And then I scream.
But not for fun.
I’m staring at something so unlikely I can only gape, too shocked to speak.
Darnley’s laughing softly somewhere over my head. ‘Too hard? Just you wait. You can get up now.’
But I’m not listening. I’m still locked in position, bent double and rigid with shock. I’m staring at a face.
And it’s not my reflection. It’s wearing goggles and it’s grinning.
Somebody’s down there watching.
* * *
‘Face? What kind of face? There’s nobody around here for miles. If somebody was playing around underwater we’d have seen them.’ Darnley’s not buying it. He scowls at the water and then restarts the engine, his expression grim.
I’ve broken the spell. I feel a prickle of guilt. ‘Somebody was peering in. I saw them. He had goggles. He could be anywhere …’ I look round in a panic. ‘He was grinning.’
The shock must show in my face but Darnley’s unmoved. ‘The beach is public land. We get tourists round here even in winter. But there’s nobody out here now. You saw some seaweed. Or maybe a seal.’
When we get to the shore he pulls the boat up the slipway and watches tight-lipped while I replace the cover. Indoors I can hear him on the phone, his voice thick with fury while I rinse sand off my toes in the en-suite. Slowly I tune in to what he’s saying.
‘That’s impossible. Nobody gets through. Check again. It’s supposed to be foolproof, dammit. We’ll be there after lunch. I expect a result by then.’
I frown as I join him. ‘We’re going out this afternoon?’
He cuts the call, his manner breezy. ‘We’re going over to the training complex. You’ll meet some of the people you’ll be working with. Now come with me.’
He’s still not looking at me.
He seizes my hand and drags me through the house and down a couple of flights of stairs to a tough-looking metal door. I’m feeling more and more uneasy.
‘This is the control room. There’s something here I want you to see.’
The room is festooned with cable and lined with screens. Men in T-shirts and jeans, I assume technicians, shoot to their feet looking scared. At Darnley’s scowl they quickly leave.
He turns to me, his eyes cold. ‘Watch.’ He flicks a remote at a screen.
All at once I’m looking out over the bay. Centre-screen a woman is splashing about in the water, glistening and naked. She looks insanely happy and carefree. She dives a couple of times, then floats on her back, upthrust breasts glistening in the sunlight. As I watch she clambers up into a small boat and poses, fully on view as she prepares to dive again. I hold my breath as a dreadful chill steals over me.
It’s me.
‘Keep watching.’
He speeds up the film and now he’s in the boat too and he’s towering over me, looking down at me … and all at once we’re locked in a clinch so intense I feel a throb of arousal just watching.
Slowly I tear my eyes away and glare at him. ‘You took pictures? Why?’
His eyes blaze. ‘This is security footage, dammit. We were doing a random sweep of the bay. The camera’s on-watch even when you think nobody’s around.’
I glare at him, temper rising as icy shock gives way to fury. ‘And whenever you want some hot action? It’s on then?’
My voice is husky. But the footage is still tracking. My voice tails off as I see the boat rocking and me bending over, facing away. He’s grinning down at me, holding me firmly by the hips as I scrabble to balance and all at once he lands an almighty slap on my backside …
My mouth’s gone dry. ‘What are you doing? Those men could have seen this.’
His eyes blaze. ‘Fuck it, Ella, what do you think I’m doing? Of course they’ve seen it. The whole damn complex saw it.’
I round on him. ‘So you serve me up as free soft-core with their coffee? Next time you want fun in a boat, damn well call an escort. You could have said you had cameras watching.’
Sickened, I turn away but an iron hand clamps on my arm and propels me round to face him. His face is like granite, his eyes ablaze.
‘Do I always have to spell it out? Of course I had cameras watching, I always have cameras watching. That’s what security is. That’s what I do. And that was to teach you – and them – a lesson.’
‘A lesson?’ I wrench my arm away. ‘Let go of me.’ I take a few steps back just to make sure. ‘You deliberately let me think we were having some private time in my boat and you were filming it just to give me a lesson?’
‘Keep your voice down. Listen to me –’ He steps towards me and I take another step back.
‘I just listened. And I can’t believe you just did that.’
He lets out an impatient sigh. ‘One of the first things security people learn is to be discreet around their employers, no matter what. And believe it or not, one of the first things employers should learn is to consider their employees’ feelings and not get too carried away. So today they learned their lesson and you learned yours. From now on their behaviour towards you will be monitored. If they get over-friendly, or make you feel uncomfortable, they’ll lose marks.’
‘What? So I’m an exercise now? I’m your fiancée, Darnley. I have a position here. And you owe me respect.’ I dart out of the door and race up the steps.
Fury has strange effects. One of them is it clears things. As I run through the house up to our rooms all that bothers me is how fast I can pack, what I’ll need to take and how I get to the airport. Mercifully no one follows as I ram clothes into a holdall, reach for a thick jacket and check my purse has credit cards, loose change and tissues.
From the feel of it I’ll need plenty – but not yet.
As I make for the door a tall figure bars my way.
‘Going somewhere?’ Darnley’s glaring at me, his presence a powerful bar to my plans.
I catch my breath at the reality of him, looming in front of me. He looks so good … ‘I’m leaving. And don’t try to stop me.’
‘What? Why?’
I stare at him, stunned. ‘Why? Because you can’t do that. You can’t disrespect me like that in front of other people. Is that what you planned when you brought me out here?’
‘It was just a kiss, Ella.’ He’s frowning, like I’m talking in some weird foreign language. Like it’s me who’s unreasonable.
