She had the perfect counter-attack. ‘You’d force me, do you mean, Constantine? But surely your pride wouldn’t allow you to take a woman who didn’t want you?’
But to her fury, he merely laughed. ‘You have an astonishing and enchanting way of showing me how much you don’t want me,’ he observed arrogantly. ‘But don’t worry, Jade—you won’t have to fight me off.’
Such an about-turn was mighty confusing. ‘I w-won’t?’
He let out one notch of his belt, as though his trousers were unbearably tight, and Jade found herself having to stare deliberately into empty space so as not to be confronted with the visual evidence of exactly why he was having to make the necessary adjustment.
‘No, indeed,’ he concluded, still in that same, mocking voice. ‘You see, living in such close con- finement, I’m confident that, whatever your good intentions, you’ll find it impossible to stay away from me.’
‘Over my dead body!’
‘And that if you’ll be doing any fighting, Jade, it’ll be with your own very healthy desire
s.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
JADE looked up into the hard black eyes. ‘And when do you propose that this—wedding—take place?’
Constantine gave a chillingly ruthless smile. ‘As soon as possible. I shall apply for the special li- cence today. We can be married by Wednesday.’
‘And what happens until then—do I go home to my flat to prepare my trousseau?’ she asked sarcastically.
‘It is not necessary for you to return to your flat.’
‘And if I insist?’
He raised his eyebrows mockingly. ‘Have you not yet learnt that I will disregard your insistence? Be- sides, your flat is no longer suitable. Quite apart from its lack of space, you will have already seen how troublesome the Press can be.’ His mouth twisted as if with the irony of his words. ‘You will come straight with me to my suite at the Granchester.’
Jade shuddered. She couldn’t face going back there… where… She lifted her chin up proudly. ’I’m not staying in that hotel room with you.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I… Because there’s nowhere to—’ Oh, why not be honest about it? ‘Where would you sleep?’ she asked pointedly. ‘On the sofa?’ Oh, stupid, stupid, Jade! Why mention the wretched sofa?
He gave a complacent smile as he homed into her thoughts immediately. ‘I doubt it. That particular sofa has far too many erotic memories to be con- ducive to sleep, is still permeated with your scent…’ He let his voice tail off, heavy with suggestion, but then, surprisingly, as if noting her discomfiture at having been reminded of an episode which she would have preferred to remain forgotten, he tried a different tack altogether. ‘Do not worry, agape mou,’ he said, in a gentler voice. ‘It has two bed- rooms. Propriety will be observed.’
‘But what will your family say,’ she was unable to resist asking, ‘when they discover that you’re sharing a suite of rooms with a woman to whom you’re not married?’
‘You think that this would be the first time it’s happened?’ he queried softly, and the cruel taunt hit her like a body blow.
Furiously Jade bit her lip and turned away, de- termined that he wouldn’t be able to read such in- appropriate jealousy in her eyes.
‘Your expose rather put paid to maintaining any myth that we were prepared to wait until after the wedding,’ he drawled. ‘But in any case, I am not in the habit of living my life according to the dic- tates of my family. I answer to no one.’
That, she could well believe. He wasn’t a man she could imagine many people standing up to.
Until now, she thought defiantly. And I meant what I said. Yesterday, she had let her passion run away with her, and she’d almost done the same today; but not again. She had learnt her lesson painfully well. He was prepared to take her in as brutal a way as possible, without care and without feeling. She mustn’t let him.
‘And besides,’ he added. ‘After I have finished with my business in England, we will be returning to Piros. For our honeymoon,’ he concluded softly.
Jade suppressed a shudder. ‘Is that really necessary?’
‘It is imperative. This wedding will be conducted with all due ceremony.’ A strong hand was placed on her forearm, like a gaoler’s grip. ‘Come. Let us go,’ he said. ‘The car is waiting.’
Walking side by side, they made their way back out into the outer office, where Maggie was perched on the edge of the sports editor’s desk, with the face of a woman who had just gambled away a fortune. Everywhere, fingers stilled on word pro- cessors and silence fell like a guillotine.
‘One moment, Jade,’ said Constantine, and paused, running one hand through his luxuriant hair and looking round at the hushed expectant workers. ‘I know that there has been considerable speculation following my take-over. Therefore, I feel it only fair to inform you that there will be no redundancies at present,’ he said, and there was an audible murmur of relief. ‘And by the way, Maggie,’ he remarked, looking around. ‘We now operate a policy of no partially clothed women on any pages of this newspaper—is that understood?’