The Right Mr. Wrong

She didn’t have to answer that.

‘And no boyfriend now?’

She ran her fingers over the cool glass. ‘Not during the show season.’

‘What, you put relationships on hold for that?’

‘Of course. I can’t be bothered with a man moaning about being neglected.’

He chuckled. ‘Neglected? I can’t imagine you ever neglecting a lover—you were always so generous...’

She chose to ignore that reference. ‘Well, you know how it is, Liam—people tend to feel ignored when their partner is wholly focused on work. I find it’s easier to be single at the busiest times.’

‘I would have thought a true partner would understand when his lover has a huge crunch on at work. Wouldn’t he be supportive? Offer an end-of-the-day massage?’

‘Is that what your girlfriend does for you?’ Vivi smiled, oh, so sweetly.

He chuckled. ‘No, I’m every bit as single as you. I’ve had girlfriends but it never seems to work for long. I guess long-term relationships don’t fit with my personality.’ He sounded careless.

‘It’s not that you’re having too much fun enjoying the variety in your high-flying lifestyle?’

‘I know you love to think the worst of me, but I’m actually not a slut.’

‘What?’ She paused for effect. ‘You mean you don’t sleep your way to what you want?’

He bridled. ‘Aren’t you getting a little desperate to score a point?’

‘No point scoring, just an honest assessment. Isn’t it an extension of networking and schmoozing?’

‘I guess it could be but I think you’ve been hanging around the Hollywood types too much. You know, most of the people I need to network with are guys,’ he said dryly. ‘And you know I’m not gay.’

‘So you’re telling me you don’t all get together at lap bars and do your deals amongst breasts and legs?’

‘You’re really trying to have the lowest opinion of me, aren’t you?’ He looked way too amused. ‘Why so determined to talk yourself into disliking me? Dreaming up the worst dirt your mind can dredge? Sorry, darling, but I’m not going to help you out. Fact is I’m an all right guy. That’s not to say I don’t have sex, but it’s always good and it’s always with a woman who’s as happy about it as I am.’

‘I’m sure she is,’ Vivi ground out poisonously.

‘And naturally, any man lucky enough to date you would be very, very happy,’ he added.

She bit back a bitchy retort. She really needed to steer them back to business.

‘Or are you holding out for Mr Right?’ he asked with a laugh.

‘There’s no such thing,’ she growled, provoked. ‘No hero on the white charger. No love of your life.’ No grand passion. There was companionship and good sex. Neither of which she had time for right now.

‘No.’ He said it with such finality and, even though she believed it herself, she was somehow wounded.

‘Shall we get back to business?’ Vivi forced herself to back away from the boggy territory they’d wandered into. ‘We have a limited time frame. Alannah has a shoot in Venice today and tomorrow. Gia was supposed to be having a few days at a spa.’ And Vivi had been longing for three days’ solid sleep.

‘You can get Gia into the spa a few days later and I have a plane that can get Alannah from Venice as soon as she’s done.’

‘You want Alannah that much?’

His gaze lifted. ‘I want her in the pictures for my company.’

No man just wanted Alannah on paper.

Liam openly laughed. ‘I don’t think I’m her type anyway. She was looking at me very oddly last night.’

‘You mean not in the usual total adoring way you’re used to? Women just fall at your feet, don’t they? Well, men just fall at hers. So perhaps she’s the perfect challenge for you.’ She glanced at him to see his reaction.

A smile played around his mouth. ‘She’s not a challenge for me.’

‘Oh, please. Every man on the planet sees her as the ultimate score.’

‘Not me. As far as I can see there’s no discernible personality there.’

‘It’s there. She just hides it.’ Vivi reckoned she had to, in order for her to survive the insanity of her life. ‘So you only like women you see as a challenge?’ It was all about the challenge.

‘Not a challenge to get into bed. I like a woman who challenges me on every level. Physically, intellectually.’

‘Emotionally?’ she mocked. ‘You’ll never get me to believe that, Liam.’

He kept looking at her so long she grew uncomfortable with the silence.

‘Maybe Alannah looked at you funny because I told her you like me to tie you up and whip you.’ She cleared her throat and sat back, waiting for the explosion.

But he didn’t blink. ‘Well in one way you did. I was only a toy for you.’ His eyes met hers. ‘You used me.’

‘Excuse me?’ Vivi’s temperature rose so she worked hard to keep her tone calm. ‘You used me. You wanted in. You wanted acceptance.’

‘Stealing you away from your family and almost-fiancé was hardly going to gain me acceptance,’ he said, equally cool. ‘I was some kind of escapist fantasy—the bit of rough. But once reality hit, you couldn’t wait to get away. You used me, Victoria. Not the other way round.’ He leaned over the table. ‘You wanted to escape the nice middle-class prison you were in. You didn’t want to marry Oliver but you felt trapped. I was your escape route. Nothing more.’

How could he possibly think she’d used him like that? ‘You’ve no idea how hard it was for me to walk out of that house and go with you. I walked away from everything.’

‘Which was exactly what you wanted.’ Obstinately he stuck to his warped view of what had happened.

‘How would you know what I wanted?’ He’d never asked her. ‘You weren’t interested in anything I wanted to do. You just expected me to fall in with your plans. I was supposed to sit on the beach or something while you were out sailing. It was all about your dreams. You had no clue what mine were and you didn’t want to know.’ She didn’t want this—to go over what had gone wrong. ‘Look, I’ll rebook Gia’s spa and get her to Genoa and rework Alannah’s schedule. Given your inability to stay on track with any kind of serious plan

ning this morning, and given the pressure on my precious time, I’m going to leave now and will keep you updated with plans via email.’ She stood up from the table and looked at him. ‘Anything else you need from me right now?’

‘Just one thing,’ he answered blandly, following her out of the restaurant.

Vivi kept walking. ‘What is it?’

‘A kiss goodbye.’

What? She lurched to a standstill and turned, scraping up a laugh. ‘That’s not appropriate in a professional relationship.’

‘Yeah, well, this relationship was never going to be professional.’ He stepped closer. ‘You’re going to have to get over that.’

She opened her mouth but he put his finger on her lips.

‘A kiss makes for a better goodbye than harsh words, don’t you think?’

Five years ago goodbye had been a doozy of an argument. He’d got wild with her and she equally so. She’d never been so angry in her life. He’d made her lose control of her emotions in more ways than one. She’d lost him. She’d already lost her family. And she’d kept all her emotions under control since.

‘You can’t reheat old soup.’ She tried to ignore the sensations of his finger on her mouth as she spoke.

‘You think? Don’t things taste better when the flavours have had time to infuse or ferment? Isn’t that the difference between grape juice and wine?’

She didn’t need to get drunk on Liam again. ‘You’re incorrigible.’

‘But you know I’m right.’

‘No.’

‘Then prove me wrong.’

‘You can’t tease me into this.’

‘No?’

‘Public displays of affection are tacky.’

‘This isn’t affection.’

‘Then what is it?’

He moved so fast she didn’t stand a chance. His hand dropped from her mouth and slid round her waist, pulling her close against him. His head dropped.

His lips didn’t brush, they bruised. But only for a moment—they softened almost immediately, caressing, then the pressure increased again. He teased—always such a tease. And then he lifted just a fraction. She knew he was going to pull away.