The question was still uppermost in her mind when she entered the hotel and had the desk clerk ring Pierce’s suite. Her last hope, that he wouldn’t be in, was squashed when she was told to go straight up. In the lift, she checked her appearance in the mirror. Her suit no longer looked as fresh as it had, and her make-up was decidedly tired. A swift application of lipstick and the running of a brush through her hair at least made her feel more presentable. She supposed she should have gone home and changed first, but the need to get the meeting over with had been too compelling.
Her knock was answered by Pierce himself, looking very relaxed with his tie removed and a couple of buttons undone, and his shirt-sleeves rolled up to reveal strong tanned forearms liberally sprinkled with dark hairs. He didn’t bother to ask why she was there, merely stood back to allow her to enter, closing the door with a firm click behind them. To Alix it felt as if the last means of escape had been removed, and a sense of impotent anger had her walking forward to drop her handbag on to the nearest coffee-table. Pierce followed her. She could feel his eyes on her back, and imagined him laughing at her, a sense so strong that she swung round, only to discover she was wrong. His eyes were hooded, watchful, a light-year away from mockery.
Confused and annoyed, she tossed her head. ‘I’ve just come from the hospital,’ she informed him bluntly, and the watchfulness sharpened intensely.
‘How is your father?’
She sighed in frustration, lips twisting with self-mockery as she raked a hand through her short blonde locks, combing them into delightful disarray. ‘Making a rapid recovery. You’ll be pleased to know that he himself bears no grudge to any member of the Andreas family.’
‘Unlike his daughter,’ Pierce observed drily, and walked over to where a tray of drinks stood on a sideboard. ‘Can I get you something? You look as if you could do with it.’
The shirt stretched taut over his muscles as he fiddled with bottles and glasses, and she stared at his broad back, wishing she didn’t instantly remember how his flesh had felt beneath her hands. Yet she only had to be near him to experience such vivid mental pictures, and in a desperate attempt at self-preservation she hastily brought a shutter down on the memories. ‘I’ll have a Scotch,’ she said tersely, and raised her chin as he looked round at her in surprise. Her smile was saccharine-sweet. ‘They say it has anaesthetic qualities, which I’ll need if I have to spend any length of time with you. I shouldn’t be surprised if I spend my days in an alcoholic mist.’
He didn’t find that at all amusing, but she didn’t see why she should consider his feelings when he had never given a thought for hers. Nor did it surprise her that the glass he eventually handed her held only white wine. The whisky he had himself, swallowing half the contents of his glass at one go, while Alix felt her eyes drawn irresistibly to his tanned throat. A dull flush crept from her neck into her cheeks, and she hastily turned away, hating herself for the wantonness of her thoughts and the reaction of her body. He hadn’t touched her, yet her flesh had quickened, her breasts swelling to push against her clothing, making her feel achingly restricted. It was intolerable to feel so weak-willed, and, unable to remain still, she went and stood at the window, tensing as Pierce’s reflection came to join hers.
‘From your reaction, I take it you told him about my offer, and he didn’t throw it out?’ he mused idly, and she laughed bitterly.
‘You knew he wouldn’t. That’s why you told me to speak to him. You knew I wanted him to back me up, too. God, it must be wonderful to be male, and right all the time!’ she jeered, hating him, wishing he would move away so that she wouldn’t feel the heat and smell the scent of him. It was a combination designed to make her so very much aware of him.
If he received the unspoken message, he ignored it. ‘If I thought you really believed that, I’d give you an argument. You’re just angry that you have no reason to refuse my offer,’ he said reasonably, and it made her so angry that she turned on him.
‘Wrong! I have every reason to refuse you. My father might think you’re the best thing since sliced bread, but I know better, don’t I? He has nothing against arranged marriages either, which is just as well, because there’s no one better than you at arranging them to suit yourself!’ she riposted scornfully, hoping to wither him, but knowing her chances were slim.
Pierce stared down into her animated face, inspecting each feature separately, as if, for obscure reasons of his own, he was committing them to memory. ‘You’re very beautiful. In fact, you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,’ he informed her gently, completely taking the wind out of her sails.
‘What?’ Her eyes widened in confusion, a reaction which brought a faint smile to twist his lips.
‘I was paying you a compliment.’
Alix shook her head, rallying defences which had been neatly side-stepped. ‘Well, don’t waste your time. You don’t have to win me over with empty words. You already hold all the cards. I don’t suppose you even thought for a minute that I’d say no. I love my father too much to reject the only offer he’s had, however much I would like to,’ she sniped, allowing all the resentment she felt to spill out.
Pierce took a deep breath, jaw flexing. ‘Our marriage doesn’t have to be a battlefield, Alix,’ he said tersely, revealing that perhaps there was more tension in him than was obvious to the naked eye.
‘As far as I’m concerned, it can be nothing else,’ she rejected. ‘Or did you imagine you were getting the same naïve fool as before? That person no longer exists. You destroyed her, Pierce. You’ll be getting me, as I am, and if you don’t like it then you’ve only yourself to blame. Is that clear enough for you?’
Taking his time, Pierce drained his glass and set it aside. When he next gave her his full attention, his eyes were steely. ‘You’ve made yourself more than clear. However, if you imagined that by declaring your dislike of me and the arrangement it would induce me to change my terms, then you were mistaken. You’ll be my wife, in every sense of the word.’
Alix gritted her teeth, making herself return his stare with all the disdain she could muster. ‘I wouldn’t dream of refusing. After all, it’s a matter of honour. You’ll be buying the rights to me, won’t you? But there’s just one thing you’ve miscalculated—I don’t have to enjoy it.’
Unfortunately that only served to bring a wicked gleam to his eyes, and he moved a step closer. ‘Are you suggesting you won’t? Now that’s a very naïve statement. I have a very vivid memory of how whole-heartedly you throw yourself into making love,’ he purred dangerously, making the fine hairs rise all over her skin.
Dear God, how dared he say such things? ‘That was before I learned to hate you,’ she retorted witheringly, then gasped as his hands came out to fasten on her shoulders, drawing her inexorably towards him. ‘Let me go, Pierce. Damn you, I said let me go!’ she ordered, struggling to break free but failing miserably, because he was, and always had been, far too strong for her. All too aware of her many weaknesses where he was concerned, she lifted her gaze to his face, and there was a look of intent in his eye which set her heart thudding wildly.
‘When I’m ready,’ he gritted out as he managed to subdue her, fastening both her hands behind her back with just one of his. The other he used to frame her face and turn her head up. ‘After all, you’ve just got through telling me I’ve bought you, so I can do pretty much as I like—can’t I, darling?’ he taunted, and brought his mouth down on hers.
And, like before, it was no assault but a calculated seduction of her senses, tasting her lips with his tongue, drawing the sensual fullness of her lower lip into his mouth and stroking the silky inner skin until she shivered helplessly. It made no difference that she kept her teeth clenched against him. He teased her until she could no longer withhold a gasp of pleasure, and then took possession without a fight, tantalising her with the erotic stroking of his tongue on hers.
She didn’t want to respond, but couldn’t help herself against his powerful magic a
nd the swift arousal of her body. Even as one small part of her brain was calling her a fool she returned his kiss feverishly. She was scarcely aware of him releasing the buttons of her jacket and pushing it aside to claim one thrusting breast, teasing her nipple into an aching point which sent a shaft of pleasure deep to the core of her. When his mouth left hers, she was trembling in every limb, and when her breast was sucked into the moist cavern of his mouth her head fell back, and she groaned aloud as her body went into spasm.
Dazedly, her eyes focused on the ceiling. Her hands were free, but she could only use them to cling on to his shoulders as the world tilted. Then, suddenly, it righted itself again, and there was Pierce looking down at her speculatively. In an instant the heat vanished, leaving her chilled and abandoned, with only an overwhelming self-disgust for company.
‘It looks as if our wedding night is going to be very interesting,’ Pierce declared with heavy irony. ‘Your hatred seems to add a certain spice to the proceedings.’ He steadied her before letting her go, retrieving his glass and crossing the room to refill it.
Alix dropped her head, but that only brought to her gaze the damp silk of her camisole, which clung to her aroused flesh like a second skin. Sickened by the evidence of her own weakness, she pulled her jacket closed, but her fingers shook terribly as she struggled with the buttons. When she finished, she looked up to find Pierce watching her over the rim of his glass. She froze, pained colour washing into her cheeks. Unable to find anything to say that would drop him where he stood, she waited for him to speak, tensing to bow with his scorn.
‘Have you eaten?’
The prosaic question wasn’t what she expected at all. ‘No,’ she answered honestly, albeit huskily, wondering why he had chosen not to go on with his advantage.
‘I’ll have something sent up,’ Pierce decided, reaching for the telephone. ‘We have things to discuss, and I have no wish to do so in public. Do you agree?’
‘Do I have a choice?’ Alix queried caustically, struggling to find a measure of composure which could match his.
Even across the room she could see him stiffen angrily. ‘Of course you have a choice. I’m not a monster, you know,’ he told her shortly, then had to alter his tone as Room Service answered and he had to give his attention to ordering the food.
For her part, Alix didn’t care what he ordered, as she doubted if she’d be able to eat a thing. She crossed to the nearest chair and sank into it gratefully. She felt deathly tired, emotionally drained, and let her head fall back against the cushioned back, closing her eyes. What she would give to be able not to think! She’d give ten times as much not to feel this attraction for Pierce. She had believed it dead, but the instant she had seen him again her senses had become vitally alive. Even now her body throbbed from the cessation of his lovemaking, making a mockery of her belief that she had forgotten him.
Nothing was forgotten, but passion would blank her mind temporarily. Was that how he expected to keep her under control? By allowing the mindlessness of their nights to make up for the hatred of the days? It was a thought which brought a spark of rebellion flickering into life. He might want it so, but it didn’t have to be. She didn’t have to give in without a fight. He had said as much himself, when he had asked what better way was there for her to get her revenge than to marry him. She had dismissed it then, but now the idea took hold. She might not be able to get out of this marriage, but she didn’t have to be the biddable little wife! After all, she wasn’t defenceless; a woman had weapons of her own. And even if she didn’t win the war she could make good and sure he had to win a lot of battles to gain his victory!
That brought a smile to her lips, returning some of her lost energy, and she opened her eyes again, only to find Pierce watching her, eyes gleaming with some inner amusement.
‘Plotting my downfall?’
Her nerves jolted violently at the idea that he could read her mind, and there was no way she could halt the flush that stole revealingly into her cheeks. All she could do was brazen it out. ‘Why shouldn’t I? I did learn something from our first marriage, short as it was—you can achieve almost anything with forward planning.’
Pierce slipped his hands into his trouser pockets and rocked back on his heels. ‘So you’re planning to use me as your role model?’
Alix produced an insouciant shrug. ‘Why bother to look around for someone else when I have my very own master to hand, so to speak?’
‘You never used to be so cynical. I remember you viewing the world with an open-minded joie de vivre,’ he mused broodingly.
She laughed at that, for he almost sounded disappointed. ‘Ah, well, they do say marriage can be a real eye-opener, and mine, you’ll admit, was a real lulu!’
Pierce shook his head, a soft laugh escaping him although it contained little humour, more like derision. ‘You’re never going to forgive me for that, are you?’ It was a statement, not a question, and Alix sent him a look of scorn.
‘If that’s what you want, you’ll have a very long wait. In fact, if I were you, I’d give serious thought to the possibility of reincarnation, because there will be no absolution from me in this lifetime!’ Alix informed him bluntly, allowing her eyes to flash her dislike to him in semaphore.
To her aggravation, Pierce didn’t get angry, just more thoughtful. ‘I rather like the idea of us going down the centuries together. Always together,’ he repeated mockingly, savouring the words.
Alix snapped her fingers in irritation. ‘Don’t sound so smug. Nothing says we have to come back as humans. If there was any justice, you’d come back as a bug that I could crush under my foot!’ she declared acridly, and had the annoying sight of Pierce bursting into a laugh of real amusement. Her heart kicked in her chest, and the years seemed to fall from him, making him more the man she had first met, and she realised there was a sternness in him now, a damping down of that vital spark which had first drawn her to him. It saddened her to think of its loss. But almost immediately she called herself a fool for being so sentimental. Pierce wasn’t, and she couldn’t afford to be.
‘I’m so glad I amuse you,’ she said blightingly, and he grinned at her.
‘Oh, you do more than that, darling,’ he told her softly, and the heat in his eyes sent her a message she had no trouble interpreting. The attraction was mutual. She aroused him just as much as he aroused her, and the knowledge had her loins clenching on a fierce wave of desire. A need she rejected fiercely.
‘If you could manage to drag your mind from the gutter, you said we had business to discuss,’ she said with patent distaste, which unfortunately only had him crossing to her in that languid stride of his which hinted at a barely leashed animal power.
Bending, he took her chin between his thumb and finger. ‘So I did, but don’t sound so high and mighty, Alix. We both know that it wouldn’t take very much effort on my part to get you down into the gutter with me, so caught up in your own passion that you wouldn’t care where you were so long as I gave you the satisfaction you craved,’ he taunted silkily, making her colour fluctuate wildly and her mouth go dry.
Her grey eyes glittered with proud tears. ‘You’re a—’
‘Heartless swine,’ he finished for her. ‘I know, and it will be easier for you if you remember it, if you want to keep your precious pride intact.’
Even had Alix been able to find a reply there was no opportunity to say it, for they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Pierce straightened with a wry smile.
‘Saved by the dinner bell!’ he gibed, and went to answer it, leaving Alix sitting trembling in her chair.
Dear God, how on earth could she live with him? she thought angrily, then her shoulders slumped. How could she not? She had no choice. When it came to Pierce Martineau, she never had.
CHAPTER SIX
TWO days later, Alix arrived at her office feeling very much as if she had been run over by a steamroller. Having elicited her acceptance of his proposal, Pierce had moved with what, in other circum
stances, would have been called commendable speed. She could only see it as unseemly haste, and resented being carried along in his slipstream.
Pouring herself a cup of coffee from the pot which was always kept hot, she stood staring out of the window, trying not to feel as if everything was getting way out of her control. She wondered what shocks were in store for her today. Yesterday morning Pierce had insisted on going with her to the hospital to meet her parents. To her chagrin, he had made an instant hit with them. Yet, despite her feelings of anger, she hadn’t been able to help but admire the way he’d handled the situation, and she’d found herself awarding him her grudging appreciation.
Even as he had enlarged on his proposals for saving the business he had deferred to her father. Only with his agreement would a manager be installed to supervise the company until Stephen was well enough to return. Neither would the results of the report compiled by Pierce’s management team into ways of streamlining and improving production be implemented without her father’s full agreement. Which, naturally, he had got, along with Stephen Petrakos’s undisguised respect.
The only thing to mar the occasion had been her father’s insistence that Pierce had to be in love with his daughter to be so generous. A fact the younger man did nothing to deny, instead giving credibility to it by slipping his arm around her and keeping it there despite her surreptitious, but determined, efforts to shake it off. When they had eventually departed, she had been left with the unpalatable fact that he had quite won them over. And, although she understood that it had been a deliberate ploy to ease any worries they might have had, she bitterly resented him for it.
Heaving a deep sigh, she sat down at her desk and reached for her mail, surprised to find that the top envelope simply had her name written on it. Frowning, she opened it, spreading out the single sheet of paper it contained. There were only a few words on the page, but they sent her into a white-hot fury. It was from Pierce, detailing the date, time and place of their wedding. Innocent enough in itself, except that he had sent it to her in a memo! He had actually had the gall to reduce an act which was going to change her life to a bit of business!
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