DAMIEN MOORE was tall, dark and unimpressed, Lee Westwood decided as he raised an enigmatic eyebrow after scanning her thoroughly.
True, she acknowledged inwardly as she sat in the chair he had waved a negligent hand towards, she was not as formally dressed as those who worked in the hushed and hallowed legal offices of Moore & Moore. But her newest pair of jeans, although not that new, were sharply pressed, her short brown boots were shining and her green blouse had been carefully chosen to match her eyes. In fact she couldnât remember taking as much care to co-ordinate her appearance for quite some time. Her shoulder-length auburn hair shone, as it always did, and was tied back neatly.
The one slightly jarring note was her old string bag, which she looped over the arm of the chairâsheâd forgotten to change it for something more chic and, as usual, it bulged.
True, too, she reflected, that she had expected the senior partner of Moore & Moore to be older. This man was in his middle thirties at the most, she judged. Nor had it entered her expectations that he would be quite as devastatingly attractive, with lean lines, broad shoulders, clever dark eyes set in an intelligent face and a definite air of command. Well, perhaps that was to be expected, she amended her thoughts as he sat down behind a hugely impressive desk.
However, she wasnât going to allow this extremely good-looking but superior lawyer to intimidate her for any reason. And she said coolly, âI need some legal advice, Mr Moore.â
He sat back in his exquisitely tailored charcoal suit and made a steeple of his fingers. âSo you informed my secretary on many an occasion, I gather,â he replied dryly.
âItâs not easy to get an appointment with you,â Lee shot back. âItâs obvious you value yourself very highly, Mr Moore,â she added tartly.
A stray glint of amusement lit his fine dark eyes for a moment. âMy fees certainly donât come cheap,â he said, âbut if thatâs a problem for you Iâm not sure why you persevered to the extent of driving my secretary up the wall, Missâ¦uhââ he consulted the file in front of him ââWestwood?â
âWell, Iâll tell you, MrâuhâMoore,â Lee parodied, âI did some research and it seems to me that you are the best in the business. Itâs that simple.â She shrugged her slim shoulders, as if to say it was incomprehensible to her at the moment, but she would go along with it anyway, and added, âIâve got the strong feeling thatâs what I need, you see. On the subject of your fees, incidentally, I have a nest egg that should take care of them.â
Damien Moore resisted the urge to smile as he studied the snippy redhead seated opposite him. She had driven his secretary madâno mean featâand he got the strange feeling his wisest course would be to pack her off before she drove him mad. But really, he mused, how could a thin, youngâtwenty-three?âredhead, who appeared to have all her possessions packed into a bulging string bag, do that?
He sat up abruptly. âAll right, Miss Westwood, tell me what kind of trouble youâve got yourself into.â
Lee looked pained. âI havenât got myself into any trouble at allâIâm extremely law abiding!â
âSo why are you here?â he asked impatiently.
âMy grandparentsâ¦â She paused to collect her thoughts. âThey were persuaded to invest their life savings into a dubious investment scheme. Not only did they get no return for their money, but the principal has disappeared into thin airâthe scheme was a scam right from the start,â she said intensely.
Damien Moore twirled a silver pen in his fingers and looked sceptical. âFirstly, why am I not dealing with your grandparents?â
âTheyâ¦â Lee hesitated. âTheyâre the salt of the earthâthey brought me up when my parents died in a car accident when I was sixâbutâ¦well, theyâre rather unworldly. I guess,â she said awkwardly, âthatâs why they fell for it in the first place.â Her expression hardened. âBut I intend to get back every penny they lost!â
âI see. Thatâs where I come in, I presume?â
âTo be honestââ Lee looked wry for a moment ââI was hoping to be able to achieve it on my own. I didnât succeed.â
âI hesitate to ask this, but what means have you already undertaken to get back your grandparentsâ life savings?â he enquired.
Lee threaded her fingers together and took her time about replying. âI went to the police, but they seemed to think if there was any problem it was a civil matter. The contract contained the fine print to safeguard the proposer of the scheme, so Iâ¦â she grimaced ââ¦I camped out on his doorstep with a placard a couple of times.â