Wife For Real. Jennifer Taylor

come from very similar backgrounds—a world away from how I was brought up, believe me.’

      ‘I...I really do not see where this is leading, Jordan. My friendship with Charles is neither here nor there!’

      She tried to draw her hand away, but Jordan’s fingers tightened and he gave a harsh laugh. ‘So that’s what you and Charles are—friends? I see.’

      ‘What do you mean? What do you see? Exactly what are you implying, Jordan?’ Katherine felt her heart leap as she heard the scorn in his voice.

      ‘Why should I be implying anything?’ His eyes were suddenly hooded as they rested on her angry face. ‘I was merely trying to determine if our marriage could have been a success if I were like the other men you know, but I don’t suppose it would have made a scrap of difference.

      ‘The last thing you wanted from me or any man was a real relationship, wasn’t it? You were simply willing to trade yourself in exchange for what I could do for your father. Now we shall have to see what you are prepared to do to help your brother.’

      ‘I imagine it depends on what you ask in return for helping Peter, doesn’t it?’ She gave a bitter laugh, anger washing through her in red-hot waves to chase away the nervousness she felt. How dared Jordan speak to her like that?

      ‘If we are establishing facts then let’s get them straight. If I was prepared to trade then so were you! Or are you trying to claim that you fell in love with me, and that’s why you wanted to marry me? I don’t think so!’

      She dragged her hand free, barely noticing the way his eyes flickered behind his heavy lids. She had no idea why he was acting like this, but if he imagined she was going to sit there and take whatever he cared to dole out then he was mistaken!

      ‘You wanted a suitable wife who knew how to entertain your clients and I wanted to help my father. Those are the facts. They have nothing to do with Charles or anyone else. It was just that you, with your usual arrogance, decided to change the rules! Our marriage could have been perfectly amicable if you hadn’t taken it upon yourself to show me things you thought I should know!’

      She pushed back the chair so that its legs scraped against the tiles. The noise was harsh and discordant. Katherine’s nerves strained at it. She felt incredibly angry. How Jordan felt she had no idea. He was just sitting there staring down at the mug of coffee, his head bowed almost in defeat...

      That thought fled from her mind as fast as it had appeared. She had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing hysterically. ‘Defeat’ wasn’t a word Jordan understood!

      ‘So, are you going to tell me where you went tonight and what happened, or not?’

      There was a moment when she thought he wasn’t going to answer, and then he looked up. There was no anger on his face, nothing to show how much he resented the things she had said, but that didn’t fool her. Jordan must be furious about the way she had spoken to him. Her heart lurched as she wondered if it had been wise in the circumstances.

      ‘Why not? After all, you more than anyone are entitled to know what your brother has been up to, Katherine.’

      There was something in his voice, an undercurrent, which made her skin prickle with apprehension. Katherine drew a ragged breath as she recalled what he had said about how far she would be prepared to go to help Peter...

      ‘Then you had better tell me exactly what you found out, hadn’t you?’ She forced down the fear and struggled to appear composed, but it wasn’t easy. Jordan had more reason than ever to extract a high price for his help!

      He smiled narrowly as he picked up his cup. ‘It appears that your brother doesn’t owe fifty thousand pounds after all.’

      Katherine blinked in confusion. ‘But why did he say that he did? I don’t understand.’

      Jordan slammed the cup down so hard that she jumped. ‘It’s simple. Peter owes closer to one hundred thousand. The fifty grand he needs so urgently is just the start. It just so happens that the owners of one particular club have decided to call in his debt, and I’m sure the rest of his creditors won’t be far behind them once word gets out. From what I was able to discover, Peter owes various sums to at least half a dozen clubs around London.’

      ‘No!’ Katherine gripped the table as the room swam out of focus. ‘Are... are you sure? It could be some sort of a silly mix-up—even... even a deliberate attempt to extort money. I mean, who’s to say if those people didn’t just tell you that in the hope that you would settle the debt for Peter?’

      ‘I don’t think so. They wouldn’t be that foolish!’ Jordan’s laughter was harsh, brutal even. In the bright overhead light his face looked tough and uncompromising, with a cold cynicism glittering in his eyes which made her shiver as she saw it.

      She knew his reputation, of course. Jordan was a tough negotiator and few who crossed him survived to tell the tale. There had been many articles in the papers about the way he had fought his way to the top with a ruthless determination. He never compromised, never accepted second best, never allowed anything to deter him from his goals. If anyone could help Peter out of this situation then it was Jordan, but what he would expect in return remained to be seen!

      She took a quick little breath to control the rush of fear as Jordan continued in the same uncompromising tone. ‘It appears that an attempt was made to contact me once it was realised how deeply in debt your brother was getting. Unfortunately I was out of the country at the time, so the message never reached me.’

      Katherine frowned in bewilderment. ‘I don’t understand. Why should these people have contacted you?’

      ‘Because your brother gave my name as a reference when he asked to extend his credit. Somehow it was allowed to slip through without a proper check being done, and once one club had agreed to the new credit limits the others followed suit. Alarm bells only started ringing when people realised that he was in way over his head, but by then it was too late.

      ‘Unless Peter finds a way to repay the money he’ll be ruined. There is no way that he’ll be kept on at the Stock Exchange once word gets out, and believe me it won’t take long before that happens.’

      ‘No!’ Katherine stared at Jordan in despair. ‘Is... is there anything we can do?’

      ‘That depends.’ Jordan looked down at the mug. When he looked up again, Katherine could see something in his eyes which made her heart beat so fast that she could feel the blood swirling through her veins.

      ‘On what?’ Her voice was whispery-thin in the silence. She licked her parched lips and made herself repeat the question she didn’t want to ask. ‘What does it depend on, Jordan? What are you saying?’

      ‘That it is up to you what happens, Katherine. Peter’s future depends on what you decide to do.’

      ‘I don’t understand...’

      ‘It’s simple.’ Jordan leant back in the chair as he watched her through narrowed eyes. ‘I am willing to pay everything Peter owes and write off the money so that he doesn’t need to repay me a penny of it. However, there are certain conditions attached to my offer... naturally.’

      He made it sound like some sort of business proposition. Katherine wished she could believe it was that simple! Her mind ran wild trying to understand, but she had no idea what he was proposing—that was the trouble. ‘And those conditions are...?’

      ‘That Peter gets the help he needs to stop gambling. I also expect him to give me a written undertaking, enforceable in a court of law, that he will never use my name again without my permission.’

      ‘That seems fair.’ Katherine managed a shaky smile. As far as she was concerned Jordan was being more than charitable in the circumstances.

      ‘That isn’t all, Katherine. There is one other condition attached to my offer. One which concerns you. I want you to think very carefully before you decide, because once you do there will be no going back on your decision. You have