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such close range he could study her eyes through her glasses and he saw that they were a dark sea-deep green, much the color of his own. He also realized that her lenses had no magnifying or distorting effect, which meant that they were either pitifully weak or mere glass with no prescriptive strength at all. In other words, they were part and parcel of a disguise. She was deliberately, for some unfathomable reason, making herself look like a frump!
    He shut his eyes, the better to concentrate on these revelations, and at once became aware of the perfume she wore. It had subtly teased his senses since she had entered the car, but the distraction of her outward appearance had pushed its message into his subconscious. Now it was surfacing and he could match it to the inner vision of that flawless profile.
    Green eyes, titian hair, and a neck like a swan's. He'd take a bet with any odds that the body underneath that chaste and chastening suit was just as lovely as the rest of her, and just as deceptively packaged. No wonder Schyler Van Metre was panting on the trail. A cruel smile curved his mouth.
    "This is an extremely important conference today, Miss Dalton. Accuracy in your notes is essential." Dain's eyes opened to survey the impassive face of the woman who watched him warily and for a long moment their eyes locked in a silent struggle. Although her face remained inexpressive, behind her glasses the dark green eyes carried a message hard to define except that it wasn't friendly.
    Keri turned her profile to Dain again, breaking the eye contact. "Of course, Mr. Randolph. I always strive for complete accuracy. I am sure you will find the quality of my notes most satisfactory, sir." Keri kept her voice colorless with an effort and continued, "Do you wish to brief me on the purpose of the meeting or give me any special instructions before we arrive, sir?" He nodded, but waited for her to finish all her questions. She continued, "Would you prefer the final form in the original languages or would you prefer a completely translated copy?"
    He looked at her narrowly. "Will you take the notes in the languages of origin?" he asked curiously.
    "Of course, sir, if that is what you desire." Keri maintained her impassive mien. She looked at him guilelessly for a short moment before facing forward again.
    Dam's mouth compressed, Subtly, in a way he couldn't voice a precise objection to, she was getting to him. She was a caricature of the superefficient secretary and he didn't doubt she could do all she promised. Her notes would be impeccable and he would stake RanCo that she wouldn't miss an important word or sign during the whole conference. And if she sirred him one more time he would strangle her!
    In keeping with her deliberately drab appearance, Keri seemed determined to project an image of machinelike efficiency which obscured her reality as anything more than a piece of office furniture. If he hadn't already been curious about her, it might have worked, for a time, at least. But, as with all defenses which depend on the concealment by camouflage, once alerted to the presence of the prey a predator can easily strip away the ephemeral shield to expose the quivering, tender morsel beneath.
    He would strip away her pathetic, evasive ploys at his leisure, he decided. It shouldn't be difficult at all to prize her out of her shell of respectable drabness, even if he had to crack it a bit in the process.
    He began to brief her on the topics of the conference and the men who would be present. Keri pulled out her notebook and began to take notes, her pencil slipping rapidly over the page. He gave her a list of the names of those to be present plus a thumbnail sketch of each. He watched as she listed each man and appended a symbol beside each name, different in each case. When he asked her the significance of the symbols she explained. "They tell me who ' said what... a sort of shorthand shorthand." There was just the faintest hint of a smile