In what felt like slow motion, her zip was pulled down, buttons popped open, catches undone. There was the whisper of clothes falling to the floor, skin meeting skin, soft and hard and silky, tongues touching and tasting, legs buckling, falling onto the bed in a tangle of limbs. Jane shut her eyes and ears to the voices in her head, concentrating on Xavier’s hand as it glided over her breasts and down across her belly, down further …
When Jane woke the next morning she was alone in the bed. Just then the bathroom door opened and Xavier emerged, with an indecently small towel around his waist. She felt a blush coming on when she remembered the previous night … To think of how wanton she’d been … had become in the space of a few days. Where on earth had she ever got the nerve to do those things to him?
He watched the expressions flit over her face. Did she have any idea how beguiling she looked? How much it turned him on to think that he was the only lover she’d ever known? She looked at him, sleepy eyes, flushed cheeks, biting her lip, pulling the sheet up. He strode over to the bed and came down on his arms beside her. Her eyes widened, the pupils dilating. It firmed his resolve for what he was going to ask her. But not yet. Later. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and straightened.
‘Morning, sleepy. I’m sorry about this, but there’s an emergency with the hotel in Malaysia and I have a crisis meeting to attend … Stay put, and I’ll be right back. We can have breakfast together.’
‘OK …’
Jane watched dry-mouthed as he let the towel drop and unselfconsciously pulled on his clothes. What a body.
When she heard the main door close she rolled over, burying her face in the pillow. She had to face it. Couldn’t block it out any more. Especially after last night. He had brought her to the height of something so beautiful that she knew without a doubt that she would never experience anything remotely close with another man.
She had fallen in love with him. Hard and deep and fast. Irrevocably. Unbelievably. Needless to say he had made no indication that to him this was anything more than a brief diversion, which was ending today. She wouldn’t allow her thoughts to fly ahead a few hours, when she would have to think about leaving. As if ignoring it would make it less of a reality.
Forcing herself to block the dangerous thoughts, telling herself she had to be crazy, she got up and went to have a quick shower, noticing faint marks on her body and colouring when she remembered herself urging Xavier to go harder, how she had assured him that he didn’t need to be so gentle. She groaned under the powerful jet of water.
After towelling her hair and donning a voluminous robe, she wandered into the suite and opened the windows, looking out over the pool area and the sea beyond, breathing in the warm morning air.
There was a knock on the door. That was funny—didn’t he have a key? Jane went and opened the door, a ready smile on her lips.
‘Missing me already?’
Chapter Seven
HER smile faded fast when she saw who it was at the door.
Sasha.
His assistant looked sparkly and bright. As if she’d been up for hours. Before Jane knew what was happening, Sasha had sidled past her and into the room, looking around with interest.
‘If you’re looking for Xavier, he’s gone for a meeting—’
She turned and fixed Jane with cold eyes. ‘I know exactly where he is. I always know where he is.’
‘I’ll tell him you called …’ Jane stayed by the open door and hoped she would take the hint.
‘Actually, I came to see you.’
Sasha sat on the couch, crossing one elegant leg over the other. Where was this going?
‘Did you enjoy last night? The pampering…. the restaurant?’
How did she know about that? Jane felt a stillness come into her body, as if it were preparing for some kind of attack. Her hand gripped the knob of the door.
‘Yes, thank you,’ she said faintly, dimly thinking to herself, Well, maybe she booked it for him, so she’d be bound to know …
‘Oh, yes! I nearly forgot about the champagne and everything else …’
A dull roaring sensation was beginning somewhere in her head as Sasha continued.
‘I hope I organised it all to Xavier’s satisfaction. I thought I’d check with you to make sure I did a good job …’
‘You … you organised everything?’
She knows about the dress?
Sasha threw back her head and laughed. ‘Of course, silly! You don’t think someone like Xavier has time to go around booking restaurants and making facial appointments do you?’
Jane’s brain was barely taking in her words any more.
And the notes? Surely not those …
Holding onto the door as if it were a lifeline, she fought for composure. ‘Sasha, why don’t you say what you want to say and get out … I have to pack.’
‘I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t make sure that all of Xavi’s women were looked after.’
She stood up and sauntered close to Jane, who held her breath, just wanting the other woman gone.
‘I have to admit, it gets a bit boring after a while. I keep telling him not to be so predictable, to vary things a bit …’ Sasha smiled indulgently. ‘But I guess he’s just old-fashioned. That’s why I’m here, Jane. I can see the type of woman you are. You’re not like the others.’ She looked at Jane closely before a cruel smile twisted her lips, ‘You’ve fallen for him haven’t you?’
Jane said nothing. Couldn’t move a muscle.
‘You poor thing … It’ll be someone else next week, you know … the same thing all over again. Like I said, you seem nice, and I’d hate to see you get hurt. He hates clingy women. Au revoir.’
And just like that she sashayed out of the room.
Jane felt as though she’d been punched in the stomach. She actually couldn’t suck enough air into her belly for a minute, and had to take calming breaths to prevent working herself into a panic attack. She stumbled over to the mini-bar and pulled out a bottle of water, taking a deep gulp. She felt shivery and nauseous. She sat down on a chair and stared blindly in front of her.
Stupid, stupid Jane. Allowing herself to fall in love with him. If Sasha had picked up on it, then who was to say he hadn’t either? Utter humiliation rose up and swamped her. Words that Sasha had said dropped like stones into Jane’s numbed brain: So predictable … someone else next week … all of Xavi’s women …
She stood suddenly. Well, she wouldn’t be waiting here for him like a lame duck. She tripped over the robe in her haste to get into the bedroom, and packed quickly and feverishly, throwing on trousers and a shirt, uncaring if they matched or not. The dress lay on the floor, where it had landed last night, a cruel reminder. She didn’t bother to call for a bellboy in case they alerted Xavier.
She was outside the hotel and hailing a cab, sitting in it with the driver looking at her expectantly before she could function. She still had hours to go before her plane that night. She directed him to the villa. It was the only other place she could think of. She’d wait there until she had to leave.
Up in the villa, she felt as though she could breathe again. Despite all her brave ideas, notions, how had she ever thought she could walk away unscathed? Sasha hadn’t told her anything she hadn’t suspected on some level, she had just pointed out the truth … showed her the proof, so to speak. And it hurt like hell. But better that it hurt now. Better than if she’d been