Even so she felt gauche. This was a totally new experience. Roger hadn’t believed in wasting good money on fancy restaurants, as he called them, preferring good, home-grown, home-cooked food, in the comfort of his own home.
It was the Mercedes tonight but minus the chauffeur, and Hannah settled into the soft leather seat feeling strange and yet excited too. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. She had been out with no other man except Roger and was not sure that she knew how to handle it.
‘Happy?’ Jordan smiled warmly as he checked her seatbelt, then fastened his own. He wore a different brand of aftershave this evening, something exotic and spicy which invaded her nostrils and somehow added an extra air of excitement to the occasion. Her own perfume was a simple floral one that Daniel always said smelled of fresh air and buttercups. She did not know that buttercups had any particular scent, but if anyone else wore the same perfume he always said, ‘That’s Mummy’s perfume.’
‘Yes,’ she said faintly. She was happy, even if a little anxious. She did not know what to expect from the evening, or indeed what Jordan expected of her! Things were moving far too quickly for her peace of mind. ‘Where are we going?’ she asked. She hoped it wouldn’t be somewhere too exclusive where she would be completely out of her depth.
‘My favourite place.’ His hand briefly touched hers, sending a rush of excitement through her veins. Her adrenalin was already running high this evening, and she hoped against hope that he wouldn’t push for too much. She was still adamant in her own mind that she wanted no other man in her life. ‘I hope you’ll like it too,’ he went on after a moment’s pause, a moment when her heart thudded so loudly that she felt sure he must hear. ‘It’s a seventeenth-century country mansion that’s been converted into a superb restaurant. The food is excellent.’
‘Is it far?’ They were mundane questions and not important, but she wanted to try and prevent any intimacy between them.
‘About half an hour. How’s Daniel? Has he gone to sleep yet after his exciting day?’ He seemed to know her mind was troubled by the two of them being together.
‘Oh, yes!’ Hannah was on home ground now and her voice brightened. ‘He was totally exhausted. He’s had a wonderful time, as did all his friends. I can’t thank you enough for the trouble you went to. It really wasn’t necessary to provide―’
‘I did what I did because I wanted to,’ Jordan interrupted firmly. ‘If you want to know the truth, I’ve had a wonderful day too. I’d like Daniel around more often.’
‘I’m afraid that’s not possible.’ Her tone was suddenly sharp. ‘I don’t want him to get spoilt. He’s not used to such luxury, and it could make him critical at home. Surely you can see that?’
‘I suppose so. It seems a pity, though, when—’
‘Let’s drop the subject.’ It was Hannah’s turn to intervene.
What she had thought was a safe topic was now a dangerous emotional issue. ‘I’m here because it’s what you want, and it would be rude to refuse after you’ve been so good to Daniel. But after tonight there’ll be no more visits to your house, and I won’t come out with you again. It will be back to business as usual―Mr Quest.’
His hands took a firmer grip on the wheel and out of the corner of her eye she saw a tenseness in his jaw. It was a second or two before he spoke, and in his tone was a hardness that had not been there before. ‘That’s a pity. I really did think I was going to be allowed to get to know you better.’
‘I’m afraid there won’t be any chance of that,’ she answered primly.
It was clear she had angered him, and in one way Hannah felt sorry that she had spoilt what could have been an interesting and refreshingly different sort of evening, but she did not want Jordan getting any wrong impressions. It was best that he knew how she felt. There was silence between them and she thought he was not going to speak again. She was thinking of suggesting that he turn around and take her home, when he suddenly growled, ‘We’re almost there.’
He left the main road and drove through acres of lovely parkland where fallow deer grazed and the peace of the countryside surrounded them. It was wrong to be at odds with one another somewhere as beautiful as this, Hannah thought. She sorely missed the wide open spaces. There were times when she actually grew homesick for the farm, even though going back there would, she knew, evoke too many sad memories.
The dozen or more windows of the red brick building they were approaching reflected the sinking sun like dozens of golden eyes, and inside it was a collector’s paradise with paintings and tapestries, porcelain and silver, all on public display.
Jordan led her into an oak-panelled room where they sat down on blue velvet chairs. He ordered her a dry sherry which she sipped while studying the menu. The place was every bit as expensive and luxurious as she had feared, the prices of some of the dishes more than she spent on food in a whole week. ‘What are you having?’ she asked Jordan at length, reluctant to order something that was going to cost so much. It seemed such a waste of money.
‘I thought I might have the escargots to start with. Have you ever tried them?’
Hannah shook her head and pulled a face, the very thought abhorrent.
‘What a shame to wrinkle up so charming a nose!’ He smoothed it with the tip of a firm warm finger sending a fresh torrent of sensations through each and every one of her nerves. His eyes had lost their hardness and were a warm, friendly brown, watching intently every expression on her face.
It was too intimate here, thought Hannah in panic. Though there were several other people in the room, each was absorbed in his or her companion, and they might as well have been alone.
‘And how can you be sure you won’t like them?’ Both his expression and his tone of voice suggested that he wasn’t altogether thinking about food, that he was far more interested in her. ‘They’re an acquired taste, perhaps, but truly succulent. Be daring and have a go. You can always leave them if they’re really too horrible and I’ll order you something else.’
‘But that would be a waste!’ she said in horror, using the opportunity to jerk away from him. She never threw anything away; she could not afford to.
‘If you don’t like them then I’ll eat them, my prudent little friend,’ he told her with a smile that grazed over her skin, raising it in tiny little goose-pimples. He wasn’t missing a single opportunity to let her know how he felt, thought Hannah, and she wasn’t sure that she could endure such treatment for the whole evening.
‘All right, you’ve convinced me,’ she said faintly.
‘And how about the salmon steak in champagne sauce for our fish course? Followed by medallions of veal?’ His tone was low and vibrant as though he were whispering words of love instead of discussing the menu.
‘That’s fine.’ She was glad to let him take over. He was having such a profound effect on her that the whole evening was beginning to take on an unreal air.
As the waiter came to take their order Hannah glanced about her. The room was hung with Regency cut glass chandeliers, the curtains were in blue velvet to match the chairs and the atmosphere was one of quiet elegance.
All too soon Jordan’s attention was turned to her again. ‘Do you know, Hannah, I know nothing at all about you,’ he remarked.
‘That’s because we don’t have the kind of relationship that invites confidences,’ she told him, more sharply than she intended, but alarmed by the feelings he managed to arouse. It wasn’t as if he was a man she could trust. She knew only too well that he wasn’t serious about her, that this seduction was yet another scene in his game of life.
‘We could have―if you’d relax a little.’
‘I can’t,’ she said, so softly that he had to lean closer to hear. ‘I’m not ready.’
‘Hannah.’ He took her hands into his, squeezing tightly when she tried to pull away. ‘You have to start some time. You can’t go on as you are for ever. I know I’ve said it’s not fair on Daniel, but you’re doing yourself no favou
rs either.’
Hannah lifted her slender shoulders. ‘Perhaps not, but that’s the way I want it.’
Jordan had earlier moved his chair so that he was sitting directly facing her, their knees almost touching. ‘I think,’ he said, his tone low and deep and meaningful, his fingers playing with hers, ‘that you’re frightening other men off with that icy shell you’ve built around yourself. But—’
‘I have not—’
‘But I’m not other men, Hannah,’ he went on, ignoring her interruption. ‘I can be very persistent, and I will be. I want you to trust me, to confide in me. I want us to be friends.’
What sort of friends? she wondered bitterly. ‘Lovers’ would probably have been better choice of word. Jordan wasn’t the type of man to endure a platonic relationship. ‘Mr Quest, please, I—’
‘Jordan,’ he insisted. ‘It’s time you called me Jordan.’
There was a hypnotic quality to his rich brown eyes and she found it impossible to look away. ‘Jordan, then,’ she said quietly. ‘I can’t do that, you’re asking too much, too soon.’
She recognised the muscle that tensed in his jaw; it was becoming all too familiar when he did not get his own way. Nevertheless a smile lifted the corners of his generously sculpted mouth. ‘But you’re not rejecting me outright?’ he asked.
She chewed reflectively on her lower lip. ‘I suppose that’s what I’m saying. You’ve got closer to me than any other man, I will admit that.’
‘Perhaps it’s not so much that you’re not ready, it’s that you’re afraid?’ An eyebrow rose in a question. ‘If you’ve never been out with any other man except your husband then I can understand your hesitation.’
‘You make me sound naive!’ she protested.
‘That wasn’t my intention, Hannah, but isn’t it the reason you feel uneasy with other men? Not simply the fact that you believe you’re not ready?’
Hannah debated his question, wishing he would let go her hands. How could she answer honestly while feeling the full impact of his sexuality? He was so different from Roger, so much more a man of the world. Theirs had been a simple life. She had never been questioned before about her feelings; there had been no need. She had not even thought very deeply about them herself. And now she did not know how to answer. In the end she said truthfully, ‘I think the reason I feel uncomfortable with you is that you’re my employer.’
Jordan gave a snort of annoyance, his patience beginning to wear thin. ‘That’s an excuse and you know it! And even if you do feel like that at the office, it should make no difference now. Trust me, Hannah. Relax. For once you don’t have to worry about Daniel―he’s happy, and he’s in good hands. Enjoy yourself.’
At that moment, much to Hannah’s relief, they were told that their table was ready. The restaurant was large but tasteful with pink tablecloths and candles, exquisite crystal glasses and gleaming silver cutlery. They were shown to a table in a corner alcove which set it apart from the rest of the room. Intimate was the word that sprang to Hannah’s mind, and she wondered whether Jordan had asked for this table specifically when he made their reservation.
Once she was seated, the napkin draped on her lap by an attentive waiter, the escargots were placed in front of her. Much to her surprise Hannah found that she liked them.
‘You see,’ said Jordan, suppressing a grin, ‘you can never be sure about anything until you try it. It’s fun to experiment.’
If you could afford to, thought Hannah drily. People with money rarely gave a thought to the fact that some individuals had to count every penny they spent.
‘The same as you’ll never know what it’s like to be more than an employee to me, unless you try it,’ he added. There was a meaningful gleam in his eyes, but before she could retaliate he changed the subject. ‘Tell me something about yourself―I really know surprisingly little. Have you any brothers or sisters?’
She shook her head. ‘I’m an only child.’
‘How about your parents, where do they live? I never hear you mention them.’
‘In Scotland. They moved up there to look after my grandfather. He’s dead now, but they liked it so much they stayed. I don’t see them very often. I take Daniel in his summer holidays, but that’s all. How about you, what sort of a family have you got?’ Hannah did not like all this interest he was showing in her.
‘There’s just Drew and me, and our parents, of course. They live in Derbyshire now, in a picturesque little cottage in Doveridge. I’ll take you and Daniel there some time. I’m sure you’ll love it―it’s right in the heart of the countryside. My father potters about in his garden and my mother does work for charity. They’re very happy there. They used to live at Hunter’s Hill, but when my father retired and handed the business over to me I got the house as well.’
‘How about Drew, does he live on his own or with you?’ she asked.
‘Unfortunately, he lives with me.’ Jordan’s brow darkened as he spoke. ‘We’re joint owners, but he never coughs up when it comes to paying the bills. He always swears he hasn’t two halfpennies to rub together, though he enjoys tearing around in his Lotus Esprit. It was my parents’ unfortunate gift to him on his twenty-first birthday. He treats the house more like a hotel than a home. Mrs Braden is forever tidying up after him. The one good thing is that he can’t use his half of the house to borrow money against without my consent. My father was very wise in that direction, thank goodness.’
‘Has he always been a spendthrift?’
‘Always, right from when he was a boy. His pocket money never lasted him two minutes, and my parents indulged him and handed out more when it was gone. He almost died when he was born, you see, and my parents regarded it as a bonus when he lived. Consequently he was always spoilt. But why are we discussing Drew when you’re a much more interesting person?’
His eyes were warm on her face, and Hannah felt a glow creeping through her that she was not sure she wanted. In her own way she was happy―happy with her memories―and Daniel. Letting Jordan become a part of her life could lead to all sorts of complications.
Their fish course appeared, their wine glasses were filled, and Hannah tried to concentrate her whole attention on the food. But it was difficult when she knew Jordan was watching her, and against her will her eyes were drawn to his time and time again.
The warmth in her became a fire, and she knew that before the end of the evening she would find herself in his arms. With the strongest will in the world she would not be able to resist.
‘Are you happy?’ His tone was a husky growl, his smile all-encompassing.
Hannah wriggled on her seat and tried to stop herself meeting the intoxicating influence of his eyes. But it was impossible; it was as though her own eyes were drawn to his by a magnet and she saw much more than warmth, she saw raw desire, and it gave her quite a turn to see his feelings so openly displayed. She swallowed hard, nodded, then dragged her gaze away. ‘This is a really lovely place. Do you eat here often?’ She did not realise how breathless she sounded.
‘Only when I want to impress someone,’ he answered softly and meaningfully.
Hannah delved back in her memory and recalled making a booking for him here on more than one occasion. What she couldn’t remember was whether they were business dinners, or whether he had asked her to book a table for two only, opt saying who his companion would be, and she had assumed it was a girl he was taking out. There had been many girls; she had ordered flowers and taken phone calls often enough. But the thought that he might have brought any of them here, especially Riva, made her feel sick with jealousy―which was ridiculous when she felt nothing for him, when she hadn’t wanted to come out with him in the first place.
‘Is something wrong?’ Jordan saw the fleeting expression of anguish.
She conjured up a smile. ‘Of course not.’
‘What were you thinking to bring such a shadow to your face?’
She lifted her shoulders in a graceful little gesture. ‘Nothing, rea
lly.’
‘Were you perhaps wondering whether I’d brought any other girls here?’
His astuteness astounded her. ‘The thought did cross my mind,’ she confessed.
‘And it bothered you?’
Hannah was always totally honest, but on this occasion she felt justified in prevarication. ‘Why should it? Of course you must have brought other girls here, it’s that sort of place.’
‘As a matter of fact, Hannah,’ a slow, pleased smile crossed his face, ‘I haven’t. It’s really rather special, don’t you think? Where one would bring only a very special person.’
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