Red-Hot Affairs: The Crown Affair / Craving Her Enemy's Touch / A Lone Star Love Affair

CHAPTER FIVE

THREE weeks later, Laura had just about managed to wipe Matt and that incredible afternoon from her mind. But it had been one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do.

For days afterwards she’d wafted around in a kind of dreamlike state, not entirely sure whether the whole thing had actually happened or if it had simply been a product of her imagination. It had been so amazing, so mind-blowing and, up until the moment she’d panicked, everything she’d imagined it would be.

Ruthlessly blocking out the way they’d parted, or rather the way she’d scarpered, she’d wallowed in the memories of the hour before, and as a result had got very little done.

If it hadn’t been for the call from the headhunter a week ago she’d probably still be at it. Wandering round her house with a dreamy smile on her face, putting the milk in the bathroom cabinet and the toothpaste in the fridge.

To think that she might have missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime just because she’d been too busy drifting around in a daze …

Laura went cold and shuddered. It didn’t bear thinking about. And neither did Matt. Not any longer. Now she had to focus on her career. Her savings wouldn’t last for ever and daydreaming wouldn’t pay the bills.

This job, however, would not only pay the bills, it would also get her life firmly back on track.

The opportunity to head up the restoration project on the isolated island of Sassania was a dream come true. The country had been closed off to the outside world for years. As the result of a recent coup, the dictatorship had been overthrown and the borders had been thrown wide open.

The island had some of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in the world. Palaces and monuments she’d only ever read about. Palaces and monuments that were currently in a terrible state of repair and needed restoring.

Ideally, by her.

She’d emailed her CV to the headhunter virtually the moment she’d put the phone down, and to her delight had received a reply the next day inviting her for an interview.

Which was why she was now in London, taking her best friend out for dinner in return for a bed for the night before catching her crack-of-dawn flight in the morning.

‘So how is life in the country?’ said Kate, plucking the umbrella out of her cocktail and taking a long slurp.

Dragging herself away from dusty palaces in tiny Mediterranean island kingdoms and back to trendy London restaurants, Laura picked up a fat juicy olive from the bowl and glanced across the table. ‘Quiet.’

‘I can imagine.’

No, she couldn’t, but there was no way Laura was going to elaborate on what she’d been up to. Not when she’d just managed to stop thinking about it. ‘How’s the world of corporate law?’

Kate took another sip of her cocktail and sighed with pleasure. ‘Yum yum. You know, the usual. Nutty hours, problems galore and clients with egos the size of planets. I don’t know why I do it.’

‘Because you love it.’

Kate grinned. ‘I guess I do.’ She tilted her head. ‘Don’t you miss all this?’

Laura glanced around the place Kate had suggested for dinner. A brand-new London restaurant that had shot to the top of the ubercool lists the day after it had opened.

Against the deep red silk lining of the walls hung enormous canvases by some on-the-up artist. Tiny chandeliers hung above every one of the slate-grey tables, casting flatteringly low sparkling light over the clientele. Model-like waiters who were far too sultry and hip to ever crack a smile whizzed around with plates of food that looked beautiful and made her mouth water. The chatter was low, buzzing and probably far more sophisticated than she was.

Not all that long ago Laura had spent many of her evenings and weekends in places like this. Now she felt a bit like a foreigner.

‘Not really,’ she muttered, slightly perturbed by the realisation.

‘I don’t know how you can bear it,’ said Kate with a tiny shudder. ‘I mean, no shops, no bars and all that greenery.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘It’s just not natural.’

Stifling a smile at the irony, Laura shrugged. ‘I muddle along.’

‘But that’s my point,’ Kate said. ‘You don’t have to muddle along. I mean, I know things went a bit pear-shaped, but why you had to run off to the country is beyond me.’

A bit pear-shaped? ‘Yes, well, when your life implodes as spectacularly as mine did you can end up doing all sorts of out-of-character things.’

‘You could have come and stayed with me.’

Kate sounded a little piqued, and Laura gave her a smile. ‘I know. And I did appreciate the offer, but it was something I needed to sort out on my own.’

Plus Kate would have given her heaps of advice, which she’d have insisted Laura follow, and Laura would have been too wiped out to argue.

But not any more. No more taking the easy way out. No more falling in with other people’s wishes all the time. If her afternoon with Matt had taught her one thing it was that going for what she wanted for a change could achieve some pretty spectacular results.

Not that she was thinking about him of course, she reminded herself, picking up a menu and letting her gaze drift over the other diners. The restaurant was packed with some seriously beautiful people. Not a hint of last year’s fashion, nor an un-touched-up root in sight. She was surprised they’d let her in.

And to be honest she was kind of dreading the bill. Laura resisted the urge to slap herself on the forehead with her menu. She’d done it again, hadn’t she? Gulped back a knot of panic when Kate had suggested this place, and said, yes, sure, why not.

Why, oh, why hadn’t she been firmer, and told Kate they’d be going to the little Italian around the corner from her flat?

Feeling her spirits tumble, Laura’s gaze bobbed across the room. She bet none of the people here was quite so feeble. No. They’d all be decisive and in charge. They wouldn’t flounder around and let others ride roughshod all over them.

And then her eyes snagged on a broad back and dark head and her heart practically stopped.

Oh, Lord. That looked just like Matt.

For a second Laura went dizzy. Then her heart began to gallop and heat whipped through every inch of her body. What was he doing here? Would he see her? Would he come over? What would she say if he did? What would she do if he didn’t?

Her chest squeezed. Her mouth went dry. Oh, God. If he did come over she wouldn’t just have to deal with him. She’d also have to deal with Kate, whose razor-sharp instinct would instantly pick up on the atmosphere, and who’d wring out every tiny detail and then hammer Laura with a barrage of ‘what were you thinking?’s and ‘but it’s so unlike you’s.

Laura took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down before her head exploded. It would be fine. She was a mature sensible adult who’d been through far worse. She’d simply channel the inner Amazon she was sure was lurking somewhere inside her, and be strong.

Nevertheless when all six foot plus of him got to his feet she caught and held her breath. Her pulse thundered. The blood rushed to her feet. He turned. Gave her a glimpse of his face.

And disappointment walloped her in the stomach.

It wasn’t Matt.

Letting her breath out before she fainted, Laura blinked and turned her attention back to the menu. Of course it wouldn’t have been Matt, she told herself sternly. That would have been too much of a coincidence and she didn’t believe in coincidences.

She frowned and scanned the dishes. The weird sensation whirling around inside her wasn’t disappointment. It was relief. That was all.

‘Quiet?’ said Kate. ‘Hah! I knew it. So who is he?’

Laura froze and glanced up. The gleam in her friend’s eye looked far too knowing for her liking. ‘Who is who?’ she said deliberately vaguely.

‘The man that’s put the weird look on your face.’

Laura’s heart lurched. ‘That’s not a man,’ she muttered. ‘That’s the dim lighting.’ She squinted at the menu. ‘In fact I can barely read this. Maybe I need glasses.’ She held it up to the beautiful but fairly useless light that hung above the table.

‘Rubbish,’ said Kate.

‘I definitely need a dictionary.’

‘You look as if you’ve just had the fright of your life.’

‘Well, I haven’t.’ Except perhaps at the prices. ‘Whatever you’re thinking you’re wrong.’

‘No, I’m not. I’m a lawyer. I’m known for my tenacity and trained to notice things.’

But not, apparently, the waiter who, with exquisite timing, was hovering at their table ready to take their order.

Laura looked up at him and gave her saviour a wide smile. ‘I was wondering … what is the rouget?’

‘Red mullet, madam.’

‘Thank you. And the poêlée de châtaignes?’

‘Pan-fried chestnuts.’

There were two pages of dishes. With any luck by the time she’d got to the bottom of the second page, Kate might have got bored and moved on.

Hmm. Or perhaps not, she thought as Kate swiped the menu out of her hands and beamed up at the waiter. ‘I’ll have the lamb and she’ll have the sea bass.’

Huh. Laura waited until he’d melted away before scowling at her friend.

‘What?’ said Kate, arching an eyebrow.

‘I’m perfectly capable of ordering for myself.’

‘I know, but I have a feeling there’s a story to be told and we don’t have all night. Besides you always have sea bass’

Laura stiffened. ‘Maybe I was thinking about trying something different.’

Kate gave a little snort of disbelief. ‘You were stalling. And when have you ever tried something different?’

Laura bristled. Was she really so boringly predictable? ‘That’s not fair. I do try different things.’

‘Like what?’ Kate’s eyes zoomed in on her.

Like jumping into bed with scorchingly hot neighbours. Not that she intended to use that as an example. ‘Fine.’ She shrugged as if she couldn’t be less bothered, and took a sip of her drink. ‘I don’t. Boring and predictable, that’s me.’

Kate’s blue gaze turned piercing. ‘I think you lie.’

‘Think what you like.’

‘Come on,’ said Kate, adding a wheedling smile to the penetrating stare. ‘I know something’s up and it’s got “man” written all over it. I’m not going to give up until you tell me so you might as well give in now and get it over with.’

Not for the first time, Laura could see why Kate was so successful at what she did. Dogs and bones sprang to mind. Stifling a sigh, she weighed up her options. Denial and a battle with Kate’s formidable persistence, which would last all evening, or half an hour of interrogation, which would be sharp but probably short and would allow her to enjoy the rest of her sea bass.

Hmm. If she wanted to be on top form for tomorrow she didn’t have much of a choice. ‘OK,’ she said, bracing herself, ‘you’re right.’

‘Aha.’ Kate grinned in triumph. ‘I knew it.’ She signalled for two more drinks and sat back. ‘You’d better tell me everything.’

Ten minutes and two cocktails later, Laura had finished her rundown of almost everything, and was now watching her friend with faint amusement. She didn’t think she’d ever seen Kate lost for words before. She was sitting there, her eyes wide and her jaw almost on the floor. Even the arrival of their food didn’t snap Kate out of her state of shock.

Laura decided to leave her to it and tucked in. Popping a forkful of fish in her mouth, she sighed in appreciation. As annoyingly hip as the restaurant was, the food was spectacular.

‘Well,’ said Kate, eventually pulling herself together and regaining the ability to speak.

‘Your lamb is getting cold,’ Laura pointed out.

‘Sod the lamb,’ Kate said, still looking on utterly shell-shocked. ‘Let me get this straight. You ogle. You engage in confrontation. You stand your ground. And then you have sex with a man you’ve only just met.’

‘Yes.’ Laura took another mouthful and decided that for all the benefits of the countryside, it didn’t do food like this.

Kate’s mouth opened then closed. ‘To be honest I don’t know which part of the whole thing I’m more shocked by.’

‘I thought it was time for a change.’ Hah. Who was predictable now?

‘Have you seen him since?’

‘No.’ She’d known he’d stayed the rest of the weekend but he’d kept himself to himself. Not that she’d been keeping a special eye out or anything.

‘Do you intend to?’

‘Absolutely not. It was a one-night—afternoon—stand. Non-repetition is kind of the point.’

There was another long silence as Kate absorbed this information. ‘Who are you and what have you done with my friend?’

‘Ha-ha.’

‘I knew moving to the country was dangerous,’ Kate muttered, picking up her knife and fork and attacking her lamb. ‘You’re unhinged.’

Undoubtedly. But that had happened long before she’d met Matt. ‘If I am,’ said Laura darkly as the image of her ex-boyfriend in bed with his secretary flashed into her head, ‘it has nothing to do with geography.’

Kate gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘No, well, I suppose I can see why you might need a bit of an ego boost. Lying cheating bastard.’

Laura couldn’t help smiling at the disgust in Kate’s voice. ‘Yup.’

‘You know, I still can’t believe he did that. To you of all people.’ Kate shook her head in bafflement. ‘I mean, you’re one of the most easy-going people I know.’

‘Too easy-going apparently.’

‘What?’

‘Paul said that I was partly to blame for his affair.’

Kate’s jaw dropped. ‘The cheek,’ she muttered. ‘How did he work that one out?’

‘He said I was too acquiescent. That if I’d stood up to him a bit more, been a bit more demanding, he might have thought twice about bonking his secretary.’

‘The complete and utter snake.’

Laura caught her lip between her teeth and frowned. ‘But maybe he did have a point. He kept calling me babe, and not once did I tell him not to even though I hated it.’

‘It used to make me wince.’

‘Me, too.’ Laura grimaced. ‘Anyway I’ve had time to think about it and, you know, I have been a bit of a pushover.’

‘Rubbish.’

‘So why do I end up giving the old people in the village lifts left, right and centre?’

‘Because you’re a nice person.’

‘Huh.’ Laura frowned. ‘I have a backbone of rubber. Well, not any more.’

‘So what’s the plan?’

‘I’ve already put it into action.’

‘So I can see.’

‘Not that,’ she said, batting back a blush. ‘The minute I moved to the country I enrolled on an assertiveness course.’

Kate’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Wow.’

‘I know.’ Laura nodded. ‘We learned to Embrace Confrontation, Say No With Confidence and to Go For What You Want.’