True, she
thought carefully, she was physically attractive and reasonably bright, but so were half the girls in London. In the world in which he moved beautiful people were ten a penny, so why had he taken the trouble to find her if not to punish her for the trick she had played on him and the financial loss it had caused? Panic became uppermost again and as her heart began to pound she took a hasty sip of water, holding the glass carefully in hands that trembled slightly. His power was frightening.
‘There is no need to be frightened of me.’ The golden-brown eyes were trained on her face again. ‘I won’t hurt you.’
‘I’m not frightened of you,’ she lied firmly with an upward tilt to her small chin. ‘I don’t frighten easily.’
‘Better and better,’ he drawled sardonically, and although he appeared to have taken her words at face value she had the uneasy feeling that the sharp cat gaze was alarmingly perceptive. She had been foolish, very foolish, to tangle with him, she thought tensely, and in spite of all his reassurances she felt instinctively that she was going to have to pay for her mistake. The debonair, rakish philanderer had been a mirage and instead she had been left facing a prowling lion, and indeed the simile seemed more than apt as she glanced at his mane of dark tawny-brown hair and the curiously gold eyes with their thick lashes that could be as clear and transparent as those of the king of the great cats, and just as unreadable. There was something about him, a hard brooding ruthlessness; he would fit into the inhospitable, cruel plains of Africa beautifully, stalking his prey carefully under a fierce burning sun and then just at the right moment—
‘Your salmon soufflé, miss.’ As the young waiter placed the glass bowl in front of her she almost jumped out of her skin, hiding her embarrassment with a cool smile as he disappeared again after placing Alex’s dish in front of him.
‘I was dreaming,’ she said lightly to the attentive gaze.
‘Really?’ he said quietly, his voice smooth. ‘I don’t normally have my lady companions going off into a world of their own, but there have been several firsts with you, Fabia, in our somewhat short acquaintance. I have the distinct impression that life round you is never dull.’
There was no answer to that one and she didn’t attempt to find one, suddenly finding that in spite of the enormous butterflies that were racing around her stomach she was really quite hungry. Lunch had been hours ago and had consisted of a snatched sandwich and paper cup of tepid coffee due to one of the ceaseless panics that cropped up every few days in the advertising world. She dipped a fork into the light, fluffy soufflé.
She didn’t know what he was paying for the meal but whatever it was it was worth every penny, she reflected wryly as she tucked into the main course of trout, cooked in a wonderful concoction of orange liqueur and lemon, with baby new potatoes and fresh green beans and carrots. ‘This is gorgeous...’ She looked up as she spoke to find his amused gaze stroking her face, a sensuality in his eyes that caused her heart to pound.
‘I’m glad you’re enjoying it.’ He let his glance wander for a moment down her slim shape. ‘I didn’t know if you were on a strict diet to keep that figure so perfect.’
‘No fear.’ Keep it friendly and general, Fabia, she thought silently, and you might just get away with this fiasco with nothing more alarming than an over-full stomach! Don’t let him see how he affects you. ‘I don’t have weight problems; I suppose my job helps.’
‘Really?’ He leant forward slightly, amusement pulling at the firm mouth. ‘Don’t tell me you’re a PE teacher or weight-lifter or some such thing?’ His eyes were wicked.
‘No.’ For some reason she didn’t want to tell him anything more about herself—she had regretted the earlier revelation as soon as it had slipped out—but there was no way she could not do so without appearing churlish. ‘I work in advertising actually—nothing physical, except that we seem to race about from morning to dusk in a state of panic most days. If I remember to eat, which isn’t often, I should think I’ve burned it all off again within minutes!’ She smiled dismissively.
‘I see.’ His voice was casual but she had the feeling that every little thing she told him was being computed into an extensive memory bank and filed for future reference. She could believe now he managed a billion-turnover business. There was something very intimidating about this man, a sharp directness, an astuteness that lit the cold, handsome face from within. He was like a chameleon, she thought suddenly, able to change from one facet of his complicated personality to another at the blink of an eyelid. Tonight there had just been glimpses of the socialite flirt, but it was a mask that could instantly be brought out and donned in a second. Why hadn’t she realised she had grabbed a tiger by the tail? Because he had fooled her as he fooled most people, she suspected, and he wanted it that way.
She glanced at him from under her lashes as she ate. He would be a dangerous adversary to contend with and hopefully she wouldn’t have to, but if necessary... Her thoughts raced as her stomach filled. If necessary she would fight him. He might not be quite like Robin but he had been used to money and power all his life, and no doubt he thought he could acquire anything and anyone. But not this girl! Oh, no, not this girl.
‘Dessert?’ They had been sitting in silence sipping the excellent white wine he had ordered for some moments and as the waiter came to clear their plates Alex smiled at the shake of her head. ‘Oh, come on, there must still be a little hole waiting to be filled.’ He turned to the attentive waiter easily. ‘Two helpings of that delicious berry trifle gâteau your chef does so marvellously.’
‘Yes, Mr Cade.’
When they were alone again she glared at him across the small space, her eyes flashing blue sparks. ‘Are you always so dictatorial?’ she said sharply. ‘Don’t you listen to other people at all?’ She suddenly felt trapped and overwhelmingly intimidated by the sheer presence of the man and it wasn’t pleasant.
‘I apologise,’ he said calmly as the beautiful eyes turned icy, and she felt a little shiver snake down her back. Why didn’t she just keep quiet, why antagonise him further? But she just couldn’t help herself. It wasn’t the dessert that had fired her but his dominant masculinity, which reached out to subdue her in a hundred and one ways.
She stared at him silently. She was behaving very badly and she didn’t like herself this way but she disliked still more the strange melting feeling he could produce in her if they weren’t fighting. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said tightly as she lowered her eyes to the wine glass in her hand. ‘I’m on edge and as I said before, I don’t think I can help you with anything, Mr Cade. I didn’t want to come here and now I’m feeling—’
‘Manoeuvred?’ The cool sardonic voice brought her eyes shooting up to his. ‘But you are being manoeuvred, my dear Fabia, and the name is Alex, remember?’ He smiled slowly. ‘I think you are honest enough to recognise that you owe me, yes?’ She stared at him blankly as her heart began to pound. ‘Yes?’ His voice was cruelly insistent.
‘But—’ Her protest was cut off by the arrival of the berry trifle gâteau, and as the waiter placed the mouth-watering slice of soft cake running with brandy, whipped cream and ripe sugared berries in front of her Alex caught her eye, his expression enigmatic.
‘Eat and enjoy.’ His tone was uncompromising and she suddenly realised that what she did or did not eat would have very little bearing on the outcome of this disastrous evening. He had brought her out to be alone with her and for a purpose that had yet to be made clear. It could be he was just like all the other men she seemed to come into contact with these days, one thing on their minds and one thing only. But she doubted it. She looked again at the hard, handsome face. No, it wasn’t as simple as that with him. He could have any girl he wanted. He didn’t need to coerce a reluctant woman into his bed. Then what on earth was it? She gave up for the moment, picked up her spoon and dug into the rich sweet mixture with a guilty feeling of pleasure, secretly pleased that in this instance he had won the battle, and then instantly disgusted with herself.
&nbs
p; ‘Now.’ As she poured a liberal helping of cream into the dark aromatic depths of her coffee he finally spoke, and in spite of the portent of what was to come she felt a sense of relief. His silence over the last few minutes had been a little unnerving and she had known instinctively that he was collecting his thoughts in order to make plain to her what the evening had been about. ‘I have a proposal to put to you which I want you to consider carefully over the next day or two, after which time I shall be in contact with you for your decision.’ He cleared his throat.
‘Yes?’ He was speaking as though he were in the boardroom but the controlled, distant voice had a calming effect on the fluttering in her stomach until the tawny eyes fixed her again.
‘I am in need of some assistance in a somewhat...delicate area and I would be grateful if you would listen quietly to what I have to say until I have finished. Do you understand?’
She nodded slowly, quelling the spurt of anger the formal, authoritative voice had caused. He was an enigma, this Alexander Cade, she thought silently as she looked into the stiff restrained face. Definitely an enigma.
‘As I mentioned to you earlier, I was brought up by my paternal grandmother on her estate in Cumbria until school age, after which time I divided my life between boarding-school and her home in the holidays. She took the place of mother and father in my life and did it very well considering that when I was first foisted on her she was already in her early fifties.’