Heart On Fire Part 8

He was faster than her; he caught her before she reached the door, his hand clamping down on her shoulder find spinning her round.

"No, you don't! I want to know how you met him, what exactly is going on between the pair of you!"

"Don't you bully me! I'm not telling you anything!" She struggled against his grip and he forced her against the wall and stood in front of her, barring any attempt at escape.

"Oh, I think you'll tell me what I want to know," he said, his voice silky with menace.

"Because we'll stay here until you do."

She gave him a contemptuous stare "Oh, well, if you're going to inflict yourself on me, I suppose I'll have to tell you. Anything to get away from you!"

Her tone was a verbal slap in the face, and Ellis took it as one, his face tightening, his grey eyes glittering. He didn't say anything, but somehow she got the impression that that was because she had temporarily deprived him of the power of speech. Perhaps no woman had ever said such a thing to him before? Well, if so, perhaps it was time it happened! He was due for a lesson She met his furious stare head on, refusing to be frightened of him.

79 "Stephen came to the restaurant again yesterday, we got into conversation, and he asked me out today. We had lunch by the river, and then drove back here." She made it sound very casual, and she carefully left out any mention of his father or the job she had just accepted, ending with a cool lift of one eyebrow as she asked him, "SatisF~l?"

"Was Stephen?" asked Ellis, with a sneer, which sent a wave of hot

blood up her face.

"You've got a disgusting mind!"

"I'm a man myself," he said with an unsmiling shrug. "I know what a

woman like you does to the imagination.""A woman like me?" she repeated, insult in every line of her."What do you mean--a woman like me?""You're temptation with a capital T," he said drily. "It didn't occur to me that it was a mistake to. bring Stephen here and let him catch

sight of you.

I've never had any trouble with Stephen that way in the past. He's never trespa.s.sed on my territory before."

She took a rough, shaky breath.

"Your territory? Your territory? I hope you're not referring to me!

Because, if you are, then let me tell you I am nothing of the kind!"

Ellis took no notice of her; he seemed to be talking to himself, his

voice cool.

"But then perhaps he didn't realise that that was what he was doing.

Stephen can be quite dim at times."

"I don't think Stephen is at all dim," she said icily. "In fact, it's

hard to believe Stephen is your brother. He's so easy to talk to, kind and thoughtful, a good companion--totaily unlike you in almost every way..."

His mouth twisted.

"The description doesn't sound like me, I agree!

But it doesn't sound wildly exciting, either. And you chose to date him?

Either I have been underestimating my brother--or. " He lifted his brows at her, his grey eyes gleaming with mockery. " Or you went out with him to get back at me! Do I detect a malicious glint in those lovely green eyes?

Is that what you did? Were you playing games, Claudia? " "No, I was not!" she muttered, tensing as he let his gaze deliberately wander down over her, a sensuous curve to his smile.

"Look, I answered your question, I told you what you wanted to know.

Now, will you let me go? " "Oh, not yet'!" he said, staring at her mouth.

Her pulses began to thud crazily, and she made another dive to escape only to be trapped again, this time more dangerously, with Ellis leaning both hands on the wall on either side of her, and his long, lean body forced down on top of hers. His head came down and with a wild gasp of panic she tried to escape the searching mouth, but he lifted a hand from the wall and clasped her throat, his thumb pressing up under her chin to lift her head.

The pressure didn't so much hurt as threaten pain if she resisted, and made her helpless to stop him kissing her, his mouth hot and insistent against her lips, forcing ~hem apart and pa.s.sionately exploring her mouth. His other hand moved, too, sliding down her body in a lingering caress, making heat flow through her flesh with every brush of his fingers.

When he slowly lifted his head, she had her eyes closed and she was trembling violently. She had to take a deep breath before she could open her eyes and look at him without betraying what he had aroused in her, the unexpected force of the desire, the need, the ache of pleasure.

"Why can't men ever keep their hands to themselves?" she hoa.r.s.ely muttered.

"What on earth makes of you think every woman you meet is going to fall into your arms the minute you d.i.c.k your fingers? I suppose it's because you're so rich?

Your money usually impresses the h.e.l.l out of most women. Well, it doesn't mean a thing to me. Money doesn't impress me, nor does the caveman stuff you just tried out. I prefer a man I can respect and like, and you don't qualify on either count! " She stopped only because she had run out of breath, but Ellis didn't yell back at her, as she expected. He was staring down at her, his eyes wells of dark violence, his face drawn tight, but a little tic jumping beside his mouth.

That look scared her. Somehow, it seemed, she had hit Ellis Lefevre. where it hurt, and he was very, very angry. Before she could work out exactly what she had said to make him look like that, he let his hands drop to his sides, swung on his heel and strode across the pavement to where a sleek Porsche was parked. Claudia watched him get behind the wheel, heard the door slam, the engine fire, and a second later the car streaked away into the night.

CHAPTER FIVE.

CLAUDIA couldn't move for several minutes, she was feeling so shaken. She had managed to send Ellis. Lefevre away before he realised quite how violently he attracted her, but she did not feel at all relieved, she felt cold and miserable. She couldn't understand it. She didn't like the man; he was arrogant, selfish, domineering, how could anybody like him? Why should she be depressed because she had told him the blunt truth about himself? He thought his money gave him carte blanche to do as he liked, he thought his money could buy him anything--even a woman.

Well, not this woman! she thought, her face burning and her eyes stinging with unshed tears. She got out a handkerchief and blew her nose defiantly, then banged her way through the door, almost walking right into her sister.

"Look out!" Annette yelled, clutching the large gla.s.s bowl of trifle which she was carrying.

"Oh! I thought~ I was going to drop it for a minute. How many times have I told you not to go barging about like that, Claudia?" She put the bowl of trifle on to the dessert trolley.

Claudia sat down on a chair, chill perspiration de wing her forehead.

She kept remembering that look Ellis had given her. Each time her blood ran cold.

Annette eagerly asked, "Well, how did the interview go? What was the old man like? Did you get the job?"

O~.

Claudia wanted to scream at her--Leave me alone! But she couldn't, so she just stared blankly, and Annette stared back, beginning to look worried.

"Claudia, what ever's wrong? Aren't you feeling OK? Has something happened?"

Looking round from his inspection of the pans on the stove, Pierre said with wry amus.e.m.e.nt, "Let the poor girl answer one question at a time, chdrie! Rat tat tat, like a machine gun, you go. Give her time!"

"Oh, you get on with your cooking. She's my sister, not yours.

Claudia! What's the matter with you, for heaven's sake? " "Nothing's the matter," Claudia managed huskily. "I'm tired, that's all."

She took a deep breath and went on rather more calmly, "It's been a long day, but the interview went well, I think I can manage Mr. Lefevre, and..." she even forced a sort of smile '. I got the job. " "Wonderful!" her sister said, beaming, and quite unaware, thank heavens, that Claudia was less than rapturously happy.

"Well, tell us... What's the salary?"

"Excellent." Claudia rattled off the details and Annette looked even more cheerful.

"Well, that's great! And it should be quite interesting, typing a book for someone... If it's his life story, it might be full of fascinating gossip."

"Not about anyone I would know," Claudia said drily.

"Oh, Claudia... Before I forget," Pierre suddenly said.

"You had a phone call half an hour ago. From some boyfriend... He wouldn't leave his name."

Claudia looked sharply at him.

"Did you tell him where I was?"

"No, but I said you should be back any minute, so maybe he'll ring again. He wouldn't leave his name 0~4 or number. " Piece ~nked.

"He w~to ~ a mystery man Anette raised her brows curiously at her sister. " Who is this? A new guy? Why ~1 the secrecy~' Her face changed.

"He isn't married, is he, Claudia? You haven't got m~ed up with a m~ried man?"

"No, nothing like that," Claudia s~d, knowing very well who had ~ng, ~d reluctant to ~11 them.

"He's n.o.body impo~t... Just ... someone I met at the hotel, who h~ b~n chasing me, OK?" They were ~g, ~d she ~shed on h~y ~fore they co~d ask any more questions.

"But I was telling you about Mr. Lefevre. He is rather formidable,but I had been warned, so I was forearmed, and I think I may be able tomanage him. I might even get to like him. Stranger things havehappened." She gave h~r sister a hesi~t look.

"One thing, though~I will have to stay there unCfl this book is finished."

Annette stiffenS.

"What?"

Claudia w~ f~ntly flushed and defi~t as she answered.

"Well, the old man wakes up very early and likes to begin work at seven, and there's no way I could get there by that time u~ess I got up in the middle of the night, but there is a self-contained flat "

Claudia, I w~ you! Anette burst out, frowning h~ly.

"T~s is what happened before, with the son, ~th what's~s-n~e...

E~lot?"

"ElUs," Claudia muttered. How could Anette forget his name?

"OK, Ellis," Anette said impatiently.