Good at Games (18 page)

“So why did you keep them?” said Celeste.

Lucille shrugged. “It's hard to throw away something you've paid two hundred pounds for.”

Celeste, who had that afternoon thrown away a three hundred pound Voyage cardigan that had gone droopy around the neckline, said, “OK, but I don't understand why you just gave up. Why didn't you try again, find a better recording studio run by people who know what they're doing?”

And charge thousands of pounds rather than a measly couple of hundred, thought Lucille. She had sold her television, worked extra barmaiding shifts, and lived on boiled rice for a fortnight in order to scrape together that “measly” amount of money.

“I don't know,” she told Celeste. “I suppose I just couldn't be bothered.”

“Are you going to eat any more of that?” Maeve was gesturing toward Suzy's plate. “Or shall I bring in the pudding?”

Suzy barely noticed her plate being whisked away. Lucille hadn't confided in her about this before.

“Jaz has a recording studio,” she announced.

Jaz briefly closed his eyes.

“He
does
,” Suzy went on brightly, giving Lucille a huge nudge when she didn't react. “Down in the basement. Just sitting there doing nothing…imagine that!”

Thanks a lot, Suzy
, thought Jaz.

“Would you have any of that extra-wide Scotch tape?” Lucille asked Maeve, who was now collecting up the rest of the plates. “I need something to cover Suzy's extra-wide mouth.”

“Oh, don't get all uptight on me now,” Suzy complained. “You need a recording studio and Jaz has one—it's the answer to a prayer! The least he could do is let you borrow it.”

“Raspberry pavlova and sticky toffee pudding,” Maeve announced as she left the dining room. “So if you've belts to unfasten, unfasten them now.”

“Go on,” Suzy urged Jaz. “Don't be mean!”

“I'm so sorry about this,” said Lucille. “You see now why I tried to keep it quiet.”

Jaz smiled. Just about. “It's not your fault.”

“It's not my fault either,” Suzy exclaimed. “I
did
keep quiet about it! If you want to blame someone”—she gestured indignantly across the table—“blame Celeste.”

Jaz picked up his tumbler of iced mineral water. What a dinner party this was turning out to be. And what a position Suzy was putting him in.

He didn't want to be the bad guy, regarded as cold hearted and mean. But he hadn't so much as set foot in his recording studio since coming out of rehab.

Just the thought of taking down the key and unlocking the door made him feel as if he needed a drink.

Could there possibly be anything nicer in the world than a Heath bar?

Alone in the office, Suzy lovingly peeled off the wrapper and admired the dappled chocolate covering. Then she bit into it, her teeth sinking through the toffee, her head twisting from side to side in order to bite off that first heavenly mouthful…oh, and they were sooo much better straight from the fridge…

“Ahem.”

Suzy's eyes snapped open, and she spun around guiltily. Damn, she'd been so carried away she hadn't even heard the door open and close behind her.

And, double damn, it had to be Leo Fitzallan.

“Mmff…shorry…mergh…”

“Bitten off more than you can chew?” inquired Leo with a slight smile.

Suzy's mouth was full—OK,
over
full—and the toffee was welding itself to her teeth like quick-setting cement. Waving her hand apologetically, praying the melted chocolate wasn't about to spill out and dribble attractively down her chin, she chewed and swallowed, chewed and swallowed, threw the rest of the Heath bar onto her desk and chewed and swallowed again.

Oh dear, not very glamorous.

“Sorry,” said Leo. “I obviously interrupted a special private moment.”

And swallowed again.

Hooray, didn't even dribble!

“There.” Suzy executed a quick curtsy. “All gone. Now, how can I help you?”

He was wearing Givenchy aftershave—none of your Tommy Hilfigers or Calvin Kleins for Leo Fitzallan, thank you very much—and an expensively cut dark suit. Suzy wondered if he had chosen the bottle-green shirt and blue and amber tie himself, or whether Gabriella had picked them out for him.

Probably Gabriella. A man who drove a gray Volvo would never be that adventurous. And the dark blue in the tie exactly matched his eyes.

Definitely Gabriella.

“I thought maybe we should call a truce,” said Leo. “How does that sound to you?”

Blimey
, Suzy thought,
like a miracle. Quick, give the man a bottle of water and see if he can turn it into Chardonnay.

Aloud she said, “So what's brought this on?”

“My brother's happy with you. By Christmas you and I'll be related. The last thing I want is a family feud. Easier all around if we bury the hatchet now,” Leo said easily. “Put the bickering behind us. What d'you say?”

He was even more attractive, Suzy realized, when he was in a good mood. During the last few days all he'd seemed to do was scowl, sneer, and generally radiate disapproval, which was sexy enough in its own way, of course, but it really was amazing the difference a few laughter lines could make.

“I agree.” Her mouth curled up at the corners. “That's it then. From now on, we're going to be completely lovely to each other. And I'll just have to find someone else to bicker with.”

“So long as it isn't Harry,” said Leo.

“Harry isn't the bickering kind.” Suzy smiled sunnily at him and perched on the edge of her desk. “This feels quite weird, actually. I'm not sure what we're supposed to do now. If this were
Friends
we'd be giving each other a group hug.”

For a split second something indefinable flickered in Leo's eyes. The next moment it had gone. He pushed his fingers through his ultra-straight dark hair, heaved a sigh and shrugged as if searching for inspiration.

“Now I'm here, I suppose I could always buy a house.”

“
Great
idea. You could buy a couple!” Going along with the joke Suzy reached behind her on the desk; grabbed a handful of sales details and waggled them at him. “Here, go mad…buy six!”

“No thanks, just the one,” said Leo. “Sheldrake House.”

Stunned, Suzy realized he was serious. “My mother's house? You mean…you really
want
it?”

“Well,” said Leo, “I'm prepared to make an offer.”

“How much?”

He shook his head thoughtfully, playing the part of the shrewd businessman.

“Let's see, the asking price is four eighty. What would you be prepared to accept?”

Quick as a flash, Suzy said, “Four fifty.”

“OK. That's what I'll offer.”

Suzy jumped down from her desk. She stuck out her right hand and said joyfully, “Done.”

As they were shaking hands on the deal, Donna swung back through the door with the pint of milk she had popped out to get. When she saw Suzy and Leo, she stopped dead in her tracks and said, “Oops.”

“Donna,” said Suzy, “we're shaking hands, not making out. This is Leo, Harry's brother.” A huge grin spread unstoppably over her face. “And he's going to be buying Sheldrake House.”

“Great,” said Donna, “but you'd better have a look at the back of your skirt.”

Suzy twisted around, peering over her shoulder. When she saw what Donna had been pointing out to her she wailed, “Oh
no
!”

Her beautiful,
beautiful
sunflower-yellow skirt…

Donna said helpfully, “It looks like you sat on some dog poo.”

It did indeed.

“My Heath bar.” Suzy groaned. Turning, she saw the melted chocolate and toffee remains on the edge of her desk. Mournfully, she added, “Just as things were going so
well
.”

“You'll have to go home and change,” said Donna.

“Typical. Just when my car's in for service.” Suzy sighed. “I don't have a coat with me. It's a busy Saturday afternoon in Clifton. And I now have to walk home with people pointing and laughing at me behind my back because they think I've just sat in some dog poo. Well, this is going to be great. I can't
tell
you how much I'm looking forward to it. In fact, I may—”

“My car's just across the road,” said Leo. “Would you like me to give you a lift?”

“Yes, I would. Thank you,” Suzy told him gravely. “I thought you'd never ask. And if you could just bring the car over to this side of the road, that would be great.”

Well, it was worth a try.

“Don't push your luck,” said Leo.

Outside on the pavement, Suzy searched in vain for the gray Volvo.

“Is this a trick?” She shot a suspicious glance at Leo. “Your car isn't here.”

“It is.” He nodded at the dark green Porsche parked opposite, then casually slid his arm around Suzy's hip. His hand came to rest lightly on her bottom, and tingles of electricity promptly zapped their way down the backs of her legs.

Suzy didn't know which shocked her the most: the car or Leo's hand on her bottom.

“Is it covered?” she murmured as they crossed the road.

Solemnly, he looked behind him and said, “No one else can see a thing.”

“When did you get this car?” Suzy was glad to spot a road map of Britain in the front—she'd be able to sit on that and spare the passenger seat. “Yesterday?”

“Six months ago.”

“I didn't know you had a car like this. I thought you were Volvo man!”

Why on earth didn't he get one of those stickers announcing that his other car was a Porsche?

“Baxter is Volvo dog,” Leo explained. “He doesn't like this one. It's too cramped.” Smiling to himself, he added drily, “Don't tell me I've gone up a notch or two in your estimation.”

Suzy, settling herself on the opened-out road map and buzzing down the passenger window, said happily, “You did that already when you made an offer for Sheldrake House.”

* * *

The journey back to Sion Hill took all of a minute and a half, but Suzy was grateful to have been spared the walk.

“That's brilliant. Thanks.” She unclipped her seat belt as Leo pulled up outside the house. “Shall I give you a call later when I've spoken to our lawyer about the sale?”

“Actually,” said Leo, “I wouldn't mind being invited in for coffee.”

Surprised because she'd expected him to shoot off but pleased because now he could give her a lift back to the office as well, Suzy said, “Right now you're my favorite client. You can have pretty much anything you like!”

* * *

Lucille was out. Suzy left Leo to make the coffee while she changed out of her wrecked yellow skirt and into a neon blue one. While she was in the bedroom, she quickly redid her lipstick, which had worn off, and gave her neck and wrists a few extra squishes of Gio.

When Suzy emerged, Leo had made the coffee and was standing by the windows overlooking the back garden.

He turned at the sound of her footsteps, and the look in his eyes made Suzy's heart suddenly beat faster.

Much faster.

“What's wrong?”

“Oh, I think you know,” said Leo.

“I don't. Tell me.”

“Tell you?” One eyebrow went up. “How I feel about you?” His voice was low, almost hypnotic. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”

Suzy stared at him, unable to believe this was happening. Adrenaline, rushing out of nowhere, flooded her body. Did she want to
hear this
?

“I think I'd better,” she said unsteadily.

Leo nodded.

“You know it's there, don't you? This thing between us. It kills me to see you with Harry, when all I want is to have you for myself.”

Suzy couldn't speak. Actually, she could barely stand, her legs were so weak. Her knee joints felt as if they'd been filled up with mercury.

“So what are we going to do about this?” Leo went on.

“Ummm…”

Softly, he said, “I know what I want to do about it.”

This is how it should be
, thought Suzy, having a bit of trouble breathing as Leo began to slowly move toward her.
This is how Harry should make me feel. But he doesn't, he just
doesn't
…

Leo stopped, three feet away from her, and held out his arms. There was that look in his dark eyes again, the look that affected Suzy like a drug.

Overcome with impatience, she closed the gap between them, slid her hands around Leo's neck, tangled her fingers in the silky depths of his hair and closed her eyes in ecstasy as, at last, their mouths met.

Oh, oh,
oh
, what a fabulous kiss. Suzy, in a daze, gave herself up to it totally. If there was an Oscar for Most Fabulous Kisser, Leo Fitzallan would win it, hands down.

When he began to pull away, a low moan of protest escaped from Suzy's throat. It was a don't-stop-now moan, and to make sure he got the message, she wound her arms tighter around him, pressed herself still closer to him, began to move…

“Oh dear,” said Leo, managing to break contact despite her best efforts and taking a step backward.

“‘Oh dear' what?” Suzy gave him a don't-worry look, ready to reassure him.

“Smile,” said Leo. “You're on
Candid Camera
.”

“
What?
”

“Not literally.” He sighed as Suzy's head began to swivel around like a Dalek's. “But I found out all I needed to know.”

“About what?” The next moment, her eyes widened in alarm. “My God, you mean…”

“Faithfulness just isn't your strong point, it seems. Engaged for four whole days,” Leo drawled, “and prepared to cheat on Harry already. After promising
me
that you'd never do anything to hurt him. Oh, Suzy, I've met some heartless women in my time, but you really are in a league of your own. You just don't care who you hurt, do you?”