‘Wh-where are you taking me?’
‘To my suite,’ he snapped. ‘I have to answer that telephone call, remember?’
‘From your publisher,’ she scorned.
‘Yes,’ he sighed.
‘And I thought you were just an employee like me,’ she replied disgustedly.
His gaze raked over her coldly. ‘I still have to work for my living.’
‘But you’re rich enough not to.’
‘I may be.’ He pushed open the doors and marched her down the corridor to his suite, throwing open the door and ushering her inside. Then he locked the door after him, putting the key in his pocket. ‘Now wait there while I take this call.’ He went into what she presumed to be a bedroom.
Stacy wandered into the lounge, aware of the luxury all around her. This was nothing like the tiny bedroom and bathroom she shared with Juliet, the luxurious leather sofa and armchairs and fitted deep pile carpet only part of what she thought must be a four or five-room suite.
She was out on the balcony when Jake came out of the bedroom, the view of the hotel garden and grounds much better than the car park she had. She turned as he came to stand beside her. ‘Would you mind unlocking the door now? I want to go and shower the salt out of my hair and off my body.’
‘And I want you to listen to what I have to say,’ he said, as if that ended the argument. ‘Come inside, we can talk better in there.’
She brushed past him, her mouth set mutinously. ‘And just what did you want to tell me? That from time to time you like to pretend you’re someone else? Perhaps you were even using me as research for your next book? I hope I proved suitable!’
‘Stacy—’
‘Yes, Mr Weston?’ she said shrilly. ‘What can I do for you, sir? I suppose I should call you that. After all, it’s because of your influence that I still have a job.’
‘You’re right for the part of Kate,’ he said impatiently. ‘I wasn’t going to let Payne ruin the film just because of a whim of Paul Forbes to get you into his bed.’
‘So you decided to try and get me into your own bed! Even Paul Forbes wouldn’t argue with you about it, he knows better. And the man I thought was Jake Weston last night, who was he?’
‘Brad Delmain, a friend of mine.’
Her mouth turned back. ‘How convenient that he shou
ld exactly fit my picture of you!’
‘That was purely coincidental,’ he assured her.
‘I’m sure it was—and the joke was on me.’
‘I didn’t deliberately set out to deceive you,’ he told her coldly. ‘You thought I was an employee of Jake Weston and I—’
‘You thought it would be amusing to let me go on thinking that,’ she finished bitterly. ‘I’m only sorry that poor boy innocently ruined your little game for you, because I can assure you that you aren’t going to play any more tricks on me. You’re worse than Paul Forbes as far as I’m concerned—at least he was completely honest about what he wanted.’
‘I only wanted—’
‘You wanted to find out how we lesser mortals live,’ she spat at him. ‘Only you got found out too soon.’
‘Shut up, Stacy!’ he snapped.
‘I will not!’ she said furiously. ‘I only hope your research was worth it, Mr Weston. I look forward to seeing your next book, I may even have a major role in it.’
‘You won’t,’ he said abruptly.
‘Then you did get found out too soon. No wonder you said I was completely natural with you. I might not have been if I’d known who you really were.’
He looked at her through narrowed eyes. ‘I haven’t particularly noticed any difference in your attitude,’ he pointed out dryly. ‘Your temper still seems to be as heated.’