by Robyn Grady
She’d known this kind of a leak was a possibility and yet she’d gone ahead and continued to see him intimately anyway. Now the stark reality glared out at her. If she gave Alex what he wanted on Wednesday after her evaluation, who would believe she hadn’t been charmed or, worse, bribed?
She slipped her bag, holding the pearl charm, behind her back and muttered as she headed off, ‘I’m unavailable for calls.’
But Payton wasn’t letting her friend off that easily.
‘Libby, please. Talk to me. This is so huge. I mean … ohmigod … Alex Wolfe!’ She held her heart as if it were pounding and said solemnly, ‘I bet he’s an unbelievable kisser. Did you ever think for one moment that he’d fall for you like this?’
Libby stopped, shuddered and walked haltingly back. Maybe there were some photos she hadn’t seen yet. Good Lord, she hoped there hadn’t been any telescopic lenses pointed at the beach that night!
‘I was telling my friend, Tawny,’ Payton went on, ‘that when he was here the other day I thought he was looking at you with a real sultry gleam in his eye. And then when you didn’t come back from lunch at all that day, I didn’t want to say anything but my imagination went through the roof—’
‘Payton.’ Feeling her entire body erupt in a blush, Libby threw a worried glance toward the front entrance. ‘I don’t want you spreading gossip like that.’
Payton’s eyebrows slanted in. She looked confused. Hurt. ‘But, Libby, everyone knows. It’s all over the papers and the internet. What’s wrong? If I were you, I wouldn’t give a tinker’s tap what the press is saying.’
Her knees gone to jelly, Libby had slumped against the counter. The internet? She felt gutted. No. She was numb.
Libby stumbled into her office, fell into her chair and, holding her flushed cheeks, groaned. Once upon a time she’d thrived on publicity. In her day, she’d adored being Australia’s poster girl. She’d been on fire, but she wasn’t so hot anymore, and a huge diversion from Alex Wolfe’s usual female fare. He had a reputation for seeing starlets and supermodels and positively no one who came close to resembling her. The press would try to crucify her.
But strangely she didn’t care about that aspect. She knew how Alex felt about her.
How he saw her and had helped her see herself that way again too. She might have given back mobility and strength to his arm but he’d given back infinitely more.
A scratching on the window had Libby swinging around. Through the glass she caught the fervent expression of a man with shaggy coffee-coloured hair before the flash of a professional camera went off and blinded her. Shielding her eyes, she lunged over and snapped shut the blinds at the same time Payton flew through the doorway.
‘Libby, a reporter’s in the foyer.’
A person was on Payton’s heels. Peering over her shoulder, the young man with silver framed eyeglasses held up a mini recorder. ‘I’m after a quote, Ms Henderson. People want to know about Alex Wolfe’s latest love interest.’
For an instant, rather than the reporter, Libby saw Alex standing there as he had almost a week ago when he’d asked her to lunch and she’d taken that first step toward her ordinary life being turned on its head. She loved being with Alex, but she wanted no part of this.
While Payton tried to crowd the reporter back, Libby struggled to assemble her thoughts, but the intruder was beyond eager to snare this ripe opportunity.
‘You were Female World Surfing Champ years ago, Libby. Do you have any comment on your accident? Does Alex know that you wear a prosthesis? Do you compare yourself to the women Alex Wolfe usually dates?’
Growling, Payton grabbed the reporter’s arm and tried her best to wrestle him out. But when Libby came steadily forward, the two stopped their battle, the reporter clearly anticipating a gossip worthy response.
‘You’d like a reply,’ Libby asked, and the reporter nodded. So she first held the doorjamb for ballast, swung back a leg and kicked him as hard as she could in the shin. When he jumped and howled, she announced, ‘That’s my answer.’
Payton gave an astonished way-to-go look before Libby closed and locked the door.
Libby listened to her friend herding the reporter away while delayed tears threatened to rise. The reporter hadn’t said anything new … about her accident … her leg … most particularly the fact that it seemed an anomaly that a man like Alex Wolfe should find her appealing. Sexy. Scott certainly hadn’t after that day.
But they were different men. Different on so many levels.
Her cell phone rang. She reached her bag and retrieved the call at the same time she saw the screen blink out the caller’s name. Alex Wolfe.
‘Are you available for lunch?’ he said down the line. ‘There’s a restaurant I want to take you to but it’s difficult to get a reservation. I wanted to call early.’
‘You know about those magazines, don’t you?’ she asked straight out.
The silence on the line finally ended in an expulsion of air. ‘Yes.’
‘That’s why you phoned. To see if I knew too.’
He exhaled again. ‘I’m sorry, Libby.’
‘It’s not your fault,’ she said. ‘It was bound to happen. I knew that as well as you did.’
‘You’re okay with it?’
Libby thought about the photographer scratching at her window, the reporter barging into her office and asking the rudest questions. But she wouldn’t tell Alex what that obnoxious man had said. No doubt the press would do all they could to ask Alex the same.
What did he find appealing about a cripple like Libby Henderson?
‘Libby?’
‘I’m fine,’ she said, then took a breath and told herself that she was. She’d weathered worse. She’d survive. ‘I’ll be over by nine for our session but I can’t go to lunch.’
‘Can’t or won’t?’
‘Alex, we have some intense days ahead of us. Let’s concentrate on that.’
His voice deepened. ‘You’re sure you’re okay?’
She said yes but wanted to add, Or I will be.
She couldn’t wait for Wednesday to come and go. She knew Alex couldn’t either.
She and Alex worked diligently together on Monday and Tuesday. She told him she’d feel happier not to see each other on an intimate basis until these hard yards were out the way.
They didn’t discuss those photographs again. He didn’t mention whether any reporters had tried to get a quote. She couldn’t bear to go near her computer or the internet and told Payton to do her a favour and not fill her in on any goss.
When Wednesday dawned, Libby rocked up at the Rose Bay mansion and tested Alex’s shoulder. She held nothing back and was vigilant for any sign of weakness or pain, but he showed no trace of fatigue. Never came near wincing. After their setback on Friday, she found it difficult to believe. She didn’t want to make a mistake or have anyone assume she’d forfeited her ethics for her ‘boyfriend.’ Her client’s best interests always came first. And in this case, it seemed, Alex’s interests would be best served by returning early to the track.
Of course the team doctor would want to perform his own evaluation. But she couldn’t see that he wouldn’t concur. Seemed Alex Wolfe would be racing in China after all. Hopefully he would surge back to the top, and her reputation would be left intact. Of course they wouldn’t be attending his brother’s wedding, but she had a feeling that with the eldest brother’s unexpected appearance after twenty years, there would be many more Wolfe reunions in the future. Hopefully she and Alex would continue to see each other … which meant her privacy would be affected. She could barely tolerate the thought of being corralled by heartless members of the paparazzi as she had been on Monday. But it was a price she was prepared to pay.
With the evaluation complete, Alex shrugged back into his shirt. ‘Well, doc, what’s the verdict?’
Standing alongside him before the mirror, she crossed her arms and raised her chin. ‘I have to say that based on what I’ve seen today and the progres
s that you’ve made …’
He stopped buttoning and almost frowned. ‘Is it a green light or a red?’
She smiled. ‘Green. In my opinion your shoulder is strong enough to cope well under professional car racing conditions.’
Ecstatic, Alex punched the air, but he was wise enough to do it with his left arm. Then he brought her close and kissed her with a tender passion that left her heart banging against her ribs. When his mouth released hers, he smiled into her eyes and then, relieved and so pleased, he laughed and Libby discovered she was laughing too. She’d made the right decision, and now she only had to wait for Alex to win that race in Beijing and then contact her to discuss how, where and when they would celebrate. The world might see her as ‘not up to par’ but Alex wouldn’t use her emotions, use her growing affection and trust, to get what he needed. Not after everything they’d shared.
Alex strode over to collect his phone off a ledge near the treadmills. ‘I need to call the team manager. The test driver needs to be told and forms have to be signed.’
Understanding completely, Libby headed off to collect her bag. ‘Absolutely. I’ll be on my way.’
Phone in hand, Alex quizzed her eyes. ‘Do you need to write up a letter? Sign something?’
‘I’ll fix it with your assistant when I get back to the office.’
He held her gaze, his expression lighter than she’d ever seen, but somehow she knew he wasn’t really seeing her. Rather he was imagining the crowd cheering him on this weekend. He was anticipating the challenge and thrill of being back in the driver’s seat, of doing what he was born to do. Race and win. He was excited. He had every right to be.
Of course he’d need to keep up with the specific stretches and strengthening exercises, not only for the short-term but for the rest of his life. He’d need regular physio checkups to be on the safe side. Given he wasn’t permanently stationed here in Sydney, it didn’t necessarily have to be her.
Libby chewed her lip.
How much time did Alex actually spend in Australia?
As if he’d read her thoughts, Alex set the phone aside and strode over. Looking proud and happy, but also distracted, he held her upper arms and spoke in an earnest voice she hadn’t heard before.
‘We can celebrate next week. In the meantime … can you fly out later today?’
She could only gape. Fly out?
‘You mean to China?’
‘Practice laps start tomorrow.’
Libby held her swooping stomach. She couldn’t get her mind around what he’d asked.
She’d assumed that he’d board his private jet and, focused only on the finish line, leave her behind. He wanted her to fly with him to Asia?
But, ‘I—I can’t. I have appointments.’
Responsibilities. He knew that.
His mouth pressed into a thin line. ‘There’s no use trying to convince you, I suppose.
But I can be back by Tuesday. We’ll go out on the town then.’
Holding that thought, she nodded, snatched a kiss and, grinning, headed for the door.
‘Great. Then I’ll leave you with it.’
‘I’ll see you out.’
‘No. Really, I’m fine.’
But he was already a step ahead of her.
As they walked down the hall, she tried not to dwell on the fact that he didn’t take her hand or rest his palm against her back as he had these past days. His mind was thousands of miles away. Understandable. She remembered well how intense psyching up before a competition could be.
After opening the front door, he accompanied her out on to the patio. Suddenly uncertain of whether to kiss him again, shake his hand or perhaps simply send a salute, she muttered a quick, ‘Good luck,’ then headed for the steps. About to take the first, a hand on her elbow pulled her up.
She turned and peered up into his smiling eyes. ‘One more kiss and I’ll let you go.’
He was bringing her near when Libby’s thoughts leapt upon those intimate shots taken of them last week. Then she thought of those horrible questions that reporter had shot at her, and she flinched and pulled away.
‘Let’s not.’ She skipped a glance around. ‘There could be some lenses pointed this way.’
But, smiling still, he only slid a step closer so Libby took a step back. Then the ground seemed to vanish from beneath her and she was falling backward with nothing to grip. Her arms had flailed in an arc over her head and her body was going horizontal when her waist was lassoed and she was tugged back up and onto her feet.
Out of breath, she got her balance, then her bearings. She looked over in time to see Alex’s right arm fall away from its hook around the nearby patio column … in time to see him grimace and hold his shoulder while his jaw clenched tight. When he saw her studying him, his hand dropped away, the contorted expression vanished and he rolled back his shoulders.
Holding her roiling stomach, she came closer and reached to touch the joint. ‘Oh, God, Alex, you’re hurt.’
Winding away, he seemed stuck between a scowl and a smile.
‘I’m fine.’
‘Please, Alex, let me see.’
He caught her hand. ‘You were on your way to write a letter.’
‘Are you in much pain?’
‘Not even a twinge.’
She studied his darkening gaze and swallowed back worry and regret. Her voice was choked. ‘I’m sorry—’ sorrier than he could ever imagine ‘—but I don’t believe you.’
His eyes narrowed at the same time his nostrils flared and a vein pulsed down the side of his throat. ‘You want proof?’ He fisted his right hand and brought it almost level to his waist before bringing it down again. Dying inside, Libby bit her lower lip. He hadn’t been able to lift his arm any higher.
She put a professional note in her voice. ‘We’ll get another MRI.’
‘No more tests, dammit! I’m ready to drive.’
‘I’m sorry, Alex, I’m so sorry.’ She knew what it meant to him. What he thought he was losing. Everything. ‘But I don’t think you are ready.’ She raised her hands in a calming gesture. ‘We’ll work on it, okay? Your next race after China is when? Two weeks? If we put all our effort into—’
‘Right now I need to make a phone call,’ he cut in, something like rage and betrayal darkening his face. ‘If you’ll excuse me.’
He turned on his heel and left Libby gaping as the door shut in her face.
At one in the afternoon, Eli Steele arrived at Libby’s practice. Payton led him straight through to her office.
Eli was a tall, attractive man. Well-mannered, Libby remembered as she rose from behind her desk. And one hundred and ten percent dedicated to Alex Wolfe. She wondered if Alex had ever abused his assistant’s trust like he’d so recently abused hers. Having that twelve-foot-high door shut in her face wasn’t an event she’d soon forget.
‘I have communication here from Alex,’ Eli said, after taking her hand in a professional greeting. ‘I wanted to deliver it in person.’
Her stomach churning, Libby murmured that she appreciated that and with shaking hands opened the sealed envelope. Holding her breath, she scanned the lines.
Libby,
Thank you for all your efforts. After discussions with my team manager and doctor it’s been decided my situation may well benefit from a different approach. I thank you for your time and dedication to date. I will be in contact after I’m back behind the wheel.
Sincerely, Alex Wolfe
Feeling as if a bomb had exploded in her face, Libby set down the letter.
‘He’s … disappointed,’ Eli explained, as if that could be an excuse.
Alex was disappointed?
She sank into her chair. ‘So am I.’
Particularly that he’d had Eli do his dirty work. Bet it wasn’t the first time.
Like a good assistant, Eli made an excuse. ‘You have to understand … racing is Alex’s life. He couldn’t be a champion if he didn’t concentrate everything he had on sho
wing up and winning.’
But she was still digesting the brevity and formal tone of that note. I thank you for your time and dedication to date.
Her fingers balled up the paper.
Where did he come off thinking he could treat her, treat any woman, this way? Three days ago they were together, laughing, racing around that track at incredible speeds. Making love. Sharing!
Swallowing the hurt and disbelief, she set the note aside. ‘You can tell Mr. Wolfe that I expected more from him … but I shouldn’t have. I hope you don’t mind me saying, Eli, neither should you.’
Alex cared only about himself—his career—and he would use anyone for any purpose to get what he needed to get to and stay on top.
Eli rearranged his feet. Nodded at the ground.
Then he blew out a breath and headed out. ‘Good luck, Libby.’
Libby was still sitting, getting more incensed by the second, when Payton edged in and closed the door.
‘Want to talk about it?’
‘I was an idiot,’ Libby admitted, her face unbearably hot. ‘I did precisely what I swore I wouldn’t. I got involved with a client—and not just any client.’
She remembered Alex reaching to kiss her and how, worried about photographers, she’d pulled away. He must know, above all else, she only wanted his shoulder to mend. This morning had been a terrible accident. Like his spin-out on the track. Like her incident in the surf. But that didn’t help, did it?
She should have stuck to the original plan, the one that would’ve worked for everyone.
She should have kept their relationship professional, no matter the temptation. Instead she’d let herself be charmed, then dumped like an old pair of jeans.
She glared at the bunched note.
She’d never told Scott how little she’d thought of his behaviour toward her after her accident. Years on she wasn’t so magnanimous. How dearly she wanted to teach this particular pompous ass a lesson in decency.