Page 21 of His Last Gamble

Charmaine felt her world lurch around her.

‘He does?’ she whispered.

‘Of course he does. Isn’t that what you want?’ Jo-Jo demanded. And outside, their unsuspected eavesdropper echoed the sentiment.

Payne smiled, a wide, wolfish, confident smile.Yes, Charmaine. Wasn’t it what you wanted?

‘I think,’ Charmaine took a deep, shaken breath, ‘I think this is all nonsense. Now, if you don’t mind, the girls will be returning soon for the changes. And I still have to model the green taffeta.’

Jo-Jo took the hint, and when he opened the door, the passageway was empty. But at the door, he turned and looked at his friend, his eyes darkening. ‘Be careful, Charmaine, yes?’ he said softly. She was so young and innocent. ‘Payne Lacey plays in the big leagues.’

Charmaine smiled a grim, hard smile that was totally unlike her. ‘Oh, don’t worry, Jo-Jo,’ she said softly, almost sadly. ‘I know what I’m doing.’

But when he was gone, and she was pulling on the rich and voluminous elegance of the green taffeta evening dress, Charmaine wondered if she was trying to convince herself as much as her friend.

* * *

The next day was a day off, as Phil and his assistants were scouting around for a ‘jungle’ shot, for the day-wear outfits.

With this in mind, Charmaine was glad to slip into a pair of plain white shorts and a pale blue T-shirt, and head out for the day.

Downstairs, in the lobby, she picked up a few leaflets, deciding on a visit to the Garden of the Groves. It was time she did a bit of sightseeing.

She took the bus, using a few of the Bahamian dollars she’d got from the bank. It was crowded with cheerful locals and excited holidaymakers who kept eyeing the beautiful passenger with welcoming smiles.

At the plantation, the gardens were so big that, even though there were plenty of visitors, it felt as if she had her own tropical paradise to herself. For a few hours she wandered around, lost in the verdant greens of the tropical land. Bright scarlet flowers, brilliantly plumed birds, the never-far-away presence of the Caribbean Sea itself, all lulled her with their beauty.

This was truly paradise on earth.

With, she realised a moment later with a lurch of her heart, its own particular brand of serpent.

For a moment she thought she must be seeing things, but no, emerging from a dark patch of shade, walking towards her, a vision in white slacks and shirt, was Payne Lacey.

For a moment, she felt utterly beleaguered. Was she never to be free of this man? The next instant she felt her pulse rate rocket. He was so tall, so lithe, so strong. He was like a sleek golden cat, all power and purrs.

‘Are you following me?’ she asked him archly, before he could so much as put in a word of greeting.

‘You’d like that, wouldn’t you?’ he drawled right back at her, watching her anger fade and be replaced with a flush of humiliation.

And he wondered yet again how someone so beautiful could be so unsure of herself. In truth hehadfollowed her — and he was beginning to think he’d follow her all the way to the moon if that’s where she led him. But he wasn’t going to let her know that.

‘As a matter of fact, one of the gardeners here had a cutting he wanted to give me. For the Palace grounds.’

‘Oh,’ Charmaine said. Of course. How could she have been so stupid? And how could she expect to wrap this sophisticated man of the world around her little finger when she blurted out such stupid things, and made such basic mistakes?

What would Jinx do now?

‘Well, it’s nice to know that I take second place to a daisy,’ she laughed, hoping her voice came out as husky and seductive as she wanted.

‘It’s a jasmine actually,’ he lied dryly, and let his eyes run over her. ‘But you look more lovely than any flower.’

‘My, my, how gallant,’ she drawled. But didn’t quite have the nerve to slip her hand through his arm, as Jinx would have done. Or fish for even more compliments.

‘It’s beginning to get hot. Shall we go for a cool drink?’ he asked, his mocking eyes seeming to read her like a book.

‘Sounds wonderful,’ she agreed. It was time to take charge. If only she could keep her wayward heart from ruining her plans.

They stopped at a small café overlooking a beautiful bay. Sitting out on the terrace, under huge, gaily striped umbrellas, they watched the bright blue sea sparkling under the noonday sun. Windsurfers, paragliders, water-skiers and speedboat riders made use of the stunning blue waters, while white-capped waves foamed to the shore of perfect white sand.

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