‘All right, Donald,’ she smiled, wondering how anyone could remain so naïve with parents like his.
He turned and saw that look. ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ he sighed. ‘And so far I’ve done anything for a quiet life. But one of these days I’m going to turn around and surprise the lot of you.’
If he did Callie would lay odds on it being the first time he ever had!
* * *
The New Year party was well under way by the time Callie and Donald arrived at nine-thirty, although it wasn’t the sort of party she was used to, with none of the boisterous music and loud chatter. Everyone stood around making intelligent conversation, diamonds dripping off the women, most of the men looking as if they had already had two coronaries and they were just waiting for their third.
‘I’ll get you a drink,’ Donald suggested, back within seconds with two brimming glassfuls. ‘Champagne,’ he said boyishly.
What else? Callie thought cynically, glancing around the room with studied casualness. No sign of Logan, although that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to come. After all, it was a welcome in the New Year party, so it would go on for hours yet.
‘My dear Caroline!’ Lady Spencer suddenly appeared at her side, a tall distinguished man at her side. ‘Judge McCorley, I’d like you to meet my son’s very dear friend Caroline Day,’ she gushed.
‘Glad to meet you, my dear,’ the elderly man shook her hand warmly. ‘Does this mean there will soon be wedding bells in the family?’
Lady Spencer’s smile didn’t waver by an inch. ‘You never know, Malcolm, you just never know. Do you, Donald?’ she gave her son a conspiratorial smile.
His smile wasn’t so genuine. ‘No, Mother.’
Lady Spencer put her hand through the crook of the Judge’s arm. ‘I’ll take you round and introduce you to everyone else now, Malcolm. It’s just that Caroline is—well, I thought it would be nice if you met her,’ she gave a coy smile.
The Judge’s look was openly speculative now, and Callie’s smile was so fixed her face ached by the time the other couple left to circulate. She would have credited Lady Spencer with a little more subtlety than that!
‘Mother is—Well, she—’ Donald seemed at a loss for words. ‘She has high hopes for me, maritally.’
Callie gave him a cool stare. ‘And does the woman you love meet up to these—hopes?’
He flushed, his blue eyes guarded. ‘I—You know you do.’
She put her hand comfortingly on his arm. ‘Not me, Donald, the woman you love.’
‘I—’
‘And that isn’t me. Is it?’ she prompted.
He looked sheepish. ‘No.’
She could almost have shouted with the triumph, the effort it had cost Donald to make that admission. ‘You want my advice, Donald?’
‘Er—’ he frowned. ‘Yes.’
‘Marry the woman you love and forget everyone else.’
He sighed. ‘It isn’t that easy.’
‘Believe me,’ she squeezed his arm, ‘it is.’
‘Good evening, Donald—Caroline.’ Logan’s voice cooled over the last. ‘I had a feeling you would be here.’
It took all her willpower to turn and look at him, her barriers momentarily down. He looked superb in a dark dinner suit, the snowy white shirt emphasising his tan, his eyes a cold metallic grey.
Callie drew a steadying breath, and answered with all the confidence she could. ‘In that case I’m surprised you came.’
For a moment he didn’t answer her, his gaze insolently stripping the rust-coloured dress from her body, lingering on the creamy expanse of skin left exposed by the single-shoulder fastening. And that was how he made her feel—exposed.
‘This is a family party, Miss Day,’ he told her abruptly. ‘And I don’t think you merit being called that—yet.’ He waited for the barb to hit home before turning to the woman at his side. ‘You both know Audrey, of course.’
Audrey Harris! Callie hardly recognised Logan’s secretary in the body-hugging gold dress, her long black hair secured over one shoulder, her make-up vividly striking.
Donald frowned at the other woman. ‘No, I—’
‘It’s Logan’s secretary, darling,’ Callie drawled, allowing the hand she had resting on his arm to move possessively against the fabric of his jacket, feeling a thrill of elation as Logan’s eyes narrowed over the gesture. ‘How nice to see you again, Miss Harris,’ she said with false sweetness.
Violet-blue eyes narrowed speculatively. ‘Miss Day,’ Audrey drawled. ‘Do let’s go and meet someone interesting, Logan,’ she added pointedly. ‘You told me I’d have a good time, and so far it’s been deadly dull.’ Those violet-blue eyes returned challengingly to Callie.
Callie couldn’t pretend she wasn’t surprised to see Logan here with his secretary, especially after the derogatory remarks he had made about her, and yet in a way this encounter was amusing.
‘I have a feeling I’ve played this scene before,’ she mumbled.
‘Not quite,’ Logan mocked.
No, of course not. This time she was the discarded girl-friend. Well, she couldn’t say she hadn’t been warned!
‘Could we go for a walk in the conservatory?’ she asked Donald. ‘The air is a little—stale, in here.’
Logan’s mouth tightened at the jibe, his eyes snapping with anger. ‘Come on, Audrey, let’s find some of those interesting people I promised would be here.’ They walked away, a very attractive couple, both tall, attracting much attention.
‘The conservatory, Donald,’ Callie reminded him jerkily as he still seemed awed by his impressive cousin.
‘Oh, of course,’ he agreed absently, walking towards the back of the house where his mother nurtured her beloved roses. ‘I don’t know how Logan dare bring his secretary here,’ he frowned. ‘Mother will be furious when she finds out who she is. She can’t stand the models he usually brings, let alone… Well, she isn’t going to like it.’
Callie doubted whether it would bother Logan in the least what his aunt’s opinion was on his bringing Audrey here, and she personally was weary of the bitchiness, the snobbery. She wished she had never agreed to come here, wished—
‘Your mother wants you, Donald.’
She turned with a start at the sound of Logan’s voice, her eyes widening as she saw he was alone. He was watching her with brooding eyes, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
‘Mother does?’ Donald frowned.
‘Yes.’ Logan looked coldly at his cousin. ‘I should run along if I were you.’
‘She wants me now?’
‘Five minutes ago, I would say,’ Logan taunted.
‘Oh dear,’ Donald looked hounded. ‘Caroline—’
‘I’ll be fine, Donald,’ she assured him.
‘Come with me.’
‘No, you go on.’ She gave him a vague smile, having eyes only for Logan.
‘Oh, but—’
‘For God’s sake go, Donald,’ Logan snapped viciously. ‘You aren’t wanted here.’
‘I say, Logan—’
‘It’s all right, Donald,’ Callie soothed his hurt feelings. ‘I’ll join you in a minute.’
‘Well—all right,’ he gave in reluctantly. ‘You understand? My mother—’
‘Will you get the hell out of here, Donald!’ Logan’s expression was threatening.
Donald hastily left the heated room, closing the door behind him.
Callie gave Logan an angry look. ‘That wasn’t kind.’
‘Neither is this game we’re playing.’
‘Game?’ she blinked.
He shrugged. ‘Well, it started out that way, it’s more serious than that now.’
Callie moved away from the spell he was weaving about her, his magnetism seeming to draw her back again. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
He swung her round, retaining a hold on her upper arms so that she couldn’t move away. ‘No matter what the reasons for our first meeting, our
engagement, we want each other now. Don’t deny it, Callie,’ he said as she went to speak. ‘That you’re using Donald, and I’m using Audrey, to shield that fact, can’t change the truth.’
Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would deafen her, her breathing so shallow it seemed she hardly breathed at all.
‘Did you sleep after I left you the other night?’ he asked huskily.
The colour in her cheeks answered for her. She had suffered an agony of longing after he had left her, a need for him that he had meant to inflict.
‘Your eyes tell me you didn’t,’ he smiled. ‘And neither did I.’
She couldn’t let him seduce her with these words, had to remember the way he had used her, deliberately made her fall in love with him. She also had to remember what he and his family thought of herself and Jeff.
‘Does this mean you want the affair to start now?’ she taunted. ‘That you can’t wait until after I marry Donald?’
His fingers bit into her arm. ‘You aren’t going to marry Donald.’
‘Aren’t I?’ she challenged.
‘No,’ he ground out.
‘Oh, but I am.’ She wriggled out of his grasp. ‘It’s comforting to know you want me, Logan,’ she mocked him. ‘But you really are mistaken about me—I don’t want you. Oh, no doubt you would be a satisfying lover, but I’m sure you wouldn’t want to become my lover just because you remind me of Jeff?’
His expression was thunderous. ‘You’ll taunt me with him once too often!’
‘And you’ve already played this scene once too often!’ Her eyes flashed deeply brown. ‘You’ve lost, why can’t you accept that?’
‘For God’s sake forget the damned shares for a minute! I’m talking about you and me now,’ he shook her.
‘The only you and I there ever was is dead,’ she told him dully.
‘Callie—’
‘Mother didn’t want me at all, Logan,’ a disgruntled Donald came back into the room. ‘And your—Miss Harris is looking for you.’
Impatience warred with good manners in Logan. ‘All right,’ he sighed at last. ‘I’m just going.’
As usual Donald seemed unaware of the friction around him. ‘How’s Aunt Cissy now?’ he asked cheerfully.
Callie’s gaze sharpened. ‘Is your mother ill?’ she asked Logan concernedly.
‘She slipped in the snow the other night,’ he informed her distantly.
No wonder she wasn’t here tonight. ‘I’m so sorry. Is she all right?’
‘A little bruised, but otherwise fine,’ she nodded.
‘Father would like to talk to you now,’ Donald told Callie eagerly. ‘He’s waiting for you in the library.’
‘A little business discussion?’ Logan drawled.
‘And if it is?’ she challenged.
‘Then maybe I should be there too. Spencer Plastics is a three-way ownership, or have you forgotten?’
She shuddered. ‘No, I haven’t forgotten. But this is private, Mr Carrington.’
‘In other words, mind my own business?’
‘Yes!’
‘Very well,’ he turned on his heel, walking to the door. ‘I’ll see you on Thursday, Caroline.’
‘Thursday?’ she blinked.
‘At the shareholders’ meeting,’ he drawled.
‘Oh—oh yes,’ she nodded. ‘You’ll be acting on your mother’s behalf, as usual?’
‘Of course,’ he nodded arrogantly.
Callie felt less defensive once he had gone, turning to Donald with her composure back intact. ‘Let’s go and talk to your father.’
‘Oh, he doesn’t want me there,’ Donald flushed. ‘He never discusses business with me.’
‘But surely—Never mind,’ she dismissed, deciding that it was none of her business if Donald’s father kept him excluded from business affairs.
It was the first time she had actually spoken to Sir Charles this evening, their few words of polite greeting not really counting as conversation. He was seated in one of the winged armchairs placed either side of the fire, a big cigar in his hand, a look of the cat-that-had-swallowed-the-cream about him. Callie suddenly felt as if she were the fly walking into the spider’s parlour.
Sir Charles stood up as she hesitated in the doorway. ‘Come in, Caroline,’ he beamed. ‘Come in. Sit down,’ he invited.
She did so, taking a long time to arrange her skirts about her, looking up to surprise a contemptuous expression on Sir Charles’ face, something he was quick to try and hide.
‘Let’s get straight to the point,’ she said hardly. ‘You want me to vote in favour of expanding Spencer Plastics. Why should I?’
‘Well, I—I—You’re a bit abrupt, my dear,’ he spluttered in his booming voice.
‘I like to be direct,’ she pinpointed him with steady brown eyes. ‘And I like people to be direct with me. So far I’ve heard all the arguments against, now I want to know your arguments for.’
That Sir Charles resented the necessity to confide anything to a chit of a girl was obvious over the next few minutes; his words were stilted and abrupt. By the time he had finished she was none the wiser, knowing nothing about the industry, despite having read Bill’s in-depth file from cover to cover.
‘Trust me, my dear,’ Sir Charles encouraged at her totally bemused look. ‘I’ve run my company for over thirty years, I hope to do so for another thirty.’
‘Wouldn’t you be rather—old, by then?’ she frowned.
‘In my prime, my dear, in my prime.’
‘But surely Donald—’
‘Doesn’t have it in him, Caroline. Doesn’t have it in him.’
It wasn’t Sir Charles’ annoying habit of saying everything twice that annoyed her the most, it was his brutal dismissal of his son’s capabilities—even if he were probably right. Donald certainly wasn’t the cutthroat material that seemed to be needed in a successful business. Look how far Logan had been prepared to go for the sake of business.
‘I’ll think about it.’ She stood up.
‘Not too long, my dear, not too long,’ Sir Charles stood up too, dropping cigar ash all over the Persian rug. ‘Meeting’s in a few days. I need your support, Caroline.’
‘I’ll do my best.’ She gave him a noncommittal smile.
‘We’d better join the others now, it’s a few minutes to twelve,’ he opened the door for her. ‘I’ve always liked the start of a new year—like a new beginning for everyone.’ He walked away to join his wife.
A new beginning. Callie was beginning to think that was what she needed, a complete break from everything that reminded her of Logan. As the clock began to strike twelve she made that her resolution for the New Year. As soon as the meeting was over on Thursday she would go away on holiday.
‘Happy New Year, Callie.’
She looked up into the face of the man she loved, would always love. ‘Happy New Year, Logan,’ she choked, her eyes full of tears.
His lips were feather-light on hers. ‘Not exactly the way I had envisaged us celebrating the New Year,’ he said ruefully.
Her mouth tightened. ‘No—well, even the best laid plans can go wrong.’
‘Yes,’ he sighed.
‘I think Audrey is waiting for her own kiss.’ She had caught a glimpse of venomous blue eyes. ‘For the New Year, of course,’ she added tauntingly.
‘Of course,’ Logan drawled.
‘Happy New Year, Caroline.’ Donald had joined them to sweep her into his arms to plant a wet kiss on her cheek.
The next few minutes were taken up with welcoming in the New Year, everyone kissing everyone else, and by the time Callie had a chance to look round for Logan he and Audrey had gone. Oh well, perhaps it was as well. She had started to feel a weakening in her resolve to keep him at a distance.
* * *
Bill accompanied her to the meeting on Thursday, his presence giving her confidence.
‘Don’t worry,’ he assured her. ‘Your vote counts as much as anyone else’s.’
She straightened her shoulders, ready for the battle ahead. And she had no doubt there would be a battle.
They were shown into the boardroom by a rather busty-looking blonde in her early twenties, her blue eyes openly speculative as she showed them through.
Sir Charles and Logan were already seated at the long table when she and Bill walked in, and both men rose to their feet.
‘Miss Day, Sir Charles,’ the secretary told him.
‘Thank you, Lena,’ he dismissed. ‘Please sit down, Caroline,’ he pulled back a chair for her. ‘Mr Lane,’ he nodded abruptly.
‘Thanks.’ Bill sat next to Callie, putting a folder on the table in front of him.
‘I don’t think there was any need for your lawyer to be present,’ Sir Charles chided Callie.
‘Bill is also my business adviser,’ she told him abruptly.
‘Very well,’ Sir Charles shrugged. ‘Well, I suppose we might as well get down to business.’
‘I haven’t been introduced to Mr Lane,’ Logan said sharply.
Callie’s lids rose before fluttering down again, totally unnerved by how handsome he looked. ‘Bill Lane, Logan Carrington,’ she introduced abruptly.
‘Bill?’ Logan frowned. ‘You wouldn’t happen to have a little boy called Paul, would you?’
Bill was physically taken aback by the question ‘Why—yes,’ he frowned.
‘How is he?’ Logan’s concern was genuine, a smile of gentleness on his face. ‘He was teething when I last saw him.’
‘He’s over the worst of that now,’ Bill answered awkwardly.
‘Can we get on, Logan?’ his uncle snapped. ‘I’m sure Mr Lane has a perfectly charming little boy—’
‘Oh, he has,’ Logan nodded.
‘But he is hardly the reason for this meeting,’ his uncle continued sharply.
‘No, of course not,’ Logan drawled mockingly. ‘Carry on, Charles.’
‘Thank you!’
‘You’re welcome,’ he taunted.
To Callie the whole meeting had been turned into a farce. Bill had been angrily resentful towards Logan on her behalf, and with a few thoughtful words Logan had totally bemused the other man. It had been cleverly done; Logan had used every man’s weakness towards his son to reduce Bill to just another indulgent father, not the important ally she had thought he would be.
Love's Only Deception Page 13