‘Of course I like Dee,’ Sapphie bristled resentfully. ‘Knowing a person’s weaknesses and faults doesn’t preclude your liking them.’
Rik gave her a rueful grin. ‘Knowing mine doesn’t seem to have endeared me to you!’
She eyed him bleakly. ‘There are always exceptions to every rule,’ she retorted before turning to smile warmly at Dee and Jerome as they rejoined them, her expression affectionately indulgent as she took in the new handbag that Dee carried. ‘I see you preferred the larger design,’ Sapphie teased.
Dee grinned unabashedly, her pleasure in the gift obvious. ‘If you’re going to have a designer bag, then it may as well be a big one!’ She dropped gracefully into the chair next to Sapphie before placing the new purchase on the table. ‘Isn’t it absolutely gorgeous?’
The white bag, printed with a pattern of the designer’s motif in different colours, was certainly big, Rik acknowledged. However, it also wasn’t the little purse initially suggested. But then, why shouldn’t Dee choose a much more expensive number? Jerome was so rich he made the multimillionaire Prince brothers look like paupers!
‘It’s lovely,’ Sapphie assured the other woman warmly.
Rik couldn’t help but admire, on the other couple’s return, the way in which Sapphie seemed to have shaken off her obvious animosity towards him. Anyone glancing in their direction now would be sure to think they were just four friends enjoying a cup of coffee together on this glorious Parisian day.
Rik wasn’t actually quite sure whether he could really class the four of them as friends, given all the emotions teeming beneath their surface politeness!
Nevertheless, he was reluctant for their time together to end. It had taken five years for him to meet Sapphie Benedict again and—surprisingly!—he found he was so intrigued, that he didn’t want there to be another five before it happened again!
‘I was just suggesting to Sapphie,’ he gave her a sideways glance, his mouth quirking humorously as he noticed the disapproving tightening of her full lips, ‘that it would a good idea if the four of us were to have dinner together this evening.’
He had turned back to the married couple by the time he made this suggestion, so he didn’t actually see Sapphie’s reaction to his suggestion—but he certainly felt it!
Shock was quickly followed by waves of pure animosity in his direction which she made no effort to conceal!
CHAPTER TWO
‘YOU’RE incredibly stupid or totally insane—and as I don’t believe for a moment that it’s the latter, I can only assume that it’s the former!’ Sapphie spoke vehemently even as she marched her way past Rik and into the sitting-room of his hotel suite, not sparing her obviously luxurious surroundings a second glance as she turned to glare at him.
‘Come in, why don’t you?’ Rik drawled sardonically, taking his time about closing the door and joining her.
Giving Sapphie the opportunity to take in exactly how handsome he looked in the black evening suit and snowy white shirt and black bow-tie. Not that she hadn’t ever noticed how devastatingly attractive he was, it was just that he just looked breathtakingly so in this formal attire, every inch the wealthy and powerful screenwriter that he was.
She had responded to the way he looked five years ago, but also to the way he’d made her feel; she’d been attracted to his inborn confidence and sophistication as much as to his handsome features. But this was something else entirely.
Now he wasn’t just Rik Prince, the youngest, and reputedly the most sensitive, of the powerful Prince brothers; now he was also the link between herself and the past, between her and…
No, she mustn’t even go there! She had spent a night of mindless passion with this man, and he had to believe that was all they had shared.
He arched dark brows now as he eyed her teasingly. ‘Am I to take it from your previous remark that you aren’t looking forward to the four of us having dinner together this evening?’
Looking forward to it—it had to be the worst torture she could ever imagine!
Spending hours in Rik’s company. Aware all that time that he was probably still in love with Dee. In a constant state of agitation herself, in case either Dee or Jerome said anything that might arouse Rik’s suspicions. No, she wasn’t looking forward to it at all!
But when Rik had made his suggestion earlier about dinner at Fouquet’s, and it was greeted with such enthusiasm by Dee and Jerome, Sapphie simply hadn’t been able to think of a good reason for not joining them. Especially as it had already been agreed earlier in the morning that she would eat with Dee and Jerome tonight. Besides, she dared not dine with all of them, because she was still nervous that either Dee or Jerome might unwittingly say something about Matthew…
Even so, she was sure that Rik had known earlier exactly how she felt about having dinner with him, since she’d spent the rest of their meeting this morning in silence, nodding her agreement to the suggestion they all meet in the hotel foyer downstairs at eight o’clock.
‘Idiot!’ she snapped now, totally immune to his admiring glance as he took in the black sheath knee-length dress she was wearing, and the way her auburn hair fell loose on the bareness of her shoulders. She gave an impatient shake of her head. ‘This is a dangerous game you’re playing—’
‘Dangerous?’ Rik echoed, dark brows arched mockingly. ‘You aren’t suddenly going to launch yourself at me in a passionate frenzy, are you?’
‘Oh, very funny,’ Sapphie bit out disgustedly. ‘You are such a funny man, Rik. In fact, with your wit, I’m surprised you’ve never turned your talent to writing comedies!’
He grinned unconcernedly, an endearing dimple appearing in one cheek, obviously feeling completely relaxed about the evening ahead. ‘I’ve never really thought about it,’ he shrugged, ‘but now that you mention it…’ He smiled in the face of her obvious frustration. ‘It’s a little early yet for us to go and meet Dee and Jerome; would you care for a drink before we leave?’
As it had turned out, Rik and Dee and Jerome were all staying at the George V, just off the Champs-Elyseées, whereas Sapphie had decided to stay in a more obscure—and less expensive!—hotel in one of the avenues off the Arc de Triomphe, so it had been decided that the three of them would meet in the foyer of the George V before strolling along to the restaurant.
And yes, Sapphie was well aware of the fact that it was too early to meet the other couple. Deliberately so. As this man had to be well aware.
‘A brandy would be nice,’ she accepted abruptly, having already noticed the untouched bottles of whisky and brandy on one of the side-tables. ‘Thank you,’ she added awkwardly.
‘So far this evening you’ve called me “incredibly stupid” and an “idiot”—don’t you think it’s a little late for politeness?’ He eyed her laughingly.
Sapphie felt a leap of awareness in her chest at how very attractive he was in this teasingly friendly mood. It would be so easy to forget everything else, and just enjoy being in his company…
His company was something she dared not risk enjoying! In fact, she couldn’t let her guard down for even a second, had been a mass of churning emotions since the moment they’d met again this morning, feeling as if she were remaining only two steps ahead of a tsunami—and while it was increasing in force she was tiring fast!
She had to find a way of stopping it—stopping Rik—in his tracks!
‘Thank you,’ she murmured again as she took the glass of brandy from his hand and took a sip of the fiery liquid, hoping it would give her the courage she so badly needed.
Courage…?