The Taming of Xander Sterne(43)

                ‘No!’ Sam protested fiercely at the threat. ‘I won’t allow it. I won’t allow you anywhere near— We had a deal!’ she accused heatedly. ‘No divorce settlement for me in exchange for full custody of Daisy.’

                ‘And as I said to you on Saturday evening, there’s absolutely no reason why that can’t continue,’ he came back softly. ‘Once you’ve ditched Sterne and become my mistress, of course.’

                Sam stared at him in complete horror, feeling as if her feet had been knocked from underneath her. ‘I won’t—I can’t!’

                ‘But you will,’ Malcolm insisted. ‘For Daisy’s sake, you know you will.’

                Sam looked at him searchingly, once again able to see that cruelty in Malcolm’s eyes and in the harsh slashes beside his nose and mouth. She wanted Daisy to have nothing to do with this man. Being her daughter’s biological father didn’t make Malcolm any less the cruel and controlling man he had always been beneath that outward layer of social charm. There was no telling what damage Malcolm might do to Daisy emotionally if he were to obtain weekly visiting rights with her.

                ‘Why are you doing this, Malcolm?’ she prompted emotionally, knowing she was on the verge of tears. And she really didn’t want to give Malcolm the satisfaction of reducing her to tears, when he must already be aware, by the hold he had of her wrist, how badly she was shaking. ‘Why?’

                ‘Obviously because I’ve decided that I want you back in my bed.’ He shrugged.

                Sam stared at him dazedly. ‘I don’t love you, Malcolm. I don’t even like you!’

                ‘What has that got to do with anything?’ He looked at her pityingly. ‘The thing is, Sam, I really don’t like the idea of you belonging to any other man but me. I realised when I saw you again the other night that what’s mine should stay mine.’

                ‘I don’t belong to anyone, Malcolm.’

                ‘Not for the past three years you haven’t, no.’ Malcolm confirmed that he really had had her investigated. ‘And you aren’t going to belong to anyone else now, either. So I suggest that you and Daisy move out of Sterne’s apartment as soon as you’ve told him your little affair is over. Preferably before the end of the week,’ Malcolm bit out.

                Sam frowned. ‘I can’t do that.’

                ‘That’s a pity.’ His tone was deceptively mild.

                And Sam wasn’t deceived for a moment. ‘You don’t understand,’ she came back agitatedly. ‘I don’t live with Xander Sterne, I work for him. As his carer,’ she added impatiently as Malcolm eyed her sceptically. ‘He was involved in a car accident, and now needs help to—to—’ Somehow Sam didn’t think it was a good idea to tell Malcolm that one of the things she did for Xander was to help him in and out of the shower! ‘I cook for him and help him when necessary,’ she substituted.

                Talking of which, it was almost time for her to drive Xander to his physiotherapy session as Paul had the day off.

                ‘And those duties include you sleeping with him too?’

                ‘You’re wrong!’ Embarrassed colour heated her cheeks as she recalled how close she had come to doing exactly that on Saturday night.

                A guilty blush which caused Malcolm’s eyes to narrow dangerously. ‘Even if what you say is true, you aren’t seriously expecting me to believe that Xander Sterne has a beautiful woman living in his apartment with him, but that he hasn’t slept with her yet?’