‘You’re wrong.’ How could he look so sincere when he made the denial? ‘I’m sorry, Sophie, but it’s not the way it seems.’
The look she shot him would surely have made any other man squirm, but not this one. ‘You expect me to believe you’re sorry about this? You’ve been laughing at me the whole time.’
‘Up until the point where you mentioned Sue, I believed my sister, Melissa, had arranged for you to have dinner with me.’
‘What? You got your sister to arrange a blind date for you? I don’t believe it.’ This man would never need someone to arrange his dates. He was certain to have women queuing at the door, down the street and around the corner. ‘Anyway, I introduced myself so you knew very well who I was.’
‘It’s complicated and no, I didn’t get my sister to arrange a blind date. She was supposed to be meeting me here. Then, she didn’t turn up, but called me and said she’d arranged for someone else to meet me. She didn’t tell me who it was.’
‘And that woman just never showed?’ she asked cynically.
‘That’s right.’
‘How convenient.’ Her tone made it clear she didn’t believe a word of it.
‘I had no idea initially you thought I was an escort,’ he continued. ‘I was about to tell you the truth when Felix turned up.’
‘But you didn’t.’ Embarrassment had well and truly turned to fury knowing that he’d deliberately goaded her with some of the comments he’d made. ‘Worse, you didn’t do as I asked and keep quiet. You deliberately, calculatedly, let Felix think we’re involved.’
‘You needed a date. Wasn’t that your whole idea of hiring an escort?’
‘Yes, but —’
‘Felix was being rude and insulting to you, and I was being chivalrous.’ He shrugged with nonchalance, and that made her even angrier.
‘Chivalrous? Huh!’ Her fists clenched. ‘You were manipulating the whole situation to suit yourself. Don’t you dare act as if you’ve been considering my best interests.’
‘I don’t see the problem. Your initial plan was to make your grandfather think you had a lover. If I’m any judge, Felix will report back to your grandfather that he’s seen you tonight and your plan is now in action.’
It’d been years since she’d felt the childish need to throw a tantrum. Now, this man had made her want to do so twice in one night. Somehow he got under her skin to such a degree that she felt just as frustrated and powerless as she had when she’d indulged in childish fits of temper. ‘You’ve done your best to hi-jack my plan. I came here expecting an escort — a professional who’d follow my instructions and be discreet about it.’
He grinned. ‘I don’t do following instructions very well.’
‘Obviously.’
‘But I am discreet.’
Ooh, the man was infuriating. ‘What do I need to do to ensure your silence about this entire debacle?’
‘Are you offering to pay for my silence?’
‘If that’s what it takes.’ Damn. Damn. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have the money, but it rankled that she’d have to pay him to keep quiet so this whole embarrassing situation wouldn’t be on the front page of the newspapers tomorrow morning. ‘What’s your price?’
He sat back in his chair, his eyes never leaving hers. ‘A trip with you this weekend to your grandfather’s in the Hunter Valley.’
Her jaw started to drop, and she had to make a conscious effort to snap her teeth together. ‘No.’
‘I’m attracted to you, you’re attracted to me,’ he continued in a reasonable tone. ‘I can understand you wouldn’t want to give in to this attraction thinking that anything developing between us was part of my job description, but now you know it wouldn’t be there’s no reason to fight it.’
‘You’re unbelievable,’ she vented. ‘I don’t know who you are or the first thing about you and you’re talking about us getting together and giving in to attraction?’
‘It’s there and you know it.’
She broke eye contact with him. Every time he pinned her with his blue eyes she felt completely exposed. Vulnerability was not something she should reveal. Strength was what she needed to cope with him. Loads of it.
‘The thing is, Sophie, you felt the need to hire someone to play the role of your lover. There’s no need for that. I’m here, more than willing to be your lover.’
Willing to be your lover. The words echoed through her mind.
Tempted her.
Seduced her.
Sophie bit her lower lip. How was she supposed to handle this? How could she sit there and deny she didn’t want him? The only factor that had been a barrier to her acting on her incredibly strong desire for him was thinking he did this sort of thing for a living. Still, even though he wasn’t an escort, he was still a stranger. This man knew exactly who she was, and could exploit her ruthlessly if she let her guard slip. She’d been a fool once before. She was older and wiser now, and was not prepared to let any man make a fool of her again.
‘Let’s start again. Sophie, I’m Logan, and I’m very pleased we’ve met.’ He reached across the table and held out his hand.
They were in a public place. She told herself the only reason she lifted her hand and placed it into his was because it would seem strange to anyone watching if she ignored his gesture.
Instead of shaking her hand, he simply held it and looked into her eyes.
‘I can’t shake hands like we’re meeting for the first time, sweetheart. We’re under scrutiny.’ He lifted her hand to his mouth, brushed his lips across the back of it in a gentle kiss, then turned it over and kissed the inside of her wrist.
Darts of fire flamed up her arm, spread across her chest like a raging bushfire and burnt all the way down to the most feminine part of her. It was just as well she was sitting down because his touch made her weak. Her body felt boneless and her nipples seemed to ache for his caress. Involuntarily she leaned toward him, even knowing she was playing with fire. She could offer no resistance, despite how easily she could get burned.
‘Just who are you, Logan?’ she rasped.
He reached out with his free hand and stroked her cheek with his fingertips. His touch was simply divine, and she wanted so much more.
‘I’m a man who’d love to get to know you in every possible way.’
His blatant statement made her aware of the sharp ache of unfulfilled need at the juncture of her thighs. While her throat dried, moisture gathered at the feminine heart of her. Desire had never been so acute.
Despite her best intentions, Sophie felt herself freefalling without a parachute. It was dangerous because there was no safety net, yet being with him was exhilarating. Now she knew he didn’t do this for a living she wasn’t sure she could resist being drawn to him inexorably.
There was no denying she wanted him as her lover, yet that thought shook her to her very foundations because she simply didn’t behave this way. She never had. It had to be some weird alignment of the stars and the moon because even contemplating having this stranger as her lover was totally out of character for her.
Besides, any mistake she made in her personal life became front page news and she hated that. Any personal mistake could affect her reputation in the business world and harm the respect she’d fought so hard to win.
‘You have absolutely nothing to fear from me,’ he said.
But she did. She feared the force of these unfamiliar feelings he stirred up within her. Feared the outcome if she gave into them.
Logan might not be an escort and he may have said he hated the gutter press, but that mightn’t stop him taking her to bed and then hot-footing it to the tabloids. Besides, he knew who she was. The insecurity she’d carried with her since the man she’d first been engaged to betrayed her, reared its ugly head. How could she ever be sure any man was attracted to her and not to her fortune?
‘Why should I believe you wouldn’t exploit a relationship with me when you’ve already lied to me by omission?’ she deman
ded.
He let go of her hand and reached inside his jacket. First he took out his wallet, then he withdrew a business card and handed it to her.
Logan Jackson. Managing Director, Jackson Diamonds.
Sophie’s jaw dropped as the name and title sank in. Surely not? Her eyes flew to him, returned to the card, read the words again and shot back up to him.
‘Jackson Diamonds, as in the Canadian diamond mining operation?’ she asked incredulously.
‘Yes.’
Reeling, she sank back into the chair and studied him closely. He didn’t look anything like Logan Jackson. The billionaire was well-known for his longish hair and designer stubble.
Every muscle froze.
The only photos she’d seen of the billionaire, Logan Jackson, he’d been wearing sunglasses. Mentally, she removed the sunglasses and superimposed the shoulder-length hair and stubble on to this man. The truth hit her over the head with the full force of a sledgehammer.
‘Now I know why you seemed familiar. I can’t believe I didn’t realise.’ She reached for her wine glass and drained it in two quick gulps. How stupid of her not to have recognised a man who was world famous. Because she’d been expecting an escort, and she was more than a little overwrought right from the outset, she hadn’t twigged. The last person she’d been expecting to dine with was an Australian billionaire who’d lived overseas most of his adult life. Add in the fact that she’d been trying to fight off her attraction to him and had run into her cousin unexpectedly, and she knew her thought processes just hadn’t been working clearly.
No wonder he’d thought it was all a huge joke.
‘This is just incredible. I should’ve recognised you when you said your first name. Felix did, didn’t he?’
His hand moved in a dismissive gesture. ‘You were expecting someone else, and I look a little different with shorter hair.’
He sure did.
What happened now? She couldn’t stop staring at him while she beat herself up about her ignorance. Heavens, she’d asked him how much he’d wanted for his silence! This man was probably wealthier than her grandfather.
‘Sophie, let’s get back to your problem.’ He reached for the bottle of wine and re-filled her glass. ‘Only a couple of months ago, your grandfather contacted me with a business proposition.’
‘He did?’ That was news to her and it made her uneasy.
‘I don’t think I’m breaking any confidences when I tell you it regarded the sale of diamond mines in the Northern Territory.’
‘Oh.’ The knot of tension in her neck eased just a little. ‘They’re part of his personal holding. Carlisle Mining doesn’t have anything to do with that.’
‘My point is that if your grandfather was happy to do business with me, I think he’d more than approve of a relationship between us.’ He shot her another devastating smile. ‘I’m the perfect solution to your problem.’
Speech deserted her as she still struggled to absorb the truth of his identity and her brain went back over all the conversation they’d had since she’d been shown to his table. He wasn’t just some drop-dead gorgeous guy earning his living as an escort. Logan Jackson moved in the same privileged world she did. He wouldn’t betray her to the press and he wouldn’t be interested in her fortune, but he was interested in her.
‘I’m here, more than willing to be your lover.’
Could she handle it?
Again she felt the pulsing of her feminine need. She wanted this man as her lover. Thinking he was a gigolo, she’d been able to deny that need — just. As a total stranger there would have been no way she’d allow herself to trust him. Now she knew this was not about business for him and that he wouldn’t expose their affair to the media, she was very tempted. Would it be so wrong to give into her desires? They were both adults. She wanted him and he wanted her.
Her. He wanted her, not her wealth.
A delightful warmth and a surge of hope stirred within her.
‘You should eat, Sophie. Your food’s getting cold. Of course, we can always make an exit right now that convinces every other diner that we simply had to leave because we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.’
No. It was too soon. She had to hold herself back because to give into her desperation would send him the wrong sort of message. She didn’t want him to assume she was an easy conquest. In reality she’d only ever had two lovers, and she couldn’t give in to her mad lust for Logan until she knew she could keep it under control and not get hurt in the process.
Trying to hide the turmoil of passion that seethed within her and wanted to break free, she picked up her cutlery and made an attempt at eating so nobody watching would think anything was amiss.
‘Tell me why you feel compelled to lie to your grandfather. Why not just tell him to stop interfering in your personal life?’
The probe into her personal life almost made her choke on her food. Should she tell him? Logan Jackson would understand the pressures she faced.
Gnawing relentlessly on her lower lip, she regarded him intently. What did she know of Logan Jackson? He was mega rich and owned diamond mines in Canada’s north. Vaguely she recalled he’d been captured by some rebel group in Africa, but that must have been about the same time she and Jake had separated — a time when she’d deliberately stopped reading papers and watching news bulletins because she’d been heartily sick of their divorce making the headline news.
Logan had been in the news again more recently. He’d been instrumental in having the UN sign a treaty outlawing the purchase of conflict diamonds. The man was motivated to help those in need. He’d put his life on the line for others. Surely she could trust him?
He reached across and took one of her hands in his. ‘You must have a good reason for going to the lengths of hiring someone to play the role.’
‘Why should I trust you with something that’s so personal?’ she asked as the stroking of his thumb on her inner wrist sent a quiver of longing through her.
‘Because I might just be the answer to all your problems.’
Heaven help her. She could listen to that deep bedroom voice all night. Instead of denying it, she found herself wanting him to persuade her to trust him.
‘Felix has seen us together, Sophie. I’ve committed myself to attending this weekend event with you. You don’t have to look any further for someone to take, and you won’t have to worry that the true circumstances of our meeting will be revealed to your grandfather or the press. ’
On the surface, he did seem to be the answer to her prayers.
‘However, I want to know your motivation,’ he persisted.
Her motivation. Just where did she start?
She hesitated, closed her eyes, then took a giant leap of faith. ‘My grandfather’s been diagnosed with bowel cancer.’ The words she’d kept bottled within her, the truth she didn’t want to face alone and hadn’t shared with anyone apart from Sue, just tumbled out. Tears stung her eyes and a huge knot of sadness lodged in her throat. Suddenly it was all too much. She wanted to be back in Logan’s arms on the dance floor, being held secure by him, moving to the romantic music and forgetting everything apart from the sensual awareness flowing between them.
I can’t take comfort from him, she told herself firmly. I’m in public and I’ve only just met this man. Somehow she had to bite down on her despair and once again find that tough exterior she’d learnt to present to the world to protect her privacy and conceal her deepest thoughts and emotions.
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ he told her simply as he squeezed her hand.
The empathic gesture was nearly her undoing and she took a little while to compose herself. Logan seemed to understand. He didn’t push her. He didn’t try to gloss over what she was feeling, nor did he seem awkward about holding her hand quietly while she got herself together. In those moments, her appreciation of him grew and her trust in him blossomed.
She looked out at the view of Sydney but didn’t focus on any of it. �
��He’s looked after me almost all my life. He’s only ever wanted me to be happy, and he’s terribly worried that when he…’ She just couldn’t say it. Even though she knew it was inevitable, she just couldn’t face the fact that her grandfather was booked in for radical bowel surgery and might not survive. Removing her hands from Logan’s, she fumbled around in her handbag until she retrieved a handkerchief. As discreetly as possible, she dabbed at her eyes and wiped her nose. ‘He’s booked in for surgery next week. At his age he may not survive, and his dying wish is to know that I’m in a relationship that could lead to marriage.’
The jerk of Logan’s body was so unmistakable as she said the word marriage that she almost laughed.
‘Don’t worry, Logan. I’m not ever planning on marrying again,’ she said with a tight smile. ‘I just need him to think I am. Do you still want the role?’
Silence stretched as she waited for him to respond. How would he react? Say, ‘Nice to have met you, good luck finding someone. I’ll get the bill’? After all, Logan Jackson was a renowned playboy, and as much as he’d made no secret that he wanted her in his bed, she didn’t kid herself for a second that the notch he’d carve in his bedpost if he had her would be anything more than that — another notch.
‘Why don’t you want to get married?’
His question was not the outright denial she’d expected. She lifted her focus away from where she was putting her handkerchief back into her clutch bag and looked at the serious expression on his face.
‘I just don’t, okay?’ There was a limit to how much personal information she’d divulge to this man.
His eyes narrowed. ‘Are you still in love with Jake Formosa?’
‘No.’ She’d never been in love with Jake.
‘But you haven’t recovered from your divorce.’ His regard was intense.
She sighed. After just having resolved not to, for some unknown reason she now felt compelled to explain herself to Logan. ‘I was secretly engaged to a guy who bought and sold horses for my grandfather before I married Jake.’ She heard the hurt in her tone and immediately chastised herself. That had been over and done with years ago. She’d had a lucky escape from Peter.
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