by Maxine Barry
And with that, Lucy pulled away and was quickly lost in the crowd.
But Charmaine wasn’t fooled. There wasn’t someone she was anxious to see—no man she needed to talk to. She just wanted to find a ladies room where she could cry her eyes out and collect herself.
Charmaine bit her lip and turned blindly away. So much for protecting her sister. So much for not stabbing her in the back. All that soul searching and self denial was for nothing.
For the past day and night she’d been carefully holding herself back from thinking about Payne’s proposal. About what it might, about what it surely must, mean.
After all, no man asked a woman to marry him lightly. But neither had Payne actually said he loved her. Not in so many words. Not in a way that left her in no doubt.
But still he’d proposed. She’d been so busy thinking about how impossible it was because of Lucy that, now that her sister was finally aware of what was happening, it left her free to fully realise how wonderful it all was.
Payne wanted to marry her! Her, Charmaine Reece. Not Lucy, not Jinx, not any of the other fascinating, beautiful, intelligent women of his past.
And now . . . now that Lucy knew, what was holding her back from accepting? It was what she wanted to do. If she was going to be brutally honest with herself—and now was probably a good time to be brutally honest—she wanted to marry Payne Lacey more than anything else in the world.
She loved him.
Oh, his lifestyle bemused her, and his cavalier attitude to luck and money still unnerved her. But after their talk at the picnic, even this failed to seriously worry her. Besides, if Payne lost all his money tomorrow on some reckless gamble, she could still support them both. Because of Jonniee she was a wealthy woman in her own right, and would always have the means of supporting herself.
No, only the thought of Lucy’s pain had stopped her from seriously thinking about his proposal of marriage. But now Lucy knew.
Yes, she knew, but would she get over it?
Part of her was sure that she would. Nothing kept Lucy down forever. But then there was that overdose. Obviously Payne meant more to her than any of her other conquests.
Oh it was all so impossible she thought, wanting to scream and cry. For the last few weeks she felt as if she had been living her life on a rollercoaster—up and down, he loves me, he loves me not, I love him, no I don’t. Yes I can, no I can’t. It was enough to drive her to the brink of insanity.
And now . . . Just what did she do now? Go to her sister? Or go to the man she loved and wanted and who had proposed to her?
She didn’t know. She couldn’t seem to think. She felt paralysed with uncertainty and torn in half.
And then suddenly, she heard Payne’s voice. ‘Ladies and Gentlemen.’
He was obviously speaking over a microphone, and she half expected him to be stood on a dais somewhere, so she almost jumped when he appeared at her side. ‘I hope you’re all enjoying the evening’s entertainment.’
The crowds began to quieten, some coming in from the other gaming tables to listen to his speech, others too engrossed to care.
Without quite realising it, Payne put a hand on her back and began leading her to one of the roulette tables, still talking into the microphone in his other hand.
‘As you’re aware, there’s been some high-stakes gambling going on tonight, but so far, I think, the bank is safe.’
There were cheers and laughter at this, and a growing sense of anticipation. Clearly Payne Lacey was not the man to make announcements without reason. Something big was in the offing.
‘I want to thank you all for making this celebration of my ownership a night to remember. And, in honour of this occasion, I’d like to make a bet myself.’
Suddenly the air became filled with tension as people began to realise that something quite extraordinary was happening. It was common knowledge that Payne never gambled in his own casino. Charmaine felt her own heart begin to pound as she was swept along on the current of anticipation. Looking around she caught glimpses of faces in the crowd—Jo-Jo looking puzzled, Jinx looking angry. Max and Lucy standing together looking intrigued. Everyone was wondering the same thing.
What was going on?
‘This bet is going to be the biggest gamble of my life. Who knows, depending on its outcome, maybe even the last,’ Payne said, and there were gasps all around. Because when a legendary gambler like Payne Lacey talked like this, everyone listened.
Someone had once said that the only time Payne Lacey bluffed, was when he was playing poker. Never when he was playing for real.
‘Jack, clear the table and spin the wheel,’ Payne said to the roulette croupier who quickly did as he was told. Those who’d been playing didn’t even look chagrined at having their game hijacked like this. They, also, were too caught up in the unfolding drama.
Charmaine was glad to have Payne’s arm around her. She’d never been the centre of so much attention before. It felt as if the whole world was looking at them.
And, oh, how proud it made her feel to be the woman on his arm!
‘The bet is a simple one,’ Payne continued, never raising his voice or sounding unduly excited, but dominating the room and everyone in it, nevertheless. ‘This incredibly beautiful young lady by my side is going to call it. Black or red.’
By now you could hear a pin drop. Even the hardened gamblers in the other rooms had sensed something spectacular going on and had come in to watch. For the first and last time in its history, not even the sound of a fruit machine broke the quiet of the Palace’s interior.
‘If she wins, the entire house is hers,’ Payne said, and there was a moment of stunned awe, followed by a whispering surge of disbelief.
Charmaine blinked. What? What was he saying? The house was probably worth tens of millions tonight. Was he mad. Was he . . ..
‘And if I win,’ Payne said, suddenly turning from the amazed crowd and holding her eyes with his own, ‘then Miss Charmaine Reece will become Mrs Payne Lacey.’
Charmaine felt the room abruptly recede and sway around them, then come once more sharply back into focus.
‘No, Payne,’ she heard herself whisper. ‘You can’t. I can’t.’ It was madness. Insanity.
But Payne was already reaching for the white ball and with a simple toss of his fingers, threw it expertly into the spinning wheel.
‘Red or Black?’ he said, looking at her calmly. And she felt an undeniable compulsion to go along with this. For the first time ever, she thought she understood his affinity for taking a chance.
And yet, she fought it. You couldn’t just decide the rest of your life like this. Could you? And yet—why not? Just a few minutes ago, she was torn by indecision, wracked with conflicting desires. Why not let Lady Luck decide for her?
‘Black,’ she heard someone say.
And since everybody else was holding their breath, it must have been herself.
Payne didn’t even turn to watch the roulette wheel, although everybody else watched it in fascination.
Lucy, who’d pushed her way to the front, stared first at her sister then at Payne then at the wheel in utter stupefaction.
But Charmaine couldn’t take her eyes from Payne. Could she really let fate decide for her? Could she really just toss her heart and the rest of her life to the whim of chance and expect . . .
‘It’s red!’
Jack, the croupier, called out the result, and from all around them came the sound of sudden thunderous applause.
Charmaine went hot, then cold. She felt him raise her hand and when she looked down, the beautiful sapphire and diamond ring was on her finger.
‘I never renege on a bet,’ Payne said, raising her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles tenderly. But his eyes were like steel when they met hers. ‘And I won’t let you, either,’ he warned her silkily.
CHAPTER TWELVE
When she awoke the next morning, the ring felt heavy and alien on her finger, and yet she simply couldn’
t make herself take it off. Every time she tried, her heart rebelled. Instead, she rolled over in bed and stared blankly at the wall. She had just one more day and night in Barbados then she and the rest of the gang were due to fly back to England.
Would she be with them?
She still didn’t know the answer to that, one near-sleepless night later. Eventually sheer exhaustion had caused her to doze, but if her subconscious had been tackling the problem without her, it didn’t seem in any hurry to let her know what it had concluded!
With a weary sigh, she eventually dragged herself out of bed, showered and pulled on a pearl grey all-in-one jump suit with a huge zipper up the front, one of Jo-Jo’s postmodernist creations. She rolled the sleeves back to her elbows in a workman-like gesture and simply pulled her hair back in a ponytail, securing it with a silver scrunchie. She didn’t even bother to add make-up.
On anyone else the stark outfit would have looked drably industrial, but with her skin now a richly glowing honey in colour, and with her feminine curves lending the almost shapeless garment dips and hollows in all the right places, she looked unknowingly and incredibly sexy.
She walked next door and tapped on the door, and a moment later her sister’s groggy voice called out for her to come in.
Lucy’s hotel room was an exact replica of her own, done in slightly differing shades, and as she walked to the French windows to draw back the curtains, Lucy burrowed out from beneath the bedclothes.
‘What time is it?’ she demanded sleepily.
Charmaine had no idea. ‘Shall I make you some coffee?’ she asked solicitously. Lucy had never been a morning person, and besides that, she’d probably been hitting the Champagne cocktails rather heavily last night, after Payne’s bombshell.
And who could blame her?
‘Huh? Yeah, sure,’ Lucy muttered, sitting up and rubbing her hands briskly over her face, in an attempt to wake up.
Charmaine returned with the coffee and sat perched on the edge of the bed. ‘Lucy about last night,’ she began quietly. ‘I had no idea he was going to do that.’
Lucy grimaced and blew on her coffee, and took a tentative sip. ‘Well, he always did know how to make a grand stand play,’ she said, then glanced speculatively across her coffee cup at Charmaine. ‘But I must say, I didn’t think it was your sort of thing.’
Neither did I, until it was happening, Charmaine thought wryly. Because there was no getting around it—Payne’s public proposal and outrageous gamble had made her feel nothing if not alive. And extra special. And terrified out of her mind.
‘I know what you mean,’ she said wryly. ‘I’m beginning to learn that Payne is an unstoppable force of nature, when he starts on something.’
Charmaine knew she should be, at the very least, annoyed with him. He knew her well enough to know that she’d die rather than make a public scene, but surely he didn’t expect her to accept their engagement in the cold light of day?
The thing was, she was feeling too happy to be mad. And yet, she knew, it couldn’t last.
There came a knock on the door, and Charmaine looked up in surprise.
‘Oh, that’ll be room service,’ Lucy said brightly. ‘I ordered the fruit special for breakfast and the morning papers. Be a love and get it, will you?’
Charmaine grinned as she went to the door. All the time she’d been staying here, and she’d never thought to order room service. How wasteful it seemed now. Trust Lucy to know how to live life to the full.
Tomorrow, Charmaine vowed, she’d have breakfast in bed and indulge herself.
‘Thank you,’ she took the attractively laid-out tray from the beaming waiter and took it over to the bed, then gave him a tip from Lucy’s purse.
‘Uh-oh, looks like you made the front page of the paper,’ Lucy said excitedly. ‘They must have run an extra printing to get it out so soon. Still, Payne’s news, wherever he goes.’
Charmaine felt a chill run down her spine at her sister’s words. She sounded so carefree and almost admiring. Hard to believe it must be eating her up inside.
Nervously Charmaine went back to the bed and perched on the side. ‘What are they saying?’ she asked fearfully.
‘Oh, you know, the usual,’ Lucy said, reading avidly. ‘Some are wondering what the female population of the island will do now that Barbados’s most eligible bachelor has finally been snared. Ugh, some tacky hack is giving odds on how long the marriage will last. Bastards! Don’t you take any notice. Any fool can see that Payne’s fathoms deep in love with you.’
Charmaine winced as both guilt and hope washed over her at her sister’s comment, then watched as Lucy tossed the papers aside and reached for her glass of freshly squeezed mango juice.
‘You really are a great actress, aren’t you?’ Charmaine said softly, making Lucy stop, glass mid-way to her lips, and blink.
‘Well, thank you. I think. Look, Sis, I don’t want you to think I’m interfering but . . . well, are you sure about all this?’
Charmaine took a long, shaky breath. So here it comes at last.
‘About what?’
Lucy put down her juice and leaned back against the headboard. ‘About what, she says! Payne silly. Don’t get me wrong,’ Lucy carried on, leaning forward and reaching out to touch Charmaine’s arm tenderly. ‘Nobody could be better pleased than me to see you finally taking charge of things and getting yourself a love life. But . . . well, to be honest, I thought you’d chose someone a little more . . . I don’t know. Gentle. More your type. I mean, for a first time effort, Payne Lacey seems so . . .’
‘Out of my league?’ Charmaine finally came to her rescue, when Lucy realised she couldn’t quite think of the right words.
‘Yes, exactly. Look, Sis, I know these kinds of people. I move in their world. And I know you, and it scares me a little, to think of you out here all alone among the sharks. Oh not Payne so much, I think he’s quite a sweetheart actually, but let’s face it Sis, the crowd he runs with could eat you alive!’
Charmaine nodded. ‘So you’re warning me off. Is that it?’
Lucy blinked again, surprised at the edge of hardness she suddenly detected in her sister’s voice. She’d never heard Charmaine sound so tough before.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked sharply. ‘I just don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all.’
‘Oh. So if I was bringing home as a fiancé some nice librarian from Oxford, or a mild-mannered accountant, you’d be happier?’
Lucy gaped. ‘What? What’s wrong with you? I don’t under . . .’
‘Why don’t you just say it?’ Charmaine finally cried, tired of all the subterfuge and not liking herself very much in that moment at all. But the truth was, she suddenly found herself wanting to fight like a tiger for Payne, even when her opponent was her own sister!
Just what did that say about her?
‘Why don’t we just have it out once and for all. It’s me he wants, not you. And you can’t stand it, can you?’ Charmaine cried, hating herself even more, yet unable to stop now.
Lucy felt her jaw drop open. She stared at her hard-eyed, stormy-faced sister and slowly, unbelievably began to smile.
‘Wow! Look at you! At last. I still don’t get what it is that you’re going on about, but I’m glad to see you fighting mad. I was beginning to think you didn’t have it in you. Now, what exactly have I done to get you so good and mad?’
Charmaine gazed back, all the anger suddenly draining from her. She simply couldn’t play this game with Lucy. It just wasn’t in her.
‘You know,’ she said flatly.
But Lucy was already shaking her head. ‘Nuh-huh, not a clue. You’ll have to spell it out, I’m afraid.’
Charmaine sighed. ‘All right. Have it your way. You came back to Barbados to get your lover back, right? You said so.’
Lucy nodded, her eyes bright and alert and still with that unnervingly encouraging smile on her face. ‘Right.’
‘But Payne wants me. He’s proposed. And I
’m not giving him up.’
There, she’d said it. She lifted her chin and stared at her sister steadily. For all their lives, Lucy had been the dominant one. The true showman of the family, Daddy’s favourite. But now, this time, Charmaine Reece was at last going to come into her own and fight for the man she loved.
And everyone had better watch out, or else!
‘OK. So, what’s your problem?’ Lucy said, sounding genuinely baffled. ‘I’m not asking you to give Payne up. I just thought he might be a bit too much for you, that’s all. But now I can tell that I needn’t worry about that! Wow, Sis, when you come out of your shell you really don’t do it in half measures, do you? Looking at you now, I’d say it was Payne who had to watch out himself.’
Charmaine felt a slow, tightening grip, gradually squeeze the breath out of her. From somewhere alarm bells began clamouring. Something was off here. Her sister wouldn’t carry the charade this far.
‘Lucy,’ she said slowly. ‘You are in love with Payne, aren’t you?’ she asked at last, almost too afraid to hear the answer.
But the look on her sister’s face said it all. She looked astonished. Amazed even.
‘Payne? Payne? No! What on earth made you think that?’ Lucy gasped.
‘Because everyone was saying it!’ Charmaine cried, pushed beyond her endurance. ‘All your friends were talking about how you’d fallen hard for this casino owner over in Barbados and that he’d dropped you. It was no big secret.’
Lucy suddenly clapped a hand to her mouth and looked at her sister with stricken eyes.
‘I know,’ she finally pulled her hand away and whispered. ‘And that’s my fault. All my fault,’ she confessed. ‘When I was over here before I let everybody think that it was Payne I was having an affair with. Oh, I didn’t deliberately start the rumour, but when I was aware that it was going around, I did everything I could to encourage it. Payne didn’t like it when he found out, but, bless him, he acted like the perfect gentlemen and never let on the truth.’