by Mary Lyons
Boiled down to the bare essentials, it seemed that Jack’s ex-partner was now a mega-rich property developer who, over the years, had expanded the family construction business which he’d inherited from his father. Not only did he own a number of large office blocks in central London, but he’d also recently purchased the building where she’d been working until only a few weeks ago.
‘Well...er...it’s nice to hear from you, Donald,’ she’d murmured with a puzzled frown, wondering why on earth a man whom she’d never met should now be ringing her completely out of the blue.
However, as he’d proceeded to explain the business proposition which lay behind his phone call, Laura’s green eyes had widened in astonishment.
‘Oh, come on, Donald—you must be joking!’ she’d gasped, wondering if she was standing on her head or her heels. ‘I mean...yes, of course I’d love to have my own theatrical agency. Who wouldn’t? And your offer to set me up in business is...well, it’s amazingly kind and generous. But...but I couldn’t possibly go along with your idea of running the agency from the same building as WHAM. I...well, I’m sure it would be totally unethical of me to do such a thing. Not to mention the fact that Jack would be absolutely furious!’ she’d added with a nervous giggle.
Besides which, as Laura now told herself, she wasn’t entirely a fool. While Donald had, of course, strenuously denied any intention of making mischief, or causing trouble for his ex-partner, she still had considerable doubts about the motives which lay behind his amazing offer.
‘No, I can assure you that this definitely isn’t a personal vendetta,’ he’d assured her when she had tentatively raised the subject. ‘My bust-up with Jack is now ancient history, and I certainly don’t bear him any ill will. In fact, as it turns out, he did me a considerable favour. I’ve had far more success as a property developer than I ever would have had as a theatrical agent. What we’re talking about here is purely a business proposition. I’ve got some empty office space which needs filling, and from all I hear you’re more than capable of running a successful agency.
‘However,’ he’d continued, with a slightly self-conscious bark of laughter, ‘I must admit that I do sometimes miss the buzz I used to get from meeting so many famous and interesting people. And it might be fun to have a small stake in the business once again. However, it’s nonsense to think that Jack Wilder, with so many highly successful clients on his books, is likely to care about my involvement, one way or another,’ Donald had added firmly.
Despite his reassuring words, Laura hadn’t been entirely convinced, feeling obliged—however reluctantly—to turn down what was clearly the offer of a lifetime. Because it was one thing for her to run a small theatrical agency from home, or from a garret in Soho, neither of which was likely to trouble her ex-employer, but she was quite certain that he’d be extremely annoyed if, as Donald had proposed, she began operating from a large and glamorous business suite directly beneath his own office. And, if she was so unprincipled as to pinch any of his clients, Jack wouldn’t just be extremely annoyed—he’d go completely bananas!
Sinking down onto a sofa, Laura indulged herself for a moment in the delicious daydream of causing the maximum number of headaches for her ex-boss, before she eventually pulled herself together. She might be furiously angry with Jack—but even if he had behaved badly there was absolutely no excuse for her to do so. A good job will turn up soon; you’ve just got to be patient, she told herself firmly, then decided to have a shower and wash her hair.
Unfortunately, she was only too well aware that being patient wasn’t one of her strong points. And the normally refreshing, fine needle spray of hot water did nothing to soothe her battered spirits, nor ease her weary body. Over the past few weeks, it had seemed as though she’d barely had any sleep, with Jack’s tall, dark figure striding arrogantly through her restless dreams. Even now she couldn’t seem to prevent herself from recalling, in vivid detail, every moment of those few short days spent alone with Jack in the South Pacific.
She’d had no idea what lay ahead of her when they’d landed at Papeete Airport. It had been her first visit to the Polynesian Islands, and she hadn’t realised just how exhausting the hot and humid atmosphere would prove to be. While she and Jack had tried to deal with the problems of their client, Craig Jordan, it hadn’t taken them long to discover that the set of Mutiny on the Bounty was definitely not a happy ship.
Not only had Craig been at loggerheads with the director, principally over his interpretation of the part of Fletcher Christian—the leader of the mutineers—but the producer had been constantly on the phone to the financiers in New York, who had been threatening to withdraw backing from a production which was clearly going over budget. To make matters worse, the actor playing Captain Bligh had been carted off to hospital with a grumbling appendix, the make-up department had been maintaining a ‘go slow’ over difficult working conditions, and the scriptwriters had appeared to be permanently drunk.
Quickly sorting out his client’s difficulties—which had mainly consisted of telling Craig to forget his new-found enthusiasm for method acting and to concentrate on earning his two-million-dollar fee—Jack had also somehow managed to pour soothing oil over most of the other problems currently bedevilling the production.
‘I don’t know how you do it,’ she told him at the end of the week as they sat out on the terrace of their hotel, sipping gin slings as they watched the tropical sun sink slowly down beneath the horizon. Gazing at Jack’s tall, broad-shouldered figure clothed in a crisp white short-sleeved open-necked shirt and trim navy shorts, Laura found herself envying the way that he always managed to look so cool and unruffled—in sharp contrast to herself, the scruffy film crew and the heavily costumed actors, all visibly wilting in the steamy heat.
‘When we arrived, I felt certain that it wouldn’t be long before there was going to be a real mutiny,’ she continued. ‘But now that the writers have decided to lay off the booze, and everyone else has calmed down, the only problem you haven’t yet solved seems to be the question of extra finance to complete the film.’
‘I may be able to sort out some simple problems but I’m afraid I can’t perform miracles!’ he laughed, before ordering more drinks from a passing waiter.
Continuing to discuss various aspects of the troubled production, which, in her view at least, was destined to be a total flop at the box office, she was surprised when he suddenly announced that it was time they both had a break.
‘A break...?’ She frowned at him in puzzlement.
He shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘Frankly, there’s not much more we can do here—although Craig has asked me to let you stay on for another week, just in case any further problems should arise. Hey, relax!’ he added with a grin as she groaned and pulled a face. ‘I know looking after Craig isn’t easy—but it’s hardly a fate worse than death!’
‘Maybe not, but it comes pretty close,’ Laura grumbled, dreading having to cope with the neurotic, highly strung film star, who genuinely believed that he was totally irresistible to women. ‘Do I really have to stay on here?’
‘Yes, I’m afraid you do,’ Jack told her firmly, explaining that he was returning to London after the weekend for an important meeting. However, with a few days in hand, he’d decided, he went on to tell her, to accept an invitation from the producer of the film, who’d arranged a trip to an archipelago of tiny atolls in the Pacific Ocean, only ninety minutes away by air from Tahiti.
‘Quite frankly, Laura,’ he added, ‘for the past week we’ve been forced to listen to enough moaning and whining to last a lifetime! So it will do us both good to get away for a few days.’
‘You mean...the invitation includes me as well?’
‘Well, I was hardly planning to leave you behind,’ he drawled sardonically. ‘Unless, of course, you simply hate the idea of sitting beneath shady palm trees, gazing out over a blue lagoon—and savouring the total peace and quiet?’
‘It sounds like heaven,’ she agreed w
ith a wistful sigh. ‘But—’
‘Good, that’s settled,’ he said firmly as he rose to his feet. ‘I’m going to be tied up with business calls for the rest of this evening, but I’ve arranged for us to be collected from the hotel first thing tomorrow morning. By the way, don’t forget to pack your bikini,’ he added, gently brushing her cheek with his finger before turning to stride away.
Left alone on the terrace, Laura’s mind was filled by a mass of confusing emotions as she gazed blindly out over the ocean, now barely visible in the gathering darkness. Back in London, frantically busy during working hours with the phone going non-stop, she normally had no trouble in stifling her feelings for Jack. But she wasn’t at all sure that this weekend break was a good idea. Especially when merely the soft, warm touch of Jack’s hand on her face could leave her feeling almost sick with hunger and desire.
It had, of course, been nothing more than a careless, friendly gesture. But there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about the almost overwhelming, deep longing to find herself clasped within his strong embrace.
Desperately trying to pull herself together, Laura realised that she was undoubtedly guilty of overdrama-tising the situation. After all, she and Jack weren’t likely to be alone on this trip. Sam, the producer, was a jovial and gregarious man who was almost bound to have asked several other actors and staff to join him. So allowing herself to get into a state about spending a weekend in Jack’s company wasn’t just silly—it was totally pathetic!
However, despite sternly lecturing herself on the folly of indulging in hopelessly romantic dreams, she slept badly that night. And when she descended to the hotel lobby the next morning it was to discover that her strong sense of apprehension and foreboding had been well founded, after all.
‘The balloon has just gone up,’ Jack announced as he led her towards a waiting taxi, explaining that the financial backers of the film had apparently run out of patience and were threatening to withdraw funding. With Sam and his assistants having to catch the first plane back to New York, in a desperate attempt to save the production, it now seemed that only Jack and Laura would be free to enjoy the weekend.
‘But...but surely we can’t just disappear like this?’ she muttered nervously. ‘Most of the cast will be out of their minds with worry, and—’
‘Nonsense! There’s absolutely nothing we can do about the situation,’ Jack said as their taxi sped through the crowded, noisy streets of Papeete towards the airport. ‘And I certainly don’t intend to spend the next few days wet-nursing a bunch of grouchy, bad-tempered people—however sorry I might feel for them,’ he added firmly, refusing to listen when she pointed out that their client, Craig Jordan, wouldn’t be at all happy with their departure from the unhappy scene.
‘Craig is perfectly capable of looking after himself for a few days,’ her employer retorted dismissively. ‘And, since fate has clearly taken a hand in this affair, what I now have in mind certainly doesn’t include a third party!’ He paused for a moment before adding quietly, ‘However, if you really don’t feel like coming on this trip, Laura, then you only have to say so.’
There was no mistaking the glint in his grey eyes, the warm smile accompanying his words causing her to feel unexpectedly breathless, her heart pounding with a crazy mixture of soaring, wild excitement and nervous apprehension. Did ‘what I have in mind’ mean what she thought it did? Because, if so, she was going to have to take a very quick decision. Once she got on that plane with Jack, there would be no going back. Whatever the outcome, their relationship was never going to be the same again.
On the other hand, he was at least playing fair and giving her the chance to call the whole thing off. So, the safe, sensible decision would be to firmly and politely decline to accompany him on the trip—right? Unfortunately, it was proving difficult, if not downright impossible, to think clearly at the moment. It suddenly seemed as if he was sitting far too close, her mind and concentration distracted by the long, mahogany-brown legs almost touching her own, her nostrils filled with the strangely intoxicating, heady tang of his cologne.
Deciding to be sensible, Laura took a deep breath, fully intending to say that she’d prefer to remain in Tahiti. She was, therefore, considerably astounded to find herself agreeing that, yes...maybe a short break would be a good idea after all.
Totally unable to explain to herself, let alone to anyone else, why she should have agreed to such an emotionally insane invitation, it seemed to Laura as if she spent the rest of the day in a completely mindless daze.
Their hotel, on a tiny atoll fringed by totally deserted white sandy beaches and overlooking the crystal-clear waters of a dark blue lagoon, was far more breathtakingly beautiful than she could have ever imagined. However, she was aware only of the tall, dark man who had dominated her dreams for so long. Drowning helplessly in the gleaming depths of his slate-grey eyes as they dined alone on the candlelit terrace of the hotel, of which they appeared to be the only guests, she allowed herself to be led, like a sleepwalker, to the door of his room overlooking the lagoon.
‘It’s not too late to change your mind, Laura, if you think this isn’t a good idea,’ he said softly.
She gave a bemused shake of her head. ‘No, I...er...I think I know what I’m doing...’ she murmured, totally caught up in the magic of the moment.
‘I’m glad someone has their feet on the ground, because I certainly haven’t,’ he muttered thickly under his breath, drawing her into his room and kicking the door closed behind them. ‘God knows, I’ve tried to be sensible—but I simply can’t seem to help myself.’
‘I don’t understand...’ she whispered helplessly as he drew her close to his tall, rangy figure.
‘Surely you must have guessed that I’ve been absolutely crazy about you for the past year?’ The thick, husky tone of his low voice seemed to echo in her ears. ‘I’ll never know how I’ve managed to keep my hands off you for so long...’ he breathed as his arms closed tightly about her slim frame, his mouth possessing her lips in a kiss of passionate intensity.
With her mind and body seized by a raging tide of sexual excitement and desire, she ardently welcomed the fierce, determined possession by his lips and body. Beside the clamouring demand of their mutual desire, all sense of caution or moral precepts seemed totally unimportant and unreal.
Throughout that long night, it seemed to Laura as if she’d become completely lost to all sense of time and place. She was only aware of a compulsive need to respond to the soft, long, sweeping caress of his fingers, purring and glowing with rapture as she unashamedly offered her nude body to his eyes and hands, her own senses delighting in the firm texture of his flesh and the hard muscles of the arms fiercely pulling her towards him.
Beneath the mastery of his touch, it seemed as though she had become a wanton creature, her nostrils savouring his musky, masculine scent, her lips tasting the salty fragrance of his skin, until overwhelming desire yet again claimed them both, a frenzied need not merely to be possessed, but to be totally consumed and fulfilled, the intensity of their lovemaking causing her to cry out loud with joy and overwhelming happiness.
Now, as she looked back on those two, brief days which they’d spent together, scarcely leaving the small cottage at their hotel—other than to wander hand in hand into the calm blue waters of the lagoon, or stroll along the fine, powdery white sand of deserted beaches—Laura found herself wondering if, in reality, it had all been a dream. With her being so madly in love with Jack, maybe her over-fertile imagination really had, somehow, conjured up that blissful, halcyon time of enchantment and rapture.
Because it was the only explanation which appeared to make any sense of what had happened less than twenty-four hours after her return to London. Even now, over three weeks later, she could still almost feel her skin crawling with the humiliation of Jack’s cool, ruthless rejection—a crushing blow from which she was finding it well-nigh impossible to recover.
Slipping on a bathrobe and winding a
towel about her damp hair, she wandered disconsolately out of the bathroom, deciding to drown her sorrows in a cool drink. But, just as she was making her way to the kitchen, she heard a ring on the doorbell.
Grumbling under her breath at the repeated, loud buzz of the bell, Laura tightened the belt of her towelling gown and went to open the door.
‘What...what on earth are you doing here?’ she gasped, suddenly feeling quite sick as she gazed through the few inches of open door, which still had its chain firmly in place.
‘To see you, of course,’ Jack retorted, his lips tightening as the pale-faced girl continued to stare at him with shocked, glazed eyes. ‘Come on, Laura,’ he added with ill-concealed impatience. ‘Undo the chain and let me in.’
After a moment’s hesitation, she gave a helpless shrug and did as he asked, stepping back in silence and allowing him to walk past her into the apartment.
‘I still can’t think what you’re doing here,’ she muttered, finding her voice at last as she reluctantly followed him into the sitting room. ‘In fact, you’re just about the last person I expected to see.’
‘I’ve been in the United States for the past few weeks. In fact, I’ve come here straight from the airport,’ he said, brushing a tired hand through his thick, dark hair. ‘As I suspected when we were in Tahiti, it now looks as if the film’s financial problems have just about scuppered Mutiny on the Bounty.’
‘So, what else is new?’ she retorted caustically. ‘Anyone with half an eye could see that the film was going to be a Grade A flop.’
He shrugged. ‘Flop or not, I had to make sure that the financial backers honoured Craig’s contract. However, the time I spent in America wasn’t entirely wasted, because I’ve now decided to open an office in New York.’
‘Yes, well, I’m sure that’s all very interesting,’ she snapped, nervously tightening the belt of her robe and deeply resenting the way his tall figure, formally elegant in a dark suit, seemed to dominate even the large sitting room.