The Art of Retaliation Read online

  The billionaire sat her down on the edge of the round marble bath and turned the taps off. The bath was warm and deeply filled. Lavender bubbles were everywhere, ready to overflow, he’d poured so much in.

  “Here I will help you in.”

  “No thanks.”

  Stephane was pushing his luck and he knew it. He watched her finish loosening the robe and then clutch it close to her body. All he could think about at that moment was tearing it open to see the beauty of her naked form.

  “Will you please leave so I can get undressed,” Mara demanded snapping him out of his trance.

  “All right but I will just be out here if you need me.”

  “I won’t.”

  The billionaire left the room leaving the door slightly ajar so he could peer inside to make sure she was all right and if he was honest to catch a glimpse of her body. He saw her raise her eyes to the ceiling with frustration then look directly at him through the gap.

  “Close the door.”

  He gave a disappointed sigh and shut the door. The billionaire paced up and down outside the room worried she would faint and sink in to the water unconscious. He spent the whole time listening for sounds of distress. When he couldn’t take it anymore he decided to throw caution to the wind and open the door again.

  Mara’s body was totally immersed in the protective cover of the bubbles when he re-entered the room amidst a cry of indignation. Only her pretty face and that sexy blonde bob were above the water.

  “Sorry but I can’t leave you in here on your own. You might faint again and I can’t risk that when you are in water.” He could feel the schoolboy grin lighting his face once more and the fact there was little she could do to force him to leave.

  He seated himself on the edge of the bathtub at her head trying to catch a glimpse of her wet body amused when she tried to sink lower under the bubbles.

  “What about you, Stephane? Shouldn’t you be getting out of those wet clothes?”

  He watched her eyes skim the surface of his now transparent shirt at the tight sinuous muscle beneath inviting her touch. It wasn’t the first time she’d looked at him that way. Unabashed he undid the buttons of his white shirt and removed it. The French billionaire stretched up his arms flexing his bare damp muscles and ran his hands through his wet hair. His smile widened when he noticed with great satisfaction she was transfixed by the sight. Score.

  Mara gulped at the vision of 6ft and so on wall of lean muscle standing tall and proud before her. All she think of was carefully smoothing a hand over every part, tracing its contoured angles, feeling its robust power. She wanted to curl up next to that chest seeking its warmth and safety. Her teeth clamped together as she tried to hide her anger and confusion at her thoughts.

  “Nice try, Mara. But I’m not leaving.”

  His voice cooled.

  “What were you doing out there?”

  “I just went for a walk in the grounds,” she tried to sound innocent. “What’s the matter? Scared I nearly escaped?”

  “No, there is a high wall that runs around the boundary of the estate. There is no way any one let alone you could climb over it,” he said with confidence.

  Mara suppressed the urge to giggle and busied herself by asking him to leave so she could get out.

  “No you haven’t been in long enough you must allow your body to warm up,” he insisted softly rolling that sexy French accent over her body like a seductive caress.

  But Tthere was a knock at the door and Mara let out a sigh of relief when he momentarily left the room to talk to the housekeeper who had brought him a towel and a change of clothes. When he returned Mara was attempting to lift her body from the bath. With a cry she sank back down again defeated and angry she couldn’t manage it with the pain and lack of movement in her injured ankle.

  “I told you to wait.”

  Stephane took hold of her arm but she backed away shaking his grip loose.

  “No please I can do it myself,” she pleaded even though she knew she needed his help.

  He groaned.

  “Why are Englishwoman so concerned about hiding their bodies?” he moaned leaning over her to place his hands under her arms and lift her up from the bath, ignoring the torrent of righteous condemnation tripping from her mouth.

  Horrified, she scrabbled to cover her body disturbed by the admiring glance he was giving her naked form. Thankfully, the suds had covered her from head to foot and provided her with some protection. Stephane picked up the white fluffy towel from the towel rack and wrapped her in before sweeping her up in to his arms to deposit her on the side of the bath.

  “Dry yourself and get in to that sexy nightdress I saw you wearing this morning,” he instructed putting the flimsy garment next to her on a chair ignoring her frown.

  Once more he left the room. Before the man could return unexpectedly again Mara quickly dressed in the nightie and the silk dressing gown that matched it. She stood holding her sore ankle off the floor of the marble tiled floor as she eased her way along the wall of the bathroom and out into the bedroom. The housekeeper was telling Stephane that the Doctor had arrived and was waiting downstairs.

  “What are you doing? You should have waited for me,” he said annoyed rushing to help her accomplish getting on top of the bed.

  She sank her head into the pillows he had propped up.

  “I’m going to ask the doctor to come up. Don’t try anything. Remember what I said to you in the car,” the billionaire warned.

  How could she forget.

  The doctor was a man in his early sixties who didn’t know a word of English. This made Mara feel uneasy as it had done the first time she’d seen him. She didn’t like the thought of having to rely on Stephane’s translation. He could tell her anything.

  The physician’s inspection revealed no breakage’s, just a bad sprain that would require bed rest. That was as much French as she could understand but the two men appeared to be discussing something else. Her eyes darted between them unable to translate with accuracy.

  “Stephane, please tell me what you are saying. I think I have a right to know,” she insisted.

  His hand rose to silence he and he continued speaking. Mara banged her fists on the bed and decided enough was enough. If they wanted to speak as though she wasn’t there she would leave them to it and seek rest in Maxine’s room. She swung her legs away from the man and tried to move off the bed. Both men stopped talking issuing French rebukes and lifted her legs back on to the bed forcing her to lie back.

  The next thing she knew the doctor was feeling for swelling around her throat and under her chin. Then he was pumping up a green bandage around her arm to take her blood pressure. He removed his stethoscope and shook his head at the billionaire.

  “What, what?” Mara shouted at him unable to bear the silence any longer.

  “Its all right. You’re blood pressure is a little high but there is nothing wrong. He wants you to have plenty rest and you won’t have much choice with that ankle will you? At least it will slow you down and make you take things easy. He believes you are nervously exhausted.”

  Mara scowled and lay down in the bed as Stephane led the man out of the room. The billionaire came back and sat on the bed lifting her foot and ankle carefully onto his lap to wrap a bandage around her ankle. His cool hands administered the work with tenderness to avoid pain.

  “Can I go to sleep now,” she asked eager for him to leave not liking the way she relaxed with his gentle touch.

  “No, food first and you are going to eat every last bit,” he was talking to her like a child again.

  “I am not a child, don’t speak to me like one.”

  “Really,” he said sarcastically opening the door for the butler who was carrying a tray of food.

  Mara buried her face in the pillows and shut her eyes vainly hoping that when she opened them again he would have left.

  “I don’t want any.”

  “It doesn’t make any difference to me
Mara whether you eat or not but you will just get weaker and Ryan probably wouldn’t forgive me for that.”

  He took hold of her arms and roughly pulled her up and asked the butler to place the tray over her lap. Mara stuck the fork into the plate of food as if she was stabbing it and began pushing the small pieces of chicken around the plate before slamming her fork down.

  “I won’t be treated like this. I don’t want any food. Eating just makes me feel sick at the moment,” she insisted.

  To her fury, Mara gave the butler an amused look who duly returned it and left the room taking his cue.

  ‘Temper, temper, Mara. Now don’t throw a tantrum, there’s a good girl,” Stephane teased.

  He picked up the fork and placed it in to a piece of chicken.

  “You aren’t eating enough. You are going to eat all of this if I have to force feed you, sick or not,’ he commanded and Mara knew by now that he meant it. Still, she would resist.

  The billionaire held the fork near to her mouth. Mara shook her head defiantly.

  “If you don’t eat I will have no choice but to lock you in the tower room until Ryan gets here. Its very cold and damp up there and it is very dark even in the daytime. We don’t use it as a room. Are you sure you don’t want any food?” he enquired in a dark voice narrowing his eyes at her with impatience.

  Mara folded her arms and pouted trying to work out if he was teasing or he meant it. She got her answer when he returned the chicken to the plate to gather some rice with it failing to hide the smirk on his face.

  She glared at him and lifted her lips in to a sarcastic smile.

  “Oh that’s all right, Mr Garreau. I willjust grow my hair out of the window and climb down it.”

  “That’s a good idea, only there aren’t any windows in this tower.”

  She cursed and opened her mouth. He deposited the food in her mouth. She snatched the fork from him and forced as much food as she could down. Eventually she sat back leaving two pieces.

  “There I have finished, now will you go.”

  “There is still some left.”

  “I am not eating any more,’ she told him with a hard firmness in her tone that signaled nothing would persuade her to do so. She could already feel her stomach churning and the need to retch.

  “Oh well I’ll just tell Maurice to get the room in the tower ready or maybe you would prefer the dungeon. We have one of them as well.”

  Mara leant forward taking a hold of Stephane’s black shirt and pulled his face level with her own.

  “I don’t know how but I am going to get you back for this. I am going to come after you with everything I have got,” she promised.

  “I am very sure you will and I will be looking forward to it,” he said huskily watching her lips mesmerized.

  The billionaire moved closer and lowered his lip. Mara closed her eyes allowing him to move to kiss her. But as he came closer she callously opened her eyes again and found that his own were closed in anticipation. She smiled to herself and with a heavy tug on his shirt she pushed him away before he could make contact with her lips. Mara sat back quickly inserting the food she had left into her mouth.

  Stephane opened his eyes sharply and frowned but he said nothing as he removed the tray and allowed her to crawl under the covers. She gave him a surprised look as he made to tuck the covers in around her body.

  “Are you trying to make sure I don’t escape from this bed tonight?” she asked feeling a little trapped.

  “Something like that. But you can’t really go far anyway with that ankle can you,” he mocked.

  It was his turn to win a round and she had to concede.

  “This has just made your day hasn’t it. It will make your life so much easier.”

  “Yes I suppose it has.”

  He switched off the bedside lamp and stole the kiss she had denied him sweeping his own over hers and left before she could rebuke him.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning Maxine came storming into Mara’s room without warning to find her sitting up in bed reading a book, in a position she looked as if she spent most of the night in. She hugged her friend and fell on the bed beside her.

  “He told me that you sprained your ankle and then I heard the servants gossiping about how a tree had nearly fell on you both. I haven’t slept a wink all night worrying about you. I didn’t know what happened to you yesterday morning. Mara say something.”

  “If you would let me get a word in edgeways . . .”

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes. Don’t worry.”

  Mara narrated the events of the past evening adding that she had no intention of staying in bed.

  “In the bath alone with Stephane,” Maxine repeated a sparkle entering her mischievous eyes as she raised them in surprise.

  “I didn’t exactly have a choice. He wouldn’t leave me alone in case I hurt myself again. He was quite nice about it all, despite his insufferable arrogance and the way he thinks he can boss me around. Just wait until we get out of here Maxine he won’t know what has hit him when I . . .”

  “So I am right,” Maxine interrupted. “You have fallen for him.”

  “No way. He’s pompous, arrogant, bossy . . .”

  “You protest too much, Mara. Only love can inspire such emotions of attraction and hatred then swirl them around together to make something solid.”

  Maxine looked pleased with herself at her intricate observation of love. Mara just wanted to shake her.

  “Listen, Maxine we have something more important to discuss,” she said directing the conversation onto safer ground.

  Maxine listened intently as she told her about the wall and the farmhouse.

  “You will have to get over the wall yourself. I don’t think I can make it with my ankle,” she told her friend.

  Mara’s heart sank as she watched Maxine’s face cloud over with fear.

  “I’m not leaving you here. What if Ryan doesn’t send Louise home and Stephane decides to take revenge on you. He could hurt you.”

  Maxine paced the room folding her arms tightly across her chest. She shook her head and repeated,

  “No I am not leaving you alone here.”

  “Look it’s our only chance to get help, Maxine. Why should you suffer for what Ryan has done?”

  “Why should you? We’ve always stuck together when anything happened and I am not going to change that now. You helped me out of a lot of trouble and I am not going to desert you.”

  “But Maxine it really is our only chance after my plan at the office in Paris failed.”

  “No, Mara. Now that’s the end of it. We go together or not at all,” she said with stubborn firmness.

  Mara knew it was useless to argue with Maxine when she had made her mind up about something but she also knew that Maxine could be worn down eventually like water dripping on a stone.

  Mara spent the next couple of days in bed resting. Her attempt at alighting thwarted by the housekeeper who informed her that she had strict instructions from the Master of the house to lock her in her room if she tried to get up.

  When the fifth day of their captivity arrived Mara was forced to admit that she felt better for her rest and with the help of the tablets the doctor had left for her dizziness. Maxine helped her downstairs and led her out onto the terrace at the side of the house facing a picturesque small bridge running over the moat and sat down for breakfast.

  “Please, Maxine, you have got to try and get over that wall. I would go with you but I can’t in this state. You can get help. My ankle is a lot better but I still can’t walk very well and I would only slow you down,” Mara frantically gestured towards her still bandaged ankle, lowering her voice to a whisper.

  Maxine began pouring her a cup of tea.

  “So we will wait until you are better,” she spoke calmly, smiling innocently to warn Mara as Stephane came striding out of the house looking devilishly handsome in a black suit towards them.

  “Good morn
ing,” he said bowing his head gracefully.

  “Bonjour,” Maxine simpered whilst Mara put her cup of tea to her lips deliberately ignoring the false niceties.

  “How is your ankle, Mara? Still sore?’ he asked gently with courteous concern. “I am sorry I have not been able to check in on you but I have been away on business.”

  She looked up at him as if she had just found him standing there.