There was a rental car waiting for them, and Robin didn’t miss the smiles directed at her from the officials with whom they came in contact. How many other girls had Luke brought to the island in his private plane, she thought instantly? And not for any business purpose, either. It was no concern of hers, as long as she wasn’t classed with the rest of them.
“The complex isn’t too far from here,” Luke said easily as they drove out of the airport and onto a wide main road. “We go through Ibiza town and then we head for one of the little bays along the coast. We’re just to the north of one of the tourist spots, Cala Llonga.”
The names meant nothing to Robin. It was only a short drive to Ibiza town. The old part of the town rose dramatically, topped by ancient walls and a church. In its colourful harbour were craft of every description. They drove slowly through the town, then on to narrower roads. The tang of the sea reminded Robin of home, but this was undeniably a Spanish island, with its white houses huddling against the hillsides and its dry, dusty atmosphere. Her spirit soared, and she felt the holiday mood catch her, despite everything.
They turned slightly inland for a while, and outside the town the island was a different place, almost deserted, as unspoiled as she had ever imagined it. She could smell the scent of pine on the crystal-clear air. It was the perfect get-away-from-it-all place, beautiful, dramatic.
The small resort of Cala Llonga was at the head of a long stretch of golden sand, as its name suggested. The road skirted the beach, and Robin could see plenty of lovely tanned bodies soaking up the sun. Someone like Luke would never need to be alone for long there, she thought cynically. She suddenly pictured him in swimming shorts, her imagination supplying the necessary details — wide bronzed chest matted with dark hair, lithe, athletic limbs, flat stomach ...
Robin stopped her thoughts right there, wishing angrily that she had brought a one-piece swimsuit with her instead of the yellow bikini Luke had first seen her in. She had thrown it in the suitcase in a gesture of defiance, knowing that if she was going somewhere warm, she would be unable to resist the lure of the sea and sun. But she was damn well going to resist him, she thought bitingly.
They were driving along less than adequate roads then, and Luke turned to her with a grin as he slowed the car down.
“Away from the main roads, there are little more than dirt tracks in some places, so hold on to your seat,” he warned her. “It gets rugged farther on.”
She discovered that he spoke the truth. They seemed to be heading nowhere, through winding lanes that shook the car to its limits, sometimes steep, sometimes gently undulating, until at last the sea suddenly and gloriously came into full view once more. Luke brought the car to a stop and turned off the engine. The total silence took Robin’s breath away for a moment.
“It’s fantastic,” she said at last. “You’d never know this little corner existed. I’m glad you showed it to me, Luke. How much farther do we have to go?”
“We’re here,” he said. She looked at him, startled, and then shielded her eyes against the sun as he pointed to the hillside next to them. It was so close that Robin hadn’t even noticed it, but now she realised that nestling in amongst the trees were half a dozen cubelike white buildings with red Spanish-tile roofs, discreet and separated by screens of trees, in perfect harmony with their surroundings.
Luke was getting out of the car. When Robin followed him, he pointed down to a tiny strip of sand below the white complex.
“That’s the exclusive beach belonging to the complex,” he told her. “The agent who leases the villas for me makes it clear that access is limited, and the place is unlikely to appeal to people wanting the usual tourist amenities. No ice-cream vans get here and there are no beach shops or restaurants, just the villas and the beach. Does that answer all your questions?”
Robin was speechless for a moment. She hadn’t expected anything like that. If she had ever thought that Luke was insensitive to the natural environment of a place, she had been wrong. Only someone with a very caring interest in the beauty of the island could have planned such a retreat. And she was honest enough to tell him so.
“I’m very impressed,” she admitted. “And this is how the complex at home will look?”
“Give or take a certain quota of sun,” he said. “I can’t guarantee the English weather, but I can guarantee that I’m not the ogre you took me for. Give me credit for that, Robin!”
“I do,” she said sincerely. “Can I take a look in one of the villas, or are they all occupied until the end of the season?” She didn’t add that she couldn’t imagine Luke letting any of them stay vacant. She mustn’t let herself forget he was in this to make money, and from the look of those beautiful villas, it was no wonder he was successful.
“Naturally you can see inside,” he said calmly. “This is where we’re staying tonight.”
Robin whirled to face him, the hot colour suddenly staining her face, hoping desperately he didn’t mean it the way she thought he did. At the sardonic smile on his handsome face, she was left in little doubt.
“You — you —” she spluttered, her hands clenching at her sides. Luke caught hold of them, turning them palms-up and suddenly bending his lips to kiss each one.
The movement was so erotic, so unexpected, that it stopped Robin in her tracks for a moment — but only for a moment. She snatched her hands away and stepped back a pace.
“You’re despicable, Luke,” she snapped. “And if you think I’m staying there with you —”
“Where are you going, then? It’s a couple of miles back to the main road, and eight miles back to Ibiza town if you’re thinking of finding a hotel. It’s a long walk, even with a small suitcase, but if that’s what you want ...”
He reached into the back seat and dumped her suitcase on the ground. She glared at him, furious at the way he’d trapped her. There was no way she could walk that far over the rough track, and there wasn’t a single sign of anyone else in the villas or on the beach. He was beyond contempt for doing this to her.
“Are all the villas unoccupied?” she demanded, her green eyes flashing like fire. “Do you mean to say you’ve stopped lining your pockets for a few days in the hope that I’m going to spend the night with you here because I’ve no alternative? If that’s the case, since there are six villas, I’ll make darned sure we sleep in different ones!”
“That means you’re staying, then.” There was a glint of triumph in his eyes, to her fury. “And I’m sorry, darling, but five of them are occupied, and I think you’re intelligent enough to know how many that leaves.”
“I’m not staying in there with you,” Robin said instantly.
She was brittle with tension, like a bird poised for flight when faced with a predator. It was exactly the way she thought of him. He had calculated all this, right down to making sure there was only one vacant villa. She was breathing heavily, and it was only her anger that was keeping her from bursting into tears. She hated him for his deception; she’d thought him above that. She hadn’t thought even Luke would resort to such underhanded means.
“If you’ll cool down a minute and just think, Robin, you’ll know there are two bedrooms in each villa. You’ve seen the plans and the layouts, so stop glaring at me like a little spitfire and get back in the car,” he said shortly. “We can drive a bit farther yet. And just for the record, you’ll be quite safe in your virginal bed tonight. There’s no way I’d risk my neck with you after that little display of temper. I’d as soon try to seduce a shark. As I’ve said before, I can always find more congenial company.”
She didn’t answer for a minute, and the challenge in his eyes was almost primitive, male against female, aggressively asserting superiority. She would have dearly loved to march off into the sunset, but it would have been stupid and impractical. Her answer was to toss her suitcase back into the car and sit in the passenger seat, arms folded, a mutinous look in her eyes as she stared straight ahead.
Luke slid in beside her
, saying nothing. He started up the car engine again and they moved slowly forward, around a few more bends in the lane, then gradually upwards towards the villas. Narrow tracks led to each one, tracks just wide enough to allow a car to approach and park alongside. From below, there had been no sign of any other cars, but Robin could just glimpse one in front of the next villa. He had spoken the truth, then, she thought grudgingly. There were other people there. The thought was both reassuring and annoying. She wasn’t sure she would have fancied being one of the only two people in that quiet place, heavenly though it was. It might be a little eerie at night to be so entirely alone.
“I thought we’d called a truce,” Luke said mildly as they stopped at the villa.
“That was before I knew you’d tricked me.”
“But I didn’t trick you.” He oozed patience and self-confidence, and Robin could have hit him. “You knew where we were going, and if you couldn’t have worked out for yourself that we’d be staying here, you’re not very bright, Robin.”
She was suddenly tired of all this fighting. “Luke, can we go inside, please? I’d like to see the view from up here.”
“Of course. That’s why we’re here, after all. By the way, I thought we’d drive along the coast tonight for dinner. I know a wonderful seafood restaurant over-looking the ocean. I don’t imagine you want to start cooking, do you?”
“Certainly not. I didn’t come here to go all domestic.” She especially didn’t want a cozy dinner for two in a place so obviously made for lovers. His words relieved her a little. She intended spending as little time as possible actually inside the villa with him. He disturbed her too much. Not romantically right now, because she was still too incensed with him. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust herself to be alone with him, though she refused to let her thoughts dwell on the implications of that too much. She didn’t trust him.
Luke carried the suitcases inside, and Robin freely admitted that the villa was beautiful. The furnishings were tasteful and elegant, yet still comfortable. There were two bedrooms, to her relief, each with a key in the lock. With no pretence at secrecy, Robin took out her key at once and slipped it into her bag. Luke noted the small action.
“There was no need. I told you, I shan’t bother you. I don’t normally seduce my secretaries.”
He had put her in her place and at the same time made her feel less of a woman. She would have stamped her foot in fury if it hadn’t been such a childish gesture. Instead she inspected the rest of the villa, including the immaculate kitchen. Its fridge was stocked with enough food for the time they were there; obviously Luke had ordered it in advance from the agent, whoever he was. And then there was the superb view from the picture window of the lounge, which opened out onto a small balcony with a white table and chairs for eating out-of-doors. The hazy blue ocean stretched invitingly far below, and now Robin could make out two figures walking along the private beach, arms entwined, oblivious to everything but each other.
She drew back, not because she was afraid of being seen, but because those two seemed to epitomise all that romantic Spanish island stood for: an island made for love, not for the intrusion of two people constantly bickering at each other, hating each other ... Her eyes suddenly prickled with tears, because she really didn’t want it to be that way. Somehow she and Luke seemed destined to bring out the worst in each other.
She suddenly felt the touch of his hands on her waist. He stood behind her, and she could feel the steady beat of his heart as he pulled her against him. Her own was thudding too fast, too wildly, and his voice was feather-soft in her ear.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me, Robin.” He had obviously felt her tense. She wasn’t sure if his voice was tender or mocking. “I’ve never forced myself on any woman. But if you change your mind about that locked door tonight, you only have to tap on the bedroom wall.”
His hands had slid down to the curve of her hips, moving seductively in small spirals. For a few mindless seconds Robin’s eyes closed as the wanton sensation his touch could arouse surged through her. There was no feeling of time passing, only the endless pleasure in submission to this man.
The intrusive sound of another voice brought Robin up sharply with a little shock. She must have been mad to let her guard slip for even an instant. It showed just how careful she must be. She was too vulnerable, and there in Ibiza it was all too easy for Luke to play on her emotions. She heard him mutter a small oath as he let her go, and then Robin realised that the voice she had heard was young and female and that it was floating towards them.
Chapter Nine
Robin turned at once, moving quickly away from Luke. The girl who had entered the villa, clearly very much at home there, wore only a brief bikini, and from the deep, glistening tan on every exposed bit of her body, Robin guessed she spent a great deal of her time at the beach. She was exotically beautiful, and she threw her arms around Luke’s neck at once. It was a situation Robin could see he was enjoying.
“I thought I heard a car, Luke! Darling, it’s so wonderful to see you again. I’ve missed you so much!” She spoke with a husky Spanish lilt, moulding herself voluptuously against Luke’s body. If she noticed Robin at all, she chose to ignore her for the time being, giving all her attention to Luke.
He gave a laugh, extricating himself from her clinging arms — and doing so reluctantly, Robin thought. It just confirmed all she had ever surmised about him. Wherever he went, there would always be women like this one, welcoming him with their hot eyes and pouting lips.
“It’s good to see you, too, Carlotta, and thanks for seeing to everything as usual. I want you to meet Robin. She’s my secretary now, and the daughter of James Pollard. You’ve heard me mention him, haven’t you? He owns the land on which I’m building the English complex identical to this one.”
He must know this Carlotta extremely well, Robin thought, with a shaft of annoyance that her father’s business had been discussed between them. She smiled a cool English smile at the stranger, and didn’t miss the little gleam of speculation in Carlotta’s eyes. She needn’t worry! Robin hadn’t come there as a rival to anyone, and Carlotta was welcome to him.
Luke spoke directly to Robin now. “Carlotta works as my agent in Ibiza,” he said to her surprise. “She also sings at the casino during the summer and is the darling of the island. To unwind at the end of it all, she takes the last week of the tourist season in one of the villas here. That’s some recommendation, isn’t it?”
“I should think so,” Robin murmured, not quite knowing what she was supposed to say. It was impossible to gauge the relationship between these two, but now she knew why Luke was so uncaring about her refusal to unlock her bedroom door to him. Why should he care, when he had all that Carlotta had to offer just a few doors away? Robin felt ridiculously deflated at the thought. Why couldn’t the agent have been a man, as she had assumed? she thought angrily. And why should she care?
Carlotta rattled off a few sentences in rapid Spanish for Luke’s ears only, though Robin didn’t understand the language anyway. Luke evidently liked what she said, smiling into her dark eyes and kissing her on both cheeks before touching his mouth to hers. Robin turned away abruptly. He didn’t have to be so blatant, so insensitive, as to flaunt his lover in front of her.
“Maybe we’ll see each other again before you go back to England, Robin?” Carlotta said in that attractive voice of hers. “You must sample the ocean before you leave. It’s still warm from summer. Maybe tomorrow morning, yes?”
“Maybe,” Robin said, unable to say anything else. “It depends on Luke’s plans. I’m only his secretary ...”
Carlotta’s laugh was low and throaty and sexy.
“Of course, I was forgetting! Well, then, if you can’t persuade Luke to let you have some time at the beach, I’ll have to persuade him for you. It would be a shame if you didn’t have time to enjoy this little bit of heaven!”
Luke laughed. “Get out of here, you little witch, and leave me to o
rganise my own life! And for your information, Robin and I will be at the beach in the morning, okay?”
“Okay, darling.” She ran her long, slender fingers around Luke’s chin for a moment, blew Robin a kiss and was gone.
Robin felt furious at the implication that Carlotta could bend Luke to her will, while Robin, by her own admission, was merely his secretary. Why had she made herself sound so dull in front of the other girl, Robin thought in amazement? It wasn’t like her at all, but then, ever since she had met Luke Burgess, she had been most unlike herself.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Luke’s voice broke into her thoughts. He was watching her, catlike.
“Yes, she is, if you like that type. Personally I find those dark Latin types rather too much.”
My God, she was the catty one now, Robin thought, appalled. She realised Luke was laughing at her. At least he wasn’t angry at her put-down of his girlfriend. Her opinion probably wasn’t important enough.
“Pity you didn’t like her. She said some nice things about you.”
“What things?” Robin asked suspiciously, remembering the stream of Spanish and Luke’s pleased reaction. Surely that wasn’t all on her account?
“She said what lovely golden hair you have — like sunlight, she called it. Those dark Latin types do get a bit poetic at times, don’t they?”
“Did she really say that?” Robin stared at him, feeling ashamed of herself for the way she’d sneered at Carlotta.
Luke leaned forward and twisted a strand of her silky hair around his finger. “Would I lie to you? She was right, of course, but we dull Englishmen don’t always manage to say the right words, do we?”
Partners in Love Page 10