"'M sorry to have to wait until then, but believe me, the quicker the backlog of Bill's work is cleared the better. At least I'll be able to relax a bit more with it out of the way. If I don't get the filing done today, I'll bring in Ms Smith tomorrow to help me out. That woman is ruthlessly efficient. Thankfully. And then I can be all yours to do with as you please."
He coudn't resist the tease, and lowered his voice once more. "Your loyal servant ma'am." His eyes twinkled and he smiled warmly.