Freedom To Love

‘I thought so!’ Gemma’s eyes sparkled excitedly. ‘What did he give you just now?’

It had been too much to hope that Gemma hadn’t seen that interchange! ‘Just his card,’ Katy revealed reluctantly.

’Just his card?’ her sister repeated dazedly. ‘And did I see you rip it up?’

‘You did. I have no desire to be photographed in the nude.’

Gemma spluttered with laughter. ‘He wanted to photograph you?’

‘My body,’ Katy corrected disgustedly, his remark that she would never make it on her face alone still rankling.

‘And you turned him down?’

‘Of course I did,’ she said crossly. ‘I told you, I don’t want him photographing me.’ She didn’t like his totally analytical gaze, didn’t like the way he had dismissed her face and instead assessed her body as photographable. She pitied his wife if he had one—how awful to be stripped down to the bare bone, so to speak. After all, no one was perfect, and this man was more than qualified to pick out any blemish or imperfection. ‘Besides,’ she added, ‘you know it isn’t possible. And Mum and Dad would never allow it.’

‘If Adam Wild wanted to photograph me I wouldn’t let Mum and Dad stop me,’ Gemma said scornfully.

‘And Gerald?’ Katy asked dryly.

‘It wouldn’t bother me.’ He sat forward to answer for himself. ‘I might get quite a kick out of seeing my girl-friend’s picture in a centrefold.’

It was the sort of stupid remark Katy would have expected from him. Despite his fair good looks, Katy had always considered Gerald one of the silliest men she knew. Part of her dislike could be due to the fact that he had first started dating Gemma when Katy was going through the worst of her puppy fat and spots stage, and he had never forgotten it. He had teased her unmercifully then, his barbs often cruel and hurtful, and he still did so, every chance he could. Katy stayed away from him whenever she could.

‘Gemma didn’t get the offer,’ she reacted strongly to him. ‘And I have no intention of taking it up.’

Gerald’s brown eyes passed over her scornfully. ‘I can’t see what the man saw in you,’ and he turned away.

‘Idiot!’ Gemma snapped at her resentfully, before she too turned away.

‘Tell him I have a thing about firm uptilted breasts,’ remarked a soft taunting voice from next to Katy.

She spun round, her eyes wide with indignation. ‘What did you say?’ she gasped.

Adam Wild gave her a lazy smile, a completely relaxed look about him as he slouched down in his seat. ‘I like nicely rounded bottoms too,’ he added outrageously. ‘So you pass on both counts.’

Katy glared at him. ‘How do you know that?’

‘I watched you as you walked to the loo,’ he informed her calmly. ‘I’ve always thought tight denims a good figure revealer. Of course, I couldn’t see your legs, but——’

‘Leave my legs out of it!’ she said fiercely.

‘But I’m sure they’re equally curvaceous,’ he continued as if she hadn’t spoken.

‘How awful to look at every woman through the eyes of a camera,’ Katy snapped, ‘to always see the faults. I pity your wife,’ she voiced her thoughts of a few minutes ago.

Adam Wild gave a throaty chuckle, suddenly appearing younger than his thirty-six years. ‘I’m not married, Katy,’ he said with humour. ‘And never likely to be.’

‘Too choosy, I suppose,’ she said insultingly, surprised at her own vehemence towards this man. She didn’t normally take violent dislikes to people.

‘Too much choice,’ he told her insinuatingly. ‘There are too many girls only too eager to give their all if I’ll photograph them. Sometimes I take them up on that offer. So you see, I don’t always see the faults.’

Katy hated the way those deep blue eyes were laughing at her. ‘Tell me, Mr Wild, why are you sitting back here with us lesser mortals? Wouldn’t you have been more comfortable up the front with your own sort?’ Her sarcasm was unmistakable.

‘Miss Harris,’ his voice was deceptively mild, his eyes no longer laughing, ‘until the general public decided to take me to their bosoms about fifteen years ago, I belonged with the “lesser mortals”. And that was your description, not mine,’ he added hardly. ‘Besides, what does it matter where I sit when all I want to do is rest?’

‘I suppose that’s because you took one of those girls up on their offer last night!’

His eyes suddenly appeared flinty grey, and Katy wondered how she had ever thought them a deep blue. ‘I’m not so old that a night of love physically exhausts me,’ he told her harshly. ‘I just don’t happen to have slept for seventy-two hours.’

‘Three nights of love!’ she taunted.

‘Miss Harris, go to hell,’ he said calmly.

Katy was prevented from answering by the sudden request to fasten seat belts, and the dropping of the aeroplane as they approached Calgary. She had that terrible feeling in her stomach again, only this time it was worse. Her nails dug into the arm-rest, luckily not Adam Wild’s arm this time, but her panic just seemed to be getting worse.

She heard an impatient sigh beside her and a male hand, palm upwards, came into her vision. She didn’t stop to think that this was Adam Wild offering her comfort, that he was the man she had taken an instant dislike to; all that mattered right now was that he understood how she felt and was trying to help her.

Her hand crept into his much larger one, his long tapered fingers closing about hers. His thumb rubbed rhythmically over the back of her’ hand, soothing away some of her panic and making her feel secure when moments ago she had felt near to hysteria.

‘Thank you,’ she said huskily once they had come to a standstill outside the airport building. ‘I—Thank you,’ she repeated weakly.

‘Don’t mention it.’ Already he was standing up to depart. ‘I won’t ask any payment for it, so you can stop looking worried.’

Colour flooded her cheeks. ‘I didn’t think you would! And I wasn’t looking worried.’

‘Then perhaps you ought to,’ he remarked with humour. ‘Your sister and her boy-friend have just departed down the other aisle.’

Katy turned startled grey eyes to see he was in fact correct. Gemma and Gerald hadn’t even told her they were going, and now they were almost out of the plane. She scrambled to her feet, almost falling over in her panic.

A hand came out to grasp her elbow. ‘Calm down,’ Adam Wild advised her. ‘They won’t have got far. It usually takes some time to get through Customs. Come on,’ he pulled her out into the aisle beside him, ‘I’ll take you through.’

‘There’s no need——’

‘There’s every need,’ he insisted. ‘During our brief acquaintance I’ve come to realise that you’re incapable of doing anything without something going wrong.’

‘That isn’t true——’

‘I don’t have the time to argue, Katy. Nearly everyone else is off the plane. Now, come on.’

Katy let herself be led towards the exit, furious with her sister and Gerald for leaving her at the mercy of this sarcastic man.

The air hostess who had served them during their flight was standing at the doorway. ‘I hope you both enjoyed your flight,’ she smiled at them both, although the smile was brighter as her gaze rested on Adam Wild. ‘I hope you weren’t too uncomfortable, Mr Wild. I’m sorry there were no first class seats available.’

‘That’s all right,’ he returned the smile with lazy charm. ‘I just needed a seat, I didn’t care where.’ He manoeuvred Katy so that they departed together, striding along and pulling her with him.

‘So you did try to get in first class,’ she accused in a fierce whisper.

He shrugged. ‘I tried.’

‘You do realise that the hostess was one of those girls making an offer,’ Katy scorned, having trouble keeping up with his pace, but the hand on her arm not allowing her to lag behind.

‘Too flat-chested,’ he dismissed callously. ‘A beautiful face, charming manner, but no bust.’

Katy became angry for the other girl. ‘How would you like it if you were discarded because you had too little—too little———’ She couldn’t think of a male equivalent, at least, not one she could say to this man!

He looked down at her, one eyebrow arched mockingly. ‘Too little …?’ he prompted tauntingly.

‘If you were found lacking!’ she amended crossly.

He shrugged. ‘I’ve had no complaints so far,’ he told her calmly.

‘Well, really!’ Katy pulled away from him to join one of the queues of people waiting to pass through the Canadian passport control.

She was immediately pulled out of the queue to stand beside Adam Wild. ‘Not that one,’ he told her. ‘Not unless you have a Canadian passport. You don’t, do you?’

‘You know I don’t!’ She glared at him with angry grey eyes.

‘Then you won’t get very far standing there. It happens to be for Canadian citizens only.’

‘Well, I didn’t know that!’

‘You do now.’ He looked down at her. ‘What hotel are you staying at in Calgary?’

She eyed him suspiciously. ‘Why?’

‘So that I know which area to avoid on my way through.’ He gave a throaty chuckle at the indignation on her face. ‘You have to admit, you’re a bit of a disaster.’

‘I admit no such thing. Just because I’ve made a few mistakes——’

‘A few!’ he scorned. ‘You can’t seem to do anything without getting into trouble.’

‘I can,’ she defended. ‘But this is my first time on an aeroplane. I was nervous, frightened on occasion,’ she said with remembered embarrassment. ‘I think that’s ample excuse for those few mistakes I made.’

He shook his head impatiently. ‘Your first time in the air and you choose to fly to Canada!’ He gave her a scathing glance. ‘You could have been sick for the whole of the flight. I suppose I would have had to cope with that too,’ he finished disgustedly.

‘I didn’t ask for your help. I could have managed perfectly well on my own.’

‘Oh sure,’ he scorned. ‘You’re the epitome of cool efficiency.’

Hot colour entered her creamy cheeks. ‘And you’re the arrogant bighead I would have expected you to be! Just because I’m a little inexperienced about dealing with airport officials and——’

‘Inexperienced!’ he mocked. ‘You’re like a babe in arms. And it looks as if your sister has already gone through. Will she wait for you?’

‘Of course she will!’ Katy was still angered by her sister’s desertion of her. Some holiday this was going to be if Gemma and Gerald were going to keep leaving her out like this!

‘I hope so,’ the man at her side said grimly, ‘because I simply don’t have the time to help you out of another disaster. I’m being met.’

‘You have friends in Canada?’

‘A few,’ he nodded.

‘Female friends,’ she said knowingly.

‘Some,’ Adam Wild smiled.

‘Will she mind my being with you?’

‘She——? Oh, I’m not being met by a she, Katy. And I’m sure Jud won’t mind seeing you with me, in fact he’ll probably enjoy it.’

‘I see.’

‘Disappointed?’ he bent his head to whisper against her earlobe. ‘Would you have enjoyed being the cause of trouble between a girl-friend and myself?’

‘I might have done.’ Katy’s head was back challengingly.

He shook his head, smiling. ‘Why on earth you were blessed with such tranquil grey eyes I’ll never know. They’re at complete variance with your stormy nature.’

‘I don’t have a stormy nature,’ she snapped, immediately contradicting the statement. Blushing, she turned away.

Once they had shown their passports and collected their luggage, Katy’s brand new case, and Adam Wild’s battered holdall, they made their way outside to the curiously empty airport.

A tall man with deep red hair and laughing blue eyes detached himself from several people standing outside and made his way towards the man standing confidently at Katy’s side.

‘Adam!’ He shook his friend’s hand with unconcealed pleasure. ‘Glad you could get back so quickly.’ His accent was distinctly Canadian.

Adam grinned at him. ‘I always like to finish what I start. God protect me from jealous women!’ He grimaced.

Jud turned to look pointedly at Katy. ‘This isn’t——’

Adam laughed. ‘Good God, no!’

‘In that case … I’m Jud Turner,’ he introduced himself to Katy.

She couldn’t help returning the open friendliness of this man. ‘Katy Harris,’ she divulged shyly, still wondering what Adam Wild had meant by his remark about ‘jealous women’. Jud Turner obviously knew the answer because he hadn’t questioned the remark. She turned to Adam Wild, her smile instantly fading. ‘Thank you for your—help,’ she said reluctantly, politeness calling for some acknowledgement of the assistance he had given her. ‘If you’ll both excuse me, I have to join my sister.’

Adam nodded. ‘Take care, Katy,’ he advised with ill-concealed humour. He took another of his cards out of the breast pocket of his denim shirt. ‘Don’t tear this one up,’ he warned. ‘Call me when you get back to London.’ He put the card in exactly the same place as he had the first one.

Katy’s cheeks flamed, and she would have liked to have slapped that taunting smile off his face. Instead she removed the card and with one last glance in Adam Wild’s direction she walked off, her head held high.

‘Pretty girl,’ she heard Jud Turner remark.

‘Passable,’ Adam Wild drawled. ‘It wasn’t her face I was interested in.’

‘It never is,’ his friend returned.

Katy heard the two men laugh together and anger flared within her. So she was just a body to Adam Wild, just a faceless piece of flesh and bones that he thought photographable. God, she hated him!

CHAPTER TWO

GEMMA and Gerald were waiting outside the airport building. Well, at least they hadn’t gone on to the hotel without her!

‘Do hurry up, Katy,’ her sister snapped. ‘We’ve been waiting ages for you.’

She didn’t think five minutes constituted ‘ages’, but she wasn’t going to start an argument in the middle of Calgary airport. ‘Mr Wild was just helping——’

Gemma sighed, interrupting her. ‘You’ve been talking to him again!’ It was almost an accusation.

‘Did you take him up on his offer?’ Gerald wanted to know.

Katy gave him a contemptuous glare, wondering how she could have let herself in for two weeks of this unbearable man’s company. She would just have to try and keep out of his way as much as possible, otherwise there were going to be a few heated arguments before the end of this holiday.

‘Don’t be silly, Gerald,’ Gemma giggled as she held on to his arm. ‘Katy’s too much of a prude to take her clothes off for any man.’

Hot colour flooded Katy’s cheeks, and out of the corner of her eyes she saw Adam Wild and Jud Turner leaving the airport, their avid conversation showing that she had long been forgotten. ‘There’s a time and place for everything,’ she told them stiffly. ‘And in front of a camera, before a complete stranger, is neither the time or the place.’

‘Oh, we know the right place,’ Gemma gazed up adoringly at Gerald. ‘Don’t we, darling?’

‘You bet!’ he grinned down at her.

Katy was feeling decidedly in the way. Surely they weren’t going to behave like this all the holiday, making her feel completely unwanted. ‘Shall we get a taxi?’ she suggested brightly.

She sat quietly in the corner during the drive to the hotel, finding it strange being driven on the right-hand side of the road. The landscape was very flat from the airport to the hotel they were booked into overnight, and Katy felt misgivings for the beautiful scenery she had expected to see. But perhaps it changed when you got a few miles out of Calgary; the scenery around Heathrow wasn’t exactly encouraging either.

The hotel was quietly comfortable, its decor like one of the older hotels in London rather than the modernness she had expected. But Katy preferred it, looking about her admiringly while Gerald went to the reception to see about their rooms. The hotel and camper had all been arranged through an agency in England, and so far it all seemed to be running smoothly. The people who hired out the camper insisted that anyone from abroad spent one night in a hotel in order to get over the long flight out here. It seemed a sensible idea to Katy.

‘Ready?’ Gerald was dangling the keys in front of them, summoning the lift. ‘We’re on the seventh floor and you’re on the tenth, Katy,’ he told her.

She followed them dazedly into the lift. ‘I—You——’

He spluttered with laughter. ‘I do believe our Katy thought she was to share a room with you, Gemma,’ he grinned down at his fianc$eAe.

‘Did you?’ Gemma snuggled into Gerald’s arms. Katy’s pale face gave her her answer. ‘Do grow up, Katy,’ she scorned. ‘Gerald and I have been sleeping together for almost two years now, and we certainly don’t intend to sleep apart here. The single room was always intended for you.’

This was getting worse and worse. Katy had had an idea that Gerald and her sister had slept together in the past, but to use her as a shield like this was deplorable. Not that she was the prude her sister had accused her of being; she just didn’t like being used to dupe her parents. Her father had even helped pay her airfare, saying the experience of seeing Canada would be good for her. Poor innocent Mum and Dad, they could have had no idea of Gemma and Gerald’s plans.

‘See you later,’ said Gemma as the lift stopped at the seventh floor and she and Gerald stepped out. ‘Come down about seven and we’ll all go down to dinner together.’

‘I think I’ll eat in my room and then get an early night.’ Katy ignored Gerald’s self-satisfied smile, her anger almost at exploding point.

Gemma sighed. ‘You aren’t going to sulk, are you?’

‘Certainly not,’ she said stiffly, pressing the button for her own floor. ‘I’ll see you in the morning,’ she had time to say before the doors closed.

Really, this was just too much! She had always thought Gerald a louse, but she had expected better of Gemma. She was helping to make an absolute fool of her, and Katy wished it were possible for her to go home. But it wasn’t, and it was a childish thought. She would just have to weather this out and hope that the two weeks went quickly. But she felt lonely already.

Her room was pleasant, having quite a nice view over the towering buildings of Calgary. It was a well-laid-out room, not big, but with everything she could possibly need, including an adjoining bathroom. There was a single bed against one wall, a small table and chairs near the window, an armchair in front of the colour television set that stood on half the desk. Yes, it was all very comfortable, but right now all Katy wanted to do was fall asleep.

It seemed no sooner had her head touched the soft downy pillow than she was asleep, a dreamless sleep that didn’t seem to have refreshed her at all when she woke a few hours later. It was five o’clock here, which meant it was twelve o’clock at night in England, and her body didn’t seem to have caught up with her, leaving her feeling slightly numb.

She switched on the television, but the vast choice of channels threw her. She was used to only three at home, with a fourth one in the making, and here she seemed to have twelve channels. Not all of them were showing something, but there was enough to make the choice difficult.

She lay down on the bed to study the room-service menu, determined not to see her sister and Gerald until she felt more able to face the situation they had put her in. A sandwich would do fine, she could always have something else later if she felt like it. And a pot of tea. How she would love a pot of tea!

The order phoned down, and the possibility of a slight wait according to the girl on the switchboard, Katy decided to have a refreshing shower. Maybe then she would start to feel more human. It was certainly turning out to be a long day; the seven-hour time difference had thrown her completely.

What was Adam Wild doing now? No doubt he and his friend had looked up a couple of the female friends Adam Wild claimed to have here, and were now enjoying themselves. She sorted through her handbag, taking out the card he had given her. It was just his name and telephone number, printed starkly in bold black letters. No frills or fancy lettering for this man. She would keep the card, keep it as a memento of her meeting with the famous Adam Wild.

Katy lay back again, once again seeing that hard cynical face, the mocking blue eyes, the lean sensual body. Many women must have known the possession of that body, and yet none of them had ever possessed the man, and she doubted any woman ever would. Adam Wild had the look of the eternal bachelor.

She pushed him to the back of her mind as her sandwich arrived, wishing now that she had thought to dress, conscious of the young boy’s gaze roaming over her robe-covered body. The tea was very welcome, the club sandwich she had ordered a meal in itself. Goodness, she had never seen such a sandwich, tomato, bacon, thick slices of beef, all layered between several slices of bread.

A quiz programme came on the television, and she sat and watched it as she ate, not bothering to dress now. It was already seven-thirty, and she would be going to bed in a moment.

She jumped nervously as the telephone rang, knowing it must be Gemma and Gerald. She had only just begun to relax, and could well do without their taunting. ‘Yes?’ she spoke coldly into the receiver.

‘Katy?’

Her heart fluttered at the sound of that deep husky voice with the sexual undertones. Adam Wild! She would recognise his voice anywhere. ‘Yes?’ she asked suspiciously.

‘Adam here,’ she could almost hear the humour in his voice. ‘Adam Wild,’ he supplied unnecessarily. And he knew it was unnecessary, damn him. ‘Come down and have dinner with me,’ he invited.

‘You’re in the hotel?’ She couldn’t contain her surprise.

‘In reception,’ he confirmed. ‘I just saw your sister and her boy-friend going in to dinner, so I know you’re alone.’

‘Taking pity on me once again, Mr Wild?’ she snapped angrily.

‘And if I am?’

‘It isn’t necessary,’ she told him distantly. ‘I’ve already eaten. I’m just about to go to bed.’ A slight exaggeration, but it wouldn’t be too long before she went back to bed, she felt very tired.

He gave a husky laugh. ‘If that’s an invitation, I accept.’

‘It wasn’t,’ Katy snapped. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me …’

‘Is that any way to treat me, Katy Harris?’ His voice had hardened.

‘When you’ve just invited yourself into my bed it is. What happened to your friend?’

‘Jud? He had business elsewhere.’

‘Look, I’m sorry, Mr Wild, but——’

‘If you don’t come down, Katy,’ he interrupted softly, ‘I’m likely to come up there. Do you want that?’

‘No!’

‘Well?’

‘All right,’ she said crossly. ‘You go ahead and have your dinner and I’ll meet you in—say, an hour.’

‘Fine,’ he agreed briskly. ‘Don’t be late,’ he warned before ringing off.

She wouldn’t dare, not with the threat of him coming to her room. How had he found her? More to the point, why had he found her?

She dressed with care, wearing one of the only two dresses she had brought with her, deciding that denims and tops were more practical for the type of holiday they were on. But as they were staying two nights at this hotel, once this evening and once on the eve of their departure, she had brought two dresses with her. Thank goodness she had; she had the feeling Adam Wild expected sophistication from his companions.

Her dress was chocolate brown, below knee-length, with a fitted bodice and pencil-thin shirt, with a slit up one side of the skirt so that she could walk without hindrance. It was quite a daring dress, very figure-hugging, but the other one was even more so, the bodice on that one consisting of a thin wisp of material held up by two very thin shoulder-straps. At least the brown dress covered her body, even if it did outline every curve!

Her hair she brushed loosely down her back, completely straight, held back from her face by two thin slides at her temples. Her make-up was light, just a light touch of brown eyeshadow and mascara, with a peach lip-gloss on her mouth. She felt satisfied with the result, feeling cool and self-assured.