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‘Sing?’ she echoed in a startled voice, leaning back as her soup bowl was removed to be replaced with a clean plate for her main course. When she first came to work here she had been slightly unnerved by the abundance of servants in the house, but now she took it in her stride, although she was aware that the household staff considered her to be apart from them, treating her more like a guest than an employee like themselves.
‘Mm,’ Zack was watching her over the rim of the wine glass he held cupped in his hands. ‘With your looks, some sexy clothes, and a good singing voice, you could go far.’
‘At least as far as your bed, darling,’ Maxine drawled mockingly.
‘Maxine!’ James slammed his glass down on the table. ‘Keep that sort of talk for your London friends, neither Holly or I appreciate it.’
His wife's mouth tightened at the rebuke. ‘But we all know Zack's little songbirds occupy his bed at some time or other.’
‘You flatter me, sweet,’ Zack said dryly. ‘I have been known to fail on the odd occasion.’
‘I'm sure that neither Holly nor I are interested in your prowess in bed,’ his brother dismissed.
Mocking green eyes were turned on her. ‘Aren't you?’
A delicate blush darkened her cheeks. ‘I've always believed that if a man has to constantly prove himself in bed with a string of different women there's something wrong with him,’ she told him coldly.
‘Such as?’ He was still amused.
‘Such as he really prefers men, he's very shallow, or he's just afraid to fall in love with one woman,’ she said bluntly, looking only at him as she made the statement.
Maxine gave a laugh of pure enjoyment, her air of bored sophistication leaving her for a moment. ‘Well, Zack?’ she gave a gurgle of laughter, looking years younger, a warm glow to her blue eyes.
‘Hm,’ he grimaced. ‘You can safely discount the first, Holly,’ he said dryly. ‘I enjoy and like women too much for that to be true. The second? No, I don't think I'm shallow either. A little cynical, perhaps,’ he admitted thoughtfully. ‘As for being afraid of love …’ he shook his head, ‘I don't think that's true either. What's your excuse?’
She raised startled eyes at the unexpected suddenness of the question. ‘Excuse for what?’ she frowned.
‘For not being married.’
‘I—–’
‘Holly is only twenty-two,’ James defended tautly. ‘Much too young to be married.’
‘I was engaged to you at that age,’ Maxine reminded him sharply.
‘That was different,’ he snapped.
‘Was it?’ Her voice was hard.
‘I think so,’ he nodded grimly.
‘How?’
‘Maxine—–’
‘How was it different, James?’ she persisted.
His eyes were hard as he looked at her. ‘This is not the time to discuss it.’
‘It never is.’ She stood up with a noisy scrape of her chair. ‘Excuse me,’ her tone was brittle, ‘I'm no longer hungry.’
‘Maxine!’ James’ voice thundered across the room, halting her.
She turned slowly to face her husband, very pale beneath her make-up. ‘Yes?’
‘Sit down,’ he ordered abruptly.
‘Go to hell!’ she snapped.
His mouth tightened ominously. ‘I—said—sit—down!’
Maxine's head went back in challenge. ‘Make me.’
James went deathly pale. ‘Bitch!’ he groaned in a pained voice, and threw his napkin down on the table, manoeuvring his chair over to the door, pushing it open with a crash. The room was starkly silent after his exit.
Maxine suddenly gave a choked cry before she too rushed from the room.
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_af2f98d7-4368-5cbe-bc8a-ae1ac5cdf55c)
HOLLY had sat in horrified silence as Maxine challenged James's disability in that cruel way. Although Maxine was often absent from the house she had never heard the other couple be so hurtful to each other before. It wasn't—–
‘Stay where you are.’
She hadn't even been aware of standing up, just as she had forgotten the presence of Zack Benedict in the dining-room with her. She resented being told what to do by him or anyone else when they had no right to do so! ‘I beg your pardon?’ She looked down at him icily.
‘Leave them alone,’ he advised gently. ‘From the look of them this argument has been a very long time coming.’
‘But—–’
‘I said leave them, Holly.’ He smiled to take the edge off his words. ‘After all, there's no reason for us to miss our dinner too. James and Maxine's marital problems will have to be worked out between them. So sit down and we'll eat.’
‘I—–’
‘I could make you,’ he warned softly.
She knew he could too. Most of the time he was lazily relaxed, almost indolent, and yet beneath the superb cut of his dinner jacket and silk shirt she was aware of the powerful shoulders and arms, had more than once been a witness to the steelier side of his nature, a side he took pains to hide most of the time.
She sank slowly back into her chair, beginning to eat her meal in silence. He might have ‘persuaded’ her to sit down with him, but she didn't have to give him the satisfaction of actually talking to him too.
She should have known the irrepressible Zack Benedict wouldn't be put off so easily. ‘You never did say whether or not you can sing,’ he prompted as they stood up to take their coffee through to the lounge.
‘Not a note,’ she answered absently, wondering if James was all right.
‘Have you ever tried?’
‘No, and I don't want to either! What are you, some sort of pimp for showgirls?’ She made her tone as insulting as possible, still very resentful of his autocratic behaviour earlier.
He smiled his amusement, not at all put out by her insult. ‘Actually, I'm a record producer. Disappointed?’ he mocked close to her ear, sitting annoyingly close to her on the sofa.
‘Not at all,’ she told him abruptly, moving away from him so that the length of his thigh no longer touched hers. ‘I'm sure you get just as much opportunity to show off your prowess there.’
He didn't rise to the taunt as she expected him to, but gave her a considering look. ‘Why is it you don't like me, Holly?’
‘Do I have to?’ She deliberately didn't look at him, aware that he had shifted slightly, that he was too close to her once again, and her hands were beginning to shake because of it.
He shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘You don't have to …’
‘You just aren't accustomed to the novelty of a woman actually disliking you,’ she scorned.
‘Maybe later,’ he drawled. ‘But not usually on sight.’
She didn't need to ask what he meant by ‘later'. His hard good looks and lighthearted flirting might not appeal to her, but she could imagine a lot of women would be reluctant to give him up once they had known him. ‘I must just be the exception,’ she dismissed, standing up to put some distance between them.
‘And maybe you aren't.’ Zack stood up too. ‘Let's see, shall we?’ He moved purposefully towards her.
Her eyes widened in panic, and she stepped back to avoid him. ‘No …!’
‘Yes.’ His smile was confident as he continued to advance. ‘Relax, Holly, most woman enjoy it.’
His hands came out to prevent her moving any further, his head bending, and cool demanding lips took possession of hers. Her panic increased by the second, and she felt as if she were sinking, falling, her nails digging into his arms as she tried to cling on to reality.
‘Hey,’ he chided, raising his head slightly, ‘I'm not into masochism!’
‘Please …’
‘Okay, Holly,’ he shrugged, smiling wolfishly. ‘Whatever you like.’ He lowered his head once again.
She protested even as his mouth moved over hers once again, but even to her own ears it sounded weakly unconvincing. She thought she would faint as his mouth moved down to her throat, her breath coming in short gasps, only aware of his mouth and hands; his identity was no longer important to her, just that he should stop what he was doing. She reacted instinctively, bringing her knee up with all the force she could, hearing his groan of agony, as his hands fell away from her body.
It took several minutes for her to be under control enough to open her eyes, the only sounds in the room her own sobbing breaths and Zack's ragged ones. As she looked at him he was bent over double, obviously in a lot of pain, his face pale, a fine sheen of perspiration to his brow.
The full horror of what she had just done suddenly hit her. ‘Are you—all right?’ she choked, concern etched into her pale face.
He still couldn't straighten fully, and his eyes glittered with fury as he glared up at her. ‘If I am it will be no thanks to you,’ he rasped. ‘What the hell were you trying to do?’ he grimaced. ‘Emasculate me for life?’
She watched helplessly as he collapsed down on to the sofa. ‘Can I—get you anything? Do anything?’ she queried.
He looked at her with jaundiced eyes. ‘Haven't you done enough?’
She swallowed hard. ‘I—–’
‘Brandy,’ he changed his mind wth grim impatience. ‘Get me some brandy—please,’ he added dryly.
Holly hurried over to the drinks cabinet to pour him out a tumblerful, handing it to him with a shaking hand, taking care that they didn't touch again, seeing the derision on Zack's face as he noticed her evasion. ‘Are you really all right?’ she asked after his first gulp of the fiery liquid, noticing that he didn't even wince as it passed down his throat and hit his stomach.
He scowled up at her. ‘I think I will be. God, woman, you could have damaged me for life doing something like that!’
She flinched. ‘I—I'm sorry.’
‘Sorry!’ he repeated disgustedly. ‘Believe me, if I thought I was going to be permanently injured I'd make you more than sorry. Who the hell taught you to do that to a man?’ He took another swallow of his brandy. ‘Your brother's idea of a joke or Daddy's sure-fire way of protecting his little girl's innocence? This isn't the Victorian age, you know! And I was only kissing you, damn it.’ He emptied the glass, scowling heavily.
‘I don't have a brother, and my father is dead,’ Holly told him quietly. ‘He has been for years. I was taught self-defence during my last year at school.’
Zack's brows rose. ‘Even the girls?’
‘It was all girls,’ she revealed dully, knowing what he would make of that.
‘Now I begin to understand.’ His mouth twisted derisively.
Holly blushed at the knowing look in his eyes. ‘I'm not some repressed prude who despises men,’ she flashed resentfully. ‘You were kissing me against my will, I was perfectly within my rights to protect myself.’
‘Oh, you did that all right,’ he grimaced. ‘I suppose you have a few other little tricks like that up your sleeve?’
‘A few,’ she nodded.
‘Well, don't try them out on me. God,’ he groaned his pain as he attempted to move, ‘you certainly know how to put a man out of action!’
‘Yes.’
He gave her an irritated look. ‘You don't have to sound so proud of it. One little kiss,’ he muttered to himself. ‘Just one little kiss!’
‘Against my will,’ she reminded him tightly.
‘You only had to say no—–’
‘I did!’
He sighed. ‘Not very convincingly.’
‘How convincing did I have to be?’ Holly choked her disbelief at his arrogance.
‘Okay, okay,’ he dismissed impatiently. ‘So you did say no. But how was I supposed to know it wasn't just a token resistance?’
‘Do your women usually dig their nails into you?’ she scorned.
A devilish glint entered his eyes. ‘Sometimes.’ His smile was mocking.
Her mouth tightened. ‘On such short acquaintance?’
‘Sometimes.’ His brows rose in challenge.
Holly whirled away from him, knowing by his mocking humour that he was starting to feel better.
‘Hey, where are you going?’ he called crossly. ‘I'm not sure I'll ever be able to walk again, and you just walk away! You might at least help me stand up!’ He struggled to get to his feet.
Contrition for his obvious discomfort made her cross the room to his side, letting him lean against her while he gained his balance. ‘I really am sorry,’ she murmured as she saw he was still in a lot of pain.
‘I'll bet,’ he muttered.
