The Millionaire's Rebellious Mistress - By Catherine George Page 0,66

look at Alex. ‘Could we speak in private before I go, please? I’m running late.’

‘Then take off right now,’ said Alex. ‘We have nothing more to say.’

Maxine looked at him with such venom that Sarah felt an absurd impulse to stand in front of him, like a bodyguard. ‘I’m warning you, Alex, you’ll regret this.’

‘Oh, for God’s sake, don’t be such a drama queen, Max,’ he said, bored.

Angry colour flared in her face. She slung her expensive bag over her shoulder and, ignoring Sarah, stalked past Alex on her way back to her car, throwing him a look so vicious it turned Sarah cold.

When the Porsche roared into life Alex turned Sarah into his arms, holding her so close she could feel his heart thudding against her. ‘As wicked stepmothers go, Maxine takes the prize,’ he said, rubbing his cheek against hers. ‘Did you hear any of that?’

‘No. I didn’t wait long enough to hear any conversation.’ She gave him a wry look. ‘Seeing you with a woman in your arms was a horrible shock.’

‘Maxine was trying her famed feminine wiles on me to persuade me into doing what she wanted.’ Alex took her hand to lead her inside. ‘I need coffee.’

They drank it close together on one of the deep, comfortable sofas. Alex was so obviously in need of the physical contact as much as the caffeine that Sarah kept quiet, leaving it to him to explain the incident. Or not.

‘The delightful Maxine,’ he said at last, ‘came here this morning to extort money from me. At this point I should tell you that she was once engaged to me—’

‘So she’s the one?’ And Maxine had married his father?

Alex eyed her in surprise. ‘Did Mother give you any details?’

‘Only that someone hurt you badly. Helen thought it would explain you to me.’

‘She’s right. Maxine made me very wary of getting close to a woman again. Until I met you, Sarah.’ He kissed her swiftly. ‘Just to make it crystal clear that I’m immune to Maxine’s charms these days, I’ll tell you the entire sordid story.’

‘You don’t have to,’ said Sarah quickly.

‘I do, my darling. And even though it involves my mother, she strongly urged me to put you in the picture.’ Alex took in a deep breath. ‘There’s no easy way of saying this. Mother told me, with great reluctance, that when she turned up unexpectedly at their London flat one day, she found my father enjoying some afternoon delight in their bed. His naked partner in crime was my fiancée, Maxine Rogers.’

Sarah stared at him in utter horror. ‘How horrible! What on earth did Helen do?’

‘She walked out without a word, and kept on walking—right out of my father’s life. The worst part, she said, was explaining to me.’

‘I can well believe that!’ Sarah shuddered and held him close.

‘It hit me for six,’ said Alex huskily. ‘My world came apart at the seams for a while.’ He smiled evilly. ‘But, being a true Merrick, I put it back together on my own terms. I can be as ruthless as old Edgar any day. My father ranted and raged in the beginning, but I wouldn’t budge. And because he was suffering agonies of guilt he agreed to my terms in the end. So he remains as nominal chairman of the group, and runs the retail end from the London office, but I actually rule over the Merrick Group as a whole.’

‘Did that make it easier to cope with the situation?’

‘It helped. But I would have coped a lot better if Maxine’s lover had been anyone but my father. That was the pill I found so bloody impossible to swallow.’ Alex raked a hand through his hair. ‘By then I didn’t care about Maxine, but I couldn’t understand how my father could do such a thing—to my mother, I mean, not me.’

‘I can’t either. She’s so lovely. And she looks far too young to be your mother,’ said Sarah. ‘When did all this happen?’

‘Six years ago. Mother looked even younger then. As far as I know my father had never looked at another woman until I brought Maxine home,’ he said in disgust. ‘When I learned the truth my first instinct was to get as far away from my father and the Merrick Group as I could. But once I’d cooled down I realised I’d be a bloody fool to throw my birthright away over a woman I no longer even cared for. My whole life had been geared to