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‘Oh, I think I could manage to endure lunch with a beautiful woman,’ Bob said with a grin. ‘You’re looking pale, Gen, is everything all right?’
‘Can you think of one good reason why it shouldn’t be?’ Genista parried. ‘Come inside with me, I’ll fix us some lunch and you can tell me all about Elaine.’
‘She’s doing fine—much better than the doctor thought at first. She’s being so incredibly brave—you’ve no idea. I never dreamed she had so much inner strength. There was a time when I thought she would simply give up and die, but she’s fighting with everything she’s got.’
‘I’m glad,’ Genista said simply. ‘But she’s got a lot to fight for, Bob. A husband, her child…’
‘Hey, do I detect a certain…unhappiness? Forgive me for prying, Gen, but to be honest I was surprised when you married Luke out of the blue like that. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not surprised he fell so heavily for you, but you’ve never been a girl to act rashly. I might seem a middle-aged old fuddy-duddy, but I assure you I haven’t forgotten the power of sexual attraction or the havoc it can wreak if it’s mistaken for love.’
‘There was no mistake. The trouble was that I didn’t realise how much I loved him until it was too late. Oh, Bob!’ Once the tears started to come she couldn’t stem them. He took her in his arms awkwardly, proffering a large comforting hand-kerchief, and patting her gently on the back.
‘What’s the matter, Gen? Do you want to talk about it?’
‘Luke doesn’t love me.’ The relief of saying it was only momentary. ‘He never loved me, Bob, he just wanted me.’ She tried to explain what had happened, between sobs, while Bob listened patiently. ‘And now he’s got Verity back he doesn’t want me at all.’
‘I’m truly sorry, Gen,’ said Bob when she had finished. ‘I only wish there was something I could do to help.’
‘Just listening did that.’
‘Try to hold on to the knowledge that loving another person enriches life whatever the outcome. We might resent it; we might fight against it, but ultimately our lives would be poor things indeed without it. Love is a very special thing, Genista.’
‘I know.’
‘My apologies for breaking up such a delightful scene. If I’d known you were having a tête-à-tête in my kitchen, Bob, with my wife, I would have knocked. I haven’t been a husband for long enough yet to know the subtleties attached to the relationship, so you’ll have to forgive my crassness. Did you bring the papers?’
Luke walked into the kitchen, completely ignoring Genista. He had shaved and was wearing a different suit from the one he had been wearing the previous evening. Love for him melted Genista’s bones. She wanted to go to him and be taken in his arms more than she had wanted anything else in her life, but he was looking at her with a cold fury which left her in no doubt that her feelings were not reciprocated. It was on the tip of her tongue to remind him that his accusations were little short of ridiculous when he had just spent the night in Verity’s arms, but all at once the effort was too much for her.
‘I’m going upstairs,’ she said unsteadily, then turned to Bob. ‘I’ll remember what you said,’ she told him, smiling wanly. ‘Tell Elaine to keep on fighting!’
* * *
She was sitting listlessly staring out of the window when the bedroom door crashed back and Luke strode into the room.
His fingers bruised her shoulders as he pulled her to her feet, shaking her as though she were a rag doll, until the room spun dizzily round her.
‘You little tramp!’ she heard him say thickly through the ringing in her ears. ‘How dare you entertain your lover here? Did you let him take you in my bed? Did you?’
She couldn’t even raise the energy to protest at his rough treatment of her.
‘What does it matter what I did?’ she heard herself say wearily.
‘You’re my wife!’ Luke gritted at her. ‘That’s what it matters, and Bob is one of my employees. Did you do it to get back at me, Genista? To punish me for the other night?’
If only she could float free of her body and escape from her pain, but it was impossible. Bruising though Luke’s grip was, her body was unbearably aware of him. She felt a feverish need to reach up and touch him, to feel him tremble against her as urgently as he had done when he made love to her.
‘Two can play at that game,’ she heard him say harshly, and then she felt his hands on her back, tugging down her zipper, and
exposing her body clad only in minuscule briefs and a lacy bra. She trembled as he sought the clip, and growing impatient wrenched at the dainty lace until it tore, revealing the soft thrust of her breasts to his probing eyes.
‘Has he seen you like this?’ he demanded harshly, ‘touched you like this?’
His hands seemed to burn where they touched her skin. He seemed to be possessed of a primeval force that nothing could stem. For the sake of her self-respect she could not let him take her in revenge and anger, and yet as he thrust her down on to the bed, pinning her there with his superior weight, she could feel her will deserting her. The treachery of her body was searingly painful. There was no way she could meet the scorching triumph in his eyes as he cupped her breasts with his hands and she felt her nipples harden betrayingly against his palm. As though bent on punishing her further he teased the rosy peaks with his thumb, stroking roughly until she was almost mindless with pleasure, all the time watching her face with hard eyes.
This time she did not cry his name, nor did she try to prolong his touch. Deep down inside her self-disgust welled alongside longing. This was not how it should be, Luke using her body as though it were a toy, and watching her reactions like a voyeur. Her love rebelled, overcoming her desire. This was not how she wanted to remember their last encounter. She wanted her last memory of their lovemaking to be the mutually burning need which had brought them together before, not this calculated attempt to humiliate her by teaching her that he was her body’s master.
‘Satiated, are you?’ Luke sneered cruelly. ‘There’ll be other times, Genista, when you won’t be fresh from your lover’s arms.’
‘Go to hell!’ Genista choked bitterly, hating him for a brief moment.
