But worse was to follow. Dulcie sat on Raul's right, Penny on his left, but unfortunately with Senor Costas beside her. The ensuing two hours were agony for Penny. The old man flirted shamelessly with her, along with asking a million questions about her family and future which she found almost impossible to answer. To make matters worse, all the time Dulcie monopolised Raul completely.
Finally, as Ava cleared away the main course and Costas tried to put his hand on Penny's thigh for the third time, she lost her cool and kicked the old goat firmly on the shin under the table. He yelped, and Penny hid her grin with a hand to her mouth and a contrived cough. The dirty old man had only got what he deserved.
Raul turned at the noise, his dark eyes flashing suspiciously to Penny then to Senor Costas. 'Everything all right, Miguel?' he asked solicitously.
'Yes, yes, of course, dear boy. Ava has excelled herself; the meal was excellent.'
'Good. I'm glad you're enjoying it.' Raul's narrowed eyes settled on Penny's flushed face.
'And you, Penny—I trust you are not feeling insulted by our speaking solely in Spanish.'
It was a bit late to ask now, she thought angrily, after ignoring her for almost the whole of the meal. 'Not at all.' She met his hard eyes, her own flashing fire. 'I have a good knowledge of your tongue.' She drawled the last word sensually, leaving no doubt about the double entendre.
'It is so nice you can speak a little Spanish,' Dulcie inserted, and, glancing coyly up at Raul, added, 'But, Raul, you should have told the poor girl that she speaks with a peasant's accent—probably with gossiping so much to Ava.'
'I rather like Penny's accent,' Raul said shortly.
Penny shouted, Hurrah, under her breath; at least he had deigned to support her in something...
'But you are so easygoing, Raul; that is what I have always loved about you,' Dulcie said softly. 'I only wish my ex-husband had had half of your sensitivity, and then maybe I would not have felt compelled to walk out on him. He was a brute,' she murmured, lifting a crystal glass of red wine and taking a small sip. Then, fixing Penny with her spiteful eyes, she added, 'You're lucky to have Raul as your...' she deliberately hesitated '...friend, Penny. I had no one. I had to make my escape from my husband all on my own.'
Penny was livid; she had sat and listened to insult upon insult and she was not about to take any more. 'Oh? As I understood it, I thought he left you for a younger woman.'
'Penelope,' Raul said harshly, 'I don't think Dulcie's marriage is a suitable subject for discussion around the dinner table.'
‘I didn't bring it up. She did,' Penny shot back.
'No, really, Raul, I don't mind,' a simpering Dulcie whispered. 'It is hard to admit one has made a mistake. But when one does—' the small dark head lifted and her narrowed gaze, flashing hatred, settled on Penny '—one should leave immediately, I think.' And with a complete change of expression, her black eyes wide and dewy, she glanced up at Raul. 'Don't you agree, Raul?'
'Yes, of course.' He cast Penny a furious warning look and then smiled down at Dulcie, patting her hand comfortingly.
Penny saw red. She wasn't bitchy by nature but this woman really rubbed her up the wrong way. So, plastering a false smile on her face, she looked straight at Dulcie. 'But wasn't it hard leaving your children behind? I mean, you were married for fourteen years, I believe; they can't be very old.'
She knew damn well that the woman had no family, but she was pig-sick of sitting taking all the flak from Raul, the devious Dulcie and the lecherous old man beside her. If this was an example of Raul's friends she was glad that he hadn't introduced her to any of them before.
Raul's hand stretched out to curl around Penny's wrist, supposedly in a tender gesture, but she could feel the fingers digging into her flesh, and she knew that he was absolutely furious, but she did not care. She deliberately ignored him. Instead she took a long swig of red wine from her glass and concentrated her pseudo-sympathetic gaze upon Dulcie.
‘Thank God I decided to wait before having children,' Dulcie sighed dramatically. 'As it turned out, it was a very wise decision.' She turned enormous dark eyes back up to Raul. 'I know you agree, Raul.'
Penny would have liked to hear Raul's reply, but at that moment Ava entered with a magnificent sweet on a silver serving dish—a perfect pyramid of profiteroles covered with black chocolate and decorated with luscious strawberries.
Senor Costas clapped his hands together in delight, obviously deciding to play the diplomat, so the rest of them followed suit, which meant that Penny got her wrist back from Raul's tenacious grasp. Then Senor Costas took over the conversation with a question to Raul about Dubai, and while all four ate their dessert the talk was all business.
Penny was just beginning to think that she might get through the meal with no further trouble when, with the sweet dishes cleared, Dulcie put her oar in again.
'That was a superb meal, Raul; I can't tell you how pleased I am we are all friends again—especially after that little misunderstanding the other day.' Once more the witch fixed her beady eyes on Penny.
Raul glanced at Penny, an explicit command in his dark eyes. She stared back at him in mute defiance. There was no way she was going to comment on Dulcie's statement.
Raul's lips thinned and, turning to Dulcie, he said, 'Yes, well, Penny had no idea who you were and she was really sorry about that later.' And, slowly turning his black head, he stared at Penny's red face. 'Weren't you, dear?' he prompted smoothly.
For a long, tense moment silence reigned; Penny glanced around the three people all watching her with varying degrees of anticipation. Slowly she rose to her feet, pushing back her chair.
'Please excuse me...' She saw the flash of triumph in Raul and Dulcie's eyes; they actually imagined that she was about to apologise. Well, they were in for a hell of a shock, she thought mutinously, and, forcing a broad smile to her stiff lips, added, 'I'm rather tired. But don't let me spoil your evening; I'm sure you three have plenty to catch up on.' It was a deliberate snub, but she didn't give a damn!
She saw in her peripheral vision Raul beginning to get to his feet, rigid with anger, but she forestalled whatever comment he intended making with, 'No, Raul, don't get up for me. I'll go and tell Ava to serve the coffee.' Shoving the chair back under the table, she added, 'Goodnight, Senor Costas, Dulcie.' And, turning her back on them, she walked out.
Ava turned from the stove as Penny entered the kitchen. 'I didn't hear the bell,' she said with a worried frown.
'Relax, Ava; no one rang it. But you can serve the coffee and cognac now. Only three.' It took every ounce of will power she possessed to speak normally in Spanish to Ava when what she really wanted to do was scream and bawl her fury and frustration at the injustice of it all. 'I'm going to have a cup here, and if any one asks I've gone to bed.'
'But senorita, you can't—'
'But I have, Ava. Please, no questions, not now.' And, slumping down on a plain pine ladder-backed chair, she rested her elbows on the scrubbed pine table and put her head in her hands.
She knew that she had been incredibly rude, but then she had been forced to share a table with two dinner guests from hell... And what of Raul? He had been no support. Instead he had attempted to manipulate her into an apology that he knew perfectly well she had no intention of making.
The door opened and she lifted her head. It was Ava. 'Everything all right?' Penny asked quietly.
‘They are drinking the coffee, but as for the rest... I have never seen the master look so angry. What on earth happened?'
Penny got to her feet and crossed to the worktop, where a multitude of dirty dishes were scattered. 'I'll give you a hand with clearing up, Ava.'
'But what did you do?'
'It was what I would not do that caused the problem,' Penny said drily, and as they worked side by side, loading the dishwasher and scrubbing the pans, Penny told Ava the whole story.
'You should not have argued with the master because of me,' Ava said when P
enny had finished. 'And I did warn you about Dulcie.'
'You are not paid to gossip about my life.' Raul's furious comment cut through the air over the rattling of dishes.
Both women turned in unison, flushed and looked decidedly guilty.
'Go to bed, Ava,' Raul ordered, his dark eyes flashing fire, and, striding towards Penny, he added, ‘I want to talk to Penelope.'
Ava, with one fearful glance at Raul and a pitying one at Penny, scurried out of the room, leaving Penny with her back to the bench-top and nowhere to go as Raul clamped his hands on her shoulders and dragged her towards him.
Changing to English he bit out, 'No one, but no one makes me look a fool in my own home.' His hard mouth narrowed to a grim line as he battled to contain his rage.
'You made a fool of yourself.' She tried to defy him, and lifted her hands to push him away, to put some space between them. But he crushed her to him, his head swooping down, his mouth covering hers in a brutal, savaging kiss—a parody of what a kiss should be.
She felt as if she was drowning; she could not breathe. Her lips were pushed back against her teeth and his hands were digging into her flesh. She beat his chest with her fists and kicked out with one foot, catching him a hefty blow on the shin, which finally brought him to his senses.
He lifted his head, his glittering eyes narrowed on her bruised mouth. 'It was either kiss you or kill you. Why, Penny? Why? What satisfaction does it give you to defy me?'
His hands squeezed her shoulders; her head fell back and she stared up at his harsh face. She saw the barely restrained anger and the enquiry in his expression. In that moment she recognised that Raul honestly did not understand her at all. She took a deep, calming breath. She hated to argue with him; perhaps if she tried to explain, coolly, calmly...
'Raul, it was never my intention to make you look foolish; you did that yourself. I told you over and over again that I would not apologise to that woman.' She could not say the name. 'I know you don't believe me, but I swear she was absolutely horrible to Ava. Ask Ava if you don't believe me.'
'Ava's hearing is not that good. I suppose it never occurred to you that you might be wrong, you might be mistaken. Oh, no! You have to behave like the spoilt child you are,' he derided harshly.
'So my Spanish is no good and poor Ava is deaf.' All thoughts of staying cool deserted her; bitter bile rose in her throat and she had to swallow hard before she could continue. 'Well, at least I know where I stand.'
She was nothing to Raul—never had been. Now she knew why he had never introduced her to any of his friends; he thought of her as a spoilt child, an immature young woman good enough to go to bed with but nothing more. When it came to the crunch, and she needed his trust and support, his first allegiance was not to her.
'Yes. As an honoured guest in my house. And, as such, I expect you to behave with a modicum of good manners. Surely that is not too much to ask?' Raul said silkily, his voice hardening as he went on. 'I give you everything you want and I demand some loyalty in return. Instead of which you insult my oldest friends.'
Penny shook with temper and the fury of humiliation. 'You demand loyalty!' she shot back, and, further incensed at his arrogance, nothing could stop her from telling him a few home truths. 'It is OK for your ex-fiancée to walk all over Ava and insult me. "English whore" was the phrase your lady-friend used.' She laughed harshly, without humour. 'Her old goat of a father can spend all evening trying to squeeze my thigh and I am supposed to apologise to that lot simply to humour you.'
She didn't see the shocked horror in his eyes because before he could take another swipe at her crumbling self-esteem she shoved blindly past him and walked straight to the door. She paused at the entrance and looked back to where Raul was standing, a wealth of emotions flitting across his rugged features. 'Sorry. I am not into self-debasement—not even for you, Raul. Goodnight.'
CHAPTER FOUR
'For heaven's sake, Penny! Will you stop pacing the floor and chewing your fingernails and sit down?' Amy said, exasperation lacing her friendly voice. 'I have told you all my news, but Tanya will be back in an hour and you have still not even begun to tell me what is wrong.'
Penny sighed and collapsed onto the battered sofa next to her friend. Tanya had been sharing the apartment with Amy in Penny's absence. Apparently she was a final-year student and had met and fallen madly in love with Mike, who owned the apartment above. The happy couple were getting married in ten days' time.
'Getting married' were emotive words for Penny in her fragile state... She looked at Amy—small and slight, with a mass of wild ginger hair, her hazel eyes soft with concern—and tried to smile confidently. Amy had always been the sensitive one and Penny the practical one. How had it all changed?
'There's nothing much to tell, Amy. Raul was supposed to travel with me on Friday, but something came up at the last minute and he couldn't. He called me last night; maybe in a day or two...' Her voice trailed off.
If only it were that simple... After walking out of the kitchen on Thursday night she had gone to the guest room and undressed. Maybe she had hoped that Raul would follow her and everything would be back to normal, but he hadn't.
Instead the next morning he had coldly told her that he had to stay on in Spain a little longer. He was keen to win a government contract to build a desalination plant in southern Spain and needed to discuss the project with Costas; it was the old man's department handling the tenders. The unspoken implication had been that Penny's attitude to Costas and his daughter had not helped.
She had felt guilty and tried to apologise. Raul had dismissed her apology with a curt, 'Not important.' But when he'd added that Mrs. Grimble, the caretaker of his London apartment, was expecting her, and that she was to wait there until he arrived, she was somewhat reassured. Until they reached the airport... However hard she tried she could not fool herself into believing that his goodbye kiss had been anything more than duty, not desire.
'This is Amy you're talking to, remember? You can't fool me; you're as thin as a reed, with a face like a fiddle... What's gone wrong with the great love affair? You know you can tell me. Cry on my shoulder any time. Hey! That's what friends are for.'
'Oh, Amy,' Penny sighed. Amy's tender concern broke the little control she had left, and with her eyes filling with tears she began. 'You were right all along; I'm not cut out to be any man's mistress. You warned me not to move in with Raul but I wouldn't listen. I was so sure we would get married. But now...' she shrugged her slender shoulders dejectedly '... I don't know anything any more. I think he's tired of me. The last night, well...'
She poured out all the events of the past few weeks, all her hopes and fears. She held nothing back, and when she had finished, to her astonishment, Amy laughed!
'Honestly, Penny, from what you have said, you have nothing to worry about. Basically you two argued in Dubai and again in Spain—hardly a reason for parting.
Don't forget it was Raul's suggestion you sell this place-and, incidentally, I think I've found a buyer.'
Raul had told Penny to sell her apartment, insisting that she could get a much better return on her capital by investing it, convincing her that she did not need her own place. And, of course, she had agreed, seeing it as another token of his commitment. But now Penny was not so sure. 'Maybe I should hang onto it,' she said bleakly.
'Oh, for God's sake, be positive! Only two days ago Raul told you stay at his London apartment. That doesn't sound like a man who is tired of you—quite the reverse.'
'Do you really think so?' Penny was desperate for any kind of reassurance.
'Look, you say his housekeeper in Spain thinks he will marry you but he has a problem with commitment. The answer is simple. This is a leap year. Instead of worrying yourself to death over what may or may not happen, the next time you see him ask him to marry you.'
‘The twenty-ninth of February is long gone. In case it has escaped your attention, we are now into summer,' Penny said drily.
/> ‘The whole year is leap year. Do it. Ask the man. What have you got to lose?'
The outrageous suggestion brought a genuine smile to Penny's face, but still she shook her head. 'No, I couldn't; I haven't the nerve.'
'God!' Amy exclaimed, jumping to her feet in irritation. 'You used to be such a confident, ambitious young woman.' She frowned down at her friend slumped on the settee. 'Remember our plans at college? Within one year we were going to open our own chemist shop. We even had the name picked out—Sense and Sensibility, pinched from Jane Austen. The perfect blend of modern medicine alongside homoeopathic cures. You were the sense and I was the sensibility, with my passion for natural medicine.
'It strikes me that since falling in love you have become the opposite—hopelessly over-sensitive to everything Raul does. You're turning into a wimp, girl. Tell me, how long are you going to continue living with the man? One year, two, five? In love but in limbo...'
The truth was hard to hear but Penny knew that her friend was right. In the first flush of love she had relished her life of leisure. But over the past few weeks of long hours alone in hotel rooms or at the hacienda, the enforced idleness had finally made her begin to question what she was doing. 'In love but in limbo' was very apt. It was exactly how she felt.
'Come on, Penny, don't be a coward. It's the nineties. Women's lib and all that. When Raul arrives propose to him. Otherwise you might drift on for years, worrying yourself to death about his intentions. Is that what you want?'
It wasn't... 'You're right, I know.'
'Hooray, the woman has seen sense at last. Now repair your make-up and let's go to Bertorelli's in Covent Garden to celebrate your forthcoming marriage—' Amy grinned broadly at Penny '—and pig out on Italian food. You look like you could use a good meal.'
Penny chuckled out loud. 'You are impossible, but I adore you.'
The night was a huge success. They stood and watched the buskers in Covent Garden, and laughed at the antics of a silent clown with a cat on his shoulder. They talked and drank their way through a typical Italian meal of pasta followed by Osso Bucco, and forgot about the coffee.
Raul's Revenge Page 5