Sensual Encounter

by Carole Mortimer

  Her happiness obviously showed as she drove to work, a couple of taxi drivers giving her a cheery wave, the attendent of the underground car park giving her a friendly smile in answer to her bright one. ‘Smile and the world smiles with you’ seemed to be applicable today. And she couldn’t seem to stop smiling. Beryl gave her an indulgent look as she passed through the main open-plan office to her own.

  ‘Have a good weekend?’ Kate greeted her secretary cheerfully.

  Beryl nodded. ‘Did you?’ she asked needlessly.

  Her mouth quirked. ‘Couldn’t have been better.’

  ‘That’s what I thought,’ Beryl said dryly.

  Kate laughed with the sheer happiness of being alive and being loved by such a wonderful man as Jared, and she went through to start her work with less willingness than usual; she would much rather have spent the day with Jared. But the fact that he had gone out too made up for that a little, and after some reluctance on her part for the first hour or so she soon settled down to her work with her usual interest.

  ‘Delivery for Miss Collier,’ Beryl teased shortly before lunch as she came in with a huge bouquet of red roses. ‘Sorry, he didn’t deliver them himself this time,’ she mocked as she laid the Cellophane-wrapped blooms on the desktop. ‘But I’m sure the sentiment is still the same!’

  Kate gave her a glowing smile and ripped open the tiny white envelope that contained the card. ‘I love you’, it read. There was no signature, but then she didn’t need one.

  ‘Dare I say this looks serious?’ Beryl said half teasingly, half questioningly.

  ‘You dare,’ Kate answered in a preoccupied voice, admiring the beautiful roses. ‘Because it is,’ she looked up to smile ecstatically. ‘I love him.’

  ‘And Richard?’

  Her smile wavered and faded. She had tried not to think of Richard the last two days, and with Jared filling her senses as well as her mind that hadn’t been too difficult to do. But with Richard’s call this morning that had all ended, and now she feared for Jared. If by breaking her engagement she lost the Melford contract she could survive, the agency could survive, it always had, but if Richard should find out about Jared, about her involvement with him, then he could use his considerable influence to stop Jared getting another job, ever. But Richard had always been good to her in the past, perhaps he would understand. And perhaps he wouldn’t! Oh dear, she didn’t know what was going to happen tonight, she only hoped Jared didn’t get hurt.

  ‘Kate?’ Beryl prompted concernedly at her prolonged silence.

  Kate gave her friend a taut smile. ‘As you’ve probably realised, I can no longer marry Richard.’

  ‘You’re going to marry Jared.’ The other woman sounded pleased.

  ‘Well …’ Kate flushed, ‘not exactly. He hasn’t asked me.’ Lately.

  ‘He will,’ Beryl said confidently. ‘You just wait and see. Do you want me to put these roses in a vase outside?’ she asked tongue-in-cheek.

  ‘Don’t you dare!’ came Kate’s predictable answer.

  But a pensive frown marred her brow as she arranged the three dozen red roses into a vase. In the length of that short conversation she had had with Beryl the other woman had mentioned the two subjects that troubled her the most, breaking her engagement to Richard, and the fact that Jared still hadn’t mentioned the subject of marriage to her. Not that she wasn’t perfectly happy as they were now, she just didn’t understand why he suddenly didn’t talk of marriage any more.

  But she had no doubt that he loved her, and that was all that mattered. If she told herself that long enough she might actually come to believe it! But there was nothing wrong with wanting to be married to the man she loved, her trouble was she had intended being the wife of two men she didn’t love. No wonder Jared was wary of asking her to make a commitment to him!

  She called the flat to thank him for the roses once she had put the vase on her desk. There was no answer, so she assumed he must still be out at his interview. It must be some job if the interview was lasting all day!

  She went to the shops after work, getting in enough food to last them a week. At least if they decided to become hermits again they would have enough food this time!

  It was lucky she had decided on steaks and salad for dinner, for Jared still wasn’t back when she got in at six-thirty. Once again she had showered and changed when she heard his key in the lock, going out to meet him. He looked tired tonight, lines of strain about his eyes and mouth. He threw the briefcase down on the hall table, running a weary hand about the back of his neck.

  ‘Had a hard day, darling?’ Kate moved to join him, looking up at him anxiously.

  His smile seemed rather forced. ‘Not really. How was yours?’

  ‘Fine,’ she dismissed. ‘Thank you for the roses,’ she smiled shyly.

  ‘My pleasure,’ he nodded abruptly.

  ‘Jared, what’s wrong?’ she frowned, sensing the tension in him like a coiled spring.

  ‘Wrong?’ He moved to the bottle of whisky she had bought for him today and put on the sideboard with a tray of glasses, Jared having told her he liked a glass of whisky after dinner in preference to the brandy she already had. But it wasn’t after dinner yet, and Jared had already downed one glassful of whisky without seeming to feel any effect from it, and was in the process of pouring himself another one. ‘Nothing is wrong,’ he rasped. ‘Not a damn thing!’ he scowled, moving forcefully away from her to pace the room. ‘Not a thing,’ he repeated in a muttered voice, his expression grim.

  ‘Jared?’

  His eyes glittered furiously at the uncertainty in her voice. ‘Everything I want for my future could come crashing down about my ears tonight—and you ask me what’s wrong!’ He drank the last of his whisky, slamming the glass down. ‘Every damn thing is wrong—and I can’t do a thing to stop it!’

  She had never seen Jared in this utterly defeatist mood before. She had seen him teasing, happy, angry, furiously angry, but she had never known him to give up on anything. She couldn’t imagine what had happened to cause it now.

  ‘Do you have dinner cooking?’ he scowled at her with baleful eyes.

  ‘No.’ She looked startled by the question. ‘I was waiting for you to come home before I—’

  ‘Good.’ He grasped her hand and pulled her towards the bedroom.

  ‘Jared, what—’

  ‘You’re mine, do you hear,’ he told her roughly. ‘Mine! I’ll never let you go now. Never!’

  Kate tried to collect her thoughts as he shook her. ‘Of course I’m yours, darling,’ she reassured him soothingly. ‘I always will be,’ she quivered, unnerved by the dangerous glitter in his eyes.

  ‘Will you?’ he derided bitterly.

  ‘Of course,’ she nodded frantically.

  ‘How can you be sure?’ he rasped, pushing her away from him. ‘You could see Richard tonight and he could persuade you that you’re making a mistake, that you would be a fool not to marry him.’

  Kate’s eyes widened and she gasped her disbelief. ‘Is that what all this is about?’ she demanded. ‘You trust me so little you think I’ll take one look at Richard’s wealthy lifestyle, consider all that he could give me, and ditch you so fast you won’t even have time to pack your things?’ She was breathing hard in her anger.

  ‘Yes,’ he bit out. ‘Yes!’

  ‘Well, thank you very much!’ she snapped furiously. ‘And what were you going to do just now, drag me off to bed and hope that would convince me you’re a better lover than Richard?’ She knew by the uncomfortable flush to his lean cheeks that she was right in her supposition. ‘Well, I don’t know that you are,’ she scorned to hide her deep hurt. ‘I’ve never been to bed with Richard, maybe he’s as accomplished a lover as you are. And maybe I’ll find that out tonight,’ she added challengingly. ‘Maybe I’ll find that out right now!’ She turned to leave, but the strong grip on her arm stopped her as Jared brought her back round to face him. ‘Let me go!’ she ordered through stiff lips, the effect
ruined by the tears streaming down her cheeks.

  All the anger drained out of Jared, leaving him pale and strained. ‘God, I hardly know myself when I treat you this way.’ His heated gaze searched her pained face. ‘I’ve hurt you again, haven’t I?’ he groaned. ‘Of course I have, damn it,’ he chastised himself. ‘Everything was fine until you received that telephone call from James this morning,’ his eyes narrowed. ‘Ever since I’ve known you were going to see him tonight I’ve been unable to think of anything else. I love you, Kate, and the thought of losing you now is driving me insane!’

  She remained hardened to the pleading for understanding in his voice. ‘Maybe you’d like to come with me?’ she derided. ‘Then you’ll know exactly what happens when I meet Richard.’

  Her derision hit home; Jared looked very uncomfortable now. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said softly.

  ‘Sorry?’ Kate repeated in a hushed voice. ‘Sorry!’ Her voice rose angrily. ‘Am I to be mistrusted by you for ever for a few months’ understandable confusion in my life?’ she demanded angrily. ‘You seem to be the one who was so certain from the beginning—if you were so certain why did you go to Canada, why leave it three months before deciding you were in love with me?’

  ‘Canada was business—’

  ‘Of course,’ she said tightly. ‘Well, I wasn’t to know you’d come back after three months and expect to pick up where you’d left off, I wasn’t to know you’d come back at all!’ She turned away from him, breathing deeply, flinching as she felt his hands come to rest on her shoulders.

  Jared pulled her back against his body regardless of her struggles. ‘I love you, can’t you understand that?’ he groaned against her temple. ‘I love you!’

  With a sob she turned into his arms, holding him tightly to her as he pressed her against his lean length. ‘I love you too,’ she choked.

  ‘Then what are we arguing about?’ he attempted to tease.

  ‘You—’

  ‘I’m a fool,’ he smiled down at her. ‘I thought we’d already agreed on that.’

  ‘I hadn’t,’ she gave him a watery smile. ‘But I do now.’

  His smile deepened. ‘Are you going to cook dinner or shall I?’

  ‘But …?’ She looked about them pointedly, the invitation of the bed obvious.

  Jared shook his head, leading her gently out of the room and closing the door on the temptation it offered. ‘You’re right, nothing can be solved that way.’

  ‘Nothing needs to be solved,’ once again she tried to reassure him, but she could still see the vulnerability in his eyes. ‘Look, I’ll call Richard and go over and see him now. It’s almost time anyway. Then when I get back we can have dinner together,’ she encouraged.

  ‘But aren’t you hungry?’

  Her mouth twisted. ‘I don’t think either of us would enjoy our food just now,’ she sighed. ‘I’ll get things sorted out with Richard, and we can eat later.’

  Jared nodded slowly. ‘Perhaps that would be best.’

  ‘I’ll just go and change—’

  ‘Why?’ he asked sharply.

  ‘Why?’ she repeated with a frown, not understanding him.

  ‘You look fine to me as you are,’ he said with quiet suspicion.

  ‘Richard doesn’t like denims on a woman—’

  ‘Then he doesn’t know what he’s missing,’ Jared rasped. ‘And if you look good to me, the man you’re supposed to love, then why should you change to meet some other man?’

  Kate gave him an impatient sigh. ‘You’re just being difficult—’

  ‘You bet I am!’ he said harshly. ‘When I think you look fine why should you need to dress up for some other man?’ he repeated tautly. ‘A man who you no longer want to marry?’

  ‘Richard is also a client of mine,’ she reasoned.

  Jared gave a derisive laugh. ‘You really think he’ll continue to be once you’ve broken your engagement to him? Or his business friends either, for that matter?’

  Kate gave him a startled look. ‘You mean that as well as the Melford contract I could lose the others too?’ she queried slowly.

  ‘I would say it’s a certainty,’ he nodded, his eyes narrowed on her shocked face. ‘Did you really not realise that?’ he scorned hardly.

  ‘But they signed contracts—’

  ‘Which they could no doubt break in a matter of days,’ he said dryly. ‘And would you really want to force companies to stay with your agency?’ he quirked dark brows.

  ‘No, but—Surely Richard wouldn’t—couldn’t—’

  ‘You said he’s a powerful man,’ Jared reminded her softly.

  ‘But he could ruin me!’

  ‘Yes,’ he confirmed.

  Kate’s mouth tightened, her eyes dark. ‘You don’t sound very concerned about the fact that I could be out of business by this time tomorrow!’

  He shrugged. ‘I’m used to being broke.’

  ‘Well, I’m not!’ she snapped, glaring at him. ‘I worked that business up from nothing, paid my father back in six months the money he gave me to start it with. I am that agency,’ she declared stubbornly.

  ‘Then it looks as if your choice is going to be harder to make than you think,’ Jared told her quietly. ‘If you choose Richard you get to be the wife of a rich man, and keep your agency successful. If you choose me, all you get is—me.’ He gave a rueful shrug.

  Then there was no choice, she knew that. She loved Jared, and the thought of not being with him for the rest of her life scared her to death. And yet she hadn’t realised she would lose so much—everything, but Jared himself. But looking at him now, loving him, she knew it was worth it.

  With a tremulous smile she threw her arms about his neck, to be instantly caught up in his fierce embrace. ‘I can’t lose you now, Jared,’ she told him huskily. ‘Not at any price!’

  He still looked troubled, as if her answer wasn’t quite what he had been expecting. ‘Kate, I have something to tell you—’

  She kissed him hard on the mouth. ‘It will have to wait until I get back.’ She moved out of his arms, looking quickly at her wrist-watch as she pulled on a green velvet jacket and picked up her clutch-bag. ‘We’ve been talking so long now that if I don’t leave I’m going to be late,’ she gave him another quick kiss. ‘I’ll be back in about an hour at the most.’ She gave him a dazzling smile before leaving.

  ‘Kate!’

  She turned to blow him a kiss before stepping into the lift. ‘I’ll see you soon, darling.’

  ‘There’s something we have to talk about, that I have to explain to you!’

  ‘We can talk later,’ she promised as the lift doors closed and she began her descent.

  The drive to Richard’s flat passed without incident—or concentration, as she tried to formulate in her mind what she was going to say to him. The truth would be best, of course, but how to approach the matter, that was her problem.

  Richard’s greeting when he opened the door to her knock was rather cool, although Kate had expected that; they hadn’t exactly parted the best of friends. And she was wearing the denims he so disapproved of. What a good start to what promised to be a traumatic meeting at best!

  ‘Drink?’ He stood by the vast array of bottles he had in the cabinet, the door already open, as if he had been in the process of pouring himself a drink when she arrived.

  ‘Whisky and ginger, please,’ she requested, noticing she didn’t get the usual cold comment about ‘spoiling the taste of good whisky’. Maybe France had mellowed him, he had certainly seemed cheerful enough when they had spoken together on the telephone this morning—or could the lovely Madeleine Duval have been the reason for that? If she had that could make what Kate had to say a little easier. ‘Did you have a good trip?’ she asked casually as he handed her her drink before sitting in the chair opposite her, crossing one well-shod foot over the other.

  ‘Very good,’ he nodded.

  ‘Did you settle the problem?’

  ‘Yes. And you, what have you
been doing since I’ve been away?’ He looked at her with narrowed eyes.

  Kate gave a light laugh. ‘The same as usual—working,’ she shrugged.

  ‘Have you signed with Melford yet?’

  ‘Not yet.’ She sipped her drink, avoiding his gaze. ‘But I’m still hoping.’

  ‘Yes,’ Richard’s mouth twisted.

  Kate took a deep breath, knowing she couldn’t keep delaying the inevitable with this inane politeness. ‘Er—Richard, I’d like to talk to you about—about us.’

  ‘Yes?’ His gaze sharpened, looking very cool and relaxed in a dark lounge suit and cream-coloured shirt.

  She moistened lips that had gone suddenly dry, never having done anything like this before, and not wanting to hurt anyone. ‘Before you went away you told me to seriously consider whether or not I’m the sort of wife you want and need,’ she said in a rush.

  Richard had a watchful look about him now, his eyes were icy slits. ‘That’s true,’ he answered.

  ‘I—’ she chewed on her inner lip, ‘I don’t think I am!’ She looked across at him with stricken eyes.

  He didn’t seem particularly perturbed by what she had just told him, and pursed his lips thoughtfully. ‘Indeed?’ he drawled.

  ‘No.’ Kate shook her head, taking another frantic sip of the whisky and ginger.

  He nodded slowly, his expression still calm. ‘Then you want to break our engagement?’

  ‘Yes,’ she nodded eagerly, putting her glass down to take off the diamond ring. ‘Please.’ She held it out to him.

  Richard ignored the ring lying in her open palm, and moved to pour himself another drink, his expression having hardened when he turned back to her. ‘How long have you known him, Kate?’ he rasped suddenly, his eyes glacial.

  Hot colour flooded her cheeks and then as quickly faded again, leaving her white, her eyes the only colour in her face. ‘I—’ she moistened her lips again as they seemed too stiff to move. ‘What do you mean?’