'Thank you for understanding just now.' She squeezed Christopher's arm gratefully.
'About time, hm?' His tone was self-derisive. 'I really am sorry about what happened earlier.'
'It's over now,' she dismissed.
'And you want to go and hide, forget it ever happened,' he guessed correctly. 'Face it head on, Merlyn, it's the only way.'
'Rand is the one I can't face again.' She shuddered just at the thought of it.
'You think he'll come back?' Christopher raised surprised brows.
Would he? If she had to judge by the contemptuous way he had looked at her earlier as he threw his jacket over her then she would say no. But he had walked away from her before only to come back again because he needed to make love to her. She didn't know what he would do now…
She shrugged. 'I doubt it,' she sighed. 'I'm sorry if that makes things awkward for you.'
Christopher scowled. 'Nothing you do could make things here any more difficult for me than they already are. I've been up against flooding in drought areas, and deposed governments replaced by less welcoming ones right in the middle of filming, but this is definitely the worst situation I've ever been in! I'll stick to fiction next time!'
Merlyn wished the whole of the time since she first met Rand hadn't been real. And she especially wished today were just part of a nightmare from which she would eventually wake up.
What must he be thinking of her now, besides the obvious feelings of disgust! It had to be obvious that she hadn't been acting out a response to Mark, that she had been completely dazed when he broke away from her in confusion as she hadn't kept to the script. The whole experience had been mortifying enough without Rand witnessing it!
It felt good to put her clothes on again, although she took Rand's jacket with her when she went to her room, keeping it wrapped about her shoulders, loving the scent of him that it carried. And maybe, just maybe, he would come back, if only to retrieve it.
The water was cold and the bubbles had long disappeared from its scented surface by the time she got out of the bath. There had been no visitors to her room during that time, not even Liza for her customary chat. Maybe her friend had heard all the gossip about her today and was as shocked by her behaviour as Merlyn was herself. Although that didn't really sound like the Liza she knew and loved; her friend's policy had always been 'live and let live'. She never presumed to judge anyone. Besides, Liza, more than anyone else here, knew how she really felt about Mark.
She was picking disinterestedly at the dinner she had ordered when the knock sounded on her door, and as she approached it she wished Anne's hotel, like American ones, had installed peepholes to the doors so that she might now know who was standing on the other side of hers before she opened it.
Rand, in all honesty, was the last person she had expected to see. Even though she had hoped.
She looked up at him with wide green eyes, glad she had chosen to put on black fitted trousers and a bright red blouse tucked in at the waist, knowing she looked coolly elegant. When she had chosen the clothes she had known she would need to feel confident of her appearance if she had any visitors this evening. It had to be an improvement on the last time Rand had seen her.
'You have my jacket,' he finally rasped.
Merlyn nodded abruptly. 'I'll get it.' She bit her lip as she turned away.
He reached out to lightly grasp her arm. 'Can I come in?'
She blinked up at him uncertainly. 'I—If you would like to,' she nodded breathlessly.
'I would,' he said huskily, closing the door softly behind him.
Merlyn watched him as she crossed the room to pick up his jacket from the chair she had draped it across earlier. Late this afternoon he had looked furiously angry, now he just looked tired, tired and a little uncertain. Uncertain? It wasn't an emotion she had ever associated with him before.
'Here you are.' She held out the jacket to him.
He made no effort to take it from her slightly trembling hand. 'Do they hurt?'
She eyed him warily at this totally enigmatic question. 'What?'
'The contact lenses,' he explained gruffly. 'I got quite a shock today when I looked into your eyes and saw they were blue instead of green! Drake mentioned something about your wearing contact lenses the other evening, but even so it was—startling.'
Merlyn swallowed hard. 'Christopher believes —he decided that it was Suzie's eyes that made her so hypnotic to watch, the deep deep blue of them. I think he's right, but if you object—'
'He told me about you and Hillier,' Rand cut in harshly.
She gave him a startled look for the interruption. 'Told you what?'
'About the rough time he's been giving you, how you didn't want to do that scene with him today. That the only way you could do it was by pretending he really was me,' he added searchingly.
Colour warmed her cheeks, in fact her whole body suddenly felt warm. 'Rand, I—'
'Did you do that?' he pressured. 'Just answer me yes or no!'
She moistened her lips. 'Yes,' she finally admitted forcefully.
'That's all I needed to know.' The breath left his body in a ragged sigh. 'When I saw his hands all over you today I—'
'On me?' Merlyn looked at him uncertainly. 'But I thought—we all thought— We all thought you were angry because I was supposed to be Suzie,' she frowned.
'That was only part of it,' he rasped. 'The rest was all you. I didn't like seeing another man touching you the way I do!'
'Oh Rand!' She moved instinctively towards the shelter of his arms, hesitating before she reached them.
'Merlyn?' He was watching her with narrowed eyes as she faltered.
'Yesterday you said—'
'Yesterday afternoon I telephoned you to let you know I wouldn't be back last night—'
'Last night, you mean,' she corrected tautly. 'I was having dinner when you called, remember?'
'That was the second time I called,' he bit out. 'The first time was late in the afternoon, about four-thirty. When you weren't in your room they thought you might still be out filming—'
She shook her head even as he spoke. 'I told you, we didn't do my scene yesterday, I spent most of the day in the games-room,' she told him frowningly. 'Playing snooker.' She hadn't received that first call!
Dark brows rose at this absently-made addition. 'You play?'
Her mouth twisted. 'If you don't mind losing your money I'll give you a game some time!'
'You play,' he acknowledged dryly. 'Well, obviously the hotel staff didn't know where you were when the call came through, and I was just going to leave a message with them to tell you I had called when one of the actors came in to the reception. They asked him if he had any idea where you were…'
'Mark!' she realised with a sinking heart.
'Yes,' Rand grated, his hands thrust into his trouser pockets. 'He said he didn't know where you were either but—'
'That's a lie,' she gasped. 'All the crew knew I was in the games-room!'
Rand sighed. 'He chose not to tell me that, but said instead that you could probably be reached in the dining-room that evening, that you and Christopher Drake spent every moment together that you could.'
'And when you telephoned later that night—'
'You were in the dining-room with a friend!' Rand finished tautly.
'Liza. And she's definitely a female,' she told him softly. 'I didn't even see Christopher last night. If I had I would have tried once again to get him to drop the nudity in today's scene. I never wanted to do it in the first place.'
'Drake told me that too,' Rand put in gently.
'Somehow the part of the Good Samaritan doesn't sit well on those cynical shoulders.' Her voice held suspicion.
'He did mention something about "an unhappy actress is a bad actress"…' Rand said wryly.
'Now that does sound like him!' She gave a husky laugh, her hands twisting together, unsure where they went from here. If they went anywhere.
Rand's eyes na
rrowed. 'Just how vindictive is Hillier towards you?' he asked abruptly.
She gave a ragged sigh. 'From what you've just told me about yesterday, I would say very.' She had no difficulty at all in believing Mark had set out to cause trouble between Rand and herself, in fact she knew he would take great pleasure in trying to ruin her life for a second time in retribution for what he believed she had done to him six years ago. He had almost succeeded!
'Why?'
She couldn't quite meet Rand's searching gaze. How would he react if she told him she had once almost married Mark? Perhaps that wasn't the question she should be asking herself; how would Rand react if someone else should happen to tell him she had once been going to marry the other man!
She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, trying to think of a suitable way to tell Rand about the part Mark had played in her past. Perhaps the blunt truth was the only way.
'Merlyn?' he prompted impatiently at her continued silence.
Her eyes flashed at his compelling tone. 'I was once going to marry him!'
Rand flinched a little, but was soon once again under complete control. 'Why didn't you?'
She looked challengingly into those cold silver eyes. 'He wanted me to go to bed with a director to get him a part in a film!' she revealed almost defiantly.
Rand inhaled sharply, frowning darkly. 'God,' he finally groaned, dropping down into an armchair, his face buried in his hands. 'Oh God!' he groaned again weakly.
Merlyn stood helplessly across the room from him, not knowing what to do. Would he believe her if she said she hadn't done it? He hadn't believed her when she told him he had made love to a virgin.
When he at last looked up at her his eyes were dark with pain. 'Why do you put up with me?'
She frowned at the self-recrimination in his voice. 'I don't understand…'
'Neither do I,' he said in disgust. 'I've treated you abominably from the first, insulted you, taken from you, crept into your room like a thief in the night, and yet you don't seem to hate me!' He sounded astounded by the fact.
How could she possibly hate him, for anything he did, when she loved him so much. But she could tell he still wasn't ready to accept the love of another woman, that he perhaps never would be.
'Sexual attraction works two ways, Rand,' she dismissed with a lightness she didn't feel.
Some of the anguish left his expression, and she knew she had said the right thing. 'Yes,' he acknowledged heavily. 'I'm sorry about last night. I'll know to be wary about Hillier in future. If there is a future for us?'
She knew he wasn't referring to a permanent relationship, and she had never expected that from him. 'Why not?' she shrugged with a tight smile. 'I'll order us some dinner—one I'll eat this time.' She gave the cold food that sat on the tray a rueful look. 'And then we can—'
'No,' he cut in harshly. 'There'll be no more eating in your room, we'll go over to the hotel restaurant.'
'Are you sure?' She frowned her concern for the enormity of what he intended doing; if they went to the hotel restaurant no one would be in any further doubt about their relationship.
'Very,' he answered decisively. 'After all, why should Hillier have the satisfaction of even thinking he's succeeded in breaking us up?' he added grimly.
'Right,' she agreed hollowly, wishing he could have said something a little more encouraging, like 'he would be proud to be seen anywhere with her'. But she couldn't ask for too much too soon, and at least he had been honest.
She felt more than a little apprehensive entering the more intimate of the hotel's restaurants with him, felt apprehensive about entering the restaurant at all after this afternoon.
'Just think of them as the audience,' Rand encouraged softly as she seemed set to panic. 'And you're the "Virgin Queen" looking down on all her minions.'
Merlyn turned to him with a laugh. ' "Virgin Queen"?' she scorned.
His mouth quirked. 'That's better,' he said with satisfaction. 'It always worked with Suzie when she was nervous too.'
He was speaking so naturally of his dead wife tonight, and Merlyn hoped nothing happened to spoil that. 'She used to feel moments of nervousness too?' she said disbelievingly; Suzie Forrester had always seemed so self-confident.
'All the time,' Rand nodded, his hand on her elbow as he escorted her to their table.
'I wouldn't—'
'Hey, Merlyn, over here,' Liza called out to her lightly. 'Unless you would rather be alone?' she asked as an awkward afterthought as she realised who Merlyn's companion was.
She glanced at the neighbouring table where Liza sat with one of the cameramen and another couple, turning back questioningly to Rand.
He headed away from the table for two they had been directed to and moved over to the larger table. 'We would,' he drawled, very much in command as he saw Merlyn seated before sitting down himself beside her, his knee resting along the length of her leg. 'But I've been looking forward to meeting Merlyn's friend Liza,' he added with a light charm Merlyn had never seen before.
She watched with awe as he successfully put Liza at her ease within a couple of seconds of meeting her, quickly drawing the cameraman and the other couple into the conversation. He may have avoided social functions the last couple of years but he still knew how to be charming when the need arose. Within a few minutes they were all talking together like old friends.
'Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!' Liza said ecstatically when she and Merlyn had excused themselves to go to the powder-room for a few minutes. 'And he's all yours.' She sighed her envy.
Merlyn smiled at her friend's enthusiasm. 'Our relationship goes from one crisis to another, so I wouldn't feel too happy for me!'
'You mean this afternoon?' Liza dismissed, watching Merlyn's reflection in the mirror as she took the time to retouch her lipgloss.
She grimaced. 'You heard!' she said with feigned surprise.
'Greg told me Mark made a complete idiot of himself,' Liza scorned.
'Mark did?' she scoffed. 'We both know I wasn't just talking about him. And how long have you been seeing Greg?' she frowned. 'I thought I was your best friend and confidante, no secrets from each other and all that?'
'You are and we haven't. Greg's a friend. Well —maybe a little more than a friend,' she conceded at Merlyn's sceptical expression. 'But it's really too soon to tell if it will become serious. Now just forget all about this afternoon and enjoy yourself,' she instructed as they left the powder-room.
Merlyn followed, and almost came to a full stop as they walked back to their table; another table for two had been added to theirs and seated at it, his arm about one of the make-up girls, Jennifer, Merlyn thought her name was, was Mark Hillier.
Rand seemed to sense her presence, turning slightly in his chair to meet her horrified gaze, the warmth in his eyes beckoning her to his side. He looked so reassuring, as if he wouldn't let anything hurt her, least of all Mark Hillier. Every step was an effort but she finally made it back to Rand's side, sitting down gratefully as he stood to hold back her chair for her. The hostility crackled from the emerald depths of her eyes as she looked at Mark across the table.
'What stone did you crawl out from under, Mark?' Liza scorned, not having Merlyn's restraint when it came to people she disliked.
Fury glittered in his eyes, making them more grey than blue. 'You—'
'I invited Mr Hillier and his companion to join us,' Rand put in smoothly. 'I wanted to thank him personally for taking my call to Merlyn yesterday afternoon.'
Mark flushed, eyeing the other man warily, instantly on his guard against the silky softness of the threat in Rand's voice. 'I only told you what I could,' he replied defensively.
'Of course.' Hooded eyes held Mark's gaze, but Rand said nothing more, his very silence ominous.
'Wasn't Merlyn marvellous during the filming today?' Mark launched into nervous speech, colour creeping beneath the taut skin in his cheeks as grey eyes glazed over with chilling fury. 'So realistic,' he added with defianc
e. 'Of course it was nothing new for Merlyn and me, as I'm sure you know?' he challenged.
'Yes.' Once again Rand's voice was silky soft, his hand capturing Merlyn's beneath the table as it moved nervously on her lap, squeezing her fingers with a light reassuring touch.
Mark's eyes flashed his irritation with Rand's complete control. 'You do know?' he prompted recklessly.
Dark brows rose. 'That Merlyn once believed herself in love with you?' he returned dismissively. 'Oh yes, she did tell me,' he nodded. 'But as I assured her, we all make a lot of stupid mistakes like that when we're young and impressionable.'
'Now just a minute,' Mark protested in a blusteringly angry voice.
'Some people make those same mistakes when they're older too,' Rand continued in a softly menacing voice that no one could mistake for being in the least pleasant. 'They're the ones who get hurt if they don't realise who the sharks are in life.'
'I think you've just threatened me!'
'Only think?' Rand drawled. 'My, I must be slipping,' he added mockingly.
Mark moistened his lips as he sensed the very real danger emanating from the man seated opposite him. 'Come on, Jenny.' He stood up. 'I think I prefer an intimate dinner for two after all. In your room.'
The tiny brunette blushed at his implication, giving an awkward grimace as she left the dining-room with him, her pretty face animated with anger as she talked to him on the way out.
Merlyn felt some of the tension leave her body. She hadn't known what to think when Rand revealed that he had been the one to invite Mark to join them, still couldn't fathom the man she loved, although in this case he had championed her.
'If I ever acquire an enemy like that one can I call on you for assistance?' As usual it was Liza's mischief that broke the strained silence of the other couple's departure, grinning guilessly at Rand.
He warmly returned that smile. 'You can call on me any time,' he drawled. 'Even without an enemy.'
The conversation became more general after that but Merlyn remained quiet. She knew just how nasty Mark could be, had witnessed it firsthand in a very painful way in the past, and she very much doubted, for all she was grateful for it, that Rand's intimidation of the other man would put an end to his bitterness.
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