Mistress at a Price (26 page)

So it should have come as no surprise that Liam had been instantly enthralled by her. And, knowing that, why did she feel this agony of shock and betrayal?

After all, she had no claim on Liam. She had insisted on that. He was a free agent, under the terms of their deal, and so was she. And, as Gil no longer seemed to be a major player, Vanessa was presumably free to choose also. And she clearly had her sights set on Liam.

Another one to add to her list of toyboys…

Cat sank her teeth into her lower lip until she tasted blood. Because it didn
’
t have to be like this, she thought. And it shouldn
’
t have been. It was all her own fault.

If it hadn
’
t been for this ridiculous, nauseating sex-without-commitment demand of hers, she could have met Liam openly, and arranged to introduce her mother to him in perfect safety. Because if Vanessa had known that Liam belonged to her daughter it was probable she
’
d have subdued the dazzle, and deliberately downplayed the role of
femme fatale
. She
’
d done it before when it hadn
’
t really mattered.

And, to give her credit, she had no idea it mattered now. She
’
d simply obeyed her instincts, and attracting men was like a conditioned reflex for her. She was Vanessa Carlton, and ordinary rules did not apply.

Cat kicked off her shoes and curled up on the sofa, folding her arms across her body like a barricade. But it was too late for that. Her defences were already down, and the hurt could be mortal.

She couldn
’
t even adopt the moral high ground and tell herself how disgusting it was that her mother should set out to ensnare another man so many years younger than herself, because it simply wasn
’
t true. By no stretch of the imagination was Vanessa old enough to be his mother.

She was still under forty-five, and Liam was almost certainly in his early thirties. Cat would be surprised if there was more than twelve years between them. And successful relationships were constantly being launched on much greater age differences than that, she admitted painfully.

But this
—
this
—
was something she definitely had not foreseen.

She heard a sound from downstairs
—
like a door closing
—
and stiffened, putting down her glass.

The flat was in its usual pristine condition, so the cleaners had already been. Which didn
’
t leave many other options.

It had to be Liam
’
s footsteps she could hear on the stairs
—
but had he come alone?

It was his flat, she told herself, her throat tightening convulsively. He paid the rent. He had the right to do as he wished
—
to bring any visitors he wanted. For all she knew he might have been having other assignations there all along.

By the time he came into the room she was on her feet, staring towards the door.

He seemed to be alone, and her heart contracted in almost shameful relief.

He halted, looking back at her, his face expressionless.
‘
Is the place haunted?
’

‘
Haunted?
’
she echoed in bewilderment. It was the last thing she
’
d expected him to say, and it threw her.
‘
What do you mean?
’

‘
You look,
’
he said,
‘
as if you
’
ve seen a ghost.
’

Cat lifted her chin.
‘
I wasn
’
t expecting any interruptions,
’
she said shortly.
‘
What are you doing here?
’

‘
I came to find you,
’
he said slowly.
‘
You weren
’
t at your own place, so I guessed you might be here.
’

She swallowed.
‘
And where is Vanessa?
’

He shrugged.
‘
Paying another visit to some place in Chelsea, I believe. You should know better than I. You
’
re her daughter, after all.
’

‘
Did she tell you that?
’

‘
I think she was tempted by godchild,
’
he said reflectively.
‘
But the fact you
’
re called Adamson rather gave the game away. As I said, I
’
ve been a fan of hers for years, and I can remember when you were born.
’

He paused.
‘
Why do you call your mother by her given name?
’

‘
Because she prefers it,
’
she said curtly.

His brows lifted.
‘
And what about your choice in the matter?
’

‘
It
’
s never made much difference to me. As it happens, I call my father David too. Not that I spend much time with either of them, of course.
’

‘
I see,
’
he said.

‘
I
’
m sure you do.
’
She paused.
‘
Another piece of information to add to the file. You should have quite a dossier by now.
’

He smiled faintly.
‘
But there are still significant gaps.
’

He walked forward, and Cat found herself taking a step backwards, away from him. The edge of the sofa intervened, catching the back of her knees, and she fell untidily on to the cushions behind her.

He stopped, hands on hips, his eyes narrowing.
‘
What the hell
’
s the matter with you?
’
he demanded harshly.
‘
First you cut me dead in that bloody restaurant. Now you
’
re backing off from me. Why?
’

She couldn
’
t for the life of her think of a single reason that she was prepared to voice aloud, so she kept silent, struggling to sit up and pull her skirt straight.

‘
Is this your subtle way of telling me you don
’
t want me to make love to you?
’
His voice was like ice.
‘
You thought I
’
d come here for a little afternoon delight? A roll in the sack to work off a late lunch? Under the circumstances, I wouldn
’
t think that was an option.
’

She said,
‘
I hope my presence hasn
’
t upset any other plans you might have had.
’

‘
I did consider getting totally blasted,
’
he said.
‘
But that would mean I
’
d end up with a hangover as well as a pain in the neck.
’
His voice bit.
‘
So I decided we
’
d have a quiet chat instead.
’

‘
Is that really necessary?
’
Her own tone was mutinous. His
‘
pain in the neck
’
comment had stung.

‘
I think so, or I wouldn
’
t be here.
’
He paused.
‘
So, what was all that stuff at Vanni
’
s about? I arrive, and see the girl who woke in my arms this morning, but when I approach her I find myself being treated like a case of bubonic plague.
’

‘
But you weren
’
t meant to approach me,
’
she said. She gestured around her.
‘
We meet here, and only here
—
that
’
s the deal. You know that.
’

‘
I
’
m afraid that
’
s no longer acceptable,
’
Liam said grimly.
‘
Unless you want me to provide a list of restaurants I plan to visit each month, so you can avoid them?
’

She looked down at her hands, clasped tautly in her lap.
‘
No.
’

‘
Good,
’
he said.
‘
So can we please treat any future encounters in a rather more civilised manner?
’

‘
I suppose so,
’
she said.
‘
It was just
—
so unexpected.
’

‘
And unwelcome,
’
he said.
‘
On your side, anyway.
’

Cat bit her lip. She said in a low voice,
‘
I was embarrassed, too. I knew that Vanessa would expect to be introduced to you
—
and I don
’
t even know your full name.
’

‘
It
’
s Hargrave,
’
he said quietly.
‘
Liam Hargrave
—
for future reference.
’

‘
And I wasn
’
t sure how to explain you either.
’
She smiled nervously.
‘
I could hardly say you were my occasional lover.
’

‘
No,
’
he said.
‘
Probably not. How about
—
friend?
’

‘
Is that what you are?
’

‘
Yes,
’
he said.
‘
And that
’
s a constant, whatever happens.
’

He meant when their affair was over, she thought. When his desire for her had finally faded. And it sounded awfully like a warning
—
as if their days together were already numbered. As if…

Her mind seemed to close over. She heard herself say,
‘
What did you talk about with Vanessa?
’

His brows lifted.
‘
You mean did I interrogate her about you?
’
he drawled.
‘
Well, I might have done, given the chance, but your mother has her own agenda, and pursues it with remarkable single-mindedness. In which she reminds me of you,
’
he added drily.

‘
I
’
m not like her. I don
’
t want to be like her.
’
Her voice was over-loud, the words sounding as if they
’
d been scratched from rock, but she struggled to recover.
‘
Or my father, either.
’

Liam moved sharply, pulling her to her feet, drawing her into the circle of his arms and holding her, in spite of her taut resistance.

He said,
‘
Tell me.
’

‘
They didn
’
t intend to have me,
’
she croaked.
‘
I was a complete accident. They
’
d just had this fabulous breakthrough in their careers, playing Katharine and Petruchio at Stratford, people were lining up to hire them, and the last thing they needed was a baby. Vanessa was talking about it over lunch
—
the effect it had on the costume department,
’
she added with a little choked laugh.

‘
But you
’
re here,
’
Liam said quietly.
‘
So it can
’
t have been that much of a disaster.
’