on
screen or stage. And if Rand had known anything about her at all he
would have realised that.
But he didn't know anything about her, as she really knew
nothing of the man he was now. Two years ago he had been the loving
husband of Suzie Forrester, had been her constant support as she
struggled with the illness that wanted to take her away from him; God
was the only one that knew what he had become in the interim. Merlyn
and Rand were just two strangers who had made love, primitively,
mindlessly. She had broken all of her own rules with a man who cared
nothing for her, a man she had wanted in a way that was totally alien
to her cautious nature, and she would just have to learn to accept that
and get on with her life.
Nevertheless, she had to try one more time to explain her
actions to this man. 'I didn't plan what happened last night—'
'Would you just get out of here?' he cut in disgustedly.
'And tell your friend Drake not to send any more of the hitherto
unknown actresses up here who have shared his bed to get their chance
at the big-time; the next time my physical reaction might be a violent
one! If it makes
you
feel any better,' he added
contemptuously, 'you could probably have played Suzie; you certainly
felt like her when I was inside you!'
Merlyn blanched at his cruelty as he revealed what she had
feared, that he had imagined she was Suzie as he made love to her!
She turned blindly and stumbled out of the room, out of
the house, her eyes swimming with unshed tears as she climbed up beside
Anne in the Range Rover.
'I put your case—Merlyn?' Anne frowned at her
worriedly. 'My God, Brandon
didn't
hit you, did
he?'
Not anywhere that it showed. Inside, where it mattered,
she was battered and bruised, her last shreds of self-respect stripped
from her with Rand's last deliberately cruel taunt.
She blinked back the tears. 'Could we just get away from
here? I—I really don't feel like talking about it right now.'
'Of course.' Anne still looked concerned, putting the
Range Rover in gear, driving the large vehicle with a confidence born
of familiarity. 'Merlyn?' she prompted gently once they had been driving
in silence for several tension-filled moments. 'I know Brandon can be
impossible at times—'
'He's a cold, calculating bastard,' she stated flatly,
feeling as if he had stripped the very soul from her body.
Anne gave a ragged sigh. 'He's that, too,' she
acknowledged heavily. 'But he hasn't always been this way.'
'I'm sure even he was a pleasant baby,' Merlyn allowed,
feeling numb from the heart up.
The other woman gave a rueful smile. 'I meant a little
more recently than that.'
She knew exactly what Anne meant, knew that Rand
Carmichael had changed on the death of his wife. But he wasn't the only
person ever to lose the one he loved in that tragic way, and it didn't
give him the right to hurt her as he had, intentionally, coldly.
'I understand all that, Anne,' she said flatly, her eyes
revealing her inner pain. 'But it doesn't help me at the moment, maybe
later…'
Anne frowned. 'What did he do to you?'
Last night was going to be buried as far back in her
memory as she could push it, never to be thought or talked about again.
'Nothing,' she bit out. 'Let's just say this trip was a mistake, that I
failed in what I set out to do, and leave it at that.'
'If that's what you want,' Anne agreed slowly. 'But once
Brandon's anger has calmed down—'
'
I'm
the one who's angry, Anne,' she
cut in forcefully. 'And I certainly won't change my mind!' Nothing was
worth the humiliation she had suffered at Rand Carmichael's hands.
'I'm sorry,' the other woman said with genuine regret.
'Still, that doesn't have to stop your staying on at the hotel with us
for a few days; I'd like to get to know you after we spoke so much on
the telephone.'
And Merlyn just wanted to get away from here and never
think of Rand Carmichael again! But Anne had been friendly and kind to
her from their first telephone conversation, and maybe
screen or stage. And if Rand had known anything about her at all he
would have realised that.
But he didn't know anything about her, as she really knew
nothing of the man he was now. Two years ago he had been the loving
husband of Suzie Forrester, had been her constant support as she
struggled with the illness that wanted to take her away from him; God
was the only one that knew what he had become in the interim. Merlyn
and Rand were just two strangers who had made love, primitively,
mindlessly. She had broken all of her own rules with a man who cared
nothing for her, a man she had wanted in a way that was totally alien
to her cautious nature, and she would just have to learn to accept that
and get on with her life.
Nevertheless, she had to try one more time to explain her
actions to this man. 'I didn't plan what happened last night—'
'Would you just get out of here?' he cut in disgustedly.
'And tell your friend Drake not to send any more of the hitherto
unknown actresses up here who have shared his bed to get their chance
at the big-time; the next time my physical reaction might be a violent
one! If it makes
you
feel any better,' he added
contemptuously, 'you could probably have played Suzie; you certainly
felt like her when I was inside you!'
Merlyn blanched at his cruelty as he revealed what she had
feared, that he had imagined she was Suzie as he made love to her!
She turned blindly and stumbled out of the room, out of
the house, her eyes swimming with unshed tears as she climbed up beside
Anne in the Range Rover.
'I put your case—Merlyn?' Anne frowned at her
worriedly. 'My God, Brandon
didn't
hit you, did
he?'
Not anywhere that it showed. Inside, where it mattered,
she was battered and bruised, her last shreds of self-respect stripped
from her with Rand's last deliberately cruel taunt.
She blinked back the tears. 'Could we just get away from
here? I—I really don't feel like talking about it right now.'
'Of course.' Anne still looked concerned, putting the
Range Rover in gear, driving the large vehicle with a confidence born
of familiarity. 'Merlyn?' she prompted gently once they had been driving
in silence for several tension-filled moments. 'I know Brandon can be
impossible at times—'
'He's a cold, calculating bastard,' she stated flatly,
feeling as if he had stripped the very soul from her body.
Anne gave a ragged sigh. 'He's that, too,' she
acknowledged heavily. 'But he hasn't always been this way.'
'I'm sure even he was a pleasant baby,' Merlyn allowed,
feeling numb from the heart up.
The other woman gave a rueful smile. 'I meant a little
more recently than that.'
She knew exactly what Anne meant, knew that Rand
Carmichael had changed on the death of his wife. But he wasn't the only
person ever to lose the one he loved in that tragic way, and it didn't
give him the right to hurt her as he had, intentionally, coldly.
'I understand all that, Anne,' she said flatly, her eyes
revealing her inner pain. 'But it doesn't help me at the moment, maybe
later…'
Anne frowned. 'What did he do to you?'
Last night was going to be buried as far back in her
memory as she could push it, never to be thought or talked about again.
'Nothing,' she bit out. 'Let's just say this trip was a mistake, that I
failed in what I set out to do, and leave it at that.'
'If that's what you want,' Anne agreed slowly. 'But once
Brandon's anger has calmed down—'
'
I'm
the one who's angry, Anne,' she
cut in forcefully. 'And I certainly won't change my mind!' Nothing was
worth the humiliation she had suffered at Rand Carmichael's hands.
'I'm sorry,' the other woman said with genuine regret.
'Still, that doesn't have to stop your staying on at the hotel with us
for a few days; I'd like to get to know you after we spoke so much on
the telephone.'
And Merlyn just wanted to get away from here and never
think of Rand Carmichael again! But Anne had been friendly and kind to
her from their first telephone conversation, and maybe
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