[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Underground. Not that he was likely to use that crowded and uncomfortable
form of transport. Probably he always took taxis, or was even grander and
went about London reading the Financial Times in the back of a
company-owned Rolls-Royce.
'Right: ready when you are,' said Gerald.
She pinned on her smile, and Jago again kissed her hand, his lips warm
against her knuckles, making a quiver run through her.
They returned to the hotel in two cars, Savanna riding with Gerald and his
assistant, and Jago driving the other girls. She had arranged for a light
supper to be left on a tray in her room, and she did not see him again that
night.
But she could not put him out of her mind, or dismiss the feeling that his
co-operation was more than an unmotivated whim.
It was on their penultimate day on the island, when only one travelling
outfit and the honeymoon lingerie remained to be photographed, that
Gerald came to her room before dinner.
'Now that you've spent the better part of a week with him, what's your
feeling about Jago, Anny?' he asked, after following her out to the balcony
where she had been drinking iced water from the vacuum jug which the
maids replenished several times a day.
'I'm not sure what you mean. I haven't any special feeling about him,' she
answered untruthfully.
'He seems to have taken to you. Tomorrow he wants to take you on a
picnic just the two of you,' the photographer informed her.
'What? B-but he can't! We have work to do. And besides, I don't want to
picnic with him.'
'Don't you? Are you sure about that?'
'Absolutely sure,' she said firmly. 'You told him I couldn't, didn't you?'
'Yes, but he isn't the type to take no for an answer if he's set his mind on
something.'
'He argued about it? What cheek!'
'No, he didn't argue. I shouldn't think he ever does. He has more effective
methods of getting his way,' remarked Gerald. 'To compensate me for the
trouble of finding a reason for not being able to work tomorrow, he offered
me this.'
He dipped two fingers into the pocket of his shirt and extracted a small
folded paper.
Savanna looked at the cheque bearing Jago's bold signature, then raised
incredulous eyes to his.
'He must be mad!'
'Or very much richer than I'm ever likely to be. If I want to cash it I have to
give him the negatives of those topless shots we took on our second day
here,' he added.
'OA/' As the implication sank in, a hot angry flush suffused the gold of her
sun-tan.
She would have torn the cheque to shreds, but he anticipated her reaction
and whisked it away from her.
'Gerald . . . you couldn't . . . you wouldn't?' she expostulated, in shocked
dismay.
'Don't fly off the handle, lovey. Think about it. If this is a tip to me for letting
you off work tomorrow and handing over a few negatives, what's in it for
you, ask yourself?'
Savanna drew herself up till her spine was a straight as a ramrod. Her soft
mouth tightly compressed, she looked at him with icy contempt.
'I don't need to ask myself, Gerald; and I'm sorry you don't know me better
than to think that I might, for one second, consider such a sickening
suggestion. Keep your "tip". I don't care what you do. But I'm going to tell
Mr Kimdersley that he may be able to buy your co-operation, but he can't
buy mine not at any price!'
She sprang to her feet and brushed past him, fending off the arm with which
he attempted to stay her.
A few moments later she was striding purposefully through the colourful
shrubbery which separated her block from the one in which Jago was
accommodated.
A white-haired West Indian gardener with whom, normally, she passed the
time of day whenever they saw each other, looked after her in surprise as she
marched past a few yards away without even noticing him, her bearing stiff
with indignation.
CHAPTER TWO
LAST time, she had tapped at his door. This time she pressed the buzzer, and
continued to press until the door opened.
'Hello, Savanna,' Jago said calmly.
There were people passing along the path which ran the full length of the
block.
She said, 'Aren't you going to ask me in?'
'By all means.' [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl rafalstec.xlx.pl
Underground. Not that he was likely to use that crowded and uncomfortable
form of transport. Probably he always took taxis, or was even grander and
went about London reading the Financial Times in the back of a
company-owned Rolls-Royce.
'Right: ready when you are,' said Gerald.
She pinned on her smile, and Jago again kissed her hand, his lips warm
against her knuckles, making a quiver run through her.
They returned to the hotel in two cars, Savanna riding with Gerald and his
assistant, and Jago driving the other girls. She had arranged for a light
supper to be left on a tray in her room, and she did not see him again that
night.
But she could not put him out of her mind, or dismiss the feeling that his
co-operation was more than an unmotivated whim.
It was on their penultimate day on the island, when only one travelling
outfit and the honeymoon lingerie remained to be photographed, that
Gerald came to her room before dinner.
'Now that you've spent the better part of a week with him, what's your
feeling about Jago, Anny?' he asked, after following her out to the balcony
where she had been drinking iced water from the vacuum jug which the
maids replenished several times a day.
'I'm not sure what you mean. I haven't any special feeling about him,' she
answered untruthfully.
'He seems to have taken to you. Tomorrow he wants to take you on a
picnic just the two of you,' the photographer informed her.
'What? B-but he can't! We have work to do. And besides, I don't want to
picnic with him.'
'Don't you? Are you sure about that?'
'Absolutely sure,' she said firmly. 'You told him I couldn't, didn't you?'
'Yes, but he isn't the type to take no for an answer if he's set his mind on
something.'
'He argued about it? What cheek!'
'No, he didn't argue. I shouldn't think he ever does. He has more effective
methods of getting his way,' remarked Gerald. 'To compensate me for the
trouble of finding a reason for not being able to work tomorrow, he offered
me this.'
He dipped two fingers into the pocket of his shirt and extracted a small
folded paper.
Savanna looked at the cheque bearing Jago's bold signature, then raised
incredulous eyes to his.
'He must be mad!'
'Or very much richer than I'm ever likely to be. If I want to cash it I have to
give him the negatives of those topless shots we took on our second day
here,' he added.
'OA/' As the implication sank in, a hot angry flush suffused the gold of her
sun-tan.
She would have torn the cheque to shreds, but he anticipated her reaction
and whisked it away from her.
'Gerald . . . you couldn't . . . you wouldn't?' she expostulated, in shocked
dismay.
'Don't fly off the handle, lovey. Think about it. If this is a tip to me for letting
you off work tomorrow and handing over a few negatives, what's in it for
you, ask yourself?'
Savanna drew herself up till her spine was a straight as a ramrod. Her soft
mouth tightly compressed, she looked at him with icy contempt.
'I don't need to ask myself, Gerald; and I'm sorry you don't know me better
than to think that I might, for one second, consider such a sickening
suggestion. Keep your "tip". I don't care what you do. But I'm going to tell
Mr Kimdersley that he may be able to buy your co-operation, but he can't
buy mine not at any price!'
She sprang to her feet and brushed past him, fending off the arm with which
he attempted to stay her.
A few moments later she was striding purposefully through the colourful
shrubbery which separated her block from the one in which Jago was
accommodated.
A white-haired West Indian gardener with whom, normally, she passed the
time of day whenever they saw each other, looked after her in surprise as she
marched past a few yards away without even noticing him, her bearing stiff
with indignation.
CHAPTER TWO
LAST time, she had tapped at his door. This time she pressed the buzzer, and
continued to press until the door opened.
'Hello, Savanna,' Jago said calmly.
There were people passing along the path which ran the full length of the
block.
She said, 'Aren't you going to ask me in?'
'By all means.' [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]