A Touch of Notoriety(26)

‘You’re right, Raphael, this steak really is inedible.’ She gave him a tight smile as she stood up. ‘I think I’ll go to bed now. I’m feeling rather tired after all the travelling today. Leave all this.’ She waved a hand towards the mess on the table. ‘I’ll clear it away in the morning.’

Raphael recognised the lie for what it was. ‘You have not eaten anything.’

‘I’m no longer hungry.’ Her eyes flashed darkly as she looked challengingly across the kitchen at him.

He scowled darkly. ‘Why are you making such a fuss over something that is basically none of your business?’

Her chin rose as she gave a humourless smile. ‘Glad to see you haven’t lost your brutal honesty—in regard to some subjects, at least!’

Raphael winced. ‘It was not my intention to be brutal—’

‘Then I’ll know to stay well out of your way when it is,’ Beth came back with hard derision. ‘What time are we leaving for London in the morning?’

He frowned his displeasure with the change of subject. ‘I thought seven-thirty.’

‘I should make it seven o’clock.’ She frowned. ‘The London traffic can be awful at that time of the morning.’

‘I will inform Edward,’ he confirmed tersely.

The golden swathe of her hair fell forward over her shoulders as Beth nodded. ‘Goodnight, Raphael, and don’t work too hard,’ she added dryly before leaving.

‘Goodnight, Beth...’ Raphael murmured softly as he stared at the doorway Beth had disappeared through.

As he continued to wonder, long after Beth must have reached her bedroom, exactly how they were going to proceed during the long days or weeks ahead.

Having decided, after that unforgivable incident in the gym earlier this evening, that he had to maintain his distance from Beth in future, Raphael now deeply regretted having told her the little about his family that he had.

Regretted having ever met the disturbing Beth Blake at all...





CHAPTER SIX



‘I’VE NEVER SEEN anyone so dark and broodingly gorgeous in my entire life!’

‘Gorgeous? The man is sex on two long, perfectly muscled legs!’

‘And did you see the size of those shoulders...?’

‘It’s the size of his feet you have to look at, silly.’

‘Going to let me in on the secret, ladies?’ Beth had strolled over to look enquiringly at the three giggling women who worked in her office as they gathered conspiratorially around the coffee machine during the morning break.

‘I can do better than that. Come and look out of the window!’ Kathy grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her across the room to where the windows looked directly down into the street three floors below. ‘See!’ she announced triumphantly. ‘He was standing right there when we all came into work this morning.’

Beth should have guessed what—and who!—was causing this uproar amongst her female work colleagues. Raphael Cordoba stood across the street, leaning conspicuously on the wall behind him, looking gorgeous in another one of those dark three-piece suits, and wearing those familiar mirrored sunglasses as a shield to the expression in his eyes, if not to his other more than obvious physical attributes.

Physical attributes Beth’s female work colleagues were obviously all agog over!

Not surprisingly, considering those dark and dangerous good looks, and that air of the stalking predator that he wore like a second skin.

Beth had deliberately arranged things so that she arrived at work earlier than anyone else this morning, in an effort to avoid being seen getting out of the chauffeur-driven limousine. Only for Raphael to then announce that he intended coming into the building with her, and spending the day standing beside her desk. She had managed to talk him out of that one, with the compromise that he would wait outside and she wouldn’t attempt to leave the building. But the hope that none of her work colleagues would notice the highly noticeable Raphael Cordoba standing outside on the pavement had obviously been a futile one.

‘Isn’t he just the most sexy man you’ve ever set eyes on?’ Emma joined the two of them at the window.

‘If you like tall, dark, and brooding, yes,’ Beth agreed lightly.

‘What woman in her right mind doesn’t appreciate tall, dark and brooding?’ Amy moved to stand at Beth’s other side. ‘He’s been standing out there for at least two hours now. I wonder what he’s waiting for?’