Only Lover

Joel Falcone sighed impatiently. ‘You can't have it both ways, you know. Go through with this pretence and I drop the charges against your father, plus forget the twenty-five thousand pounds he owes me. You know the alternative.'

‘You consider this charade worth twenty-five thousand pounds!'

He nodded. ‘I simply don't want Laura involved in my business affairs any longer. No doubt she'll want more than the market value for those shares.'

‘And won't you mind paying it?'

He shrugged. ‘Why should I? She'll be out of my life, finally.'

‘That's some friendship you have there,’ she said dryly.

‘That's right, but I've just explained that to you.’ He stood up in one fluid movement. ‘Are you ready to leave now?'

Farrah also stood up, moving jerkily to the door. ‘My—my bag and jacket. I left them in the office. I can't just leave them there.'

‘That's all right. Angie wanted to talk to me about something anyway. You can collect your things while I talk to her.'

‘Oh, but I—–'

‘Do it, Farrah!’ he ordered impatiently. ‘Make your mind up to this, because once we step outside this room there'll be no turning back. Once you're committed you will follow this through to the end. And no one is to know it's pretence. You understand, no one! Not even your father.'

‘But I have to tell him,’ she said, horrified. ‘I can't let him think that I—–'

‘Not even your father, Farrah!’ he repeated firmly. ‘You can tell him when it's all over and not before. It shouldn't take long, a couple of months, no more.'

‘A couple of months!'

He looked at her with steady blue eyes, collecting a burgundy-coloured leather jacket from what appeared to be a cloakroom and shrugging his powerful shoulders unhurriedly inside. ‘A couple of weeks would hardly be convincing. The first few weeks we'll just make sure we're seen together in all the right places, later we'll progress to the occasional night spent together at my apartment.'

Farrah looked at his open-mouthed. ‘I couldn't do that! What would everyone think if I stayed at your apartment? What would my father think!'

‘Exactly what they're supposed to, I should imagine. Believe me, Laura won't be able to stand too much of that sort of treatment. She likes to think that any man she wants will come running when she calls.'

‘But you won't,’ she derided.

‘Not any more—if I ever did.'

‘You aren't the faithful type at all, are you?’ she saw his mouth tighten angrily. ‘I'm sorry, but you did say I wasn't to be sulky and angry.'

‘I didn't say you had to be rude instead. And no, I'm not the faithful type. I've yet to meet a woman who can make me feel possessive enough to feel the need to be a one-woman man.'

‘You consider women are only to be used and not loved?’ she asked interestedly.

He gave a mocking smile. ‘Oh, I love them.'

Farrah blushed. ‘I don't mean physically.'

‘I know that,’ he smiled at her embarrassment, a mocking smile that taunted. He shrugged. ‘No woman has ever proved to me to be any different, you're all money-grasping. A present pays for many things, but without them you get nothing.'

Farrah shook her head. ‘That isn't true, at least not on my part. No man has ever given me presents for services rendered.'

Joel Falcone's eyes raked mercilessly over her casual appearance. ‘Seeing you dressed like that, I can believe it.'

‘Well, you don't exactly look the part of the debonair millionaire yourself,’ she retorted tartly.

‘Perhaps not,’ he agreed. ‘Okay, let's go.’ He put a casual arm about her slim shoulders and felt her stiffen. ‘Once we step outside this door,’ he reminded her.

Farrah forced herself to accept his touch, resisting the impulse to move away from the closeness of his lithe athletic body. Not that it was unpleasant—that was the trouble. She found him much too attractive and dangerous this close to. And if his acting proved to be as superb as he said it would be she hated to think what would happen. His hand rested lightly on her shoulder and she could feel his warmth through her thin cotton shirt.

Those compelling blue eyes looked into her own apprehensive green ones. ‘All right?’ he asked softly.

‘All right,’ she agreed.

Joel Falcone opened the door for her, ushering her out of the office before him but managing to retain his hold on her. ‘Smile, Farrah,’ he said quietly. ‘I don't want Cathy to think I'm taking you out of here under duress.'

Farrah forced an almost natural smile on to her lips. all too much aware of the vital man at her side. His secretary, Cathy, glanced up from her typing to look at them, her eyes narrowing with surprise as she saw her employer's arm draped casually across Farrah's shoulders.

‘I'll be out for the rest of the day,’ Joel Falcone informed her smoothly. ‘Cancel the rest of my appointments for today, and for tomorrow morning.'

‘Yes, sir.’ Cathy looked puzzled by this strange turn of events. ‘Is there anywhere I can reach you if necessary?'

Joel looked at Farrah. ‘Under no circumstances am I to be disturbed,’ he drawled. ‘By anyone.'

Farrah walked out of the office with him, not having said a word, and the smile seemed fixed on her face. And this was just the start! ‘I'm not sure I can go through with this,’ she said shakily, moving away from him as they entered the lift together.

‘Too late,’ he said unconcernedly.

‘Has it ever occurred to you that I might have a boy-friend?’ she asked resentfully.

‘It did, but no protestations were forthcoming in that direction, so I assumed there wasn't a particular man in your life.'

‘But there is!'

‘Then he can't be very important to you or you would have mentioned him earlier. Forget him.’ He waited for her to precede him out of his private lift on to the sixth floor. ‘I already have.'

‘Are you always this dismissive of other people's happiness?'

‘Only when it's interwoven with mine. Look, Farrah, no one is going to be hurt by this pretence of ours. Laura just has a thing about becoming my wife at the moment. Once she realises it's no go she'll be glad to accept the money I'm offering her for her shares. Your father will stay free, you will have whatever I care to give you in presents during the next couple of months, and I—well, I will gain my freedom from a determined woman.'

‘And how do I tell Nigel I won't be seeing him any more?'

‘That's up to you.’ He stopped outside the door to her department. ‘I'll be with Angie only a matter of minutes, join us when you've collected your belongings.'

Joel Falcone caused quite a stir when he walked into the large open plan office that accommodated ten girls and Angie Preston who had her own separate office at the end of the room, but when Farrah followed him in all conversation ceased altogether and nine pairs of eyes were riveted on them.

‘I won't be long,’ Joel said huskily, but loud enough for people close to them to hear.

Farrah walked quickly to her desk, her head downbent as she gathered up her black velvet jacket and her denim shoulder bag. This was proving to be more embarrassing than she had imagined and she could hear a few whispers from her workmates now. Well, this was no good, she couldn't creep about like this all the time, and so flinging back her head almost defiantly she faced the girls in the office with pride and dignity. Fiona was looking at her with puzzled eyes and somehow Farrah managed to summon up a smile.