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‘I thought you said you wanted to have fun,’ he muttered. ‘If that’s the case, do you think you might try smiling at me?’
She did, and when he smiled back a warm wave of love rushed through her.
‘That’s better,’ he said in a satisfied tone. ‘Come on. Let’s get out and go inside. The valet wants to park the car.’
Angie was all eyes as she climbed out, standing there gazing all around her while Lance instructed the pompously uniformed porter about his bag then gave the equally pompously uniformed valet his car keys. ‘Have you stayed here before?’ she whispered as Lance took her arm and guided her through the heavy glass doors.
‘No. Never. And why are you whispering?’
‘This is a whispering sort of place,’ she said, still in hushed tones, at the same time glancing all around her with wide-eyed fascination at the rich wood-panelled walls, the plush red-carpeted floor, the deep leather chairs and the many bronze statues—all of old-fashioned-looking ladies in various stages of undress. Angie found the decor a little much, and while she could imagine a lot of men liking it, she didn’t think it reflected Lance’s taste. ‘Er...why did you choose it?’
‘Because it was the only hotel in Sydney where the honeymoon suite wasn’t booked out for tonight.’
Angie ground to a halt, her stomach fluttering. ‘The...the honeymoon suite?’ She stared up at Lance, searching his face for an explanation.
‘That’s right,’ he said, his voice as softly caressing as his eyes. ‘I decided our first night together required something really special—something reflective of how I think about you and what you mean to me.’
A great lump filled her throat. Tears threatened, but she valiantly battled them away. ‘That...that’s very sweet of you, Lance.’
His low laugh had a drily cynical note to it. ‘It’s not sweet at all, Angie. I haven’t been brought up to be sweet. I’m selfish and arrogant, and at times utterly ruthless. I’m pulling out all the stops to make sure you never forget tonight. Or me. If you thought I’d spoilt you for other men before then, believe me, by tomorrow morning you’re going to be well and truly spoilt for other men for the rest of your life! Now, sit down over in that armchair,’ he ordered, smiling an utterly ruthless but devastatingly attractive smile. ‘I’m going over to check in. Then I’m taking you shopping!’
CHAPTER NINE
‘YES, we’ll take that one too,’ Lance said from where he was sitting in a comfy winged chair, supervising Angie’s try-ons and sipping the cup of coffee the staff had brought him. They were in a very exclusive fashion boutique in the Centrepoint Building where, naturally, Lance had been given first class treatment from the moment he walked in with Angie in tow. He was that kind of man.
Angie frowned, knowing that the gold brocade suit she was wearing cost a small fortune—much more than the black velvet dinner dress he’d just given the nod to. Angie had not minded the velvet number, as Lance had ruined her green silk dress last night and it wasn’t too expensive. When he’d suggested she try on the brocade outfit, which had been highlighted in the display in the window, she had done so, thinking he was giving her an alternative choice to the velvet.
In truth, she did prefer it. The sleek straight skirt and hour-glass-style jacket suited her longish body to perfection, and the lowish V-neckline between the satin-edged lapels showed off her nice bust to advantage. Angie had fallen in love with it, till she glanced at the price tag in the changing-room.
Still frowning, she walked over to Lance and bent down to whisper in his ear. ‘Lance...this suit is very, very expensive. I couldn’t possibly let you buy it for me.’
He replaced the coffee-cup in the saucer with a small sigh. ‘Yes, you can,’ he told her firmly, though in a discreetly low voice. ‘You can do anything you want, Angie; have anything you want. You’re with me today as my woman, and I am a very rich man. Indulge me, my darling. Let me pamper you and spoil you. It will give me great pleasure to dress you—almost as much as it will give me to undress you this evening.’ This last remark was made with a not so discreet glance at the shadowed valley between her breasts.
