Mistresses: Bound with Gold / Bought with Emeralds
Page 24
As she blew out the candles in the dining room and walked through to the lounge she heard a car drawing up outside. The sound was abnormally loud in the soft stillness of the night.
She peeped cautiously out from the front windows. Caitlin loved the solitude here during the days, but at night when darkness fell she had to admit to feeling a little nervous. A car door slammed and there was the sound of footsteps. Caitlin could see the dark silhouette of a man. Moonlight slanted over him, throwing a long shadow that made him appear exceptionally tall. It wasn’t until he reached the top of the garden and looked up that she could see it was Ray. He was wearing a dark suit and his hair gleamed almost blue-black in the silver moonlight. Relieved that it was someone she knew, she went to open the door, swinging it wide before he had a chance to knock.
‘Hi,’ she said lightly. Now that she had discovered it wasn’t a mad axe murderer who was making his way to her door, her heart rate should have decreased, but instead it seemed to increase wildly as her eyes connected with his. ‘I thought we’d agreed that you wouldn’t call for me.’
‘I know.’ He smiled. ‘But I was passing anyway. So I thought if you were ready you might like a lift.’
‘Thanks. Yes, I am ready, actually; you couldn’t have timed it better. I’ll just blow the candles out in here, won’t be a moment.’
He stepped inside the door to wait for her and as she crossed towards the sideboard she was very conscious of the way his eyes followed her.
‘You look very beautiful tonight, Caitlin,’ he said softly.
‘Thank you.’ Her heart rocketed unsteadily, as if it were trying to escape. It was crazy to feel this nervous she told herself as she bent to extinguish the white church candles. He was just being polite; the fact that the compliment sounded dangerously provocative was just because his accent was so deliciously sexy.
‘So how are things going with the house?’ he asked as she made her way back towards him in darkness.
‘Everything is going very well.’ She made herself sound positive and upbeat; she wasn’t going to admit she had problems already. ‘Patrick is going to start work tomorrow.’
‘I thought you were going to get a few quotes before you decided who to give the job to?’
‘Yes, but I liked Patrick and he can start immediately, which is great. Time is money, after all, and the sooner I can get this place up and running, the sooner I will be recouping my expenses.’
‘Sounds sensible.’
‘Yes, I thought so.’ Her instincts told her Patrick was a decent guy. The job would be fine. ‘So how are the arrangements for dinner going?’ she asked, swiftly moving on before Ray could throw any doubts on the situation.
‘Everything is under control.’
Caitlin had the feeling that everything was always under control in Ray’s life. He had that air of power about him.
He took hold of her arm as they walked outside. She could smell the tang of his aftershave; it was fresh and warm and immensely attractive. The touch of his fingers against the bare skin on her arm sent shooting little shivers of awareness rushing through her. It was extremely perturbing.
He opened the passenger door of his car and saw her safely inside before going around to the driver’s side.
‘So the catering staff have arrived, I take it?’ she asked, trying to concentrate her thoughts back on the evening ahead.
Ray started the car engine. ‘Yes, there was a delightful aroma of fresh herbs and roast lamb wafting through the house when I left. So you can rest assured your cooking skills will not be needed.’
‘Just as well,’ Caitlin said lightly. ‘I had a weird dream last night that I burnt all the food for your dinner party and everyone shook their heads and said they had expected as much from la cuisine anglaise.’
Ray laughed at that. ‘I don’t know why you dreamt that. I did tell you I was getting staff in.’
‘I know.’ Caitlin shook her head and looked out at the dark blur of the passing landscape. She didn’t tell him that in the dream Murdo had turned up at the table and demanded to know why they hadn’t set their wedding date yet.
‘I have been having the strangest dreams recently,’ she murmured quietly.
‘I’d have thought any nightmares you would have would be centred on that house of yours,’ Ray said lightly.
Caitlin frowned. ‘The house will be fine, Ray. It’s got loads of potential.’
‘Yes and loads of drawbacks.’ Ray flicked her an amused glance. ‘Did Patrick tell you about the water problem?’
‘You know about that?’ She looked over at him in surprise.
‘Of course I know about it. I kept telling Murdo that it needed sorting out.’
‘Well, it’s obviously been like that for years, so I don’t see any reason to rush into fixing it just yet.’
‘You must be joking. If you want my advice that’s the first job you should do.’
‘Yes, well, I’ve got Patrick’s advice, thank you, and that’s all I need at the moment.’
‘He won’t be able to fix the water problem, you’ll have to get other contractors in for that, and in my opinion you should budget at least double what Patrick has told you it will cost.’
‘Double?’ Caitlin felt her heart bounce somewhere down into her shoes. ‘That’s crazy. With respect, Ray, I don’t think you know what you are talking about.’
‘I know that place is a money pit.’ Ray shrugged.
‘Maybe, but I’ve got my budget well planned out.’ Caitlin angled her chin upwards defiantly. Ray’s know-it-all attitude really was starting to irritate.
Ray glanced over at her and smiled to himself. ‘So how much is your budget for the place?’
‘That’s really none of your business,’ she muttered.
‘Well, let’s see…let me guess.’ Ray pursed his lips thoughtfully, before naming the exact sum that she had discussed with Patrick.
Caitlin turned to look at him in astonishment. ‘How on earth do you know that?’
He smiled. ‘I’ve been in Madeline’s shop,’ he said pointedly. ‘Patrick is Madeline’s nephew.’
‘Yes, I know that, but it doesn’t give her the right to discuss my business.’ Caitlin was furious.
Ray pulled the car to a standstill outside the château. Then he turned to look at her. ‘She’s just a concerned neighbour, Caitlin. The fact is that Murdo had that work priced years ago and it was twice the sum you are bandying about with Patrick now.’
‘Well, maybe I’m more resourceful than Murdo.’ Caitlin reached for the car handle. ‘And I’m not going to worry about water because, let’s face it, after that storm the other night water levels must be high.’
‘This is early spring, Caitlin,’ Ray said quietly.
‘Ray, if you don’t mind I don’t want to discuss this a moment longer,’ Caitlin said as she got out of the car.
Ray shook his head. He had to admit he liked her determination. It was almost a pity that she was going to fail.
There was an air of quiet sophistication about the house. The dining room looked resplendent, the polished table was laid with sparkling silver and cut-glass crystal and there were three members of staff in the kitchen who were going to serve the meal.
As Ray talked to the chef about the menu Caitlin tried not to dwell on their conversation in the car. She knew what Ray’s game was. He wanted her land; it was in his interest to put her off staying here. Angrily she repositioned a vase of freshly cut dark red roses so that it didn’t obscure anyone’s view on the table. But apart from that there was nothing for her to do.
‘I don’t think you really needed me here tonight at all, Ray,’ she said as the chef departed.
Ray didn’t answer her immediately and she turned to find him leaning against the doorframe, watching her with a lazy, almost indolent stare.
‘Now, you are not going to sulk all evening just because I’m right about your house, are you, chéri?’ he asked softly, almost teasingly.
> ‘You’re not right about the house,’ she retorted crisply. ‘And I never sulk.’
He smiled at that. ‘Good. Then how about a predinner drink?’ He moved to the sideboard.
‘A glass of white wine would be nice,’ she said.
Their hands touched briefly as she took the glass. ‘Thanks.’ She took a step backwards and searched for something to say to fill the silence that suddenly seemed to have opened between them.
She could feel his eyes moving over her in an assessing manner, as if he was taking in every detail about her dress and her hair.
‘And in answer to your earlier question I really do appreciate you being here tonight,’ he said softly.
She looked up and met the directness of his eyes and for some reason her heart seemed to give a nervous thud of anticipation. He looked extremely handsome in the dark suit, the pristine whiteness of his shirt throwing his olive skin and dark hair into sharp contrast. But there was also an air of danger about him, she thought warily. She couldn’t explain it, but there was something about him that made her feel infinitely nervous. Maybe it was the predatory way he looked at her sometimes…or the sensual curve of his lips. Or that way he had of cutting straight through her defences just with his eyes, making her feel as if he could see straight into her soul.
‘So…who is coming, this evening?’ she asked briskly, trying to dismiss that notion.
‘My business partner Philippe and his wife Sadie. Philippe runs our office in Paris so it’s a chance for us to touch base. Also a new business client, Roger Delaware, with his partner Sharon, who I am hoping will put a lot of work our way over the next few months.’
‘Sounds like quite an important evening for you.’
‘Yes…I must admit I would like Roger to sign up with us. He’s planning to build a new hotel in Cannes. It’s just the type of development our company likes. So I’m hoping tonight will help swing things in our favour.’
‘So the evening is more about business than pleasure.’
‘Well, I’m hoping it’s going to be about both.’
His dark eyes held with hers for a moment and then hastily she looked away before she could be sucked towards that magnetic, charismatic appeal. If captivating the opposite sex was an art form, Ray had the talent in spades, she thought warily. It seemed almost to come naturally to him. She wondered how many women had been passionately in love with him, only to have their hearts broken…probably hundreds. It would be a brave woman who took Ray on. ‘So who usually acts as your hostess on these occasions?’ she asked curiously, trying to concentrate on the golden liquid in her glass rather than on him.
‘For the last few months a woman called Claudette. But things didn’t work out between us.’ He shrugged in that Gallic way of his. ‘That’s life.’
He didn’t sound too upset, which led Caitlin to suspect that he’d been the one to finish it. ‘You strike me as the kind of man who probably breaks a lot of hearts.’ She spoke impulsively.
‘Do I?’ He looked amused. ‘Why’s that?’
‘I don’t know.’ Her eyes moved over him contemplatively. ‘Something about you.’
‘Well, I enjoy the company of women and I am a redblooded male, but I hope I don’t break hearts. It certainly is not my intention—in fact I’m very careful about the women I choose to have relationships with. And I am always honest and up front about the fact that I have no wish to get married again.’
‘You loved your wife very much, didn’t you?’ Caitlin reflected. She watched the way his eyes seemed to darken with some emotion she couldn’t begin to analyse. ‘Murdo told me,’ she murmured hastily. ‘And I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.’
‘That’s okay. You’re right, I did love my wife…very much.’
Caitlin looked away from him, feeling sorry that she had intruded on something so intensely personal.
‘So what about you? Do you break hearts, Caitlin?’ he asked, changing the subject with that swift ease that never failed to disconcert her.
‘I hope not.’
‘But it must have been you who called the wedding off—no man in his right mind would have done that.’
‘Thanks for the vote of confidence,’ she said wryly, a little suspicious of the flattery. She hesitated. ‘I did call it off…but it wasn’t something I wanted to do…’
‘You did it because you had no choice, because he hurt you.’ It was a statement rather than a question, so she made no reply.
‘You know, the best way to get over one man is to get involved with another.’ He put a hand under her chin and tipped her face upwards so that she was forced to look at him again. ‘Having a little fun helps clear the mind and heal the heart.’
The gentle touch of his hand against her skin seemed to burn like a branding iron. She really tried not to blush, but she could feel her skin heating up as if someone had lit a fire under her.
‘Is that what you do?’ She stepped back, trying to break the intimate spell that suddenly seemed to be swirling powerfully between them. ‘Jump straight from one relationship into another?’
‘I haven’t got a broken heart,’ he said lightly.
‘I see.’ She took a sip of her wine and gathered herself together. ‘I’m afraid, Ray, that I’ve got some bad news for you.’ She forced a lightly teasing note into her voice and met his eyes directly.
‘Apart from not selling me your property, you mean?’ He smiled.
‘Oh, yes, apart from that.’ She waved a hand in airy dismissal and angled her head to one side. ‘The thing is, Ray…and brace yourself for this…the thing is that you are never going to make an agony aunt. Your advice is rubbish.’
He looked at her and his lips curved in a smile that also lit his eyes. Then he laughed, a warm, genuine laugh that somehow also seemed to set her pulses racing. ‘I like you, Caitlin,’ he said with a shake of his head. ‘I have to tell you I like you very much…’
Their eyes met and for a moment she was tempted to say she liked him too. But it was a fleeting thought and one she immediately buried.
To her relief the shrill ring of the front doorbell interrupted them. ‘That will probably be Philippe and Sadie.’ Ray turned away. ‘They said they would be early.’
Ray’s business partner and his wife were both French. Philippe was about forty-five, slightly on the portly side, his dark hair greying at the temples. He had an air of sophistication; here was a shrewd man who was successful in business and very laid back about it. His wife Sadie was about ten years younger than him and stunning. Her dark hair was coiled into an attractive style high on her head, emphasising her delicate features, her high cheekbones and dark almond-shaped eyes. Her cream dress was obviously from a designer boutique in Paris, but even if it had been from a charity shop she would have looked good in it, because her figure was superb, voluptuous yet slender. She possessed the kind of chic style that seemed to come so naturally to continental women.
‘It’s lovely to meet you, Caitlin,’ she said as she kissed the air at either side of Caitlin’s cheeks. ‘I’ve heard all about you.’
‘Have you?’ Caitlin looked over at Ray in surprise and he smiled. ‘Oh, yes, I’ve told Philippe and Sadie all about my pesky neighbour who stubbornly refuses to sell out to me.’
‘Are you still going on about that land, chéri?’ Sadie stood on tiptoe to kiss Ray. Caitlin noticed that her scarlet lips made contact with Ray’s skin, and her hands lingered on his arms as she drew back to look up at him playfully. ‘Honestly, you own most of the countryside around here as it is.’
Caitlin noticed that Philippe sent her a warning look, as if she was being too outspoken, but Sadie seemed unconcerned. And so did Ray.
‘I do,’ he replied easily, a gleam in his eye. ‘But that doesn’t stop me wanting more. However, I’ve discovered my new neighbour has other assets so I’m content to leave things as they are…for now.’
‘What do you mean, “other assets”?’ Caitlin asked distractedly, unsure if she liked
the direction of this conversation.
Ray gave her that lopsided grin that she was starting to recognise. ‘I mean the pleasure of your company, of course.’
Caitlin shook her head. She wasn’t going to allow herself to be affected by Ray’s compliments. When the mood struck him he probably knew all the right things to say to make a woman feel special and get what he wanted. And of course he was a born flirt. She remembered the way he’d looked at her earlier. You know, the best way to get over one man is to get involved with another…He’d been teasing her, of course, and it didn’t necessarily mean a thing, but if she were to let down her guard and take him seriously she’d be courting trouble.
Instead she turned her attention to Sadie as they moved into the lounge.
‘Have you come all the way down from Paris for dinner tonight?’
Sadie smiled. ‘Yes, we flew down to Nice and motored up. We often do that, and of course we have a potential new client joining us tonight so it’s pretty important to secure that contract.’
‘Let’s hope his partner, Sharon, is in a better mood tonight than the last time we got together.’ Philippe sighed. ‘Good job you’re here, Caitlin, otherwise we might never get this contract.’
‘Why is that?’ Caitlin asked in puzzlement.
‘You mean Ray hasn’t told you?’ Sadie laughed. ‘I’m afraid Sharon has a bad case of lust for Ray. It was quite embarrassing last time we got together. And we were worried it would make Roger back out of doing business with us altogether.’
‘Oh, I see.’ Caitlin smiled over at Ray. ‘So much for the pleasure of my company.’
‘I told you, Caitlin, you are quite an asset,’ he said without a shade of remorse. Then he smiled that warm smile that seemed to light up his eyes.
The doorbell rang and Ray got up to answer it.
‘He’s incorrigible, isn’t he?’ Sadie laughed. ‘And gorgeous—everyone falls in love with him. I have lost count of the beautiful women that have been on his arm. Is that not so, Philippe?’
‘He just hasn’t found the right person yet,’ Philippe said, somewhat crossly. ‘I don’t think you should be giving Caitlin the wrong idea.’