‘That won’t be necessary. You’re quite right, I remember everything that happened.’ Her mouth turned down with distaste. ‘How could I ever forget?’
A cool smile moved across his lips. ‘It was an interesting meeting, wasn’t it? Not quite the kind I usually have with my employees, but—’
‘I am not your employee.’ Talia’s voice sliced through his. She paused, then took a breath. ‘And if you have something to say to me, I wish you’d say it.’
She hadn’t spoken loudly, but the wind had picked up her voice and carried it to the pilot and steward standing on the steps behind her. She felt them stir with interest.
‘Of course I have something to say to you, Miss Roberts. We have business to discuss.’ Miller’s eyebrows rose. ‘Don’t tell me that comes as a surprise.’
Talia’s heart began to gallop. Her palms felt wet; she wanted to wipe them against her skirt, but she was afraid that he’d see it as a sign of weakness. ‘Everything about this meeting is a surprise,’ she said, looking him in the eye. ‘For instance, you certainly don’t look your age.’
‘I’m afraid I don’t—’
‘I was expecting Logan Miller to be in his sixties. But you must know that.’
He stared at her, and then a slow grin spread across his face. ‘Well, that explains a lot, Miss Roberts.’
‘Where is the old man Miller everyone talks about, or is he just someone you invented to keep people off guard?’
‘Listen, lady, don’t blame me for not doing your homework.’
‘I did my homework,’ Talia said stiffly. ‘I knew all I needed to know about your corporation and the weekend you’d planned. It was my boss who said you’d be—that Logan Miller would be…’
He sighed. ‘Logan Miller—senior—was my father. I took over the firm four years ago, when he fell ill.’
Changes Ahead for Miller International… So that was what the headline of the unread article had meant. Talia swallowed drily. ‘I had no way of knowing that,’ she said. ‘And I didn’t know who you were. You knew that. You—’
His air of easy amusement fled, leaving his expression cold. ‘Would it have made a difference?’
Crimson patches of colour appeared on her cheeks. ‘Of course it would.’
‘You mean you’d have been more co-operative?’ His voice was silken. ‘Hell, if I’d known that, I’d have handed you my business card before I kissed you.’
Talia stiffened with anger. ‘You know what I mean. Not telling me you were our client was a cheap shot. It was…’
There was a stir behind her. Her mounting rage had made her forget the pilot and steward. Now, suddenly remembering their presence, she stumbled to an embarrassed silence.
Miller gave her a quick, mirthless smile. ‘I’m glad to see you have some sense of decorum,’ he murmured.
She felt a surge of heat rise to her cheeks. ‘You’re a fine one to talk about decorum, aren’t you?’
‘Enough!’ His voice was as hard as the hand that closed around her forearm. ‘I never talk business in public,’ he said, and then he looked past her to the plane. ‘Thank you, gentlemen. That’s all for now. Miss Roberts won’t need you again until midnight.’
Talia looked at him sharply. ‘What do you mean?’
‘What I mean,’ he said calmly, ‘is that there’s no point in my men cooling their heels while they wait for you.’ He began walking towards the Maserati, his fingers gripping her arm so tightly that she had no choice but to stumble along beside him. ‘Julio has family nearby, and Bob—’
‘Dammit!’ Talia’s breath hissed between her teeth. ‘You know what I meant. Where are we going?’
They reached the car and he opened the passenger door. ‘Get in, Talia.’ When she made no move to obey, he moved closer to her. ‘I’ll load you in myself, it that’s what it takes.’
He’d do it, she thought, staring at him. She tossed her head, then climbed stiffly inside the low-slung automobile. Miller slammed the door, then came around and got in beside her. The powerful engine roared to life.
Talia’s mouth went dry. ‘Just what do you think you’re doing, Mr Miller?’
‘I’m taking you to dinner.’ The Maserati began moving. ‘We have an appointment. Didn’t your boss tell you?’
She stared at him, then let out her breath. ‘Look, there’s no point in stringing this out any further. I’ll call my boss and tell him…’
Her voice faltered, and he looked over at her. ‘Go on,’ he said pleasantly. ‘What will you tell him?’
They were speeding along beside the runway. Blue marker lights flashed by in the gathering dusk. It felt as if the car were gathering enough speed to hurtle into the sky. But suddenly the car veered sharply away from the runway. A fence rose ahead, and beyond that Talia could see a ribbon of road.
‘I—I’ll tell him the truth,’ she said hurriedly. ‘That you and I—that we had a misunderstanding when we met—’
His lips drew back from his teeth. ‘You mean you’ll tell him you cut the head of Miller International dead when he tried to introduce himself to you? That you were incredibly rude, that you tried to make a fool of me in front of others…?’
Talia swallowed hard. ‘You’re leaving things out.’
Miller laughed softly. ‘I am, yes. But I didn’t think you’d want to tell him that I kissed you, and that for just a minute you turned into a woman instead of a machine.’
‘That’s not the way it was! You’re distorting what happened.’
‘Am I?’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I’m only describing what happened, Talia. But we can leave it to John Diamond to decide which version he prefers—yours or mine.’ His foot bore down on the accelerator. ‘Buckle your seatbelt. We have about half an hour’s drive ahead of us.’
Her hands trembled as she did as he’d ordered. ‘Look,’ she said, ‘we both know the truth. There isn’t any contract—you lied when you said there was. It’s not fair to involve my boss in this. I mean, your quarrel’s with me, not him.’
Logan Miller glanced at her, then looked back at the road. ‘You’re right. I have no intention of hurting John Diamond.’
‘Then what…?’ She stared at his impassive profile, and fear twisted through her gut. ‘I don’t know what you’re up to,’ she said softly. ‘But no matter who you are or how important—’
He started to laugh. ‘I’d never have thought you were prone to melodrama, Talia. You’ve even written a script, haven’t you?’
‘Whatever it is you’ve planned, you won’t get away with it.’
He
