Lee Wilkinson - Claiming His Wedding Night

‘You’re quite mistaken.’

He sounded as if he meant it and, brought up short, she gazed at him, perplexed.

‘Then what are you planning? There has to be some reason for…’ The words tailed off as a frightening thought struck her.

‘For you being here?’ He smiled coldly. ‘Oh, yes, there’s a reason. More than one, in fact.’

With a boldness she was far from feeling, she demanded, ‘Well, are you going to tell me? Or would you prefer me to guess?’

‘What is your guess?’ he asked interestedly.

Her throat dry, she said, ‘That I was right about you wanting revenge…I just got the wrong person.’

When he made no attempt to deny it, she swallowed convulsively. ‘So this whole thing was set up just to lure me to the airport and on to the plane…Well, it can’t possibly work!’

‘It’s worked so far,’ he pointed out.

‘But it’s kidnapping! And, in case you haven’t realized, kidnapping is against the law.’

Her attempt at sarcasm only made him smile.

‘How can you call it kidnapping? You got on the plane of your own free will.’

‘But when I wanted to get off, you wouldn’t allow me to.’

‘My dear Perdita, surely you realize that people can’t just get off a plane and start wandering about on the runway.’

Realizing it was fruitless to keep arguing, she relapsed into silence.

If luring her here was so he could extract some kind of revenge—and he had failed to deny her accusation—how far did he mean to go? Was it his intention simply to scare her? Give her an uncomfortable couple of hours before letting her go?

Or could he have something altogether more sinister in mind?

No, surely not.

She had accused him of kidnapping without seriously believing it. All the indications were that he was now a wealthy and respectable businessman with a position to maintain. Not some kind of criminal.

But, whatever, it would do no good to let him see how rattled she was.

Taking a deep breath, she said, ‘Very well, you’ve won so far. But now what? If I don’t get back to the office soon they’ll wonder where I’ve got to, and if Dad doesn’t hear from me before too long he’ll start to worry.’

‘There’s no reason why you shouldn’t phone him. And the office too, if it comes to that.’

‘You won’t try to stop me?’

‘Certainly not. After all,’ he added sardonically as she reached for her bag, ‘we can’t have your father worrying about you.’

His words echoing in her head, she froze. What could she possibly tell her father that wouldn’t worry him half to death?

Watching her, well aware of her dilemma, Jared suggested, ‘Perhaps it would make more sense to talk business first? That way, if you can convince me that the company is worth saving, you’ll have something positive to report.’

Though she deeply mistrusted him and was convinced that any discussion would be futile, seeing nothing else for it, she agreed, ‘Very well.’

‘Before we start, it might be an idea to move to somewhere more comfortable.’

Rising to his feet, he pulled back her chair and seated her in one of the soft leather armchairs, before summoning the steward to clear away the remains of breakfast.

As soon as Henry had cleared the table and whisked away the trolley, Jared moved to join her.

Settling himself opposite, he stretched his long legs negligently and, his eyes on her face, waited.

When she said nothing, he invited, a shade mockingly, ‘Go ahead.’

But the reasoned arguments and the facts to support them that she had previously rehearsed had fled and, faced with a mental block, she hesitated.

Apparently appreciating her difficulty, he suggested, ‘Why not pretend I’m Sean Calhoun and tell me why I should buy into JB Electronics?’

His words provided a key to the block. Taking a deep breath, she began by explaining what had caused the company’s present difficulties before going on to outline exactly what was needed to restore the balance and make them really profitable once more.

He listened without interrupting, his almond eyes fixed on her face. Extraordinary, handsome eyes, long-lashed and heavy-lidded, with jet-black pupils and silvery-grey irises.

Eyes that in the past had, depending on his mood, made her think of cold winter moonlight, or the dangerous gleam of rapiers, or the brilliance of summer lightning…

Dragging her recalcitrant thoughts back to the task in hand, she went on a shade unsteadily, ‘We have several excellent new projects in the pipeline which, once they’re properly funded, should be winners. In other words, the company is well worth saving.’

‘Eloquently put,’ he applauded. ‘But presumably your bank is unwilling to either provide a loan or extend your overdraft?’

Convinced that he already knew she’d tried and failed, and was relishing it, she said tightly, ‘That’s right.’

‘As JB Electronics is an Anglo-American concern, I take it that the present problems aren’t confined to the UK, but affect the company as a whole?’

‘Yes,’ she admitted with a sigh. Even Elmer’s big house in San Jose—the house that she and her father had stayed in when they were in the States—was very heavily mortgaged.

‘So, to get a rough idea of how things stand overall, how much does the company owe the banks?’

She told him.

‘And how much are you in debt to your suppliers?’

When she had told him that too, he asked, ‘What about your workforce?’

‘Up until now we’ve managed to pay them.’

‘How?’

Wondering exactly what he was getting at, she sat in tight-lipped silence.

When she failed to answer, he remarked smoothly, ‘I understand that your house in Mecklen Square is mortgaged up to the hilt?’

She had opened her mouth to deny it when the obvious truth of his statement hit her like a blow over the heart.

It explained so many things. Things John hadn’t wanted to discuss or had hedged over.

As she stared at Jared in horror, he said, ‘I see you didn’t know.’

Why on earth hadn’t her father told her? she wondered despairingly.

But even as she posed the question, she knew the answer. Only too aware that she had enough worries and unwilling to spoil her forthcoming wedding, he had deliberately kept it from her.

‘How remiss of your father to send you to negotiate without telling you the full facts,’ Jared remarked silkily. ‘It leaves you at a disadvantage.’

Angered by his obvious satisfaction, she demanded sharply, ‘How come you know so much?’

‘Past mistakes have convinced me that it’s preferable to negotiate from a position of strength, so I made it my business to find out.’

‘Well, bully for you,’ she said bitterly.

‘Now we come to the question of assets…’

It took a moment or two to gather herself before she admitted, ‘As no doubt you already know, at present we have no viable assets.’

‘Hmm…’ He ran long, lean fingers over his smooth, freshly shaven chin while he sat and studied her heart-shaped face in silence.

She was still as lovely as ever, he thought, with her pure bone structure and pale blonde hair, her flawless complexion and those fascinating eyes, the clear greeny-blue of turquoise.

But it was more than the high cheekbones, the wide passionate mouth and the cleft in her softly rounded chin that made her beautiful. It was the character in her face, the warmth and individuality.

As the silence lengthened, well aware that this was torture by hope, teeth clenched together, she waited, determined to show no sign of impatience.

Only when her nerves were stretched almost to breaking point did he stir himself and say briskly, ‘Right. If my auditors’ report agrees with what you’ve just told me, I’m prepared to buy into JB Electronics and provide as much money as it takes to put it back on its feet.’