A REASON FOR MARRIAGE

Besides which, he hadn’t decided yet exactly what he was going to do about Sara McCall. Part of him definitely wanted to strangle her for having believed the lies about him, just as there was still a part of him that hungered to make love to her. And Simon had absolutely no idea which of those emotions was going to win once he had recovered from the disappointment he was currently feeling.

In the meantime, while he waited for those feelings to settle, it seemed like a good idea to keep Sara exactly where he could see her.

Even if his body had already made its decision, now engorged and throbbing in favor of taking Sara back to bed and making love to her until she had no strength with which to leave his bed… “I will expect you to begin work on this room immediately,” he bit out abruptly. “With the intention of presenting designs for the other rooms as soon as possible.”

“All of them?” Sara gasped.

“All of them,” Simon confirmed with satisfaction at her obvious dismay.

Leaving Sara in no doubt that Simon intended exacting his pound of flesh for her ever having harbored doubts as to his true nature. She should never have allowed herself to jump to conclusions where he was concerned based only on what people had told her, or allowed those conclusions to influence her into behaving so badly, so unprofessionally, towards him at the beginning..

In truth, Sara now felt deeply ashamed of her behavior, but for now she just had to concentrate on leaving this apartment-leaving Simon-with at least some of her pride intact.

“If you’re sure that’s what you want…?”

“It is,” he rasped harshly.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Fine.” Sara nodded briskly as she turned to leave.

“Oh, and, Sara….?”

“Yes?” She turned back warily.

“After, as you have so rightly called it, your lack of professionalism in regard to working for me, I will now expect you to give me your services exclusively for the next few weeks, at least.”

“That’s imp-”

“And for you to inform me immediately if you have any further trouble with Bruce Bennet,” he continued grimly.

“I don’t consider that any of your business!” Sara gasped incredulously.

Simon’s tread was light and predatory as he strode across the sitting room until he was standing only inches in front of her. “After today I am making it my business.” His voice was dangerously soft. “Do you understand, Sara?”

Oh, yes, she understood-only too well. And she resented the hell out of Simon’s arrogant assumption that the two of them having made love together gave him any right to know anything about her private life. Except it wasn’t just a case of the two of them having made love together, was it? She had no idea what might have happened if Simon hadn’t been with her last night when she’d realized Bruce’s wife was pregnant-if he hadn’t been so supportive of her in front of Bruce and then later, here at his apartment.

“If I have any further trouble with Bruce I will tell you about it,” she bit out tightly. “Now can I leave?” she prompted angrily.

“Of course.” Simon smiled his satisfaction-both at Sara’s reply and the fact that her fighting spirit had so obviously returned. He enjoyed verbally sparring with her almost as much as he had enjoyed making love with her.

Almost…

“How kind of you!” Her eyes flashed deeply.

“In future, kindness is my middle name,” he drawled mockingly.

“And I thought it was arrogance,” she came back tartly.

Simon gave a husky chuckle. “I will very much look forward to seeing you back here promptly at nine o’clock tomorrow morning.”

The fire dissipated from her eyes and she looked at him uncertainly. “Simon-”

“Nine o’clock tomorrow morning, Sara,” he repeated firmly.

No matter how much Sara might wish it otherwise, Simon knew that things were far from settled between them…

__________

“So do you think…?” Sara looked at Simon uncertainly as he stood on the threshold of his newly decorated sitting room.

Simon thought that during the past three weeks he had learnt first-hand exactly what hell was! It wore figure-hugging denims, form-fitting white T-shirts over full and luscious breasts, had long ebony hair, brown eyes, kissable lips, smelled of something lightly floral and sensual-and went under the guise of interior designer Sara McCall!

Because that was exactly who Sara had become during these three hellish weeks. Crisp, no-nonsense, utterly professional and bearing absolutely no resemblance to the woman Simon had made love with during that memorable Sunday.

The first week hadn’t been too excruciating. Sara had only appeared at his apartment on the Monday and Tuesday, when she came in to take precise measurements for the carpets, curtains and other draperies. The second week she had been more in evidence-calling in briefly every day in order to supervise her team of decorators, and to present Simon with the designs she had made for the rest of the rooms in his apartment.

And each time she’d arrived Simon had been the one who met her at the main lift before taking her up to his apartment. By the time the furniture and fittings had arrived in the third week Simon had contacted Security and instructed them to let Sara into the building any time she arrived, as well as giving her his security code to the private lift going straight up to his apartment.

All in an effort to spare himself the ordeal of so much as seeing the coolly remote stranger that Sara had become, let alone actually speaking to her.

And yet…any time Sara was in the building Simon instinctively knew she was up there-in his apartment, in the room just above his office.