Read First Love, Last Love for Free Online Page B

it was her little niece on the line …! ‘Who shall I say is calling?’ came Jane’s businesslike reply.
    Lauri heaved an inward sigh of relief. At least she hadn’t been recognised yet. Now came the hard part ‘Tell him it’s—Lauren.’ After all, he did call her that, and strangely he was the only one ever to do so, giving an intimacy to their relationship that didn’t exist
    ‘Lauren …?’ Jane was obviously prompting for a surname.
    ‘Just Lauren.’ She forced a provocative laugh. ‘He’ll know who it is.’ She hoped! How awful if he demanded to know Lauren who?
    ‘Very well.’ Jane sounded at her most haughty, which meant she wasn’t pleased at being treated in this high-handed manner, even by someone she thought to be another of Alexander Blair’s girl-friends.
    Did he have
girl
-friends? She doubted it. He was much too sophisticated and sure of himself to tolerate naïveté in one of his women. No, he would go for women who knew exactly what they were doing, women who—
    ‘I’m putting you through now,’ Jane abruptly interrupted her thoughts.
    Thank goodness he had remembered her. ‘Thank you so much,’ she replied in the sexy voice she had been using for the whole of the conversation.
    ‘Glad to be of help,’ drawled the unmistakable voice of Alexander Blair. ‘Although this doesn’t sound like the Lauren I know, and I haven’t the faintest idea what I’m being thanked for.’
    ‘I wasn’t thanking you!’ she told him in her normal voice.
    ‘Ah, that’s better.’ He sounded mocking even overthe telephone. ‘Why the change in voice?’ he asked interestedly.
    ‘I didn’t want to be recognised. After all,’ she added hastily, ‘I do work here. I wouldn’t want your secretary to make the connection between Lauri in the typing pool and the Lauren who just telephoned you.’
    ‘Is that likely?’
    ‘I—Well, it could be.’
    ‘I would doubt my secretary is any more familiar with the girls in the typing pool than I am,’ he drawled mockingly. ‘Would you?’
    This girl she was! ‘Probably not,’ she evaded a direct answer. ‘But it wasn’t worth the risk.’
    ‘Would it be too much to ask what this call is about? I thought it had been decided that your—friend was to take the blame for allowing you to drive his car.’
    ‘Yes, well, I—I’ve been thinking, and—and—’
    ‘And?’ he prompted tersely.
    ‘And if your invitation to dinner still stands I would like to discuss—terms.’
    ‘It doesn’t,’ he told her curtly. ‘Forget the dinner invitation.’
    ‘Oh.’ Her heart sank. She had been rude to him and he wasn’t about to forgive such an insult from a nobody like her. ‘Please, Mr Blair. I’m sorry for what I said. I—’
    ‘The dinner invitation is out,’ he repeated. ‘But one for lunch today is open,’ he added enquiringly.
    ‘Lunch today?’ Her mouth gaped open and she quickly closed it again, realising that although her conversation couldn’t be heard by the girls outside the office her reaction to it could clearly be seen.
    ‘Well?’ he rasped, pretty much as he had done after administering that punishing kiss yesterday.
    ‘I—’
    ‘Or do you usually have lunch with your boy-friend?’ he interrupted before she could form an answer.
    ‘Not always. Usually, but not always.’
    ‘Then today can be one of the exceptions.’ It sounded like an order. ‘I’ll meet you in reception at twelve-thirty.’
    ‘No! No, Mr Blair,’ she said more calmly. ‘I’d rather meet you somewhere away from here.’
    ‘I am not in the habit of sneaking out to meet anyone.’ His icy anger could quite easily be detected.
    ‘Then perhaps you shouldn’t take insignificant typists from your own typing pool to lunch.’ Her own anger equalled his. ‘That way you wouldn’t have to sneak around.’
    ‘Lauren—’ he began in a threatening tone.
    ‘Okay, okay, I’m sorry,’ she sighed. ‘But you got angry first,’ she accused.
    To her