Ruthless Contract

‘I was just telling her how close I was to Jenny, darling.’ The woman smiled up at him. ‘I think the poor girl felt a bit lost when she first moved over here with Mike.’

Greg nodded. ‘Well, it was very different for her, but she adapted well. I think she was happy in the States.’

‘Yes…she told me that she loved it,’ Abbie sipped her wine. ‘But then again, I think she was determined to fit in because it meant so much to Mike being back at home.’ It was strange standing here analysing her sister’s life. Dear God, the girl had only been twenty-three. Five years younger than she was. She turned and put her glass of wine on the table beside her. ‘Just excuse me a moment,’ she said hurriedly, as she turned away and headed towards the ladies’ room.

Her heart was pounding and she felt literally nauseous as she splashed some cold water on her face. It took a while for the panic-stricken feelings of grief to subside. She took a couple of deep breaths and then forced herself to repair the damage to her face.

She looked deathly pale and at this precise moment the dark purple of her dress did nothing for her. With a sigh she flicked a brush through her long hair. Jenny and Mike wouldn’t want her to feel like this, she told herself briskly. She was going to have to pull herself together and get on with life. She had the children to think of.

When she went back outside a lot of the people who had packed the room were starting to leave. She made her way across to where Margaret was standing by the door, thanking people for coming.

She turned to Abbie as there was a lull in the proceedings. ‘I don’t know about you, but I will be glad when this is over.’ She shook her head sadly. ‘I just feel exhausted.’

‘I know.’ Abigail put her hand over the other woman’s. ‘You were right about not bringing the children. It would have been too much for them.’

Margaret nodded. ‘They are better to be with their friends. I don’t think Mike would have wanted them to go through this.’

They were interrupted by some more people giving their condolences and Abbie, after exchanging a few words, let her gaze wander over towards Greg again.

He was still standing with Jayne, apparently deep in conversation with her. The woman was very beautiful, Abbie thought idly. She wondered how serious Greg was about her?

He looked up at that moment and caught her watching him. ‘You’ve left your wine here,’ he said, picking up the glass from beside him and holding it out towards her.

Abigail had very little choice but to walk over and take it from him.

‘Feeling better?’ he asked, his dark eyes raking over her pale countenance as she stood beside him.

‘I’m fine,’ she said lightly.

‘How long are you planning to stay in New York, Abbie?’ Jayne asked, as she sipped her wine and eyed her over the crystal rim of her glass.

‘My return ticket is for three weeks’ time, then I should really be getting back to my work.’

‘What do you do?’ Jayne asked curiously.

‘I’m a commercial artist. I work mostly from home,’ she finished, meeting Greg’s eye as she spoke. Hopefully he would take the point. She would be much more suited to looking after the girls than he was.

Greg said nothing, nor was there a flicker of any emotion in his deep eyes. It was impossible to tell whether her dig had hit its mark or not.

‘How interesting,’ Jayne murmured. Then somebody came past who claimed her attention and Abigail found herself momentarily alone with Greg.

‘Your girlfriend seems very nice,’ she said, more to cover the awkward silence that Jayne’s absence had left than anything else.

‘She’s a fellow-attorney. I work quite closely with her on a lot of cases,’ Greg remarked casually.

‘Brains as well as beauty,’ Abigail remarked lightly.

He ignored that. ‘So you have booked your return flight,’ he said instead. ‘You’ll have to tell me the exact date so that I can make the necessary arrangements to drive you to the airport.’

Abigail bit down on the softness of her lower lip. ‘Please don’t concern yourself about me,’ she said stiffly. ‘I can easily get a taxi to take us to the airport.’

Obviously that dig did hit its mark because he shook his head and his eyes glittered dangerously. ‘Don’t push your luck, Abbie,’ he muttered under his breath, ‘because you will live to regret it.’

A shiver raced down her spine at those words, but she met his eyes with a look of defiance.

‘There is no way you are taking the children anywhere,’ he assured her in a low growl of a voice. ‘For one thing I have their passports, and for another, if you so much as take them down the road without my permission, I’ll have you up for abduction so fast those little feet of yours won’t touch the ground.’

With those words ringing in her ears, Abigail watched Greg move away from her to speak to someone at the other side of the room.

She glared at his broad-shouldered figure, her heart racing, her mind running in circles. She wasn’t going to let this rest, she thought furiously. If she had to fight him through every court in the United States she was going to take those children home with her.

Jayne turned back to her with a smile. ‘Sorry about that.’ She glanced around for Greg and spotted him across the room talking to another man. ‘So what do you think of the Big Apple?’ she asked Abbie conversationally.

‘Well, I only arrived yesterday. I’ll say one thing—the view from Greg’s apartment is fabulous.’

‘Yes, it’s a great place, isn’t it.’ Jayne helped herself to another glass of wine from the table beside her. ‘I’d say you’ll find the pace of life here pretty hectic, even compared with London.’

‘Maybe,’ Abbie nodded. ‘I don’t go in to the city much any more. I live in Sussex now.’

‘I’ve never been to England,’ Jayne said ruefully. ‘I’ve told Greg that when we get some free time he must show me around out there. He knows it quite well, I believe.’

‘Yes. He and Mike spent a long holiday going around Europe about six years ago. Then Mike met my sister when they were in London and he decided to stay and marry her.’

‘Very romantic,’ Jayne smiled.

‘Yes, it was.’ For a moment Abigail’s thoughts drifted to that time. Jenny had been madly in love with Mike from the moment she had first set eyes on him.

‘He’s the most gorgeous thing on two legs,’ Jenny had laughed when she had tried to describe him to Abbie. ‘I know you will just love him…but not too much. I’ve arranged for you to meet his brother Greg. He’s the one you can fall for.’

Abbie had certainly been captivated by Greg Prescott’s good looks; he had been so charming, so smooth, with the most sexy accent.

Both girls had spent a wonderful three months being wined and dined by the brothers during the last stop of their holiday, apart from a four-week trip up to Scotland. They had cancelled that trip so that they could stay longer in London, much to Abbie’s and Jenny’s delight.

Jenny had danced around their small flat when the phone call had come from Mike saying they weren’t going up to Edinburgh after all. ‘They are as besotted with us as we are with them.’ She had sung the words at the top of her voice. ‘Oh, Abbie, I’m so happy.’

Abbie had been happy too, although she had tried to be more cautious than her sister, reminding her that it was only a month before Mike and Greg would go back to the States.

Jenny had pulled a face. ‘When people love each other, things work out.’

If only that were true, Abbie thought now…If only Jenny and Mike were here and this was just a family party. She shook her head at the ridiculous thought and tried very hard to concentrate on what Jayne was saying to her.

‘Greg is going to have his work cut out with the children,’ she was saying now. ‘I’d give him a hand if I could, but my career takes up all of my day. I’m as stuck as he is.’

‘Yes…Well, I’m sure we will work something out,’ Abbie said positively. Then all of a sudden she was struck by a thought that hadn’t occurred to her before. ‘Jayne,’ she said cautiously, ‘do you happen to know if Mike and Jenny made a will?’

The girl nodded. ‘Oh, yes, I’m sure they did. Greg said something about it the other day.’

Abigail fought down the impulse to ask if she knew what was in it. Her mind raced. Surely Jenny had specified who should look after the children if anything happened to them?