‘Sara!’ Dominic’s call stopped her at the door. ‘Don’t go,’ he requested huskily.
‘I have to.’
‘Why?’ he groaned.
‘Because I never let my friends down.’
‘Do I count as a friend?’
‘Hardly!’ she derided.
‘How about Marie?’ he asked softly.
Sara flinched. ‘You bastard!’ she glared at him. ‘You almost attack me every time we meet, and you have the nerve to remind me of my loyalty to Marie!’
He closed his eyes. ‘I wasn’t doing that, I was just asking you if you would let Marie down.’
‘I already have,’ she said bitterly, ‘and I’m not proud of the fact.’
‘Neither am I!’
‘You could have fooled me!’
His mouth tightened into an angry line. ‘You either infuriate me or inflame me, and at the moment I can’t cope with either emotion.’
‘What do you think you do to me?’ she groaned. ‘Oh God, I can’t stand any more of this—I’m going out!’
‘Marie wants you to stand in for her tonight,’ Dominic revealed in a rush.
Sara frowned. ‘At your dinner party?’
‘How did you know about that?’
‘My father mentioned it.’
‘I see. Yes, that’s it. Marie wondered whether you could take her place?’ He eyed her questioningly.
‘At the table, or in your bed?’
‘Please, Sara,’ he groaned, ‘don’t!’
‘That’s what your mother said,’ she remembered bitterly.
Dominic frowned. ‘Don’t what?’
She shrugged. ‘Don’t become involved with you.’ She couldn’t reveal that his mother had guessed at her love for him!
‘Are you involved?’
‘You’re going to marry my sister,’ she stated the obvious involvement.
‘Yes,’ he sighed heavily. ‘Will you act as my hostess tonight?’
‘Why can’t your mother do it? You live with her, don’t you?’
‘Hardly,’ he gave a half smile. ‘None of us live with her, we all fled the nest long ago. I have a penthouse apartment in town.’
Her eyes widened. ‘And that’s where I would be expected to act as your hostess?’
‘Yes.’
Sara shook her head in alarm. ‘I can’t. You know I can’t!’ she groaned.
He made no move to touch her, and yet his eyes caressed wherever they looked. ‘It would make Marie happy,’ he told her huskily.
Sara sighed defeatedly. ‘And you like her to be happy,’ once again this was made plain to her. ‘All right, I’ll do it. On condition,’ she added hardly, ‘that you stay away from me.’
‘I’ll try.’
‘You’d better do a damn sight more than that,’ she warned. ‘Or I’m likely to embarrass you in front of your guests. And you can believe I mean that, Dominic. I never make idle threats.’
‘I believe you,’ he accepted dully.
‘You’d better!’ came her parting shot.
As it was she was ten minutes late for her date with Eddie, although he assured her he had only just arrived himself.
‘Very flattering!’ she grimaced, seating herself opposite him.
He laughed. ‘Would you rather I’d sat here waiting for you?’
‘No,’ she smiled ruefully.
‘Don’t look now,’ he sat forward to whisper, ‘but I think we’re being watched.’
‘Watched?’ she frowned in puzzlement.
‘Mm, by your future brother-in-law.’
Dominic! ‘Where is he?’ she asked tautly.
‘A few tables back, to your left.’
They were sitting in a quietly exclusive restaurant, but nevertheless Sara knew it wasn’t the sort of place Dominic usually frequented. He had followed her here! The waiter was just approaching him for his order, so Sara got hastily to her feet. ‘I won’t be a minute,’ she muttered to Eddie before making her way purposefully over to Dominic.
He waved the waiter away as soon as he saw her approaching him, looking up at her expectantly.
‘What the hell do you think you’re doing, following me in this way?’ Sara lashed out furiously.