<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'"><span style="font-size: 12px">There seemed to be concern in his tone, but at the same time, she was certain he was serious. Joanna could not pin down whether he wanted the truth of how she felt, or simply how she planned to feel. Vance Harrington was an enigmatic man; she didn't know what he wanted to hear, much less if hearing her talk about how uncertain she felt about impressing his crew was what he needed to hear. Her mind searched for a quick, satisfying response to his query.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm confident enough to get things done without distraction," she stated. "I will do whatever is necessary to provide the services you need on board. Whatever you need me to do, I will do it without complaint."<br/>
<br/>
Joanna observed Vance's workspace and the rest of the cabin. It was overwhelmingly beautiful; completely different from the rest of the ship. She ran her fingers over the smooth desk, a sense of stillness rushing through her veins like adrenaline. Joanna became enraptured by the straight lines and waxy shine; it was exquisite detail, almost too good to be sullied by any leatherbound book or the paper with strange symbols and letters that was laid out across the desk. <br/>
<br/>
She tore her eyes away from the desk, aware she may as well have been distracted from doing some sort of work in his office.<br/>
<br/>
"I may not be well equipped to this kind of work, but please trust that I'm a quick learner. I can do this. I'm not about to let your men tear me down simply because they believe a woman cannot do a man's work." <br/>
<br/>
Had his men ever seen a woman work? Surely, a woman could do the same job they could, scrubbing the decks and hoisting the sails. The danger was real, but that did not mean women were not as capable of putting down their foot and working themselves the bone. Joanna wanted to prove her worth on board, she wanted to work hard and the motivation to succeed was all she had. She'd utilize that to the best of her ability, no matter how much hell they gave her.<br/>
<br/>
</span></span>