”

“Me neither. Spend my weeks in suit and tie, hate them. We‘ll go somewhere that will accept us as we are.”

He took her to a place in Soho she’d read about. The food was fantastic, his company even better.

The way he looked at her across the table made her feel very attractive. And when he kissed her goodnight, the way his lips brushed hers before they took command of her mouth and possessed it, made her feel desirable, very desirable. His body was rock hard, and she thought a certain part of it might be growing even harder as they deepened the kiss. He pulled away, and gazed into her eyes.

“I’m going to kiss you again, Maggie and then leave you here at your door. Because if I come in, I can’t guarantee I’ll behave myself.”

“Ah...yes...and we just met, so my saying you don’t have to behave yourself would be wrong, wouldn’t it?”

He smiled into her eyes.
“Very wrong. I’d be taking advantage of your sweetness, Maggie.

“I have to attend to some family matters this weekend.
This isn’t a boyfriend cheating or married excuse, Maggie, it’s my Dad’s birthday, but perhaps I could take you out for meal Monday evening, to celebrate your new job?”

Maggie grinned. “Oh, yes, please. Now, kiss me again, or twice if you like.”

He kissed her three times before he left.

Sunday he called her on her mobile and made arrangements to meet her at the Savoy Grill.

“That’s very posh, Ian. I’ve never been there.”

“You’ll like it, great food. I’m in meetings all day, so do you mind if I make a 7 o’clock reservation
, and I’ll meet you there? Not very gentlemanly of me, but...”

“No problem. See you there, Ian.”

Maggie didn’t sleep much Sunday night. She was excited about her new job, and about Ian. Perhaps he’d invite her home to his place, since Jillian would be at the flat...She was thinking more about Ian than about the new job, if the truth was known.

Eight o’clock Monday morning. Ian Angstrom got to his office early, gathered all the files he’d need for the day and was gone off to his meetings, leaving a note for his P.A. that he wouldn’t be back, and that she should leave everything he’d need for Dubai in a messenger bag on his desk. He’d pick it up on the way to the Airport.

He glanced around reception as he walked through to the lift and stared at the portrait of himself and his father. It was the first thing one saw when one exited the lift into the Executive Offices.

Ian took it down. There was a light mark where it had hung. 

Have to cover that up!

He raced back into his office, held the painting up against the ones on those walls. The only one large enough to cover that light spot was a Klee. He shuddered, not sure it was a good idea to hang such a valuable painting in the lobby.

Oh well, if he didn’t a certain young lady would recognize him and his budding romance would wither and die, and Ian wasn’t about to let that happen.

Up
went the Klee. It covered the light mark beautifully.

Ian left another note for his P.A., to arrange for an alarm system around the Klee in its new spot opposite the
lift, looked again at the Klee, straightened it, and raced down the stairs to save time. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be late for his first appointment.

Ian smiled. That took care of today. She wouldn’t catch on today.

Tonight he would fly to Dubai for four days, and he’d think of a solution while he was away.

Maybe he should just tell her the truth, that he’d lied about his name to have a chance for a normal courtship.
Courtship?
He’d just met the girl. That was a pretty old fashioned word, anyway, courtship.

And he had that rule he’d made, that he never dated women who worked for him.

Nine o’clock, Monday morning. Maggie walked up to the receptionist at Angstrom and Associates and asked for Rosemund White, the office manager.

Rosemund was very welcoming.

“So glad you decided to take the position, Maggie. Our last in-house editor left us in a hurry to get married in Scotland, and we’ve been looking for someone well rounded to replace him for about two months.

Rosemund took Maggie round
and introduced her to the twenty or so other people on the Executive Floor.

She did not introduce her to Mr. Angstrom, just pointed out his corner office
.

“Mr. Angstrom isn’t in.
He’s usually out,” Rosemary said. “You’ll have nothing to do with him of course. His P.A. Gloria looks after all his requirements. He travels a lot. Miles Green, who you just met, is his right hand, runs the place when Mr. Angstrom is overseas. Mr. Angstrom is sought after by conglomerates all over the globe. Why, we have clients in Hong Kong, Australia, the United States, Canada, Sweden and Switzerland as well as Britain.”

  Maggie nodded, and thought it was best she hadn’t been introduced, she’d be sure to blush and stammer in front of the formidable Mr. Angstrom.

She vaguely remembered she’d seen Brian Angstrom at a charity event she‘d covered about three years ago for the magazine. He was tall, with receding white hair, and bushy eyebrows. He had looked very intimidating, she recalled.

Rosemund led the way to Maggie’s own office. They went over the job description, and Rosemund gave her some good insight as to the literary talents of the analysts Maggie would deal with. She listened carefully to the guidelines Rosemund was giving her, determined to be an exemplary employee.

Maggie settled into her desk and began to familiarize herself with the first proposal she was to edit, checking the accuracy of the information cited. She went over to John Taylor, the analyst who’d written it.

“Mr. Taylor,” she began.

“Call me John. We’re a pretty informal bunch here. I know why you’ve come to see me, lass. I’m not a writer, I’m an analyst. You just go ahead and rework it all you want. I’ll check it over when you’ve finished to make sure you haven’t made any significant changes to what I want to convey.”

“Thank you, John. I should be finished by five.”

“No rush, Ian is away this week, so he won’t be badgering me for it until Monday.”

Half past ten, a friendly girl Maggie remembered as Amanda stuck her head into the cubicle.

“Maggie, come and have a cup of tea with us...I’m Amanda, in case you didn’t remember.”

“I remember,” smiled Maggie. “Where do we go?”

“Staff canteen. Mr. Angstrom owns all the companies in this building and we all share the canteen. I think there are about a hundred employees all told.” 

They were joined at tea by two other girls. Elizabeth was a P.A. and Linda a computer programmer. They were happy to fill Maggie in on all the men.

“Almost all the men are married in our firm, except for Mr. Angstrom and Dan Foster, and he’s been going out with his girlfriend for two years now, so he’s not available for a bit of fun. He comes to the pub with us some Friday nights after work, but he only stays for one drink and then it’s off home to Lucy. Well, Peter in the mail room is single, but he’s only seventeen,” Linda smiled.

“Not that Dan’s particularly good looking or clever, not like Mr. Angstrom.”

“I heard about Mr. Angstrom’s business acumen from Rosemund,” said Maggie. “He is very impressive.”

“Very,” agreed Elizabeth. “I can’t imagine any man looking like him getting to the age of thirty four without being married, can you?”

“I thought Brian Angstrom was in his sixties.”

Elizabeth laughed. “Mr. Angstrom Senior is in his sixties, but it’s the son who runs the place. Ian took over about ten years ago when his father had a mild heart attack and he’s tripled the size of the firm.”

“He’s extremely clever,” said Amanda. “He’s made a ton of money in the last twelve years, since he came to London. So sophisticated, speaks about five languages I believe.

“He da
tes mainly models and actresses, said Elizabeth.

“
You know he’s on the Britain’s Most Eligible Bachelor List that Wonder Women complies every year, don’t you? He’s top this year, last year he was only sixth,” Linda added.

“Er, you know I haven’t looked at that magazine for
years.”

“Well, he was in the December edition. He is so dishy. Didn’t you notice his portrait in the Lobby when you got off the lift this morning?”

“No. I did notice the Klee, though. That is something else. I never saw such a painting before outside the National Gallery.”

“Hmmm, they must have moved the paintings around,” said Elizabeth.

“Rosemund says I won’t have anything to do with him,” said Maggie. “She said his P.A. does everything for him.”

“That’s right, Gloria looks after everything. I wish I had her job,” said Amanda.

“However, she’s been with him about six years, so unless she and Tom, her husband, finally decide to start a family, none of us will have anything to do with Mr. Angstrom.”

“Do you have a boyfriend or husband, Maggie?” asked Elizabeth.

“I just met a nice man, had dinner on Friday and he’s taking me to the Savoy Grill tonight to celebrate starting this job. But it’s too soon to call him my boyfriend.”

“Cute?” asked Linda.

“More ruggedly handsome than cute,” said Maggie. “Nice as well. Funny, we laughed for hours! He’s blond and tanned. Tall, athletic build, you know, lean but well defined.”

The girls smiled.
“Sounds as if he liked you, Maggie, taking you to the Savoy Grill. What does he do?” asked Amanda.

“He’s a businessman.” Maggie had deduced that from Ian’s remark about suits and ties.

Hmmm, Ian knew all about her job, but she didn’t know anything about his. She must have talked about herself far too much…

“Probably an accountant or something like that,” said
Linda.

“Probably,” agreed Maggie and drank her tea.

Maggie worked until six, polishing John Taylor’s report. Nearly everyone had left the office by the time she dropped it on the analyst’s desk.  She went into the ladies’ and redid her make-up, using an olive green shadow to accentuate her hazel eyes, and brushing her shoulder length hair until it gleamed. She’d worn a creamy satin camisole under her black suit jacket, which she now unbuttoned and replaced with a lacy silver short sleeved cardigan, borrowed from Jill. She fastened an abstract silver pendant she’d bought in Corfu around her slim neck. She looked at herself critically in the full length mirror.

“You’ll do, Maggie Parker. Hair looks
great, make up is subtle but plays up your eyes. I hope Ian still finds you attractive...”

Ian was waiting for her, and soon had her seated, wine in hand, dinner ordered, and laughing at his description of the clients he’d spent the day with.

“And how was your first day, Maggie mine?” he said lightly.

“Maggie yours?”

“Ah, yes. I’m afraid you’ve quite bewitched me, and once I kissed you on Friday, I was a goner. I thought about you far too much all weekend.”

“Me, too,” she admitted shyly.

They beamed at each other.

There wasn’t much dinner conversation. They ate and gazed into each other’s eyes.

“I’m out of town all week, Maggie mine,” he said as he kissed her at her door.

“My flight leaves in a couple of hours. I know we’ve just met, but I’d like you spend the weekend with me. Perhaps we could go sailing...I have a place in
Devon, I may have mentioned that on the plane?

“You can have the guest room if you want to, or you can share with me, you can think about it all week and decide.”

“I’d like that, Ian,” she said shyly between his kisses.

“Great. I’ll pick you up here at six on Friday, shall I? Jeans, anorak, pullovers, we’ll be totally casual all weekend. If the forecast is good, bring your bikini...”

At tea the next morning, Gloria sat with them. “I don’t often take a tea break,” she told Maggie. “Mr. Angstrom keeps me pretty busy, but he flew to Dubai last evening, won’t be back until Friday or Saturday, so I can relax a little. He was on holiday for two weeks, out of the office all day yesterday, and now he’s gone again for four days.”

“It must be very quiet all this week, Gloria,” said Amanda.

“Oh, he’ll be calling, emailing and faxing. I’ll be busy, but I won’t be as busy as usual. And he told me this morning when he telephoned that he’s going away for the weekend, so my desk won’t be piled high Monday morning.”