The Billionaire's Blackmail Bargain. Margaret Mayo

ate their meal in silence, Simone simply picking at the oysters and the excellent barramundi that followed, shaking her head when Cade suggested dessert.

      ‘Do you remember the Valentine’s Ball?’

      His question took her by surprise. How could she not remember? It had been the first time Cade had taken her out, and she had worn a beautiful off-the-shoulder dress in emerald satin. He had told her that she looked a million dollars, and she had glowed beneath his compliment.

      When he’d seen her home at the end of the evening she had felt as though she was walking on air. And after that their romance had blossomed sensationally.

      ‘I will remember it for ever,’ she answered, unaware how wistful her voice had gone.

      ‘You were stunning even then.’ His eyes made a study of her face, watching every fleeting expression, resting for several long seconds on the soft contours of her mouth.

      Hiding her reaction was a sheer impossibility, thought Simone, as she touched a nervous tongue to lips that had gone dry. And when those same gorgeous eyes visited each part of her body in turn she felt an even more dramatic arousal of feelings.

      She had no idea that her breathing had deepened, that her breasts were rising and falling a little faster than usual. Or that Cade had observed this tiny detail. ‘Maybe we should drink our coffee somewhere more comfortable,’ he suggested.

      But not sit together, decided Simone, choosing an easy chair rather than one of the sofas. Lamps in the beautifully appointed apartment bathed the whole room in softly seductive light. At any other time…

      Cade fixed himself a drink at the bar, and Simone was pleased at the temporary respite from his presence. Nevertheless she couldn’t take her eyes off him. She watched every movement he made. His clothes both hid and revealed a body that was in great shape. One that had once belonged intimately to her.

      He was the one man she had truly loved—and then lost for ever.

      ‘Are you sure you don’t want one?’ He looked up and smiled, and her heart did a flip.

      ‘I’m sure,’ she answered, her voice kitten-soft.

      When he returned to his seat she avoided looking at him. He was seriously sexy and out to charm her again—but for no reason other than she was part of his business plan. She must remember that.

      Everything inside her had sprung into life, until she felt as though she was wired to a machine that kept shooting electrical impulses through her veins. She wished he had never come back. She’d had her heart broken once by him, and if a heart could be broken a second time then Cade was the man to do it.

      Long minutes ticked by when neither of them spoke. Cade watched Simone through half-closed eyes, a faint smile on his lips, arousing her without the need for words. This was an old game between them, and one they had played many times before. Simone thought back to how it had usually played out. When she had taken so much that her insides had begun to sizzle. She used to respond to Cade’s silent arousals by stripping her clothes off in a slow, seductive dance. Then she’d begin to unrobe him as well—except usually by that time he’d been too impatient and had torn his clothes off himself.

      But if he thought his tactics would work now he was deeply mistaken. OK, she’d agreed to become his mistress, but she wasn’t giving him her body quite so easily this time around.

      Then Cade broke the spell by speaking on a totally different subject. ‘I actually expected you to be married by now.’

      Simone drew in a deep breath, pulling a wry face as she did so. She might as well tell him the truth; he would find out anyway. ‘I was married, actually. I’m divorced.’ She added bitterly, ‘It’s another part of my life that ended in disaster.’

      Dark brows rose, and there was a long pause when she could see his mind working overtime before he asked, ‘What happened?’

      ‘He walked out on me,’ she answered tersely. ‘He met someone else.’ It was all she was prepared to tell him at this stage.

      ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, and oddly enough he sounded as though he meant it. ‘And there’s no one else who might be upset if he knew I was entertaining you here? If he knew the position you’re now in?’

      ‘Would I have agreed if there was?’ snapped Simone.

      Cade smiled exultantly.

      Simone felt like slapping him. Instead she shot a retaliatory question. ‘Have you ever married?’ There was no ring on his finger, but that didn’t mean a thing.

      He shook his head. ‘I’ve had no time. Girlfriends, yes, but marriage has definitely been off my agenda.’

      Simone was surprised. If he could afford to bail her out, throw in as much as it needed to buy a new fleet of sailing vessels without even batting an eyelid, then he had to be seriously rich. And seriously rich men attracted girls by the dozen. So why hadn’t one of them captured his heart?

      ‘Or is it that you’ve set yourself impossibly high standards?’ she asked without thinking, and Cade’s harsh response surprised her.

      ‘When someone lets you down badly it does make you think twice,’ he snarled, his eyes cutting through hers like twin blades of ice. ‘Trust has to be earned, and no one yet has earned enough merit points.’

      It felt like a direct dig, at her and Simone silently winced. Nevertheless she raised her chin and looked at him boldly. ‘Merit points? How calculating. Exactly what are you looking for in a wife, Cade? No one’s perfect.’

      ‘As I discovered for myself, most brutally. Maybe there’s a halfway mark somewhere.’

      His eyes darkened as he looked at her. Simone felt a trickle of something slide down her spine. Was it fear or hope? Need she be afraid of him? He was going to help her. That had to be good. But the cost was exorbitantly high, and she couldn’t help wondering whether it would be worth it.

      Feeling a desperate need to change the subject, she said, ‘Exactly what is it you propose to do—as far as my company’s concerned?’

      Cade set his glass down and changed instantly into business mode. ‘I’ve drawn up a rough plan of action— provided you agree, of course.’ But his dangerous eyes told her that she had no option.

      ‘Naturally the first thing would be a whole new fleet of boats, which I’ve already looked into ordering. Then your offices would need to be totally revamped, everything brought bang up to date.’

      Simone widened her eyes. ‘Is that necessary?’ It was an entirely unexpected suggestion, and she couldn’t see his reasoning behind it. What was wrong with her office?

      ‘It’s very necessary. A new image will do the business a world of good,’ he answered bluntly.

      Cade clearly knew what he was talking about, and it was his money he was spending, so who was she to argue? ‘So, tell me about your company,’ she said finally, not realising that it looked as though she was agreeing to his suggestion.

      Cade smiled and settled back into his seat. This was clearly a subject he relished. ‘I started with one boat, specialising in corporate charter, and was amazed how quickly it took off. Of course, the season’s shorter in the UK, but I did very well. I ended up buying more vessels even after one season.’

      ‘I’m pleased for you,’ she said, and surprised herself by meaning it. Cade had exactly the right outlook on life to succeed in whatever he did, and she felt sure that her father’s trickery had helped make him into the tough businessman he was today.

      ‘How big is your fleet?’

      ‘To be honest, I’m not sure,’ came his staggering answer. ‘I’ve expanded into Europe, so the company is growing at an incredible rate.’

      Simone raised