Subtle Revenge

by Carole Mortimer

  ‘Why shouldn’t he?’ she dismissed.

  ‘Because I—! Because,’ he spoke more calmly, taking a deep controlling breath, ‘I should be the only man in your life at the moment.’

  ‘That sort of single-mindedness has a price,’ Lori baited.

  ‘A price I’ve told you I’m willing to pay!’ he rasped.

  ‘Maybe I’m not,’ she dismissed.

  ‘Meaning you’ll continue to see Anderson?’ Luke’s voice was soft, dangerously so.

  ‘If I want to,’ she goaded.

  His sharp intake of breath could clearly be heard. ‘And if I asked you not to?’ he said at last.

  ‘Are you asking that?’

  ‘Yes!’

  She didn’t answer for several long seconds, seeming to give the matter some thought. ‘All right,’ she replied huskily.

  ‘You mean yes?’ he sounded incredulous, triumphantly so.

  ‘If that’s what you want.’

  ‘Yes, Lori, that’s what I want,’ he said throatily. ‘Will you see me tonight?’

  ‘I’m not sure I should leave Sally—’

  ‘She’s old enough to take care of herself, Lori,’ he growled. ‘I need you more than she does,’ he added with a groan. ‘You know I tried not to call you, don’t you?’ he sighed.

  Pleasure shot through her at the admission. ‘Then why did you?’

  ‘Because I can’t stay away from you! Tonight, Lori, I have to see you tonight. I’ll pick you up at seven.’ He rang off before she could refuse.

  She slowly replaced the receiver, having had no intention of refusing. Luke had suffered enough for one day; she intended this revenge to be slow and sweet.

  ‘Going out?’ Sally stood in front of the mirror looking critically at the black velvet trousers she was trying on once again.

  ‘Do you mind?’ Lori frowned.

  ‘Of course not,’ Sally smiled at her in the mirror. ‘Oh, I know you’ve stayed with me today deliberately, but I’m not the suicidal type. No, I’ll be fine tonight. I can wash my hair, and—’ her voice broke. ‘I’m sorry, Lori.’ The tears began to fall once again. ‘I’m being silly.’

  ‘I won’t go out,’ Lori decided. ‘I’ll call Luke and—’

  ‘No, you won’t,’ Sally said firmly. ‘Actually, I—I’m very grateful to you for staying with me today, but I’d like to be alone for a while. God, how ungrateful that sounds!’ she groaned.

  Not ungrateful at all; Lori knew exactly how her friend felt. When Nigel had broken their engagement she had liked to be with other people, but she had welcomed being alone too. Today she hadn’t given Sally time to think; the two of them had given the flat a thorough clean this morning, and then they had been to the shops this afternoon. Now Sally needed to be alone, and she respected that.

  ‘I understand, Sally,’ she assured her softly. ‘I really do. And the trousers look great!’ she changed the subject.

  She was still in the bedroom when Luke arrived a little before seven, and after ten minutes Sally came into the bedroom to see what was delaying her. ‘He’s getting impatient,’ she whispered, looking like someone hounded.

  ‘Really?’ Lori continued to calmly apply the perfume Luke had expressed a liking for. The stark white dress she wore had a dipping cowl neckline, a wide white belt at the waist, the material fitting snugly over her slender thighs. Thin shoulder straps left her arms and throat bare, and it was here that she applied the perfume.

  ‘You look wonderful,’ Sally told her. ‘But he’s been pacing up and down the lounge ever since he arrived—I fear for the carpet!’

  Lori smiled, slowly applying her lip-gloss. ‘A little delay isn’t going to hurt him.’

  ‘He doesn’t look the type who appreciates being kept waiting,’ her friend frowned. ‘And I don’t know what to talk to him about. After all, he is the new boss.’

  ‘He’s only a man for all that.’ Lori slipped her silken feet into the white sandals.

  Sally sat down on the bed, awestruck. ‘I wish I could be as cool with men as you are. You’ve only been out with the man once and already you have him eating out of your hand!’ She shook her head. ‘How do you do it?’

  Lori laughed coolly. ‘I don’t “do” anything, Sally. And I’m sure you’re exaggerating—Luke wouldn’t eat out of anyone’s hand, and certainly not a woman’s.’

  ‘Well, if he isn’t now, he’s very close to it,’ Sally decided.

  Close to it wasn’t good enough, not for what she had in mind. Luke’s father had killed her parents and lost her Nigel for all time, and becoming Luke’s wife would be payment.

  Sally stood up. ‘I’ll tell him you’re almost ready, shall I?’ she prompted hopefully.

  ‘You can tell him,’ Lori nodded. ‘But I’m not.’

  ‘Lori…?’

  ‘No man whose interest is really genuine would baulk at waiting twenty minutes.’ She looked at the slender gold watch on her wrist. ‘I still have five minutes to go.’

  ‘He could just walk out.’

  ‘He could,’ she nodded.

  ‘Wouldn’t you care?’ Sally looked scandalised. ‘He looks absolutely lethal! And he smells of this aftershave that makes my toes curl.’

  ‘Down, Rover!’ Lori teased. ‘He’s mine, remember?’

  ‘How could I forget?’ Sally grimaced. ‘Okay, I’ll go and tell him you’ll be out in a minute.’

  ‘Four, to be exact.’

  ‘By which time he will have worn a hole in the carpet. I just hope you have the money for a new one!’

  Lori laughed with her friend, but her humour faded as soon as the door closed behind her. So Luke was impatient for her, was he? Well, he would be even more impatient by the time she had finished, and not just for her presence; he would be impatient for much more than that.

  And yet that slight feeling of unease she had had last night returned. Last night she had responded to Luke quite instinctively, had found pleasure in his arms.

  So she had found pleasure! Any number of experienced men could have evoked the same response from even the most unwilling of women. And yet that disquietening feeling remained, and her eyes were guarded as she went out to greet him.

  Desire blazed in the light grey eyes like a molten fire, his gaze caressing as it slowly ran over the softness of her curves clearly shown beneath the clinging white dress.

  Luke did indeed look devastating, his black evening trousers and smoky grey velvet jacket superbly tailored across his broad shoulders and athletic body.

  Lori was the only one aware of Sally’s mumbled words before she hastily disappeared into the bedroom, and Luke held Lori’s gaze as he slowly came towards her.

  ‘Did you do it on purpose?’ He stood only inches away from her, the warmth of his body reaching out to her.

  ‘Do what?’ Her voice was husky, her eyes demure as she looked up at him from beneath luscious lashes.

  ‘Keep me waiting.’ His hands moved to touch her bare arms. ‘You knew how badly I wanted to see you tonight.’

  ‘Did I?’

  ‘You know you did.’ His eyes darkened. ‘Kitten…!’ he moaned before his lips parted hers.

  After several seconds she broke the contact. ‘Sally’s in the other room,’ she murmured pointedly as Luke still held her, the throbbing of his body telling her that it was as well Sally was in the flat.

  ‘Yes,’ he moved away with a sigh. ‘We’re going to be late as it is.’

  ‘Late?’ she frowned.

  ‘I thought we could go and see Claude before going to dinner.’

  Now she felt guilty about deliberately keeping him waiting. ‘I’ll just say goodbye to Sally,’ she said stiltedly.

  ‘How is she?’ Luke asked once they were in the Jaguar and on their way to the hospital.

  ‘Hurting,’ Lori told him bluntly.

  ‘Is it over with her boy-friend?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Hey,’ he chided gently, putting out a hand to entwine his fingers with
hers, ‘I wasn’t the one who hurt your friend!’

  She snatched her hand out of his. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said abruptly, ‘I just don’t like to see Sally hurt.’

  ‘I’m hurting,’ he told her huskily.

  It was an admission she knew he didn’t like making, because it was against his nature to admit to any weakness. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said again.

  ‘Are you?’ Bitterness entered his voice. ‘What game are you playing with me, Lori?’ he bit out.

  ‘Game?’ she echoed sharply, her expression guarded. ‘I don’t understand.’

  He looked grim, his expression taut. ‘You know I want you, you know how I feel about you. I wouldn’t advise you to use those feelings to your advantage.’ His voice was hard with warning.

  ‘What do you mean?’ She moistened her lips nervously.

  ‘Don’t treat my love as a weakness, kitten,’ he advised softly, dangerously so.

  ‘Love, Luke?’ Her brows rose.

  ‘You know damn well I’m in love with you!’ he rasped, a pulse beating erratically at his jaw.

  It was the first time he had mentioned love, and she felt a surge of satisfaction that he had said it now, her lashes lowering to shield her elation.

  ‘You did know, didn’t you?’ he frowned at her silence.

  ‘You never mentioned it,’ she said demurely.

  ‘But I thought—’

  ‘There’s a vast difference between loving and wanting, Luke,’ she drawled. ‘And you’ve only ever spoken of the latter.’

  ‘But I thought you would know!’

  ‘How could I?’

  ‘Oh hell!’ he scowled. ‘And we’re at the hospital now.’ He turned in his seat to look at her. ‘We’ll talk about this later?’

  ‘If you like,’ Lori nodded coolly.

  ‘I like,’ he confirmed gruffly, gently touching the creamy texture of her cheek.

  Claude’s expression brightened when they walked into his room together. He was looking much better than when they had last seen him, and was sitting up in the bed, his colour almost normal.

  ‘Ruth’s already left for the evening,’ he told them, switching off the television set.

  ‘We would have been here earlier ourselves,’ Luke drawled, his arm about Lori’s waist in a show of possession. ‘But you know what women are, they think they have to paint the lily—when we would much rather have the lily without any adornment at all,’ he mocked her.

  ‘Ah, but Lori paints so nicely,’ Claude smiled at his teasing. ‘I can also see that her temper is rising nicely. You’re familiar with her temper?’

  ‘Very,’ Luke taunted. ‘Actually, it isn’t so much a temper as a steely determination,’ he added thoughtfully.

  Lori looked at him sharply. She might be coming to know this man, but he also seemed to be analysing her—and coming up with the right answers. She would have to be wary that he didn’t discover the whole truth about her before she was ready for him to.

  Claude laughed softly. ‘Am I to take it this—togetherness is a regular thing?’

  ‘Yes,’ Lori was the one to answer him. ‘And after Luke saying he didn’t agree with a close working as well as outside relationship!’ she did some taunting of her own.

  Lukes eyes were amused, his fingers bit into her waist in a warning pinch. ‘I believe I said between husband and wife,’ he mocked her blushes. ‘Although I’m working on that,’ he told the other man softly.

  ‘Really?’ Claude’s interest deepened.

  ‘Very much so,’ Luke nodded. ‘But she’s a tough one to convince.’

  ‘Do you really think that?’ Lori asked later that night as they sat in his car outside her home.

  They had gone from the hospital to a quiet restaurant, where the food was once again excellent, the conversation even more so. Luke had set out to entertain—and had succeeded.

  Lori’s mood had been very mellow by the time they went on to the club, where she and Luke danced silently in each other’s arms for almost two hours, hardly moving, Luke’s lips occasionally travelling the length of her throat, searching each contour of her face, his breathing soft and shallow as he told her how beautiful she was, how much he desired her.

  The latter she had been well aware of; it was the loving she was more interested in, which was why she was probing his emotions now.

  ‘Think what, my darling?’ Luke held her tightly in his arms, his eyes a silver glaze from the heated kisses they had been exchanging for the last ten minutes, Lori explaining that she would rather not take him up to the flat, not when Sally was feeling so emotionally fragile. She also knew Luke would never make love to her here—her safeguard against her lowering resistance towards him.

  ‘That I’m tough to convince?’ She had no idea how lovely she looked in that moment, her hair loose about her shoulders, her eyes a deep sparkling brown, her mouth a deep red despite being bare of lip-gloss, witness to Luke’s passion.

  ‘About marriage?’ He sat back slightly. ‘You haven’t made it easy so far.’

  ‘Would you rather I had?’ She touched the bareness of his chest, having unbuttoned his shirt minutes earlier, feeling his skin firm to the touch, sensually so.

  ‘Maybe a little more than you did,’ he nodded. ‘I’ve never asked a woman to marry me before, and it’s a little off-putting to find she doesn’t even take me seriously.’

  ‘You were a little unorthodox in the beginning, Luke,’ she chided softly. ‘But I’m starting to take you seriously now.’ Her lips travelled the hardness of his chest, loving his instant reaction to the caress.

  ‘You are?’ His voice was gruff.

  ‘Yes.’ She looked up at him.

  ‘Don’t stop now!’ He kissed her temple.

  ‘You’re greedy,’ she laughed teasingly.

  ‘Where you’re concerned, yes.’

  ‘And Marilou?’

  He shook his head, buttoning his shirt as she moved away from him. ‘That young madam was on a plane for home first thing this morning—I saw to that.’

  It hadn’t been a very pleasant experience for the younger girl, if Luke’s grim expression was anything to go by. ‘You didn’t approve of your surprise, then?’ she asked lightly.

  ‘Not at all. And I made sure she knew that.’

  ‘She liked you.’ Lori could afford to be generous now that the other girl was back in America.

  ‘And I’m in love with you,’ he told her deeply. ‘Next to that I’m afraid little girls like Marilou don’t mean a thing.’

  ‘Keep telling me,’ she encouraged throatily. ‘Perhaps I’ll come to believe it.’

  ‘I hope so. We’ll meet tomorrow?’

  ‘I usually visit my aunt on Sundays.’

  ‘Let me come with you,’ he suggested reasonably.

  Lori blinked. ‘Come with me?’

  ‘Why not?’ he nodded. ‘It’s time I met your family, and this aunt is your family, isn’t she?’

  ‘Yes.’ She frowned; the prospect of Luke and Aunt Jessie meeting was not something she had taken into consideration. Her aunt might be eighty years of age, but she was far from being senile. If she should realise Luke was Jacob P. Randell’s son she could just add two and two together and come up with the right answer.

  In the early days after the trial, Lori had made no secret of her hatred of the famous lawyer, had often expressed a wish to ‘get back at him’. Aunt Jessie would only have to become suspicious of her real reason for seeing Luke and she could ruin the whole thing for her; not even the fact that Nigel’s marriage had opened up the old wound would influence her aunt’s decision to tell Luke the truth.

  But she could understand Luke wanting to meet her aunt, and it would make her own suggestion of meeting his father all the more acceptable when the time came.

  ‘All right,’ she finally agreed. ‘But Aunt Jessie is very old, and she—she sometimes rambles.’ Oh, Aunt Jessie, forgive me, she pleaded silently. Her aunt had never rambled in her life, and even at eight
y years of age could out-think a lot of younger people, herself included.

  ‘I don’t mind that, darling,’ Luke smiled. ‘She’s your aunt, and you love her.’

  ‘You won’t mind if she—if she’s very blunt?’

  ‘After your evasive tactics I’ll welcome it,’ he grinned. ‘Now come and kiss me goodnight,’ and he held out his arms to her.

  Her kiss was reserved, knowing that earlier she had once again responded to him. He ruefully accepted the way she held back now, and sat back in his own seat.

  ‘I’d better go in,’ Lori told him breathlessly.

  ‘Yes, I think you’d better—before I decide to try and persuade you to come home with me.’

  ‘You wouldn’t succeed.’

  ‘I know it,’ he grimaced. ‘But I might have enjoyed trying. What time shall I call for you tomorrow?’

  She told him, getting out of the car to let him walk her to the door. Sally had already gone to bed when she got inside, although she had left the light on in the lounge for her.

  Lori went into the bedroom as quietly as she could after her wash, not wanting to disturb her friend if she was already asleep. She wasn’t; she was sitting up in bed to switch on the lamp that stood on the table between the two beds.

  ‘Have a good evening?’

  ‘Very good.’ Lori hung her dress up in the wardrobe, knowing that she spoke the truth. It had been a good evening.

  ‘I called Dave’s flat this evening,’ Sally told her slowly, almost reluctantly, it seemed.

  Lori’s eyes widened. ‘What did he say?’

  ‘Nothing,’ her friend said dully. ‘He wasn’t there. Joanna answered the telephone.’ Sally held back her tears with difficulty.

  Lori climbed into the opposite bed, frowning. ‘Did she know who you were?’

  ‘No, she didn’t seem to. And I didn’t tell her either.’ Sally lay back on her pillow staring up at the ceiling. ‘I found I didn’t hate Dave enough to do that to him. I’m sure she’ll find out the truth about him in time.’

  Lori wasn’t so sure she would have had the same forbearance if it had been her!