Love's Only Deception

‘Who was that?’ she demanded sharply.

‘Just a friend,’ he dismissed shakily.

‘Are you sure, Donald?’

‘Of course I am, Mother,’ he said nervously.

‘And where is Caroline?’

‘I left her in the garden when I came in to answer the telephone.’

‘And how are things going with her?’

‘Well—I hope.’

‘You only hope?’ his mother echoed scathingly. ‘You aren’t pushy enough, Donald,’ she tutted. ‘If she doesn’t like you I don’t know what your father will say—or what he will do,’ she added

threateningly. ‘We really can’t have someone like that at Spencer Plastics.’

‘But you’re intending to make her my wife!’ Donald groaned.

‘Only for a short time, dear,’ his mother dismissed.

‘But—’

‘Now don’t be tiresome, dear. Your father will be very pleased with you if you do this for him. And it won’t be for ever. You have to admit she’s prettier than you had imagined.’

‘Well…yes. But—’

‘Really, Donald, you agreed to this when we discussed it earlier in the week. Now go and get Caroline. She’s been left alone too long.’

By the time Donald found her Callie had regained her composure. She was back in the rose garden so that he shouldn’t realise she had overheard his telephone call and his conversation with his mother. But she was able to look at them with new eyes, to see the greed in all their faces. No wonder they hadn’t wanted to discuss the shares—they didn’t need to, they intended getting their hands on them when she married Donald. Whoever had thought of such an idea must have a warped mind.

And to imagine she would actually fall for Donald, that was an insult to her intelligence!

CHAPTER TWO

SHE had calmed down somewhat by the time she got home, although she was no less determined to make the Spencers pay for their cold-blooded scheme.

She persuaded Bill, Marilyn’s husband, to deal with the details of her side of Jeff’s will. He was a very good lawyer himself, and he wouldn’t be intimidated by James Seymour or the Spencer family.

With that worry off her mind Callie’s time was free to accept Donald Spencers’ invitation. But if he thought she was going to be an easy conquest he was going to be out of luck. She would make sure he took her to all the most expensive places in town. The Spencer family had angered her, and Donald was going to know all about dating Callie Day!

He might be weak and & little stupid where his parents were concerned, but she had to admire his determination—or maybe it was just fear of his parents? Whatever the season, Donald didn’t object to anything she said or did.

And during the next month she said a lot of wild things, did a lot of wild things, and she made Donald do them with her, no matter how mad they were. And some of them were very extreme. She made him take off his shoes and socks one night, roll up his trousers, and paddle in the fountain with her in Trafalgar Square. Another time she took him to a really weird party, watching him squirm as an extrovert artist tried to seduce him up to her studio. And then there had been the time she made him take her to a football match, watching how awkward he felt at the disgusting language and loud behaviour of some of the rougher spectators.

Donald suffered through it all without demur, even during the modern play Callie insisted she had to see—even though she didn’t understand a word of it! Most of it seemed to have sexual undertones, and she could see Donald becoming more and more uncomfortable by the minute, her decision to leave changed as she made him sit through it to the embarrassing end.

But nothing put him off, and by the end of four weeks she was beginning to tire of the game. The stuffy party he had brought her to tonight was the end as far as she was concerned. When he took her home she intended telling him she didn’t want to see him again.

At least that way she wouldn’t have to suffer through another goodnight kiss! How Donald had reached the age of twenty-eight without even learning how to kiss properly she didn’t know, but somehow he had managed it, and his wet, soggy kisses were totally uninspiring.

The party was at last beginning to warm up. A lot of the older people were leaving, and the younger ones starting to let their hair down a little. Even Donald was dancing rather enthusiastically with a tall, busty blonde, for once not fawning over Callie trying to grant her every wish. When he had time to meet the girl he was really in love with she had no idea, since he had spent most of his evenings with her this last month. Perhaps one day Donald would realise there was more to life than pleasing his parents—especially at twenty-eight!

She took advantage of his preoccupation to absent herself, leaving the noisy party to go into one of the side rooms, to find herself in the peace and tranquillity of a library, its walls lined with books, books her fingers ached to touch.

She looked along the shelves, finding most of the classics, and took down her own particular favourite, leafing through the pages.