'At the moment, yes. But more and more want outside stimulus—something to relieve the tedium of housework and looking after children.' She hestitated, then said: 'If you—when you get married, would you object to your wife wanting a career?'
'Not unless she objected to mine! But seriously, what right would I have to stop her? I regard marriage as a total partnership, with both partners getting what they want from it. That's Utopian thinking, of course. Generally one or other of them has to compromise.'
'It's usually the woman!'
'I won't argue there.'
'That's a relief!'
Chuckling, he paid the bill and they left the restaurant. The evening had turned out to be far more stimulating than he had envisaged, and he was reluctant to end it.
'Shall we go on somewhere to dance? I know a nice place down by the river.'
'I'd like that,' she said.
A cab took them through Patpong—still ablaze with garish lights—to a disco near their hotel. Air- conditioned and softly lit, with music playing the latest hits, it could have been anywhere in the world.
Sharon surprised him by being an excellent dancer with a marvellous sense of rhythm. She was pliant and fluid, and the feel of her in his arms aroused him in a way he hadn't anticipated. Normally he made it a rule to steer clear of girls who didn't know the score, not because he didn't like innocence, but because it could lead to complications, to promises made that he had no intention of keeping. One day he might be ready for a commitment, so he told himself, but the future was always ahead. Yet somehow tonight he found himself giving it thought, and wondered anew whether he shouldn't stop playing the field and settle down.
'May we sit out the next dance, Kane? I'm breathless.'
Sharon's request brought him back to the immediate present, and he led her back to their table. His hands still wanted to touch her and his thighs stirred at the thought of pressing himself against the curves of her body, feeling her beautiful breasts swell beneath his fingers, her mouth open to his. God! he wanted her.
'Is it possible to get a cold drink?' she asked. 'Something long and non-alcoholic?'
'No problem.' As he concentrated on her request, his self-control reasserted itself, and he determined to keep it that way.
'You should try to see something of the country while you're here,' he said flatly. 'It's a fascinating mixture of old and new. In Bangkok you could almost be in London, but in the country you would feel in a different century.'
'That's what everyone says. But I doubt if I'll have much time to go far afield.' She looked rueful. 'On my next day off I'm going to visit some of the temples and the Floating Market.'
'I'll take you, if you like,' he heard himself say. He must be mad! But it was too late to retract. 'Let me know when you're free.'
'You mean you have free time to spare?' she teased.
'At the moment. And it might be a long drawn out one. You see I'm waiting for the Minister's decision.'
'You must find that nerve-racking?'
'I'm used to it. You know the old saying: if you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, don't be a cook!'
'Sometimes one doesn't realise that until it's too late, and by then you've too many commitments to walk out.'
'True.' He leaned towards her. 'You're a perceptive young woman.'
'You mean not just dumb and beauti————— ' She stopped, embarrassed.
'Not just dumb and beautiful,' he concluded for her. 'Why be afraid to say it? You are beautiful. You know that?'
She shrugged. 'Tell me how you started your career.'
'Are you changing the subject?'
'Yes.' Her colour was high but she met his gaze. 'It's safer that way.'
'You want to be safe?' he asked, annoyed to find his voice had grown husky.
'Yes!'
Knowing she was right, and that he'd think the same himself after a cold shower, he shrugged and answered her question.
'I took an engineering degree at Cambridge and then worked for a construction company in Glasgow, before setting up on my own.'
'Glasgow? You're a Scot?'
'No.' He was sorry to disappoint her. 'It was merely the best job I could get at the time.'
'And when you set up your own company, how long did it take you to become successful?'
'I was successful right away! I'm not boasting, just being honest. But it took a while longer before my company was rich and successful. Now we're one of the biggest and best in the world.'
'And you're one of the youngest tycoons,' she teased.
'Does that turn you on?' he asked bluntly, and regretted his question the instant he saw the red tide of colour flame her face. 'Sorry,' he said abruptly, 'It was a damned offensive question.'
'I can understand why you asked it, though. You probably get your fill of tycoon crazy groupies!'
She had regained her composure fast, and he silently applauded her for it. 'More than my fill,' he said aloud. 'I'm astonished how many women are "turned on" by a man who has power or fame or money. They enjoy the thrill of basking in his reflected glory.'
'And when one has all three—plus being handsome,' she added, 'I bet the ladies are three deep!'
He laughed outright. 'You think I'm conceited, eh?'
'No. Simply a realist!'
'I'll concede that. I know myself—I hope—and I like to think I know others.' He saw her stifle a yawn, and glancing at his watch was astonished to find it was after one.
'Tired girls should be in bed,' he smiled. 'And I've kept you away from yours too long.'
'My day does start rather early,' she confessed. 'I like to be downstairs when the big groups go off on a tour—which always seems to be at the crack of dawn.'
Within minutes they had left the air-cooled disco for the muggy warmth of the outside, and were soon in a taxi, speeding back to the Avonmore.
'I've enjoyed myself very much,' Kane said. 'You're easy to talk to, Sharon.'
'So are you.'
He leaned towards her and she drew back into the corner of her seat. Clearly, she did not want to kiss him, and he straightened. But the desire to touch her was still strong, and he dug his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
'The child who overturned your table in the garden was Terry Victorsen,' she said suddenly. 'I thought you'd like to know.'
For an instant, he did not follow. 'Mark's son? Good Lord!'
'He didn't know you either,' Sharon smiled. 'Or he'd have been more scared!'
'I doubt if anything would scare that brat!' Kane said wryly. 'I must make a point of meeting him again. But to be honest, I tend to keep my head down when I work.'
'I know,' she said. 'You've passed me a dozen times in the lobby, yet you only saw me in the garden.'
'Which was my loss,' he replied swiftly. 'I was vaguely aware of an attractive blonde at Reception, but I was too preoccupied to do anything about it.'
'But tonight you took pity on me and——— '
' You took pity on me,' he corrected. 'It was——- ' He stopped as the taxi drew up outside the hotel. Good thing too, or he would have said more than he intended. There was something about this girl that got to him. She was a good looker, of course, but he wasn't short of beautiful girls. Maybe he was fed up being away from England, and her cool, blonde looks had got to him. Whatever, he'd better watch his step.
They crossed the foyer together. Despite the hour, Sharon still looked as fresh as a daisy. No, daisy was the wrong description. They were insignificant little flowers, and she resembled something more exotic. Yet cool with it. A white orchid with gold-tipped petals. Yes, that described her exactly.
He paused by the elevator. 'Care for a nightcap?'
'No, thank you.'
Her tone was so prim, he chuckled. 'I wasn't planning on showing you the view from my penthouse! We can have a drink down here.'
'It's still no, I'm afraid. I really am tired.' She put out her hand to say goodnight, but he ignored it and followed her in
to the elevator.
He said nothing until it stopped at the tenth floor for her, and as he went to get out, she shook her head.
'There's no need to see me to my door, Kane. I'm fine. And thank you for a lovely evening.'
'It was my pleasure,' he said, resolutely keeping his hands in his pockets. 'Be seeing you.'
But letting himself into his suite a few moments later, he wondered if he should. Some evenings were best left as pleasant 'one-off' memories. Trying to repeat them could be a mistake. Yet he could not imagine this being the case with Sharon. Rather the opposite. She had hidden depths that might make her more, not less, interesting.
And that's what bothered him.
CHAPTER SIX
Kane figured in Sharon's dreams that night, and it infuriated her. What was so great about him, anyway? She had known many men equally attractive, intelligent and charming, though she had to admit none had combined all these attributes in such generous proportions!
She sighed and got out of bed. Maybe she was imagining he was all these wonderful things because she was on the rebound from Pete and felt vulnerable and lonely in this foreign city; ready to latch on to the first attractive man who showed even a modicum of interest in her. But it was more than that. Kane had incredible charm and she would be a fool not to admit it, and an even bigger fool if she read more into his friendship than he meant.
In the first instance, Tassy Bonlam was a formidable rival. Sharon pulled herself up sharply. Rival? She was crazy to think such a thing! It presupposed Kane was interested in her, which he wasn't. All he had said was that he found her company pleasant and liked her. She was surprised he hadn't added 'like a sister'.
Trouble was, the storm he aroused in her was far from sisterly, and she was disconcerted that her feelings for Pete had proved so fickle. She puzzled over it, wondering what would have happened if he hadn't been posted abroad. Would their relationship have grown—despite his attitude to working wives—or would she have realised her own feelings weren't deep enough to be sustained over a lifetime?
It was a question she could never answer, and she pushed it from her mind and concentrated on Kane; on his courtesy and deference, his ability to make her feel she was the only woman in the world. Was it genuine or an act? The fact that he was still unmarried presupposed the latter, emphasising her belief that it was dangerous to become involved with him. Yet she was on tenterhooks all day, alternately wanting him to call, and hoping he wouldn't, and being stupidly upset when he didn't!
It was not until the following afternoon, while showing a group of tourists to their rooms in the annexes, that she spotted him and Tassy together under a sun umbrella by the swimming pool. The sight of them lying so intimately close to one another filled her with jealousy, even though she knew she had no justification for it. She was sure she wasn't the only girl he took out to dinner and charmed! She was still brooding over this during her solitary meal later that evening, when she saw him strolling towards her.
'I called your room,' he said, pausing by her table. 'I was hoping you'd have dinner with me.'
Sharon gave him a cool smile. He didn't believe in giving a girl much notice, she thought sourly, and remembering the scene at the poolside, wondered if he had been stood up by the lovely Tassy.
'I was supposed to be dining with Mark Victorsen and his wife,' Kane added, almost as if he guessed her thoughts, 'but their son has a slight fever and they didn't want to leave him.'
'I see.'
He pulled out a chair. 'May I?'
'This table's reserved for the staff.'
'Then come and sit at mine.'
'I'm in the middle of my meal.'
'So what? The waiter can bring it over.' Blue eyes glinted at her. 'Not ashamed of being seen with me, are you?'
'You must be joking,' she mocked. 'What girl wouldn't give her eye teeth to be seen with the famous Kane Morgan?'
'Such flattery! You expect me to swallow it?'
'Some men will swallow anything!'
'Right now I'll settle for a good claret! Come on, Sharon, say you'll join me.'
Knowing that if she didn't, it would be an admission of hurt pride, she followed him to a table overlooking the garden.
'You have a pretty poor opinion of men,' Kane said when, his order given and the wine served, he raised his glass to her. 'Let's drink a toast to your better understanding of male attitudes!'
Silently she drank, and the glint in his eyes grew more pronounced as she let his toast go unanswered.
'You think that's impossible?' he asked.
'A better understanding of men won't make me change my mind about them,' she replied. 'Most of them are like little boys.'
'Children can be lovable, though!'
'They can also be spoilt and self-centred!'
Kane leaned across the table, the humour in his face gone. 'Sounds as if someone has hurt you pretty badly.'
She hesitated, then nodded. 'Yes.'
'He loved you and left you?'
'Let's just say he left,' she said flippantly. 'Anyway, we weren't suited. He was your typical "macho" male; wouldn't tolerate his wife working—if and when he decided to marry.'
'Well at least he made his attitudes clear, so that's something in his favour! Mind you, as I said last night, marriage is generally a question of compromise.
Every partnership is in fact, which is why I've always gone solo. I prefer to run my business my way.'
'And your personal life too?'
'I'll take a rain check on that question. Ask me a year from now.'
She almost said he wouldn't remember her by then, but thought it might look as if she were fishing for a compliment. He'd give it, she was sure, but it would be meaningless.
'How's the "big deal" coming along?' she asked, to change the subject.
'Very slowly. A Japanese contingent's coming over to make a bid, so the project's by no means cut and dried.'
He paused as Sharon's entree was served, then his own, and she saw he had skipped a fish course in order to catch up with her.
'Do you think the Minister's being difficult?' she asked, determined to keep the conversation on a business level.
'Well, there's something going on, that's for sure,' he admitted. 'Tassy said her father thinks that any company who wishes to quote, should be given a chance to do so.'
'That means you could be here for months!' Perhaps even for the duration of her own stay, she thought, and shivered with pleasure and apprehension.
'I've no intention of hanging around for a decision,' he said, sending her hopes crashin. 'I'll give it another month and then pull out. By that time I should know what I'm up against.'
'Price, you mean?'
'And a few other things.'
'Like bribery?'
'Could be.'
He did not elaborate and she concentrated on her food.
'What I'm telling you is confidential,' he said suddenly.
'I realise that,' Sharon looked up. 'But aren't you taking a chance? After all, you barely know me.'
'One can know a person instantly,' he said quietly. 'And some you can "know" for years and still find them incomprehensible. But you're like spring water, Sharon—clear for all to see.'
How dull, she thought, and wished he had likened her to a deep pool, enigmatic and mysterious.
'What's wrong?' he asked. 'Don't you like my compliment?'
'It was a double-edged one.'
'On the contrary. There's nothing more refreshing than spring water.' He motioned the waiter to remove their plates. 'I'll have wasted a helluva lot of time and money if I don't land this contract,' he went on, his comment showing where his real interest lay. 'I'm the only one in my organisation capable of deciding whether or not we stay here and keep pushing for it.'
'You'll always be the only one. You just said you don't like partners!'
'True. But that doesn't mean I don't delegate some of my authority.'
'I can't see you delegating muc
h,' she said. 'It's not in your character.'
He made to protest, then shook his head. A lock of hair fell forward and he raked it back impatiently. 'What makes you so sure?'
'Instinct. Anyway, didn't you just say one doesn't need to know a person long, to know them?'
He chuckled. 'I can see I'll have to watch what I say to you. Anyway, whether you believe me or not, I definitely intend easing my workload.'
'When you're seventy?' she teased. 'You've still years of bossing ahead of you!' 'And years of living, as well.' He leaned back in his chair, keeping his eyes on her face. 'You know something? If I died tomorrow, nobody would mourn me.'
The smile left her face and she was genuinely horrified by what he had said.
'I'd be missed,' he went on, 'I grant you that—but only by those dependent on me financially. But cry for me…?' He shrugged.
'If you want people to cry for you,' she said quietly, 'you must be willing to cry for them.'
'I did my share when my mother died five years ago. I——- ' He hesitated. 'I cared for her very much, although as a child we weren't close. It was something we both regretted.'
'Do you have any other family?'
'My father. He was regular army, and now lives in Somerset. I see him every few months, though we've little in common.'
'But surely you have friends?' she asked. 'In your position I'd have thought '
'Oh, I have plenty of business friends,' he cut in. 'But if my company went bust tomorrow, they'd disappear with it.'
'There's something wrong, somewhere, then. I
think——- ' She stopped, reluctant to be honest. After all, no matter how friendly Kane was being, he was a guest of the hotel, and she an employee.
'Go on,' he urged. 'Out with it. I promise I won't complain to the management!'
Still she hesitated, and his hand came out to clasp hers as it rested on the table. His touch, like the man himself, was firm and cool, and she was intensely aware of the tips of his fingers on her skin.
'Well,' she murmured, withdrawing her hand, 'haven't you ever considered that your lack of close friends could be due to your unwillingness to have any emotional ties? Friendship's a two-way commitment, Kane, and if you want to plough your own furrow, others may see it as your need to be left alone. You have to make the first move.'
Roberta Leigh - No Time For Marriage Page 6