The Rich Man's Blackmailed Mistress

Later that week she dressed for the first display of the art, a warehouse affair to show appreciation for the artists, the committee who’d worked so hard, and the various patrons of the Foundation, not to mention the organisations that would benefit from the auction. The following morning the pictures would be transferred to the Browns’ mansion.

Mentally going over her list to make sure she’d left nothing undone, Sable slid into a pair of black trousers bought from a second-hand shop specialising in designer cast-offs. It was two years since they’d been a fashion item, but the cut was timeless and they fitted her perfectly.

No more clothes until she’d paid off the debt she owed to her landlady, she thought, getting into a collarless red shirt cut so that it hugged her body. Tiny silver buttons arrowed from her throat to her waist. The mock-coral arm cuff and her high-heeled boots repeated the colour of the shirt and her lipstick.

‘Too much of a muchness?’ she wondered, staring at her reflection.

Then she shrugged. What did she care? As she’d be on duty she didn’t want to look overdressed, but she certainly didn’t need to fade into the background either.

Poppy and her mother were checking the arrangements when she walked in. The younger woman came racing across.

‘You look terrific!’ she gushed, eyes darting to take everything in. ‘I really, really like the way you put your hair up—how does it stay so burnished and silky looking?’

‘Willpower.’ Sable grinned at her. ‘That’s a super dress. Love the necklace.’

Poppy grimaced. ‘Thanks, but I’d give anything to look as glam as you. I’m like Mum—doomed to prettiness.’

Laughing, Sable shook her head at her. ‘Millions of women and girls long for a similar fate.’

‘I’d give anything for style,’ Poppy said earnestly.

Her mother came over, gave Sable an assessing look that smoothed into approval and said, ‘Everything seems to be under control, Sable. Is there anything I can do to help?’

‘Just keep an eye on everyone and let me know if you see any problems.’

The older woman frowned, then hastily relaxed her face. ‘Mark’s afraid some of the artists might drink too much and start arguing. Remember the barney that erupted last year?’

Sable shrugged. ‘I’ll be alert, but it’s a help to have someone ready to move in on any argument that looks as though it might get out of hand. If you could keep an eye on anything that might erupt I’d be grateful. I find that introducing someone else—especially someone who looks as though they might be a buyer—usually stops people getting too passionate. It should be fine.’

It was. Everyone behaved themselves, the rich and the social made appropriate noises when confronted by the pictures they’d theoretically come to see, and as the evening was winding down a famous rugby front-row player, a figurehead for a prominent charity, astounded everyone by expounding with insight and appreciation on the use of symbolism in one of the more outrageous pictures.

‘Learning anything?’ a deep, dark voice said from behind Sable.

The tiny hairs on the back of her neck standing up straight, Sable drew in a quick breath and composed her expression. Only then did she turn her head to meet Kain Gerard’s darkly hooded eyes. In the stark black-and-white elegance of evening clothes he looked—utterly gorgeous…

How, in those supremely civilised clothes, tailored for him by a genius, did he also manage to emit a hard-edged aura of danger?

Her dancing heartbeat shocked her, but she met the cool challenge of his survey with slightly raised brows as she answered, ‘Somewhat to my surprise, yes.’

‘Guilty of stereotyping, Sable?’ He stretched her name, lengthening it into a lazy drawl that came close to a caress. Or a taunt…

Whatever, it did amazing things to her body, summoning a wildfire heat. ‘I’m afraid so,’ she said crisply. ‘In future I’ll remember that rugby players can be intelligent as well as athletic.’

‘Why Sable?’ When she stared at him he elaborated smoothly, ‘It’s an unusual name.’

‘When I was born I had a cap of black hair about the same length and texture as my father’s brushes. He decided to call me Sable.’ She noticed his empty hands and seized an opportunity to regroup her defences. ‘Let me get you a drink and something to eat.’

Kain looked around the room; within seconds a waiter materialised with a salver of champagne, followed immediately by another carrying a tray of delicious titbits.

Made even crosser by this indication of Kain’s innate presence, Sable decided to assert herself. ‘Do have some champagne. And if you like mushrooms, I can heartily recommend those stuffed ones.’

He said, ‘Thank you,’ and managed the acceptance of glass and mushroom with deftness. ‘How about you? Your glass is almost empty.’

Her father’s addiction had made Sable wary; she rarely drank more than one glass of wine. With a quick smile she said to the waiter, ‘Nothing, thank you.’

But the wretched man glanced at Kain, waiting for his short nod before moving away. Amused but resigned, she accepted that any good waiter would recognise an alpha male when he saw one!

And Kain was certainly a number one alpha.

‘How nice that you came,’ she said brightly. ‘Have you spoken to Mark—Mark Russell?’

‘I came to see you.’

Startled, she looked up. Although a smile curved that sculpted mouth, his pale eyes were burnished and unreadable. ‘Why?’ she asked bluntly.

‘Do you want it spelt out?’ he asked softly, his narrowed eyes holding hers.

Heat flared in the pit of her stomach when he finished, ‘Not here, I think. How much longer before you can get away?’

Many of the guests had already left, but quite a few were still busily networking. Excitement pulsing hotly through her, Sable tried and failed to catch Mark’s eye. ‘I don’t—not until everyone’s left.’

She sounded like a wimp, she thought despairingly, not a sophisticated woman who knew how to deal with men of his sort.

Except that she’d never come across another man with Kain’s particular combination of powerful personality and spectacular good looks.

‘I’m sure we can arrange something.’ Coolly he took her elbow and she found herself being shepherded across the room to where Mark stood talking to one of the artists.

‘Hey,’ she said, shaking off her unnatural obedience. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Saying thank you and goodbye.’ Kain’s voice was implacable, but he gave her a narrow smile that somehow invited complicity. ‘I have excellent manners,’ he told her serenely.

Amusement bubbled up. ‘Oh, really?’ she parried, adding on a challenging note, ‘Dragging women around by the arm isn’t polite in any etiquette book I’ve ever read.’

He grinned. Her stomach lurched, and to her chagrin she felt tingles of sensation scud down her spine, ending up as smouldering heat in the pit of her stomach.

‘Sometimes brute force is the only way to get what you want,’ he said, and nodded at Mark Russell.

Mark had already seen them coming towards him, his smile broadening when he recognised Kain.

What followed was a comedy, Sable thought, one in which she didn’t know her part.

Kain said easily, ‘Hello, Mark. I’m just about to snaffle Sable.’

Was that what he’d meant when he referred to brute force? It was about as subtle as a sledgehammer!

She said stiffly, ‘I don’t think you understand, Kain. I organised this evening—I don’t intend to leave until it’s over.’

The two men with her exchanged looks. Without missing a beat, Mark said, ‘And you’ve done it brilliantly, but everyone’s going now, and if anything comes up I’ll deal with it. Kain, have you met Tonia Guthrie?’

The artist, a thin, middle-aged woman with a narrow face and a furrowed forehead, looked irritated, but within a few seconds Kain’s unforced magnetism had won her over so completely that she blurted, ‘You know, I’m wishing I still did figure work! Have you ever posed? That superb bone structure would make for a magnificent portrait.’

He smiled. ‘No, and I’m afraid I have no interest in having my portrait painted, but I think that’s the nicest compliment I’ve ever had.’

The woman coloured, then laughed with him, clearly forgiving him for interrupting her talk with Mark.

Mark smiled benignly at them both. ‘Great to see you here, Kain. Are we going to have your company at the auction?’

‘I’m not sure, but there’s always a chance.’

‘I hope you can make it. Goodnight, Sable. And take tomorrow morning off—you’ve done a great job here, and you deserve it.’

‘Thank you,’ Sable said stiffly, furious with him for having his eyes fixed so firmly on the chance that Kain might buy one of the pictures that he’d sacrifice her.

Her thoughts were reinforced as they walked out to the door.

Kain said, ‘Stop steaming, Sable. Your boss sees a mark and naturally he wants to cement some sort of interest. He might run a charitable foundation, but it’s business and he needs the money to spend on the poor and voiceless.’

Instantly she flared into defence of her boss. ‘It’s very worthwhile—’

‘Of course it is.’ He looked down at her. ‘And he’s a damned good hustler.’

Outside in the sultry heat of an Auckland summer night, Sable ignored his words to say crisply, ‘Tell me what this is all about, please. Is Brent all right?’

‘Relax. Knowing Brent, he’ll be enjoying himself very much. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t eaten for about nine hours. Come and have dinner with me.’

As though in answer her stomach chose just that moment to remind her uncomfortably that she’d only managed to snatch a handful of blueberries for her lunch.

His lips twitched. ‘I suspected as much. There was something in the way you recommended those mushrooms that indicated a hollow inside you. I live by the Viaduct in a block with an excellent restaurant. Afterwards I’ll take you home—or if it suits you better I’ll order a taxi for you.’

Several more guests walked past them, their nods and smiles failing entirely to hide keen interest.

Sable hesitated, then mentally shrugged and gave in to curiosity. In spite of that urgent warning whisper from some primal instinct, eating dinner with him in a restaurant wouldn’t put her in any sort of danger. ‘Thank you—I am hungry.’

His apartment was in an art deco building that had once been a department store. Overlooking the harbour bridge and the Viaduct basin area with its waterfront restaurants and vibrant nightlife, the store had been rejuvenated with taste and flair—and a lot of money.

Kain indicated a bank of lifts, so the restaurant was upstairs, presumably to take advantage of the view. Sable noted the clever homage to the building’s age, and more period details graced the foyer once they reached their destination. Eyeing a splendid bronze nymph carrying a torch, she repressed a grin. Tonight’s featured artists would undoubtedly despise it, she thought cheerfully.

A niggle of apprehension made her tense when Kain took her arm and led her into a room—a large, superbly decorated living room.

After a swift, incredulous glance around she swung away from him, her face cold and still. ‘This is your apartment,’ she said icily, heading for the door.

He caught her arm, his fingers gripping just enough to stop her without bruising. ‘Don’t be so skittish. We need privacy.’

‘You might—I don’t,’ she shot back, anger sharpening her voice. ‘Let me go right now.’

‘Not until you’ve heard what I have to say.’

CHAPTER THREE

KAIN caught Sable’s free hand in a steely vice, almost paralysing the fingers that were folding into a serviceable fist. Grimly he said, ‘Stop that right now. I’m not going to leap on you.’

His grip tightened a fraction, warning her not to pull away. Like enemies they stared at each other, dark eyes clashing with arctic grey, neither giving an inch.

Sable tried to concentrate on leaving. Right now. But all she could think of was Kain’s nearness, the way he’d pulled her closer—so close her nostrils quivered at the faint, sexy smell that was his alone.

Although his gaze was flinty, she saw heat kindle in its depths, and shivered at the basic feminine knowledge that told her he wanted her.

She should be terrified.

Instead she felt a flare of wild exultation and had to fight a crazy impulse to take a step towards him—near enough to rest her head on his shoulder and feel the strength of his chest against her sensitised breasts.

Her body ached with keen, tantalising frustration and her lips felt hot and tender. She caught her breath and forced herself to say bleakly, ‘Let me go.’

Kain released her. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said with curt brusqueness. ‘That was unforgivable. I don’t usually manhandle women.’

Her glare tried for contempt, but didn’t quite make it beyond resentment. ‘I’d hardly call it manhandling,’ she said reluctantly.

Kain noticed less of her normal crispness in her tone, and he knew that the flash of hunger he’d seen in those mysterious eyes had been authentic.

And she, in her turn, had discerned his fierce response to her.

Sable’s satiny skin invited a man’s touch, and the red lips hinted at a recklessness that made him think of tangled sheets and long, long nights…

But what the hell was going on behind those steady, unreadable eyes? She was a very cool customer indeed, sexily chic in the sleek outfit of black and red that matched her hair and lips.

A stray, unwanted thought increased his annoyance at his unusual susceptibility.

What colour was the soft mouth beneath the gloss of lipstick? And when she creamed away the colour each night did all that controlled passion go with it?

Ignoring the unsubtle clamour in his body, he told her bluntly, ‘If you really want to leave I’ll organise a taxi for you.’

Somehow reassured by that—and thrilled in some primitively unregenerate part of her because for a moment she’d glimpsed the man behind the intimidating authority—Sable said, ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, tell me what this is all about.’

One black brow rose. ‘I will, but I’d like you to stay; I did promise to feed you, after all.’ And he smiled.

Walk into my parlour, said the spider…

Sable blinked to keep her head from spinning. That wicked smile was wielded like a sword; he knew exactly how to disarm a woman.

If she had any sense at all she’d go.

An unusual recklessness persuaded her to say, ‘First I’d like to know why you brought me here.’

And held her breath for his answer.

‘Are you always this suspicious about being asked out to dinner?’ Kain asked, his voice amused. Then his tone altered, and his broad shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. ‘You looked pale and a little tired; I thought food was in order.’

Sable ignored the first question. ‘I’m always pale—it’s my natural colouring.’

‘How are your iron levels?’

Her head came up with a jerk. Was he teasing? Yes, he was smiling. Coolly she said, ‘They’re fine, thank you.’

‘Good.’ He turned. ‘I’ll get a menu for you to look at.’

Sable glowered at his retreating back; effortlessly, with an authority that came from inner strength, Kain Gerard dominated every space he was in. He had that magical thing called charisma, the star quality that made everyone notice him.

OK, so his stunning good looks would automatically attract attention from women, but that compelling magnetism was based on his personality, not on his looks. He looked competent to the nth degree, as though he could deal with anything.

She envied him that inbuilt confidence; her own had been hard-won and was still precarious.

Did he take that constant attention and respect—the inviting, fascinated glances from women—for granted?

He’d be hell to love. There’d always be other women…

Embarrassed by the trend of her thoughts, she got to her feet and was turning towards the door when that tell-tale prickle at the back of her neck warned her he’d returned.

‘Retreat, Sable?’ His smile was idly mocking.

Feeling foolish, she said, ‘No.’

After all, instinct told her that she didn’t have to worry about her physical safety. Her emotional safety might be something else, but one meal wasn’t going to overturn her life.

He held out a menu. ‘Choose what you want for dinner, and when you’ve done that there’s something you might like to see.’

‘What?’ Although she accepted the menu, she stayed stubbornly in place.

He touched a switch and the curtains glided back to reveal a terrace; she noted the satin gleam of a lap pool and the shimmering ebony curtain of water that fell into it.

‘Look,’ he said, indicating.

Sable gasped and walked across to stand beside him.

‘It’s one of the big cruise liners going out,’ he told her. ‘She’s on her last voyage and this is her tribute to Auckland.’

‘It could be a picture out of a fairytale.’ Her voice was soft and wondering. Startled by her delight at the sight of the huge thing slipping silently down the harbour, decked with lights like a huge Christmas tree, she firmed her tone. ‘A sight like that brings out the child in me.’

‘How old are you?’

After a moment’s hesitation she admitted, ‘Twenty-six.’

‘Six years younger than I am.’ Together they watched the graceful relic of a more leisured age slide across the inky waters. ‘Five thousand years of so-called civilisation haven’t changed our basic natures. At heart we’re the same as those ancestors who huddled around a fire for protection, and in all societies light means safety and security. Now, check that menu while I pour you a drink. Non-alcoholic, if you’d prefer it,’ he added deadpan when she turned to refuse it.

Something equivocal in his tone alerted her, summoning instincts she’d long forgotten. Had he heard something about her father’s addiction? Lightly she said, ‘Actually, if you have it, a glass of lime and soda water would be wonderful.’

He produced that and handed it to her, waiting while she rapidly chose a dish. Then he left her again to deliver the order; she could hear his voice in the distance on the telephone. After a tiny sip of the refreshing drink she set the glass down on a table and looked around the room.

The penthouse wasn’t anything like Brent’s minimalist, decorator-driven apartment. Kain had clearly had input into the furnishings; its restrained luxury and strong lines fitted him.

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