‘I have more to do myself,’ he said. ‘But I told Juliet I would drive her back when she was ready, so I might as well take both of you.’

  They were just entering the hotel to go up to their rooms to bathe before dinner, and Stacy reached up to kiss his cheek gratefully. ‘You’re a real friend, Matthew,’ she smiled.

  She turned, the smile still on her face, to find Jake and his lawyer just entering the hotel, the grim look on Jake’s face telling her that he had witnessed the kiss she had just innocently given Matthew. And he looked furious about it!

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  STACY dressed for dinner not knowing whether Jake would keep their date or not. After a curt nod at them he had marched off in the direction of the bar, and after a resigned shrug Brad Delmain followed him.

  Stacy had made a hurried goodbye to Matthew and rushed to her room before she broke down and cried in front of him. Juliet was asleep, so she quietly went into the bathroom, the sound of the running shower drowning out her crying.

  Jake had looked so angry, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, a white tenseness about his mouth. And she had to admit he had good reason. He didn’t realise she regarded Matthew as purely a friend, and he had already acted jealous of the younger man. What would he think of her now!

  Juliet woke up feeling groggy, but determined to go out with Matthew if it killed her. She had looked better after showering and applying her make-up and had gone off quite happily with Matthew fifteen minutes earlier, leaving Stacy to wait for Jake.

  She had dressed with great care, wanting to look her best for him if he did turn up. The skirt of her black dress flowed to just below her knees in fixed pleats, the two tiny cups that made up the bodice held up by two thin straps from the centre of her breasts and secured about her throat. The gown gave the impression of being halter-necked, although it was mainly held in place by her uptilted breasts, her shoulders bare and tanned a golden brown.

  For once she had secured her hair in a tight knot on top of her head, several loose tendrils alleviating the severity of the style, and a black artificial rose pinned to one side of the knot.

  She looked what she didn’t feel, sophisticated and self-assured, her make-up perfect if heavier than she usually wore, the bruises on her arms expertly covered by a light dusting of make-up.

  She jumped nervously at the sharp knock on the door, self-consciously checking her appearance in the full-length mirror before opening the door. Her eyes widened at Jake’s suave appearance, the white suit and black silk shirt fitting him perfectly, emphasising the width and power of his shoulders, tapering down to his slim waist and muscular thighs.

  He didn’t say a word, just looked down at her with those cold blue eyes that sent a chill down her spine. She licked her lips nervously. ‘Good evening,’ she greeted huskily.

  The coldness in his eyes increased. ‘Is it?’ he asked curtly.

  She swallowed hard. ‘I—I thought so.’

  ‘Did you indeed?’ he snapped.

  ‘Yes,’ she said miserably.

  ‘Well, are you going to ask me in or do you have Day in there?’

  She gasped. ‘Matthew? But Matthew is—’

  ‘I have no wish to hear what he is or isn’t.’ He pushed the door open, walking past her into the room. ‘Come here,’ he ordered, his eyes narrowed.

  Stacy watched him with wide frightened eyes, holding on to the door for support. She had expected him perhaps to be angry, but he was in such a cold rage he wasn’t even asking for an explanation, condemning her unheard. She shook her head in answer to his command.

  Jake came towards her with controlled violence, wrenching the door out of her hand and slamming it noisily before pulling her roughly into his arms and taking fierce possession of her lips.

  Stacy felt her knees buckle at the violence behind his kiss, trembling with uncontrolled fear at the determination behind his plundering of her mouth, viciously forcing her lips apart so that he might kiss her more intimately.

  ‘Kiss me, damn you,’ he muttered through gritted teeth. ‘Show me some of that passion every other man seems to get from you.’

  Twice in as many days she had been physically attacked, and yet with this man she found not revulsion but the stirring of pleasure, feeling herself weakening towards him as his mouth claimed hers once more.

  Jake held her head immovable as he deepened the kiss, bending her back over his arm so that she couldn’t move away from him without falling over. Not that she really wanted to move away from him, kissing him back now as she smoothed the dark thickness of his hair at his nape.

  ‘That’s better,’ he murmured against her throat, and pulled her down into the armchair so that she lay across him. His lips burnt a trail across her throat, her shoulders, and down to the hollow between her breasts.

  Stacy gasped as she felt him pulling the pins out of her hair. ‘What are you doing?’

  He wound the long red tresses around her throat. ‘I’m debating whether to strangle you right now or wait until after I’ve made love to you.’

  She pushed against him but was firmly wedged against him in the confines of the chair. ‘But you—you can’t,’ she pleaded.

  He tightened the pressure of her hair. ‘It would be so easy, and I would enjoy it.’

  ‘I meant you can’t make love to me.’

  His taunting blue eyes ran insolently over her defenceless body. ‘I can’t, can’t I? There’s a bed over there, you’re in my arms, and I think you owe it to me.’

  ‘I owe it to you? Why you—’

  He stilled her struggles. ‘Yes, you owe it to me!’ he said savagely. ‘I’ve stood back while you’ve flirted with Day and Forbes, given them the pleasure you deny me, and I’m not going to stand back and watch any longer. You’re very deceptive on film, Stacy, I felt sure you were as innocent as you look. And yet you’re constantly with one man or another.’

  ‘No, Jake, that isn’t true! Matthew—’

  ‘I don’t want to hear about your other men,’ he snapped, standing up with her held firmly in his arms. ‘Tonight I’m going to be the only man on your mind. Going on the amount of men you have interested in you here alone I would say that innocent look of yours hides an experience that could prove very entertaining.’

  ‘No!’ She fought against him as he lowered her on to the bed before discarding his jacket to join her. And she had thought he would never force her into a relationship she didn’t want. Right now he was beyond reason! ‘No, please, I don’t—’

  ‘Shut up, Stacy,’ he rasped. ‘I have no idea what you thought you would get if you held out against me, but I’m afraid I’m past being convinced now. I left you alone for a few hours this afternoon and you were off with Day. So now I know you for what you are you can forget trying to dupe me. I’ll buy you all the usual trinkets, but please, no more pretending.’

  Stacy was speechless. Jake truly believed her to have been playing a part, and he was set on making love to her right now!

  He smoothed her hair back from her face, his lips trailing across her eyes and cheeks. ‘You’re very young to have become so promiscuous,’ he shrugged. ‘But who am I to judge the way you choose to live? I just want you—and now,’ he added urgently.

  His mouth was seductive now, playing with her senses as his hands ran caressingly over her body. Stacy’s eyes closed as she felt him release the two thin straps that secured her dress, trembling as his long tapered fingers touched her breasts, bringing them to full pulsating life.

  ‘Jake, I—’ she gasped her pleasure. ‘Please be gentle,’ she pleaded.

  ‘Don’t worry, I realise you don’t like rough handling. Your reaction to Forbes showed me that,’ he murmured, his head bent as his mouth probed her sensitive skin.

  That wasn’t what she meant at all. She could see no way of stopping him taking what he wanted from her, and if he had to take her then she wanted him to be gentle. If she had to become someone’s mistress it might as well be the man she was in love with.

  She fought for sanity against his mouth teasing and caressing her breasts, knowing she had to tell him the truth about herself before he went any further, had to tell him of her complete inexperience. ‘Jake, I—’

  ‘I don’t want to talk,’ and he claimed her mouth once again.

  Stacy was feeling dizzy by the time his attention returned to her hardened nipples. ‘Please, you have to listen,’ she begged. ‘If you have to do this to me then at least know you’ll be the first.’

  He became very still beside her, drawing a ragged breath, finally lifting his head to search her feverish features for the sincerity of her words. Finally he shook his head. ‘I don’t believe you. Nothing you can say can stop me now. You may not be what I first expected, but I’m still determined to have you.’

  She lay limply in his arms. ‘I’m not trying to stop you,’ she said dully. ‘You’ll know the truth soon enough.’

  His eyes narrowed as he looked down at her. ‘You have to be lying.’

  ‘Why do I? Just because you’ve seen me with Matthew a couple of times and Paul Forbes tried to rape me it doesn’t mean I—’

  ‘You lived with Day,’ he accused. ‘You told me that yourself.’

  ‘I didn’t live with him, he moved in with me for a while.’

  ‘A sort of trial marriage that didn’t work out,’ he taunted.

  ‘Nothing of the sort,’ she denied.

  ‘Oh, I see,’ he said sarcastically. ‘Neither of you made any pretence that marriage was what you had in mind.’

  He moved his body from over her and she began to regain some of her composure, although his closeness on the bed was still unnerving. ‘You’re deliberately misunderstanding me,’ she rebuked. ‘All the time Matthew stayed at my flat he slept on the sofa.’

  ‘Is that true?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Bloody idiot,’ he muttered.

  ‘He had nowhere else to stay or he wouldn’t have been there at all.’

  ‘Am I expected to believe all this?’

  She sighed. ‘Believe what you want. But please believe me when I say you’ll be the first.’

  Jake lay back at her side. ‘You have to be lying.’ He looked at her, briefly touching her naked breasts. ‘Your body is beautiful. Many men must have lost themselves in that beauty.’ He sat up to shake her. ‘You have to be lying. Stacy, tell me you’re lying!’

  ‘I can’t.’ She blinked back her tears.

  ‘So you’re a tease, is that it?’ he demanded grimly. ‘You push a man to the edge and then dare him to take your virginity. Is that the way it happened with Forbes? Did he have trouble regaining control?’

  ‘No! No, Jake, that isn’t what happened. I’m not trying to stop you, am I?’

  He gave a harsh laugh. ‘In the most effective way possible. You’re daring me to take you, and if by some mischance I did happen to be your first lover I’d feel as guilty as hell.’ He stood up, buttoning his shirt. ‘I take back my offer of protection. After today I think it’s the men who need protecting from you. For someone so young you’ve learnt how to torture a man in the cruellest way possible.’ He shrugged his broad shoulders into his jacket.

  Stacy secured her gown with shaking fingers. ‘You—you aren’t leaving?’

  ‘Yes, I’m leaving. Before I pass the stage of not caring a damn whether you’re telling the truth or not.’

  Her bottom lip trembled. ‘Oh, Jake, please don’t go like this. I’m none of the things you think me. I just happen to lo—’ She broke off as she realised the enormity of her declaration. She couldn’t just baldly state that she loved him, he wouldn’t believe her anyway.

  ‘Yes?’ he queried sharply.

  ‘Nothing.’ She evaded his eyes.

  ‘Let me finish for you,’ he said bitterly. ‘You just happen to loathe all men.’

  ‘No! That isn’t true,’ she shook her head dazedly.

  ‘I think you’ll find that it is. And you enjoy the power your beauty gives over all of us. Well, not me, lady,’ he said harshly. ‘I don’t plead with any woman for her body. As far as I’m concerned one woman’s body is as good as another. And I don’t want any part of your emotional hangups. You’d be doing us both a favour if you stayed out of my way in future,’ he warned. His American accent was much more noticeable in his anger.

  ‘I’ll be leaving for London soon,’ she said miserably.

  ‘Day driving you?’

  She sighed. ‘Yes.’

  ‘All I can say is that he’s a glutton for punishment. Do you go back to him after all your affairs?’ he sneered.

  Stacy struck out at him without thinking, her fingermarks and scratches from her nails standing out lividly against his white angry face. She stepped back in horror at what she had done. ‘I—Oh, God, I’m sorry,’ she muttered brokenly.

  ‘Don’t apologise.’ Cold disdain entered his voice. ‘Goodnight.’

  ‘Don’t you mean goodbye?’ She halted him at the door.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ he snapped. ‘I’ll let you know.’

  ‘Wh—what do you mean?’ she asked tremulously.

  He shrugged. ‘I may decide to risk your challenge—if nothing better comes along, of course. There are some beautiful women here that I could quite—’

  ‘Get out, Jake!’ she cut in, her voice shaking. ‘Go and find one of these women. I’m sure most of them will be obliging.’

  ‘So am I,’ he taunted.

  ‘Go away. I’m glad I hit you!’ she added defiantly.

  ‘You may not be if I should decide to take up your challenge.’ He ran his fingers over what must surely have been very painful and must sting even now. ‘Because if I do the first thing I’ll do is make you pay for this.’

  ‘You won’t get the chance.’

  His mocking laughter could still be heard as he walked off down the corridor. So it hadn’t taken Paul Forbes to ruin things between herself and Jake; she seemed to have managed that very well on her own.

  She felt numb as she prepared herself for bed, knowing that she couldn’t face anyone now, and her appetite had completely deserted her anyway. Jake had come to her room tonight with one intention and one intention only. And he might have succeeded too if she hadn’t told him that she had had no other lover.

  Juliet had left for her final day’s filming when Stacy awoke from her drugging sleep, and Stacy felt reluctant to move. One more day and she could be away from this mess, but it was a day she dreaded.

  She had agreed to do this rape scene with Paul Forbes only on one condition, that there would be no nudity on her part. But even so it was going to be an embarrassing part of the film for her.

  It was very late by the time she came downstairs for her breakfast, so late that there was only one other person present as she entered the dining-room—Brad Delmain, Jake’s lawyer.

  He looked up and smiled at her as she hesitated about going to a table. As she knew him it would look very rude for her to sit apart from him, and yet she didn’t really want to get into conversation with him. He was sure to say something about Jake, and she didn’t want to talk about him.

  ‘Come and join me,’ he invited, as she had known he would.

  ‘But you’re nearly finished,’ she pointed out shyly.

  ‘I have finished,’ he confirmed. ‘I’m merely lingering over my coffee to waste time. I’d much rather use that time talking to you.’

  She really had no other choice than to join him, ordering toast and coffee for herself. ‘Why are you wasting time?’ she asked.

  ‘I have a flight back to the States today, my business here is finished.’

  She rested her chin on her hands as she leant forward on to the table. ‘I didn’t realise you were here to work.’

  Brad gave a smile. ‘Aren’t we all?’

  She gave a light laugh. ‘I suppose so.’

  ‘You’ve argued with Jake, haven’t you?’ he stated bluntly.

  Stacy almost dropped the knife she was using to butter her toast. ‘I— What makes you think that?’

  He laughed at her evasion. ‘I don’t think it, Stacy, I know it. You left your mark on him for everyone to see.’

  She blushed at his forthright manner. ‘Oh!’

  ‘He probably deserved it,’ he continued. ‘Jake tends to act first and think later.’

  As far as she was concerned that hadn’t been the case last night. Jake’s actions had all been premeditated, very carefully thought out. He had had one thought on his mind, and that had been to make love to her.

  ‘You don’t agree with me.’ Brad was watching her closely. ‘Perhaps you’ve come to know a different side of him.’

  ‘Perhaps, I’m not sure. Jake seems to live by one set of rules and expects everyone else to live by another one.’

  He looked interested. ‘Am I allowed to ask what you mean by that?’

  ‘Jake has—well, he has women in his life. No, please,’ she pleaded at his humour, ‘I’m trying to tell you. He has women, but he objects to the same women being involved with several men.’

  ‘Meaning you?’

  ‘Not necessarily.’ She didn’t want this conversation to become too personal to herself.

  Brad pursed his lips. ‘What do you know of Jake’s personal life?’ he asked slowly.

  Stacy shrugged. ‘After last night I don’t think I know anything about him at all, let alone his personal life. He’s an enigma, totally incomprehensible.’

  ‘He isn’t normally.’

  Her eyes widened. ‘Are you saying I’ve made him like that?’

  ‘It would appear so. I’ve never seen him like this before. When he left you last night he went back to his suite and got stoned out of his mind. He was asleep in the chair when I went up to see him this morning. And he wasn’t in a mood to answer any of my questions. Needless to say your fingermarks still showed on his face.’

  ‘How did you know it was me?’ she asked curiously.

  ‘I tried mentioning your name and got my head bitten off. But let’s get back to why Jake is like he is. He’s had several women in his life—not nearly as many as you think, but there have been women. And you know he was married.’