Only Lover

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He grinned at her. ‘Carry on, Farrah, it would be a pity to spoil your effort.'

She looked at him shyly. ‘It wasn't such an effort,’ she admitted.

Blue eyes narrowed, but he still smiled. ‘All the more reason,’ he said huskily. ‘Just try and forget our reason for being here. I think that our mission has been accomplished. Candy and her friends have been giving us speculative looks for the past hour or more, and since talking to us I should think Candy has told them all who you are. Don't worry, Laura should know within the next day or so that we were seen together.'

‘But would it matter to her? You've already admitted that you both occasionally see other people.'

‘That's why I told you it would take a couple of months to convince her, my girl-friends don't usually last that long.'

‘Tell me, Mr—Joel, have you ever been in love?'

‘No. It's a luxury that has never been granted me. You've grown very curious, Farrah Halliday. Why the sudden interest?'

Farrah sipped her Martini and lemonade before answering him. ‘If I have to spend time with you I may as well make conversation. Most people enjoy talking about themselves.'

‘I don't.’ He bent forward, effectively cutting off the rest of the room from her vision. ‘I would far rather talk about you. Are you as innocent as you look?'

‘You've said that once before. I can't help the way I look.'

‘Does that mean that the answer is no?'

‘No, it doesn't! If by innocent you mean do I sleep around, then the answer is no. So that makes me innocent in your eyes. I've never gone in for casual love or lovemaking.'

‘Does that mean you're a virgin?'

‘It's none of your business! I—–'

‘Does it?’ he repeated sharply.

‘I can't—– It—– Oh yes! Yes, it does! Are you satisfied now?'

‘No. I'm interested, very interested. Do you have boyfriends, Farrah? Of course you do,’ he answered his own question. ‘Someone called Nigel wasn't it, and I presume there have been others. And yet none of them have wanted to make love to you.'

Farrah gasped. ‘I didn't say that!'

‘So they have wanted to make love to you. And you've said no. Why was that, Farrah, are you holding out for marriage? Are you thinking of how privileged that man will feel when you go into your marriage bed pure and untouched?'

There was no mistaking the sneer in his voice and Farrah bridled angrily. ‘Like I said, you mock everything.’ She shifted away from him and breathed more easily when no longer made quite so much aware of his physical attractiveness. For a few minutes he had held her attention like a magnet, and she was made all too much aware of how easy it was to fall for his charm when he chose to exert it. And she wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

His hand moved to cover her own as it rested on the table, holding her even tighter as her first instinct was to snatch her hand away. ‘Careful,’ he warned. ‘Don't spoil it all now. You've managed very well so far.'

‘Thank you very much, sir! How kind you are!'

Her anger made him smile. ‘Your eyes are flashing again.'

Farrah blushed. ‘Leave my eyes out of it!'

Joel shook his head. ‘Impossible. They're really quite beautiful. Are those dark lashes natural?'

‘You're prevaricating again.’ She was unable to meet his eyes.

‘Not me, honey, you're the one doing that. I asked you a perfectly normal—–'

‘Normal! Nothing about our whole relationship is normal! Can we go home now?'

‘Yours or mine?’ he taunted.

‘You to yours, and me to mine,’ she said ungrammatically.

Joel picked up her hand, studying the palely painted nails and her slim tapered fingers. ‘There ought to be a ring on this hand,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘A huge emerald to match your eyes. Has no one ever offered?'

‘I'll only marry for love. Now can we go home?’ she repeated stubbornly.

‘It's early,’ he replied vaguely, still looking at her hand as it rested in his own much larger one. He looked at his watch. ‘It's only eleven o'clock, much too early to leave. I rarely leave before two in the morning.'

Farrah felt a sense of dread. Another three hours with him. In this mood he was far too dangerous for her peace of mind. In a short time they had become much too intimate for Farrah's liking. Joel seemed to be amusing himself with her and he was being deliberately charming. The trouble was her traitorous body was falling for it. Each time he gave her that dark brooding look she trembled with anticipation, of what she wasn't sure.

‘If we leave now your friends will naturally assume we're going to your apartment to—to—–'

‘Make love,’ he drawled. ‘That seems to be the topic of the evening. And I can quite as well make love at two in the morning as I can now.'

Farrah blushed. ‘You're embarrassing me,’ she shook her head. ‘I've never spoken about such things to anyone before, let alone a man I only met for the first time yesterday. Are you always so—so basic?'

He let go of her hand, sitting back to light up a cheroot with his gold initialled lighter. ‘No, I enjoy shocking you. Does that surprise you?'

‘I suppose not. My naïveté must be very amusing,’ she said dejectedly.

Joel was surrounded by thick smoke, his expression unreadable. ‘Nothing about you amuses me,’ he said harshly. ‘On the contrary. It's a long time since I met anyone as fresh and young as you undoubtedly are. It's quite a novelty.'

‘There are plenty of girls like me about. We hardly even know the sort of world you live in exists.'

‘So you're going to settle for a respectable young man with a semi in the country and the estimated 2.4 children,’ he mocked her. ‘Or are you going to try and find yourself a rich husband?'

‘Neither. All I want is a man I can love with all my heart. You're so cynical, but one day you'll find someone to love. I only hope you recognise the emotion for what it is.'

‘I know desire and I know indifference, and that's enough for me. I don't need anything as complicated as love in my life. Now if you're ready to leave?'

‘Oh, I'm ready. There's just one thing, Mr—Joel. My father is only forty-five, he has at least another twenty years left to work. I realise you can't give him too good a reference, but if you could just not give him a bad one? He wouldn't do anything like this again, I promise you.'

‘I'm not giving him a reference at all—–'

‘Oh, but—–'

‘I haven't sacked him, Farrah. He can come back to work any time he likes.'

Farrah looked at him sharply. ‘But he—I—– Do you mean it?'

‘Sure. Your father made a mistake, a mistake not too many people know about, and I think he's paid for it. But he'll be watched,’ he warned her. ‘Security advised me to sack him, so they'll be keeping an eye on him. No one else in the company is aware of his—borrowing, so he shouldn't find it too difficult to return.'

‘You really mean it?’ She saw his faint nod, and sighed with relief. ‘Oh, Joel, I could kiss you!'

‘Don't let me stop you.’ He watched her below hooded lids.

She blushed and gave him a shy smile, unable to hold back the bubbly laughter she felt in her happiness. ‘Oh, Joel, this is marvellous! It's such a relief. Daddy's been so worried. So have I for that matter.'

‘I gather the kiss isn't going to be forthcoming? I thought not,’ he took in her flushed cheeks. ‘That's the first time I've seen you laugh.'

‘It's the first time I've really felt happy for weeks.'

Joel looked at his watch again. ‘Nearly twelve. I guess we can go now.'

They had to walk past the table at which his friends were seated and it was only polite that he stop to say a few words. Farrah was aware of being thoroughly appraised by men and women alike and it was only Joel's grip on her waist that stopped her running. There were six men and an equal number of women at the table, although none of them actually seemed to be in couples.

‘Unsociable tonight, weren't you, Joel?’ remarked a tall blond man.

Joel grinned at him. ‘Farrah's worth being unsociable for,’ he said smoothly.

There was a knowing gleam in the other man's eyes. ‘Trust you to come up with someone new and beautiful. Where are you going now?'

‘Farrah has a headache,’ he explained. He turned to look at her pale face, bending suddenly to kiss her parted lips. Farrah was taken completely by surprise and responded without thinking. She registered firm caressing lips on her own before they were slowly removed. Joel's blue eyes shone down at her in challenge, and to her shame she was the first to look away. He turned back to his friends. ‘I'm taking her home now. We'll join you another time.’ And with a casual goodbye they left the nightclub.