And it was driving her mad! She wanted him to kiss her, and it seemed the more she wanted him to the less likelihood there was of him ever doing so. He always arranged to see her again, was always courteous to her during the day, and yet their evenings always ended with a polite goodnight. If he didn’t kiss her soon she knew she was going to make a fool of herself yet again and end up pleading for his kisses.
By the time Friday afternoon came she was in such a state of nerves she jumped every time the door opened or the telephone rang. And it didn’t help to know how much her mother expected of her from this friendship. She hadn’t particularly wanted her mother to know about her evenings with Gideon, but as each day passed and he continued to ask her out she had to tell her mother who she was meeting. Her embarrassment had been acute on the one evening Gideon and her mother had met; her mother’s attitude had been awed to say the least. Laura knew how she felt!
She was seeing Gideon again tonight, although he had made no mention of where they were going for the evening. He always seemed to have something for them to do, evenings at the theatre or ballet, although how he got tickets for these at such short notice she didn’t know. She had the suspicion that he had intended going with someone else, Petra Wilde perhaps.
At least James Courtney’s tormenting had stopped for a while, as the other man had been in the north of England on business for the last two days. And he wasn’t expected back for several more days, much to her delight.
When the telephone rang for about the twentieth time that afternoon she hastily picked up the receiver. ‘Gideon Maitland’s office, his secretary speaking,’ she said automatically.
‘Nigel Jennings,’ came the cheery reply. ‘How are you, Laura?’
‘I’m well, thank you. I’m afraid Gid—Mr Maitland isn’t here this afternoon, and I’m not expecting him back.’ She had almost slipped up and called him by his first name!
‘Good,’ she could hear the smile in Nigel’s voice. ‘I’ll be up in five minutes.’
‘Oh, but—Nigel!’ He had rung off!
She slowly replaced the receiver. What on earth could Nigel Jennings want to see her for?
He arrived well within the five minutes only having come up from the floor below. ‘I had to come and see for myself,’ he perched himself on the edge of Laura’s desk. ‘And I’m glad to say no one exaggerated.’
She frowned. ‘No one exaggerated about what?’
‘The vision of loveliness that is now Laura Jamieson,’ he grinned down at her.
Laura blushed fiery red. ‘Flatterer!’
‘It’s the truth. You look lovely. The whole company is speculating about the change. Most of the women think you’ve in love, but us men know that you’ve suddenly realised how fascinating we all are.’
She gave him a light laugh, accepting his compliment for what it was. ‘It’s definitely the latter,’ she teased, knowing that the chocolate brown dress did suit her, the square neckline just hinting at the swell of her breasts, its style shaped to her slender curves. But she was nowhere near being lovely, in fact, she often wondered what Gideon saw in her.
‘I knew it,’ Nigel grinned. ‘Now about the firm’s do next week—’
‘Is it still on?’ She hadn’t heard one way or the other, not that she had been taking a lot of notice of anything this last week, completely enrapt in Gideon and her growing love for him.
‘It’s still on,’ Nigel nodded. ‘And I was wondering if you’d go with me?’ He looked at her hopefully.
She bit her lip, not knowing what to say. ‘Well, I—I—’
‘You have to go, Laura,’ he urged eagerly.
‘I—’
‘Laura is going,’ Gideon spoke from behind them. ‘With me,’ he added pointedly.
Laura hadn’t been expecting him back this afternoon, his appearance coming as something of a surprise to her. As did his statement that she was to accompany him to the firm’s dinner dance. He hadn’t so much as mentioned it to her! Rebellion surged within her at his arrogant assumption that she would be going with him.
Nigel stood up awkwardly, frowning his puzzlement. ‘I’d be quite happy to take Laura, Gideon.’
‘I’m sure you would,’ the other man drawled, completely at ease as he strolled further into the room, his grey pinstriped suit very formal. ‘But I’m not taking Laura out of duty, I’m taking her because I want to.’
Laura gasped at the easy way he claimed familiarity with her. And he hadn’t so much as kissed her yet!
Nigel looked taken aback. As well he might! ‘I—I see. I didn’t realise—I mean—God, what do I mean!’ he groaned his embarrassment.
‘When you’ve worked it out, Nigel,’ Gideon said tautly, ‘perhaps you could get back to work.’ He closed the door behind him as he went into his own office.
Laura was white with anger by this time, Gideon had infuriated her as much as James Courtney did in that moment. Two bright spots of angry colour appeared in her otherwise pale cheeks. ‘If the invitation is still open, Nigel—’
He blew through his teeth. ‘I don’t think it had better be. Gideon—er—made himself very clear.’ He was eyeing her warily.
She felt as if she had suddenly turned into public enemy number one. No doubt that was the way it looked to Nigel, Gideon had gone out of his way to make the situation between them clear to him. ‘He may have done,’ she said stiltedly. ‘But did you hear me agreeing with him?’
‘No…’ he acknowledged slowly. ‘Hey, look, Laura, if the two of you have had an argument I’d just as soon not be caught in the middle of it, okay?’
He was right, she was’t being fair to him to involve him. And she and Gideon hadn’t had an argument yet, but she had the feeling they were going to in the very near future. She forced a strained smile to her lips. ‘Thanks for the invitation, Nigel, but I doubt I’ll even go.’
He gave her a sceptical look, sighing heavily. ‘If I’d known about you and—’
‘There’s nothing to know,’ she told him brightly. ‘I’d simply forgotten that Gid—Mr Maitland had offered to take me—if I decide to go.’ Oh lord, keep your mouth shut, Laura! She was just making matters worse with her fumbling excuses.
Nigel shrugged, obviously crossing her off his list of available women—in future she would be very unavailable as far as he was concerned, she could tell that from his expression. ‘I think I’ll take Gideon’s advice and get back to work.’ He stopped at the door, looking back at her. ‘And just for the record, Laura, I think you’re too good for him.’
She couldn’t stop the blush that came to her cheeks as Nigel left the room. He hadn’t been fooled for a moment by her halting explanation, and he had probably seen more into the relationship between Gideon and herself than she personally knew there to be. And Gideon had gone a long way to nurturing that impression, damn him!
She didn’t even knock before entering his office, her words halting in her throat as she saw he was on the telephone.
He glared at her while still talking to the person on his private line. ‘Yes. Yes, I know you do. Look, I’m not alone,’ he said tautly, turning his back on Laura. ‘A week or so.’ He seemed to listen for several minutes. ‘Look, this isn’t going to do any good. Petra, for God’s sake!’ He was deeply angry now.
Laura gulped. He was talking to Petra Wilde! So he was still seeing the other woman after all! She turned and left his office, her face chalky white as she sat down dazedly at her desk. Gideon had told her it was all over between himself and the beautiful actress, and yet he was in his office talking to her now.
He had deceived her. But why? What possible reason could he have for doing such a thing? Had he secretly been laughing at her after all, simply amusing himself with her while Petra Wilde wasn’t available?
She felt so stupid, so humiliated! She buried her face in her hands. The whole company would know about her and Gideon by tomorrow, and they would all be expecting her to arrive at the company dinner with him. How could he d
o this to her? How could he!
‘Come into my office for a moment, please, Laura,’ he requested quietly from behind her.
She turned, blinking back the tears. ‘I—I have a lot of work to do. I—’
‘Now, Laura,’ he insisted gently, opening the door wider for her to enter.
She must look awful, she knew that. Her nose always went red when she cried, her cheeks blotchy, and the mascara she had put on this morning probably wasn’t waterproof and had streaked down her face.
Nevertheless, she passed him with her head held high, jumping slightly as he grasped her arm, preventing her from sitting down, turning her to face him, his eyes narrowed as he studied her face, the door to the outer office firmly closed.
‘Why the tears, Laura?’ he asked huskily.
Her breath caught in a cross between a hiccup and a sob. ‘I’m not crying,’ she denied heatedly, staring fixedly at the top button of his waistcoat.
‘You look as if you are to me. Was it because of what I told Nigel?’ His voice was gentle.
‘That, and—and—You were talking to Petra Wilde!’ Laura raised her eyes, only to lower them again as she realised just how close he was to her. So close, so very close. And yet not close enough, she knew achingly.
He gave a throaty laugh. ‘Are you jealous, Laura?’ he teased, holding her firmly in front of him by his hands on her upper arms.
‘Yes! I mean, no—I don’t know,’ she said lamely.
‘You have no reason to feel jealous of Petra,’ he dismissed the other woman as if she had never existed in his life. ‘She’d just heard from a friend of hers that I’m now escorting a very attractive redhead about town,’ he teased. ‘And she didn’t like it. As for Nigel—well, aren’t I allowed to feel a little jealousy myself?’
Laura blinked up at him dazedly. ‘You, jealous? Of Nigel?’
‘Why not?’ Gideon pulled her closer, their thighs moulded together in intimacy. ‘It seems to me that every time I walk into the office lately I trip over him.’
‘Only twice,’ she giggled, feeling suddenly wonderfully happy.
‘Twice too often,’ he growled.
‘You were very arrogant, you know.’ His closeness was working that familiar magic that she found so disturbing. ‘You hadn’t even mentioned taking me to the company dinner.’
‘Who else would you go with but me?’ Once again he was arrogant.
‘I wasn’t going at all,’ she complained.
‘Well, you are now, and with me.’
‘Gideon—’
‘Laura,’ he mocked, his head bending as his lips claimed hers.
All thought of Petra Wilde and Nigel fled her mind at the sensuous touch of Gideon’s mouth on hers, and she leaned weakly against him as he bent her back over his arm, his lips moving caressingly over hers.
The kiss was everything she had ever thought kissing Gideon would be—and she shivered with uncontrollable delight as his mouth moved sensuously over hers. Her pulse raced, her senses swam as she clung weakly to his broad shoulders, her feet amost off the ground as Gideon held her fiercely against him.
‘Well?’ he pulled back to breathe raggedly.
Her lips still vibrated and throbbed from his savage possession of them. ‘I—I’ll come to the company dinner with you,’ she told him huskily.
CHAPTER FOUR
GIDEON put her firmly away from him, pushing back the dark hair that had fallen forward over his brow as he kissed her. ‘That’s decided, then,’ he smiled.
Laura instantly reacted to his smile, and melted. ‘Yes,’ she agreed breathlessly.
He nodded, moving to sit behind his desk, once more the haughty businessman. ‘Now about tonight—’
Her gaze sharpened. ‘What about it?’
Gideon sighed. ‘Our date is off, I’m afraid. Don’t look like that,’ he said at her disappointed expression. ‘I’m no happier about it than you are, but I have to have dinner with a client this evening.’
‘Oh.’
‘Yes. Gerry Bernstein is over from the States.’
Laura had vaguely heard of him. ‘He’s very important,’ she nodded.
‘Yes. I wouldn’t normally be the one to entertain him, but with James away…’ Gideon shrugged.
‘I understand,’ she gave a bright smile. ‘Will I see you tomorrow?’ Oh dear, she sounded pushy! But after the way he had just kissed her she didn’t think she could bear it if she wasn’t to be alone with him again, and soon—and preferably away from the office, somewhere where they could be uninterrupted.
‘Not in the afternoon,’ he frowned. ‘Tomorrow is Natalie’s nanny’s day off. James usually takes her out on Saturdays, but as he is not expected back until Sunday…’
‘But couldn’t I—’ She broke off, biting her lip.
‘Yes?’ Gideon looked up at her with narrowed grey eyes.
‘I was going to suggest I come with you and Natalie,’ she gave a nervous laugh. ‘It was a stupid idea.’
‘You like children?’ he rasped.
‘Doesn’t everyone?’ she shrugged.
‘No,’ he said tautly. ‘But you do?’
‘I—Yes,’ she nodded. Could it possibly be that Felicity Maitland hadn’t liked children? She was certainly getting that impression. And if that were so it could be yet another reason why Gideon seemed to resent the little girl. How awful to lose the woman he loved when she was giving birth to a baby she didn’t even want.
Gideon shrugged. ‘Then by all means come out with us. Natalie usually likes to go to the Zoo. She likes animals,’ he explained tersely. ‘She just isn’t old enough yet to realise the cruelty of shutting them up in those places.’
‘She’ll learn.’ She could hardly believe it, Gideon was actually going to take her out on a threesome with his daughter! She was already looking forward to meeting the little girl.
Gideon frowned at her, his elbows resting on his desk, his fingers placed together in front of him in a pyramid. ‘Does it bother you that I have a daughter?’
‘Not at all,’ she reassured him hastily. ‘Did you think it would?’
‘It bothers some women.’
Petra Wilde, for example? She must stop feeling jealous of the other woman. It was soul-destroying, and couldn’t possibly do her own relationship with Gideon any good. If only Petra Wilde weren’t so beautiful! All the women in Gideon’s life had been beautiful, especially his wife, and she couldn’t be jealous of all of them.
‘But not you?’ he persisted on the subject of his daughter.
‘Not me,’ she gave him a bright smile.
He nodded. ‘Then I’ll call for you tomorrow afternoon and we can all go to Regent’s Park Zoo. You’d better go home now, Laura, it’s after five.’
‘Oh. I—Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow, then?’ She hesitated at the door, wanting him to kiss her again.
He made no move to do so. ‘About two,’ he nodded, already engrossed in some papers she had left on his desk. ‘You might as well come back to dinner with us too,’ he added absently.
‘Yes, Gideon.’ Laura went back to her own office surrounded by a contented glow, hugging the anticipation of tomorrow to her. Not only was she going to meet his daughter, he was going to take her back to his home too!
The state of excitement she seemed to exist in lately made her wonder how she had ever survived before Gideon came into her life. Her life must have been deadly dull before then.
‘Sounds serious,’ her mother commented when told of the proposed meeting with Natalie. ‘Is it?’
The two of them had had dinner and were now spending a quiet evening together for the first time in a week. It was a pleasant change. Laura hadn’t realised how close she was to her mother, more so probably because of Martin’s departure.
‘On my side, yes,’ she admitted. ‘But with Gideon it’s hard to tell.’ He was still so much of an enigma to her. Oh, he could be a charming companion, but underneath the charm she could still detect the harshness she had fir
st noticed about him. He was undoubtedly a complex man, and only people he allowed the privilege would be able to unravel those complexities. No matter how close they seemed to have become in this one short week she knew Gideon hadn’t allowed her to see the inner man, the man few people knew.
‘Mm,’ her mother frowned. ‘He’s an odd type. I can’t work him out at all. He doesn’t seem to want an affair with you—’
‘Mother!’ Laura warned.
‘Well, I’m only stating a fact, dear. Unless he’s just working up to the idea slowly? Still, he wouldn’t need to introduce you to his daughter if that were the case. Do you think he could possibly be in love with you?’
Laura remembered the intimacy of Gideon’s kiss that afternoon, his gentle teasing of her, his admission of jealousy over Nigel Jennings. But love? No, she didn’t think so.
‘Maybe I’m just a novelty,’ she shrugged. ‘After all, I’m not his usual type, am I?’
‘Men like Gideon Maitland don’t have a type, dear,’ his mother dismissed. ‘I just hope you don’t get hurt.’
Laura smiled. ‘I thought you said an affair with Gideon was just what I needed to boost my career?’
‘I don’t think I quite said that, Laura. And I find I don’t want that for you, not for my daughter. I’m sure that’s how some women get ahead, but after meeting your Gideon Maitland the other night I don’t think he’s the sort of man I would like you to be involved with. He’s very hard. And he wears a mask over his true feelings. I imagine he has a terrible temper.’
She frowned. ‘Not that I know of. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him lose his temper.’
Her mother repressed a shiver. ‘That’s the worst kind. It seethes below the surface, festering and growing. I—’
‘Mum!’ Laura laughed. ‘That’s doesn’t sound like Gideon at all.’
‘No,’ her mother sighed, ‘perhaps not. If you’re going out with him and his daughter tomorrow does that mean your shopping spree is off?’
She had forgotten all about the impetuous suggestion she had made when she thought she had lost her job. ‘We can go in the morning.’ It would be nice to wear something new when she went out with Gideon in the afternoon. ‘He isn’t picking me up until two o’clock.’
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