He was treating her like some—some empty-headed bimbo! And fury shot like silver lances into her green, green eyes. Mac fielded the look with a mocking one, sleek black brows arching in challenge for her to dare deny a single word he had said.
She couldn’t and he knew it. Mac was her boss, after all. To show him up as an over-presumptuous fool would mean showing up the whole Maclaine empire as the same. She couldn’t do it, and lowered her head instead so that Karl would not see the mutinous frustration burning in her eyes.
But Mac was having none of it. He wanted his pound of flesh from her, and was determined to get it. So once again she felt that possessive hand tug at her slender body, shifting her even closer to his hard-packed frame. ‘Say thank you nicely to Mr Loring for looking after you this evening, Roberta,’ he prompted silkily. ‘It’s late and I’m—tired.’
God, I hate you! she thought viciously, and had to fight to lift her embarrassed face to Karl’s still pale one. ‘Thank you,’ she said dutifully, then rebellion struck and, instead of offering him her hand as good manners demanded she do, she leaned away from Mac to place a light kiss on Karl’s stiff cheek. ‘Sorry to have to cut our evening so short,’ she murmured as she drew away.
Instead of taking some gratification from her gesture, Karl reacted as if he had been shot, jerking his head back from her and staring at Mac as though he expected the other man to punch out his lights.
‘No problem—no problem,’ he quickly reassured her. ‘Mr Maclaine is quite right and it is late. And I have a few phone calls to make before I...’ He floundered, and Roberta stared at him in angry frustration. Coward, she thought bitterly. Mac stakes his claim and you back right off! So much for your macho image! ‘Nice to have met you, Mr Maclaine.’ Warily he stuck out a hand towards Mac. ‘No doubt we will meet again tomorrow?’ Mac’s brows rose in enquiry. ‘F-for the meeting with Franc Brunner,’ Karl elucidated.
Mac didn’t answer, and whatever passed between the two men via their eyes made Karl go even paler and make his exit so hurriedly that Roberta scoffed out a sound of scorn as she followed him contemptuously with her eyes.
‘If he breaks into a run, I think I shall be sick!’ she muttered disdainfully, turning her attention back to Mac.
Mac’s eyes were narrowed as he too watched Karl’s hurried exit. ‘Like he said,’ he murmured thoughtfully, ‘he needs to make a couple of phone calls.’
‘At this time of night? To whom?’ she derided scathingly. ‘He’s running because of your clever hands-off-my-property tactics!’ She glared furiously up at him. ‘When are you going to accept that I mean it when I say I don’t belong to you any more?’
‘Come here,’ he murmured.
‘No.’
‘Yes,’ he insisted, and drew her into his arms, moving her smoothly into rhythm with the music, his dark head lowering until his mouth hovered softly against her ear. ‘My woman, bunny rabbit,’ he whispered. ‘Mine, whether you want to be or not.’
‘How typically arrogant!’ she snapped.
‘How typically you, that you fight with your tongue while your body curls so deliciously into mine.’
Startled, she went still, only then aware of how instinctively her arms had curved around his shoulders, her body arching towards his.
‘Damn you,’ she muttered, and pulled away. ‘I’m going to bed,’ she announced, turning to walk off the dance-floor.
‘Good.’ Mac’s arm came comfortably across her shoulders. ‘I’m coming with you.’
‘Not to my bed, you’re not,’ she informed him. ‘I was actually enjoying myself tonight until you came along!’ she sighed out frustratedly as they reached the waiting lift.
‘I noticed,’ he drawled as he lifted an arm to stop the lift doors closing while he ushered her inside.
His sudden change in tone alone made her glance sharply at him. ‘You were watching us!’ Roberta accused, seeing the sudden angry glint in his narrowed eyes.
‘Right from opening to grand finale,’ he mocked, stabbing a hard finger at the lift console then leaning his shoulders back against the wall as the door slid shut. He fixed her with a bitter look. ‘So I also saw the way you looked at him,’ he said tightly. ‘And the pleasure you found dancing in his arms! And—goddammit, Roberta,’ he exploded suddenly, ‘but I also saw you wondering just what it would be like to take him to your damned bed!’
‘That’s a lie,’ she cried, giving him back look for angry look.
‘Is it?’ he clipped. ‘You mean you didn’t wonder—just once—what it would be like to have him as your lover instead of me?’
‘I—’ God, had she been so obvious? Colour surged into her cheeks. Never a good liar, she found she couldn’t lie now, even when it was none of his business what she was thinking!
‘Well, let me tell you something, sweetheart,’ he murmured grimly. ‘You’ll never know. Not if you value your job in my company, that is.’
‘What—what do you mean?’ she questioned warily, not liking the dangerous look in his eyes.
‘I mean,’ he said, ‘that Karl Loring is right off the agenda where you are concerned—and that,’ he added threateningly when she went to protest, ‘is an order, direct from your chairman—not just the jealous lover.’
‘Ex-lover,’ she corrected mutinously.
‘It will be ex-chairman to you, too, if you disobey me on this, Roberta. I am that serious. Karl Loring is ou