Adonis lounged on Harry's computer chair.

He was too perfect to be anyone else.

She stood transfixed by the man's beauty. His dark brown hair was slicked back carelessly and his prominent cheek bones underlined pools of onyx where eyes belonged. A light stubble emphasised his strong jaw line, suggesting a ruggedness that was instantly charming.

"How did you get in here?" she asked.

"Erin, always lets me in. She's a dear isn't she?" His deep voice was as smooth as chocolate.

He looked Harry up and down.

Harry didn't know why, but she felt herself wanting to make this man happy. She was glad that she dressed up today. Looking nice in front of him felt right. Still, even in her suit and heels, she still felt underdressed in his presence. Though he wore jeans and a fitted maroon checked shirt, looking like he'd stepped straight off the set of an RM Williams' catalogue, his sophistication seemed to outdo hers easily. Even if she'd been wearing a ball gown, that likely would have been the case. He was that perfect mix of danger and elegance.

She resisted the urge to flatten her hair, or tug the top under her shirt down to reveal her cleavage. She wished she had never decided to put that extra layer on. She wished that she still had her pre-baby chest, so that there was actually something there worth showing off.

Get a hold of youself, Harriet, she thought. You're married. He is not David, and David is the only one you care to impress.

She didn't dare glance over at the mirror hanging on the wall. Her face was boiling, so she assumed that she looked like a tomato.

She focused back on the man in front of her. He was still scrutinising her, looking intently at her facial features. The heat in her face rose even further. Perhaps he was waiting for her to speak. What was she missing? Had he asked her a question while she had zoned out? She would need to say something in a minute just to fill the awkward silence. She hoped that she wouldn't make it too onvious she hadn't paid attention.

She took a stab in the dark, "Sorry, I missed your name?"

"How remiss of me," the stranger replied. If she had missed something and he'd noticed it, at least he was being polite enough to ignore it. "I'm Sam Dupret, I'm the president of the local business coalition. The past Principals and I have always made a... mutually beneficial agreement, and since I heard that you were in today, I thought I'd take the time out of my busy schedule to present the same courtesty to you in person. And who knew that the person I was meeting would be such a beauty?"

The line was cheesy and clearly not genuine. Lines like that normally sent Harry's creep-o-metre skyrocketing, yet her heart gave a little flutter at the compliment. She mentally slapped herself. She was acting ridiculously. She ran her hands through the front of her hair, tilting her chin to emphasise her batting eyelashes as she looked up at him. What was she, a school girl with a crush? She straightened herself back up, imposing as much authority into her short little body as she could.

"Well, thank you, Mr Dupret. What kind of offer are we talking about here?" She caught herself as her hand reached to twirl the end of her hair. She grabbed her collarbone instead, pretending she had an itch, then returned her hand to her side.

"You see, the students here have a bit of a... bad reputation around town. They can be a bit difficult, especially if they don't have the right... encouragement. I'm on good standing with everyone in the community, parents and students alike, and I'm always willing to help make them more manageable for you. You know, so you can get on with doing the important parts of your job. All I require in return are a couple of little favours."

As he looked at her, those deep dark eyes imploring, she was still desperate to give him his every desire, even though she was pretty sure he was giving her an ultimatum she didn't like. He took a step closer to her and her heart quickened. She held it together.

"Oh? And what type of favours would these be?"

"Nothing untoward." He flipped his hand in dismissal. "My ancestors lost something very important to them a long time ago. I have made it my life's mission to see it returned. They were always very fond of this school, so I have reason to believe it's somewhere here. All you need to do is give me your keys after hours and ensure that no-one interrupts me in my search. Oh and make sure that when the students do misbehave, they're not suspended. We wouldn't want to damage the school's reputation more than it already has been, now, would we? Especially with the 50 year memorial coming up."

Nothing untoward? He spoke so nonchalantly. Like there were no breaches in Code of Conduct he was asking her to commit. Like there was nothing ethically wrong with anything he was asking of her. He actually seemed to believe that this thing, whatever it was, would still be there. Did he not know kids at all? It had probably been found days after it had been lost. Hadn't he ever heard kids' favourite motto: finders keepers?

He continued to gaze on her intently. If she were a character in a romance novel, the look that he gave her would have been labelled 'smouldering sexiness'. It was the look that the hero gave the damzel in distress he'd just rescued right before she jumped into his arms kissing him deeply.

Harry giggled. She was so shocked by his proposal that his charm no longer effected her. She laughed harder. If it wasn't for the fact that he appeared to really mean what he was saying she would think that someone was playing a practical joke on her. Maybe he was an actor and this was a test to see if she was suitable for her new role. It would explain everything. She had to rest her hand on her desk to steady herself. Her laughing fit threatened to overwhelm her. She wiped her eyes and took deep breathes.

Mr Dupret watched her, his face, a mix of hurt and fury. Maybe he wasn't joking. She didn't think it possible, but the raw emotion made him even more beautiful. She felt her cheeks redden again - so she wasn't completely unaffected by him.

"So, I'm assuming your response is a no then?" he snapped.

Harry was taken aback by his sudden spite.

"I'm sorry, I thought that this may have been a joke... Look, I don't know what's happened in this town in the past, but everything you have just asked of me is completely beyond my authority to allow. I would greatly appreciate any help you might wish to give teaching the students correct behaviour for school and the real world, but I do wonder how successful you've been in the past, since, you know, the school has such a, how did you put it 'bad reputation around town' and all.
"Once I've got my feet on the ground, I'm sure that we can come to some sort of arrangement where you can look for your lost item, under supervision of course."

Dupret stared daggers at her. Her pulse thudded in her ears and her heart felt tight in her chest. She couldn't believe she'd been that blunt. Confrontation and candor were not her strong suits and the last thing she wanted to do was make enemies before she'd even started. Her knees threatened to buckle under the weight of his glare. She knew that she couldn't show any weakness now though.

He moved in close to her. She needed to look up to look him in the eye.

"You won't last," he spat. "I'll give it a month before you turn tail and run back to being a little fish in a big pond." Even his sneer was pretty. "Goodbye, little fish." His whisper was a caress.

He shoved past her and the door slammed.

....................................................................................................................................................................

This chapter has been so much fun to write. What do you think about Dupret? Harry was originally going to call him Sam, but referring to him by his last name just feels right for her.

How do you think I have handled playing with the cliches in this chapter? Too much?