offence intended,’ Noreen said, glancing at Royce.
‘None taken,’ Royce said.
The fact that he sounded amused rather than annoyed didn’t alter the fact that Shara was pleased she’d said something.
It made her realise how far she’d come.
The Shara she was today wouldn’t put up with half the abuse Steve had given her.
If a man didn’t like the spaghetti sauce she’d made she’d tell him to like it or lump it.
If the bed wasn’t made tightly enough to bounce a coin she’d tell a man to make it himself.
The realisation was …
Well, it was liberating.
It was as if a physical weight had been lifted off her.
She actually felt lighter—as if she were floating several feet above the floor.
She introduced Royce to the other attendees before taking a seat.
Royce sat down beside her.
Their thighs brushed under the table. Shara jerked her leg away. ‘OK. Let’s get started, shall we?’
Noreen opened the meeting with a progress report on what had been achieved since the last time they’d got together. Shara tried to concentrate, but found Royce’s presence a distraction.
‘OK. Let’s move on,’ Noreen said. ‘I’d like to focus now on the prizes for the auction. Do we have any volunteers who are willing to contact the people who donated prizes last year and see if we can persuade them to provide something again this year?’
‘I’m happy to do that,’ Shara said.
‘Excellent.’ Noreen pushed a sheaf of papers across the table. ‘Here are the names and phone numbers, plus a list of what they donated. Given the state of the economy, I suspect we’re not going to get them all back on board—which means we need to spread our net wider. Any suggestions?’
‘I’m happy to donate a free security assessment of someone’s home and make recommendations on what they need to do to resolve any deficiencies,’ Royce said. ‘I’m also happy to contact a few of my business associates to see if they’ll donate something.’
‘Excellent, excellent,’ Noreen said. ‘Anyone else?’
‘You didn’t have to do that,’ Shara whispered to Royce as several other people pitched in with suggestions.
He shrugged. ‘I’m happy to do it. As I said yesterday, I’m more than willing to support a good cause.’
‘Still, it was nice of you to do it.’
And she didn’t want him to be nice, because that just made him even more attractive.
CHAPTER SIX
R OYCE leaned back in his chair and watched as Shara addressed the meeting.
She was formally dressed, in a classic white suit and a black silk blouse, with subtly applied make-up, a French braid, and simple gold jewellery.
She looked elegant and businesslike—and so beautiful that she took his breath away.
Still, he much preferred her the way she was just after one of their karate lessons. A little dishevelled, with strands of hair escaping her ponytail, her eyes sparkling like a gazillion sapphires.
With difficulty he forced his attention back to what she was saying. She was currently outlining the programme for the actual event itself.
She was talking about serving times and collection times and break times. When the music would start and when it would finish. At what time the auction would begin and what time it would end.
It was clear she’d put a lot of time and effort into the event. It was also clear she’d done this before. She knew exactly what she was doing—expertly fielding questions as they arose, clarifying the finer details when required.
Royce found himself as captivated by this side of Shara as he was by the woman he’d already come to know.
When the meeting had been concluded they made their way to the lift.
‘I hope you didn’t mind me getting involved in the meeting?’ Royce asked, pressing the ‘down’ button.
‘Why would I mind?’
He shrugged. ‘A bodyguard should be seen and not heard. Even then he should only be seen when he needs to be. It’s my job to blend into the background.’
Shara laughed out
‘None taken,’ Royce said.
The fact that he sounded amused rather than annoyed didn’t alter the fact that Shara was pleased she’d said something.
It made her realise how far she’d come.
The Shara she was today wouldn’t put up with half the abuse Steve had given her.
If a man didn’t like the spaghetti sauce she’d made she’d tell him to like it or lump it.
If the bed wasn’t made tightly enough to bounce a coin she’d tell a man to make it himself.
The realisation was …
Well, it was liberating.
It was as if a physical weight had been lifted off her.
She actually felt lighter—as if she were floating several feet above the floor.
She introduced Royce to the other attendees before taking a seat.
Royce sat down beside her.
Their thighs brushed under the table. Shara jerked her leg away. ‘OK. Let’s get started, shall we?’
Noreen opened the meeting with a progress report on what had been achieved since the last time they’d got together. Shara tried to concentrate, but found Royce’s presence a distraction.
‘OK. Let’s move on,’ Noreen said. ‘I’d like to focus now on the prizes for the auction. Do we have any volunteers who are willing to contact the people who donated prizes last year and see if we can persuade them to provide something again this year?’
‘I’m happy to do that,’ Shara said.
‘Excellent.’ Noreen pushed a sheaf of papers across the table. ‘Here are the names and phone numbers, plus a list of what they donated. Given the state of the economy, I suspect we’re not going to get them all back on board—which means we need to spread our net wider. Any suggestions?’
‘I’m happy to donate a free security assessment of someone’s home and make recommendations on what they need to do to resolve any deficiencies,’ Royce said. ‘I’m also happy to contact a few of my business associates to see if they’ll donate something.’
‘Excellent, excellent,’ Noreen said. ‘Anyone else?’
‘You didn’t have to do that,’ Shara whispered to Royce as several other people pitched in with suggestions.
He shrugged. ‘I’m happy to do it. As I said yesterday, I’m more than willing to support a good cause.’
‘Still, it was nice of you to do it.’
And she didn’t want him to be nice, because that just made him even more attractive.
CHAPTER SIX
R OYCE leaned back in his chair and watched as Shara addressed the meeting.
She was formally dressed, in a classic white suit and a black silk blouse, with subtly applied make-up, a French braid, and simple gold jewellery.
She looked elegant and businesslike—and so beautiful that she took his breath away.
Still, he much preferred her the way she was just after one of their karate lessons. A little dishevelled, with strands of hair escaping her ponytail, her eyes sparkling like a gazillion sapphires.
With difficulty he forced his attention back to what she was saying. She was currently outlining the programme for the actual event itself.
She was talking about serving times and collection times and break times. When the music would start and when it would finish. At what time the auction would begin and what time it would end.
It was clear she’d put a lot of time and effort into the event. It was also clear she’d done this before. She knew exactly what she was doing—expertly fielding questions as they arose, clarifying the finer details when required.
Royce found himself as captivated by this side of Shara as he was by the woman he’d already come to know.
When the meeting had been concluded they made their way to the lift.
‘I hope you didn’t mind me getting involved in the meeting?’ Royce asked, pressing the ‘down’ button.
‘Why would I mind?’
He shrugged. ‘A bodyguard should be seen and not heard. Even then he should only be seen when he needs to be. It’s my job to blend into the background.’
Shara laughed out
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