Gentle Pirate

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    Gentle Pirate
    Jayne Castle
    Copyright © 1980 by Jayne Castle Krentz
    ____________________
    CHAPTER ONE
    The hard silence in the room was intimidating. It was meant to be. A great many people would have willingly accused Simon Kendrick of many things, Kirsten Mallory suspected, and among those accusations would be the fact that the man was well aware of the effect he created. And, she thought grimly, exerting considerable control over her nervous system to avoid recrossing her legs, he had no compunction about using his ability to intimidate. Any other new manager about to conduct a discussion with an employee would have made at least a few token efforts toward creating a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Not Simon Kendrick. He continued to appear buried in the paperwork in front of him while Kirsten sat waiting patiently in the plush visitor's chair.
    Next time, she decided, she would bring her own paperwork. Or a magazine. It would give her something to do while she awaited his attention. But perhaps those of Mr. Kendrick's subjects who had been summoned to a royal audience weren't supposed to occupy their time until the liege lord was free. It might spoil the calculated effort to put them into the proper humble mood. The thought curved her soft, well-defined lips into a smile and she hastily directed her glance toward the window in case the big man happened to look up and see the barely suppressed amusement. She had a feeling life could get quite miserable in a hurry if he thought she was laughing at him.
    "I'll be with you in a moment, Miss Mallory," Kendrick said suddenly.
    Kirsten withdrew her glance from the uninviting desert vista visible through the window and returned it to the man sitting behind the huge, littered desk. But he hadn't even changed the focus of his gaze when he had spoken. He hadn't needed to, Kirsten decided. Some instinct must have told him that it was time to give the reins a small tug and she had to admit the deep, rough voice with its easy power was adequate for the task. Against her will, she found herself concentrating on him again instead of the view. With a sense of irritation she watched as he continued rapidly scanning the thick document in front of him, flipping pages frequently with his right hand.
    The annoyance she was experiencing, Kirsten knew, was generated as much by her reactions to this man as it was by the man himself. Taking a firm grip on her emotions, she settled back into the soft red chair (done in the color of the company's logo) with determination. No man was going to intimidate her ever again. She had made that vow less than three months ago and Simon Kendrick was not going to make her forget it. All right. If he wanted her attention, he would get it. With a vengeance. Why should she bother to worry about rudeness? It obviously didn't bother him to treat her in that fashion. Kirsten decided that the way to deal with the incipient