She had taken a part of Damon with her…
THE room service meal arrived at that moment. Charlotte stood to one side as the trolley was wheeled in, the aroma of their meals luring her appetite out of hiding when the silver lids were lifted after the plates were set down on the table near the windows over-looking the stunning night view of Sydney Harbour.
The attendant bowed out with a generous tip in his hand and Damon moved to pull out Charlotte’s chair.
‘You are feeling a little hungry now, ne?’ he asked.
Immensely relieved with the subject change, she freely admitted, ‘Yes…a little…’
He took the seat opposite and flicked open his napkin and laid it across his lap. ‘You mentioned earlier that your mother died three years ago. Was it sudden?’
‘Yes and no…she was ill for a few months, but death is always sudden, even when you’re expecting it to occur.’ She met his eyes briefly. ‘I was so sorry to hear of Eleni’s death. That must have been very hard on you and your mother.’
A shadow passed over his face as he reached for his wine. ‘It was. It is still hard to believe she is gone.’
‘What happened?’
He stared at the red wine in his glass for a moment before he spoke. ‘She became tired and run down over a period of several months. She had blood tests taken but nothing showed up. She went to Athens and had a chest X-ray done and it showed lymphoma. She was dead within nine months. The aggressive chemotherapy was supposed to prolong her life. In the end it ended it. She caught pneumonia and slipped away.’
Charlotte felt the prickle of tears for what he must have suffered. His mother Alexandrine would have been devastated, she was sure. Giving birth to her own daughter had made Charlotte realise the depth and breadth of parental love. After all, wasn’t that why she was here sitting opposite the man who had fathered Emily so she could protect her, even if it cost her everything she had, including her self-respect?
‘I’m so very sorry,’ she said again. ‘She was a lovely girl.’
‘My mother is now very keen for me to marry and have children,’ he said, handing her the rocket and roasted kumara salad. ‘But so far I have resisted.’
Charlotte took the serving utensils with unsteady fingers, her heart beginning to thump behind her breast. She served a small portion of the salad for herself before asking, ‘You don’t think it’s time for you to settle down?’
He took the bowl from her, his eyes meeting hers. ‘I am only thirty-two years old. I would have thought there was plenty of time for me to play the field for a little longer.’
Charlotte couldn’t hold his gaze. ‘So, like most men, you want to have your cake and eat it too,’ she said as she reached for her cutlery.
‘What about you, Charlotte?’ he asked. ‘You are—how old now…almost twenty-six. I would have thought you would have found yourself a rich husband by now.’
‘It may surprise you, Damon, but I’m not interested in having a rich husband or indeed any sort of husband.’
‘So, like me, you prefer to play the field?’
She frowned. ‘No…no, of course not. I hate the shallow short-term relationships that seem to be so commonplace these days.’
His mouth tilted in cynicism. ‘And yet you agreed to this short-term affair with me, did you not?’
She gave him an embittered look. ‘You left me with no choice. Do you really think I’d be sitting opposite you now if I’d had any say in the matter?’
Anger flared in his eyes. ‘The way I see it, I gave you plenty of choice. You had the choice of seeing your sister arrested or spending time with me, which I might remind you I paid for very dearly. But if you want to put an end to this right now, I will not stop you. You can return my cheque and your sister can face the prosecution she deserves.’
A vision of her sister sitting injecting herself stopped Charlotte from telling him where to put his cheque. She sat stiffly in her chair, her appetite completely gone as the bars of her own prison began to close in on her.
‘Nothing to say, Charlotte?’
She brought her fiery gaze back to his. ‘I have plenty to say but you’ve put a lock on my tongue, remember? I have to be polite and charming to you even though you can insult me any time you like. It’s hardly what I’d call a level playing field.’
‘I would treat you with respect if I thought you were worthy of it,’ he clipped out, his mouth tight with anger. ‘You betrayed my trust and I will not forget that. The very same lips that kissed mine lied to me time and time again.’
‘I have never lied to you.’ As soon as she said the words Charlotte felt her colour run up under her skin. Of course she had lied to him! She was lying to him now and felt sure he could sense it.
His eyes narrowed as they clashed with hers. ‘You lied to me this evening, Charlotte, and I can prove it.’
His words sent an icy chill down her spine but she forced herself to project an outward calm. ‘Oh, really?’ she said.
‘Yes,’ he said, watching her closely. ‘You told me you had no idea where your sister was.’
‘I don’t.’
‘I can make one phone call and prove your mendacity.’
She felt her throat begin to tighten in panic, her breath catching in the middle of her chest as she did her best to hold his challenging gaze.
‘You see, Charlotte,’ he continued, ‘I have been keeping a close eye on you.’
Charlotte reassured herself that Emily was safe at Caroline’s. She had been for two days in a row. There was no possible way he could know about her existence.
But Stacey was another matter.
She lowered her eyes and accepted defeat, hoping it would keep him away from the truth. ‘All right…I admit it,’ she said. ‘I lied to you about Stacey. She came around to see me this evening.’
‘No doubt to share the spoils of her theft with you.’
Her eyes came back to his. ‘I had nothing to do with the theft of your wallet.’
‘At the very real risk of repeating myself, I am afraid I do not believe you,’ he said.
She tossed her napkin aside and got to her feet. ‘I’d like to leave.’
His eyes locked on hers. ‘You will leave when I give you permission to do so.’
‘So, along with blackmail, you’re now into abduction as well, are you?’ she asked.
‘And bondage if it is called for,’ he said as he stood up from his chair and, skirting the table, came towards her.
Charlotte started to back away. ‘You can’t hold me against my will.’
‘Ah, but it will not be against your will,’ he promised silkily. ‘You will be begging to stay, I guarantee it.’
‘You