Passionate Revenge

by Sally Wentworth

  'It is important, Zara. But yours isn't our only contract, you must realise that. Your last discussion was to search out any problems and you'll find that these have now been dealt with. Eric is quite capable of dealing with anything that arises today and I…'

  'That isn't good enough,' she interrupted. 'Our contract specifies personal supervision throughout, so just get yourself over here. I'm not going to waste my time by having this meeting otherwise.'

  Then she handed the receiver back to Eric, saying, 'I'm going to my office. Let me know when Heath arrives,' and strode out of the room before they could think of anything to say to stop her.

  Back in her own office, Zara unlocked the safe and took a file from it. It was the report from the investigation agency on Heath and his company; it had only arrived that morning, brought by hand, and she hadn't had time to look at it yet. But Heath's absence from the meeting having given her a free period, now seemed as good a time as any. She looked at the report on his company first. It was a comprehensive one giving details of its financial status, the staff, everything she wanted to know in fact. It was a company with limited liability, Heath being the major shareholder and the other shares being divided between several other people, some of whom Zara took to be members of Heath's family as they bore the same surname. She grimaced, but had expected as much— Heath was bound to have a controlling interest. But she still stood a chance of getting a foothold into his agency by buying up some of the shares. It might well be worth a try. Putting through a call to her stockbroker, she instructed him to see if he could buy into the agency without divulging her name or interest.

  Then she turned to the personal report on Heath. It enclosed a copy of the curriculum vitae he had submitted when applying for his last job—the one in America. It gave his date of birth, details of his education and experience up to that point. And it was impressive; Zara wasn't surprised that he had got the job. There was also a letter from his American employers giving him a most glowing reference. But it was the personal details in which Zara was the most interested. The report stated that he was unmarried, was heterosexual, had no outstanding debts, and did not gamble or drink to excess. It told her where Heath lived and that his neighbours had been questioned. He did not hold wild parties but had people round to dinner or the odd cocktail party. It also stated that he had women who quite often stayed overnight but that he did not seem to have a fiancée, or have had a steady girl-friend during the last year.

  The fact that he hadn't married rather surprised Zara; he was so attractive to women, so arrantly masculine, that she thought he would have been hooked long ago. He was thirty-five now, and not exactly a playboy—he worked too hard for that, but it looked as if he might be turning into a confirmed bachelor. Zara's mouth tightened; if the way he had taken off after she had told him she loved him was anything to go by, then marriage was the only thing in life that scared the hell out of him! But the procession of girls to his door obviously meant that he was enjoying a hearty sex life for all that. A bitter look came into Zara's eyes as she remembered the passes he had made at her recently. Perhaps he was regretting that he hadn't taken her when he had the opportunity, seven years ago. Did he really expect her to fall in with his wishes—and into his bed—and become just another name on his list of conquests? To be enjoyed today and forgotten tomorrow? Her hand drumming on the desk, Zara vowed that Heath not only wouldn't forget her, he would go on regretting that he had ever met her for the rest of his life!

  The internal phone rang and Mac told her that Heath had arrived, so she went back to Colin's office. It was raining heavily and Heath's hair clung wetly to his head, beads of raindrops on his high cheekbones like tears. Zara felt a sudden overpowering urge to lick them from his skin, and had to hastily turn and ask Colin to send for some coffee, her heart thumping so hard it was difficult to breathe.

  Heath gave her an impatient look. 'I'm afraid I'm pushed for time,' he said shortly. 'Shall we get on with the discussion?'

  The four of them sat round a large table, the drawings and plans spread out before them, and began to go through the list of queries from the last meeting. As Heath had promised, they had all been dealt with, and he went on to deal as efficiently with queries that arose from the next phase of the campaign. Zara went through the photographs that had been taken of their tracksuits to pick the ones she wanted to use in the campaign, but said, 'What about the beachwear photographs? I don't see those?'

  Heath made a rueful gesture towards the windows. 'It hasn't stopped raining or snowing for the last three weeks. Our photographic department have got all the models on call and are just hanging on for some decent weather to take them.'

  'We don't have that long,' Zara reminded him rather uneasily.

  'No, I know. But don't worry, if it comes to it we'll just have to simulate a beach in the studios.' He gave her a quick smile. 'Just keep your fingers crossed for fine weather.'

  Her own eyes smiled in return. 'I've often noticed (hat people who sit around with their fingers crossed hoping for their luck to change don't get a lot of work done.'

  Heath laughed. 'Maybe you're right at that.' He Have her a slightly challenging look. 'I trust that you're satisfied with the way I've answered your queries?'

  That this was an indirect dig at her for insisting that he attend the meeting Zara was well aware. She gave him a cool look. 'As our contract guarantees your personal attention I should expect nothing less. I trust you intend to be at all future discussions on the campaign?'

  'I'm doing my best to get most of my other work out of the way so that I can concentrate entirely on your contract,' he answered smoothly.

  'Good. Because that's what we're paying for,' she told him, returning his mocking look with an equally sardonic one of her own.

  Colin looked from one to the other of them and stood up, saying to Eric, 'If you'll come with me I'll get you those additional samples from the sportswear range that you wanted.'

  Their two assistants having made a timely withdrawal, Heath looked across the table at Zara. 'Is your boy-friend back yet?'

  'If you mean Richard then no, he isn't.'

  'And have you thought any more about—us?'

  Standing up, Zara went over to a side table to pour herself out another cup of coffee. 'Not particularly, no.'

  Heath came to stand beside her, his hands thrust into his trouser pockets. 'So I suppose there's no point in asking you to have dinner with me?'

  She reminded herself that she didn't want to antagonise him too much. She remembered, too, the raindrops on his cheeks. Putting down the cup, she slowly turned to face him, her hands gripping the edge of the table behind her. 'Why don't you ask and find out?' she replied with just a hint of husky provocativeness.

  His eyes widening a little, Heath took his hands from his pockets and put one on either side of her slim waist, then they tightened as he leant forward to kiss her.

  Zara stood perfectly still, letting him do what he wanted to her mouth, her lips slightly open, soft and yielding. But she made no attempt to respond, so that when he lifted his head he looked at her quizzically. 'Well, at least you didn't try to hit me again! So—will you have dinner with me?'

  Her eyes fixed on the region of his tie, Zara somehow nodded and said, 'Yes.' He opened his mouth to speak, but she added quickly, 'A business dinner. On my expense account.'

  Heath threw back his head and laughed. His eyes glistening with amusement, he said, 'I should have known. Don't you think about anything but work?'

  'Not much,' Zara replied honestly.

  His hands were still on her waist, and she was very aware of his touch, of his closeness. 'Richard can't be very important to you, then?' Heath guessed.

  'No,' she acknowledged, looking him steadily in the eye. 'No man is important to me.' He frowned, trying to understand exactly what she meant, but she looked away. 'Weren't you in a hurry?' she reminded him.

  'I was—but it can wait for this.' And this time he pulled her to him
, moulding her body against his as he kissed her, his lips more demanding now as he sought to arouse an answering fire in her. Zara hesitated, but then her arms slowly rose to rest on his shoulders. Lifting his head a little, Heath looked into her face and saw that her eyes were open. He put his hand behind her neck and kissed her in a sudden fierce surge of passion, his lips hard on her own, but he kept his eyes fixed on her face until her body quivered suddenly and she closed her eyes, her mouth opening under his.

  The sound of voices in the corridor outside made

  Heath let her go and step back. Zara turned to pick up her cup of coffee, her hands unsteady, and was drinking it when Colin and Eric came back into the room. Heath was busily picking up his papers and he and Eric Jennings left almost immediately, leaving Zara and Colin to talk over a few details before Zara went back to her own office. When she got there she went into her cloakroom and carefully re-made up her mouth, the while trying not to look at the reflection of the rest of her face. She didn't want to see the flush on her pale cheeks or the banked fires of urgent need in her green eyes. To do so would be to admit that she had enjoyed Heath's kisses, and she must never, never do that.

  She had a date that evening, but when she got home and played back her answerphone she found that Heath had rung. 'Just to fix a date for our business dinner,' he had said in an amused voice. 'I shall be out of the office most of tomorrow, but you can reach me on this number in the evening.' And he gave the number she already knew to be of his flat.

  But Zara, too, was busy. One of her new shops was soon to be opened and she went to stay in the area so that she could supervise the amount of stock to be sent to it and its display, plus attending the interviews for the new trainee under-manager and shop staff. One of her more experienced managers was to be in charge of it for the first year, but Zara liked to know exactly who was in her employ. She also had to pay a visit to the textile mill and combined it with a brief visit to Mr Webster to keep him up to date on everything that was happening. Not only because it was courteous to do so but because they both got a great deal of delight out of seeing each other and in discussing how well Panache was growing. So Zara had her secretary call Heath and arrange a time and place for their dinner date, not going back to London until the day she was due to met him.

  She had her hair done and dressed with the care— she told herself—that she would have taken if she were going out with someone she liked. At seven-thirty her doorphone rang and she told Heath that she would be right down. It was still cold, but he wasn't wearing an overcoat over the evening suit that set her heart fluttering again in remembrance. But she managed to greet him with a cool smile and said, 'It was kind of you to come for me, but I could quite easily have met you at the restaurant, you know.'

  Heath glanced at her as he helped her into his car. 'Don't be silly,' he said laconically.

  Rather to her surprise, he drove out of London, taking the motorway for several miles before pulling off it and driving through countryside until they came to a large Georgian house standing in its own grounds that had been converted into a hotel and restaurant. For once it wasn't raining, but it was still cold, and they hurried inside. Here it was warm and pleasant, with a log fire burning in the Adam fireplace. Heath helped her off with her coat and slowly handed it to the waiting receptionist as he looked her over.

  'You were wearing a velvet dress like that on the night that I first met you,' he told her, his voice sounding a little strange. 'Only it was green, not black.'

  'Was I? I'm surprised that you remember after so long.'

  'On the contrary, I remember everything about that night,' Heath said softly, his eyes openly caressing.

  Bright spots of colour showed in her pale cheeks, but Zara turned quickly away so that he couldn't see and walked ahead of him into the bar. She didn't know why she had chosen this dress; she had been looking in her wardrobes for something warm to wear and her hand had somehow gone straight to it, wondering if he would remember. Well, now she had her answer, though whether it gave her satisfaction or not she didn't know. The waiter handed them menus and brought them an aperitif so that she could chat safely about food and give herself time to recover a little.

  The dining-room was newly decorated and rather over-ornate, but the food was superb, the tables well spaced out so that they could talk in comfort, and the service discreetly attentive. For a while they talked inconsequentially, as two people who didn't know each other very well would, Heath telling Zara about his time in America and she in turn telling him something of the way she and Mr Webster had built up Panache.

  'You said that Webster retired, I think.?'

  'Did I? Yes, about eighteen months or so ago. He went to Spain for a long holiday with his new wife, but now he's back in England.'

  'His new wife?' Heath looked at her in surprise.

  'Yes.' Zara's eyebrow rose sardonically. 'Just what ideas did you have about Mr Webster and me?'

  Heath shook his head. 'Nothing specific. I was just surprised that someone of that age should have married, that's all.'

  Like hell, Zara thought, but she let it go and talked of something else. When they had finished their main course she sat back in her chair, feeling more at ease and appreciating her surroundings. Feeling Heath's eyes on her she looked across at him and raised a questioning eyebrow.

  'I was just thinking,' he said with a half-smile, 'how much you've changed and yet how little. In looks you've hardly altered at all—oh, lost a little puppy fat maybe, so that one can see how fine-boned you are. And you've acquired an outward gloss, but apart from that…' He shook his head. 'No, it's inside that you've changed.'

  'Really?' said Zara in a dry tone that was meant to shut him up. 'What pudding are you going to choose?'

  But, 'You've lost your spontaneity,' Heath went on. 'You used to be so warm—so loving,' he added deliberately. His eyes darkened. 'Your husband ought to be shot for doing that to you.'

  'My hus…!' Zara stared at him open-mouthed. Then her face hardened. 'Leave my husband out of this. He has nothing to do with you.'

  'All right,' Heath said evenly. He had been leaning forward, but now he sat back, his eyes on her face. 'But let's stop pretending that this is nothing but a business meeting, shall we? That isn't why I wanted to see you again, and you know it.'

  'But it is why I wanted to see you,' Zara corrected him shortly. She looked at him, her green eyes glittering. 'Because I have a proposition to put to you.'

  His lips twitched a little. 'A proposition?'

  'Yes. I'm thinking of expanding my shops even further and going into home furnishing; wallpaper, curtains, bed linens, that kind of thing. And all of them of course coordinated. I may even do carpets.' His interest aroused, Heath was giving her his whole attention. Taking a deep breath, Zara said, 'I want someone to do a feasibility study, taking into account the locations of our present shops and the ones that I have in mind for the future. And if I decide to go ahead, then I would of course require another large advertising campaign.'

  Giving a low whistle of surprise and admiration, Heath sat up straight in his chair. 'You really believe in going places, don't you ? And do you want me to do this feasibility study?'

  'Could you guarantee to give me an unbiased report, bearing in mind that the advertising contract would probably go to you if I'm satisfied with the way you handle the Game, Set and Match campaign?'

  Heath gave her a level look. 'Yes, I could.'

  Strangely enough she believed him, but she didn't let him see that, instead giving him a small smile. 'I would, however, like some in-built guarantees. I would require Colin Royle, the head of my marketing department, you remember, to be closely concerned with the feasibility study and to have access to your findings at all times. And also,' she paused, her heart thumping a little now that the testing moment had come, 'as my company would be investing so much of our future success in your agency's hands then I should need written guarantees that Panache's interests would be placed ahea
d of any other contracts you take on, and again that you would give us your personal attention. And I should also require a small shareholding in your agency so that I could ensure my company's interests were being well served.' She held up a hand as Heath went to speak. 'I know what you're going to say, and I agree that it's unusual. But in return we're willing to draw up a very favourable contract. And please bear in mind that Panache is going places and you could come with us.'

  Heath didn't answer at once, but after a moment he said, 'You were right; this certainly is a business dinner!' For a moment he looked rueful, then became practical again. 'I need hardly ask whether you've looked into the financial side of my agency. You must know that I hold a fifty-one-percent interest. If I sold you any of my shares I could possibly lose control.'

  'Yes, I have,' Zara admitted. 'But I took it to be largely other members of your family and friends who hold the other shares. Perhaps they would agree to sell?'

  'Do I take it that the sale of these shares to you is a condition of my doing the feasibility study—and getting the later contract?'

  'Yes, it is.'

  Picking up his glass, Heath took a drink. 'That sounds remarkably like blackmail, Zara.'

  She shrugged. 'With something as important as this I want total commitment. This way I ensure that I get it.'

  'How many shares would you want?'

  'Ten per cent,' Zara replied promptly.

  'And do I get any Panache shares in return?'

  'I'd be willing to let you have the equivalent value,' she told him, knowing full well that she had a hundred per cent ownership and couldn't possibly lose control of the company.

  'But not percentage?'

  'Hardly. I should imagine that they're far from being the equivalent in value share for share.'

  'No.' Heath took another drink, his eyes on her face.

  'All right,' he said abruptly, 'I agree. I'll have my solicitor start to draw up the necessary papers straight away.'

  Zara sat back in her chair, her hands gripped together in her lap, trying to keep the triumph out of her eyes. Heath had just taken the first step into the web she had spun, and soon he would be too far enmeshed ever to escape from the trap.