The date he’d arranged through her.
And her eyes flew wide when she began to comprehend that somehow he’d traced her to her home, and he’d broken in.
She sat up sharply, bear still clutched to her chest.
“What are you doing here?” Her voice was high-pitched. Her hair was in disarray around her face.
He felt a smile twitching at the corner of his lips. “You were not answering your phone. You did not reply to my emails. What choice did I have?”
“My phone is off. I was napping.”
“So I see.”
“How dare you be here?” She demanded, her indignation not staged.
“How could I not be? You quit. I had to speak to you.”
“No, that’s why I quit.” She spoke slowly, as though addressing someone of very average intelligence. “I quit because I couldn’t bear to talk to you.”
“Why?” He pushed.
“Because you’re an idiot,” she snapped, pushing the blankets off and moving out of the other side of her bed. When she realised she was still holding Bear, she laid him gently against the pillows.
“Yes,” he agreed conversationally.
She jammed her hands into her pockets and stared at him darkly. “What are you doing here?”
“I just told you. We must speak, Olivia.”
“What about?” She said, her voice saccharine sweet. “Was there a problem with your date?”
“Yes,” he said with frustration. “There was, actually.”
Her temper spiked. “And you actually came here to talk about that?”
He laughed. “Yes.”
“I don’t work for you anymore. Why don’t you get Marook to sort it out?”
“Oh, believe me, he tried. But no one could do anything except you.”
And again, her professionalism began to assert itself. “Everything was confirmed. Your evening should have gone like clockwork.” She tilted her head to one side and pretended to consider him. “Though, if that had been the case, no doubt you’d be having meaningless sex with your quarry, instead of being here with me.”
His eyes flashed at her insolence. “My thoughts exactly.”
“What went wrong?” She asked the question despite the fact she knew the answer might very well kill her.
“She did not arrive.”
Olivia was childishly glad. “Well, I can’t do anything about that.”
“Wrong again.” He stood up and prowled towards her. “You did not arrive.”
“Me? Why the hell would I come and watch you with another woman?”
He shook his head. “Not another woman. You. You were to be my date.”
“What?” Her heart pounded in her chest. “What the hell do you mean?”