by Miranda Lee
Leo scowled. ‘You really are making things difficult for me.’
‘I don’t see why. I’m not asking for love and marriage, just one night of love-making. Whoops—sorry. Wrong terminology. One night of sex.’
Leo clanked the coffee mug on the desk and paced up and down at the foot of the bed before stopping to glare over at her with an exasperated expression on his handsome face. ‘We can’t stay here the whole night, Violet. Just a couple more hours.’
‘I could stay longer than that,’ she pointed out with a boldness which should have shocked her but didn’t. ‘Joy won’t have a clue what time I get home, as long as I’m there for breakfast. She takes a sleeping tablet every night.’
‘Well, Henry doesn’t take a sleeping tablet,’ Leo ground out. ‘The infernal man’s an insomniac at the best of times. What am I going to tell him when I rock up at his place in the early hours of the morning? He’ll have my guts for garters if he ever finds out I’ve deflowered his precious assistant.’
Violet shrugged. ‘I’m sure you could think of something plausible. Henry’s always going on about how brilliant you are.’
He glowered at her for a split second, then laughed. ‘Whatever am I going to do with you?’
‘Lots of things, I hope,’ she said, her boldness no longer bothering her one bit.
He shook his head at her. ‘Might I remind you that I only had that one condom?’
‘That’s not an...er...insurmountable problem.’
His eyebrows arched. ‘Really? And what are you suggesting?’
‘I’m on the pill.’
His mouth fell open, his eyes rounding with shock—or was it outrage?
‘What in God’s name do you think you’re doing, telling me that?’ he roared at her. ‘I thought you were an intelligent girl!’
‘I am intelligent.’ Violet defended herself, her face flushing as her chin lifted in defiance.
‘Really? You think it’s intelligent to tell me you’re on the pill at this precise moment? A truly intelligent girl would already have realised that I am having the devil of a time resisting you as it is. Now you’re giving me carte blanche to ravage you silly, when for all you know I’ve been having unsafe sex all over the world.’
‘Have you?’
‘No, of course not!’
‘I didn’t think so.’
‘And you’re just going to believe me?’
‘You wouldn’t lie to me.’
He threw his hands up in the air. ‘Lord protect me from twenty-five-year-old virgins!’
‘Might I remind you that I’m no longer a virgin?’ she stated coolly. ‘So, are you coming back to bed or not?’
The look on his face was priceless.
‘You are incorrigible!’
‘I’ll take that as a yes.’
‘Not yet, missy. Why are you on the pill?’
‘I told you over dinner—being on the pill cured my pimples.’
‘But that was years ago!’
She didn’t want to tell him that the fear of her acne coming back never went away. Instead, she shrugged. ‘I guess it became a habit. Why? Do you think I’m lying to you?’ she threw at him, stung by the thought. ‘If you do then I’ll get dressed and we’ll go down to the show.’
‘I don’t for one minute think you’re lying,’ he said. ‘And I definitely don’t want you to get dressed again.’
Violet had never felt anything as powerful as the emotion this last admission evoked. But she dared not let it show in her face. Inside, however, a dazzling sense of triumph made her head pound and her heart sing. Leo was going to stay. He was going to make love to her again. But, even as he was undoing the first button of his shirt, his fingers stilled and his eyes narrowed.
‘One last thing,’ he bit out.
Violet’s galloping heartbeat became suspended in her chest.
‘No matter what I do to you tonight—no matter what I say or what you feel—this has nothing to do with love. Please tell me right here and now that you understand that.’
Violet didn’t like deceiving him. But sometimes a girl had to do what a girl had to do. Because what was the alternative—she confessed her love for him and he walked out the door? No way! He was hers, for tonight at least, and nothing and no one was going to be allowed to spoil that.
‘For pity’s sake, Leo, you don’t have to keep spelling things out for me. I understand. Truly. We’re not making love. We’re just having sex. Okay?’
‘No, it’s not okay. None of this is okay. But there’s no going back now,’ he growled as he went back to undressing. ‘Not for either of us, it seems. Lust has us in its grip—which is another thing you should learn by tonight’s experiences, Violet. Lust is just as powerful as love. Sometimes even more powerful. Because lust bypasses one’s conscience and focuses on nothing but the most selfish forms of sexual pleasure.
‘Remember that tomorrow when you’re tempted to think of tonight through rose-coloured glasses. If you can be honest with yourself about this, I will have taught you something infinitely more valuable than how to turn on a man’s body.’
Violet stared at his naked body, seeing that he didn’t need turning on. He was already stunningly erect.
A shudder ran through her when he walked over and yanked the sheet from her body.
‘Now, no more of that pretend shyness, Violet,’ he snapped. ‘And no more futile chit-chat. We have limited time together and I don’t intend to waste a single moment of it.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
VIOLET WOKE TO the sound of knocking. It took her a second or two to realise she was alone, in her bed at Joy’s place, and it was Joy knocking on her door.
‘Violet, are you alive or dead in there, girl? Answer me or I’m coming in.’
‘I’m alive,’ she called back. ‘Just not very awake.’
‘Well, it’s going on eleven-thirty, so I think you’ve slept in long enough. I’ve just made a pot of tea, so how about getting up and telling me all about your night?’
Violet smothered a groan as vivid memories from her night with Leo flashed into her mind. Had that really been her doing all those things, things which she had thrilled to at the time but which now seemed incredible? Whatever Leo had wanted her to do, she’d done. Willingly.
But her willingness to please him had little to do with love, Violet now accepted. Not even remotely. Leo had been right. It hadn’t been love which had driven her to obey his every command and demand. It had been need, the need to once again climb that tantalising mountain of sexual tension, to wallow in the breathless and sometimes torturous moments as one balanced on the edge before falling off into the glorious abyss.
If truth be told, she still would have been there, in that hotel-room bed, if Leo hadn’t called a halt around two in the morning. Initially Violet had argued with him, saying she didn’t have to go yet. But he had taken no notice of her, ordering her to get dressed pronto if she wanted him to drive her home. Which of course she had. But it had proved an awkward drive, any conversation confined to Leo asking for directions and Violet answering him.
She hadn’t been able to believe the change in him. Where was the warm and passionate lover she’d been with for the past few hours? Suddenly, he’d been cold. Cold and uncommunicative. When they’d parked outside Joy’s place and he’d turned off the engine, there’d been no kiss goodnight, just a stiff, ‘Good bye, Violet.’ At which point Violet had totally lost it, telling him he was acting like some heartless cad, even though she knew he was nothing of the kind.
Which was when she’d guessed what his problem was.
‘There’s absolutely no need for you to feel guilty!’ she stormed at him. ‘What we did tonight was wonderful. I loved every moment of it. I refuse to let you fly off back to London believing that you’ve done something wicked. Because you haven’t. I wanted to lose my virginity, and I wanted to lose it with you. I’ll remember tonight for the rest of my life!’
‘That’s very sweet of you
to say so, Violet. Thank you,’ he added. ‘Now it’s time you went in. It’s very late. I’ll call you tomorrow before my flight takes off.’
‘You promise?’ She practically begged him, which in hindsight was not a wise way to act. Leo had already expressed concern over her falling in love with him.
But he just nodded and said yes, he promised.
Violet went to sleep, feeling happy with his promise. Now she wished that she hadn’t sounded so desperate to hear from him. Nothing good ever came out of desperation. No doubt he would be regretting his promise this morning. Maybe he’d already decided not to call.
Part of her hoped he still would call—that rosy-eyed, romantic part that clung to the fantasy of being in love with the man. But the new eyes-wide-open Violet knew that, even if Leo did ring today, it would just be out of politeness.
So don’t start reading anything into it, she lectured herself. It’s over. If and when he rings, say goodbye then get on with your life!
‘I’ll just be a minute or two,’ she called out to Joy.
‘Fine. See you in the kitchen shortly.’
* * *
‘Lord, but you look wrecked,’ were Joy’s first words when Violet made an appearance five minutes later. ‘What time did you finally get in?’
‘Not sure,’ Violet said with a yawn as she sat down at the small wooden table. ‘After midnight.’ It was not a lie. It had been after midnight. Well after.
‘So, what was Priscilla like?’ Joy asked as she poured Violet a cup of tea. Joy was one of the old school who liked her tea from a pot. ‘I read in the paper that it’s a fabulous show.’
‘Well, yes, yes; it was very good. The costumes were simply amazing and the dancing was great.’
‘And your date? Was he great as well?’
Violet’s indifferent shrug was a masterpiece of deception.
‘You don’t sound too impressed. I suppose you’d hardly have much in common with someone of his age. Still, it was an opportunity too good to miss. Did he at least compliment you on how you looked?’
‘He said I looked very nice.’
Joy’s lips pursed. ‘Nice? You looked better than nice. You looked absolutely gorgeous! The man has no taste. So, what about dinner? I hope he at least treated you to some expensive food.’
‘Dinner was excellent. The wine too. Not that Leo drank much. He had to be careful with the alcohol, since he was driving me home.’ Violet decided it was wise not to mention that Leo’s hire car had been the red sports car they’d seen on New Year’s Eve.
‘So, generally speaking, you enjoyed yourself?’
‘Yes, it was a very pleasant evening.’ Brother, wasn’t that the understatement of the year!
‘So you’ll keep on saying yes when you’re asked out on dates?’
Violet couldn’t imagine herself rushing out on dates just yet. Not till she got the memory of last night out of her head. After all, what man was going to compare with Leo, either in bed or out? He might have done her a favour, taking her virginity and introducing her to the joys of the flesh, but she suspected he might have spoiled her for other men at the same time.
Violet couldn’t imagine acting that way with just any man. She might not be truly in love with Leo but she was crazy about him. Not that she could tell Joy any of that. Well, she could, she supposed, but she didn’t want to.
‘I’ll be open to all offers from now on,’ she said instead.
‘You’ve no idea how glad I am to hear that.’
Violet detected something in Joy’s voice. Some strange innuendo.
‘I have something to tell you,’ Joy continued before Violet could ask her what was going on. ‘Lisa’s asked me to go and live with her and Don.’
Lisa was Joy’s only child. She’d met Don, an American, during her travels overseas when she’d been in her early twenties, had married him and stayed in America—much to Joy’s dismay at the time, though Joy did visit them at least once a year. They had a teenaged son and daughter and lived in a large home in Miami. Don was a successful estate agent so they had plenty of money.
‘She’s been asking me for some time,’ Joy confessed.
Violet frowned. ‘You never said anything.’
‘No. I didn’t really want to go at first. And then, when I did, I didn’t want to leave you.’
Violet was terribly touched. ‘That was very sweet of you, Joy. But you mustn’t stay because of me. I’ll be fine. Truly.’
‘I think you will be. Now,’ Joy added.
Violet knew what she meant by ‘now’. Now that she’d started putting her New Year’s resolutions into practice. Violet had to admit that last night had given her personal confidence a big boost. She was no longer worried about her looks, or whether she could attract a man. She knew very well that she could, if she wanted to. She could also see herself sharing a place with another girl after Joy left for America, someone of her own age, someone she could become friends with.
Even so, she was going to miss Joy. Terribly. They’d become very close over the years.
‘So, when are you thinking of going?’ Violet asked, trying not to sound as sad as she felt.
‘Not straight away. I have to sell this place first. Even if I put it up for auction, that will take quite a few weeks.’
‘You won’t have any trouble finding a buyer,’ Violet said. Newtown was a highly sought after suburb. Close to the CBD, it was a popular residential area for young professional singles, and couples who didn’t require too many bedrooms or a big backyard.
‘That’s what Lisa said. But I have no idea what it’s worth. I haven’t exactly kept my finger on the property market.’
‘It is a bit down, from what I can gather,’ Violet informed her. ‘But a terrace house in Newtown will always attract lots of interest. An auction would definitely be the way to go. You’ll need to clear out a lot of your clutter before the open days.’
Joy nodded. ‘Yes, I was thinking that myself. Still, it’ll do me good to get rid of all the rubbish I’ve collected over the years. I’m not taking anything with me, just my clothes.’
‘Are you serious? You’re not taking any of your ornaments?’ Joy was somewhat of a collector; every shelf and available surface was filled with ceramics she’d bought at charity shops and at the markets. She had a huge collection of owls, frogs and pigs. Oh, and gravy boats. She had a passion for gravy boats. ‘Not even your gravy boats?’ Violet asked disbelievingly.
‘I might take a couple, but they’re just things, Violet. As I get older, I realise I don’t need things around me to make me happy. I just need people to love and who love me.’
Violet’s face must have fallen at these words, though not for the reason Joy obviously concluded.
‘Which isn’t to say that we don’t love each other, dear,’ Joy added quickly. ‘But I can see you’re about to spread your wings. I’ll bet by the end of this year you’ll be madly in love with some handsome hunk who just adores you to pieces.’
Now Violet was in serious danger of crying. Maybe she was truly in love with Leo after all. If she wasn’t, then her heart was giving a damned good imitation of breaking!
‘You don’t really need me any more,’ Joy went on. ‘But Lisa does. She’s rather lonely, she tells me. Don works all hours and you know what teenage children are like—spend all their time on their mobile phones or on the computer. The last person they want to spend time with is their mother.
‘Speaking of mothers,’ she raced on whilst Violet struggled to ignore the very real pain in her chest. ‘Your mum rang here last night. Said she’d tried your mobile but it was turned off. She asked if you could ring her today some time.’
Violet sighed. ‘Will do. Now, I think I’ll get myself some breakfast. I’m starving. Then after breakfast I’m going to go clothes shopping—work clothes, this time.’ She stood up and headed for the toaster.
‘Good idea,’ Joy agreed. ‘And get yourself some sexy gym clothes while you’re at it. After all,
your best chance of finding a fella is at a gym, not behind your desk in Henry’s office. Which reminds me, have you signed up at a new gym yet?’
‘No.’
‘Then hop to it, girl. Don’t forget the goal you set yourself before next Christmas. That kind of thing isn’t going to happen overnight, you know. Not with a girl like you. And don’t look at me like that, missy. I haven’t lived in the same house with you for all these years without working out what kind of girl you are. You’re not the free and easy type. You’re the type who has to fall in love before you jump into bed.’
Violet didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
But then it came to her that maybe Joy knew her better than she knew herself. Which meant she had fallen for Leo.
For a split second the thought depressed her. But then she rallied as another more positive thought took over: better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all!
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
LEO ARRIVED IN the first-class lounge at the airport over an hour before his flight for London was due to take off. After getting himself a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice at the complimentary buffet, he settled down in an armchair in an empty corner of the room and slowly sipped his drink whilst he mulled over his promise to call Violet today.
A promise was a promise, he supposed. And a gentleman always kept his promises.
But he didn’t really want to do it. Hell, no! For once he spoke to Violet again he’d start wanting her again. A perverse state of affairs, since he should have totally sated his lust for the girl during last night’s sexual marathon. He couldn’t remember having so much sex in such a relatively short time, indulging in all sorts of positions and every form of foreplay he knew, making demands on Violet which he’d half-hoped would disgust her.
And what had she done? Gone along with everything he’d craved with a wonderfully wild abandon which had totally blown him away. In the end he simply hadn’t been able to get enough of her. And it hadn’t been just to satisfy his own clamouring flesh. His pleasure had come more from watching her pleasure. He’d wallowed in the way she responded to him, the way she trusted him.
