Torn By Desire. Natalie Fox
enigmatically.
His hand was on the back of her chair and Kate felt a very small movement, as if he was rubbing his thumb over the back of her white silk shirt. The touch burned and her insides steeled themselves against the intimacy of the touch, but she held it all inside her, glaring at him with a defiance she felt very strongly.
‘And what is that supposed to mean?’ she asked directly.
‘It means that my brother has high expectations.’
‘So? I would hope he has,’ Kate returned. ‘We aren’t playing cowboy outfits with your business, are we?’
He afforded her a small smile and leaned even closer to her—so close that she was assailed by that delicious cologne again.
‘Indeed not, but my brother plays other sorts of games and sometimes he doesn’t stick to the rules. He invariably wins.’
Kate couldn’t help the stiffening of her whole body at that innuendo. A warning? That was good coming from him, the Lothario to end all Lotharios. Her contempt for him rose to an alltime high.
‘I’m not going to pretend I don’t know what you are getting at,’ she seethed through tight white lips. ‘But I didn’t just fall off the olive tree.’
He raised a teasing brow at her. ‘Olives are crushed for their virgin oil, dear Kate. Remember that if my brother comes on to you.’
In a fury of shocked embarrassment Kate pushed at the console to free her chair and free herself. She leapt shakily to her feet. Guy had stepped back out of the way of her chair and she swung to face him, eyes blazing.
‘How dare you? How dare you speak to me like that?’ she cried furiously.
He looked totally unrepentant, even dared to offer her a wicked smile which she was sorely tempted to wipe from his face with the back of her hand.
‘Now, I wonder what got your back up? The implication you might be a virgin or that my brother might be toying with the idea of coming on to you?’
Kate opened and shut her mouth in exasperation. Had she heard right? Had this awful, arrogant beast actually uttered those words? I’m going mad, she thought; the heat’s getting to me.
‘Neither suggestion is worth wasting words on, Mr Guy Latham, but I’m going to do it nevertheless. Both are an insult, to me and your brother. My God, if I was trapped with the pair of you on a desert island surrounded by shark-infested waters I know who I’d turn to.’
‘You’d go for a swim, sweetheart,’ he mocked. ‘Because I’m not to be trusted by implication, my brother’s not to be trusted because of fact. Remember that when the heat of the Mediterranean keeps you awake at night.’
‘I’m not listening to this—’
He caught her arm as she was about to swing away. He pulled her close to him, knocking the last defiant breath from her lungs. His fingers bit into the soft flesh of her upper arm. He repelled her— so much so that she felt faintness dragging at her.
‘Don’t forget, Kate, I’m on your side.’
‘Who’s taking sides?’ she blurted out, struggling in his grip.
‘You will when the time comes. Take care, sweet-heart,’ he warned. ‘I don’t think you fully realise what you have let yourself in for. Don’t play games with my brother and don’t deny you have something going for him in your heart—’
‘I have not!’ Kate exploded in defence of her heart and her morality. This was ridiculous; Guy Latham was as bad as his gossipy staff back in London. OK, so she sometimes toyed with thoughts of Conrad, little fantasies to prove to herself that she was human and needed what all women needed—a bit of warmth in her life. But they were only fantasies. Not once had she ever opened them up to be ridiculed.
‘I’ve known for a long time,’ he breathed hard against her. ‘I’ve watched you in the office when my brother’s walked in on his monthly calls. I knew for sure when I walked into this room earlier. You couldn’t take your eyes off him and I doubt you registered anything that was said. You talk with your eyes, sweetheart, and my brother is a very capable reader. He’s off limits to a little gold-digger like you so if I were you I’d cool it.’
He let her go then—so suddenly that her arms fell heavily to her sides. She glared at him, her heart stinging, digesting the warning, fighting him inwardly, deeply shocked that he had put that dreadful interpretation on the interest she had shown in Conrad. He had a nerve. Who the devil did he think she was? Some mindless little tramp who only saw the man’s wealth and status? Conrad Latham didn’t play games; he was too mature for that. He was a real man and Guy Latham had no right to judge him by his own standards.
‘If I wasn’t employed by the pair of you I’d walk out of here and catch the next flight home,’ she seethed, her eyes bright and warring with his.
‘If I didn’t need you so badly I’d let you go,’ he grated in return. ‘And don’t get any smart ideas that the feeling is personal. Your bright little brain is needed here and precious little else. Remember that.’
‘I don’t need any such reminders,’ she flamed. She knew she was risking her career by being so outspoken but she wasn’t going to allow him to get away with his insults. ‘I didn’t think for a minute that I was asked down here for decorative purposes and I resent your innuendoes and your warnings and-’
He held his hands up in mock defence and Kate stopped and bit her lower lip. She’d gone too far, way over the top, but he had forced it out of her. She wasn’t one of the girls back in London, pandering to his smooth talk, swooning when he walked through the offices. She wanted a career in his company and she was going the wrong way about it by fighting Guy Latham this way. But what price pride?
‘Shall we stop this right now before it gets out of hand?’ he suggested calmly.
Her eyes fought his for one last time and then her shoulders slumped. She didn’t like him but she had to get on with him if they were to work together.
‘Yes, yes, we’d better,’ she agreed softly.
‘Good. Let’s put personalities aside and get down to some work.’
He moved away from her and went to his desk and she watched him cautiously. He was still angry, his shoulders stiff and unrelenting. It was odd, but in spite of how she felt about him she had to admit that he was nearly as attractive as his brother. He was thicker set and more sporty and in a few years he’d have the elegance and sophistication of Conrad—if he worked at it.
He turned suddenly and caught her watching him and Kate felt her temperature rise. Heaven forbid that he might guess what she was thinking. She lowered her eyes and sank down into her chair and switched her brain to business mode. That was what she was here for and as far as work was concerned she was determined not to give him reason for more displeasure.
They broke for coffee at eleven, a maid bringing a tray of coffee and small pastries into the office and depositing it on Kate’s desk as if she was supposed to serve the lord and master. Kate did, silently, moving across to his desk and putting a cup of coffee down next to him. Lorraine came into the office to break the stillness with her chirpy chatter and Kate left them to go to the toilet.
The modern suite of offices tucked away at the back of the villa intrigued Kate. It was cool and comfortable and the perfect environment to work in away from the heat of the day. She longed for lunchtime, though, so that she could return to that lovely courtyard with its evocative scents and its Andalusian ambience. Already she was seeing it as a sanctuary. A place to gather her thoughts.
Though she had worked hard this morning and tried to block out Guy’s awful warnings, they had broken through at intervals. The fact that Guy had noticed the way she had looked at his brother had deeply shocked her. She hadn’t realised her feelings had shown. In fact she hadn’t realised her feelings were that strong to have shown. She respected Conrad enormously and allowed