The Boss's Virgin(25)

But he made no comment, simply said, 'If you're ready, I thought we  might go downstairs and have tea in the reception area. Renata said  she'd bring Johnny back before six, and it's five now.'

'Fine, I'd love a cup of tea,' she said, collecting her handbag, sliding  the room key into it The condoor was still bolted; it would remain that  way as long as they were here. She wanted no repetition of what had  happened this afternoon; Randal could stay his side of that door.

Despite her desire to stay cool, though, she felt her pulses leap in  that dangerously magnetised fashion when Randal put a hand under her  elbow to guide her into the lift. Such a light, polite touch, and yet it  sent her body into overdrive.

As the doors shut she hastily moved away from him, and felt his quick,  probing glance; he was far too observant, and she did not trust him. But  she ignored it It was better not to say anything, give him any  opportunity to gain ground.

Downstairs they sat at a table with a good view of the entrance and  ordered a pot of China tea. They drank it without milk, a clear, pale  straw-coloured liquid with a delicate fragrance, which was very  refreshing.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Randal's fingers drumming on  the arm of his chair as he watched the entrance. He was agitated over  whether or not his ex-wife would bring their son back as promised. She  felt a pang of sympathy; poor Randal. He would go crazy if Renata had in  fact abducted the child. Would she take the boy abroad, if she did? It  could be months before Randal saw Johnny again, in that case, and it  would turn his life into a nightmare.

To distract his attention, she said casually, 1 was thinking, just now,  that what I need is a holiday, before I start looking for another job.'                       
       
           



       

'Where are you thinking of going?'

'Somewhere warm-Spain or Italy, probably. I don't know either country.  I've had very few holidays abroad; I could never afford it until I  started earning more money at the insurance company, and then I bought  my cottage, and that ate up any spare cash I had.'

His grey eyes skimmed her face thoughtfully. 'You've had a pretty tough  life, haven't you? No family, no real home, and very little money. It  was quite an achievement to buy the cottage and do it up yourself, but  at least selling it will release a good lump sum. You'll have money  now.'

'Yes, I suppose I will,' she agreed, thinking about it. It would be nice  to have spare cash with which she could be spontaneous, which she could  spend as she wished, when she wished. She had never been in that  position before; every penny she earned had been earmarked for  something-clothes, food, travelling expenses to and from work,  redecoration on the cottage. 'But then I'll have to buy a new home,' she  sighed. 'And it will probably cost far more, so I won't have money for  long.'

'If you married me you wouldn't need to buy a new home; you would live in mine,' he said casually, taking her breath away.

'Don't make jokes like that!' She knew he didn't mean it, couldn't mean  it, was just teasing her. She looked at him with rage and hostility. 'It  isn't fanny!'

His grey eyes were serious, though. 'I'm proposing, Pippa-I want to marry you.'

She stared fixedly at her cup of pale tea, fighting with the stab of  jealousy in her stomach. 'You're still in love with your ex-wife! I  realised that at lunch, when you saw her in the dining room. I saw the  look on your face!'

'I was in shock,' he coolly admitted.

'Oh, yes!' she muttered bitterly. 'I know that. The sight of her took  your breath away.' Renata was staggeringly beautiful; she couldn't blame  Randal for his response to the sight of his ex-wife. After all, Renata  had once been his, and now she belonged to another man. That couldn't be  easy to take, especially for a very ego-driven male like Randal.

She suddenly remembered his jealousy over Tom- if he felt like that over  her, how did he feel over his ex-wife and her new husband?

'The sight of her scared me!' he said harshly, frowning. 'I'd stopped  expecting her to turn up to see Johnny. When I saw her I was suddenly  worried, afraid she was going to try to take Johnny away from me, take  him off to Australia. Mothers tend to get custody in this country,  especially if they can afford a good lawyer, and she can, with her new  husband's money behind her. I thought Renata would never want custody,  she was always an indifferent mother- but who knows? Maybe her golfer  has decided he wants a ready-made son to trot around the circuits with  him? Good publicity for him, probably.'

She frowned. 'I thought he seemed a decent sort of guy, not the type to  think that way at all.' She looked at Randal sharply. 'You're simply  jealous of him!'

Dark red rang along his cheekbones; his eyes flashed. 'Don't be absurd!  Jealous of him? You're crazy. Why on earth would I be jealous of him!  Over Renata? I wouldn't have Renata back at any price.'

His grey eyes focused on her angrily. 'I just proposed to your-doesn't  that mean anything to you? All you do in reply is accuse me of being in  love with my ex-wife! What do you think that tells me? That you don't  know me at all, and, frankly, that I obviously don't know you either, or  how could you leap to such an idiotic conclusion?'

He was furious with her; she was very shaken, biting her lip. He was  right-how could she have leapt to that conclusion? She didn't know him;  she had no idea what made him tick. How could you love someone without  knowing them?

'She is very beautiful,' she offered in apology, in feeble placation.

His mouth hardened in cynicism. 'On the outside, maybe, but inside she  is far from beautiful. She's selfish, lazy, greedy, materialistic; she  was a bad wife and a bad mother. And I wouldn't have her back for a  million dollars.'

At that second the swing doors into the foyer revolved to admit Renata,  the tall, tanned golfer, and Johnny, who saw them immediately and came  running towards them.

'Daddy! I played golf! Alex taught me how to play golf. I hit the ball  so hard it went for mile. Alex says I'm a natural. I should play as  often as possible, practise every day.'

'Don't chatter on and on, darling,' Renata said in a sort of groan. 'My  God, that child babbles. He never stops.' She sank into a spare chair at  the table. 'I need a drink. Get a waiter, Alex. Randal, darling, I  think Johnny should go to bed; he's tired and so am I- worn out,  honestly. I'd forgotten how much energy kids have, and how much of a  nuisance they are.'                       
       
           



       

Randal glowered. 'Not in front of him, please!

'I'll take him upstairs,' Pippa quickly said, getting up. 'Come on,  Johnny. I expect you'll need a bath- is he coming down to dinner,  Randal?'

'Oh, please,' Johnny said, 'can't I have Room Service and watch TV  instead? I'm tired, and I saw they do a great cheeseburger and fries,  and a triple flavour ice cream, and Coke.'

Randal laughed. 'Just as you like, Johnny. Room Service would be more  fun, I expect. Say goodnight and thank you to your mother and Alex.'

'Goodnight and thank you,' Johnny gabbled towards them, then took Pippa's hand and began dragging her towards the lift.

In the sitting room he at once grabbed the Room Service menu and sat down with it 'Can I order now? I'm starving.'

'Why not? I'll stay until the food arrives. Do you want me to order it for you?'

He gave her a scornful look. 'I can do it!' Picking up the phone, he began dialling. 'Hello? Room Service?'

Pippa wandered away to the window, listening as he ordered exactly what  he had said he would like. The daylight was fading a little, the spring  sky coloured pink and gold. Shadows lay under the trees in the grounds  of the hotel. It would be dark soon.

Johnny put down the phone. 'They said it would be fifteen minutes.'

She walked back to sit down near him. 'So you had a good time this afternoon.'

'Yes, Alex is great; I like him. My friends all want to meet him. He's a  terrific golfer.' He didn't mention his mother, and went on to ask, 'Am  I going to be able to ride tomorrow? Dad said I could.

'Yes, he said he meant to go with you, but I don't have any gear with me, so I think I'll just stay here and rest.'

'Okay,' Johnny said without interest. 'Alex and Mummy are leaving  tomorrow, so I don't suppose I'll see them again.' The thought did not  seem to bother him. 'She gets bored easily, Alex says. And she doesn't  like the country much; she prefers cities. She talked a lot about Sydney  and New York and London, and shopping. She loves shopping. Alex says  she has so many clothes they had to buy a new wardrobe. She doesn't play  golf, although she always goes with Alex when he's playing in a  tournament, but she stays in the bar, he said, and waits for him. And  she doesn't like kids much; she says she'd never have another one, not  ever. Kids are boring.'