Blackmailed For Vengeance (3 page)

Lowering her eyes she had
quietly whispered

“I promised that I wouldn’t
tell. Only Jim can tell you”

“How very convenient” he said
his tone dripping with sarcasm

“Well what is it to be. Do I
call the police or should I start to make appointments for you to
update your wardrobe”

Lee glared at him her eyes not
even attempting to conceal the hatred she felt, making him laugh
softly in triumph as he had picked up the phone

“Stacey, could you go ahead
with the appointments we discussed for Lee Andrews” he said before
sitting back to look at her

“A car will pick you up in 5
minutes when you will start your new life Lee. Tonight we will dine
together at Chez Jardine and tomorrow you will accompany me to the
premier of a new Film and then the day after that we will announce
our engagement.”

“What about my brother” she
said softly “How do I know that you won’t do all this and then have
him thrown in jail anyway?”

“You have my word” he said
arrogantly as though that was the end of it

“Not good enough” she had
quickly bit back

Yanis had frowned

“OK, probably as well under the
circumstances. I will have a document drawn up with my lawyers,
which details our agreement, stating that you will not get to keep
anything from our time together and that I and only I can end our
engagement at any time I wish. In return you will be given the
incriminating documents relating to your brother…good enough”

“Yes” she replied “But I want
to add one proviso…that when Jim wakes up and clears me of what you
are accusing me off then I get to call off the engagement and you
never come near me again”

Yanis had frowned “You still
persist with your story” he said his eyes once more holding hers,
“but OK”

“I will contact your employer
and explain to them that you need time off…I am sure they will be
happy to give you an extended holiday…after all I am one of their
biggest customers” he said with a smile which did not reach his
eyes

Lee had stood up moving towards
the door throwing him a dirty look which made his lips curl

“Until tonight” he said softly
“Make sure you dress formally.. wouldn’t want my new fiancée
feeling out of place” he said in a tone which seemed to imply the
exact opposite, as Lee realised that there was nothing that he
would like more than for her to feel out of place.

“There is an itinerary in the
car for the next few days, you will move into my house tonight, so
buy everything you need and have it sent over this afternoon”.

Stopping at the door Lee had
looked at him “Wow, you have thought of everything” she said as he
smiled

“I always do” he replied,
before she had added her eyes flashing self righteously

“Except of course how Jim is
going to feel when he finds out about all of this” she said as she
moved out of the room to the waiting car.

As the door closed behind her
Yanis Demitri had frowned. The exchange had been less satisfying
than he had hoped for. Her determination at sticking to her story
had annoyed him. He knew Lee Andrews type only too well. Although
she was dressed demurely her hair pulled back from her face,
wearing a suit which still did not disguise her wonderful figure,
he could still see her from the night he had called at her home.
Then her long, layered naturally wavy hair had hung around her body
which was only just concealed in a bath robe showing off her
wonderful curves, giving her a sensual wild look, which he had
found himself reacting to. He had admired her lovely face then just
as he had done in the hospital when they had first met and had been
disappointed when she turned out to be Lee Andrews, recognising his
attraction to the young women from that first meeting.

With a frown he remembered his
friend lying on the hospital bed. Had she captured him with those
wonderful eyes which seemed to promise such passion, or that soft
wide mouth of hers, so full and red. His mouth tightening as he
determined to make sure that Lee Andrews, the cold hearted gold
digger he knew her to be, would rue the day she played with Jim’s
heart.

In the car Lee had found the
itinerary that he had talked about. She had read through the plan
for the week which consisted mainly of visits to shops and salons
for more treatments than she had ever even heard of. With a small
groan Lee had thrown the paper to the side praying that Jim would
wake up soon to save her from the tedium that the itinerary
promised. She had never been somebody who could spend days on end
pampering herself, needing to be busy, needing to be working, and
she had closed her eyes in pain at the thought of having to follow
his mind numbing list.

With a firm set to her chin,
she had made plans of her own. She might not be able to work, but
Lee had always been a keen volunteer for several charities, and
perhaps she could turn the tables on Yanis Demitri and at the same
time help out those charities who could so badly use the money
which he seemed determined to throw at her. It was the least he
deserved she thought, cheered a little at the chance to use the
situation to her own ends.

The rest of the day Lee found
herself being whisked firstly to the salon, where a chatty hair
dresser had admired her long thick hair, only tidying up her layers
so that they were sharper and more prominent. She had then enjoyed
an interesting session with a make-up artist who had shown her the
right way to apply make-up along with hints on the colours which
worked best for her, and by late afternoon, Lee had left with bags
of make-up and hair products which she had thrown into the car.

From there she had found
herself in an exclusive boutique in which the owner, Claire, had
already been forwarded by Yanis a list of outfits she would require
to begin her new wardrobe. She had admired Lee’s figure clapping
her hands with pleasure

“Oh, you have such a lovely
figure” she had said in delight “So often I am expected to work
miracles on those who really should know better” she had said with
a wicked grin.

Lee had tried on outfit after
outfit, as some where packed up for her while others were placed
back on the peg, rejected by the owner who would walk around her
with each outfit nodding or shaking her head for assistants to take
the appropriate action. Finally she had given Lee a stunning three
quarter length cocktail dress, made of a soft floaty material which
clung to her body as it fell to her ankles. The red strapless dress
was simple elegance which fastened at her back, gathering under her
breast where it fell gently brushing sensually against her body,
giving small glimpses of her wonderful shape beneath. Looking at
her reflection Lee had been amazed at how good she looked.
Complimenting it with matching red strappy shoes and an evening bag
Lee had finally found herself ready for her first dinner with Yanis
Demitri.

As she had stepped out of the
car the flashing of camera bulbs had momentarily blinded and
surprised Lee, who had jumped, her eyes widening with confusion.
Quickening her pace and throwing up her hand to shield her eyes
from the sudden glare, she had moved into the exclusive restaurant,
with its soft music and wood panelled luxury, and had given her
name to the maître de who had smiled welcomingly to her before
directing her to what was obviously the best table in the house.
There Yanis was already waiting for her, and Lee had swallowed a
lump in her throat on seeing him. Dressed in a black dinner suit,
he looked every bit the play boy Jim had described to her. His wide
muscular shoulders fitting so well in the designer jacket, which he
wore with an air of belonging as he had looked supremely
comfortable in his surroundings, while she felt nervous and still a
little rattled by what had happened outside. Seeing him sitting so
calm and confident Lee had proudly raised her chin, as she had
stepped forward to meet with him, determined not to show her true
feelings, knowing what pleasure it would give him to see how out of
place she actually felt. As he had stood to greet her she had felt
the tingle of awareness once more, fully appreciating how
magnificent he looked, his wide shoulders tapering to slim hips,
his thick black hair layered against his tanned skin and those
wonderful dark penetrating eyes following her as she moved towards
him, his head lifted proudly as he watched her approach. Trying not
to look at his seductive mouth which was smiling softly at her she
had dropped her eyes as her body had jumped to attention at just
the sight of him.

Lee knew that Yanis Demitri was
32, as both he and Jim had attended the same classes throughout
their boyhood years, but he was much taller than his friend, over 6
foot, and as she approached the table he had extending his hand and
captured hers to kiss her fingers gently. The feel of his lips on
her skin had caught her by surprise, as she had bit her lips to
prevent the small gasp leaving her mouth, once more feeling the
small current of electricity travel down her spine, as she had
quickly pulled her hand from his, much to his amusement as his dark
eyes had mocked her.

Sitting down once more he had
openly admired her, his dark eyes framed with the longest lashes
she had ever seen on a man which were slowly and unashamedly
travelling down her whole body.

“Very nice…I can see why Jim
enjoyed you so much” he muttered, causing Lee to frown

“Did you enjoy your shopping
trip” he asked conversationally

Lee had sighed, her eyes
meeting his

“Do you really care” she asked
her voice dripping with contempt

He had opened his eyes wide his
innocent expression laughing at her

“But of course
Cara
, I
am interested in everything my future wife does”

Lee had once more bitten her
lip to stop the caustic words from leaving her mouth, instead
lifting the menu to look at the food, suddenly not feeling hungry
any more.

Dropping the sarcasm in his
tone he had suddenly become very serious, his eyes delving deeply
into hers, holding them as his face had become more sombre

“I have several charities which
I work with Lee, and from the moment our engagement is announced
you will be expected to take an interest in these”

Pausing he had looked at
her

“Do you think you can do that”
he had asked with a small thoughtful frown, before adding
unpleasantly “In between your shopping trips of course”

The chance to do something
during what she was fast coming to look on as her internment had
instantly raised her spirits

“I’m sure I can show enough
interest” she had responded, before the attentive waiter had
appeared to take their order and place drinks before them.

Surprisingly the rest of the
meal had passed pleasantly as Yanis had at her prompting described
the different charities he supported, answering her many questions.
He had looked at the young woman with real surprise at her obvious
interest, telling himself that women like Lee Andrews just liked to
find out as much information as they could, so that they could use
it against men like Jim. However, she had grossly underestimated
him because he knew how women like her operated, and she was
wasting her time if she thought he would be half as easy a mark as
poor Jim had been. Still he was pleasantly surprised at her quick
mind and the way she asked pertinent and intelligent questions.
Most of his lady friends would not have been able to grasp half of
the information he was giving let alone be able to make sense of
it. She however, had nodded with apparent understanding.

To his surprise he had found
himself enjoying the meal slowly relaxing in her company to the
point that he had began to joke with her, as she had laughed back,
throwing in quick one liners of her own which had him laughing with
her. He had also found himself admiring her smile, which would
light up her whole features, enjoying the sound of her wonderful
laugh, as her whole face would glow when she did. As the meal had
ended he had looked at her contemplatively, she was good he thought
to himself, very good.

Lee had also enjoyed the meal,
finding him to be great company once he had stopped looking at her
as though she was something unpleasant he had stepped on. She had
been genuinely interested in his charity work and pleasantly
surprised at the amount of knowledge he had about this work. It
seemed to show that he was actively interested and involved, rather
than just a cheque book patron. As he had relaxed she had found him
smiling at her with that same smile he had used in the hospital the
day they met and had found the sound of his masculine laughter had
sent pleasant tremors once more down her spine.

Finishing the meal Yanis had
guided her out of the restaurant placing his hand gently on her
back, an action which had caused Lee to jump slightly at the sudden
feel of his hand on her body. As they had moved into the waiting
car she had gasped in surprise, flinching, as once more
photographers had snapped pictures of the two of them.

Inside the car she had looked
at him in surprise

“Who where they” she asked

“paparazzi” he replied
unpleasantly “get used to them Lee, they will become the bane of
your life…and when I throw you out, then they are going to pursue
you with a vengeance…and you won’t be able to say a word” he added,
the old unpleasantness creeping back into his voice and eyes.

Lee sat quietly for the rest of
the short journey as he filled her in on plans made so far. She had
grimaced at the amount of time and effort he had put into his
vengeance plan, but had been relieved when he had informed her that
her work had completely understood that she could not come right
back, but had looked forward to seeing her when things were more
settled.