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again, 'but I don't have the time. We'll leave it until I get back. Have you seen
this boy Nigel again?' he asked sternly.
'N-Nigel?' Farrah was still dazed and shaken from their lovemaking. She had
allowed Joel to touch her as no one else had ever done, and yet it had felt
right, oh, so deliciously right.
'In that case, you haven't. Don't, Farrah. I'll rip him apart if he dares to come
near you. I mean it, Farrah.'
And miraculously she knew he did. And this was the man who had professed
never to feel possessive about any woman. Her smile was uncertain, a new
hopeful feeling invaded her every thought. 'You don't need to worry in that
direction,' she told him. 'Nigel bowed out of my life in a most gentlemanly
fashion. He considered the competition too strong, namely you.'
'Good,' he said with a certain amount of satisfaction. 'Let's keep it that way.'
He stood up, watching her with passionately sleepy eyes as she straightened
her clothing, before walking over to the intercom. 'Yes?' he said tersely, his
eyes still on Farrah.
'I have Miss Bennett on the line, Mr Falcone,' Cathy said breathlessly. 'I
wouldn't have er interrupted, but Miss Bennett seemed very insistent.
She said the matter was urgent.'
Joel's mouth twisted with mocking humour. 'Everything seems urgent to
Laura, Cathy, you should know that. Put her through in exactly one minute.'
'Yes, sir.'
He turned to Farrah, his smile for her alone, the look in his eyes enough to
turn her legs to jelly. 'I wonder if Laura realised just what she interrupted,' he
teased. 'You're adorable, do you know that? And we'll have to continue
this conversation, when I return. Don't forget where it was interrupted.'
CHAPTER NINE
'So lover-boy has gone back to America,' commented her father.
They had just eaten their dinner the day after she and Joel had parted, and
Farrah had eaten sparingly, her thoughts all of Joel and his return.
'Yes,' she said miserably, wishing with all her heart that it wasn't true.
'Did you see him for lunch before he left?' her father continued.
'For lunch?' she asked vaguely.
'Mmm, I thought that as you didn't see him last night perhaps you met him
for lunch today as you sometimes do. Or is this friendship coming to an
end?" His eyes lit up hopefully.
'No no!' she said jerkily. 'What makes you think Joel left this afternoon?'
'The airline ticket requested dated for today. You can't keep much a secret in
a big place like Falcone's. He left on the three o'clock flight.'
Joel had left today! So why had he said goodbye to her yesterday? More to
the point, who had he been with last night? 'He I--We said goodbye in the
morning.' And it wasn't a lie, except that it had been yesterday morning!
'I see. I had hoped that perhaps this separation would be a permanent thing.'
'It could be, Daddy.' She stood up with jerky movements, intent only on
making her escape to the privacy of her bedroom. 'This separation will show
if our feelings are of the lasting kind, won't it? I er I think I'll go to my
room and read for a while.'
'All right, love. But you're not to mope about your room while Falcone's out
of the country,' he warned. 'How can you give yourself a fair chance of
forgetting about him if you stay in your room thinking about him all the
time?'
'I didn't say I intended intentionally forgetting him. Daddy.' Forget Joel?
Impossible! 'This is just a test.'
'Hmph,' mumbled her father. 'Fellow's not good enough for you. Dragging
your name through the papers. Selfish, that's what he is, thinking only of
himself and ' he looked at her sharply. 'Farrah, you haven't the two of you
haven't--'
'No, we haven't,' she said firmly, thanking God it was true, it could so easily
have been otherwise. 'I can look after myself, Daddy.'
'Not with his sort you can't, you just aren't in his league when it comes to
things like that. I should think he's lost count of the women who have shared
his bed.'
'Well, I'm not one of them!' Farrah snapped, and then looked instantly
contrite as she saw her father's hurt look. 'I'm sorry, Daddy. It's just that--'
He put a hand over hers understandingly. 'It's all right, love, no need to
apologise. I shouldn't be interfering.'
'You're not interfering, you're just concerned, I know that. But I I'm not
sure how this relationship with Joel is going to end, or when. I'm all
confused at the moment.'
'I realise that, love, and my going on at you isn't going to help. Off you go to
your room, I won't mention him again until you feel like talking about him.'
'Okay, Daddy.'
The telephone rang in the hallway as she walked past and she picked it up,
reciting their number. 'Far-rah Halliday speaking,' she added.
'It's Nigel, Farrah. I wondered if you felt like coming out for a drink tonight?'
'Tonight? But I--'
'You aren't going out somewhere else, are you? Mr Falcone's away, isn't he?'
'Yes, he is, but what difference does that make?'
'Well, I thought that as he's away  '
'Yes? Just what did you think? That while the cat's away the little mouse will
play?' she bit out at him angrily.
'Don't be silly, Farrah. As a friend, I thought you might be lonely. Forgive
me if I presumed too much,' he added sarcastically, his voice chilling into
anger, and Farrah knew she had hurt him deeply. He had only been trying to
be nice, and anger was how she repaid him.
'I'm sorry, Nigel,' she gave a choked laugh. 'It seems to be my evening for
snapping at people. I've just bitten poor Daddy's head off. Now what did you
say about a drink?'
Half an hour later she and Nigel were firmly ensconced in a secluded corner
of a little tavern they had often frequented during their three-month
friendship. Farrah felt more relaxed with him than she ever did with Joel,
and yet there was none of that tense excitement she always felt in Joel's
company. Nigel was nice, and lots of fun, but she knew now that wasn't
enough to evoke love. No, love came unbidden, and unwanted; and in
completely the wrong direction, like her love for Joel.
'How's your father now?' Nigel took a huge gulp of his beer. 'Is he back at
work?'
'Hmm, and loving it.'
'Has he got over the worry he had?' Nigel watched closely for her reaction.
Farrah evaded his eyes, her expression remaining calm with effort. She
hadn't mentioned anything to him about the trouble they were having!
'Daddy's fine,' she answered tremulously. 'He was just ill after Mummy's
death, we were both depressed, that's only natural. They were very much in
love.'
'I know, Farrah. But your dad told me he had something else on his mind,
some worry at work. Is that all sorted out now?'
'Yes, I guess so. I he hasn't said anything, so I suppose it must be.'
'You're keeping something back, Farrah. Your father had something really
big on his mind, something to do with Falcone's. Now I've been putting two
and two together, and I& '
'You've made five,' she derided. 'People usually do when they let their
imagination run riot. Whatever it was that Daddy was upset about he's all
right now.' [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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