by Penny Jordan
Her appetite had completely deserted her, but then she saw Jerry was walking away from them and disappearing into the crowd on the other side of the square. Suzy tried to relax, but her insides were a tight ball of anxiety and apprehension. She had never liked Jerry—he was loud-mouthed, boorish and vulgar, and the sexual innuendo of the comments he had made to her had filled her with nausea. But she knew that he was an exceptionally shrewd reporter.
To her relief she heard Luke asking the children, 'Finished, you two?' He signalled for the waiter and asked Suzy, 'If you're ready to go…?'
Suzy was on her feet before he had finished speaking, but they had no sooner walked back into the crowded square when Charlie suddenly piped up urgently. 'I need the bathroom!'
An innocent enough request, but it was one that caused the two adults who heard it to tense in silent dismay.
One look at Charlie's screwed-up and anxious face told Suzy that there was no way the little boy could wait.
'There must have been lavatories back at the café,' she told Luke. 'You'll have to take him back there. Lucy and I will wait here.'
Luke looked down at Charlie and inwardly cursed. The square was busy and Charlie was only young—there was no way he could let him go alone. It was obvious that he would have to take him to the lavatory. Which meant that he would have to leave Suzy here unguarded.
'Why don't you take Lucy?' he suggested, as Charlie tugged anxiously on his arm.
'I don't want to go.' Lucy forestalled his attempt to at least keep some check on Suzy.
'We'll wait here for you,' Suzy told him, quickly checking the crowd to make sure there was no sign of the reporter.
Luke hurried Charlie through the crowd. He could not blame the little boy for what had happened, and neither could he accuse Suzy of having engineered the situation.
* * *
How much longer were Luke and Charlie going to be? Suzy wondered anxiously, willing them to return so that they could leave.
'Lucy, where are you going?' she protested as Lucy suddenly started to hurry towards one of the stalls.
'It's all right, I just want to look at something,' Lucy called back to her.
Suzy suddenly froze as the crowd parted and a couple of yards behind her she saw Jerry—looking right back at her.
She turned away, hoping to disappear into the throng of sightseers, but he was too quick for her, and she tensed as she felt his hand on her arm.
'Suzy! Suzy Roberts! What a coincidence!'
The oily, speculative look he was giving her made Suzy feel sick as it brought back unwanted memories.
'What are you doing here?' he demanded, still watching her with a look in his eyes which Suzy did not like.
'I'm on holiday with my partner,' Suzy lied uncomfortably, adding quickly, 'I must go. He'll be wondering where I am—we got separated by the crowd.' Turning away from him, she went to where Lucy was standing, looking at a stall selling handmade jewellery.
'Why didn't you stay where I left you?'
Suzy could hear the censorious note in Luke's voice. Had he seen Jerry? She looked round anxiously, but the reporter was nowhere to be seen.
'I wanted to look at one of the stalls,' Lucy answered sunnily. 'Are we going back to the villa now?'
'Yes, we are,' Luke agreed.
Suzy shivered as she saw him looking searchingly at her. Surely if he had seen Jerry with her he would have said something, only too delighted to have his suspicions of her confirmed? But it was not so much her fear that Luke might have seen Jerry with her that was making her feel so anxious, Suzy acknowledged as Luke guided them through the crowd, it was her concern about the reporter's presence here in the resort, so close to the villa.
The owner of the magazine did have excellent sources of sensitive information, although who they were Suzy had never known. It was not entirely beyond the bounds of possibility that Roy Jarvis could have sent Jerry to Italy to check up on what was happening at the villa.
And, that being the case, didn't she, as an honest citizen, have a moral obligation to tell Luke that she had seen him?
* * *
From his vantage point several yards away Jerry watched Luke and Suzy making their way through the crowd with the two children.
He had recognised Luke, of course, and unless he was mistaken—and he was sure that he was not—those two kids with them were the Verey kids, who were staying with their father.
Jerry had only arrived at the resort the previous day, sent there to check out a tip-off about Sir Peter Verey's real reason for being in Italy. Now he had the happy feeling that things were very definitely going his way!
Suzy Roberts and Lucas Soames. Well, well, what a piece of luck!
* * *
Suzy was still struggling with her moral dilemma when they got back to the villa.
Jerry might just be at the resort on holiday, or even following some other story involving the celebrities who stayed there, she tried to tell herself. But her conscience refused to be convinced.
CHAPTER TEN
'LUKE, can I have a word?'
Luke frowned as the operative he had put in charge of the perimeter security at the villa approached him.
It was twenty-four hours since he had driven Suzy and the children back from the resort—twenty-four hours, far too many of which he had spent fighting against his own emotions instead of concentrating on his professional business, which was why he had this morning finally instructed one of his London operatives to supply him with a full and detailed report on Suzy. He was sure the information in the report would back up his professional distrust of her and help him to banish these unwanted emotions she was causing him! The more information he had about her, the better.
Last night after dinner he had escorted Suzy to their suite and pretended to busy himself with some work whilst she prepared for bed. Only when he had been sure she was soundly asleep had he gone to bed himself, and even then he had not been able to relax.
In her sleep she had turned over to lie facing him, and he had wanted…
Luke did not want to think about what he had wanted to do.
Unable to trust himself not to give in to the temptation she represented, he had got up and spent the rest of the night sleeping uncomfortably in a chair.
He had got up and dressed before she had woken, though, determined not to allow her to suspect how vulnerable he had become to her. He had even caught himself thinking that if things could be different, if they could somehow find a way…To what? he had challenged himself. To forget what she was and what she did? Impossible! Furiously angry with himself, he wished he had never set eyes on her.
She was with the Verey children now, sunbathing beside the pool. The swimsuit she had been wearing when he had walked past earlier had made him remember what it had felt like to hold her naked body.
Hell, but he would be glad when all this was over.
'Yes, Phillips, what is it?' he asked his operative.
'The guards have reported that a chap's been hanging around the gates, asking questions about Ms Roberts.'
Luke's eyes narrowed. 'What chap?' he demanded grimly.
Hugh Phillips was young and keen, and quickly told Luke what he knew.
'He said he was just a friend, and refused to give any name, but according to the guards he was asking rather too many questions—and not just about Ms Roberts.'
Luke felt his stomach churn with anger—and something else! What the hell was he feeling like that for? He ought to be feeling vindicated, because he had been right to suspect Suzy, instead of savagely angry.
'Well, if he's so keen to see Ms Roberts, then perhaps he should be allowed to do so, Hugh. Tell the guards to allow him to persuade them to let him in. Don't make it too easy for him, though. I don't want him getting suspicious. We need to know who he is and what he's up to. Keep him away from the house. You can let Ms Roberts meet him in the surrounds.'
Luke could see that Hugh Phillips was battling not to show any
reaction to the mention of Suzy's name. Like everyone else, Hugh believed that Suzy was Luke's own partner.
'Have you got all that?' he checked coolly.
'Yes,' Hugh answered woodenly.
'Good—and remember, the minute he comes back I want to know!'
Once Hugh had gone Luke went to stand in front of the window of the small room he used as his office.
He had received unofficial confirmation this morning that the African President was finally satisfied with the security arrangements and was prepared to set a firm date for the meeting.
With that in view, and his suspicions regarding Suzy confirmed, he should be feeling pleased. Instead of which he felt strangely disappointed. Suzy must somehow have made contact with her 'friend' when he had had to take Charlie to the lavatory, and that was surely a predictable move on her part, so why was he feeling as though what she had done was some kind of personal betrayal? What the hell was happening to him? He was thinking—feeling—more like a betrayed lover than a man with no emotional involvement with her.
And as for the man who had come asking for her! Her 'friend'…Luke's muscles clenched against the pain of the surge of jealousy and male anger that pounded through him. He had to be someone from the magazine—not Roy Jarvis, of course. Another reporter, perhaps.
They would soon know, Luke promised himself, and when Suzy did meet up with him he would need to know what was being said.
He unlocked one of the drawers in his desk and searched through until he had found what he wanted. The minute recording device lying on the palm of his hand was so sophisticated that it was almost impossible to believe that so much technology could be packed into such a small thing. Designed to be slipped underneath a watch, it could record and transmit conversations with remarkable clarity. It could also reveal the location of the wearer to within a metre.
Slipping it on his own watch, Luke locked the drawer and left the room…
* * *
'Look, Suzy, watch me dive!' Charlie shouted as he jumped into the swimming pool, sending up a splash of water.
'That isn't a dive,' Lucy told him scornfully when he got out. 'You just jumped in.'
'Yes, it was. It was a dive,' Charlie argued.
'No, it wasn't—was it, Suzy?' Lucy appealed.
'Yes, it was,' Charlie continued to insist.
Ruefully Suzy got up and went over to them. She had a bit of a headache—a legacy from not being able to sleep properly last night, she suspected.
She had gone to bed before Luke, all too relieved to be able to shower and quickly jump into bed whilst he was still in the suite's sitting room. But, much as she had longed to fall asleep before he joined her in the large bed, her guilty conscience had refused to let her.
Eventually she had dropped off, only to wake up to discover that she had turned over and was now lying facing Luke, one hand outstretched, as though she was trying to reach out to him in her sleep. Afraid of waking him up if she moved, she had lain there motionless, worrying about Jerry and what he was doing so close to the villa.
She had still been awake when Luke had suddenly slid out of the bed to pad naked into the suite's sitting room.
The large bed had felt empty and lonely without him, and she had found herself moving over to where he had been lying so that she could breathe in the scent of him from the warm sheets and pillows.
He had been up and dressed when she had woken this morning, and she had been under no illusion as to why he had waited in the sitting room for her whilst she showered and dressed.
In grim silence he had accompanied her downstairs for breakfast, and then later out here, to the swimming pool.
And she still hadn't told him about Jerry! Because there hadn't been any opportunity to do so, she tried to reassure herself.
'Luke's here.'
Lucy's pleased announcement broke into her thoughts and brought a swift surge of colour to her skin.
Hoping that he wouldn't see it, and guess at its cause, Suzy pretended not to have heard Lucy's statement and kept her head down, moving only when Charlie suddenly jumped into the pool and she was showered with water.
'See—that isn't a dive, it's a jump,' Lucy pronounced as Suzy shook the water off her face and stood up. 'Tell him, Luke,' she begged. 'Tell him that he can't dive.'
Smiling at the little girl, Luke surveyed the protected area around the pool. Suzy had left her wrap by her lounger, and when Luke turned his head to look at her an intensely strong physical reaction kicked at her stomach. She could feel her nipples peaking and thrusting provocatively against the fabric of her swimsuit, and she knew from the downward sweep of Luke's eyelashes that he was looking at their wanton flaunting.
She took a deep breath and fought off the desire to wrap her arms tightly around her body.
Luke cursed himself under his breath as he fought to drag his gaze away from Suzy's body. Already the evidence of her swollen nipples was affecting him—arousing him. All it would take was one step forward and then he could tug those thin swimsuit straps down her shoulders and expose the full creaminess of her breasts to his hands and his lips. He could take each of those nipples into his mouth in turn and show them what they were inciting when they tormented his senses until his self-control was at breaking point.
'Luke, Luke—tell her that I can dive.'
Charlie's high-pitched voice broke through the heated pressure of his thoughts, and quickly he turned away from Suzy. Her watch was lying on a small table, along with her sunglasses and some suntan cream. Luke walked towards it.
'Watch this, then!'
There was the sound of a noisy splash, followed almost immediately by an angry scream. Suzy swung round to see Lucy standing beside the pool, dripping wet from Charlie's 'dive'.
His small task completed, Luke strolled over to help calm the commotion.
From now on, until he removed the small device, every sound Suzy made, even down to her heartbeat, would be transmitted to the receiver locked in his desk. There wouldn't be a single word she spoke, a single breath she took whilst she was with her 'friend' that he would not know about!
As she towelled Charlie dry Suzy looked over his head to where Luke was standing. She could tell him now, her conscience prodded her. All she needed to do was open her mouth and just say the words.
But what if he doesn't believe me? What if he thinks that I'm lying, that I'm part of whatever it is that's going on?
What if he did? her conscience demanded sternly. Were her own personal feelings really more important than something that was obviously very serious?
Suzy took a deep breath.
'Luke?'
She stopped speaking when his mobile started to ring, and watched in heavy-hearted disappointment as he answered it and began to walk away.
She could always tell him later, she comforted herself as she reached for her wrap and informed the children it was time to go inside. Perhaps this evening, whilst they were alone and getting ready for dinner.
Her heart did a back somersault that caused just as much devastation inside her chest as Charlie's 'dives' had done around the pool!
* * *
'He's back—refuses to give any name, but he's biting on the bait we've floated. He's offered the two guards a fistful of euros to let him in. The guards are making sure he has to work hard to persuade them, and I've told them to say they'll let him in through that side gate in the perimeter wall.'
'The one closest to the lake and the grotto?' Luke questioned sharply.
'Yes, that's the one—is that okay?'
'Yes, that's fine. What's he going to do when he gets in, though? I don't want him wandering freely anywhere.'
'That's okay. Nico is going to ask him if he wants a message sent to Ms Roberts, arranging to meet her.'
'Okay, let me know when he's taken the bait, Hugh.'
* * *
Suzy had just showered and changed when she heard a knock on the door of the suite.
Going to open it, she
was surprised to see a young Italian standing there.
'I have a message for you, miss,' he announced, before Suzy could speak. 'There is a man—a friend of yours. He wishes you to meet him beside the grotto.'
Suzy stared at him, her heart hammering with apprehension.
'What man? Who is this man?' she began to demand, but the Italian was already walking quickly away from her.
It was Jerry—it had to be. Although how on earth he had got into the grounds and past Luke's guards Suzy could not imagine.
Anxiously she rushed down the stairs and out into the garden, glancing at her watch as she did so. The lake and the grotto were quite a long walk away from the villa, and she kept looking anxiously around herself as she hurried towards them.