Free Dark Paradise by Sara Craven

exactly do you mean?'
    She swallowed, 'I didn't expect—this.' She gestured around her.
    'Don't you like the room?'
    'I—I expected one of my own.'
    'You did?' He shook his head slowly. 'That wasn't in the deal.'
    Her lips felt dry, and she moistened them with the tip of her tongue. 'About that…'
    'Yes?' His shirt joined his jacket and tie on the bed. Hands on hips, he watched her. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes held the same steely coldness which had startled her down in the foyer. 'What about it?'
    Kate lifted her chin. 'I think you know already,' she said.
    'That you intend to renege on our bargain?' His voice was cool and contemptuous. 'Yes, of course I know. You could hardly have made your intentions more obvious.'
    'Oh?' She looked at him warily. 'I don't know how…'
    'Your performance so far hasn't been particularly impressive,' he said evenly. 'Or did you think I was so eaten up with my own sexual conceit that I would simply accept it at its face value? No, darling, you didn't fool me for a moment. I knew quite well I was being set up, and why.'
    It annoyed her to think he had found her so transparent, but she didn't see how else she could have behaved.
    'Then we know where we stand,' she said. She held out her hand. 'If you'll give me my case, I'll go down to the desk and see about another room.'
    'Save yourself a trip,' he said. 'There are no other rooms.'
    'Oh,' Kate said uncertainly. She paused. 'But there'll be other hotels.'
    'Plenty of them,' he agreed. 'But you're going nowhere—at least not tonight. Tomorrow you're flying to St Antoine with me, just as we arranged.'
    She said hotly, 'I'll do nothing of the sort! You must be mad if you think…'
    'You haven't the least idea what I think,' Matt Lincoln said with icy emphasis. 'All you did was make some wild assumptions, and I decided to let you.' He walked towards her, and Kate shrank. He noticed the swift, instinctive movement and his face hardened, but he made no attempt to touch her as she had been dreading. There was a chair near the window, made from bamboo and deeply cushioned, and he dragged it forward. 'Sit,' he told her briefly. 'And listen.'
    'I'd rather stand,' Kate said defiantly.
    'I'm not interested in your preferences,' he said flatly. 'Sit!'
    There was something in his face which prompted obedience. Kate sat, glaring at him.
    He gave her a faint smile. 'You've learned your first lesson, darling. And now I'll tell you why you're here, and why you're staying, and it has nothing to do with my unbridled lust for your undoubtedly delectable body.'
    The note in his voice made her cringe inwardly. She wanted to tell him she wasn't going to remain there and be insulted, but it sounded absurd, a comedy line, and this wasn't funny at all. She'd never felt less like laughing in her life, and this whole humiliating situation was entirely of her own creation, which made it even worse.
    He said, 'I'm going to St Antoine to work, but it's not a thing I want generally known. So—you're my cover story. For anyone who wants to know, I'm in St Antoine to enjoy the sun, and a romantic interlude with my new lady.' He paused. 'That's your role, and I expect you to be rather more convincing in it than you've been so far.'
    She stared at him, her eyes widening. 'You expect me to pretend that—that I'm in love with you?' she demanded huskily.
    His mouth twisted mockingly. 'I think that's straining credibility, don't you? A state of mutual physical enrapturement might be easier to aim for, perhaps.'
    Kate swallowed. 'I'm glad you think so.'
    He said gently, 'I hope you'll think so too. Play the part as I've written it, and you'll have nothing whatever to fear from me. Is that clear?'
    'And if I won't?'
    He shrugged, his face hardening again. 'Then we'll play it for real.' His gaze stripped her. 'It would be no hardship, believe me.'
    She said hoarsely, 'If you're prepared to use force, how do I know I can trust you?'
    'You don't,' he told her laconically.