His fingers curled painfully about her wrist, the smile on his face in no way matching the venom in his eyes. ‘Smile, Stacy,’ he ordered, the pressure of his fingers increasing almost to breaking point. ‘We wouldn’t want anyone to guess that we aren’t the best of friends, now would we?’ The smile remained fixed on his face.
‘I couldn’t give a damn what people think,’ she said fiercely. ‘You’re despicable, and everyone should know it.’
‘Know what, Stacy? That I tried to take you against your will?’ He shook his head mockingly. ‘I don’t think so, Stacy. You see, I would just have to tell them that you’re a young girl who became infatuated with me, and like any red-blooded man I lost my head a little.’
‘And these bruises?’ she sneered.
‘A little too much passion,’ he returned calmly, unwittingly using Jake’s excuse. ‘I think that in your case I would be the one to be believed. You see, Stacy, you’ve been a little too friend
ly with too many men of late.’
She gasped. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean Saturday night at dinner with Day, the evening spent with Weston, the next day with the same man, surprisingly, and then dinner with me yesterday evening. And now today you’re with Weston again. Not a pretty picture, is it?’ he taunted.
The way he put it it did look pretty damning. ‘But I—’
‘You what?’ he scorned. ‘Tried us all out and found Weston the best in bed?’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t see how anyone would imagine anything else.’
Neither could she! And for a girl who usually steered well clear of any sort of emotional entanglements she seemed to have well and truly blackened her name over the last two days. ‘But Jake knows the truth,’ she insisted. ‘He—’
‘Ah yes, Jake.’ Paul looked at the other man as he talked to Martin Payne, apparently unaware of their conversation. There was pure hate in the look. ‘He may think he knows the truth.’
Stacy gave him a sharp look. ‘What are you saying now?’
‘I’m wondering how Jake would like to hear what really happened last night.’
‘But he already knows.’ She frowned her puzzlement.
‘The truth as you tell it.’
‘But you know it’s right! I wouldn’t—’
Paul laughed, an unpleasant sound without humour. ‘Wouldn’t sleep with me,’ he jeered. ‘Is that what you told Weston?’ He laughed again. ‘I only have to tell him a different story to put the seeds of doubt in his mind, in fact I already made a start on that last night.’
She swallowed hard. ‘You—you did?’
‘Sort of. I implied that it might not have been all onesided, that you liked a man to be rough with you. He didn’t appear to take too much notice of me at the time, but I think I could persuade him that that’s the way it happened if I cared to.’
Stacy was very pale and she felt sick at the malevolence of this man. ‘Why should you want to do that?’
‘Why?’ Furious anger burst in his pale blue eyes. ‘Because I don’t take kindly to being beaten up by someone I consider no better than me, and because you cheated on me. And I could make him believe it too, Stacy. A very jealous man, is Jake Weston. I could tell him how you led me on and then—’
‘I didn’t lead you on,’ she burst out indignantly. ‘I had no intention of—of—’
‘Perhaps you didn’t, but before I’m finished I’ll make sure Weston thinks you did.’
‘You’re sick! You have to be to want to do something like this. One dinner with you doesn’t mean I have to sleep with you.’
‘But you slept with Weston. Don’t deny it, Stacy, I know it’s true. Your friend Juliet unknowingly told me you hadn’t stayed in your room last night,’ he smiled. ‘She was under the impression you’d been with me.’
Stacy bit her lip. ‘I see,’ she muttered. ‘And why are you telling me all this?’
‘I’ve had time to think of a suitable revenge on Weston for these bruised ribs he gave me—’
‘And what about my bruises?’ she interrupted angrily. ‘You were like a savage animal last night!’
‘Probably because that’s what I felt like. I’m the star around here, girl, and I don’t like kids like you thinking they can hog the limelight. As I was saying, I’ll get my revenge on Weston, and I’ll get it through you. He’s a lot like me in some ways, he likes women but not marriage, but while a woman interests him she gets all his attention. Once his desire evaporates it’s a different story—but then I don’t intend waiting that long.’