Page 14 of Wife for a Week

‘I’ll keep that in mind,’ she said. ‘Right now I’m more interested in these vases.’

‘Madam does realize that these vases are not for flowers.’

‘I know. They’re funeral vases.’

‘Indeed so. They house the ashes of our beloved deceased.’

Yes, they did. And the one in the front window was perfect for a certain pretend husband whose postcoital sensitivity was non-existent! Nick wanted a vase. She wanted his money gone. Definitely a win-win situation. ‘Would I be able to take a closer look at the one in the window?’

‘It’s very expensive, Madam.’

‘I suspected as much,’ she said smoothly. Not exactly salesman of the year, this one. She waited. So did he.

Finally he moved to the window, retrieved the vase and placed it carefully on the counter in front of her. She wanted her magnifying glass, contented herself with examining the vase inside and out. Definitely a collector’s item.

‘No refunds,’ he said. ‘Madam has to be very sure.’

‘I’m sure.’ She’d found what she was looking for, the tiny mark of a renowned dynasty craftsman. She wondered if the salesman knew what he had. ‘How much?’

He named a price that made her gasp. He knew.

But the value was still there. The vase was in immaculate condition. It was even functional. Besides, it appealed to her sense of humour. She looked up at the salesman and gave him a wicked smile. ‘It’s for my husband. He deserves it.’

This time the salesman smiled back. ‘And your husband’s name?’ He whipped a Palm pilot from his pocket, far more co-operative now that he had the sale.

She gave him Nick’s name, the Teys’ address, and all the cash Nick had given her that morning and then some.

‘Do you have a picture of your husband?’

It was a strange question, thought Hallie. And no, she didn’t.

‘No matter, we will take care of it.’ The salesman handed her the receipt. ‘When would you like the vase delivered?’

‘Today?’ Hallie figured they probably didn’t pack dynasty vases to go.

‘Not possible, Madam.’ The salesman was shaking his head regretfully.

‘Well, I definitely need it before the New Year. Can you do that?’ she asked him anxiously.

‘Certainly,’ said the salesman. ‘That we can do. We are not slow like some.’ His smile was charmingly crooked. ‘We are professionals.’

Nick returned to his room just on five-thirty that afternoon to find Hallie fast asleep on the bed, clothes on, shoes off, and pillows everywhere. You could tell a lot about a person by the way they slept, thought Nick. Those who slept curled and guarded were careful, guarded people. Those who slept tidily and peacefully could generally be counted on to be the same awake. It was the sprawlers you had to worry about, and Hallie Bennett was most definitely a sprawler. A Titian-haired dryad, who even in her sleep had the ability to charm him with her vulnerability even as she overwhelmed him with her fearlessness. It was a wicked combination. Apply it to lovemaking and it was deadly. No wonder a man couldn’t think straight afterwards. No wonder he’d botched his retreat and thrown money at her not two minutes later. He’d hurt her. He knew he had. And deeply regretted doing so.

Turning away, he loosened his tie and the top button of his shirt, saw the jug of water on the sideboard and poured himself a glass. He didn’t need this. Didn’t need Hallie dominating his thoughts in the middle of complex negotiations so that instead of thinking profit margins he was thinking of ways to apologize and put the warmth back in her eyes and in her smile when she looked at him.

Not that he’d come up with a solution that didn’t leave him exposed and vulnerable, which meant that he hadn’t come up with a solution at all.

‘Hey,’ said a sleepy voice from the bed. ‘How’s business?’

Nick turned to face her warily. ‘Fast.’ He was expecting coolness from her, didn’t find it, so he told her more. ‘John wants negotiations settled by Chinese New Year. Apparently if they drag on too long it could signal the start of an inauspicious year and we wouldn’t want that.’

‘Absolutely not.’ Hallie smiled and sat up on the edge of the bed looking tousled and inviting. ‘Is it doable?’

‘John has a team working on it. From his perspective it is. From my side of things there’s just me and an inch of fine print in two languages to wade through, and that’s after we finalize the conditions.’ She looked concerned, then thoughtful. He hadn’t meant to tell her that much, didn’t know why he had other than that she was a good listener when she wanted to be. ‘It’s doable,’ he said with a shrug. ‘How was your day?’

‘Fun,’ she said with a smile. ‘I got your vase. It’s being delivered. We also went sightseeing and did a great deal of eating. Oh, and I have something to tell you about Jasmine too. She only tried to seduce you because she saw you as an escape route from her father’s over-protectiveness. I don’t think we have to worry about her broken heart.’

Great, just great, all this subterfuge for nothing. Women! Nick scowled. Here he’d been trying to protect Jasmine from heartbreak and she’d been trying to use him.

‘What?’ said Hallie. ‘I thought you’d be pleased.’

‘I am.’ He was. But between Hallie’s blithe acceptance of his no-more-sex rule and Jasmine’s ulterior motive for trying to seduce him, he was beginning to feel thoroughly under-appreciated. ‘John’s invited us out to dinner this evening,’ he said by way of changing the subject before his ego was battered beyond repair.

‘What time?’

‘Seven.’

She glanced at the clock on the sideboard. ‘Excellent. Enough time for a catnap. A person could really get used to this afternoon dozing caper.’ She snagged a pillow and lay back down haphazardly. Her eyes drifted closed.

Nick couldn’t move, wouldn’t, for fear his feet would take him towards the bed and all this morning’s rule-making would be for nothing. ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked huskily and cursed himself the moment the words left his lips. He knew what that question was about, knew exactly where it was heading. He wanted to know if she was physically able to take him again.

She came up onto one elbow in a single, fluid movement and fixed him with those glorious golden eyes. ‘Are we talking mentally or physically?’

‘Both.’

But Nick’s dark, searing gaze slid from her face to her breasts and Hallie just knew what lay behind his question. ‘You want me,’ she breathed. ‘You want to make love to me again!’

‘No, I don’t!’

Oh, yes, he did! And the knowledge that he did was downright empowering. She smiled slowly, arched back so that the thin silk of her shirt stretched taut across her breasts and had the satisfaction of seeing him pale.

‘Stop that,’ he ordered.

Her smile widened. ‘You’re absolutely right. Mustn’t forget the rules.’ She slid from the bed and sashayed towards the window with newfound confidence. ‘You think anyone behind those windows over there in the distance would have a pair of binoculars?’ she said. ‘Because I thought I saw a glint of sunlight off something.’

‘I didn’t see anything,’ he said.

That was because he’d been too busy watching her. ‘Could have been a telescope, I guess. Or a camera.’ She turned slowly, every move a subtle challenge. ‘That’s the trouble with a city this size. There’s always someone watching.’

‘We do not have an audience,’ he said firmly.

‘That you know of,’ she corrected with a wicked grin. ‘Better close the curtains just in case. Because if there was someone over there watching, they’d have an awfully good view of the bed.’ Nick glanced at the bed at her words and Hallie thought she heard him mutter something beneath his breath. It didn’t sound like a curse. Maybe he was praying.

‘I’m going to shower before dinner,’ he said doggedly. ‘And I’m taking my clothes in with me.’

What, no parading that glorious body of his around in a towel? Spoilsport. ‘Go.’ Hallie waved him away. ‘I’ve already showered. All I have to do is change clothes and I’m ready for dinner. I’ll do it while you’re in the bathroom. And I’ll cut you a break and head on out to the terrace after that. Wouldn’t want you breaking any more rules.’ She tried hard not to smirk as he collected up fresh clothes and disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind him with far more force than was strictly necessary.

He wanted her. Nick Cooper, womanizer extraordinaire, wanted her, no matter what he’d said this morning. And, heaven help them both, she wanted him.

With distance came rational thought. Hallie stood on the terrace and looked out over the immaculately groomed gardens, then up at the clouds gathering in the sky, and thought about the situation sensibly. The heady recklessness that had come with the knowledge that Nick wanted her had settled and reality had swooped down on her like a cloak. Nick didn’t want to want her. He couldn’t afford the distraction; he’d told her that from the start. Hence their deal, their rules, and the ten thousand pounds he was paying her when the week was up. He was counting on her to stick to her side of the bargain.