eyes, and well he might; she was a little dazed herself. ‘Your fian—–? Leondro Marcose—–? You didn’t tell me you were engaged,’ he added accusingly.
Leondro Marcose looked down his haughty nose at the red-faced man. ‘I was not aware that Templar had to inform you of happenings in her personal life—except of course in connection with tendering her notice,’ he flicked an imaginary speck off his suit jacket.
Templar glanced at him sharply, her gratitude at his intervention now turning to suspicion. What was he doing here anyway? She didn’t remember telling him where she worked, unless of course Mrs Marks had—–? But no, surely not. But then what did it really matter how he had found her, he had, and she had a feeling that he would wait no longer for her decision—or at least, no longer than it took him to get her out of here. Not that she wanted to stay under the circumstances. Howard had been very insulting, the remarks he made about Keri unforgivable, and his behaviour had been too familiar for her to carry on working for him any longer.
‘What notice?’ Howard demanded. ‘I haven’t been told about any notice being given.’
‘It was to have been tendered today, Mr Hathaway,’ the tall alien-looking man informed him coldly. ‘But your behaviour has made that unnecessary. In the circumstances I am sure you will realise that I can do no other than remove Templar from your unwanted attentions,’ he turned to Templar. ‘Are you ready to leave now?’
She moved jerkily, collecting her coat and shopping before following her ‘fiancé’ as he moved back towards the door. Surprisingly Howard detained her just as she was leaving, clutching frantically at her arm.
‘Templar! Please,’ he begged as she turned to look at him with cool green eyes. ‘I’m sorry, Templar, I really am.’ The arrogance of Leondro Marcose had sobered him more quickly than any coffee would have done.
She removed his hand from her arm. ‘It was the drink talking, Howard, I realise that. But you must realise I can’t possibly stay here any longer, not knowing the way you feel about Keri and myself.’ She was ever conscious of Leondro Marcose’s chilling features and wondered how she could ever leave with him.
Howard stepped back away from her as he saw the frosty looks he was receiving from the man at her side. He had been taken slightly off guard when this man had walked in, but now he wondered how Templar could possibly have met such an imposing man. This man’s reputation as a ruthless businessman was known worldwide, and Howard would hardly have put Templar in the society he was likely to mix in. But then Templar had been an up-and-coming model before she had her baby, so perhaps this was the child’s father. It wouldn’t surprise him. He was a handsome devil in an aristocratic sort of way and there was no doubting Templar’s beauty, enough to catch the eye of any man.
Leondro Marcose’s eyes narrowed at the dawning realisation in Howard’s face. ‘If you will excuse us,’ he nodded stiffly, opening the door that Templar had little choice but to go through. He gave her chance to say nothing until he had her firmly seated in the luxurious sports car he had parked outside. ‘Now you may talk,’ he said haughtily, his face intent on the traffic as he manoeuvred the car along the busy streets.
‘I have nothing to say.’ She held herself erect, unwilling to relax back in the comfortable seat. She felt as if she were riding on a cloud, and by the sleek line of the car she guessed it was a foreign make. Not that she knew much about cars, she couldn’t tell the brake from the accelerator.
He looked at her with amusement. ‘If what you say is true then you are truly a remarkable woman. You are the first one I have found to be so silent.’
‘Then you can’t have met many women,’ she replied tartly. ‘I know many women who like to sit quietly.’
‘Ah, now that is different. I too know many women who like to sit quietly, but that does not mean that you cannot see they have plenty they would like to say. As to my not knowing many women, I can assure you that I have not lived for thirty-six years without coming to know the complexities of women very well. I, like you, have had many—acquaintances, shall we say?’
‘I understand, Mr Marcose. I understand perfectly!’
‘No, you do not. But it is unimportant that you do,’ he glanced sideways at her. ‘And my name is Leon—use it.’
She bit her lips to stop them trembling. All her efforts to never see this man again had been futile. She should have realised that a man of his arrogance and bearing would not let an insignificant nonentity like herself stop him from getting what he wanted. Well, perhaps she wasn’t completely insignificant, she was Keri’s mother after all.
‘I can’t call you Leon,’ she said finally when she had her emotions under better control. ‘You may be Keri’s uncle, but that doesn’t give you any special privileges where I’m concerned. If you’re anything like her father then I would rather not have met you at all. My meeting with Alex was born out of necessity rather than choice.’
‘And does the fact that he is dead and unable to help you make your need any less important?’ he snapped harshly. ‘Or are you willing to carry on as you have been doing, barely managing to support the two of you and having to accept your employer’s pawing in an effort to hold on to your job?’
There could be no doubt about it, Leondro Marcose was furiously angry. Up until now Templar had seen him condescending, arrogant, chillingly cool, and just downright rude, but never angry. In anger his eyes became a steely grey and his face gained an animation she found fascinating. But no, this man was made out of the same mould as his brother, taking his pleasures where he could and leaving the woman involved without a second thought, if indeed he had had first ones.
‘I would welcome your pawing even less,’ she told him vehemently.
‘You will never be given the opportunity to welcome or reject my touch.’ His eyes flickered over her insolently, from the auburn glory of her hair, over her make-upless face, and slowly down over her naturally slender body. She heaved a sigh of relief when the traffic lights changed to green, his attention once again centred on the road. ‘You do not attract me in the slightest,’ he added cruelly.
‘You can be assured that the feeling is reciprocated!’
‘Good,’ he said with some satisfaction. ‘And now that we have disposed of that little matter perhaps we can attempt an unemotional conversation. I would like to know what you think you have achieved by changing your address?’
‘Nothing, obviously.’
‘You hoped to evade making a decision one way or the other?’ Leondro Marcose queried mildly. ‘But surely you did not think that once I knew of Keri’s existence I would calmly leave you to make your choice? But no! You have a noticeably stubborn streak in your nature, Templar Newman, and I guessed you might attempt something of this nature. You have been closely watched since we last spoke together.’
‘I’ve been what?’
‘You have been watched,’ he repeated calmly.
She looked at him sharply. ‘So you’ve been checking up on me? And how many men were reported to have visited my flat?’ she asked sneeringly.
‘Only one. And apparently he did not look too pleased when he left the premises.’
‘Really? Oh dear, I must be slipping. My men usually go away satisfied,’ she told him shrilly.
‘Templar!’
