Philly looked up at the faces around the table. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, you didn’t want to hear all that. Please forgive me.’
Stuart was the first to react. His arm shifted from the chair back to around her shoulders and he gave her a squeeze, putting his wineglass down so he could cover her hands in his. ‘Don’t apologise,’ he said softly. ‘There’s absolutely no need.’
She smiled up at him, her lashes moist, eyes glistening. ‘Thank you, Stuart.’
‘Call me Stu,’ he said, his voice low and sympathetic. ‘All my friends do.’
Her smile widened. ‘Thank you, Stu.’
Damien pushed himself out of his chair. ‘Time to call it a night. Thank you, gentlemen. We’ll see ourselves back to the hotel.’
Philly looked up, surprised by his sudden action. ‘Oh, right. Okay.’
She made a move to stand but Stuart placed an ironman fist over her arm, pinning her to the chair. ‘It’s still early,’ he said, his eyes fixed on Philly but the tone of his words aimed directly at Damien. ‘Maybe Philly would like to see a little more of the Gold Coast entertainment.’
His eyes softened. ‘Would you like that, Philly? Do you like to dance?’
‘Um, yes, actually,’ she said, her voice wavering. ‘I do.’
He turned to Damien triumphantly. ‘So that’s settled, then. Sorry you don’t feel up to joining us, Damien, but we’ll see you tomorrow morning at the office. And don’t worry, we’ll look after Philly for you.’
Damien battled with the urge to rearrange one smug face, but he wasn’t about to undo all the goodwill they’d built up today. Then again, he wasn’t about to be out-manoeuvred either.
He dredged up a laugh, as if he was enjoying the banter, and schooled his voice to sound civilised while inside him his heartbeat pounded like jungle drums. ‘Another time, perhaps. Sorry to disappoint you, but Ms Summers and I have some important details to go over tonight. I’m sure you understand.’
With that he placed a firm hand under her elbow and levered her from her chair. Stuart was left with no choice but to remove his hand from her arm though he made no pretence that he was happy about it.
‘Good night, gentlemen. I look forward to furthering our discussions in the morning.’
He steered Philly out of the restaurant and into a waiting taxi without saying another word.
‘What was that all about?’
She was sick of the silent treatment, sick of the brooding male who had sprawled over the taxi seat like a despot, arrogant limbs taking up space as if he owned it, sick of the way he’d frog-marched her to her door like a prisoner to be locked in for the night.
As his silence continued her anger grew and grew, simmering away, fuelled by the heat he was giving off with his black mood.
‘What was what all about?’
‘Don’t give me that,’ she said as she inserted her card key into the reader. ‘You acted like some caveman back there at the restaurant.’
Down the corridor the lift doors binged open, spilling a load of camera-wielding tourists into the hallway.
The lock clicked open. Damien grabbed the handle and turned. ‘Inside,’ he said, half shoving her across the threshold, closing the door behind them.
‘Excuse me,’ she said, wheeling around to face him, hands on hips. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing now?’
‘Keeping our private business just that. Private. There’s no need to share it with a busload of tourists.’
‘Well, don’t make yourself comfortable then because what I have to say to you will only take a moment. You had no right to come on like that back there.’
‘I’m your boss. I had every right.’
‘Is that so? Then where’s this important work we need to go over then? You never said anything about it before. You made that up.’
‘We have important meetings tomorrow and you know it.’
‘Yes, with people you did your best to completely alienate tonight. What on earth were you thinking?’
‘I was thinking I brought you up here to work with me, not to flirt with the customers.’
Her mouth fell open in disbelief. ‘I wasn’t flirting!’
‘Come on. You had Stu-baby draped all over you like a gorilla.’
‘He was being sympathetic, that’s all.’
‘Sympathetic? Is that what you call it when someone’s angling to get into your pants?’
‘How dare you?’ The crack of her palm against his cheek was as loud as it was satisfying. Her victory was short-lived though as he snared her still open hand in one swift-moving fist. His other hand stroked the region, a red weal already brightening under his fingers.
‘You deserved that.’ She spat the words out over a gasping breath, refusing to give in to her first instinct to apologise.
He looked down at her, dark fire burning in his eyes, his breathing strangely calm under the circumstances. ‘And this,’ he said, pulling on her wrist so that she collided full length with him, ‘is what you deserve.’
Still half off balance, she felt his arm surround her and haul her tightly against him as his head dipped lower. Panic, outrage and sheer bliss all welled within her as his lips meshed with hers; panic that he would somehow recognise her as the woman he’d made love to on Saturday night; outrage that he could treat her this way, and sheer unadulterated bliss that he had.
Since their encounter at the ball she’d dreamed of nothing else but to be in Damien’s arms once more. Those dreams had ended in disappointed awakenings and frustrated tomorrows. But now he was here, really here, holding her, kissing her and it was no dream.
Her thin sand-washed satin dress might not have been there. She could feel all of him, the length of him, the heat of him, searing her through the fine fabric.
He let go of her wrist and his hand went behind her head, drawing her closer, holding her firm and somewhere his anger turned into something else. It was desire she could feel from him now, a hot, urgent thing that was as tangible as the flesh beneath her hands and it called to her, tempting her, insisting she give herself up to it.
Why shouldn’t she?
It would be so easy.
She knew the pleasure she’d find. She’d only had a sample of what he had to offer, but there was no doubt there was so much more that she’d like to experience. Why should it matter if she did?
But how could she?
Things were complicated between them already. Already there were secrets. Already there was too much to explain. This wasn’t going to help.
Besides, he didn’t want her. He’d made that perfectly plain when he’d set the boundaries for this trip. What was happening now had more to do with his competitive nature and showing her who was boss than any real interest he had in Philly Summers. Because he’d made it perfectly clear that he had none.
And that was the killer punch. If she’d thought for a moment that he felt something for her other than pure animal lust, if she thought she had something else going for her in his eyes other than simply being available, then yes, she’d like nothing more than to give herself up to the pleasures he promised.
But this was no fancy dress ball where he had no idea of her identity. This was no masquerade. Here there was no avoidance of the truth. He’d never wanted her and, whatever