Master of Her Virtue - By Miranda Lee Page 0,27

perverse, Leo thought, that her being a virgin would excite him so much. It should have dampened his desires. Instead, it made them even darker. And stronger.

Thankfully, their mains arrived just at that moment, giving Leo some quiet time to get it together. Violet looked grateful as well. Clearly, she’d found telling her story extremely stressful, her face was still flushed with an embarrassed heat.

Despite feeling great sympathy for her, it wasn’t long before Leo wanted to hear more. There were still some intriguing questions that he wanted answered. After taking a few mouthfuls of the calamari—which was as excellent as the wine—he put down his fork and looked across the table at her.

‘So what happened to make you decide to change your attitude this year?’ he asked. ‘I mean...why now? After all, from what you’ve told me, your skin was fixed by the time you finished your degree. And you’re certainly no longer overweight. I wouldn’t mind betting you’ve been asked out plenty of times.’

Violet also put down her fork, her pink cheeks having finally cooled. ‘Actually, no, I haven’t. I’ve only been asked out twice in my life,’ she admitted in that charmingly ingenuous way which he found so refreshing. ‘And only by two extremely dull men. Of course, I don’t usually look like I look tonight. Or how I looked the other night, for that matter.’

That rang true. Henry had been most surprised by Violet’s appearance. ‘You still haven’t answered my question,’ Leo persisted. ‘Why now, Violet? What happened recently to make you decide to throw off the shackles of the past and embrace a brand new you?’

She smiled another of those soft, sweet smiles. ‘You do have a way with words, don’t you? You should have been a writer, not a producer.’

‘Stop trying to change the subject.’

‘Our food will get cold if I answer your question properly.’

Leo pulled a face. ‘You mean it’s a long story too?’

‘Sort of.’

He sighed. ‘Very well. We’ll eat first and talk later. But don’t think you can wriggle off the hook, madam. I aim to get the truth out of you—the whole truth and nothing but the truth!’

CHAPTER TEN

SO HELP ME GOD, Violet finished up in her mind.

She could not believe how much she’d already told Leo. She’d come here tonight, full of the adrenaline rush which came from knowing she’d never looked better or sexier. Joy had been right; black did suit her. Violet had been bubbling with excitement during the taxi ride here, eager to see that look in Leo’s eyes again, the one which said how attractive he found her. Attractive and desirable.

But he hadn’t looked at her like that. Okay, so he had complimented her on her appearance, but only in the way a friend would have said it. A friend or, even more depressingly, a father. Obviously, she wasn’t such a wicked temptation after all!

Was it her disappointment in his lack of sexual interest tonight which had prompted her to tell him about her background?

Possibly. That, and the fact that he was so darned easy to talk to. Clearly, Leo had been taken aback by the revelation that she’d suffered from acne, but very understanding and wonderfully kind with his words of sympathy. Which was perhaps why she’d revealed much more than the bare details of her teenage years. She’d even told him about her addiction to historical romances!

So why was she worried now about telling him the rest? What difference would it make if he knew about her life-changing experience on that plane? Or that he would realise, once she told him the full list of her New Year’s resolutions, that she was still a virgin? In truth, he must have already come to that conclusion. So, really, there was no reason to be nervous about telling him this last bit of her story.

Nevertheless, Violet reached for her wineglass several times as she went about finishing her meal. At last all the calamari was gone, along with a couple of slices of herb bread; Violet’s appetite always rose when she was under stress. It seemed silly to delay answering Leo’s question by then, so she began telling him about her recent Christmas visit to her family in Brisbane and the feelings which had besieged her at the time.

‘I got sick and tired of being asked who I was dating and having to say no one,’ she admitted. ‘But things dropped to a new low when Gavin—that’s my kid brother—asked me if I was gay.’

‘I see,’