At the Greek Tycoon's Bidding

THEO was in the middle of reading a financial report when he heard the crash. The sound catapulted through the empty corridors of the office with earsplitting intensity. Any other person would have reacted in shock, and probably fear. After all, it was late, and even with security guards there was no building in London that could be termed fully safe from someone determined to break and enter. Not Theo Miquel. Without bothering to arm himself with the prerequisite heavy object, dark brows knitted into an impatient frown at being interrupted, he strode out of his plush designer office, activating the switch that flooded the darkness outside with brilliant fluorescent light.Theo Miquel was not a man to run scared of anything, least of all a would-be intruder who was clumsy enough to signal his arrival by crashing into something.It didn't take long for him to pinpoint the origin of the interruption, for sprawled in the corridor was a trolley, the contents of which were scattered across the marble-tiled floor. Cleaning fluids, broom, mop -- and a bucket of water which was slowly spreading along the tiles towards the carpeted offices on either side.As his eyes took in the chaotic sight he heard the clamour of feet pounding up the stairs, and then the security guard was there, out of breath and bristling with apologies. They converged at the scene of the crime at roughly the same time, although it was Theo who was the first to kneel next to the inert body of the girl who had collapsed on the floor."So sorry, sir," Sid stammered, watching as Theo felt for a pulse. "I came as fast as I could -- as soon as I heard the noise. I can take over from here, sir.""Get this stuff cleared away." 'Of course, sir. I'm very sorry... She looked a little pale when she came in this evening, but I had no idea...""Stop babbling and tidy this mess up," Theo commanded sharply.He barely registered the flustered guard squeezing dry the mop and soaking up the spilt water before it could intrude into the expensive offices and wreak yet more havoc.At least the girl hadn't been inconsiderate enough to die on his premises. There was a pulse, and she might be as pale as hell but she was breathing. She had fainted -- probably pregnant. A symptom of the times. Controlling his irritation, he scooped her up, oblivious to the frantic worry pasted on the security guard's face. He was dimly aware that his employees, whatever their rank, treated him with a certain amount of subservience. He was unaware that this subservience teetered precariously on the brink of downright fear, so he was vastly exasperated when he glanced across to find Sid virtually wringing his hands."I can take care of her, sir... No need for you to get in-volved... Not a problem...""Just make sure this place is cleaned up and then you can return to duty. If I need you, I'll call."This was an interruption he could well have done without. It was Friday. It was after nine in the night and there was still half a report to get through if he was to e-mail the corrected copy to his counterpart on the other side of the world before their high-level meeting the following Monday.He kicked open the door to his office and deposited the now stirring body on the long burgundy sofa which occupied one entire wall of the large room. He had not had a hand in designing the decor of his office. If he had, he would probably have chosen the barest of furnishings -- after all, an office was a place to work and not a cosy sitting room in which to luxuriate -- but he had found over the years, and to his surprise, that the grand, heavy opulence of the room was strangely conducive to concentration. The oakpanelled walls would have been more at home in a gentleman's club, but there was still something warm about them, filled as they were with books on finance, economics and naturally the accounts of the vast shipping empire that was the very basiWilliams, Cathy is the author of 'At the Greek Tycoon's Bidding', published 2006 under ISBN 9780373233151 and ISBN 0373233159.