‘Does that also mean you won’t have dinner with me tonight if I ask you?’
‘Somewhere conveniently far away from the hotel—and anyone who might know you?’ she sneered.
‘I did have a quiet little Italian restaurant in mind,’ he agreed. ‘It’s—’
‘Spare me the details. I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t trust you.’
‘I’m not married, Stacy,’ he said with a sigh.
‘So you said.’ She refused to look at him.
‘Oh hell, Stacy! Why won’t you believe me?’
‘Can you think of any reason why I should?’
‘So you won’t come out to dinner with me?’
‘No,’ she shook her head. ‘But I thank you for today. Most of it was enjoyable.’
‘I’ll bet,’ he drawled. ‘You certainly are a temperamental little thing.’
‘Aren’t I just?’ she agreed sneeringly. ‘I warned you about making a fool of me.’
‘So you did,’ he acknowledged softly.
There didn’t seem to be much else to say, so they drove back to the hotel in silence, Stacy getting hurriedly out of the car, not waiting for Jake. But he soon caught up with her, so that they entered the hotel together.
‘Stacy,’ he said huskily. ‘Stacy, listen to me. I’m sorry about this afternoon. I should have told you, I suppose, it’s just that my marriage isn’t something I like to talk about.’
‘Well …’ she could feel herself weakening towards him, I—’
‘Mr Weston?’ A young page was coming through the reception area. ‘Mr Weston,’ he looked straight at Jake, ‘there’s an important telephone call from your publisher. He’s called three times today already.’
Jake nodded distantly. ‘Thank you. Have them transfer the call up to my suite in a couple of minutes.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Stacy gulped, waiting until the boy had left before speaking. ‘You’re Jake Weston?’
He took a deep breath. ‘I’m afraid so.’
CHAPTER FOUR
STACY gave him a furious look before turning on her heel and marching over to the lift. Jake Weston! He was Jake Weston! God, she was an idiot! She had been so convinced that Jake Weston would be fat, bald, and ugly that she hadn’t for one moment connected the lean, handsome Jake with him.
And he knew it, damn him! He had known of her mistake from their very first meeting, had overheard her conversation with Matthew and known of her error—and he had deliberately made a fool of her.
She felt herself wrenched round and looked up into the face of the man she now knew as Jake Weston. ‘Let go of me!’ she ground out angrily.
He refused to be shaken off. ‘It isn’t what you think, Stacy,’ he told her almost pleadingly. ‘Just let me explain.’
‘Explain what?’ her eyes flashed. ‘That you’ve been making a fool of me. Jake Weston indeed!’ she snapped with disgust. ‘And everyone else knew about it.’
‘There was nothing to know.’
‘Nothing to know?’ she spat at him. ‘I spend all of yesterday evening and today with the famous Jake Weston, and you say there was nothing to know!’ She gave a bitter laugh. ‘I think there’s plenty to know.’
‘Okay,’ he thrust her inside the lift. ‘You can come with me and I’ll tell you.’ He was angry too now.