Eager to see his precious Vivien, he’d pulled into the first parking space he’d found, and he’d been opening the back door to retrieve his bag and the all-important gift when he’d seen them; a couple walking on the terrace. Not just any couple; the woman appeared to be Vivien, clinging on to Harry Harrison’s arm.
Though the light from the terrace lamps were illuminating Harry, the woman was in his shadow. Refusing to believe it was her, heart pounding, Dominic had squinted through the dark trying to get a better look. They were moving towards the balustrade, and when they stopped by one of the gigantic urns, the woman had turned and lifted her face, gazing up to the sky.
Feeling the life being slowly sucked out of him, he’d watched Harry present her with what appeared to be a small box, then he’d watched her open it, and to his horror, he’d seen her fall into Harry’s arms. Moments later, as close as two lovers could be, they walked back inside.
He knew wasn’t breathing. He couldn’t be. His heart had stopped. It must have. A sizzling hot, electric spike, had been driven through him and was burning through to his soul. Sliding down the side of the car he hit the cold concrete and sat completely still. The burning had reached the back of his throat, and as silent tears began to fall from his eyes, he suddenly became aware of how deeply he loved her.
But it was too late. Harry had her. Harry had won.
Cursing himself for not having laid his heart at her feet, for not making sure she knew that he wanted to spend every moment of every day of the rest of his life with her, he pulled his knees to his chest and buried his head.
“Je suis un imbécile,” he groaned, “a fool of the worst kind.”
Hearing the sound of an approaching car, not wanting to be found in a huddled mess, he pulled himself up, quickly climbing into the back seat, and though his vision was blurred by his tears, he saw the gift.
“It is for you, ma chérie,” he mumbled, “you must have it.”
Taking several deep breaths, he opened his bag and grabbed a T-shirt to wipe his face, then carefully picking up the precious package, he climbed out of the car and headed across the parking lot to the front door, unaware that the passengers from the car he’d heard coming up the driveway, were just a short distance behind him.
He wasn’t worried about running into Harry and Vivien. He was sure they would be locked in passion in Harry’s sumptuous quarters, and whatever piece of stunning jewelry Harry had given her would be gracing her neck, or wrist, or worse, the third finger of her left hand. Swallowing hard, trying to stay composed, he pushed open the door and stepped into the lobby…just in time to see Vivien drop to the hard, marble floor.
Panic replacing his sorrow, Dominic flew across the lobby, dropping the package as he fell on to his knees.
“Mon, Dieu! Ma chérie! Qu'a t-il fait?” he exclaimed, pulling her limp body into his arms.
“I haven’t done anything,“Harry hastily replied, his voice shaky. “She just collapsed.”
“What the hell?”
The female voice echoed through the expansive foyer, and snapping up his head, Harry was shocked to see Alana walking through the door and striding towards them
“Don’t just stand there, get a fucking doctor,” she stormed, her eyes blazing.
“Her room? Where is her room?” Dominic demanded, carefully rising to his feet with Vivien cradled in his arms.
“She’s in a Royal Suite, number two,” Harry stammered, and completely flustered, began searching his pockets for his phone. “I have a doctor on call. He lives nearby.”
“What I can do?” the desk clerk asked, having hurried across to see if he could help.
“Follow me and let me into her room,” Dominic replied, “and the service elevator. We need to take the service elevator.”
“The service elevator is directly behind the one that goes down to Dungeon Hall,” the clerk declared. “I’ll grab the key and be right there.”
Dominic started to move away, but he could feel Harry and Alana following him.
“Alana, keep him away from me,” Dominic snarled without looking back, “or the moment I lay my precious girl on her bed, the police will be summoned because of a brutal attack.”
“Harry,” Alana said, grabbing his arm, “let him go.”
“I think she’s right,” Henry remarked as he caught up with them.
Dominic had heard the upscale English accent, but he didn’t care who it was or why he was there. Hearing Harry’s footsteps fall away, he was satisfied the bastard was no longer behind him, and reaching the elevator he pushed the call button, then lowered his lips to kiss Vivien’s forehead.
“My poor darling, what has happened to you?” he murmured, trying to control his panic. “I should have been here, I should not have let you be alone with that man.”
Breathless from running across the lobby, the desk clerk arrived as the elevator opened its doors.
“Do you know of this doctor?” Dominic asked as they stepped inside.
“Oui, Dr. Belfort,” the clerk nodded. “Il est très bon.”
“Dominic, is that you?” Vivien whispered.
“It is, ma chérie,” he replied, filled with relief that she’d spoken, and hoping she’d open her eyes.
As the elevator slowed to an easy stop, the clerk darted ahead, unlocking the door of her suite just a short distance down the wide hallway.
“Quel est votre nom?” Dominic asked as he walked past him into the room.
“Sidney,” the young man replied, “and you can speak English if you want. I like to practice.”
“Ah, Sidney, I am Dominic Dubois. Please will you go to the lobby and bring the doctor when he comes,” Dominic directed, carrying Vivien through to the bedroom. “Tell Mr. Harrison these are my orders.”
“Yes, sir, right away. Dr. Belfort’s place is close, just this side of the village. If he was home he will be here quick.”
“Merci,” Dominic nodded, gently laying Vivien on the bed. “Ma chérie, can you open your eyes?”
“Dominic,” she breathed. “You’re here? Is this the dream?”
“No, no dream, I am here.”
“I listened, I…”
“Open your eyes, please, ma chérie,” he begged, worried that her voice was fading away.
“Trying…so heavy.”
“You can, you can, please,” he begged, fighting a wave of emotion. “You must.”
There was the tiniest hint of movement, then her eyelashes seemed to tremble.
“Oui, oui, open them,” he urged. “Keep trying.”
More than anything she wanted to see him, to look into his deep green eyes. She had to know that she wasn’t dreaming, she had to know that he was truly there. If he was, she would be all right, and though it was taking an enormous effort, she could feel herself winning the battle. His voice, that had sounded very far away, seemed to be getting closer, then suddenly, she could move them. She could move her eyelids! Pushing with all her might, she could feel them lifting, and there he was!
“Ma chérie, you have come back to me,” Dominic exclaimed in a hushed whisper, and wrapping her up in his arms, he shed unashamed tears.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
When Harry had heard Alana’s voice, he’d been overwhelmed with relief, so overwhelmed he couldn’t think. All he could do was stare at the woman he’d been worried about all afternoon. Worrying about a woman had been a completely alien experience, and it had rattled him, then suddenly…there she was!
The shock of her barking at him to call a doctor had broken the spell, but a moment later he’d seen the attractive man moving up behind her, and an icy hand had reached into his chest and squeezed. Harry knew he had to find his phone, but while he was fumbling in his pockets, all he could think about was the handsome stranger. Who was he? Why was he with her? Had he been with her all day?
He’d still been trying to reach the doctor when Dominic began carrying Vivien away, and because Alana had started after them, he’d fol
lowed, but then Dominic had made his threat.
Rarely did Harry feel alarmed, but the venom in Dominic’s voice had been frightening. Harry would have stopped even if Alana hadn’t touched his arm, but when she did, it was all he could do not to grab her and demand an explanation. He wanted to know where she’d been, why she hadn’t called, and why she’d taken off in the first place, but he had been saved from making a scene because Doctor Belfort had answered his phone.
“Is he coming?” Alana asked urgently after Harry had ended the call. “When will he be here?”
“He’s on his way,” Harry replied staring at her, fighting the intense desire to tie her to a chair and interrogate her.
“What the hell happened?” she demanded.
“I have no idea,” Harry grunted. “She drank a bit at dinner, that’s all I know about, unless…”
“Unless what?”
“She had a really bad headache so I gave her some painkillers. Maybe she took too many.”
“Painkillers and wine are not happy bedfellows,” Alana frowned.
“Doctor Belfort will be here very soon, he’ll figure it out, but right now I need to talk to you.”
“Good, because I need to talk to you as well.”
“Let’s go into the salon…alone!” Harry said firmly, shooting Henry a warning glare.
“I’ll be in the bar if you need me,” Henry declared, winking at Alana.
“She won’t,” Harry snapped.
“Thank you, Henry, I appreciate that,” Alana said, ignoring Harry and smiling back at him.
Seeing what he thought was a manic look in Harry’s eye, Henry made a quick exit, disappearing into the lounge bar, but Alana knew he’d be at her side in a flash if she called.
“Why did you take off at lunchtime?” Harry demanded as they entered the elegant salon.
“Why do you think?”
“I didn’t keep you waiting that long,” he grumbled as they sat down. “It couldn’t have been more than five minutes?”
“Ten, to be precise.”
“So you left?”
“It was the straw, Harry, you know, the proverbial last one?”
“Excuse me?” he frowned, pretending he was clueless.
“Don’t be coy, it doesn’t suit you, and it’s irritating,” she said tersely.
“Coy? Why would I be coy?”
“I’ve seen you do it, and don’t think you can talk you way out of it either. You twist people’s words, you digress, divert, redirect. You can’t pull that shit with me. You’ve been using me since I stepped off that plane, no…I take it back! You’ve been using me since I stepped on to that plane. Did you really think I wouldn’t figure out that I was around just to make Vivien jealous?”
“I hadn’t met you!” he exclaimed. “How was I supposed to know you had a genius IQ?”
“Wait! Are you saying what you did would have been okay if I hadn’t seen through it? Seriously? It’s okay to use a woman if she’s stupid enough not to notice?”
“No, no, I didn’t mean…fuck! If you’re so smart, why can’t you see why I’m so upset?”
He was staring at her, his face was flushed, and for a moment Alana wasn’t sure what he was getting at, and then the penny dropped.
“Holy shit!” she breathed, leaning back and scrutinizing him. “You care about me! You actually care about me! You’ve been worried sick about me all day! That’s why you’re so angry!”
“Yes, I’ve been worried! Are you happy now? I care about you, dammit.”
“Holy shit,” she repeated, genuinely stunned at what she was hearing.
“I thought I wanted Vivien, and all she needed was…”
“Was what?”
“Something to get her attention, something to pull her eyes off that French painter she’s involved with. People want what they can’t have, it’s human nature.”
“How the hell could you seduce her here, under his nose, or back in London for that matter. They share that crappy little flat.”
“I’d made certain arrangements, in fact, I don’t know why the hell Dominic Dubois walked through that door tonight. He should be in the English countryside busy painting portraits. First thing tomorrow I’m going to call and find out what the fuck happened.”
“Let me get this straight,” she said slowly. “Are you saying, you not only flew me halfway across the world just to make her jealous, you pulled some kind of stunt to make sure Dominic would be out of the picture?”
“It’s how I do things,” he frowned. “I don’t just sit around and hope things work out. I make them work out.”
“What did you do, bribe someone?”
“Not exactly, and I’m not discussing it.”
“Oh, yes you are,” she said emphatically. “If we’re putting everything on the table, then that’s what we’re doing.”
“I said, I don’t want to discuss it.”
“Then I’m not going to discuss Clark Kent sitting in the bar next door.”
“What?”
“You heard me!”
“Do you have any idea,” he growled, leaning towards her, “how badly I want to spank your ass right now?”
A thousand butterflies suddenly burst to life in the pit of her stomach, and doing her best to ignore the aching need to fall on her knees in front of him, she held his gaze, refusing to waver.
“Fine,” he exclaimed, throwing up his hands. “I know a real estate developer who sunk a ton of money into a site to build a huge shopping mall. He’s about to get the final sign-off to break ground. I’m a powerful guy, and I know powerful people. I told him if he didn’t persuade Dominic Dubois to stay at his country estate and paint his kids, and make it happen right away, I’d make sure that the sign-off was delayed, possibly not even granted. He stood to lose millions.”
Alana was speechless, and stared at him in horror, shaking her head.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that!” he exclaimed. “You think I made billions by being a nice guy? When I want something, I stay focused on the goal and do what needs doing!”
“But you would have ruined a perfectly innocent man who had nothing to do with any of this.”
“I wouldn’t have ruined him!” Harry protested. “I knew he’d play ball, and he did, though I still don’t know why Dominic is here. Anyway, he’s not so innocent. He chose to put himself in a vulnerable situation. I’d never put myself in a position like that. Play in the big leagues and do something stupid, someone’s going to find a way to exploit it. I needed to, so I did.”
“Just so you could seduce Vivien,” Alana mumbled, shaking her head.
“Alana,” Harry said, lowering his voice and narrowing his eyes, “I’m not the only one capable of using underhanded tactics to get what I want. Right now, you’re the pot calling the kettle black. I know all about your scheme, young lady, and I’m going see you over my knee for it.”
“I, uh, I don’t know what you mean,” she stammered, hating the fact that her face was suddenly turning bright red.
“Now who’s being coy?” he challenged. “Lie to me again, and I’ll see my cane stripe your ass, if, and it’s a big if, you’re ever back in my dungeon.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“Answer two questions. When did I end up in your sights, and did you send those threats to yourself with a burner phone, or have someone else do it?”
“Okay, fine,” she said with a heavy sigh. “I sent the text and made the call with a burner phone I bought from some guy off the street.”
“You could be arrested for wasting police time,” he scolded.
“I’m like you,” she said defensively. “The end justifies the means.”
“You’d better hope they don’t find out.”
“They won’t,” she said confidently, “but Harry,” she continued, softening her voice, “the truth is, I’m tired of working. I want kids, and I want a husband, but not just any husband.”
“You want a wealthy, powerfu
l, smart man.”
“Is that so bad?” she asked, lifting her eyes.
“So you manipulated your way into my penthouse.”
“More than that,” she said softly.
“More?”
“I wore a ton of makeup to the Bare Beauty interview, and I was rude, so I wouldn’t get the job. Besides the fact that I didn’t want it, I figured I’d have a better shot at you if work wasn’t involved to complicate things. Everything was going really well, but then…”
“But then you figured out I was interested in Vivien,” Harry said, finishing her sentence.
“Yes, but there’s more.”
“Again more?”
“I started having feelings for you. You stopped being just a target, especially after you took me into your dungeon. Harry…I care about you. I truly do.”
“You still haven’t told me when you decided to come after me.”
“I’ve, uh, been trying to find a way to meet you for a while,” she admitted. “When my agent called about the interview-”
“You finally had a window of opportunity!” he declared, cutting her off.
“Yes,” she nodded. “I did, and I took it.”
“Aren’t we just the perfect pair?” he muttered.
“I can’t believe you care about me,” Alana murmured, a soft smile crossing her lips.
“And I can’t believe you went to such lengths to worm your way into my life.”
“At lunchtime, when I took off, I was so fucking miserable,” she sighed. “I’ve never had a man make me miserable before.”
“I’ve never worried about a woman before, not deeply worried like I was all afternoon, and as much as I tried to fight it, all through dinner as well. When I saw you in the doorway tonight, I want to hug you like crazy, but I also wanted spank you into next week.”
“What do we do now?”
A Promise of Passion Page 42