Master of Her Virtue - By Miranda Lee Page 0,40

markets. She had a huge collection of owls, frogs and pigs. Oh, and gravy boats. She had a passion for gravy boats. ‘Not even your gravy boats?’ Violet asked disbelievingly.

‘I might take a couple, but they’re just things, Violet. As I get older, I realise I don’t need things around me to make me happy. I just need people to love and who love me.’

Violet’s face must have fallen at these words, though not for the reason Joy obviously concluded.

‘Which isn’t to say that we don’t love each other, dear,’ Joy added quickly. ‘But I can see you’re about to spread your wings. I’ll bet by the end of this year you’ll be madly in love with some handsome hunk who just adores you to pieces.’

Now Violet was in serious danger of crying. Maybe she was truly in love with Leo after all. If she wasn’t, then her heart was giving a damned good imitation of breaking!

‘You don’t really need me any more,’ Joy went on. ‘But Lisa does. She’s rather lonely, she tells me. Don works all hours and you know what teenage children are like—spend all their time on their mobile phones or on the computer. The last person they want to spend time with is their mother.

‘Speaking of mothers,’ she raced on whilst Violet struggled to ignore the very real pain in her chest. ‘Your mum rang here last night. Said she’d tried your mobile but it was turned off. She asked if you could ring her today some time.’

Violet sighed. ‘Will do. Now, I think I’ll get myself some breakfast. I’m starving. Then after breakfast I’m going to go clothes shopping—work clothes, this time.’ She stood up and headed for the toaster.

‘Good idea,’ Joy agreed. ‘And get yourself some sexy gym clothes while you’re at it. After all, your best chance of finding a fella is at a gym, not behind your desk in Henry’s office. Which reminds me, have you signed up at a new gym yet?’

‘No.’

‘Then hop to it, girl. Don’t forget the goal you set yourself before next Christmas. That kind of thing isn’t going to happen overnight, you know. Not with a girl like you. And don’t look at me like that, missy. I haven’t lived in the same house with you for all these years without working out what kind of girl you are. You’re not the free and easy type. You’re the type who has to fall in love before you jump into bed.’

Violet didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

But then it came to her that maybe Joy knew her better than she knew herself. Which meant she had fallen for Leo.

For a split second the thought depressed her. But then she rallied as another more positive thought took over: better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all!

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

LEO ARRIVED IN the first-class lounge at the airport over an hour before his flight for London was due to take off. After getting himself a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice at the complimentary buffet, he settled down in an armchair in an empty corner of the room and slowly sipped his drink whilst he mulled over his promise to call Violet today.

A promise was a promise, he supposed. And a gentleman always kept his promises.

But he didn’t really want to do it. Hell, no! For once he spoke to Violet again he’d start wanting her again. A perverse state of affairs, since he should have totally sated his lust for the girl during last night’s sexual marathon. He couldn’t remember having so much sex in such a relatively short time, indulging in all sorts of positions and every form of foreplay he knew, making demands on Violet which he’d half-hoped would disgust her.

And what had she done? Gone along with everything he’d craved with a wonderfully wild abandon which had totally blown him away. In the end he simply hadn’t been able to get enough of her. And it hadn’t been just to satisfy his own clamouring flesh. His pleasure had come more from watching her pleasure. He’d wallowed in the way she responded to him, the way she trusted him.

It had been that naive trust of hers which had finally forced him to stop before that trust deepened into something else. Leo knew he couldn’t bear it if he hurt Violet. And he would, if she fell in love with him. He’d used the cold shoulder treatment during the drive home, hoping that