CHAPTER ELEVEN
MADDISON decided much later that evening that it would be so temptingly easy to pretend they had a normal marriage.
She was lying in the circle of Demetrius’s arms; his body was relaxed in the deep sleep of satiated desire, his long legs interlaced with hers, his chest at her back a solid, comforting warmth.
She could imagine anyone looking in would naturally assume that love was the tie that bound them together when nothing could have been further from the truth.
She was in no doubt of his desire for her, but at no time had he declared any other feeling for her. The reasons for their marriage remained. He’d wanted recompense for the loss of his boat and she had been the payment in lieu of her brother.
It certainly didn’t bode well for a lifetime of happiness, she reflected sadly. Her brother’s guilt was a chasm between them even if she did manage to clear her father’s name.
She hated thinking about her meeting with Jeremy Myalls. It made her feel contaminated, as if his sly nature would somehow rub off on her in her dealings with him. But she didn’t see that she had any choice other than to play his game for a while so she could in the end subvert his devious ends.
She’d reconsidered telling Demetrius about Jeremy’s perfidy but seriously wondered if he’d believe her. Jeremy had worked for him for years, and with the cloud of guilt hanging over her father’s memory, not to mention Kyle’s track record of minor offences, she couldn’t see how he’d be all that convinced.
No, she’d have to show him through other means, even if it meant getting her hands a little bit dirty.
She felt Demetrius stir behind her, his warm breath caressing the bare skin of her shoulder.
‘Aren’t you going to turn off the light?’ he murmured, his lips nibbling at her neck.
‘Can’t I leave it on?’ she whispered back softly, shivering as his mouth moved to her earlobe.
He turned her onto her back in one easy movement, leaning over to trail a pathway of soft kisses .
Her breath caught at the sight of his dark, tousled head buried between the creamy globes of her flesh.
He slid back over her, his warm palm covering her breast as he looked deeply into her passion-slaked eyes.
‘You’re so responsive; I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of making love to you.’
Oh, how she wished she could believe him!
‘What about Elena?’ she asked, before she could stop herself.
His eyes hardened a fraction, but his expression gave absolutely nothing away. ‘I would prefer it if you would decline from discussing my relationship with Elena until we are out of bed.’
‘Three’s a crowd?’
He held her cynical look for a whole lot longer than she could cope with. She felt the sting of tears at the back of her eyes, which made her even more reckless.
‘Don’t tell me you’re feeling a bit guilty?’
‘Not at all.’ His hand on her breast tightened marginally. ‘I told you earlier I would have my cake and eat it too.’
‘Yes.’ Her eyes flashed at him angrily. ‘But I didn’t realise then that I would be the icing on the cake.’
His lower body made its presence felt against the softness of hers. It shamed her that her body had welcomed him so flagrantly, with such wanton abandon and such pressing, desperate need.
She felt herself being pinned backwards under the hastening movements of his body within hers, his own driving need carrying her along in its wake.
There was an element of ruthlessness in his lovemaking. His hands had lost their gentleness, but it did little to stem the flow of rising passion which was threatening to totally consume her.
He made her beg.
For that she almost hated him.
She sobbed out her need for him as he held her just beyond it, drawing out her response until she lost all sense of pride and cried and pleaded with him to let her go over the edge to the paradise she craved.
His answering grunt of satisfaction when it followed so closely on the heels of hers should have been enough consolation to her but somehow wasn’t.
She lay spent in his arms, his dark eyes boring into hers with the light of savage victory in his gaze.
‘I hate you,’ she said, her breasts brushing his chest with every ragged breath she took in.
His lip curled sardonically. ‘I thought you might.’
She ground her teeth, wishing she could deny it. ‘I’d like to sleep in the other room.’
‘No.’
‘I want the light on.’
‘No.’
‘I need the bathroom.’
‘Nice try.’
‘I mean it.’
‘I’ll come with you.’
‘No!’ She glared at him. ‘Am I to have no privacy?’
His eyes held the faint trace of a smile. ‘Go on then.’ He rolled away to lie back with his arms propped behind his head.
She tugged at the sheet to cover herself but it wouldn’t give an inch under his weight. She sent him a furious look and, reaching for the single lamp, snapped it off.
‘Now you can’t see me,’ she said and made her way somewhat blindly towards the door.
‘Maybe not,’ he called after her, his deep voice like velvet. ‘But I can still feel and taste you.’
She closed the door behind her.
Demetrius was awake before her the next morning. She opened her eyes to find him standing beside the bed, dressed in a business suit, no trace of illness about him.
She struggled up into a sitting position, gathering the sheet around her, her eyes widening at the time shown on the bedside clock.
‘Why didn’t you wake me?’
‘I saw no need to.’
She forced herself to meet his studied gaze. ‘Have you recovered?’
‘Remarkably.’
His eyes glinted meaningfully and she lowered her eyes to the sheet edge she was absently plucking between nervous fingers.
‘What will you do today?’ he asked when she didn’t speak.
‘I don’t know.’ She let the sheet go and looked at him. ‘What am I allowed to do?’
‘You know the rules.’
‘No fraternising with the staff, no flirting or sexual encounters… What else is there?’
‘You’re allowed to shop.’
‘Shop?’
‘Yes, that activity where money is exchanged for goods. You might get to like it after a while; most women do.’
‘I’m not most—’ she began but his finger came down and pressed against the soft surface of her lips.
‘I know. I’ve heard it before—you’re not like most women.’
There was an ironic tinge to his tone which made her feel as if he were reminding her she’d given in to his seductive charm as no doubt most women had done in the past, and were very likely to keep on doing in the future.
‘I’ll call you later.’ He dropped a swift kiss to the petulant bow of her mouth before moving away to the door.
She folded her arms across her chest and poked her tongue out at his back.
‘Behave yourself, Maddison. Remember I’m watching you,’ he said without turning around.
A tiny flicker of unease passed through her stomach at his words. Had he some sort of sixth sense where she was concerned?
‘How could I forget,’ she muttered as the door closed behind him.
In the end she decided to do as he suggested and go shopping. She brandished the credit card he’d given her, trying not to wince at the amount of money she was clocking up as the morning progressed.
She sent her packages back to the hotel in a cab and wandered about the city for another hour or two, wondering how she was going to fill the rest of the day.
Eventually she found her way to the National Art Gallery and spent a couple of quiet hours roaming about the priceless works of art, the formal silence of the colonial building a welcome relief after the frenetic pace of the city.
She left the gallery and continued on through the Domain until she came to the Botanic Gardens, stopping at the very place where she’d agreed to become Demetrius’s wife less than a week ago.
How things had changed!
She was his wife in every sense of the word, but for how long?
How could she live with him indefinitely with her brother’s guilt still suspended between them?
How could she continue with a marriage that had only come about through blackmail?
How long would it take before Demetrius called her brother to account for his behaviour even though he’d said Kyle’s slate would be clean upon her marriage to him?
Could she trust him to keep his word? Especially now he’d consummated their relationship after having reassured her he wouldn’t?
She chewed her lip in agitation as she walked through Hyde Park back to town, a hundred worrying thoughts taking up her concentration.
She didn’t see Jeremy until it was far too late to avoid him.
He was on the opposite corner, waiting for the lights to change, his cold blue eyes instantly seeking hers, that loathsome smile curling his thin lips.
She considered making a run for it but knew somehow he’d enjoy the thought of having rattled her in such a way. Instead, she waited where she was as if they’d arranged to meet on that particular corner at that specific time.
‘Hello, Jeremy,’ she got in first.
‘As always it’s a pleasure to see you, Maddison.’ His eyes wandered over her in a leisurely manner. ‘Fancy another coffee?’
‘Only if you are paying,’ she answered.
He ignored her little jibe and took her arm and led her to the café on the edge of the park. She suffered his hold in order to avoid drawing unwanted attention; she wanted this meeting to be over quickly.
She sat on the chair he pulled out for her and, smoothing her irritated features into more passive lines, faced him with the imitation of a smile on her face.
‘How is your plan going?’ she asked.
‘Very well,’ he replied. ‘Demetrius suspects nothing.’
‘Have the funds been relocated?’
‘The transaction will go through in the morning. This time tomorrow you will be a very rich woman, albeit temporarily.’
‘Why not redirect the funds to your own account?’
‘That’s way too obvious.’ He gave her a sly look. ‘That would be the first place Demetrius would look.’
‘How long do you expect the funds to be in my account?’ she asked.
‘Not long.’
‘Aren’t you a little concerned I might take myself on a shopping spree?’
His cold snake-like eyes snared hers. ‘If one cent of that money goes missing Demetrius will be immediately informed of your brother’s exact location to the very last square inch of land he is standing on.’
‘What do I get out of this deal?’ she asked.
‘You get to enjoy making Demetrius regret he ever married you. A suitable reward, don’t you agree?’
It sickened her to have her previous promise to Demetrius thrown back at her via his corrupt second in command.
‘Yes.’ She carefully avoided his gaze. ‘I shall enjoy every minute.’
‘Good girl.’ He touched her hand with one of his. ‘I knew I could trust you. After all, you and I have a lot in common—we both hate Demetrius.’
Oh, how she wanted to deny it!
‘Why do you hate him so much?’ she asked once their coffee had arrived.
He leaned back in his seat, one hand stirring his coffee as he surveyed her face.
‘He took the one woman I loved away from me.’
She hoped she wasn’t going to get a detailed account of yet another of Demetrius’s conquests, but sensed Jeremy was going to give it all the same.
‘He had no need of her.’ His expression soured. ‘He used her like every other woman he’s been involved with.’
She could hardly argue with that; she’d more or less been a pawn in Demetrius’s game of revenge right from the very start.
‘He’ll do the same to you if you fall for his particular version of charm,’ he warned. ‘And when he’s finished playing with you he’ll spit you out the corner of his mouth.’
‘I’m sure I’ll manage to withstand the temptation.’
‘You’d better. If he gets wind of what you’re doing with me there’ll be hell to pay.’
‘He won’t hear about it from me.’
‘No, I imagine not.’
A tiny silence fell between them.
Maddison disturbed a few grains of sugar on the tablecloth in front of her, unable to stop thinking about the very real possibility that Demetrius would somehow come to hear of her supposed duplicity.
She lifted her troubled gaze to meet Jeremy’s briefly.
‘I take it you suffer no fear over Demetrius finding out about your devious plan for revenge?’
‘No fear at all,’ he said. ‘I’ll be thousands of kilometres away by the time he gets wind of it.’
Not if I can help it, she thought.
‘He’s a very astute person,’ she pointed out. ‘He might already suspect something.’
‘He’s been too preoccupied with his mistress.’
That was another point she wished she could argue over but couldn’t.
‘I feel uneasy about all this,’ she admitted, hoping to put him off the scent of her own double dealing.
‘Don’t worry, I’ve got it planned down to the finest detail. All you have to do is pretend everything is normal while I work in the background to bring about our plot for revenge.’
What was normal about any of this? she wondered. She was agreeing to a scheme that could just as easily blow up in her face if it didn’t go according to her plan.
‘I still think you’re underestimating Demetrius,’ she said.
‘You worry too much. He knows nothing, believe me. He leaves all the finer details to me, has been doing so for years. How else did I get away with that little affair with your father?’
A serpent of hatred coiled in her belly at the callous way he’d mentioned her father.
‘You set him up, didn’t you?’
‘He was a sitting duck, Maddison. He thought he knew all the ropes but I had something up my sleeve.’
‘How did you do it?’
‘It was easier than I thought. Your father needed some money in a hurry; I believe it might have been to pay off one of your brother’s numerous debts. I set up a short-term loan from the company.’
‘Without Demetrius’s knowledge?’
He gave her a fabricated smile. ‘Of course.’
‘And you called in the loan before he could repay it.’ It wasn’t a question, more of a statement.
‘He got panicky, thought I might spill the beans.’
‘So you twisted the screws?’
‘Only a bit.’
‘Enough to bring on a heart attack.’
‘Now, now.’ He tapped the back of her hand reprovingly. ‘Don’t forget it was Demetrius who fired your father, not me.’
She couldn’t forget it but she wondered if Demetrius would have done so if he’d known about the loan arrangement.
Compassion wasn’t a quality she readily associated with him, but somehow she couldn’t help thinking he might have done something to ease the financial pressure on her father if he’d known what had been going on.
‘I have to go.’ She got to her feet. ‘Demetrius will be wondering where I’ve got to.’
He followed her out of the café, stopping briefly to throw some money on the counter for the coffees. Maddison wished she could shake him off but knew any sign of her uneasiness would make him suspicious. She was in so deeply now she had no choice but to follow it through, even though everything within her revolted at the thought of what she had committed herself to.
He walked with her to the southern end of the park, throwing her a conspiratorial wink as he darted through the congested traffic to get to where he was going.
Maddison stood staring after him for a few moments, waiting until he was out of sight before turning towards the hotel.
Her packages had arrived earlier and she spent the remainder of the afternoon unpacking the clothes she’d bought into the wardrobe in the spare room.
She hadn’t allowed herself to think about whether Demetrius would want her to move into his room. Better to leave things as they were to avoid disappointment.
He came home just as she was putting the empty packaging in the bin under the sink.
She turned as he entered the room, her hands twisted together in front of her, her expression a lot more flustered than she’d have liked.
‘Hello.’
He put down his briefcase and keys before striding across to where she was standing. ‘Hello to you,’ he said, touching her mouth with his in a brief but heady kiss.
‘How have you been feeling today?’ she asked.
‘Such wifely concern,’ he drawled.
‘If you don’t wish me to act as a wife in private and in public you have only to say,’ she said crossly. ‘I can assure you it won’t matter in the least to me.’
He hitched up her chin with a long and very determined finger. ‘Still mad at me?’
Still mad about you, she wanted to say but knew she couldn’t.
She held his look but knew her eyes were brightening with tears as every pulsing second passed.
After a long moment his thumb rose to the edge of her eye and tracked the pathway of a crystal tear under its warm pad.
‘Don’t cry, Maddison.’
His gentle tone was her undoing. She felt her bottom lip tremble and the tears began in earnest, sliding down her cheeks until she could barely see.
Demetrius pulled her into his chest, his hand resting on the back of her head to hold her close.
‘I wondered when this was going to happen.’ His voice rumbled under her cheek.
‘You push me too far,’ she sobbed.
‘I know I do.’ He threaded his fingers through her hair. ‘I can’t seem to help it.’
He held her from him so he could look down at her.
‘Why don’t we call a temporary truce?’
‘Why temporary?’ she asked with a little sniff.
‘I don’t like long-term promises,’ he said, pulling out his handkerchief and handing it to her. ‘I find them hard to keep.’
She wondered if this was some sort of clue to the family background his cousin Nessa had alerted her to.
‘Well, I don’t like short-term commitments,’ she said with an element of recovered pride. ‘It seems to suggest a lack of trust.’
‘Trust is yet another one of those things one has to earn rather than assume as a given,’ he pointed out. ‘But who knows? Maybe in time I’ll change my mind.’
‘Is there anyone you do trust?’
He thought about it for a long moment.
‘I think it’s imperative to trust the people with whom you work closely. I know you don’t understand it, but that’s one of the reasons I had to let your father go—I no longer trusted him.’
Oh, the agony of not being able to clear up that little detail!
‘So—’ she fiddled with one of his shirt buttons, fastidiously avoiding his eye ‘—Jeremy Myalls has quite clearly earned your trust. How did he manage to do that?’
‘Jeremy has worked for me for years. He’s had more opportunity than most to exploit my faith in him, but so far he has conducted himself in a trustworthy manner.’
‘You say that as if you haven’t quite ruled out the possibility that he might disappoint you at some stage.’
‘I have found from past experience that most people disappoint you in the end. The trick is not to let it show how it gets to you.’
Another clue, she thought.
‘Who has disappointed you the most?’ she asked, lifting her gaze to his.
He put her from him and, moving a few steps away, wrenched at the tie at his throat as if he were trying to get rid of a noose around his neck.
‘Why all the questions?’ He frowned. ‘You’re starting to sound like something out of a how-to-really-talk-to-your-husband manual.’
‘Reading one mightn’t be such a bad idea,’ she retorted. ‘I hardly know you at all.’
‘Did I ask you to get to know me?’ He glared at her. ‘I asked you to marry me for a period of time, that’s all.’
‘I don’t like sleeping with strangers.’
‘You don’t have to sleep with me.’
‘Fine by me.’ She folded her arms across her chest.
He gave her a narrow-eyed look. ‘What’s all this about, Maddison?’
‘What’s all what about?’
‘This.’ He waved his arm to encompass them both. ‘I thought we’d moved beyond taking pot shots at each other.’
‘Just because you’ve had sex with me doesn’t mean I have to automatically agree with everything you say.’
‘I’m not asking you to. I just want you to fulfil your part of the arrangement.’
‘For how long?’
‘For as long as I say.’
‘So once again you get to call all the shots.’
‘If you have a problem with that you know how to fix it.’
‘You said that once I married you Kyle’s slate would be clean as far as you were concerned.’
‘Did I?’ He arched one brow. ‘Why don’t you tell me where he is to see if I’m a man of my word?’
‘I wouldn’t trust you as far as I could smell you.’
‘You’re seriously underestimating the strength of my aftershave, not to mention my determination to see justice served.’
She swung away from his arrogant look and fought with herself to keep control.
‘Go and get dressed in something other than one of those disreputable tracksuits you seem to favour,’ he said after a tense little silence. ‘We have a dinner engagement this evening.’
She turned back round to face him. ‘I’m not going out with you.’
‘I’m sorry to disappoint you, but indeed you are.’
‘You can’t make me.’
‘Do you want to test that little theory of yours?’ he asked. ‘I’m more than willing, and you know from experience I’m more than able.’
‘You are the most arrogant man I’ve ever met!’
‘Maybe, but since we’re trading insults you are the most exasperating woman I’ve ever had to deal with. You go from tears to temper in the matter of seconds.’
‘That’s because you make me so angry!’
‘You make me furious, so at least we’re square.’
‘I detest you.’
‘Right now, you’re not exactly on top of my favourite people list either.’
He had the last word yet again.
His words had stung her rather more than she cared to admit, but even as she turned on her heel and stalked from the room deep down she knew her anger was really directed at herself rather than him.
Her need to know more about him as a person sprang from her love for him. She wanted him to learn to trust her, but she couldn’t see that happening with him becoming so prickly as soon as she began to scratch the surface of his background.
The irony was that he trusted the one man he shouldn’t be trusting. Her desire to inform him of Jeremy’s duplicity was overruled by the thought of what Jeremy would do in retaliation. If only she could be sure Demetrius would leave Kyle alone if he were to be informed of his whereabouts, but could she trust him that far?
She couldn’t risk it, at least not yet.
Once she cleared her father’s name, Demetrius might be more willing to listen and renegotiate regarding Kyle’s future, but until then she had to keep silent.
All she had to do was to wait until the money was deposited in her account tomorrow and withdraw it soon after, ready to hand back to Demetrius. In less than twenty-four hours she would be free of the poison of Jeremy’s threats.
All she could do was wait.
She had no other choice.
15-11-07, 08:00 PM
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