Carole Mortimer - Fear Of Love

‘I’ll see you later, Trevor.’ She went back to the door.

‘But where are you going?’ He looked dazed.

‘I have to go out for a while. I shouldn’t be too long.’

‘First Dominic and now you,’ he shook his head. ‘I only hope Gail can hold lunch back half an hour or so.’

‘Dominic has been delayed?’ she asked casually.

‘Mm, something turned up unexpectedly. He’ll be here in about twenty minutes.’

‘I’m sure Gail can hold lunch back,’ she gave him a bright smile. ‘I should be back by then too.’

He shrugged resignedly. ‘Okay.’

Alexandra revved up her little Mini before accelerating away with a screech of tyres. It was a ten-minute drive to the Tempest mansion, which should give her time to get there before Dominic himself left. The mood she was in it shouldn’t take her ten minutes, more like five.

Dominic’s car was parked in the forecourt of the house ready for his departure, but there was another car there too, not as impressive as the Ferrari, but nevertheless it put her Mini in the shade. It looked like a Lotus Elan.

She didn’t have time to confirm this one way or the other because as she got out of her car two people also came out of the house. The man was instantly recognisable as Dominic Tempest, there was no mistaking that powerful physique, the deeply tanned handsome features, and the over-long sun-bleached blond hair. The woman wasn’t known to her, but she did look vaguely familiar as she laughed up at the man at her side.

So it wasn’t a something that had come up to delay Dominic, but a someone. And she hadn’t just arrived, by the look of the overnight case in her hand. Alexandra watched them unobserved for several minutes, watched in disgust as Dominic bent his head to kiss the woman passionately on the lips, and turned away with even more disgust as the woman pressed herself against him for even closer contact. Alexandra found it distasteful of them to make such a public display of their intimate relationship.

As the embrace ended Dominic at last seemed to become aware of Alexandra’s presence on the driveway, but he made no attempt to remove the arm of complete possession he had around the woman’s shoulders.

He walked towards her with that long easy swagger of his, his grey eyes narrowing at her scornful expression. ‘Hello, Alexandra. I’m just on my way, there was no need to send out a search party.’ His voice was deep and just as attractive as the rest of him. He was very tall, well over six foot, with carved granite-like features that always seemed to mock or taunt her. He wore his clothes with a lazy elegance that drew attention to him whether he wore denims or a suit. No, she could never deny that he was an attractive man, but at thirty-four he had cashed in on that attraction, having one ex-wife to his credit already, and goodness knows how many mistresses. ‘I called Trevor and told him I’d been delayed,’ he added.

She nodded. ‘Yes, I know. He said something had come up.’ She gave the woman at his side a cool look.

Dominic’s mouth tightened into a thin uncompromising line, the usual sensuousness of that mouth erased by anger. ‘Alexandra, I would like you to meet Sabrina Gilbert. Sabrina, Alexandra Paige, my brother’s sister-in-law.’

The two women shook hands, Alexandra noting that he gave her no explanation of who Sabrina Gilbert was. Not that she needed to be told, not after the embrace she had witnessed. Besides, Dominic looked as if he had just got out of bed, judging by the look of sleepy satisfaction in his eyes. The whole thing shocked and disgusted her.

‘So what are you doing here, Alexandra?’ he asked curtly.

‘I wanted to talk to you, alone.’

He gave a husky laugh. ‘Did it have to be now? I would have been over for lunch in a few minutes. We could have talked then.’

Her mouth set stubbornly. ‘I said alone.’

He looked at her sharply. ‘I’m sure we have nothing to say to each other that Gail and Trevor can’t hear.’

‘Not to each other, no. But I have some things to say to you I would prefer no one else to hear.’

‘Sounds interesting, darling.’ Sabrina Gilbert spoke for the first time, a low husky sound that probably excited men just to hear it. ‘I think I’ll just be on my way and leave you to it.’ She raised her face for his kiss. ‘I’ll see you at your apartment during the week. Nice to have met you, Miss Paige.’

Alexandra didn’t answer, turning away as Dominic lingered over kissing that pouting red mouth. Sabrina was obviously a beautiful woman, with a bright cap of golden hair, come-to-bed blue eyes, and a perfect figure, but Alexandra didn’t think that Dominic had to make quite such a meal of her.

‘I’ll call you Tuesday or Wednesday,’ he promised throatily.

‘I’ll be waiting.’ She got into the Lotus Elan and with a wave of her hand drove off.

Dominic turned his icy grey eyes on Alexandra, his anger a tangible thing. ‘Now perhaps we can have that talk you seem to want,’ he said in a clipped voice.

Her blue eyes flashed her dislike of him. ‘I think you’re the lowest, most contemptible—–’

He grasped her arm, dragging her towards the house. ‘Not out here,’ he growled. ‘Have the good manners to wait until we’re in my study. That is, of course, if you know what good manners are. You haven’t given a very good impression of it so far.’

‘What did you expect me to do while you drooled over the lovely Miss Gilbert?’ she sneered. ‘Stand and clap your performance?’

He looked down at her. ‘If you felt it merited it.’ He pushed her into a room. ‘But I was referring to your behaviour before then.’ He leant back against his desk, his arms folded challengingly in front of his chest. ‘That was the most disgusting display of bad manners you’ve shown in a long time.’

Her eyes blazed. ‘How dare you! I—–’

He gave a humourless smile. ‘How dare I ?’ He shook his head. ‘I haven’t done anything, Alex. You stormed over here—–’

‘Don’t call me Alex!’ she snapped. ‘It makes me sound like a boy. My name is Alexandra.’

Those grey eyes travelled slowly over her taut angry body clothed in denims and a tee-shirt. ‘Well, you dress like a boy, but the shape is definitely female. I hadn’t realised quite how much you’ve grown up.’

His gaze was positively insolent and Alexandra only just stopped herself putting up shielding hands to cover her body. Thank goodness she did, she could just imagine the mockery he would show her if she had given in to such a weakness. But he had no right to look at her that way when he had just got out of bed with the sexy blonde. He had no right to look at her like that anyway, almost as if he were mentally undressing her.

She found herself blushing anyway, unable to stop the involuntary action. This was the first time Dominic had shown in any way that he regarded her as a woman. It was vaguely unnerving and she felt tongue-tied.

But of course he was looking at her as a woman, his senses were probably still aflame from the weekend spent with the lovely Sabrina Gilbert. Alexandra now realised where she had seen the other woman; she appeared in a popular long-running television series. The two of them had probably met at the television studio where Dominic recorded his weekly current affairs programme.

‘It’s because I’m grown up that I’m here,’ she said finally, her cheeks still aflame.

‘Really?’ he drawled. ‘Have you come over for some private tuition?’

Her mouth tightened. ‘Don’t be ridiculous! If I required that sort of tuition I certainly wouldn’t come to you for it. I have a boy-friend who can supply me with all the experience I need.’