by Sarah Morgan
Lauranne glanced around her helplessly, wanting to warn them. You can have him, she wanted to shout. Have him, but beware. He may look amazing but he’s lethal and dangerous and he has absolutely no conscience.
But she didn’t speak her thoughts aloud.
Instead she lifted her gaze to his, her blue eyes taunting, straight into confrontation mode. It was the only way to deal with the man. Any sign of softness and he’d walk all over her.
‘Slumming it, Zander?’
He glanced around him at the simple café and gave a dismissive shrug. ‘So you get to choose the battleground.’
Battleground? Reflecting that their whole relationship had been a battleground, Lauranne watched as his gaze flickered to a waiter who hurried over with almost undignified haste, one eye on the two bodyguards who hovered at a discreet distance.
She gritted her teeth and drummed her long nails on the table.
What was it about him that made men fall over themselves to do his bidding?
He’d changed out of the business suit and was dressed casually in well-cut trousers and a linen shirt and yet he was still a man in control, every inch the Greek tycoon.
The leader of the pack.
He ordered himself a coffee, satisfied himself that her drink was still full and then dismissed the waiter with a brief nod of that arrogant dark head.
She gave him an icy glare. ‘So you did have me followed.’
It was a statement of fact and his dark eyes flickered with amusement as they rested on her accusing face.
‘Did you think I wouldn’t?’
‘You wasted manpower. I have nothing to say to you, Zander, unless you want to discuss our divorce.’
‘Ah, yes—divorce.’ He leaned back in his chair and rested one leg over the other in a supremely masculine gesture. His aggressive jaw line was dark with the beginnings of stubble and his hair gleamed glossy black in the late evening sun. His skin was tanned to a light gold, the dark hairs visible at the neck of his shirt a tantalising reminder of just what lay underneath.
And she knew exactly what lay underneath. Against her will she found herself remembering every inch of his spectacular body in glorious, Technicolor detail and her mouth ran dry. Suddenly her fingertips seemed like the most sensitive part of her body. She wanted to touch, stroke, scratch—
Horrified by the explicit nature of her thoughts, she glanced away, picking up her drink and taking a large sip.
‘Why haven’t you instructed your solicitors before now, I wonder?’ His tone was conversational and she flattened herself against the chair, trying to create more distance between them.
‘Because I don’t even think about you any more,’ she lied, setting her drink down so that he couldn’t see how much her hand was shaking. ‘Our marriage was so brief that I’ve all but forgotten it.’
‘Is that so?’ His lashes lowered and she felt her heart beat faster, wishing that she could read his thoughts. Zander had a brain that moved faster than a fighter jet.
‘Yes.’
‘And what about the sex, Lauranne? Have you forgotten that too?’
She curled her fingers into her palms. ‘Yes.’
‘So why are you shaking?’ One eyebrow lifted in mockery. ‘It’s almost indecent, is it not,’ he observed silkily, ‘that despite all that has happened between us we can still want each other so desperately?’
Mortified that he’d read her so easily, she reached for her drink again but her hand was shaking so much that the contents sloshed over her fingers. ‘The only thing that I want desperately is for you to go back to where you came from.’
He lounged in his chair, totally at ease with himself, thick dark lashes shielding the expression in his eyes. ‘Rest assured that wherever I’m going, I’ll be taking you with me.’
His words stirred something deep inside her and she stiffened her slim shoulders, determined to fight it with every breath in her body.
‘Unless you’re experienced at kidnapping in broad daylight, then you’ll be travelling alone,’ she retorted, her eyes sparking angrily as she fixed her gaze on his maddeningly handsome face. ‘And I’d better warn you that I can scream very loudly.’
Dark eyes locked on hers, cranking up the tension another notch. ‘I’m well aware of how loudly you scream, Anni,’ he said softly, his voice holding a seductive quality that made her breath catch. ‘And I know exactly what makes you scream.’
Anni.
She closed her eyes briefly. He wasn’t playing fair.
Only Zander had ever called her that and even then only when they were joined in the most intimate way possible.
His use of that name now was a blatantly sexual reminder of their past.
‘You’re disgusting.’ Her flesh burning inside and out, Lauranne put her drink down and glanced around her self-consciously.
‘Would you prefer us to take this conversation somewhere more private?’
‘I would prefer if you just left me alone. I’m not going anywhere with you, Zander.’
‘You will, Lauranne.’ His voice was a lazy drawl that played havoc with her nerve endings. ‘It’s good to talk to you again. I’d forgotten what it was like to be with someone who doesn’t automatically agree with everything I say.’
‘You hate it when people don’t agree with you!’
‘Not true.’
‘Well, if you weren’t such a bully people wouldn’t be afraid to tell you the truth.’
He looked amused. ‘You think I terrorise my staff?’
‘You flatten everyone around you with the sheer force of your will, Zander,’ she said bitterly. ‘You’re totally driven and you always, always have to get your own way in everything. You must have been a nightmare as a toddler.’
The change in him was so subtle that if she hadn’t been so closely attuned to his every movement she would have missed it—missed the slight tightening of his sensuous mouth, the almost imperceptible narrowing of his stunning dark eyes.
Then he sat forward, back in control, reaching for the coffee that the waiter had discreetly placed on the table. ‘I’m glad you realise that. It will save a great deal of unnecessary argument between us.’
‘Every argument we’ve ever had has been totally necessary.’
‘That’s not how I remember it.’
She lifted her chin. ‘Then you have a very selective memory.’
‘My memory is faultless. Especially where you’re concerned. I remember every row we had, every accusation you flung at me and every word you gasped when we made love.’
The air thumped out of her lungs. ‘Then you must have a truly amazing memory,’ she said hoarsely, ‘because our relationship was one big endless row.’
‘Because you refused to do anything without a fight. Even sex was a fight.’
His eyes gleamed and Lauranne felt heat break out on her skin, remembering just exactly how the sex had been. Totally wild. Frantic. Beyond any sort of control. There had been nothing tranquil or gentle about their relationship. It had been hot and antagonistic and confrontational from the first day they’d met.
‘And you always expected everything to go your way,’ she croaked, ignoring the burning heat that flared low in her pelvis. ‘Just because women usually fall at your feet, you thought that just one glance in my direction would be enough to have me joining them. You thought that one click of your fingers would have me running to do your bidding.’
‘So you made it your life’s mission to do the opposite,’ he said dryly, raising his cup in a mock salute. ‘You burned for me as badly as I burned for you, but you tortured us both with your elaborate games.’
‘They weren’t games. We’re different people, Zander, from different cultures. You believe in virgin brides and m-mistresses—’ she stumbled over the word and then lifted her chin defiantly ‘—and I believe that a relationship between a man and a woman should be equal.’
His face hardened. ‘So what were you doing with Farrer? He’s not even cl
ose to being your equal—’
She stood up so suddenly that her chair would have fallen had he not snaked out a lean brown hand and caught it, the speed of his reaction breathtaking.
‘You were the one who insisted that we didn’t mention Tom’s name,’ she hissed, her heart pounding with reaction. ‘You’re breaking your own rules, Zander.’
‘Sit down.’ He didn’t raise his voice but she froze, held immobile by the sheer force of his presence.
‘No.’ Tears pricked behind her eyes and she blinked them away, furious with herself, determined not to display any weakness in front of this man. ‘I’m not enjoying the conversation.’
‘You have a choice.’ His tone was pleasant but there was no missing the steely undertone. ‘Either we can talk here, or we can talk in the privacy of my hotel.’
Which, roughly translated, meant that the only thing that was negotiable was the venue. And after what had happened that afternoon there was absolutely no way she’d choose to be alone with him.
Her blue eyes sparked angrily. ‘So in other words I have no choice at all.’
He dismissed her accusation with a careless lift of those broad shoulders. ‘If that’s the way you choose to see it.’
The waiter brought more drinks at that moment and she sat down again, fuming, watching while he fussed around Zander, checking that he had everything he wanted.
When they were finally left alone Zander took a mouthful of coffee and pulled a face.
‘The coffee is disgusting,’ he said mildly. ‘I shall be glad to be back in Greece.’
‘So go,’ she suggested sweetly and he smiled.
‘I intend to. But before I go, I have work to do. And so have you.’
She returned his gaze coldly. ‘I already told you, I’m not interested.’
‘Really?’ He leaned back in his chair, totally relaxed and in control, his eyes not leaving her face as he suddenly produced some papers. ‘A list of your clients, Lauranne. Amazing how many of them bank with me.’
Lauranne felt her face drain of colour. She’d forgotten just how diverse his business interests were. Or perhaps she’d never really known. ‘You wouldn’t—’
He smiled. ‘Oh, but I would, agape mou.’
Her heart was thumping hard against her chest and the dampness of her palms had nothing to do with the warmth of the summer evening.
Saying no to Zander was like trying to stop an approaching tidal wave by raising a hand.
‘Why would you possibly want me to work for you?’
‘Because I need to change my public image. And I need to do it fast.’
She gave a humourless laugh. ‘You mean people are finally finding out what you’re really like. The ruthless businessman routine wearing a little thin, is it, Zander?’
His gaze didn’t flicker but she saw a dangerous glint in his dark eyes and felt a shiver of apprehension.
Whatever she thought of him, Zander was a formidable opponent and she’d be a fool to underestimate him.
‘I can’t help you.’ She stiffened her shoulders and forced herself to look him in the eye. ‘My job is to discover and reveal the softer side of people, to make them seem more human, more approachable. But we both know that you don’t have a soft side, Zander. You’ve earned your reputation for being ruthless and unemotional and there’s nothing I can do to change that.’
He looked at her, his gaze impassive. ‘So you don’t mind if Tom loses the business?’
She swallowed hard, studying the man who had dominated her whole life since the day she’d met him. ‘You’d really do it, wouldn’t you?’
‘I want you to work for me, Lauranne.’ He gave a dismissive shrug. ‘If that’s what it takes—’
She gave a disbelieving laugh. ‘And you want me to persuade people that you’re soft and caring?’
‘I’m a businessman. Soft and caring aren’t qualities that would benefit my business,’ he said dryly, ‘but I want you to show a more human side, yes. And I’m willing to forget the past, if that’s what’s bothering you.’
She looked at him incredulously, fighting an impulse to slap his face. He obviously thought he was being generous.
‘You’re unbelievable, Zander.’ She gave a humourless laugh, her fingers tightening on the arms of her chair. ‘You threw me out and you wrecked my career and you expect us just to carry on as if nothing had happened?’
He gave a casual shrug of his broad shoulders. ‘I’ve moved on.’
Moved on.
She looked at him helplessly, stricken by his careless dismissal of what they’d shared. If she’d needed any evidence that their relationship had meant nothing to him then she had it now. If only it were that easy for her. ‘Why are you doing this?’ Despite all her efforts, her voice shook. ‘Why me, Zander?’
‘Because I’ve seen what you’ve achieved for other clients,’ he responded smoothly and she frowned suspiciously.
‘Why do you need to change your image, anyway? You’ve never cared what people think of you.’
His handsome face gave nothing away. ‘I’m working on a deal. It’s important to me.’ His long fingers fiddled with his coffee cup. ‘The owner is ridiculously sentimental about the business he’s selling. He doesn’t believe I’m capable of understanding family values.’
‘Evidently a wise man,’ Lauranne said, her blue eyes sparking as she looked at him. ‘He obviously isn’t impressed by your lack of morals. All you’re interested in is a quick lay.’
His eyes didn’t leave hers. ‘When I make love to a woman it’s never, ever quick.’ His voice was a slow, sexy drawl that made her breathing stop, her brain jammed with memories so provocative that the world around her disappeared and her entire focus was him. ‘You of all people should remember that, Lauranne.’
She did remember that.
And so did her body. Awareness throbbed through her veins and she could tell from the streak of colour touching his incredible bone structure that he was remembering it too.
She gazed into those compelling dark eyes and felt her temperature rise. He was shockingly, hotly handsome and no matter how many warnings her brain sent out, her body refused to listen.
Desperate to get away from him while she still could, she rose to her feet again, her chair scraping on the ground.
‘Well, it’s been fascinating talking to you, Zander, but I really have to go now.’
‘We haven’t finished.’ His calm tone was totally at odds with the dangerous glint in his eyes.
‘We’re in a public place,’ she pointed out, wishing that she felt as confident as she sounded. ‘And I have finished.’
He sat back in his chair, his eyes glittering. ‘Sit down, Lauranne.’
Her eyes clashing mutinously with his, she tried to step away from the table but a lean brown hand snaked out and caught her wrist, jerking her off balance so that she landed in his lap.
Her gasp of protest was smothered by the hot demands of his mouth, the erotic slide of his tongue sending delicious waves of excitement coursing through her.
His kiss was hot and compelling and it was only when he slowly detached his mouth from hers that she realised that her fingers had slid into his silky dark hair.
Mortified by this visible evidence of her instinctive response to him, she released him instantly. Staring at him in mute horror, she tried to scoot off his lap but he held her easily; a wry smile played around his firm mouth.
‘I think you’d better stay where you are for now,’ he said huskily, and she shivered as she recognised the timbre of his voice. She’d teased him about it on so many occasions. About the fact that he sounded so Greek when he was aroused.
She felt the hard heat of him through the fabric of his trousers and closed her eyes.
He was aroused now. Very aroused.
And so was she.
‘Zander—’ Her voice sounded strangled as she tried to ignore the delicious lethargy that spread through her body. ‘What are you doing?’
‘It can also kill people,’ she gritted, trying to ignore his hard strength and the traitorous throb deep in her pelvis. ‘What is it you want from me?’
‘I want you to help me close this deal.’ His voice was soft, so that to the casual observer it would have seemed as though he were murmuring words of love. ‘I want you to do whatever it takes to convince Kouropoulos that I’m a warm, sensitive guy who is capable of understanding what makes a family resort run smoothly.’
Her eyes flew wide and she stared at him in disbelief. ‘I’m a PR consultant, not a magician. And we both know you’re neither warm nor sensitive.’
He smiled, maddeningly unperturbed by her horrified reaction. ‘Parts of me are extremely sensitive.’
She felt the blush touch her cheeks and looked at him sickly. ‘I won’t do it.’
‘Yes, you will.’ He leaned forward and brushed a strand of blonde hair away from her face with deceptively gentle fingers. ‘You will. You’ll do it because it’s the only way you’ll get your divorce. And because if you don’t, my English beauty,’ he said softly, ‘I’ll ruin you for a second time. And this time I’ll ruin Farrer too.’
CHAPTER FIVE
‘THE girl’s a genius.’ Alec threw another newspaper down on the table and looked at Zander with astonishment. ‘In less than two weeks she’s managed to have you featured on all the major TV channels and you’ve been in almost every newspaper that matters. And there hasn’t been one picture of you dating glamorous women. How have you managed it?’
‘I have had an exceedingly boring fortnight,’ Zander drawled, his handsome face blank of expression as he scanned the pile of newspapers that his secretary had left on his desk. He had no intention of revealing the truth to his lawyer. That the past two weeks had been anything but boring. Stimulating and sexually charged were words that came to mind. Certainly not boring.
He’d started out intending to punish Lauranne by making her work for him but he’d ended up punishing himself equally.
