Dangerous Obsession

by Patricia Wilson

  It was easy to read his mind; he intended to make a nuisance of himself without the cold eyes of Anita on him. Anna expected Anita to order him to stay, but she didn't. He became emboldened.

  'I'll give you a hand with your diving, Anna,' he offered with a knowing look at her that infuriated her. 'Why, thank you very much!'

  She waited for Dan to intervene, but he didn't, and as they all began to talk again, Dean and Kieron trying to placate Anita without looking as if they were doing it, Anna walked out on to the veranda, her angry eyes staring out to sea.

  Her own reaction frustrated her. She had wanted him to be possessive in there, wanted him to show it, and she knew he could not. This was a secret, a dark secret, and she knew that well enough.

  What right had she to be so angry anyway? She was merely a passing interest to Dan, and only because she had thrown herself at him. He had a son! Her mind told her that over and over, but the thought didn't bring with it the shame that it should have done, and she was swept with a feeling of self-disgust. Dan was probably just enjoying a boost to his male ego. Her heart begged it to be more than that, but she was not a fool.

  She heard a quiet step behind her and she knew it was Dan without even looking round; her whole being instantly recognized him, it always had done.

  'Not sleepy?' He came to stand behind her, and she took a deep, steadying breath.

  'Not at the moment.'

  'Want to walk on the beach?' His hand slid over her arm and she pulled her arm away angrily, more annoyed with herself for the feelings that shot through her than with him.

  'Ah! You're in one of those tempers. You've been thinking. I might have, known that clever little mind would go into overdrive.'

  He was laughing at her, although his voice was perfectly serious, and she realized what a fool he must think her, her actions earlier on the beach now embarrassing her.

  'I'm not in a temper,' she said smoothly. 'What makes you think that? I'm really looking forward to the diving tomorrow. It will be exciting to have a whole group of people there.'

  'Oh, very!' he murmured. 'Just imagine, Anita left behind and three men all to yourself.'

  'Don't be so damned sarcastic!' She tried to move away, but his arms came down on either side of the rail, trapping her.

  'Make a list of the things I'm allowed to be and I'll try to oblige,' he murmured against her hair. 'You know I'd do anything for you.'

  'And don't be patronizing with me! I can well do without being treated like an irritated child.'

  He swung her round, his hands tight on her waist, his thumbs softly probing against her hips.

  'They'll be gone soon, sweetheart,' he reminded her softly. 'As soon as I can get rid of them I will. I want you to myself.' '

  'Don't bother! I'm beginning to get used to them.' She looked up at him coolly, annoyed that he had called her 'sweetheart' and not meant it. How many other words like that did he use to women? Jealousy tore into her and she added, 'Anyway, Kieron is going to teach me a few tricks!'

  His hands tightened painfully.

  'If he comes within ten yards of you, I'll teach him a neat trick-I'll drown him! You're mine!'

  'You've no right to say that.' Her heart took off at an alarming rate as her legs weakened.

  'Why not? This afternoon on the beach you looked up into my eyes and said the same thing. What's good for the goose....'

  She could see his eyes gleaming at her and she looked away rapidly.

  'I was scared and then-then agitated. I went a little mad, I think!'

  'Don't worry, it's a state that can easily be produced again when they've gone.'

  'I intend to leave with them.'

  His face was no longer mocking. His arm came tightly around her and his hand tilted her face cruelly.

  'Words come cheap! Its deeds that count! You're going nowhere at all.'

  'For how long?' She struggled but it was useless, for his grip merely tightened. 'You can't just keep me here.'

  'Well,' he said quietly, 'you could appeal to Kieron to rescue you. He looks just about ready to howl with frustration! '

  'You think you can say just anything to me, don't you?' There were tears at the back of her voice and he heard them, but it did not lessen his temper.

  'No, I don't, although you deserve it! I know all about frustration. I'm ready to howl myself and the moon reminds me!'

  He lowered his head and his lips covered hers harshly, pressing with punishing force against her own, and she realized that it was not possible to provoke a man like Dan Toren and get away with it. He had taken her into his life to look after her when she needed help, he had cared for her and been kind.

  It was all her own fault that this was happening. Her childhood fixation with Dan had grown into something that was now controlling her actions, and all shame had left her. She was even glorying in this angry treatment. It was Dan who would be ashamed of himself.

  He was! He let her go abruptly and turned to walk into the house, and her hand went out to him, although he didn't see it.

  'Dan, I'm sorry!'

  He didn't even answer, and when she went inside he was already in his room, the door tightly closed. Even the door seemed angry.

  There was no getting out of the trip next day. No matter how annoyed Dan was, he had said that there would be diving and he meant it. She was back to being a nuisance, his whole demeanor told her that. He took her cylinder to the launch and then handed her everything else, bundling the things into her arms. He was not about to wait on her hand and foot this time.

  She had a T-shirt on over her bikini but it did not put Kieron off at all; his eyes strayed over her slender, brown legs, but this morning Dan didn't even notice or, if he did notice, he didn't care. If she hadn't hurried he would have set off without her, and she avoided his gaze all the time. It was so angry that it almost burned her.

  As Dan slowed the launch and came to a stop within the quiet waters of the little bay, Anna felt a wave of sadness. The last time she had been here with Dan, things had been different. He had not known how she felt, he had only suspected. Now he knew, and the companionship they had carefully built, the companionship she had wanted all her life, was gone.

  What did he feel? With painful clarity his words of nearly five years ago rang in her ears. 'Respond to any man like that and you'll get kissed like that!' She was supposed to be clever, but she didn't learn very well, not when it was Dan. She expected too much of him, wanted her idol back; it was all dreaming.

  She never once asked for help. She got herself into her wetsuit, only aware that Dan was checking on her when she looked up after zipping herself carefully in it to find his eyes on her activities. Kieron picked up her air cylinder, but Dan simply took it out of his hands and came across to fix it for her. Still, he refused to speak to her at all.

  All she could do was follow last time's instructions, and as they all fell neatly into the clear water she made her careful descent, more scared than she had been the last time. She felt on her own and quite incapable of managing.

  She dipped her mask and let herself float away, only then looking down to find Dan hovering gracefully in the water beneath her, his eyes on her movements. When he signaled sharply to her, she followed.

  In spite of her gloomy thoughts, the underwater world soon held her entranced, and this time she lingered, following Dan more slowly, going deeper to look more closely at the coral, hovering enchanted as the small, brilliantly colored fish brushed against her and looked at her with staring, round eyes that seemed to hold their own inquisitiveness.

  The world above was forgotten, and she longed to touch the beautiful coral that looked like flowers of pink and white. Dan's words, though, stuck in her mind, and she was no more inclined to disobey him than she had been as a child.

  Kieron left her well alone; in fact, she couldn't even see him, and she realized that he would have to be pretty thick-skinned not have got the point as Dan had firmly taken the air cylinder from him an
d seen o her himself.

  She was glad. She tried a few tricks in the water herself, twisting and turning as she had seen Dan do, coming to an irritated halt as she felt one of her flippers slowly easing itself off. She had been so determined to see to herself that she had hurried and probably not put it on correctly. As she was reaching for it, it came off and floated downwards, out of her reach.

  She felt surprisingly naked without it and she went down to get it. It was only then that she realized how deep the water was. It had lodged itself in coral, and she felt that she had been going down for a long time before her searching hand carefully retrieved it.

  There was almost a feeling of panic to get back to the surface, and she kicked out to rise, wincing with the sudden pain as her foot struck against coral that felt like hard rock and not at all the delicate thing it seemed to be. It wasn't the first time she had cut her foot on coral since she had been here; she had done it on the beach, but this time it hurt badly. Dan would be annoyed at her carelessness. She looked round quickly but he was not there, and she was at the surface before he appeared, swimming back to find her.

  It was hard pulling herself to the deck, and she found that Dean was already there.

  'Had enough?' He grinned at her and helped her over the last few feet.

  'I think so. Dan said we weren't staying more than an hour, didn't he?'

  'Yes. The script has to be thrashed out. If we stay here longer, then Dan's going to thrash Anita, I think, and I'm probably going to line up for my turn at her!' He laughed across at her as she peeled off her suit. 'Anyway, girlie, time's money!'

  Dan came on deck as they were laughing, and he didn't look very amused. She was pulling off the trousers over her feet, and as she stood a sharp pain jabbed through her foot, making her wince.'

  'What's the matter?'

  Dan was standing aggressively over her at once, and she wasn't about to tell him that she had lost her flipper through careless preparation and then kicked her foot against hard coral because she was in a panic to get to the surface.

  'Nothing. A stitch, I think. I did a few fancy twirls down there.'

  'So I noticed. All without tuition!' He turned as Kieron came over the side. 'Ah! Here's the man with the tricks!'

  'Never mind the tricks,' Dean said in a low voice, his words lost to Kieron. 'What the hell are we going to do about Anita?'

  'Work her to death, as murder is punishable by law!' Dan said sardonically. 'The time is fast approaching when I'll refuse to alter another thing. I wouldn't be altering now if it hadn't been....'

  'I know.' Dean patted Dan's arm, and Anna wondered what on earth they were talking about, but they both dropped quiet as Kieron came across, and Dan looked at him fairly pleasantly.

  'Let's get back to Anita,' he suggested. 'The sooner we get down to it, the sooner you'll be able to leave!'

  'Tempt me with sugar, not medicine!' Kieron muttered his eyes on Anna. 'Who the hell wants to leave?'

  'I do!' Dean snapped. 'This film has a limited budget. If Anita hangs around complaining much longer we'll be running pretty close to the line.'

  Anna was only half listening. She was longing to lift her foot up and see what it was that was hurting so much, but not while Dan was there. Every time she twisted her foot around his eyes flashed to her, and she felt like someone playing hide and seek. It could wait until they got back.

  Even in the privacy of her room she could see nothing at all. There was a small black mark where she had hit the coral; the beginning of a bruise, she supposed. But, in spite of the hard bang, the coral hadn't cut her at all, not that she could see. It was painful to stand on, though, and she made a small pad of cotton wool and managed fairly well, her sandals hiding this rough dressing. If Dan had been at all sympathetic towards her she would have told him, but he was as hard as he had been all day and she tried to fade into the background, a skill she had acquired early in life as far as Dan was concerned.

  A miserable evening followed a miserable afternoon. Dan was at the end of his patience with Anita, and the air was so thick with displeasure that Kieron did his own fading into the background.

  'If we're not finished tonight, I'll have to think of some excuse to flee!' he muttered to Anna after dinner, when Dean and Anita trailed behind Dan to his study. 'She's doing this on purpose.'

  'Whatever for?'

  Anna couldn't understand anyone like Anita, and she wondered how the woman ever got anything done.

  'You're really a sweet young thing, aren't you?' Kieron said dryly. 'Nita was expecting to have Dan all to herself. What did she find but an exotic little companion who's not allowed to stray more than a few feet from Dan.'

  'It's a small island!' Anna got out irritably, her face flushing.

  'He makes it smaller when you're there.'

  'I believe you've been told all about Dan and me!' she snapped jumping up and regretting it at once as her foot seemed to catch fire.

  Dan came in at that moment, and at the sight of her agitation and her flushed face he strode over and almost ordered Kieron out into the study.

  'Keep away from him!' he snapped as Anna stood there, biting her lips with pain.

  'Chance would be a fine thing!' she said almost tearfully. 'Just leave me alone!'

  He looked at her narrow-eyed. 'That's hardly likely, is it?' he jeered softly. His face suddenly looked less angry.

  'Is something hurting you?'

  'No!' she assured him quickly. 'I'm just thoroughly fed up with this constant battling. I want to leave when they do!'

  Instead of anger there was amusement on his face, and he walked forward to hold her shoulders firmly.

  'Do you say that merely to hear me tell you that I won't allow it?' he asked softly, his smile widening when she shook her head vigorously. 'You don't want to go, I don't want you to go, so let's not even talk about it. You were captured long before I knew exactly how you felt.'

  'I don't feel ....'

  He lowered his gleaming head and kissed her swiftly, his hands twisted in her hair.

  'Stop it, baby!' he said roughly, turning to walk out as she raised dazed eyes and saw Anita just disappearing into the hall.

  Any suspicions she had about them were now confirmed, Anna thought fatefully. It was all one great big muddle that would only get worse. She wandered off to bed, a little frightened when she imagined that the dark mark under her foot seemed to be swollen. It was only to be expected, she told herself firmly. It had been quite a bang. She cheered herself up by reminding herself that it could have been her nose. Nevertheless, it hurt.

  She was just about to get into bed when a sharp knock on the door had her stopping and getting back into her dressing-gown.

  'Come in!' She hoped it wasn't Kieron on any amorous excursion, and it wasn't, but her face was no less astounded when it turned out to be Anita.

  'Did you want something?' She wasn't going to pretend any friendliness, not after the way Anita had behaved and after the things she had heard her say that night on the veranda.

  'I just wanted to warn you about the danger you're placing yourself in,' Anita said quietly, her red-painted fingernails like claws on the door. 'I had my suspicions, but now I know why you're here. Don't think you're the first. Dan has a succession of women, but there's only one that he cares about. I don't suppose you know about Daphne?'

  'All about her!' Anna said angrily. 'I've met her and even spent a week in her company, and this is none of your business!'

  'If you think Dan will give her up, then you're mistaken,' Anita assured her. 'They've been together for over four years and it's as permanent as Dan is ever likely to get!'

  'I don't need any advice from you. If you think there's anything that shouldn't be happening here, then point it out to Dan. In the meantime, you're a guest in his house. I wonder how he'd react if he suddenly walked in now'?

  It made Anita a little worried, Anna could tell that, and she drove the point home.

  'Dan is already furi
ous about this delay in things. If you're not ready to leave soon with the script satisfactory, he's going to refuse to alter anything!'

  'He wouldn't dare!' There was just the touch of fear at the back of the spiteful eyes.

  'He would! He doesn't need any more money. Dean Orton is also annoyed. Maybe there'll be a new star in this film if you don't buck up, especially if I tell Dan about this little chat!'

  It worked and Anita left very quickly. Anna was shaking. She didn't need to be told about Dan's lifestyle, she had already found out about that. It hurt too badly to have it pushed at her again. The foot was throbbing and she took off her dressing-gown, preparing to slide into bed and hope for sleep.

  Dan just walked in without as much as a tap on the door.

  'Did I see Anita leave this room'?' he asked aggressively.

  'You did!' She was beginning to get annoyed as well as pained. This was like a railway station soon the others would burst in.

  'What did she want'?'

  'She wanted to borrow a cup of poison, but unfortunately I don't have any brewed at the moment!' Anna snapped. 'Maybe tomorrow!'

  'Anna!' He moved forward threateningly and she dived into bed, hurting her foot even more.

  'Oh, get out!' she sobbed, sliding under the sheets and turning her back.

  'Anna.' His voice softened, but she lay as stiff as a rod, her face hidden.

  'Just go, Dan. I don't want you here, in fact I don't want you anywhere!'

  To her relief it annoyed him, and the next sound she heard was her door banging as he left.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  IN THE morning Anna felt very ill; her foot was throbbing and, when she looked, the instep was so swollen that it filled the space between her toes and heel with no curve whatever. She had to tell Dan. Getting out of bed took all her courage and it was impossible to put her foot to the ground. She felt feverish, light-headed, her whole world one of pain.

  She was just at the door when she heard the launch leave, and she stumbled along the passage in time to see it swing out into the wide turquoise waters and head for Nassau. Incredibly they had gone. Her words of the previous night must have had some effect, but Dan was gone too, taking them to Nassau.