The Deserving Mistress

Jude eyed her scathingly. ‘So who’s the lucky man tonight?’

‘Do you mean to be insulting, Jude?’ She quirked dark brows. ‘Or does it just come naturally to you?’

His mouth twisted humourlessly. ‘A little of both, I think.’

To his surprise she laughed softly, her eyes glowing deeply green, slight dimples beside the soft curve of her lips. God, she was beautiful, he acknowledged frowningly. Wearing no make-up that he could detect, her hair scraped back in an elastic band, wearing those awful clothes she worked in, a

nd she was still beautiful. Too beautiful!

‘Perhaps you wouldn’t mind answering my question?’ he rasped caustically.

She gave a slight shake of her head. ‘I thought I already had. You asked me to have dinner with you, and I said no. Although I’m curious as to why you think you would ever have received any other sort of answer?’ She looked at him searchingly.

‘Because your mother brought you up to be polite?’ he returned dryly—realising, too late, that her mother hadn’t brought her up at all, that she had died while the three sisters were still babies.

May’s eyes were now as hard as the jewels they resembled, her mouth unsmiling. ‘Any manners I have certainly weren’t taught me by my mother,’ she snapped coldly. ‘Although, again, I’m curious as to why you should think I would feel the need to be in the least polite to you?’ she added with hard derision.

‘Because I bought you dinner the other evening?’ Jude shrugged, starting to find it decidedly warm in here in the thick Aran sweater and faded blue denims that he was wearing.

May gave him a quizzical look. ‘In that case, shouldn’t I be the one asking you out to dinner? To return the favour?’

‘Not the most gracious invitation I’ve ever received—but I accept,’ Jude told her, eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

She looked stunned by the deliberate trap he had set—and that she had unwittingly walked into. ‘Now just a minute—’

‘Too late, May,’ he told her lightly. ‘You asked, I accepted.’

‘I did not—’

‘You most certainly did,’ he assured her mockingly, enjoying being the one to have completely disconcerted her this time.

‘But I have an Amateur Dramatics meeting to go to this evening!’ she protested frustratedly.

‘Then I suggest you cancel it,’ he dismissed unconcernedly. ‘I’ll leave you to book the restaurant, shall I? I prefer French cuisine if possible, but if not—’

‘If you really expect me to give you dinner then you’ll get May cuisine, you’ll get it here—and like it!’ she interrupted impatiently. ‘Although—’

‘Sounds great,’ Jude accepted. ‘About seven-thirty suit you?’

‘Yes, but—’

‘I’ll bring the wine,’ he continued happily, enjoying her dazed expression. ‘Do you prefer red or white?’

‘White. But—’

‘Seven-thirty, then, May.’ He nodded decisively.

May gave him a look of complete exasperation. ‘You are the most arrogant, manipulative man it has ever been my misfortune to meet!’ she finally burst out frustratedly.

He grinned. ‘Takes one to know one,’ he returned lightly.

Her eyes widened indignantly. ‘I am not in the least arrogant or manipulative.’

‘No?’ he mocked. ‘Well, perhaps I don’t know you well enough yet to give a learned opinion,’ he allowed softly.

Her eyes flashed angrily. ‘And perhaps you never will know me well enough to give a learned opinion!’

He shrugged. ‘We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?’ he dismissed. ‘I’ll leave you to get on with your work now, as you appear to have a date for lunch today, too,’ he added hardly.