Free Desperate Measures by Sara Craven

knowing that she was denied
    to him, so now he was turning instead to the girl he had made his
    partner in the most cynical marriage bargain of all time. Because she was female, after all, and available, and he could use her for an hour to two to find a temporary sexual oblivion. Because that was the most it could ever be, and she needed to remember it.
    And I, Philippa thought shakily, I might have allowed that. I
    might have let my curiosity lead me into a complete betrayal of myself and my principles. Because for me it might not have ended there. It
    might instead have been a beginning...
    Her mind closed, in rejection and fear.
    She heard herself saying softly and stonily, 'I wish to be left in
    peace, as you promised. I'm not a substitute for your mistress, Alain.'
    He was very still suddenly, looking at her, the laughter, the
    beguiling tenderness dying from his face.
    'I need no such reminder,' he said bleakly, at last. 'You hardly
    resemble her, after all.'
    She supposed the gibe was deserved, but pain lanced through
    her just the same. Last night, he had seemed to find her desirable, but compared with Marie-Laure's sensual, voluptuous beauty, she could
    see she had very little to offer, except perhaps a certain novelty value.
    'Before I leave you to your precious peace, my dear wife,' his
    voice stung, 'I should tell you the main reason I came here tonight was to inform you that I have telephoned the clinic, and your father's
    condition is stable. It is too soon to know whether the treatment is
    having any effect, but his doctors wish you to know they are
    optimistic'
    Philippa stared down at the carpet, her eyes blurring. She told
    herself it was a relief. 'Thank you.' Her tone was subdued.
    ' Pas du tout ,' Alain said too politely. 'It is useful, perhaps, to remember precisely why we are together at this moment. And also
    why it would be foolish to expect any more from each other than the
    terms of our agreement.'
    'Very foolish.' It was an effort to keep her voice steady.
    'So now we both know where we stand, madame .' His voice sent
    a shiver along the length of her spine. 'But understand this. Our
    bargain will be kept, and you will take care how you challenge me in
    future. I do not need any spoken vow to make you obey me, and I
    shall not hesitate to enforce your obedience, in the privacy of this
    room as well as in public, if I think it necessary. There is too much at stake.'
    Philippa leaned back against the dressing-table, her fingers
    gripping the carved edge, her heart slamming against her rib cage.
    She said thickly, 'I won't forget.'
    Alain sent her a swift, hard smile. 'Good. Then I wish you a
    pleasant night.'
    She watched him walk away from her across the room. Heard
    the door close behind him.
    No, she thought, she would not forget. She would never forget.
    She had been granted a temporary reprieve, that was all. Because
    there was no escape clause in the contract she'd made with Alain de
    Courcy. And she would have to live with the consequences. All of
    them.
    She stared across the room at the bed, and her whole body
    began to tremble.
    CHAPTER FIVE
    ZAK GORDANO stood back, hands on hips, head on one side. For a
    long moment he said nothing, and Philippa held her breath. Then he
    nodded.
    'That's not bad,' he said. 'It's not good either, but it's an
    improvement on anything you've produced so far.'
    Philippa's grin lit up the world. 'That,' she said, 'is the nicest
    thing anyone's ever said to me.'
    Zak raised bushy eyebrows. 'And you only married—what is it—a
    month ago?'
    'Six weeks,' Philippa corrected, her expression suddenly wooden.
    'So long?' Zak mocked. 'My God, no wonder the honeymoon's
    over and the pretty speeches are finished!'
    She had to smile in spite of herself. 'Yes—well, do you really
    think my work's getting better?'
    'Maybe.' Zak paused, fingering his beard, his dark eyes studying
    her closely. 'The thing I keep asking myself is—why do you want to do this? God knows you