He looked at his watch and was amazed to find that an hour had slipped away in her company. ‘Time for my appointment with Philip Hale. Have you finished?’
‘Goodness.’ She gulped her coffee in a hurry. ‘Can I have a head start? If we arrive together, people will wonder why, and one question will lead to another-’
‘And your dark secret will be exposed. All right. I’ll give you five minutes. Here’s my card, and I’ve written the garage number on the back. Call them tomorrow.’
‘Thank you. And thank you for the lunch.’
‘No problem. Good day to you.’
His hand took hers in a brief grip that almost made her gasp. She had a glimpse of long fingers, and a sharp sensation of power flowing between them. Then he released her and nodded a farewell that was almost a dismissal.
She hurried back to her office, feeling bemused. She’d never met a man who sent out so many confusing signals. He was handsome, with dark, speaking eyes, and might have been charming if he’d let himself relax. But that was obviously what he couldn’t do. One side of him-the businessman, presumably-had been reminding him of the time he was wasting. He was probably glad to be rid of her.
Carson Page watched Gina until she was out of sight. He had an odd, deflated feeling, as though the sun had just gone in. He rubbed his eyes again, wondering what had come over him to waste an hour over something that could have been sorted out in five minutes.
He pulled himself together. It had been a delightful interlude, like taking a much needed holiday. But now he must return to the real world, and it would be better not to see her again.
Gina found her secretary deep in paperwork. Dulcie was middle-aged, had worked for the firm for over twenty years and took a robustly cynical view of her employers. But she had a soft spot for Gina.
With her first words, she revealed the flaw in Gina’s secrecy arrangements.
‘Did I see you having lunch with Carson Page in Bob’s Café?’ she asked.
‘Oh, heavens! You didn’t tell anyone, did you?’
‘Not a soul. If Philip Hale thinks you’re trying to pinch his newest acquisition, there’ll be hell to pay.’
‘I know. Look, Dulcie, this is for your ears alone-’
‘Silent as the grave.’
Gina briefly described what had happened, and Dulcie gave a snort of laughter that she hastily smothered.
‘You bashed Carson Page’s car and lived to tell the tale?’ she asked. ‘And he’s paying for all the repairs? What’s your secret?’
‘Nothing. He’s just a very nice, reasonable man.’
‘He isn’t,’ Dulcie said at once. ‘I’ve got a friend who works for the last firm of lawyers he employed and he’s the client from hell. He owns Page Engineering, and I suppose if he wasn’t aggressive he couldn’t have made it what it is today.’
‘Goodness!’ Gina exclaimed. ‘That Carson Page? I never dreamed-I mean, I’ve heard of him.’
He’d created Page Engineering from nothing, fighting off competition ruthlessly, buying up smaller firms, and carving a large share of the market for himself. He was unstoppable. Whatever he touched turned to gold, or so the financial pages insisted.
He was also a bad enemy, driving opponents into the ground. And she’d dented his Rolls.
‘You’ve got to hand it to him as a businessman,’ Dulcie conceded. ‘But talk about difficult and demanding!’ She eyed her young boss significantly. ‘But not with you, eh?’
‘Oh, stop it!’ Gina said, reddening slightly. ‘He was just-I don’t know-he was a grouch, but a nice grouch. At least, he was trying to be nice, but he was awkward about it, as though he was using muscles that were a bit stiff.’
‘That sounds about right. He’s not known for overwhelming people with charm. Obviously you made an impression. Play your cards right and you’ll be travelling in that Rolls yourself.’
‘Nonsense. I’ll never see him again. Anyway, I’ve got my lovely Dan.’
‘I could think of many descriptions for your Dan, but lovely isn’t one of them,’ Dulcie said tartly. ‘He’s dull, he’s limited, you’re only dating him because you’ve known him since the year dot, and he takes you for granted.’
‘Well, I take him for granted, too. It’s cosy.’
Dulcie muttered, ‘Give me patience,’ and returned to her work, but only after Gina had made her promise yet again that not a word would pass her lips.
It was true that she’d known Dan since childhood, and was comfortable with him, but what was wrong with that? she thought, a tad defensively. The long years of suffering a crippling disability had left her willing to count her blessings.
She was meeting him that night in a tiny restaurant a couple of miles away. She booked a taxi, then, on impulse, called the garage and asked about her car.
‘You’re lucky,’ the head mechanic told her. ‘It’s not easy to find a new engine for that make, but for Mr Page we pulled out the stops.’
‘Excuse me-did you say a new engine?’ she asked faintly.
‘Only thing that will do it. New steering, too.’
‘But it’ll cost a fortune.’
‘Well, it’s going on his bill, so why worry?’
‘Oh, no, I don’t want this-’
‘Too late. It’s in pieces now.’
Dazed, she put the phone down. She needed that new engine, but to owe a stranger so much!
But, of course, Carson Page was a rich man who’d simply bought off trouble because it was quicker that way. She needn’t give him a second thought, any more than he would give her a second thought.
CHAPTER TWO
GINA went to change for the evening ahead, slipping off her smart business suit and donning a simple green dress. It was sleeveless but had a high neck against which rested a dainty pendant.
She brushed out her hair and added a little more make-up. Then she was ready.
She was a few minutes late at the restaurant, but there was no sign of Dan. She ordered herself a sherry, and sat waiting, hoping he wouldn’t be too long.
‘Do you mind if I join you?’
She looked up to see Carson Page standing, regarding her gravely.
‘Are you waiting for someone?’ he asked.
‘Yes, Dan-my boyfriend. He’s a little late.’
‘Then I’ll only stay a moment.’ He sat down. ‘I just wanted to let you know that your car will be finished the day after next.’
‘I know. I called the garage. Mr Page-’
‘Carson.’
‘Carson, I had no idea you were going to replace the engine. There was no need for that.’
‘According to the garage, there was every need.’
‘You know what I mean. I want to pay you-not immediately, but in instalments-’
‘All right, pay me one day. Now, can we forget this?’
She agreed, with a horrid suspicion that she was boring him. ‘How did you know I’d be here?’ she asked.
‘I was going to drop in at your office, but I arrived just as you were getting into a taxi. So I told my taxi to follow you.’
He ordered himself a drink, and she watched him, trying to tie this man in with the ogre Dulcie had described. ‘Difficult and demanding’ she could understand. Even when he was being kind, his air of pride and self-will were unmistakable. A bad enemy. A man who expected things done his way, and at once. A disturbing man. An exciting man.
She tried to brush that idea away, but it lurked on the fringe of her consciousness, taking little pot-shots at her more sedate thoughts.
He was different from other men, as a lion was different from kittens. She wished Dan would hurry up and arrive. Something was happening here that was threatening her carefully constructed world, and if she hurried she might still be in time to avoid it.
‘What about your car?’ she asked, hoping that her voice wouldn’t shake and betray her inner confusion.
‘It’ll be ready by tomorrow.’ He looked at the clock on the wall. ‘Seven-twenty. What time was your date supposed to arrive?’