Mendez's Mistress. Anne Mather

      

       Mills & Boon is proud to present a fabulous collection of fantastic novels by bestselling, much loved author

      ANNE MATHER

      Anne has a stellar record of achievement within the publishing industry, having written over one hundred and sixty books, with worldwide sales of more than forty-eight MILLION copies in multiple languages.

      This amazing collection of classic stories offers a chance for readers to recapture the pleasure Anne’s powerful, passionate writing has given.

      We are sure you will love them all!

      I’ve always wanted to write—which is not to say I’ve always wanted to be a professional writer. On the contrary, for years I only wrote for my own pleasure and it wasn’t until my husband suggested sending one of my stories to a publisher that we put several publishers’ names into a hat and pulled one out. The rest, as they say, is history. And now, one hundred and sixty-two books later, I’m literally—excuse the pun—staggered by what’s happened.

      I had written all through my infant and junior years and on into my teens, the stories changing from children’s adventures to torrid gypsy passions. My mother used to gather these manuscripts up from time to time, when my bedroom became too untidy, and dispose of them! In those days, I used not to finish any of the stories and Caroline, my first published novel, was the first I’d ever completed. I was newly married then and my daughter was just a baby, and it was quite a job juggling my household chores and scribbling away in exercise books every chance I got. Not very professional, as you can imagine, but that’s the way it was.

      These days, I have a bit more time to devote to my work, but that first love of writing has never changed. I can’t imagine not having a current book on the typewriter—yes, it’s my husband who transcribes everything on to the computer. He’s my partner in both life and work and I depend on his good sense more than I care to admit.

      We have two grown-up children, a son and a daughter, and two almost grown-up grandchildren, Abi and Ben. My e-mail address is [email protected] and I’d be happy to hear from any of my wonderful readers.

      Mendez’s Mistress

      Anne Mather

      

www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Contents

       Cover

       About the Author

       Title Page

       CHAPTER ONE

       CHAPTER TWO

       CHAPTER THREE

       CHAPTER FOUR

       CHAPTER FIVE

       CHAPTER SIX

       CHAPTER SEVEN

       CHAPTER EIGHT

       CHAPTER NINE

       CHAPTER TEN

       CHAPTER ELEVEN

       CHAPTER TWELVE

       CHAPTER THIRTEEN

       CHAPTER FOURTEEN

       CHAPTER FIFTEEN

       CHAPTER SIXTEEN

       Copyright

       CHAPTER ONE

       ‘H E WAS everything a woman might ever want in a man: tall, dark, ruthless good looks masking a dangerous will that had made him a millionaire before his twenty-fifth birthday. He sat beside her on the sofa, too close for comfort, and oozing the kind of blatant sexuality that weakened her defences. Power and determination had made him successful in business, but Lavender had no intention…’

      ‘I don’t have to go if you don’t want me to, Mum.’

      Rachel had been lost in the intriguing love life of her latest heroine when Daisy appeared in her office doorway, but her daughter’s words brought a crushing end to that imaginary world.

      ‘Oh, Daisy!’ Rachel exclaimed, getting up from her desk to give the girl a swift hug. ‘When did I say I didn’t want you to go?’

      ‘You didn’t,’ said Daisy, recoiling from her mother’s embrace with all the youthful independence of a thirteen-year-old. ‘But I know what you think of Lauren. I don’t like her much either. And the last time I visited them they were still living in England.’

      Rachel sighed. She was always amazed at Daisy’s capacity to understand her feelings. She wasn’t always amenable. Like any teenager her age, she and her mother didn’t always see eye to eye. But where her father was concerned, there was no contest.

      Daisy had known that his invitation to spend at least two weeks of her summer holidays with him and his second wife at their home in Florida could prove controversial. For the first three years of his marriage to Lauren, Steve had only seen his daughter a handful of times, even though Rachel had agreed to share custody. But suddenly, since Steve’s move to the company’s headquarters in Miami last year, he’d been eager to have her spend every holiday with him.

      Rachel hadn’t voiced any objections. She wanted Daisy to know her father. But there was still a twinge of apprehension at the thought that Daisy might find life in the United States far more exciting than living here in Westlea, a quiet English country town.

      ‘Look, I don’t mind,’ she assured Daisy now, refusing to consider how she would feel if Daisy did decide to live with her father. Rachel’s unexpected success in recent years as a romantic novelist had proved satisfying, but it certainly wouldn’t compensate for the loss of her daughter as well as her husband.

      ‘Well…’ Daisy still looked doubtful, and Rachel wanted to hug her again. ‘If you’re sure?’

      ‘You’ll have a lovely time,’ said Rachel, unable to resist tucking a strand of dark hair behind her daughter’s ear. She paused. ‘I just wish your father hadn’t arranged for you to travel across the Atlantic with some strange man.’

      Daisy laughed then. ‘He’s not a strange man, Mum,’ she protested. ‘I have met him before. When Daddy lived in London. He’s his boss, actually. His family owns Mendez Macrosystems. Lauren really likes him. I know she thinks he’s hot.’

      Rachel’s jaw dropped. ‘Hot?’

      ‘Yeah.’ Daisy stared at her. ‘Duh. As opposed to boring? Honestly, Mum,’ she grimaced, ‘if you’re writing for a modern audience you ought to know these things.’

      ‘I know.’ Rachel was defensive. ‘But what makes you think Lauren regards this man as hot ?’ She pulled a face. ‘For heaven’s sake, she and your father have only been married for four years.’

      ‘And your point is?’ Daisy was sardonic. ‘Oh, Mum, get real, will you? Women like Lauren are always on the lookout for the next good thing.’

      Rachel shook her head. ‘I don’t think we should be having this conversation, Daisy.’

      ‘Why not?’

      ‘Well…because Lauren is your father’s wife.’

      ‘You were Daddy’s wife when she decided