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‘Does that mean that when I ask to see you again you’ll turn me down politely?’
‘I’ll always be polite.’
‘And always turn me down?’
‘It depends how busy I am. I’m only contracted to work for you for two months, and we’ve already wasted ten days of it.’ Primly she regarded him. ‘Will you be going away again soon?’
‘Not as far as I know. I’m here for six months—until all the bugs are ironed out and the hotel is running smoothly. Then I move on to wherever I’m needed.’
‘Are you what they call a trouble-shot?’
‘A trouble-shooter,’ he corrected, his grin making him look younger than the thirty-four she knew him to be.
‘Do you normally travel a lot?’ she asked, hoping to lead him into discussing his stay in Singapore.
‘Yes. For the past two years I’ve moved between the Far East and Australia.’
‘Where were you before you came to Thailand?’
‘Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore—’
‘I’d love to go to Singapore,’ she interjected. ‘Did you like it?’
‘It isn’t my favourite place,’ he answered flatly. ‘I prefer Bali and—’
‘Why don’t you like it?’ she persisted.
‘I had an unpleasant experience there that left a rather sour taste.’
What a hateful way of describing Andrea! A sour taste! ‘Is it anything you can discuss?’ she asked, oozing sympathy.
‘If I did, you’d find it extremely boring.’ He raked a hand through his tawny hair, as if trying to throw off the memory of it. ‘Anyway, why waste this lovely setting talking of unpleasant things when we could be talking about you?’ He leaned towards her, his chiselled features softened by desire. ‘Do you have a boyfriend, Marly?’
‘No,’ she replied truthfully.
‘It has to be from choice. I can’t believe no man has wanted you.’
‘I’ve never met one I wanted.’ Until I saw you walking across the lobby, she thought, though the feeling had died when she had discovered how heartless he was. But none of her thoughts was apparent on her face as she met his gaze. ‘I believe marriage is for life, Mr Hamilton, and I will have to be absolutely certain about a man before I commit myself to him.’
‘How young you sound,’ Alex stated, a long-fingered hand playing with the stem of his wine glass. ‘When you’re my age you’ll know nothing is certain in life.’
Except for one thing, Marly knew: her determination to cut this man down to size.
‘I’m surprised to hear you say that,’ she said dulcetly, ‘because in the last hour I’ve become very certain of you.’
Beautifully marked eyebrows arched above smoky grey eyes. ‘Now that’s an intriguing statement. Care to explain it?’
She nodded. ‘I’m certain you have a strong sense of honour; that you never wittingly break your word, and that you respect the feelings and wishes of anyone you care for.’ Her lids lowered and thick black lashes, long and straight as a doll’s, fanned her cheeks as she prepared to deliver the final blow. ‘I’m also certain you will respect my wish to remain untouched until I marry. Only on that basis am I willing to see you again, should you do me the honour of asking me.’
Alex leaned back in his chair, his body motionless, his face so devoid of expression that she wondered if she had gone too far. The intention was to intrigue him by being different from his previous girlfriends, not frighten him off completely! Around her she was aware of waiters moving, diners leaving, the clink of glasses, the throb of a passing river boat, the splutter of the pink candle glowing between herself and the man opposite her.
‘Marly, I...’ His voice was husky. ‘I wouldn’t be doing you an honour to ask you out. You’d be doing me the honour by accepting. And I will always respect your wishes. You can trust me completely.’
As a chicken could trust a fox! she thought, but blinked her lashes and glowed at him. ‘Thank you for saying that.’
‘My pleasure.’ He raised his glass to her. ‘No more worries, eh? Any change of mind will have to come from you.’
His strategy was as clear as if he had handed it to her on a sheet of paper. She could see every move. Romantic dinners in glamorous places, the serious conversations, the light wine, the chaste goodnight kisses... Until one night when they would dine alone in his suite, and the talk would be more sensuous than serious, the wine heady, the kisses deep and drugging... So drugging that she would be begging him to make love to her. What a swine he was!
Furiously she flung out her arm and the glass in front of her shattered to the floor.
Startled, Alex jumped to his feet and came round to her. ‘Marly! What’s wrong?’
Bemused, she stared at him, then shook her head. ‘An insect, I think. It bit me.’ With an effort she gathered herself together. ‘I’m sorry I startled you.’
‘Are you sure you’re all right?’
‘A little tired perhaps.’
‘Then I’ll take you home.’
Within moments they were in the Mercedes. Alex made no attempt to move close to her, but she was intensely conscious of his tall frame in the confines of the car, and carefully looked away from him, relieved that he seemed content to sit in silence.
‘When may I see you again?’ he asked as the car stopped outside the timbered house and he escorted her to the locked gates leading into the compound surrounding it.
‘In the hotel,’ she replied, stepping into the courtyard as the family’s night-watchman unbolted the gate.
‘That isn’t what I meant.’
‘I know.’
With a laugh she lifted her long skirt and ran gracefully up the steps and into the house, firmly resisting the urge to turn and see if he was watching her. But the instant she closed the door, she peered through the peep-hole and saw he was still standing by the gate, a tall, wide-shouldered figure exuding a power and purpose that would brook no denial.
Yet deny him she would, and enjoy herself immensely in the process.
CHAPTER FOUR
NAN almost choked herself laughing when Marly told her that Alex Hamilton had treated her as though she were a fragile piece of china.
‘When are you going to give him his come-uppance and tell him you’ve made a fool of him?’ she asked when she could finally speak.
‘Not until he’s fallen for me good and hard.’
‘I hope you can keep up the butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-your-mouth act?’
‘That’s the only problem. A few times this evening I almost forgot myself and verbally slew him!’
‘If you wore Thai clothes it might remind you to curb your tongue! I’ll lend you some of my cheong-sams,’ Nan encouraged.
‘Do you think I should wear them the whole time?’
‘Well, women staff at the hotel do, though I suppose you could change when you’re off-duty. Except that you were wearing one when he first saw you, and that might be part of your attraction.’
‘Won’t the staff find it strange if they see me pretending to be Thai?’
‘Not if you say you’re doing it to play a joke on someone. Then they’ll never give you away.’
* * *
Apart from a great sense of humour, Thais were among the most generous people on earth, Marly mused one morning after Christmas as she riffled through the brocades, silks and cottons Nan had placed in her wardrobe. Even though she knew cotton was cooler for day wear, she plumped for a peach silk, its long narrow skirt slit up the side to facilitate walking, the tight-fitting, short-sleeved top cut short to show an intriguing two-inch expanse of skin between top and skirt. It was a more constricting outfit than her normal casual summer wear, but needs must when the goal she hoped to achieve was going to give her so much satisfaction.
She reminded herself of this as she touched eyeliner to her chestnut-brown eyes, and centre-parted her hair for it to fall sleek and straight to below her shoulders.
If my family saw me now, she thought humorously, they’d walk right by me!
She proved this conclusively when a security guard she had seen for the past seven days stopped her and asked whom she wished to see as she crossed the hotel lobby and mounted the stairs to the mezzanine floor and offices. Hiding a smile, she answered him in Thai, telling him who she was.
His astonishment was gratifying, and in a conspiratorial whisper she fed him the story Nan had suggested. He chuckled and slapped his thigh, and enjoining him to warn his colleagues to keep her secret, she went into her office.
The air-conditioning kept the Riverside comfortably cool, yet despite this she found working in a cheong-sam too warm, and was wondering how to make herself comfortable when Alex Hamilton strode in, thick, tawny hair ruthlessly brushed flat, though an errant strand in the front was beginning to curl.
Gracefully she rose, placed her palms together, and waied him.
‘Don’t do that to me,’ he said instantly. ‘It isn’t necessary.’
‘We always greet our superiors this way.’
‘I’m not your superior; I’m your employer.’
‘You are playing with words, Mr Hamilton.’
‘You agreed to call me Alex.’
‘Not in the office. It wouldn’t be seemly.’
‘Now how did I know you were going to say that?’ he smiled, coming to stand directly in front of her. ‘I must be psychic!’ Wood-smoke eyes ranged slowly over her as if committing her to memory. ‘Since we met, I haven’t been able to stop thinking of you.’
Many men had said the same to her, but none had made her heart beat faster, as it was now doing, and she wondered if it was because of the intensity of his gaze, as if she was the only woman in his world worth concentrating on. But then he was the sort of man who would do everything with intensity: loving and hating, working or playing. And playing the field too, she thought grimly. Like it or not, he was a born heart-breaker.
‘Have you been thinking of me?’ he broke into her thoughts.
‘Oh, yes.’ He looked delighted, and she added prosaically, ‘I’ve been working out the software you will require, and I’d like to discuss my ideas with you.’
‘I’ve more than a few ideas for you myself,’ he quipped, the smile on his lips dying as she froze him with a look.
‘Please don’t make it embarrassing for me to work with you, Mr Hamilton, or I’ll have to ask 3S to find a replacement.’
‘Are you always such a stickler for protocol?’
‘We are brought up to believe in it.’ Marly pretended to hesitate, then said diffidently, ‘You may find it interesting to read a book on our customs. There are several good ones available.’
‘I’ll ask my secretary to get them all! It won’t do me any good if I keep offending you!’
‘You haven’t offended me. I always make allowances for people.’
His startled expression showed he was unused to being put in his place, and she hoped she hadn’t overplayed her hand. But the wry smile he gave her was reassuring, and she glided over to her desk, wondering how to appear gentle and shy while talking high technology. It was going to be tricky but she had to manage it.
‘While I was waiting for you to return from abroad,’ she said, careful to keep her voice soft, ‘I prepared a questionnaire I would like each hotel guest to fill in when they arrive.’
‘What sort of questions?’
For answer, she took a four-page folder from the drawer of her desk and gave it to him.
Raising an eyebrow in surprise at the size of it, he perched on the side of her desk to peruse it. From beneath her thick, straight lashes, she studied him. This morning he was formally dressed in a dark business suit—the only concession to the tropical climate being its lightweight material.
It was the first occasion she had seen him close up in daylight, and not even the bright sunlight could find a flaw in the symmetry of his features. Indeed he was so preposterously handsome that he might have been thought effeminate, were it not for the firmness of the wide, sensual mouth, the imperiousness of the long, firm nose, and the strength in the well defined eyebrows, several shades darker than the tawny hair swept back from his high forehead.
‘This questionnaire is very in-depth,’ he commented, raising his head. ‘I’m impressed.’
‘Thank you. If I know the likes and dislikes of everyone who stays here, I can devise software to help you solve any problems that may arise with food, recreational facilities, bedroom requirements and—’
‘Bedroom requirements?’ His mouth quirked, though his voice remained serious.
‘Yes, Mr Hamilton.’ Her voice was as serious as his. ‘Some guests dislike room service entering their suite, others object to their beds being turned down, and when it comes to air-conditioning, your staff say the complaints are legion.’
‘And how! We’ve even had requests for duvets. Duvets in the tropics,’ he reiterated. ‘They must be bloody mad!’
Deliberately she flinched, and he stopped short. ‘Anything wrong?’
‘I’m not used to obscenities.’
‘I’d hardly call bl—’ He stopped abruptly. ‘Sorry.’
‘I accept your apology,’ she said primly, wondering how he’d react if she repeated some of her brothers’ colourful language.
‘I don’t believe your fellow countrymen never swear,’ Alex muttered.
‘Only when they lose their temper. But you hadn’t. You were merely expressing a thought aggressively.’
She hid a grin as chagrin darted across his face, and silently applauded herself for making him feel uncomfortable. ‘Forgive me for commenting on your behaviour, Mr Hamilton. You’re my superior and—’
‘Not that again,’ he cut in. ‘And stop this “Mr” nonsense. When we’re alone, it’s Alex.’
Afraid she had annoyed him, she smiled at him tentatively, and the way he studied her mouth gave her the assurance she required. Alex Hamilton might have a love ‘em and leave ‘em reputation, but right now he was definitely at the love ‘em stage!
‘May we continue our business discussion?’ she asked.
‘By all means. But first you should realise that most luxury hotels offer the same facilities we do, but where I believe we can score points is by making our guests feel at home.’
‘How?’
‘By ensuring that the second time they stay in one of our hotels, that hotel knows their foibles before they arrive; that way we can put their favourite drinks and flowers in their room, the reception clerk can enquire about their children or their wife—’
‘Whether they prefer morning coffee to tea,’ Marly cut in, ‘or bath-towels to robes! That’s easy. All I need do is enlarge the questionnaire.’
‘How long before you can let us have the software?’
‘It depends on the problems I come across.’
Alex’s mouth crooked in a half-smile. ‘I suppose it’s part of your job to make it sound complex. How else could 3S justify their fee?’
‘If you think I’d be party to such a—’
‘I was teasing,’ he said quickly. ‘I’ve no idea of their charges. That’s our finance director’s province.’
‘I see.’ Her annoyance, which was genuine, faded. ‘I’m sorry I misunderstood you.’
‘Misunderstandings seem par for our course.’
‘I agree.’ She paused deliberately before continuing. ‘For that reason, it would be better if we didn’t see each other socially.’
‘You’re joking?’ The astonishment on his face told her no female had ever said such a thing to him. ‘I thought you liked me.’
‘I do.’
‘Then why—?’
‘Because it will create problems.’
‘How?’
‘Do you often date your staff?’
‘No. This is a first.’
‘Why are you making an exception of me?’
‘Because you’re an exceptional young woman.’
‘Exceptional?’ Wide-eyed, she gazed at him, and he lowered his head towards her so that she saw the silver flecks in his grey eyes.
‘You are intelligent, charming, and very feminine.’
‘So are thousands of other women.’
‘But you don’t flaunt your intelligence.’
In other words I’m docile, Marly thought, and knew her plan was succeeding. He had probably dated intelligent women by the hundred, but one who also deferred to him constantly was a novelty not to be lightly discarded! Slowly she turned away, affording him a view of her small, straight nose and sweetly curved mouth.
‘Are you always embarrassed by compliments?’ he quizzed.
‘If they come from my employer.’
‘Can’t you just see me as a man who wants to know you better?’
Certain that he meant ‘know’ in the biblical sense, Marly longed to cut him down to size, but knowing this would put paid to her plans for him, she swallowed her ire and gave him one of her shy smiles.
‘No comment?’ he ventured.
‘It wouldn’t be seemly.’
‘I bet I’m going to hear that pretty often!’ He leaned closer to her. ‘Are you free to have dinner with me tonight?’
‘I have another engagement,’ she lied.
‘Tomorrow, then?’
His persistence was gratifying, but she had no intention of making it easy for him. Let him sweat a little!
‘I’m sorry, but I promised Nan’s mother I would be home to dinner.’
‘Have a drink with me beforehand?’
‘Thank you.’
‘I’ll call for you here and we’ll go up to the Rivertop. We promote it as having the best view and the best cocktails in Bangkok, and I’d like to see how honest our advertising is!’
As the door shut behind him, Marly danced a little jig around the room. Her long, tight skirt hampered her and she sat down giggling, and stared at her blank computer screen. Blank? Then why was Alex Hamilton’s face filling it? She poked her tongue at it and the image vanished.
Although she had no regrets about her charade, she knew that by encouraging him to fall in love with her she was playing a dangerous game. He was the handsomest, most interesting man she had met, and if she wasn’t careful she could emulate Andrea and, she suspected, every other woman with whom he came in contact, and fall madly in love with him.
Yet she had one advantage. She knew the man behind the mask. Not for her the rose-coloured spectacles of innocence. She saw him for the philanderer he was, and that should be enough to keep her immune to him.
So absorbed was she in thought that the telephone rang twice before she heard it. It was Kevin, to see if she was free to go to the cinema with him that evening. Glad the engagement she had pretended to have was now an actuality, she accepted at once. Besides, it would be a relief to be herself again.
‘What are we seeing?’ she asked.
‘The new Spielberg. It’s the opening night, and I’ve unexpectedly been given two tickets. I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty.’
An evening with a nice uncomplicated man would help her put Alex into perspective, and remind her he wasn’t the only handsome male in the world. Except that Kevin, attractive though he was, left her cold. On the credit side, though, she couldn’t envisage him two-timing anyone, and that, as far as she was concerned, was a great big plus.
CHAPTER FIVE
RETURNING home to shower and change, Marly wished Nan wasn’t working late, for they both enjoyed their pre-dinner gossip, and right now she had plenty to gossip about!
She was dressed and ready half an hour before Kevin was due, and enjoyed wearing her own clothes. She had gone slightly overboard, with citron and white linen a dramatic contrast against her olive skin, and the smooth sleekness of her centre-parted hairstyle had been replaced by her usual one of tonged curls cascading to her shoulders.
‘Here comes the Marly I recognise!’ Nan’s mother exclaimed as the girl she had seen grow from a tomboy into a beautiful woman entered the living-room, high-heeled sandals clicking on the polished wood floor. ‘I take it you aren’t seeing Mr Hamilton tonight?’
‘Thank heavens, no. It’s an awful strain pretending to be a docile young lady and agreeing with everything he says.’
‘There’s no reason why you can’t disagree with him,’ the older woman stated. ‘In the last ten years my countrywomen have become much more emancipated, and many of them run big companies and are highly successful.’
‘Alex hasn’t realised that, so I’m still playing up to his outmoded ideas!’
‘He’ll change them when he’s lived here a little longer.’
Marly knew this to be true, for the twentieth century, with its satellite television and world-wide communication, was having the same impact here as in the West. Yet family bonds were still important, religion remained strong, and young people continued to treat their parents with respect.
Professor Damrong came in, and watching him greet his wife—smiling without touching, the smile itself being an embrace—Marly thought it a nicer salutation than the meaningless peck on the cheek of a Western couple.
A few moments later Kevin arrived, and after a drink and the usual social chat they set off for the cinema.
‘The professor was telling me what a success the show was,’ he commented as they strolled down the street in search of a cab. ‘I wish I could have seen your act.’
Marly almost told him she was still acting, then decided against it. Alex Hamilton was occupying enough of her thoughts without allowing him to impinge on her evening with Kevin.
An empty cab cruised past and he flagged it down and ushered her inside. But they had only gone a few blocks when she asked the driver to stop.
‘I think we’ll be better off walking the rest of the way,’ she suggested. ‘This traffic jam is dreadful.’
‘Suits me.’ Kevin paid the fare and helped her out. ‘As long as your high heels are up to it!’
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