Bryan was breathing heavily. He could not take what he had just heard. It would seem that the girl had gone ahead and done what he had asked her not to do before he left for Australia.
He remembered he had told her not to marry David before he got back else he was going to make sure that she regretted it.
'You are going away with David for Christmas', he said in what still seemed like a calm cool voice.
'Yes', she almost yelled, then closed her mouth on the rage mounting inside her. Who was he to judge her this way? She was not going to allow him get to her. Not again. But she could not sit still, she was too restless. She got up, gathered some folders and walked to the filing cabinet in the other side of the room to put them in it but it was a mistake because his black eyes followed her and observed her every step, lingering on her freshly brushes auburn hair, the silt white shirt which clung to her breasts, the straight white jersey skirt which was a little too tight and emphasized the instinctive sway of her hips, the hemline white high, leaving her knees bare, her lower thighs, her long slender black stockinged legs.
She had never been so conscious of her body. She was having difficulty moving, breathing, thinking. She leaned weakly against the filing cabinet and began putting the files away with hands that trembled.
'You have been busy while I was away, haven't you?' Bryan bit out.
She pretended to believe that he was referring to the bank.' You heard what successes we have made with most of the projects we were handling before you left? David will tell you all about it when you talk to him later'.
'Will he tell me about you and him, too?'
Blindly, she reached for another file and slide it into the cabinet and suddenly, Bryan was standing close to her
She jumped, looking up in alarm. His eyes were black coals, angrily smouldering.
'Are you sleeping with him?'
'If I am, it's none of your business!'
'Look at me when you tell me that!' his hand shot out, caught her upper arm and pulled her round to face him.
Her green eyes frightened but defiant looked at him briefly and then quickly looked away, unable to hold his brooding stare.
'Let go of my arm'
He relaxed his grip on her but did not let her go, instead he began to slide down her arm. She felt the heat of his body through the thin silt of her shirt sleeve. Then his fingers touched her wrists and started caressing her pale skin which was in such contrast against his own tanned body, making the very hairs on her flesh prickle and tremble in response to him.
'You aren't going away with him', he said brusquely. ' I like David. I have become fond of him and I realise that you are fond of him too but you are not in love with him, Sharon. You never have been. For goodness sake, the man is a burnt out case. I'd say ever since he crashed his car and killed his wife, he had been half alive. There is no vitality in him and you are a very vital woman. You need a man to light your fire, not put it out'.
'You know nothing about what I need', she muttered, her eyes down but unable to stop looking at him through her lashes.
'Oh yes I do, Sharon, you know I do', he said, his voice deep and hot with excitement and she began quivering violently, her body vibrating to the tone of his voice.
From across the room, she had felt the power of his body, at close quarters, it drew her like a magnet as the moon drew the tides from the dark face of the globe.
She suddenly had a vision of him naked as he had been that night in Rome. The smooth cool skin of his muscled shoulder, the power of his chest, the way his rough dark hair curled down his body, his skim hips, the curl of dark hair that grew where his thighs began. A rush of hot desire rose inside her blocking out anything else in her mind.
It seemed an eternity since she last saw him but he had never been out of her mind in all that time. She had dreamt about him, fantasized about him day and night and now he was here and she could touch her anywhere if she wanted to but she wouldn't let herself be that crazy. She had succumbed to this sensual craving once and had regretted it ever since. She wouldn't do it again.
'Why don't you leave me alone?' she muttered trying to slide pass him but his hands closed on him like an iron bracelet, jerking her towards him.
'Don't '. She said fallen against him and putting up her hands to push him away, his arm came round her, making an unbreakable bar around her back. Her green eyes grew wild and desperate.
'I don't believe you've slept with David', he said fiercely. You aren't in love with him - we proved that in Rome, didn't we? If you were in love with David, you wouldn't want me!'
'I don't!' she said hoarsely.
'Do I have to prove it all over again, do I?' Bryan said looking at her knowingly. 'It shows on your face, you know'.
He put his head down suddenly and she gave a strangled cry as she felt his mouth on her throat, making her pulse beat out of control. 'And I can feel it here', he whispered against her skin. Her eyes shut and she could feel her legs give way under her. 'And here', his mouth travelling to kiss the pulse beating behind her ears. 'And here', he said, his mouth descending to the open lapels of her shirt, pushing between them to the pale cleft between her breasts to track down another wild drumbeat of yet another pulse.
She gave a helpless cry of passion, her head falling back, her hands clutching at him to keep her upright.
'David will never make you feel like that'. He told her and then lifted his head. Then she opened her eyes to find his dark eyes staring remorselessly observing what he had done to her, noting her hectic flush, the dazed brilliance of her eyes, her quick breathing. Sharon despised herself and almost hated him for being able to reduce her to this slavish level at a moment. Bitterly, she threw at him, 'But David makes me feel safe....'
There was another charged silence. Then his hands bit into her arms and he shook her angrily.
'Safety? Is that what you've convinced yourself that you need? Yes, I have no doubt that David could give you all the security in the world if it is money you are after and I suppose that is what you want? Wealth, social position... is that what really turns you on, Sharon?'
His sharp contemptuous tone was like a slap round the face. She couldn't even answer him. She felt so insulted.
'No answer?' Bryan snarled.'Well I can promise you that you will never feel safe while I am around, Sharon, whether you marry David or not, I'll make sure of that!' He left her office slamming the door as he left and Sharon sat down, held her face in her hands and cried because Bryan just did not understand and he was too arrogant to see that he was hurting her or maybe he just didn't care. How did she end up in this mess? And how had he succeeded in making her his slave? A slave to his passions and a prisoner in love with him?