Mistress of Deception

He gave her another of those unnervingly cold smiles. 'Must you bother your pretty little head about business today? Now that I've put aside all that nonsense about our not indulging ourselves, I'd like you to concentrate on only one subject. Me.'

Ebony stared at him. When he'd called and asked her to spend the weekend with him on his boat, she'd assumed they would start making love again.

The prospect had both relieved and excited her. Now, however, she felt oddly chilled. Alan's mood seemed dark, even darker than it had ever been when they'd been conducting their love-hate affair.

'Have I said something wrong?' he asked silkily. 'Am I to take it that you're no longer as anxious to have me in your bed as you were the other night?'

Ebony gulped. Suddenly, she didn't know what to say, or how to answer that two-edged question. If she said yes, then she would sound sex-mad. If she said no, then he would think she was a tease and a hypocrite. God, what was the matter with Alan today? Why did she get the feeling he wanted her to feel awful?

'I... I haven't changed my mind about what I said the other night,' she tried. 'I think when two adults are in love, then making love is the most natural, beautiful thing in the world. I don't find my wanting you to make love to me a thing to be ashamed of, Alan.'

'I can only applaud such fine sentiments. But what if you weren't in love with me? Would you still be prepared to go to bed with me?'

'But I do love you. Oh, Alan, is that what's bothering you today? Are you beginning to doubt my love again?'

He looked taken aback. 'Why do you think something's wrong with me today? I've been perfectly normal.'

She laughed. 'You have to be joking! You're wound up tight as a drum, and you keep smiling at me with about as much warmth as the wicked old witch in Hansel and Gretel.'

'I see... Is this better?' He flashed her a smile that was marginally improved, if one ignored the new overtones of the big bad wolf in Little Red Ridinghood. But Ebony decided not to mention that. Maybe he was just as frustrated as she was, but it was coming out a different way.

'What have you told your mother about us?' she asked, believing a change of subject was called for.

'That we're going steady, view matrimony.'

She laughed. 'What a quaint term! "Going steady". Oh, Alan, you're so old-fashioned in some ways.'

'Am I? Well, that's too bad because I'm not going to change. I happen to believe in old-fashioned values like loyalty and fidelity.'

'I should hope so! I wouldn't want my man straying all over the place like a... a...'

'Man-About-Town?' he suggested drily.

She pulled a face at him. 'I was going to say alley-cat.'

'Alley-cat's a female term. Women are called alley-cats.'

'Miaow!' she mouthed, and clawed her hands like a cat. 'Now tell me what your mother said about us or I'll scratch your eyes out.'

'What a good idea,' he muttered. 'Then I wouldn't be able to see any more evil.'

Ebony gave an exasperated sigh as her hands dropped back into her lap. 'Are you trying to avoid answering my questions? I'm not sure you've told your mother about us at all.'

'I have. Unfortunately...'

She was taken aback. 'Why "unfortunately"?'

Alan shrugged. 'You know what she's like—runs off at the mouth—though actually she was struck dumb for a moment or two. But when she did find her voice, everything she said was complimentary. She thinks you're a cross between a martyr and a saint for loving me after the way I've treated you.'

Ebony frowned. 'You mean you're still taking all the blame? You didn't say anything about how I treated you?'

His sideways glance was sharp. 'Are you confessing to treating me badly, Ebony?'

'Well, I... I did let you think things that weren't true, and I... I... oh, you know how rotten I was at times. I got some weird kind of pleasure out of making you jealous. I feel quite ashamed when I think about it now.'

'You mean you wouldn't deliberately try to make me jealous any more?'

'Good lord, no, I'd go to great lengths to avoid it. Your jealousy can be quite frightening at times, you know.'

'Can it, now? I think I like the sound of that. Ah... here we are.' He pulled into the driveway, braking while he used the remote control to open the high iron gates that guarded the Carstairses' home. 'I hope you brought that sexy black costume as I asked you to. I've a mind to see you in it.'