The Burlington Manor Affair

Rex

Carmen’s mind reeled, her heart aching. She’d never believed her mother’s car crash was accidental, and she’d told Rex that. She never expected him to act on it, though. The simple note was an olive branch of some magnitude. The implications quickened her thoughts and made her mouth go dry. Rex had listened to her and acted on it. That was what the note was really saying. She couldn’t take the risk of spending time with him again, and yet through this grand gesture—this effort to allay her fears and suspicions about the past—it was exactly what he was asking her to do.

She glanced at the clock. She had a meeting to attend. Grabbing her notes, she prepared to make her way to the boardroom. That’s when her phone rang. Glancing down at it, she saw that it was Rex calling. When she considered ignoring it guilt stole into her heart. He’d gone to some lengths on her behalf.

Thank him for the information. It was common courtesy, nothing more, and it would stop him calling if she handled it right. Establish a barrier, then thank him. She reached for the phone. “Which part of ‘time out’ didn’t you understand, Rex?”

“Four days seems more than adequate, to me.”

“And I don’t get a say in how long it should be?”

“Of course you do. Look, Carmen, whatever went down before, there are still things we need to sort out, things that bind us together.”

Frustrating though that was, it was true. “The house.”

“And other things.” His tone said it all. Intimate, deep and resonant, his words stimulated every sense, every nerve ending.

She closed her eyes.

That was fatal. When he spoke again his voice locked her to him, daring her to deny him.

“I won’t lie. I want to see you again, more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life.” His voice was hoarse. “I miss you.”

When he said that she experienced an ache so deep it was painful. A meeting could never remain neutral. “Please, don’t do this—”

“I know,” he interrupted, his tone soothing. “I’m sorry. It’s just...hearing your voice.” He paused. “What I meant to say was, did you receive my note?”

She glanced down at the message he’d sent, focusing on that. “I did. Thank you for letting me know. No doubt the police will be in touch with me if there is anything new to discuss.”

“I’m sure they will be.”

When he paused again, the tension ratcheted. Rex was so able to express his will and his desires in the tone of his voice that Carmen instantly felt on edge, waiting for another drop in his tone, that alteration to suggestion, command and intimacy that made her malleable, feminine and without doubt. Emotion knotted in her chest.

“I want to make this right for you, Carmen.”

When he said her name, her legs felt unsteady.

“I’ve got a private investigator looking into it, as well. I mean to discover the truth.”

“I have no doubt you will. When you set your mind on something you usually succeed.” The comment was out before she thought through the implications.

“Usually? Except when it comes to you, is that what you’re saying?”

Had he set his mind on her? Well, yes, he’d trapped her in an arrangement which had sexually compromised her, preying on long-withheld desires, but she’d wanted it, too. The important thing—her anchor on reality—was that she knew it was a temporary thing and she never forgot that. Rex was a player and she wasn’t. It was that simple.

She took a deep breath. “Except when it comes to me, yes.”

Silence.

Why did she feel the need to fill that silence? “I do appreciate your efforts.”

“There’s been too much...wrong. Around us.” He was choosing his words carefully. “I want to concentrate on what was right between us. I need to sort the rest of the mess out, and I will. We need closure on the past.”

Carmen tried not to think about the hidden meaning there. The thing that was right between them was their sexuality. By some weird alignment of the stars they keyed into each other’s deepest desires. It was everything else that was wrong. Wasn’t it? Suddenly Carmen wasn’t sure. It was the eternal draw between them. It defied logic, causing her to question everything.

“My private investigator has some questions. I’ve jotted them down. Meet me for dinner tonight and we can work through them.”

There it was—the alluring command. Carmen braced herself to deny him. “I can meet with your investigator myself.”