‘But what—what happened?’ Her eyes were like huge green pools of curiosity.
Joel sighed. ‘I suppose you have a right to know. Now I may not be the epitome of the perfect male and Laura and I have never been very faithful, each of us having other casual friendships. But I draw the line at having her burst into my apartment just as I was—–’ he broke off. ‘Making love, you would call it,’ he looked grim. ‘With another woman.'
‘But you told me that you—that you and she still—–'
‘Oh, we do, on the odd occasion. Why not? I take Laura as I would take a shower, not a necessity but pleasant on the right occasion. And as for using Candida, I have better sense. I don't intend to gain my freedom from one scheming woman just to get caught in another trap equally disastrous. Believe me, Candida would demand more from me than you do, both physically and in other ways. And I'm not willing to answer to any woman for my actions.'
‘I see.'
‘Stop looking so disapproving, Farrah,’ he chuckled huskily. ‘And for God's sake relax! Don't you ever smile?'
‘Sometimes. I haven't had much to smile about lately.'
‘Look, I'm not going to hurt you. This is all pretence, and it won't last very long.'
‘Just long enough for me to be known publicly as your new woman.'
‘It may not come to that, Laura and I may be able to settle this privately.'
Farrah looked at him eagerly. ‘Could you do that?'
‘Maybe,’ he said non-committally.
‘Oh, Joel, I'd—–’ she broke off.
He grinned at her. ‘Carry on, Farrah, it would be a pity to spoil your effort.'
She looked at him shyly. ‘It wasn't such an effort,’ she admitted.
Blue eyes narrowed, but he still smiled. ‘All the more reason,’ he said huskily. ‘Just try and forget our reason for being here. I think that our mission has been accomplished. Candy and her friends have been giving us speculative looks for the past hour or more, and since talking to us I should think Candy has told them all who you are. Don't worry, Laura should know within the next day or so that we were seen together.'
‘But would it matter to her? You've already admitted that you both occasionally see other people.'
‘That's why I told you it would take a couple of months to convince her, my girl-friends don't usually last that long.'
‘Tell me, Mr—Joel, have you ever been in love?'
‘No. It's a luxury that has never been granted me. You've grown very curious, Farrah Halliday. Why the sudden interest?'
Farrah sipped her Martini and lemonade before answering him. ‘If I have to spend time with you I may as well make conversation. Most people enjoy talking about themselves.'
‘I don't.’ He bent forward, effectively cutting off the rest of the room from her vision. ‘I would far rather talk about you. Are you as innocent as you look?'
‘You've said that once before. I can't help the way I look.'
‘Does that mean that the answer is no?'
‘No, it doesn't! If by innocent you mean do I sleep around, then the answer is no. So that makes me innocent in your eyes. I've never gone in for casual love or lovemaking.'
‘Does that mean you're a virgin?'
‘It's none of your business! I—–'
‘Does it?’ he repeated sharply.
‘I can't—– It—– Oh yes! Yes, it does! Are you satisfied now?'
‘No. I'm interested, very interested. Do you have boyfriends, Farrah? Of course you do,’ he answered his own question. ‘Someone called Nigel wasn't it, and I presume there have been others. And yet none of them have wanted to make love to you.'
Farrah gasped. ‘I didn't say that!'
‘So they have wanted to make love to you. And you've said no. Why was that, Farrah, are you holding out for marriage? Are you thinking of how privileged that man will feel when you go into your marriage bed pure and untouched?'
There was no mistaking the sneer in his voice and Farrah bridled angrily. ‘Like I said, you mock everything.’ She shifted away from him and breathed more easily when no longer made quite so much aware of his physical attractiveness. For a few minutes he had held her attention like a magnet, and she was made all too much aware of how easy it was to fall for his charm when he chose to exert it. And she wouldn't give him that satisfaction.
His hand moved to cover her own as it rested on the table, holding her even tighter as her first instinct was to snatch her hand away. ‘Careful,’ he warned. ‘Don't spoil it all now. You've managed very well so far.'
‘Thank you very much, sir! How kind you are!'
Her anger made him smile. ‘Your eyes are flashing again.'
Farrah blushed. ‘Leave my eyes out of it!'
Joel shook his head. ‘Impossible. They're really quite beautiful. Are those dark lashes natural?'
‘You're prevaricating again.’ She was unable to meet his eyes.
‘Not me, honey, you're the one doing that. I asked you a perfectly normal—–'
‘Normal! Nothing about our whole relationship is normal! Can we go home now?'
‘Yours or mine?’ he taunted.
‘You to yours, and me to mine,’ she said ungrammatically.
Joel picked up her hand, studying the palely painted nails and her slim tapered fingers. ‘There ought to be a ring on this hand,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘A huge emerald to match your eyes. Has no one ever offered?'
‘I'll only marry for love. Now can we go home?’ she repeated stubbornly.
‘It's early,’ he replied vaguely, still looking at her hand as it rested in his own much larger one. He looked at his watch. ‘It's only eleven o'clock, much too early to leave. I rarely leave before two in the morning.'
Farrah felt a sense of dread. Another three hours with him. In this mood he was far too dangerous for her peace of mind. In a short time they had become much too intimate for Farrah's liking. Joel seemed to be amusing himself with her and he was being deliberately charming. The trouble was her traitorous body was falling for it. Each time he gave her that dark brooding look she trembled with anticipation, of what she wasn't sure.
‘If we leave now your friends will naturally assume we're going to your apartment to—to—–'
‘Make love,’ he drawled. ‘That seems to be the topic of the evening. And I can quite as well make love at two in the morning as I can now.'
Farrah
