Lady Surrender

by Carole Mortimer

She sighed. ‘I don’t suppose it’s of any interest to you that I was going out this evening?’

  ‘None at all,’ he confirmed flatly. ‘And remember, as far as you’re concerned Molly is merely coming here to collect an address book; don’t embarrass her by letting her know you’re aware of the real reason.’

  She left the room after giving him an indignant glare. Living with James’ arrogance had been frustrating enough, accepting a far deeper arrogance from a complete stranger was unacceptable to her.

  But he wasn’t a complete stranger. She had heard all too much of Aaron Grantley in the business world during recent weeks, his latest business venture even intruding into her life. And now the man himself had come bursting into her life with the same intrusive determination to get what he wanted. Well he was going to get far more than he had bargained for from her tonight!

  She was putting the finishing touches to her hair when she heard the doorbell ring, turning off the dryer to hear the murmur of voices in the lounge, a breathless female one, and Aaron Grantley’s softer soothing one. She hoped his acting ability was as good as he seemed confident it was, because he was going to need it during the next few seconds!

  The couple in the lounge weren’t initially aware of her presence, and she took the opportunity to watch Molly unobserved. She was a tall, pretty woman, about Charly’s own age, with short black hair, darkly lashed blue eyes, talking worriedly to Aaron Grantley. They both seemed to become aware of Charly’s presence at the same moment, turning simultaneously.

  It was lucky for Aaron Grantley that the other woman did turn to look at her too, because his mouth literally fell open as he gazed at Charly in dazed surprise. She had been well aware of the impact she would make, had dressed with just that idea in mind. The black and gold dress was Japanese in style, high-necked, short-sleeved, completely figure-hugging, her legs long and shapely beneath its knee length, her gold sandals adding to her height with three-inch heels. Her hair was a straight golden swathe to her waist, her make-up dark and dramatic, far heavier than she normally wore it. Aaron Grantley could now see exactly why a man, married or otherwise, could lose his head over her!

  ‘I hope I wasn’t too long, darling.’ She swayed gracefully into the room, putting her arms about his neck to kiss him lingeringly on the mouth as he stood perfectly still, rigid with shock. ‘And you must be Molly.’ She turned to the other woman, smiling warmly. ‘Matt has told me so much about you.’

  Molly looked taken aback. ‘I—He has?’

  ‘Oh yes. And your two adorable children. It was so kind of him to let me use his apartment like this.’ She glared hardly at Aaron Grantley before moving out of his arms. ‘Did you find your address book?’ she smiled at the other woman once again.

  ‘Er—yes.’ Molly looked uncomfortable.

  ‘Oh good,’ she nodded. ‘I hope it doesn’t inconvenience you that I’m staying here; the fire just about gutted my lounge, although the decorators hope to be finished soon. Shall we sit down?’ she invited smoothly.

  Molly plopped down on to the sofa while Charly sank down more gracefully, the length of the slit up the skirt of her dress revealing most of her thigh as she crossed one knee over the other.

  ‘Fire?’ Molly prompted.

  ‘Mm,’ Charly nodded, turning curiously to Aaron Grantley as he stood across the room still staring at her. ‘Darling, why don’t you sit down,’ her voice lowered throatily. ‘I’m sure Molly doesn’t have to rush off.’

  ‘I—I think I’ll have a drink first,’ he spoke decisively. ‘Ladies?’ he added abruptly, as if he had just remembered his manners.

  They both declined, and Charly turned to Molly as she guessed the other woman was still waiting for an answer to her question. ‘I detest smoking at the best of times,’ she confided, having to choke back a laugh as she saw the gold cigarette case Aaron Grantley had been reaching for drop back unopened into the breast-pocket of the pale green shirt. ‘But now I refuse to have it anywhere near me,’ she added firmly, all humour gone. ‘A guest at my apartment the other evening forgot about a cigarette she had been smoking and it fell beneath the coffee-table. It smouldered there until I’d gone to bed and then the carpet caught fire.’

  ‘Oh how awful,’ Molly was genuinely disturbed. ‘Were you hurt?’

  ‘I inhaled a lot of smoke before a neighbour broke down the door,’ she revealed abruptly, very aware of how intently Aaron Grantley was listening now. ‘They kept me in hospital for observation but I was fine.’

  Molly looked accusingly at Aaron Grantley. ‘You didn’t tell me any of this.’

  ‘Actually, I didn’t tell him,’ Charly explained truthfully. ‘I knew he wouldn’t have liked my having the dinner party while he wasn’t here; he can be so jealous,’ she confided indulgently, studiously avoiding his furious gaze.

  ‘Aaron can?’ Molly looked stunned.

  ‘Oh yes,’ Charly nodded. ‘Besides, there was nothing he could do in America.’

  ‘Then Matt should have told me about it,’ Molly muttered uncomfortably.

  ‘It only happened at the weekend,’ Charly excused. ‘And now that Aaron is here I can forget all about it,’ she added mockingly, looking up at him challengingly.

  Molly shook her head. ‘The two of you seem so close, and yet Aaron hasn’t breathed a word about you to us.’

  ‘Aaron’s not used to our relationship himself yet,’ she confided. ‘I’m afraid he’s still a little wary of the speed with which we fell in love.’

  Molly’s eyes widened at this information. ‘Are the two of you engaged?’ she gasped.

  ‘I—’

  ‘Aaron is a little too old for an engagement,’ Charly dismissed lightly, meeting his furious gaze innocently. ‘So we’ve just decided to get married.’ She kept her face straight as Aaron almost choked on his whisky, his face going red with anger.

  ‘When?’ Molly squeaked.

  ‘Well we haven’t actually decided on a date yet, but—’

  ‘But you can be sure you and Matt will be the first to know when we do decide on one,’ Aaron put in forcefully. ‘I thought that was going to remain our secret for a while?’ he added gratingly to Charly.

  She raised innocent brows. ‘Surely not from such good friends as Molly and Matt?’

  ‘From anybody.’ He sounded as if he were spitting nails!

  ‘Well, you didn’t tell me that, darling,’ she drawled, relaxing back in her chair, her grey eyes meeting his calmly. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve ruined your surprise.’

  He looked as if that ‘surprise’ might have pushed him to breaking point, although somehow he maintained his control. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ he dismissed abruptly.

  ‘I’m so glad you told me.’ Molly smiled, all doubts obviously laid to rest with this announcement. ‘Matt is going to be pleased too.’ She turned to Charly. ‘I invited Aaron down to dinner tomorrow evening before I realised how seriously involved the two of you are; please come too, Charly.’

  ‘Fine,’ Aaron Grantley accepted abruptly. ‘We’ll look forward to it, won’t we, honey?’

  He was getting his revenge now! ‘Yes,’ she agreed curtly. ‘We will.’

  ‘Good.’ Molly seemed relieved that the meeting had turned out so differently from what she had been expecting.

  ‘Would you like some coffee before you leave?’ Charly offered warmly, liking the other woman and her courage to want to fight for her husband if she had to.

  ‘That would be nice, thank you,’ Molly nodded acceptance.

  ‘I’ll help you, Charly,’ Aaron Grantley put in hardly, following her from the room, swinging her round to face him once they reached the privacy of the kitchen. ‘What game do you think you’re playing?’ he demanded furiously.

  She glared up at him, shaking off his hand on her arm. ‘I’m not playing at all, Mr Grantley,’ she snapped. ‘Your manners since you arrived here this evening have been highly insulting, to say the least. You prejudged Matt and I—’

  ‘Moll
y may have fallen for that fire and smoke inhalation story, Miss Allenby,’ he ground out, ‘but don’t expect me to be as gullible!’

  ‘What would it take to convince you?’ she demanded angrily. ‘Third degree burns?’

  His mouth twisted. ‘I already know there aren’t any; I’ve seen sixty per cent of you, remember?’

  ‘You’re right, Mr Grantley,’ she told him flatly. ‘There are no burns.’ She couldn’t tell this man of the way she woke in the night, her body bathed in perspiration as she imagined that choking smoke filled her bedroom once more and she couldn’t get out.

  It had only been the quick action of her neighbour that had saved her from death. She had taken a sleeping tablet as usual before she went to bed that night, hadn’t been aware of any danger until Jeff Pearce dragged her through the smoke-filled apartment to safety.

  ‘I know that,’ Aaron Grantley scorned. ‘But it was a good story. Molly certainly believed it. It’s this idea of marriage between us that you’ve given Molly that I don’t like,’ he scowled, the green eyes dark.

  Charily looked up at him unblinkingly. ‘I thought it was a nice touch,’ she drawled.

  ‘You realise you’ve put us both in an awkward position?’ he rasped.

  ‘Us?’ she raised her brows, shaking her head. ‘I’ve put you in an awkward position; I have no intention of going to Matt’s for dinner tomorrow. You’ll have to make my excuses to them.’

  He gave her a contemptuous look. ‘You’re right; I doubt Matt has the nerve to carry out an evening with his wife and his mistress.’

  Charly gave him a pitying look. ‘I’m sure you would have more bravado,’ she scorned. ‘Now shouldn’t you go and keep your guest company; the coffee is almost ready.’

  He nodded impatiently. ‘But no more wisecracks about us getting married,’ he warned.

  ‘Or?’ she drawled.

  ‘Wait and see.’ He gave a humourless smile, challenge in the narrowed green eyes. ‘You look like a woman who would like surprises,’ he taunted before rejoining Molly in the lounge.

  There hadn’t been many surprises in her life, even fewer of them pleasant ones, while the shocks she had received in recent years had been even less pleasant. It seemed, from Aaron Grantley’s viewpoint at least, that the outer shell had faired far better than the inner Charly; he certainly didn’t believe there had been a fire in her apartment. He would be even more sceptical about the rest of her life!

  Molly was very relaxed as she drank her coffee, her mind obviously at rest now about her husband’s involvement with Charly. For all that she disliked Aaron Grantley Charly was glad they had managed to do that; it had been the only reason she had agreed to go along with Aaron Grantley’s plan. No woman should have to go through the torture of believing her husband had another woman when it wasn’t true; it was hard enough to bear when it was true!

  ‘You will let us know when you decide about the wedding, won’t you?’ Molly prompted eagerly. ‘I know Matt wouldn’t want to miss the great event; for years he’s been saying he doubted Aaron would ever marry,’ the other woman teasingly explained to Charly. ‘I’m sure he has no idea how serious your relationship is.’

  ‘It came as a surprise to us all,’ Aaron Grantley drawled derisively.

  ‘Oh yes.’ Charly put her hand in the crook of his arm, leaning into him as they sat on the sofa together. ‘But now that I’ve managed to get a commitment from him I’m going to hang on to him.’ She looked at him challengingly as she felt him stiffen.

  ‘There’s no rush,’ he muttered, giving her a fierce glare.

  ‘Neither of us is getting any younger, Aaron,’ she lightly mocked.

  ‘Thirty-five isn’t old,’ he grated.

  ‘It is for a first marriage,’ she drawled. ‘Not so long ago people would have thought there was something wrong with you,’ she added tauntingly.

  His hand covered hers as it rested on his arm, crushing down on her fingers in a gesture that, to an observer, must look loving. ‘We both know how wrong that assumption would be about me,’ he ground out between clenched teeth, his eyes blazing with anger. ‘Don’t we?’ His hand was even more painful on her fingers.

  ‘Well, of course we do, darling,’ she gave him a coy smile, triumph in her eyes that she had managed to unnerve him once again. ‘I was merely pointing out that we shouldn’t delay the wedding too much longer.’

  His mouth tightened ominously. ‘I don’t believe in rushing into these things.’

  She gave a light laugh. ‘We wouldn’t be rushing into anything. I don’t—’ her next taunt was cut off by angrily firm lips descending roughly on to hers, the brief contact of Aaron Grantley’s mouth showing her just how furious he was. It was the first time she had known such intimacy from a man since—

  ‘I think it’s time I left,’ Molly gently teased, standing up. ‘I hope you didn’t mind my collecting the address book.’ Once again she avoided Charly’s gaze. ‘I—I’ll see you both tomorrow.’

  ‘I—’

  ‘Yes, we’ll be there,’ Aaron cut in firmly, not wanting to give her the chance to say anything that might be even more damning, standing up to join Molly at the door. ‘Tell Matt I’ll call him tomorrow.’

  ‘So will I,’ Charly put in determinedly, making no effort to join them as Aaron saw the other woman to the lift.

  She was standing in front of the window trying to decide how she felt about that kiss when she sensed he had come back into the room. She didn’t actually have a lot to compare his kiss with, certainly hadn’t been expecting it, or he could have been deeply embarrassed by her violent recoil from the caress. She finally decided she didn’t know how she felt about the kiss.

  ‘You will not call Matt tomorrow or at any other time,’ Aaron ground out icily.

  She straightened her shoulders, her expression cold as she turned to face him. ‘I won’t?’ she drawled.

  ‘No,’ he rasped. ‘You’ve had your fun here tonight, but now it’s over. I want you to pack your things and move out of here right now.’

  ‘And where would I go?’

  ‘Find some other fool to support you in the life to which you’ve become accustomed,’ he scorned. ‘I really don’t care where you go—just do it.’

  She shrugged. ‘Matt isn’t going to be too pleased about this.’

  Aaron Grantley scowled. ‘Matt will soon realise what an idiot he’s been!’

  ‘You think so?’ she frowned thoughtfully.

  ‘I know so,’ he said contemptuously.

  ‘You probably know him better than I do,’ she nodded consideringly. ‘But I have no intention of moving out of here tonight.’

  ‘Now look, lady—’

  ‘Will you stop calling me “lady” in that contemptuous tone,’ she snapped coldly. ‘We both know you consider me to be the opposite!’

  He looked at her with narrowed eyes, his lashes a sooty black against the green depths. ‘With that damned haughty manner of yours you could find yourself an earl or something, why pick on Matt?’

  ‘He’s a very eminent doctor—’

  ‘But hardly jet-set material.’

  Her mouth twisted scornfully. ‘I’m not interested in the so-called jet-set,’ she dismissed. ‘I like my men intelligent as well as interesting; Matt is both of those things,’ she added pointedly.

  ‘Implying I’m not?’

  Her brows rose coolly. ‘I thought the idea was for me not to find you attractive?’ she mocked.

  He drew in a ragged breath. ‘It is!’

  She looked at him with derision. ‘And I can assure you I don’t.’

  ‘I’ll make your excuses to Molly and Matt tomorrow,’ he ground out. ‘You just make sure you’re gone from here before Matt comes up to town again.’

  ‘And if I’m not?’

  ‘You don’t have the diamond bracelet yet, Charly,’ he reminded harshly. ‘Something Matt, for all his ability as a doctor, isn’t able to buy for you.’

  Something snapped
inside her, a rage towards him and other arrogant men like him. ‘I don’t want your bracelet, Mr Grantley,’ she bit out tautly. ‘I helped you out tonight because—because I know how Molly must be feeling at this moment.’

  ‘Been replaced a few times yourself, have you?’ he derided contemptuously.

  She flushed fiery red in her anger. ‘As a matter of fact, yes!’

  He nodded. ‘Small, chubby blondes aren’t exactly in fashion at the moment, are they?’

  ‘I may be small and blonde, but I am certainly not chubby,’ Charly snapped.

  ‘Well-endowed?’ he taunted.

  ‘Curvaceous,’ she bit out, thinking how ridiculous this conversation had become. ‘I don’t have the time for this,’ she claimed grimly. ‘I had an appointment half an hour ago; I’d like to get there soon.’

  ‘I don’t have the time to waste either,’ he rasped. ‘Some rich bitch is trying to buy my deal from under me, and I consider that a hell of a lot more important than arguing with you!’

  She raised light brown brows with practised calm. ‘Aren’t you rich yourself, Mr Grantley?’ she drawled mockingly.

  ‘I worked for what I have,’ he said harshly. ‘I didn’t have it handed to me with my gold spoon.’

  ‘I believe the saying is “silver spoon”,’ she corrected softly.

  ‘Not in this case,’ he scorned grimly. ‘It’s been gold for Rocharlle Hart from day one. She was born into money, married money, and now she’s trying to use some of that money to ruin a property deal I badly want.’

  ‘Maybe Mrs Hart wants it as badly,’ Charly derided his arrogance.

  ‘Women like her don’t have wants or needs,’ he dismissed roughly. ‘Only a quest for power.’

  ‘You don’t sound as if you’ve ever met her, so how can you know—’

  ‘I know,’ he cut in firmly. ‘Just as I know you aren’t going to see Matt again.’

  ‘That might be a little difficult—’

  ‘I could make things very unpleasant for you if you don’t agree to this.’

  His threat only angered her more. ‘Mr Grantley, perhaps there’s something you should know—’

  ‘About you?’ he scorned. ‘I don’t think so.’