Buch lesen: «Ungentlemanly Behaviour»

CHAPTER ONE

HALLAM LANE was nothing as Abby had imagined. After talking to his son she had developed a picture with her mind’s eye of a stern-faced tyrant, possibly not very tall, completely lacking in warmth and affection, and showing Greg no compassion at all in his time of need.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. Greg’s father was in fact well over six feet, fantastically sexy and incredibly good-looking, even though his nose was a little too aquiline, his jaw square and tough, and his dark, thickly lashed eyes had the sort of quality that could melt a woman’s bones merely by their looking at her. And at this moment he was doing just that.

For a few minutes Abby had been able to watch him unobserved. She had arrived early for her appointment and his housekeeper had shown her into a comfortable sitting-room that overlooked the vast gardens of the Lanes’ mansion home. Father and son were somewhere outside and she would fetch them, the woman had said.

A telephone call, however, had delayed her and as Abby had stood and waited, admiring the gardens through the open floor-length windows, the two men had come into view. Greg had been laughing over something his father had said and the older man’s arm had been wrapped companionably about his son’s shoulders.

Then Greg had moved away as Hallam Lane said something else, giving him a playful punch as he did so. There followed a good-natured sparring match, after which the two of them embraced and they had both still been laughing as they’d approached the house.

Upon entering the room Hallam Lane had looked slightly taken aback to see a strange young woman standing there. Now he glanced at his watch. ‘Miss Sommers, I presume? You’re early.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, and to Greg, with a warm smile, added, ‘Hello again.’

He returned her smile faintly and looked vaguely uneasy, but Abby had no time to dwell on the reason why because Hallam Lane was holding out his hand. Abby took it and her five feet seven inches immediately felt dwarfed.

Velvet dark eyes studied her closely. ‘Please, take a seat,’ he said.

His voice was deep and gravelly and as sexy as his body—a toe-curling combination that added to her confusion. She had come here prepared to dislike him, to stand up for Greg against him, and already in these first few minutes she had not only seen an unexpected bonhomie between father and son but had felt a threatening attraction herself! A rare experience.

She’d had lots of dates as she’d worked her way through law school, but no serious relationships, nothing long-term, and in fact had spent most of her adult years trying to prove herself, to fight prejudice and succeed in a man’s world. And she had done just that—she didn’t take after her father for nothing. She had inherited his fighting spirit and even at the age of twenty-nine had built up quite a fierce reputation for herself.

Abby enjoyed being a solicitor: she enjoyed the variety of work; she enjoyed fighting for justice. Each case she took on was a fresh challenge, a personal challenge, and, although it had not been planned, young people had become her speciality—probably because she was still young herself and found it extremely easy to develop a rapport with them.

When Greg came to see her she had liked him on sight and immediately agreed to handle his case, but he had suggested that she meet his father first, said he would need his parent’s approval. ‘I think, when he suggested I use your firm, he thought that Sommers was a man,’ he had said wryly. ‘My father is actually very much against professional women. You’ll need to persuade him that you’re the right person.’

When she’d pointed out that at eighteen he did not need his father’s permission he had shrugged wistfully. ‘I’d rather not go against him.’

This was when Abby had drawn up a mental image of a browbeating little man. Little men were always the worst, she had found in the course of her profession; it was as though they had something to prove. Not for one fleeting moment had she expected to be confronted by this physically perfect male specimen.

He had thick black hair frosted with silver at the temples and above his ears, and beneath a black cashmere sweater and black worsted trousers was the suggestion of hard muscles—a man in the prime of his life, a man who took good care of himself.

He sat down opposite her and Greg took a seat next to his father. There was no resemblance between them; Greg had mid-brown hair, quiet grey eyes and a gentle face—he would never stop a woman’s heart just by looking at her. She presumed he took after his mother and wondered why the woman wasn’t present.

Hallam Lane, on the other hand, had ‘sexy male animal’ stamped all over him, and together with an air of wealth and authority it was enough to stop any girl dead in her tracks.

Abby found her eyes drawn to his mouth, to wide, generous lips that suggested further lethal sensuality. They were the most kissable lips she had ever seen, and as she and Hallam Lane sat there for a second or two weighing each other up she unconsciously touched the tip of her tongue to her own lips—and it was only when she saw his faint frown that she realised what she was doing and that he was putting the wrong interpretation on it.

Shaking off the alien feeling of attraction towards this big man, Abby became all businesswoman, sitting up that little bit straighter, glad she had dressed for the part today. Often, in her office, she wore something casual—young clients were not so intimidated that way—but this morning, in order to impress Greg’s father, she had put on one of her severely cut suits that she normally saved for court appearances.

Her long, deeply waved Titian hair was pinned into a French pleat so that it was tidy and out of the way. She wore no earrings—in fact nothing in the way of jewellery except a garnet ring that had belonged to her mother—and only the very minimum of make-up.

She had thought, when she’d checked in the mirror before leaving the house, that she looked every inch a conservative, responsible young woman. Greg’s father could not possibly take exception to her. Abby unfortunately had no idea that, whatever she wore, it did not hide the fact that she was an extraordinarily sensual person. Nothing she could do would ever hide it.

‘Let’s get to the point, shall we, Mr Lane?’ Her tone was brisk and completely businesslike, and there was a deliberate blankness in her expression. ‘Your son has expressed a wish that you and I meet. He seems to think it necessary to have your approval before I take on his case.’

Hallam Lane nodded slowly, his eyes penetrating hers with an intensity that was unnerving. ‘That is correct. You sound as though you find it strange?’

Abby shrugged, trying to quell the awareness that trickled through her veins. ‘He is of age,’ she pointed out levelly. ‘Parents don’t usually interfere. Although getting to know you will no doubt help me gain a better picture of Greg and his background.’

‘Interfere?’ He picked up on that one word, and thick brows drew together. ‘I am not interfering, Sommers. I merely have my son’s best interests at heart. I want to make sure that he has the best legal representation possible.’

‘Of course.’ Realising the foolishness of getting on this man’s wrong side so early in proceedings, Abby immediately apologised. ‘It was an unfortunate choice of word, Mr Lane. I assure you I meant nothing derogatory whatsoever.’

He gave a wintry smile. ‘I’m pleased to hear it. But the fact of the matter remains that I am not prepared to allow a woman to handle my son’s case. I’m afraid you’ve had a wasted journey.’

‘Why ever not?’ Abby had come up against discrimination like this many times before. With her slender, willowy figure and richly coloured hair no man ever took her seriously. She had a bubbly personality, a vibrant, lively face, and walked with an unconscious sway to her hips. No one ever believed that she was a solicitor.

Now she drew her fine brows together over beautiful, wide green eyes. ‘Don’t you think your son should be the one to make that decision?’ Although Greg had warned her about his father’s prejudice it still came as something of a surprise.

‘Not when it’s my money that will be paying your bill,’ he pointed out crisply.

It was an unnecessarily sharp retort and Abby took it as a personal insult. Her chin lifted and her eyes sparked. ‘Are you under the impression that female solicitors do not do as good a job as a man?’

Unfortunately, as she spoke, Abby felt a pin fall out of the pleat in her hair and she silently cursed. If there was any occasion when she needed to look professional this was it; she needed to prove herself to this man—perhaps more so than with anyone else she had ever met. Before she’d come to the house today she had formed the opinion that he was a hard man to deal with—and already in these first few minutes he was proving her right.

As she quickly raised her hand to check that none of her hair had fallen out of place she was conscious of Hallam Lane’s dark eyes following the movement, openly and insolently appraising the way her grey jacket moulded to her breasts as they were brought into prominence by the action of her arm. It was a typical male reaction and made her blood boil.

She dropped her hand immediately but still his eyes carried on their deliberate scrutiny, moving down the entire length of her body, slow inch by slow inch, missing nothing, not stopping until they reached her narrow feet, clad in black leather court shoes.

It was not the normal, casual glance a man gave a woman—not indeed. She felt as though she had been stripped naked, every article of clothing divested from her body. She drew in a deep, angry breath. ‘If you’ve quite finished, Mr Lane, I’d like an answer to my question.’

Her clear green eyes were brightly indignant, her lashes, darkened by mascara, quivered—as did every inch of her. She was beginning to see why Greg had insisted on getting his father’s approval. He was quite a man, Hallam Lane.

Black eyes connected with hers. ‘As a matter of fact, yes, I have no faith in women solicitors. What’s happened to Neville Sommers? Has he retired?’

A shadow crossed her face. ‘My father died,’ she told him bluntly. It had been a black day in the Sommers household.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said immediately. ‘I didn’t know. He was a good man. The best.’ There was genuine compassion in his voice.

‘And I have taken his place,’ she added proudly, challenge in her green eyes.

Hallam Lane looked at her narrowly. ‘Under the circumstances I would have expected your company to suggest one of the older partners.’

More experienced, he meant—not so pretty and feminine! Her nostrils flared, further resentment beginning to feel its way into her mind. ‘And how do you know how good I am until you try me?’ It looked as though Hallam Lane was a real male chauvinist; no wonder his son had feared to make his own decision.

‘They’re too busy,’ she declared bluntly. It had taken her a long time to get where she was today—years of training with no pay, and then, after qualification, a year or two on only a pittance. She absolutely refused to let this man put her down.

An enigmatic gleam entered the velvet dark eyes; his sensual lips gave an odd quirk. ‘How old are you, Miss Sommers?’

‘Old enough,’ she declared coolly, though she knew she did not look her twenty-nine years. She never had looked her age, but no one had ever suggested that she might be too young to do her job. ‘I think that the decision should be your son’s, Mr Lane,’ she added. ‘He is more than happy to let me help him.’

Greg had sat quietly listening, but now his eyes widened and he looked at her anxiously, as if trying to warn her, but it was too late.

‘I hardly think Greg has any say in this,’ his father growled. ‘He is already in enough trouble without some incompetent female making matters worse.’

‘I disagree,’ she said, keeping her tone calm and cool and completely professional, even though she was beginning to seethe inside. ‘Greg needs to build up a rapport with whichever solicitor is chosen to represent him. I am used to teenagers and I actually feel that he and I would be able to—’

‘I don’t think so,’ the older man cut in, his voice cooling considerably.

‘But, Father, I also think that—’ It was the first time the boy had spoken and he was instantly silenced by a withering glance.

‘What you think has nothing to do with it,’ declared Hallam firmly.

‘I like Miss Sommers, though; I am sure that—’

‘Greg, let me deal with this.’

Abby could not understand why this man would not let his son speak for himself on this issue. She felt sorry for Greg, more especially when he gave her a pleading glance behind his parent’s back.

‘I believe,’ she said to Hallam Lane, trying to keep her voice reasonable, ‘that my age is something in my favour as far as your son is concerned. I can relate to young people better than, say, Grypton or Evans—’ both of whom were well into their fifties ‘—and I therefore think that it would be in Greg’s best interests if I represented him. Perhaps I could have a word with your wife? This should be a mutual decision.’

‘There is no Mrs Lane.’ His brow was suddenly as dark as a thundercloud and Abby could see that she had touched a raw nerve. Presumably his marriage had not lasted—and if he was always this chauvinistic where women were concerned then she could see why.

‘I also think it is time you went,’ he added coldly and purposefully. ‘You can tell your partners why they’ve lost my business—and if they have any sense they’ll get rid of you.’

Abby opened her mouth to object, took one look at Greg’s face pleading with her to say no more, and closed it again. If this was Hallam Lane’s decision, and his son was prepared to go along with it, then there was no point in arguing, even though she thought the elder Lane was making a big mistake. She rose to her feet, picked up her handbag and walked out of the room.

Although she did not feel like being polite, although she wanted to tell Hallam Lane exactly what she thought of him for inflicting his personal prejudices on his son, Abby nevertheless held out her hand as she reached the main entrance and smiled graciously. ‘Goodbye, Mr Lane; I’m sorry you feel this way.’

Contact with him felt like fire-water shooting through her veins. Despite his hostility towards her he was still a lethally attractive man, and she could not get her hand free quickly enough.

He gave a quietly confident smile as she snatched it away, almost as though he knew what effect he was having on her, as though she was conforming to some preconceived pattern. Unless it was her imagination.

Abby knew men reacted in many different ways when confronted with a woman solicitor, especially when that woman was attractive as well. Not that she considered herself unduly beautiful; she thought her nose too tiny, her mouth too wide. She was oblivious to the effect she really had on people.

‘Greg should have known how I felt,’ he said gruffly, eyes steady on hers. ‘He shouldn’t have wasted your time. Goodbye, Sommers.’

She looked at the boy, feeling genuinely sorry for him because he had seemed to really like her. ‘Goodbye, Greg,’ she said, and then walked out to her car, conscious of Hallam Lane watching her every inch of the way.

Once inside her metallic-blue Rover she drew in a steadying breath, fired the engine, and moved away so quickly that gravel spurted beneath her tyres. Black and gold wrought-iron gates—set into the high wall surrounding the property—opened automatically as she approached, and Abby could not help wondering uncharitably what this man had got to hide that his place was like a fortress.

Abby was not given to thinking ill of people but Hallam Lane really had struck a wrong chord with her. Apart from her totally unexpected physical response to him—something that she would need to think about later—she had found him a totally unreasonable man.

His disapproval of career women should not have entered into things since it was Greg she had been asked to represent. She felt sorry for his son. He had not been allowed to get a word in. If she hadn’t seen how well they got on together she would have retained her initial impression that he ruled his son with a rod of iron. It was all very puzzling.

When she arrived back at the discreetly elegant office buildings of Grypton, Sommers & Evans in the English county town of Shrewsbury, Abby was still frowning over the unfairness of the situation. She stripped off her jacket and tossed it impatiently onto the coatstand, threw the Lane file into her wastepaper basket—there was no point in keeping that any longer—and dropped heavily into her chair.

The more she thought about the way Hallam Lane was controlling the situation, the more annoyed she became. Maybe she ought not to have given in so quickly; maybe she ought to have stood her ground, stuck up for Greg. He had looked truly disappointed. On the other hand, as Hallam had said, he was the one paying the bills—so ultimately it was his choice.

When the telephone rang she was surprised to hear her secretary say that she had Mr Lane on the line. ‘Hallam Lane?’ she queried, not even stopping to wonder why this man came into her thoughts first.

‘No, it’s Gregory, I think,’ replied Linda.

‘I see,’ Abby said slowly. ‘Put him on.’ Perhaps he had been able to persuade his father to think again. Stranger things had happened.

‘Hello, Greg, this is unexpected,’ she said, as soon as the call was put through. ‘Has your father changed his mind?’

‘Goodness, no,’ came the immediate response. ‘But he’s gone out and I want to say how sorry I am that I got you all the way out to the house for nothing. I really did think that once he’d seen you he would—’

‘You don’t have to apologise,’ she interrupted gently. ‘I meet all sorts in this job. It was nice of you to ring, though; I appreciate it.’

There was a slight pause before he spoke again. ‘It wasn’t simply to apologise for my father; I—I really want you to represent me. Will you do it?’ There was an earnest note in his voice now.

Abby’s brain went into fast forward as she realised the full implication of what he was asking. It could cause all sorts of problems if she went against the older man’s wishes, and at the very least it would generate friction between father and son. ‘I don’t think it would be very wise,’ she said. ‘Your father—’

‘This is my own decision,’ he cut in, surprising her with his determination.

‘Why didn’t you make this stand in front of him?’ she asked, frowning faintly into the phone.

‘Because I respect him, I guess,’ he told her wryly, ‘and rarely go against his wishes—and I especially didn’t think it wise, considering the trouble I’m already in,’ he added sorrowfully. ‘But I really do want you to help me, and I thought that if I presented him with a fait accompli he would be unable to do anything about it. I didn’t do that burglary, I promise you. I was—’

‘Greg,’ she cut in firmly, her mind suddenly made up, ‘I will do it, but only on condition that your father is in agreement. Talk to him again, tell him what you’ve told me, tell him you have confidence in me, that you find it easy to relate to me—better than you would an older person—and then come and see me. Shall we say ten o’clock in the morning?’

He agreed reluctantly and after she had put down the telephone Abby sat in thoughtful silence as she tried to visualise what the next meeting between father and son would be like. Somehow she could not see Hallam Lane agreeing to her taking on his son’s case, whatever Greg said. His dislike of career women was so intense that nothing would move him. She did not expect to see Greg again.

Pressure of work soon took over and the Lanes were forgotten. It was not until the day ended and she was in bed that Abby thought about either of them, and it was, not surprisingly, the elder man who was at the forefront of her mind.

It had been a shock to feel any sort of reaction to him. She had built up an automatic barrier where men were concerned, having discovered that most of them were arrogant and domineering and downright dismissive when faced with a successful career woman. Hallam Lane was no exception.

Why, then, had she felt this instant fascination? It could be dangerous, especially if Greg did manage to persuade his father to change his mind. Just the thought of seeing Hallam Lane again sent a flurry of sensation through her limbs. Lord, it was stupid. How could such a thing have happened?

She determinedly switched her mind to Greg, wondering how long he had been without a mother. It could be part of his problem. Had he been a troublesome child? It would be up to her to find out the history of this young man who had appealed to her for help—and how better than through his father?

A few minutes before ten the next morning her secretary rang through to announce that Mr Lane was waiting to see her.

‘Send him in,’ Abby said at once, feeling pleased that Greg had somehow managed to get round his father. She had not expected that. A ready smile played on her lips as the door opened but it faded instantly when it was the senior Lane who entered her room.

Not wanting to feel at a disadvantage where this big man was concerned, she jumped immediately to her feet and there were no preliminaries on either side. She had his measure now and was ready for him. She barred from her mind any sensual thoughts.

‘If you’re here to say that you forbid me to take Greg’s case then I think you’re making a very foolish mistake,’ she said firmly and clearly. ‘Greg trusts me and wants me and—’

‘You’re wasting your breath.’

Abby dragged her fine brows together. ‘I don’t think so. I happen to believe in your son.’ Hallam Lane wore a charcoal-grey suit this morning, emphasising the lean lines of his body but hiding none of its strength. She had made no mistake in remembering how destroyingly attractive to her senses he was.

‘I’m not here to denigrate you, Sommers,’ he said surprisingly. ‘You can handle Greg’s affairs.’ Dark, long-lashed eyes watched intently for her reaction—eyes so dark that they rendered the irises invisible.

Abby’s frown deepened and for an instant she felt at a disadvantage. ‘I don’t understand.’ And she wished she had dressed differently.

She wore a softly flared cotton dress in emerald-green which matched the colour of her eyes—and made her look even younger! A fact that she was sure had not gone unnoticed by her unexpected visitor.

Her hair was also unrestrained this morning, falling in a torrent of heavy waves about her shoulders, a flame of red that caught Hallam’s eyes and made him frown at her in silence for several long seconds.

She spoke before he could. ‘What has made you change your mind?’

‘Greg reminded me he is of an age to make his own decisions,’ he commented drily. ‘Not that I am totally in agreement with that. He has made some tragic mistakes in his young life.’

Even as he spoke his eyes were making a careful study of her mouth, and then they moved slowly downwards to rest on the pert thrust of her breasts, moulded so clearly by the fine green cotton. It was yet a further deliberate appraisal, perhaps designed to see what sort of reaction he got! Abby’s hackles rose.

‘If it is your intention to use sex as a weapon you’re wasting your time,’ she told him coolly and defensively. She could not deny that she felt something, that a trickle of awareness ran through her veins, but she was most certainly not going to let him see it.

‘Who’s talking about sex?’ he asked, a sardonic curve now to his mouth, a quirk to an eyebrow.

Abby glared. ‘I don’t like the way you’re looking at me, Mr Lane. In fact I find your whole attitude extremely offensive.’

Never had Abby spoken to a prospective client—or a client’s father—in such a manner, but there was something about this man that rubbed her up the wrong way, or was it because she was trying to defend herself? Was it her own sexuality that scared her, the way he managed to arouse her without even trying?

His smile widened, revealing a perfect set of white teeth. ‘I’m a red-blooded male, Sommers, admiring a beautiful lady. If you read anything more into it then you’re living up to my expectations.’

Abby’s head jerked and she gave a swift frown. ‘What is that supposed to mean?’

‘Aren’t all women the same?’ he jeered. ‘Especially when they work in a man’s world. I guess domesticity and a few children around your feet is the last thing you want. You earn good money; you’re free to have as many affairs as you wish. I imagine some men find excitement in dating successful career women, but personally I prefer someone who behaves like a real woman.’

Abby wondered what on earth had brought this on. ‘I’m sure I didn’t ask for any of this, Mr Lane,’ she said tightly. ‘I think you’re totally out of order and I think it might be best if you left’

She realised that she was jeopardising the chance he had given her of taking Greg’s case, but, heavens, she didn’t have to put up with his insults. She marched across to the door and opened it, discovering to her astonishment that his son was hovering outside.

Before she could speak, however, before she could even venture a smile, the door was firmly closed again, taken from her by a hand that was stronger and more insistent than her own. She turned furiously. ‘What the devil do you think you’re—?’

‘Just proving a point,’ he muttered, and she was pulled against the hardness of his body, immobilised by one firm hand behind her back and another behind her head. His lips unerringly found hers.

Abby was taken so much by surprise that for the first few seconds she was frozen, simply standing there and allowing the kiss, insane though it was. When finally she came back to life and began to fight, pummelling her fists against a rock-hard body, demanding that he let her go, she was perturbed to see tiny flames of desire in the blackness of his eyes.

Also, more frightening still was her own sizzling response to his compelling sensuality. It could not be stemmed, nor could she ignore it. It was by far the most scary thing that had ever happened to her.

It seemed an age before he finally released her—a whole lifetime of drumming, throbbing heartbeats and racing pulses, of a pagan rhythm that threatened to take over her whole body.

‘Well, well, well, Sommers,’ he said, his full lips curled in confident amusement, his eyes mocking. ‘You did not let me down.’

She threw him a swift, savage glance, though in truth it was herself, her own unaccountable behaviour that she was more angry with. ‘You’re despicable!’

‘And you’re incredibly beautiful when you’re angry—and also completely predictable.’

Abby’s body shook with anger; she was furious with both him and herself. ‘You’re deeply mistaken, Mr Lane. You have no idea at all what I am like. And do you know what? I feel sorry for Greg having a father like you; you’re the one who has no morals.’

He smiled—a highly dangerous smile—appearing not in the least perturbed by her harsh words. ‘Just remember,’ he warned, a steely glint now in his eyes, ‘I want no sentence passed against my son.’

She looked at him coolly and disdainfully. ‘It depends whether he is innocent, Mr Lane.’

‘It is up to you to prove that he is,’ he reminded her tersely.

‘Is it your good name you’re thinking of?’ Abby knew she was dicing with danger but restraint had long since flown out of the window where this man was concerned.

Black eyes glittered. ‘Just do the job you’re getting paid for.’ Then he yanked the door open and motioned his son to enter. Greg glanced from one to the other and it was obvious by his worried expression that he had heard their raised voices. ‘I’ll see you later, son,’ Hallam growled as he brushed past him and left the office.