Giorganni's Proposal

Once out of the restaurant and in the fresh air, Dex stopped at the foot of the steps leading up to street level. 'Are you all right? You look a bit pale.' He slanted her a teasing grin. 'For a cat.'

'I'm fine.' Beth tore the hood from her head. She hated the catsuit. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head. The relief was unbelievable. With part of her costume gone, part of her common sense returned.

'But what about you? Why did you call at my apartment? Why did you come to this party? You could have easily said no. What exactly are you playing at?' she demanded, finally able to ask all the questions that had been preying on her mind since Dex had walked back into her life.

'Questions, questions. You'd better watch it, Beth. Remember the saying. Curiosity killed the cat.' And he laughed again.

Sick to death of his stupid cat jokes, she turned on him. 'I wish I could kill you,' she said venomously, and, pushing past him, she ran up the steps to the street.

Mike and Elizabeth were standing on the pavement arm in arm, and Beth hastened to stand beside them. Dex appeared a second later. He gave Beth a hard-eyed stare but said not a word. A snap of his fingers and, by some miracle, the limousine drew up alongside the kerb.

'Where to first?' Dex addressed the question to Mike.

'My place.' He looked at Dex and smiled as he gave the address. 'My new fiancée and I have a lot to discuss.'

'Drop me off first,' Beth said quickly, and looked at Dex too. He stared down at her with narrowed eyes, his expression unreadable.

'Let's leave it to the driver.' He said coolly, his hand at Beth's elbow urging her into the back of the car. Nobody argued with him. . .

Mike and Elizabeth were in a world of their own, arms around each other, whispering sweet nothings, and it was Beth's sheer bad luck that Mike's apartment was a whole lot nearer the restaurant than hers.

'Here.' Elizabeth handed Dex Beth's door keys. 'Look after her.' After a hasty goodnight, the couple quickly headed towards Mike's door.

It was obvious what they had in mind, and who could blame them? They were young and in love. But, unfortunately for Beth, it left her alone in the back seat of the car with Dex. Plus, the man had her door key.

They sat side by side in tense silence as the chauffeur drove through the city. Beth slanted Dex a sidelong glance and quickly looked away. He was bitterly angry. She could sense it, see it in the rigid lines of his hard face. Her nerves were pulled as taut as a bowstring—if she didn't get out of the car in a moment, she would scream.

She felt the tension increase with every passing mile, and breathed a sigh of relief when the limousine cruised qu

ietly to a halt outside her apartment building. The chauffeur got out and, after walking around the front of the car, held open the door. Dex slid out and stood on the pavement, waiting for her.

He was simply being polite, Beth told herself, and slid out after him. 'Thank you for a nice evening,' she said stiffly, 'give me my key, please.' She held out her hand, hoping to get away with the social niceties. But she didn't.

Taking the hand she offered, Dex ordered, 'Inside,' and dragged her across the foyer and into the lift.

'There's no need for you to accompany me,' Beth said firmly, refusing to be intimidated by his high-handed attitude.

He pressed the elevator button, turning to her with an icy expression in his steely eyes. 'I decide what is needed," he stated. Pulling her out of the elevator, then into her apartment, he added chillingly, 'Not you. Not any more.'

Beth looked up as he closed and locked the door behind him, 'Exactly what do you mean by that?' she demanded, but she couldn't help edging away from him. There was something in his expression, his cold, aloof stance, that sent shivers down her spine.

Ignore him, her common sense told her. Ignore him, walk away, and he'll leave.

'I'm going to get changed.' Beth turned her back to him. 'See yourself out.' And she headed for the door that led into her bedroom. She half expected him to follow, but amazingly he didn't. She closed her bedroom door behind her and wished it had a lock. Then she heard a door slam; she couldn't believe her luck. But she was taking no chances. Quickly she picked up an old green sweatsuit, and dashed into the bathroom. The bathroom did have a lock.

She listened for any sound from the living room, but everything was quiet. Slipping out of the embarrassing costume, she sighed with relief and stepped into the baggy pants. She slipped the sweater over her head and ran her fingers through her hair. Only then did she look in the mirror. A brief smile curved her full mouth, and she gave a grimace of pain as she pulled the whiskers from her face.

No wonder Dex had gone, she thought, still grinning. She looked an absolute sight. She thoroughly washed and dried her face, removing all the exaggerated eye make-up, and, picking up a hairbrush, briskly brought her unruly auburn hair into some sort of order. Sighing with relief, she saw she looked almost normal. She unlocked the bathroom door. A cup of cocoa, and then hopefully to bed and to sleep. She didn't want to think about the evening's events.

She walked into the living room and stopped dead. Dex was leaning against the small mantlepiece. He looked up as she walked in. A flick of his lashes sent his gaze skimming over her assessingly, noting the baggy green sweatsuit with a wry smile.

'Hardly haute couture, but all that can change,' he murmured, and she felt as though he was stripping her with his eyes.

'I thought you'd gone,' she exclaimed.

Dex shrugged his broad shoulders in a typical Latin gesture. 'No.'

'But I heard the door.' Beth was stunned, and it showed. She looked at the hall door, and back at Dex. He had loosened his tie and unfastened the first few buttons on his shirt. Thankfully he had not removed his jacket; it still fit perfectly over his broad shoulders. One hand was in his trouser pocket; the other was holding a glass of wine.