Subtle Revenge

by Carole Mortimer

  His lips left hers to travel down her throat to her breasts, capturing one erect nipple between his teeth and lips, running his tongue caressingly along the tip, evoking pleasure with every brushing stroke.

  Lori clutched on to his shoulders for support as her knees threatened to buckle and no longer hold her. She had to stop this, and stop it now. Allowing him to kiss her was one thing, to caress her a little too, but if she didn’t stop him now Luke would want more than kisses and caresses; he was even now touching her inner thigh, making an exploratory journey to the heart of her sexuality.

  She pulled back with a breathless laugh, knowing by the dark glaze of his eyes that he was having difficulty regaining his control; his mouth was very sensual, the desire burning in his eyes.

  He straightened with an effort, his dark hair ruffled from where her fingers had clasped on to him in the peak of her sexual excitement. ‘Sorry, kitten,’ he said raggedly. ‘It was just—Seeing Anderson touching you filled me with a black rage, a rage I’ve had two hours to ponder,’ he added ruefully. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you. Forgive me?’

  She could see he was still unsure of her, had no idea what her reaction was going to be to his anger, to the onslaught of desire that had followed. And off balance was the way she wanted him to remain. If he should ever feel sure of her she would lose her power over him.

  ‘I’ll go and finish dressing,’ she told him in a brittle voice, giving him no reaction at all. ‘Make yourself comfortable,’ she invited. ‘I shouldn’t be long.’

  He began to say something and then stopped, sitting down to watch her as she went through to her bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her.

  She leant back against it, allowing the weakness she daren’t show in front of him, to wash over her, her legs still trembling. Her tentative enjoyment of his touch this afternoon had turned to a blazing fire, a fire she had had trouble putting out—although she had a feeling it had only been dampened down.

  Being attracted to Luke—in a purely physical way—wasn’t something she had even considered when she had thought of this plan for revenge, sure that she would be immune to the attractions of Jacob Randell’s son.

  It was a definite complication, but not one she couldn’t handle. Luke might be a passionate man, deeply so, but he wasn’t a savage, and if at any time she said no to their lovemaking he would respect that.

  The possibility that she might one day not want to say no didn’t occur to her…

  * * *

  Dinner was a lighthearted affair, with Luke seeming determined to charm her, making no reference to their lovemaking earlier, just seeming satisfied within himself that it had happened.

  The restaurant was one of the most exclusive—and expensive—in London, the service quietly efficient, and Lori’s wine glass was kept constantly filled by the unobtrusive wine-waiter. Luke was obviously accustomed to such service, accepting it with an arrogance that only seemed to make the staff more attentive.

  But Luke had eyes only for her, his gaze often resting heatedly on the gentle swell of her breasts as they pressed against the softness of her black fitted gown. Her lips curved in satisfaction as she often caught and held that gaze. Much as he tried to hide it Luke was still deeply affected by their time together in her flat, and when her hand touched his as if by accident as it lay on the table she felt his fingers tremble slightly before his fingers turned to capture hers, the thumb gently caressing as they talked.

  He was a good conversationalist, with a knowledge of many subjects, from the theatre to politics, both here and in other countries, to a deep and varied interest in books.

  For most of the evening Lori had no need to pretend enjoyment, finding she and Luke had a lot of similar interests, and where they didn’t agree they were able to argue lightly. That was, until Luke asked about her family, and then all the enjoyment went out of the evening for her as she remembered who this man was, no longer seeing him as the interesting companion of the evening but as the son of the man who had started the ruination of her life, who had taken everyone from her that she loved, her father, her mother, Nigel…

  ‘I don’t have any family now,’ she told him sharply, removing her hand from his. ‘Only my father’s aunt. She’s in an old people’s home—at her own request,’ she added defensively, knowing the cruel assumption a lot of people made about such things. And Aunt Jessie would never have gone anywhere she didn’t want to! ‘I’m very fond of her.’

  ‘I can see that,’ he frowned. ‘Lori—’

  ‘And how about you?’ she questioned brightly. ‘What family do you have?’

  ‘Just my father,’ his voice cooled too. ‘My mother died several years ago.’

  ‘I’m sorry. Your father is Jacob Randell, isn’t he?’ she asked with a casualness she was far from feeling.

  ‘Yes,’ he grimaced.

  ‘But he’s famous!’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Luke—’

  ‘Can we get out of here?’ he rasped, smiling to take the sting out of his words. ‘I want to be alone with you,’ he added throatily.

  The last was meant as a balm against his sharpness, but it didn’t erase her curiosity. Claude had told her that Luke and his father had a clash of personalities, could it possibly be that Luke resented his father’s fame? Not that she thought him a man with jealousy over his career, he was too accomplished himself for that, but as Jonathan had pointed out after Nikki and Paul’s wedding, Jacob Randell must be hard to live up to.

  They drove home in silence, although not a tense one, the sound of the latest Barry Manilow tape filled the car.

  ‘I went to see his last concert at the Albert Hall,’ Lori told Luke softly.

  ‘Did you like it?’

  ‘Fantastic,’ she answered without hesitation. ‘Have you ever seen him in concert?’

  ‘Once,’ he nodded. ‘I enjoyed it too.’

  This was an aspect of music that they hadn’t discussed earlier in the evening, and it surprised Lori that Luke should like Barry Manilow. Not that he wasn’t an extremely good singer, was a superstar, but he sang mostly romantic songs. Luke didn’t come over as a romantic person—sensual, but not romantic.

  ‘I also like your perfume,’ he added ruefully. ‘Which I was very rude about this morning.’

  ‘You knew—’

  ‘Yes,’ he smiled at her indignant gasp. ‘It’s you exactly. Fiery, with a latent hint of sensuality.’ He laughed softly as she blushed. ‘I think that’s why I got so damned angry, it reminded me too much that all that fire and excitement was out of my reach.’ His hand moved to touch her thigh. ‘At least, I thought it was,’ he added suggestively.

  ‘Did you like your surprise from Marilou at lunchtime?’ she diverted his attention from her, seeing him frown as his hand returned to the steering-wheel. He had kissed and touched her enough for one day!

  ‘What surprise?’

  ‘That she isn’t going back to America.’

  ‘She isn’t?’ he frowned darkly, as he stopped the Jaguar in front of her home.

  ‘She said not.’ Now it was Lori’s turn to look puzzled. ‘She came to meet you for lunch at the office, but as you’d already left for the restaurant she missed you. I presumed she would have told you when you met later. I’m sorry if I’ve ruined her surprise.’

  ‘Shock, more like,’ Luke grimaced. ‘And I didn’t meet Marilou at the restaurant, I didn’t meet her at all. I haven’t seen her since Tuesday.’

  ‘But she said—Maybe I misunderstood her.’ She had been fooled by the other woman! Marilou had sensed that Luke’s interest in her wasn’t as impersonal as it should have been, and decided to warn her off. And she had fallen for it! She had responded like a child, had changed all her plans, had accepted an invitation from Luke when she hadn’t really been ready for it. Damn the girl!

  ‘You and I both know you didn’t,’ Luke drawled dryly, getting out of the car to open her door for her. ‘I told you, Marilou is a child,’ he murmured, h
is eyes glittering silver in the dimly lit street. ‘With the reactions of a child. She realised I was attracted to you. I—’

  At that moment a taxi drew into the side of the road in front of the Jaguar, and a sobbing Sally got out of the back to rush blindly past them.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘I THINK that particular big girl just learnt of her mistake,’ Luke broke the stunned silence that had followed Sally’s flight into the building.

  Lori flashed him an angry look. ‘You don’t have to sound so smug about it!’ She was torn between rushing to be with Sally and telling this man what she thought of him. The latter won. ‘Just because one of your sex has once again made a fool of one of mine there’s no reason to—’

  ‘Steady, Lori,’ he warned gruffly. ‘Your friend has been hurt, and I’m sorry about that, but that’s no reason for you to flare up at me.’

  ‘Isn’t it? Isn’t it! I—’

  ‘Kitten, please…!’ His lips claimed hers in a kiss of pure gentleness.

  All the fight went out of her and she kissed him back for several minutes. Finally Luke was the one to pull back, resting his forehead on hers.

  ‘I don’t usually do my lovemaking in such a public place,’ he murmured. ‘And as your flat isn’t exactly private either, I think we should postpone this.’

  Lori pulled away from him, once again angry with herself for responding. ‘Indefinitely!’

  ‘Lori—’

  ‘I have to go to Sally,’ she told him stiltedly. ‘Thank you for a nice evening. I had a good time.’

  ‘Kitten—’

  ‘I have to go,’ she insisted firmly. ‘Perhaps you could call me tomorrow?’ She knew by the widening of his eyes that he wasn’t used to being dismissed in this way, and the knowledge filled her with satisfaction. She had to keep him off guard all the time, must never let him feel as if he controlled her. ‘Goodnight, Luke,’ she added coolly, and walked away.

  She knew he hadn’t moved, could feel his gaze boring into her back as she walked steadily into the building, calmly pressing the button for the lift and stepping inside to turn towards the entrance doors, aware that Luke still stood on the pavement outside.

  He looked very alone in that moment, a lone figure standing in the street. And then she hardened her heart, and turned away as the lift doors closed. Luke never had any need to be alone, not while there were willing girls like Marilou about!

  Sally was in the bedroom, lying on the bed, still sobbing as if her heart were broken. As indeed Lori suspected it was!

  ‘Sally?’ she sat on the edge of the bed. ‘Sally, what is it?’

  For several more moments Sally continued to sob, then she turned over, her mascara running darkly down her cheeks, pain showing in her deep blue eyes.

  ‘Is Dave ill?’ she prompted.

  ‘Ill?’ Sally repeated bitterly, sitting up to brush the tears from her cheeks. ‘I wish he were. And I wish I could have been the cause of it!’

  ‘Tell me,’ Lori encouraged softly.

  ‘Dave has someone else,’ Sally choked. ‘He was seeing her even before he started going out with me!’

  This was so much worse than she had imagined, although Dave’s flirting with herself had pointed to his interest in other women besides Sally. Her heart went out to her friend. ‘How did you find out?’

  Sally gave a bitter laugh, standing up to pace the room. ‘He told me,’ she revealed scornfully, tears still glittering in her eyes. ‘I told you he asked me to move in with him?’ She drew in a ragged breath. ‘Well, when I told him tonight that I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that he told me that it didn’t matter any more, that he—that this other girl, Joanna, had already agreed to move in with him this—this weekend.’ Her voice broke emotionally. ‘He was only with me tonight so that he could say good—goodbye.’ She began to cry again.

  Lori stood up to put her arms about her friend, letting her cry it out. Dave’s insensitivity had only added to her general opinion that all men were bastards. There had to be the odd exception, such as Claude and Jonathan, but Dave certainly wasn’t one of them.

  Sally moved away minutes later, giving a rather rueful smile. ‘The irony of it is,’ she said shakily. ‘That if I’d agreed a week ago, two days ago, I would be the one moving in this weekend, and this girl Joanna would be the one crying now.’

  ‘Would you rather she were?’

  ‘God, no!’ Sally said disgustedly. ‘I’m upset because it’s over with Dave—after all, I did think I loved him. You notice the past tense?’ she scorned bitterly. ‘I’ve been such a fool,’ she shook her head. ‘Yes, I’m upset,’ she sighed. ‘But think how much worse I would have felt if I’d moved in with him and then found out what a swine he is. You know we’ve been lovers?’

  ‘Yes,’ Lori nodded.

  ‘Of course you do,’ Sally sighed again. ‘What an idiot I’ve been! So very stupid.’

  Lori shrugged. ‘You loved him.’

  ‘And now I think I hate him,’ Sally said dully. ‘It’s so much easier to hate than it is to love.’

  She had thought that herself once, but tonight she had actually found herself liking Luke Randell at times, enjoying their discussion on the theatre and music, even liking the goodnatured arguments; only his liking for Barry Manilow had seemed out of character.

  But he had soon resorted to type; his attitude had been completely callous when he spoke about Sally being hurt. Men were all the same; Luke Randell could certainly never be the exception.

  She was aware of Sally crying on and off through the night, but as her friend seemed to be trying to hide her sobs she very wisely pretended to be asleep herself. Sally was already feeling humiliated enough, without anyone knowing how upset she really was.

  Sally was pale and hollow-eyed the next day, but Lori insisted she eat some toast for breakfast, also making sure she had some lunch. Sally ate the food without any real appetite, but she did eat it.

  ‘I just don’t know how I could have been so stupid,’ she suddenly broke the silence after lunch, previously having only answered Lori in monosyllables. ‘I should have known that sex was all he was after. It’s all any man’s after,’ she added bitterly.

  Lori couldn’t dispute that; she knew that it was all Luke Randell really wanted, that if she could be persuaded to give in to him now, any idea of marriage would be conveniently forgotten by him. It would be far from forgotten by him, she would see to that!

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Sally said jerkily. ‘I don’t mean to sound—well, I didn’t exactly say no, did I?’ she grimaced ruefully.

  ‘You thought he loved you.’

  ‘Yes,’ her friend sighed. ‘It isn’t exactly an excuse, though, is it?’

  ‘You don’t need an excuse to express love, and that’s what you were doing,’ Lori pointed out.

  ‘My parents would be scandalised,’ Sally looked woebegone. ‘You don’t know how lucky you are, Lori, not to have parents like mine to answer to. Still, that’s enough about me, how did your date with Luke Randell go last night?’ To her credit, at a time when she should be off all men, Sally seemed to be genuinely interested in the answer.

  Actually Lori had been wondering herself how that date had gone. At the time she had thought it had gone well, that the time she had spent in Luke’s arms was just long enough for him to want more. But it was almost two o’clock in the afternoon and he hadn’t even telephoned her yet.

  ‘It was nice,’ she shrugged.

  ‘Seeing him again?’

  ‘He didn’t say,’ she answered truthfully.

  ‘He’s gorgeous, though, isn’t he?’ Sally gave an envious sigh.

  ‘I thought you were off men,’ Lori teased, not answering the statement.

  Her friend grinned. ‘Not his type of man, he’s in a class all his own.’ She stood up restlessly. ‘Let’s go to the shops,’ she suggested eagerly. ‘There’s nothing I enjoy more than trying on clothes I can’t afford and then telling the assistant that nothing is suitable!�
��

  Lori didn’t know whether to go or not. If she went out with Sally she might miss Luke’s call—if he did call. But then again, if he did call and received no answer it could just how him once again that she was far from always available.

  ‘Yes, let’s go.’ She lightheartedly joined Sally.

  They were gone over two hours. Sally treated herself to a pair of extravagantly expensive velvet trousers, something she was sure she would never actually wear, as they were too smart for casual wear, and not suitable for the office.

  The telephone was ringing as they entered the flat, and Lori let Sally answer it, taking Sally’s trousers through to the bedroom.

  ‘It’s Luke.’ Sally came through a couple of seconds later.

  ‘Thanks.’ Lori took her time about reaching the telephone, and her tone was offhand as she picked up the receiver. ‘Hello, Luke.’

  ‘Where the hell have you been?’ he growled. ‘I’ve been calling you all afternoon!’

  He was angry, very angry—which was exactly what she had wanted him to feel. ‘And I’ve been out all afternoon,’ she told him lightly.

  ‘Where?’

  ‘Really, Luke—’

  ‘Where?’ he repeated hardly.

  She held back her smile. ‘Just to the shops.’

  ‘Alone?’

  ‘No,’ she answered slowly, revelling in his jealousy. ‘Not alone.’

  There was silence at the other end of the line for several seconds, and then Luke exploded, ‘You’ve been out with Anderson!’

  ‘No—’

  ‘You have, damn you!’ he rasped furiously.

  She could almost visualise his face contorted with rage, with that complete lack of control where she was concerned. ‘I thought we settled the matter of Jonathan last night?’ she cajoled.

  ‘No,’ he bit out. ‘We didn’t settle anything, I realise that now. I asked you why he was kissing you, and instead of answering me you kissed me, and I forgot I’d asked the damn question!’ He sounded disgusted with himself for his weakness. ‘Why was he kissing you, Lori?’