Читать книгу The Complete Red-Hot And Historical Collection - Ким Лоренс, Kelly Hunter - Страница 86

CHAPTER THREE

STANDING IN ONE of his magnificent rooms, where huge plate-glass windows overlooked the ocean, Gene took the call from his secretary informing him that Rose Heathcote had requested a meeting. By the time he ended the call he was feeling more than vindicated. There could only be one reason why the feisty brunette wanted to see him, and that must be to convey the news that her boss had finally agreed to his offer.

He was elated. All his fantasies about owning the gracious building beside the Thames and turning it into the finest restaurant imaginable were becoming a dazzling reality in his mind.

He already knew the people he wanted to hire—both to do the renovations and to create and provide the cuisine that would be second to none. He had the private numbers of some of the finest chefs and sommeliers in the country, and he wasn’t above using his money and power to entice them away from their current exclusive establishments. Before much time had passed the place would be up and running and he would be welcoming anybody who was anybody and yet again demonstrating to the world just how far drive and ambition could take a person if they were dedicated enough.

Make no mistake. Eugene Bonnaire was a force to be reckoned with.

His parents had never understood his ambition and drive for more...more money, more success, more everything... But they had both come from humble families in France, with barely a franc to keep body and soul together—hardworking folk who had barely eked out a sustainable living.

‘Our families may not have always had enough food to put on the table but there was no lack of love in our homes,’ his mother had often told him.

But the very idea of not having the most basic requirements had pained their son. No matter how much love they’d had, their lives had been pretty grim when they were growing up. Was it any wonder that Gene wanted so much more, to obliterate the stain of his ancestors’ impoverished past?

Yes, his parents had made an admirable success of their East London restaurant, and their teaching him to cook at a young age had been a great platform for him to hone his culinary skills—a fact for which he was eternally grateful. It was that which had led to him becoming a much lauded chef, then a successful restaurateur. Add to that some eye-popping lucrative investments and the sky was his limit... But it had always been beyond him that his parents couldn’t see that they could have had so much more for themselves...weren’t even interested.

Breathing out a sigh, he rubbed his hand over his chest. It had been several months now since he’d paid them a visit and he knew they must be concerned. But he guessed that they didn’t want to put pressure on him in case he did the unthinkable and cut them out of his life for good. He would never do such a thing... God knew they’d suffered enough.

When Gene had been just nine years old they had lost his little sister, Francesca, to a stomach virus. She had been only three. That shattering experience had changed them all. His mother had used to smile so easily—but not any more... There was always the sense that something vital and irreplaceable was missing when they were together, and of course there was...

Ever since that time Gene had sought to compensate his parents for their loss. If he became successful, he had reasoned, they would be so proud of him, and in turn he could ensure they enjoyed a comfortable old age. But somehow his success and ambition hadn’t seemed to overly impress them. It was the one area in his life where he felt a failure. Consequently, his relationship with them had begun to deteriorate.

Feeling as though he’d lost the ability to properly connect with them, he had turned in on himself to protect his emotions. Inevitably, his other relationships had suffered. Women sensed that he wasn’t available emotionally, and now the only women he seemed to attract were the ones who liked his wealth and what it could buy for them... That being the case, he’d decided to keep his liaisons short and sweet. More meaningful and longer-term relationships definitely weren’t on his agenda...

But as he crossed the polished parquet floor to the door unbidden he suddenly found himself recalling the incandescent violet of Rose Heathcote’s eyes. Without a doubt the woman intrigued and excited him. Gene mused that perhaps she wouldn’t be so averse to his company now, when she would in effect be coming to him cap in hand because Philip Houghton had finally seen the sense in agreeing to sell him the shop. In any case, it meant that Gene would have the upper hand, and the diminutive Rose would no doubt have to swallow her pride and be nice to him.

He had no intention of making things easy for her either. Having not long ago arrived at his personal retreat on a remote Scottish island—the one place where he could genuinely enjoy some respite and didn’t have to contend with petty jealousies and criticism from press and public alike—he wasn’t about to charge back to London to sign the papers for purchase in a hurry. Not when the tide had just turned in his favour. No, he would insist that Rose brought them to him. Although he had never even invited family or friends to this house, he would make an exception for the brunette.

In that instant Gene knew that he would make it his mission to change Rose’s mind about him. He would slowly reveal more of his true nature and let her see that, despite what she might have read and heard about him, he was at his core an honourable man.

As he opened the door and went out he felt more than a little pleased with his decision...

* * *

Faced with the prospect of spending time in a landscape as alien to her as the moon, Rose gritted her teeth and braced herself as a friendly Scottish boatman guided a sturdy fishing boat towards the island.

As fierce waves lashed at the sides and inevitably splashed her she couldn’t help praying that she was doing the right thing in adhering to Philip’s heartfelt plea to take the papers to the arrogant businessman and get the deal ‘done and dusted’ as quickly as possible. Philip had looked so poorly when she’d last seen him in the hospital that the need to arrange some full-time care for him when he went home—at least until he had recovered more fully—had become glaringly imperative.

‘This is a rare event,’ the young curly-headed boatman remarked cheerfully as he steered the craft towards a landing bay carved out between the rocks. ‘As far as I know the Lord of the Manor never has women visit him here... In fact, he never has anyone. It’s his private hideaway, he told me once. He likes the remoteness of the place. ‘It helps him to think straight.’ Grinning, he added, ‘Must like you a lot, I’d say.’

Grimacing painfully, Rose answered. ‘The truth is the man doesn’t like me at all. The sooner my business with him is over and I’m heading away from here, the better.’

‘Well, the soonest you can leave is tomorrow, lass. The tides dictate when you can come and go. They’re a stern mistress to these remote islands.’

‘I can’t leave until tomorrow?’ Crestfallen at the news, Rose wrinkled her smooth brow in distress. ‘You mean I’ll have to stay here overnight?’

‘Yes, lass. I’m sure His Lordship will have made arrangements. Here we go—give me your hand and I’ll help you out.’

Once on terra firma, although it was rocky and felt less than safe underfoot, Rose couldn’t deny she was relieved to be on dry land again. The small craft had negotiated the choppiest of seas on their crossing and she couldn’t attest to being remotely excited by it. Give her the ground beneath her feet any day. At least there she felt some small semblance of control.

Arranging the strap of her red leather tote more securely over her shoulder, she lifted her hand to shade her eyes from a watery sun and stared. The wind was groaning with a mournful howl and as far as she could see the surrounding landscape looked relentlessly bleak. She shivered hard.

There was no welcoming party in sight to greet her—but then she wasn’t exactly surprised. Although Gene Bonnaire had arranged for a luxurious sedan to pick her up and take her to the airport, and had provided a business class ticket for her to travel on the plane, Rose wasn’t resting on her laurels. The two encounters she’d had with the man had been both unpredictable and unsettling, but as she’d made the effort to travel all this way to bring him the documents to sign she thought he might at least have had the decency to meet her and take her up to the house.

‘Likely he’s forgotten what time you were arriving...’ The boatman lifted a broad shoulder in an apologetic shrug.

‘Can I get a signal here to ring him on my mobile?’ she asked hopefully.

The boatman shook his head. ‘Sorry, but we don’t have any service. I’d take you up to the house myself, but I’ve got to make tracks straight away or lose the tide. See that path marked out up ahead? Follow it right to the top and you’ll get to Four Winds. You can’t exactly miss it. The house is like some huge glass fortress from a sci-fi movie.’

‘What about the other people on the island? Where do they live?’

‘They don’t. Live here, I mean. When he’s here, Mr Bonnaire is the sole inhabitant.’

Rose took a deep breath in. So, not only did she have to stay on the island tonight, but she would be marooned with one of the most unpredictable and challenging men she’d ever met. Now she really did have to grit her teeth.

As she turned to watch the boatman get back into his craft she had a real sense of being abandoned. She knew that wasn’t good for her morale. The last thing she needed to feel when she came face to face with Gene Bonnaire again was unsure. The man had too many advantages as it was. And the most disturbing of all wasn’t his power and wealth, but his arrogant belief that money could get him anything he wanted—that getting what he wanted was in fact his right, even if it meant remorselessly manipulating people to achieve it...

She addressed the young man who’d brought her over to the island. ‘Will you be collecting me tomorrow?’

‘Aye, it will be me. If you could be here in the morning round eleven I’ll come and get you.’

‘I wish it could be sooner...’

‘You’ll be all right, lass. His bark is worse than his bite.’

‘You’re a lot more confident about that than I am. By the way, I didn’t ask your name or tell you mine. I’m Rose...Rose Heathcote.’

‘You can call me Rory. It’s nice to meet you, Rose. Well, I’d best be on my way. Take care, won’t you? Chin up—and don’t worry. Just look at His Lordship with those beguiling violet eyes of yours and he’ll be putty in your hands! Bye, now!’

With a cheerful salute, Rory expertly steered the craft out of the rocky bay and headed out to sea.

Warmed by his jovial assurance, Rose stood for perhaps longer than she should have, watching the boat. It very quickly disappeared, engulfed by the wind and the rain and the thrashing waves as if it had never been. Offering up a silent prayer for the young boatman’s safe journey home, she turned and negotiated some rocks that had been carved into paving stones and made her way onto the path marked out on the hillside.

By the time she’d made the deceptively steep climb to the end, even though on several occasions the icy wind had threatened to unbalance her and she’d had to watch carefully where she stepped, she was surprisingly warm, and she was more than a little out of breath when an impressive glass edifice loomed up before her.

Rory’s description had been right on the money. Four Winds was like something out of a sci-fi movie. All that glass and chrome was a stunning contradiction, set in the bleak and yet beautiful landscape that embraced it.

Wiping away the sea spray that had moistened her face, Rose stared for what felt like an eternity, trying to make out where the entrance to the building was. Because it was a circular design, it wasn’t easy to detect. There was no sign of Gene Bonnaire. How could she be sure he was even there?

As tense seconds turned into minutes she had a battle royal on her hands to keep her fury at bay. What the hell did the man think he was playing at? What if he’d changed his mind about his offer. What if he’d decided to pay her back for not agreeing to persuade Philip he should sell to him straight away and had made her come all the way out here to this remote Scottish island just because he could?

Her heart thumped so hard it felt as if it might burst out of her chest. If this was Gene Bonnaire’s warped idea of a joke then it wasn’t remotely funny...

‘Well, well, well...look who the wind’s blown in.’

The deeply gravelled tone almost made Rose jump out of her skin. Glancing up, she saw that part of the glass edifice had silently peeled back to reveal an entrance. Standing outside that futuristic doorway was the man she’d come to see. Dressed in fitted blue jeans that hugged his hard-muscled thighs and a black cashmere sweater, he had his arms casually folded across his impressive chest, giving the impression that it was the most natural thing in the world for him to come outside and find her standing there.

Clearly she wasn’t going to receive an apology for his not meeting her off the boat...just his usual mockery. Her warmed hands had quickly turned icily cold while she’d been searching for the doorway, and now she gripped the strap of her tote hard as she fought to counter his cavalier treatment.

‘You’re lucky I’m here at all. I could have been blown off that hillside into the sea more than once on the way up here and you would have been none the wiser. Is this the way you usually treat your visitors?’

‘No... It isn’t...’

She had the briefest glimpse of what looked like regret in his fierce blue eyes—almost as if the idea had genuinely hurt him.

‘I don’t have any visitors here,’ he stated. ‘This is my private retreat and that’s usually the way I like it. I’ve accorded you the privilege of coming here, Rose, because you have something that I very much want...and we both know what that is. However, I’m sincerely sorry that I wasn’t down on the shore to meet you—I was busy with some work and simply forgot the time. I trust your journey wasn’t too arduous?’

Rose suddenly felt ridiculously guilty. The Frenchman had sent a car to pick her up and take her to the station, and on the plane he’d arranged for her to travel first class. She had no complaints about the journey...

‘It wasn’t arduous at all. It’s not every day that I get to travel business class. It was very pleasant, in fact.’

‘Good. Well, you’d better come inside and get warm. And, by the way, there was no danger of you being blown off the hillside.’ The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. ‘You were too far inland for that.’

Biting back an irritable retort, Rose hurriedly moved past him into a curved entrance hall. A sublime wave of welcoming heat enveloped her. Dropping her tote onto the pristine oak floor, she rubbed her hands together to restore their circulation.

Her reluctant host joined her and the chrome and glass wall behind him slid elegantly closed. She had a disturbing moment of fear, realising she didn’t know how to open them again. Were the controls some kind of heat-sensitive mechanism that only recognised the house’s owner?

Swallowing hard, she turned round to face him. ‘The boatman—Rory—told me I’d have to stay here until tomorrow because of the tides. I don’t want to inconvenience you, but I wish you’d told your secretary to tell me that before I travelled.’

‘Would you still have come if I had?’

‘Of course I would. I’m doing this purely to help Philip, Mr Bonnaire, so I’ll do whatever is necessary.’

‘Ah, Philip...’ His tone suggested the idea that she should undertake what was clearly for her an unwelcome mission only because of loyalty to her boss irked him. ‘How is he? Getting better, I hope?’

‘As a matter of fact he’s still in hospital. He took a turn for the worse. That’s what has motivated him to accept your offer.’ Rose’s heart thumped a little harder as she was suddenly reminded of the precarious nature of her boss’s health.

‘I’m sorry to hear that. Please convey my wishes to him that he may get better soon. And, by the way, please call me Gene. Mr Bonnaire sounds ridiculously formal, considering the situation we’re in. Why don’t you come with me into the sitting room and I’ll get you a hot drink?’

Rose wasn’t so proud that she’d deny that was just what she longed for. The chill on that hillside and in the boat must have seeped into her bones.

‘Thank you. I’d like that.’

Pushing her fingers through her short damp hair, she retrieved her holdall and followed her host through what seemed like an acreage of corridor into a wide, spacious living area furnished with state-of-the-art minimalist couches and chairs and a glass table long enough to seat a small dinner party.

The vista through the huge uncovered windows was breathtaking. The rain was pouring from the skies in an endless stream now, and every time it lashed against the flawless glass it was accompanied by the anguished and ethereal sigh of the wind. But nothing detracted from the stunning beauty that surrounded the futuristic building. The wildness of the sea and the terrain were absolutely fitting.

Yet what was a successful entrepreneur who seemed to have an insatiable desire for everything—be it property, land, not to mention beautiful women—doing with a sanctuary in this wild, isolated place with just himself for company? Rose couldn’t help feeling even more intrigued.

‘What would you like? Tea, coffee, hot chocolate? Or perhaps you’d prefer something stronger?’

She swung her gaze round to meet Gene’s. He looked to be studying her with interest. His intense blue eyes suggested he had the capacity to look right inside her, and the idea made her shiver. The planes and angles of his face were uncommonly perfect, yet at the same time undoubtedly proclaimed him to be powerfully Alpha. He was so handsome that she couldn’t help wondering what he would look like if he really smiled—if he was to drop that arrogant air of his for even a moment and genuinely connected with someone for no other reason than that it was human...

Shrugging off the notion because she sensed it was pointless, she replied, ‘Hot chocolate sounds wonderful.’

‘Your wish is my command. Why don’t you sit down and make yourself comfortable? You can watch the storm that’s coming, knowing you’re sitting inside safe and warm.’

‘There’s a storm coming?’

‘Of course...’ He jerked his head towards the skyline. ‘See those clouds that look like purple and black bruises? They definitely herald a storm. It’s likely to be a big one, so all we can do is batten down the hatches and watch the entertainment. Are you up for watching nature at its wildest, Rose?’

She hadn’t missed the provocative implication in his gravelled voice. Nor had she forgotten that scorching kiss he’d given her on his second visit to the shop. More than once the memory had made her catch her breath...

Arching a brow, she responded, ‘None of us can control the weather—so why not? Seeing as my stay here was unforeseen, and isn’t likely to be remotely pleasurable, it might be a welcome distraction and will help the time to pass more quickly.’

To Rose’s astonishment he threw back his head and laughed. It was a full-throated, hearty sound that made her pulse skitter wildly and her blood heat. She’d told him that she didn’t anticipate her stay would be pleasurable but in that unexpected moment, as the aloof businessman expressed a response to something that clearly elicited delight, once again she found herself helplessly warming to him.

‘Can I ask what you find so funny?’

He dropped his hands to his straight lean hips and stared at her. ‘I find your determination not to like me and your desire to leave my company as quickly as possible oddly endearing, Rose. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that most women have the opposite reaction when they receive an invitation from me.’

‘I’m sure it can’t be just because of your scintillating personality...’

Gene’s dazzling blue eyes narrowed. ‘I agree, it’s not my personality or even my looks that women are drawn to. Don’t you think I know that? They’re drawn to me because I’m a very rich man. I can buy them beautiful things and take them to all the best places. When they’re with me it makes them feel special. It’s not hard to work out why they like me. You’re frowning. Does it surprise you that I would be so frank?’

Rose shivered as an icy drip of water slid off the ends of her hair and down onto the back of her neck, but her attention didn’t waver for a second as she contemplated her host’s chiselled countenance.

She sighed. ‘More than finding it surprising, I’m disturbed that it doesn’t bother you. I mean, can you honestly say that you’re comfortable with women who only want to be with you for what you can give them materially?’

Right at that moment a flash of lightning still some way off on the horizon made her flinch, and thunder grumbled ominously. Although she’d deliberately made light of anticipating the ‘entertainment’ that was coming, thunder and lightning had always terrified her.

‘I’m a realist, Rose. At least I don’t kid myself. But you might also ask me if people disappoint me when they’re so obviously shallow? My answer is yes...they do.’

They both fell silent for a while, each immersed in their unspoken reflections about the other...

It was Gene who ended the lull in the conversation. ‘Before I get you that hot chocolate I’ll show you into a guestroom and you can change out of those wet clothes. Do you have a spare set with you? If not, then I’m sure I can find you something.’

Surprised that he should be so considerate, Rose shrugged. ‘Yes, I do. I brought a change of clothes with me in case I had to book into a hotel before I returned. It’s a long journey to do in one day.’

‘Good. Then follow me.’

As he guided Rose back out into the corridor and into the expansive area that housed the guestrooms—ironically for the guests he never invited—Gene knew a surprising pleasure at being able to help her to feel more comfortable. With her big violet eyes, her diminutive form and the dark hair that had been plastered to her head in the softly falling rain, she’d looked so small and delicate when he’d opened the door and found her standing there.

To his amazement, his pulse had inexplicably quickened at the sight of her. He’d never experienced such an unexpected reaction to a woman before and, disturbingly, he didn’t think it was solely because she’d brought him the means to purchase the antiques shop building...