Double Dealing Read Online Free

not let him win this ridiculous confrontation.
    She could only hope that his business acumen for exceeded
his limited ability at gallantry. Grabbing for the towel across her buttocks,
Samantha sat up quickly, holding it in front of her, and then came lightly down
off the table in a hasty rush. The least he could have done, she thought seethingly , was look away as she slipped into the jacket.
But of course, being a man intent on establishing dominance in the small power struggle
being waged, Sinclair didn’t bother to glance away.
    “I wouldn’t look so pleased with myself,” she advised sweetly
as she wrapped the too-large jacket around her body. “The inside of this coat
is never going to be the same.”
    “I doubt that I s-s-shall mind having the essence of your
perfume clinging to the inside of my jacket,” he mocked, studying the way the
garment fell to her thighs.
    “It isn’t the essence of my perfume you’re going to be stuck
with,” she assured him with grim cheer. “It’s the sticky remains of Miss Carson’s
cleansing gel!”
    Satisfied at having had the last word, Samantha spun around
on her bare heel and strode regally out of the steamy, tiled room. The dark
satyr followed silently in her wake. Miss Carson watched them both depart with
a distinctly dissatisfied expression. Since when was business more important
than fitness?
    Disdaining to acknowledge the curious glances of several
people who were checking into the spa, Samantha sailed through the serene
Japanese garden atmosphere of the lobby. She was all too conscious of the man pacing
behind her and of what he must be thinking as he trailed her bare-legged figure
down the tiled hallway.
    Gabriel must have had a fairly good notion of what she was
thinking also because as she came to a halt in front of her room he murmured
gently. “Perhaps you s-should have thought twice about requesting my assistance
back there in the spa, Miss Maitland. Summoning angels can be as uncertain a
business as summoning demons. Didn’t you know that?”
    “I shall try to remember that in the future,” she retorted
briskly, taking the key which had been attached to her wrist with a band and
inserting it forcefully into her lock. “Do you behave like this regularly, Mr.
Sinclair?” She pushed open the door and stalked into the room.
    “No.”
    The brusqueness of the admission surprised her. Turning to
glance at him, Samantha suddenly realized that he was telling the truth.
Gabriel Sinclair was not at all accustomed to impulsive action on his own part.
    The realization helped restore her own sense of humor as
well as giving her a feeling of being back in control. She was extremely
grateful for both.
    “The problem in this instance,” he went on thoughtfully as
he stepped into the room, “is that I find myself responding to a deliberately
baited hook. I don’t care for such devices, Miss Maitland.”
    Samantha’s eyes narrowed fractionally. “My note?”
    “Your cryptic note,” he clarified coolly.
    “You don’t appreciate a hint of a puzzle?” she dared, stifling
a tiny smile. After all, whatever he thought of her provocative note, it had
the merit of having been effective, He had sought her out at the spa as she had
hoped he would.
    “Let’s get something clear between us,” Gabriel drawled,
taking a chair beside the window which overlooked a small patio garden. “I don’t
like puzzles. I don’t like unknown quantities. I don’t like deliberately dangled
lures.”
    “How very unadventurous of you.” But her tone was light, not
mocking. If he thought she was genuinely laughing at him, he might simply turn
around and leave and then she would be in one heck of a mess. “I shall try to
remember that in the future. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll put on something a
little more, uh, businesslike.” She glanced down in disgust at his jacket
wrapped around her body and started for the dressing room.
    “What’s the matter, Miss Maitland?” he asked