Carole Mortimer - Passionate Winter

Leigh started visibly. She had no wish to be left on her own with this man. But she could hardly delay Keith and Karen any longer as it was already quite late. ‘You two go ahead,’ she told them, trying hard not to show how nervous she actually felt. In a group of people Piers Sinclair made her feel nervous; what would she feel like when she was left alone with him in the flat? ‘I’ll probably be along later, but if I’m not you’ll know I’ve decided to have an early night.’

She looked nervously at her silent companion after Karen and Keith had left, noting his disapproving look. ‘What’s wrong now?’ she sighed wearily as she sat down. ‘I can tell by the look on your face that I’ve done something else you don’t approve of.’

His dark eyebrows rose haughtily. ‘I wouldn’t have thought my approval mattered to you particularly, Miss Stanton. But if you would really like to know the reason for my displeasure it’s because I didn’t like the way that young man walked in here as if he owned the place and acted as if it was perfectly normal for him to see you dressed only in a towel!’

Leigh glared at him defiantly. ‘Perhaps it is normal for him! He’s a very good friend of mine.’ Which in fact he was, the two of them becoming firm friends from the time Leigh first moved to London. And it was perfectly normal for him to see women in a state of undress, because he was training to be a doctor. The sight of a half-naked body was no novelty to Keith and Leigh knew it; unfortunately Piers Sinclair didn’t. And she certainly wasn’t going to tell him! Let him think what he liked.

Piers Sinclair stepped forward into the light, gripping her arm tightly, his long slender fingers digging painfully into her soft skin. Leigh felt tears of pain and frustration well up in her eyes and she looked up pleadingly into his harsh face, feeling at a distinct disadvantage in her bare feet and dressed only in a towel. If he only knew it she felt much more nervous of him dressed like this than she ever would of Keith.

‘Please,’ she begged at last, trying to pry his fingers loose, unable to look away from the glittering anger in his eyes. ‘ Please —you’re hurting me.’

‘I’ll do more than that if you don’t explain that young man’s familiarity,’ he told her between clenched teeth.

Leigh’s eyes opened wide with surprise as he jerked her close against him, and she felt him tense with an emotion she didn’t understand. He was so close to her that the hard length of his thigh touched her own bare legs and his soft breath caressed her hair. ‘Keith is a—a friend,’ she said breathlessly.

Piers Sinclair pulled her even closer against the lean hard length of his body, his grip on her arm tightening. ‘How much of a friend?’

‘Just a friend.’ She felt his hold on her wrist loosen and she thankfully pulled herself away from the drugging sensation of his body, rubbing her arm as the blood began to flow through to her hand again. ‘You didn’t have to hurt me. Are you usually this violent?’

‘Not usually, no.’ His face relaxed and he studied her with intent eyes. ‘Only when something is important to me.’

‘And does my virginity fall into that category?’ she couldn’t resist asking.

Piers Sinclair sat down, calmly taking a cigarette from his gold case, offering her one before igniting it with his matching lighter after her refusal. ‘Strangely enough,’ he said huskily, ‘it does. You’re only a child, and much too young to run about with the crowd Gavin mixes with.’

‘And he isn’t?’

‘Gavin is a boy and quite able to make his own decisions, rightly or wrongly.’

‘So you’re a male chauvinist, Mr Sinclair,’ she taunted softly. ‘How quaint in this day and age! Don’t you realise this is the time of equality?’

He took the ashtray from her outstretched hand, placing it on the arm of his chair. ‘Not for a child like you. You have to grow up a lot more before you can think of flaunting your independence, and going to college won’t help you one little bit. It’s too much like being at school. What are you training to be anyway?’

‘A professional layabout?’ she queried sweetly.

‘There’s no need to be sarcastic,’ he rebuked softly.

‘I’m sorry, I thought that was the answer you were expecting.’ She was beginning to feel slightly cold and was unable to suppress a shiver.

He stood up. ‘I’m sorry, you must be getting cold. If you would like to go and dress I’ll wait here for you.’

‘What for?’ she asked rudely.

‘Just go and dress like a good girl,’ he said impatiently.

Leigh needed no second bidding. It didn’t take her long to don the wine-coloured velvet trousers and fine lawn smock-top, brushing her hair back until it was a glistening black cloud about her slim shoulders. She quickly applied a light make-up before putting on her shoes, the extra height giving her more confidence. She left the bedroom feeling more able to stand up to this domineering man.

‘Very nice,’ he said approvingly. ‘You’re a very beautiful girl.’

‘ I am?’

‘Yes, you are, if you weren’t so damned obstinate all the time.’ He put his hand inside his jacket pocket and pulled out the handkerchief he hadn’t bothered to use when she had given it to him earlier to wipe his oily hands. ‘Yours, I believe.’

Leigh took the handkerchief out of his proffered hand, staring at it as if she had never seen it before. ‘You came here just to bring this back to me?’

‘Disappointed?’ he asked softly.

‘No, of course not!’ Leigh denied vehemently, maybe too vehemently. ‘It just seems strange for you to bring back a little thing like this. I didn’t expect you to return it.’

‘I didn’t say that was the reason I came here. I came to see if you had arrived home safely.’

‘ You did? Whatever for?’

‘I felt responsible for you. You’re the type of helpless female that needs protecting from herself, and as your parents don’t seem to give a damn—–’

‘Now you have gone too far!’ Leigh stood angrily in front of him, her eyes almost spitting her dislike of him. ‘My parents care for me very much, in fact it was as I was returning from visiting them that my car broke down. I can assure you that no one could worry more about me than my mother and father do.’

‘They have a very funny way of showing it, letting a kid like you live in London and mix with the crowd you do.’ He saw her face colour up. ‘Unless of course they don’t know about your so-called friends,’ he guessed shrewdly. ‘Could that be the case?’

Leigh studied her painted fingernails, avoiding his gaze, which was much too penetrating for comfort. ‘There’s nothing to know. They know I have quite a few friends in London, and they’re only too pleased that I’ve made these friends so easily.’

‘But you haven’t told them that most of these kids sleep around and a lot of them experiment with drugs. Have you?’

His tone demanded an answer. ‘No,’ she agreed reluctantly. ‘But they know I have more sense than to get involved in any one of those scenes. I’ve seen drug addicts and the state they’ve been reduced to, and let me tell you that nothing would induce me to take drugs. What is it with you anyway? You should be telling Gavin all this, not me.’

‘Gavin is perfectly capable of taking care of himself,’ he told her coldly. ‘Like you, he’s seen drug addicts. That’s the one thing I know he would never become involved in.’

‘Okay, okay,’ she said resignedly. ‘Now you know that I’ve arrived home safely you can go on to your engagement. I wouldn’t like the lady to be kept waiting.’