‘Lauri!’ Laurence was shocked. ‘You’re wrong about that.’
‘Am I?’ she asked Alex shrilly. ‘Well, am I?’ she demanded.
His eyes were like an icy blue ocean, cold and forbidding. He shrugged. ‘Maybe not so far wrong.’
‘You see?’ she said bitterly, whatever hope she had had left crumbling at her feet. ‘But it didn’t work.’
‘We were interrupted during my seduction of her,’ Alex informed the older man carelessly.
Laurence’s eyes widened. ‘Alex, it isn’t true! You told me—’
‘The first part of it is true,’ Alex admitted cruelly. ‘I’m not sure I would have cared a damn about revenge on you if I’d managed to get Lauren into bed.’
‘I hate you!’ she told him vehemently.
He shrugged at Laurence. ‘As you can see, my plan failed.’
Laurence frowned. ‘Alex? I thought you said—’
‘Forget what I said,’ he dismissed. ‘Lauren’s version is so much better than mine, don’t you think, so much neater.’
‘No, I don’t,’ Laurence snapped.
‘Well, it’s the one we’ll all have to settle for right now,’ Alex told him abruptly. ‘There’s something else of more importance to deal with at the moment. Are you aware of the fact that your beloved Jane is even now on the point of becoming engaged to another man?’
‘Because she was once hurt so badly that the only thing she requires from a husband is that he be safe and reliable and will never let her down,’ Lauri told them coldly.
Laurence’s eyes darkened with pain. ‘Is that what she said?’
‘Yes,’ she answered cruelly.
He drew a ragged breath. ‘God, I must have almost destroyed her!’
‘We have to concern ourselves with the present,’ Alex told him firmly. ‘If nothing else the two of you owe it to each other to meet—and preferably before the engagement takes place.’
Lauri gave him a hard stare. ‘You don’t expect Jane—my mother,’ she amended shakily, ‘you don’t expect her to still love him?’
‘None of us can know how she feels,’ he snapped. ‘That’s why we have to get her here. Laurence is hardly in any condition to go to her. I’ll go and get her.’
Lauri gave a scornful smile. ‘You may have got me here on a pretext, but I doubt Jane will be so easily persuaded to leave her own engagement party.’
‘We’ll see, shall we?’ he taunted.
‘We certainly will,’ she said smugly.
‘I shouldn’t be long, Laurence,’ he assured the other man, standing up and in consequence letting Lauri’s hand drop to her side. ‘Don’t worry, she’ll be here.’
‘Huh!’ Lauri scoffed.
His narrowed blue eyes levelled on her. ‘As for you, young lady, while I’m prepared to overlook—certain things you do and say, when all this is over you and I have a few things to discuss.’
‘I can’t think of a single thing we have to talk about!’
He smiled. ‘Maybe not, but I can. So be warned.’
She turned away. ‘You can’t force me to even acknowledge your existence.’
‘Oh, I can force you to acknowledge a damn sight more than that—any time I choose to. I just don’t choose to just yet. I shouldn’t be long, Laurence,’ he added determinedly.