Lovers in the Afternoon Read online

  ‘I see him occasionally,’ she dismissed. ‘Very occasionally. Do you see anything of Adam?’ she challenged.

  Was it her imagination or did Liz suddenly become very engrossed in feeding Emma?

  ‘Occasionally,’ Liz replied distractedly, seeing to the baby.

  ‘He came to dinner last week, as it happens,’ Nick put in lightly. ‘Strange, he didn’t mention that he intended seeing you.’

  ‘He meant it to be a surprise,’ her voice was sharp. ‘And it was definitely that.’

  ‘It must have been,’ Liz nodded.

  Her mouth firmed. ‘I really do have to be going,’ she told them determinedly. ‘I’ll see you again next week.’

  It was Nick who walked her to the door, Liz still busy with Emma. Leonie was just relieved at being able to leave, dreaded these duty visits, sure that both she and Liz were aware of the reason they could no longer get on even on a polite social level.

  Somehow knowing she was to see Adam first thing Monday morning made the weekend pass all too quickly. But at least he didn’t pay her any surprise visits during those two days; she had half expected that he would, had felt a sense of anticlimax when he didn’t.

  Her hand was a lot better by Monday morning, the red line of infection having faded up her arm, the wound feeling more comfortable, so much so that she felt able to leave off the sling she had been instructed to wear over the weekend.

  ‘Damn, who can that be?’ she muttered as the doorbell rang as she was brushing her teeth, grabbing up her silky robe to pull it on over her lacy bra and panties.

  Adam eyed her mockingly. ‘Either that’s toothpaste, or you’re foaming at the mouth.’

  Colour flooded her cheeks as she belatedly remembered to remove the toothpaste from her mouth with the towel in her hand. She had just been so stunned to see him; it was only eight-thirty in the morning. ‘What are you doing here?’ she said ungraciously.

  He shrugged, strolling past her into the flat. ‘You need a lift to work, I’m here to provide it.’

  Leonie followed him in to the lounge, scowling as Harvey lingered long enough on his way out to rub against Adam’s trouser-covered leg, leaving ginger hairs on the dark brown material. ‘I can drive myself to work,’ she snapped.

  He frowned as she freely used her right hand to prove her point. ‘You’re supposed to rest that.’

  ‘I did. I have,’ she added impatiently. ‘It’s better now. Or perhaps you don’t take my word for it and would like to inspect it yourself?’ she challenged.

  ‘I can see from here that it’s in working order again,’ he said dryly, making himself comfortable in one of her armchairs. ‘Did you have a good weekend?’

  ‘Did you?’ she returned.

  ‘Very good,’ he nodded. ‘Did you visit Liz?’

  Her mouth tightened. ‘Yes.’

  ‘How is she?’

  ‘Don’t you know?’

  ‘If I did, would I be asking?’ he reasoned mildly.

  ‘Probably,’ she scorned. ‘After all, you have to keep up appearances. It’s Nick I feel sorry for, he just has no idea does he?’ she added disgustedly.

  ‘Leonie, you don’t know what you’re talking about, so just drop it, hm,’ he was still pleasantly polite.

  ‘I know you were having an affair with my sister when we were married—’

  ‘You know I. went to bed with her, it isn’t the same thing.’ Steel had entered his voice.

  She gave a disbelieving laugh. ‘Of course it’s the same thing!’

  ‘No,’ he shook his head, his eyes narrowed. ‘And one day you’re going to want to hear the truth. In the meantime I’d like to concentrate on our affair.’

  ‘I—’

  ‘What did you have for breakfast this morning?’

  The question took her by surprise. ‘Toast and coffee,’ she answered automatically.

  ‘Dry toast and black coffee?’ he guessed, standing up. ‘The more sophisticated hair-style is an improvement, Leonie, but the loss of weight isn’t,’ he told her as he went through to the kitchen.

  Leonie followed him. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she demanded as he took butter, milk and eggs out of the refrigerator.

  ‘Getting our breakfast,’ he answered dismissively.

  ‘Haven’t you eaten?’

  He shook his head. ‘I thought I’d wait and eat with you.’

  ‘But I told you, I’ve already eaten.’

  ‘Rubbish,’ he decided, beating the milk into the eggs. ‘Go and finish dressing and then come and eat.’

  ‘Adam—’

  His gaze was steady. ‘I prefer you as you were before you dieted.’

  ‘So you intend fattening me up,’ she protested.

  ‘That’s the idea,’ he nodded. ‘I should hurry and dress, Leonie, the eggs will be ready in a few minutes.’

  ‘I’ll be late for work!’

  ‘I’m your first appointment, and I don’t mind if you’re late,’ he dismissed with a smile. ‘Now off you go,’ he gave her bottom a playful tap.

  Leonie gave him an indignant glare before leaving the room. How dare he ignore her all weekend and then calmly turn up here again this morning and attempt to take over her life once again!

  Her movements quieted as she wondered whether she were more angry at being ignored the last two days or at the fact that Adam was taking command of her life. The answer made her wince.

  ‘Very nice. Very professional,’ Adam complimented when she rejoined him in the kitchen. ‘Now take off the jacket and put it over that chair with mine; I’d like to eat breakfast with a lover, not a businesswoman.’

  He had effectively robbed her of her line of defence! She had donned the formal oatmeal-coloured suit and brown blouse in an effort to remain distant from the situation he was trying to create. But he had discarded his own jacket and waistcoat, looking ruggedly attractive. With her own jacket removed they looked like any other couple having breakfast together before leaving for work.

  ‘That’s better.’ Adam divided the scrambled eggs on to two plates, putting them on the table with the rack of toast and pot of coffee. He poured a cup of the latter for both of them as he sat down opposite her, adding milk and sugar to Leonie’s.

  ‘No—’

  ‘You know you love milk and sugar in your coffee,’ he stubbornly added another teaspoonful of the latter.

  ‘But it doesn’t love me,’ she grimaced. ‘Adam, I can’t eat that,’ she protested as he liberally buttered a slice of toast for her.

  ‘Then I’ll feed you,’ he told her throatily, holding the toast temptingly in front of her mouth.

  ‘Something else lovers do?’ she rasped irritably.

  ‘All the time,’ he grinned.

  The toast looked so delicious after the strict diet she had kept herself on the last few months. She closed her eyes so as not to be tempted, although the smell tormented her. ‘I’ve only just given away all my size fourteen clothes to charity,’ she pleaded raggedly.

  ‘So I’ll buy you some new ones,’ he dismissed.

  Her lids flew open at the arrogant statement. ‘You most certainly will not!’

  ‘Independent as well as fiery,’ Adam smiled at her. ‘Eat, Leonie.’ The smile didn’t leave his face but his tone was firm.

  With an irritated glare in his direction she took a bite out of the slice of toast, savouring every morsel; it seemed so long since she had allowed herself the luxury of butter, only keeping it in the refrigerator for guests. But after tasting the toast oozing with butter it was all too easy to eat the fluffy eggs and drink the sweet syrupy coffee.

  She frowned as Adam ate his own eggs. ‘Why didn’t she provide you with breakfast?’ she mocked.

  ‘She?’

  ‘The woman you spent the weekend with.’

  ‘Ah, that she,’ he nodded, lifting one of her hands to lace her fingers with his. ‘I spent the weekend in business meetings, Leonie,’ he told her reproachfully.

  ‘That�
�s a new name for it!’ She glared at him as he refused to release her hand.

  He smiled his appreciation of her humour. ‘Would it bother you if I had spent the weekend with another woman?’

  ‘Would it bother you if I had spent the weekend with another man?’

  ‘Like a knife being twisted inside me,’ he answered without hesitation.

  Leonie gasped, meeting his steady gaze. ‘Did you really spend the weekend working?’ she asked uncertainly.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘So that I had time to spare this week to concentrate on my reluctant lover,’ he teased.

  ‘And did you spend the weekend alone?’

  ‘My personal assistant—’

  ‘Ah.’

  ‘Jeremy,’ he finished pointedly. ‘Accompanied me.’

  ‘I see,’ she chewed on her bottom lip. ‘I spent the weekend alone too.’

  ‘I know,’ he nodded, standing up to clear away the debris from their meal before shrugging back into his waistcoat and jacket.

  Leonie glared at him. ‘If you’re still having me followed—’

  ‘I’m not.’ He held out her own jacket for her.

  She shoved her arms into the sleeves, turning to frown at him angrily. ‘Then how did you know I spent the weekend alone?’

  He grinned. ‘Harvey told me.’

  ‘Adam!’ she warned tightly.

  He bundled her out of the door. ‘The only man you’ve been seeing since we separated is David Stevenson, and he mentioned at lunch on Friday that he was going away this weekend.’

  ‘Oh.’ She looked at him resentfully as they emerged out into the street, the BMW parked behind her orange, and rusty, VW. The difference in their cars seemed to echo the difference in themselves, Adam a man of caviar and fresh salmon, Leonie fish and chips and McDonalds. ‘I’ll meet you at your office,’ she told him abruptly.

  ‘Leonie?’ he probed her sudden withdrawal even from arguing with him, frowning heavily.

  ‘We’re already late, Adam,’ she sighed wearily. ‘And my car isn’t the most reliable of machines.’ She unlocked the door.

  ‘Is that yours?’ excitement tinged Adam’s voice as he walked over to the VW, touching one fender almost reverently. ‘I used to have one exactly like it. I kept it until it just about disintegrated on me,’ he chuckled reminiscently. ‘You’re lucky to have found one in such good condition.’

  ‘Adam, the car is ten years old! And when did you ever have an old jalopy like this?’ she scorned.

  ‘When I was at college. Dad wanted me to buy something more prestigious,’ he recalled dryly. ‘But I’d worked in a bar in the evenings to buy my VW, I wasn’t giving it up for anyone.’

  He knew exactly how she felt about this rusty old car! He had given her the Porsche during their marriage, and there could be no doubting that it was a fantastic car, but even though she moaned and groaned about the unreliability of the VW she wouldn’t exchange it for the Porsche at any price, had worked hard to buy this car for herself. And Adam knew how she felt. Why couldn’t he do something, anything, so that she could dislike him once more!

  ‘I’ll meet you at your office,’ she repeated lightly, climbing into her car.

  With a shrug of his broad shoulders Adam strolled back to the BMW, sitting inside the car as he waited for life to spark in her engine. As usual the VW played up, and Leonie was hot with embarrassment by the time the engine roared into life, instantly stalling it and having to start the process all over again.

  Mrs Carlson’s brows rose questioningly as they entered the top-floor suite together, and Leonie blushed at what the other woman must be thinking about them; she had last seen them going to lunch together on Friday. She felt sure the secretary imagined they had spent the weekend together!

  ‘Mr Spencer is waiting for you in your office,’ she informed Adam coolly, obviously disapproving of the relationship between her boss and an employee, albeit an indirect employee.

  ‘Thanks, Stella,’ Adam dismissed. ‘Could you bring in coffee for three?’ he requested arrogantly as he ushered Leonie into his office.

  A young man stood up at their entrance, his smile warm and friendly as he looked at Adam, cooling slightly as his gaze passed to Leonie, looking her over critically.

  Leonie did some ‘looking over’ herself! The slightly overlong blond hair was deliberately styled that way, she felt sure, the face too good looking to be called handsome, his body slender, wearing the cream suit and brown shirt well, his hands long and thin, the nails kept short—and manicured.

  Adam met her questioning gaze with suppressed humour. ‘Leonie, this is Jeremy Spencer, my Personal Assistant,’ he introduced softly. ‘Jeremy, this is Leonie Grant, the young lady who is going to transform these offices into something approaching comfort.’

  Leonie was aware of his amused gaze on them as she and Jeremy continued to eye each other critically.

  ‘Miss Grant,’ Jeremy Spencer made no attempt to shake hands with her. ‘I hope you won’t attempt to change the decor too much, I think this is exactly Adam already.’

  She looked around the austere room, knowing that it needed light, that perhaps it would have suited the man she had been married to, but not the Adam she now knew, not the Adam that was her lover. ‘It is very—masculine,’ she agreed.

  Jeremy Spencer turned back to Adam. ‘I brought these contracts in for you to sign.’

  Leonie was ignored by both men during the next few minutes as they discussed the contract that had obviously been decided upon during the weekend, unable to resist making a comparison between them as they bent over the desk. Jeremy Spencer didn’t attract her at all!

  He nodded to her abruptly when it came time for him to leave, and Leonie had trouble holding in her laughter until the door had closed behind him. ‘Really, Adam,’ she finally spluttered with laughter. ‘What on earth made you employ him?’

  Adam shrugged dismissively. ‘He’s harmless. Now come over here, we haven’t had our morning kiss yet,’ he invited huskily.

  ‘Were we supposed to have one?’ she delayed mockingly.

  ‘But of course.’ He strolled over to her, his arms about her waist as he moulded her body to his. ‘After a weekend apart we shouldn’t be able to keep our hands off each other!’

  ‘Then how have we managed to?’ she taunted.

  ‘After the way you greeted me this morning I was afraid to touch you until I’d fed you!’

  ‘You aren’t afraid of anything,’ she scorned. ‘You never have been.’

  ‘I’m afraid that if you don’t kiss me I’m going to burn up with wanting you,’ he groaned.

  Her breath caught in her throat, her head tilted back to receive his kiss, her lips parting beneath his, her arms moving about his waist beneath his jacket. He felt warm and solid, his smooth jaw smelling faintly of limes.

  ‘Adam, I forgot—Oh.’ An astounded Jeremy Spencer stood in the doorway, staring at them in disbelief.

  ‘Yes, Jeremy, what is it?’ Adam’s voice was terse as he kept Leonie in his arms, the evidence of his arousal pressed against her.

  ‘I—er—I forgot to get your signature on these letters.’ Jeremy ignored Leonie as he placed the letters on the desk for Adam. ‘I had no idea I was interrupting—something,’ he added.

  Adam eyed him warningly. ‘Nothing that can’t be continued after you’ve gone,’ he dismissed. ‘I’ll sign the letters later,’ he drawled as the younger man made a hasty departure.

  ‘You’ve shocked him,’ Leonie reproved.

  Adam scowled. ‘That’s nothing to what he just did to me!’

  She laughed softly at his obvious discomfort. ‘You’ll get over it.’

  ‘Maybe—for a while,’ he added warningly. ‘But it will only be a delay, Leonie, not a reprieve.’

  She blushed at the promise behind the words. ‘Isn’t it time we got down to business, I do have other clients besides you, you know.’

  ‘None that can’t w
ait,’ he announced raggedly. ‘I have no intention of discussing anything until I’ve received a proper good-morning kiss, with a certain amount of feeling.’

  ‘That’s blackmail,’ she protested.

  Adam grinned. ‘Terrible, isn’t it?’ He didn’t sound in the least repentant.

  ‘Both lovers have the same physical power,’ she warned as she moved into his arms, she the one to initiate the kiss this time, moving her mouth erotically against his, feeling the accelerated thud of his heart beneath her hand, moving sensuously against him as he groaned low in his throat, squirming away from him as he would have caressed her breasts. ‘Good morning, Adam,’ she greeted throatily.

  He let out a ragged breath. ‘That was with a “certain amount of feeling” all right,’ he said ruefully.

  She smiled. ‘I thought so.’

  His eyes narrowed. ‘Enjoyed it, did you?’

  She was well aware of how aroused he was. ‘Immensely,’ she nodded.

  ‘Hm,’ he muttered. ‘Let’s get down to the business of choosing the decor for this office.’

  Leonie worked happily at his side for the remainder of the morning, a satisfied smile to her lips for the whole of the hour it took him to put his desire from his mind—and body; meeting his scowls with a bright smile.

  The decisions made about colours and fabrics she had to get back to her office and begin the ordering and arranging, the part Leonie liked the best—apart from the finished result, of course.

  ‘Lunch, I think,’ Adam stood up decisively as she packed away her sample books.

  She frowned. ‘I hope I haven’t delayed you.’ It was after one o’clock.

  ‘I meant lunch for both of us,’ he pulled on his jacket. ‘Together,’ he added pointedly.

  ‘Oh I don’t usually bother with lunch—’

  ‘I’m fattening you up, remember.’ He closed her briefcase and picked it up, taking hold of her arm with the other hand.

  ‘I’m still full up from breakfast,’ she protested as he marched her out to the lift, blushing as she realised Mrs Carlson had heard her protest. ‘Now she must have completely the wrong idea about us,’ she muttered crossly as they went downstairs.