‘Well, thank you,’ she said sarcastically. ‘That was so kind of you.’
Her sarcasm was lost on him in his drunken state. ‘If he doesn’t have the intelligence to realise you’ve been missing for the last hour then he doesn’t deserve to know,’ he slurred. ‘But I know, Kate. And I still want to know when it’s going to be my turn.’
Her head snapped back angrily. ‘I don’t like you, Mr Strange. I never have. Now will you kindly take your hands off me or must I scream as I did the last time you tried something like this?’
‘I think that would be rather silly, don’t you?’ He bent to kiss her throat with wet lips. ‘I may not be Damien Savage, but I’m sure I could please you just as much as he does.’
‘I doubt it,’ she answered dryly, squirming away from those horrible lips, but her movements only seemed to excite him more.
‘So do I,’ drawled an icy voice.
Matt Strange turned to face Damien, the drink giving him more courage than he might otherwise have felt against such a ruthless, arrogant man. ‘Get out of here, Damien,’ he ordered. ‘You aren’t wanted.’
‘I might agree with you if Kate looked a little more as if she was enjoying having you touch her. But she doesn’t,’ Damien added harshly. ‘And unless you want me to put you on the floor again I would advise you to get out.’
‘You mean you haven’t finished with her yet?’ Matt asked insultingly. ‘She’s lasted a long time. She must be good.’
It was so far from the truth that Kate almost laughed, a hysterical laugh, but nevertheless a laugh. And she knew Damien was thinking along the same lines because of the mocking lift to his mouth.
‘Go and sober up, Matt,’ he advised. ‘You have to be on the set at seven o’clock tomorrow morning. And I won’t accept any excuses for your being late.’
‘One of these days, Damien …’ Matt threatened.
‘Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before. You can forget the insulting names too, save them for some other time.’
‘God, you’re an arrogant bast—’
Damien’s jaw tightened. ‘I said I’d pass on the name-calling,’ he repeated softly. ‘You have precisely five seconds to get out of here.’
Matt went, probably remembering the last time he had crossed this man. And also remembering the painful swollen nose he had sported for days, the bruising had taken weeks to fade properly.
Kate gave a relieved smile. ‘It seems I have to thank you once again. And I do—most sincerely. He—’
Damien gave her a look of utter disgust. ‘Don’t try explaining him away a second time. Matt was going to give you exactly what you’ve been asking for for weeks. I’d oblige you myself, but I’ve suddenly gone off the idea. Maybe now that I can see the full extent of what you are, the way you deliberately encourage a man and then watch as he squirms, maybe now I can forget you. I was right about you, you have a complex about men. You like to hurt us.’
She gasped. ‘That isn’t true!’
He ran a weary hand across his furrowed brow. ‘Emasculated for a little tease!’ He shook his head. ‘One of these days you’re going to push one of us too far and find yourself raped.’
He slammed the door behind him as he left and Kate burst into tears. What a traumatic time it had been for her since Damien came into her life. But it didn’t have to be! All she had to do was say yes to him and everything would change. At least, that was all she had had to do; Damien denied even wanting her now.
And the fact that he was dancing so close to a tall black-haired girl when she came into the room five minutes later seemed to confirm what he had said. He was nibbling the girl’s earlobe and she was giggling happily, her arms about his waist under his velvet jacket.
Kate’s face twisted with pain as she turned away, searching much more avidly for Alan now. She couldn’t stay here and watch Damien with another woman, not when she wanted so desperately herself to be the one in his arms.
‘Here you are.’ Alan hugged her to him. ‘I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been?’
She deliberately didn’t look up into his honest uncomplicated face, hating herself for having to lie to him. But she could hardly tell him the truth! ‘I’ve been looking for you too. We must have kept missing each other.’
‘I suppose so,’ he agreed slowly.
‘I’d like to leave, if you don’t mind?’
‘No, I don’t mind at all. I’d like to be alone with you for a while.’ The gleam in his eyes told her the reason why.
Kate just wanted to get away from the sight of that girl snuggled in Damien’s arms as he whispered in her ear. She just couldn’t bear to look at them another moment longer.
She laughed up at Alan. ‘Okay, let’s find James and make our excuses.’
They were soon on their way back to her flat and the tension began to leave her rigidly held body. She would have to stop tormenting herself with thoughts of Damien. It would have to stop!
‘That man,’ Alan broke into her thoughts. ‘The one who asked you to dance. Who was he? He looked familiar, but I can’t place him.’
‘Damien Savage,’ she supplied shortly.
Alan whistled through his teeth. ‘And how do you know him?’
‘He’s a friend of James’,’ she replied abruptly, staring straight ahead.
‘He’s a handsome specimen.’ He looked at her probingly.
‘If you like men who are bossy and overbearing.’
‘And don’t you—like him, I mean?’
‘Why should I?’ she asked tardy.
‘I asked first,’ he said softly.
Kate gave a short mirthless laugh. ‘Why all the questions, Alan? Surely you aren’t jealous, are you?’
‘Of Damien Savage?’ He shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Of course I am! Someone like him comes up and walks off with my girl, how do you expect me to feel?’
‘Surely you could tell I
