Deceptive Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

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    Keri drove her Porsche out of the company parking lot each evening with the sensation of a prisoner escaping vile durance by the slightest of margins. She never saw Dain Randolph observing her incongruous vehicle with speculative eyes. He had come to the conclusion that Miss Dalton was indeed an iceberg, with nine-tenths of her personality concealed beneath that ice-cold shell.
    Schyler called her Wednesday night, right after she got in from work, to ask if he might come over for a short time. She refused to see him, and to her surprise, he accepted her rejection in good spirits. Twenty minutes later he appeared at her door with a steaming hot pizza, a bottle of Mateus rose, and an engaging grin. As before, he took the precaution of putting his foot in the door the moment she opened it.
    "I hope you haven't started dinner yet, Keri, my love," he said blithely, balancing the pizza carton with careful fingers.
    "Beware of the Dutch bearing gifts," Keri misquoted dryly, and prepared to close the door, foot notwithstanding. Just before Schyler's neatly shod toes were caught between immovable object and irresistible force (door jamb and door), the telephone startled them both with its imperative summons. Keri hesitated and was lost.
    Schyler took advantage of her momentary inattention to consolidate his position inside the door and she looked at him with frustrated irritation. "You'd better answer your phone, Keri darling," he advised. "It sounds impatient. I'll put the pizza in the kitchen and set the table."
    "You stay out of my kitchen, Schyler," she said heatedly as she picked up the phone. "Hello?" she snapped ungraciously into the receiver.
    "Am I interrupting something important, Miss Dalton?" came the bland voice through the receiver.
    "I beg your pardon? Who is this?" Keri was suddenly fed to the teeth with all men. She glared at Schyler who, in spite of her adjurations, was going into the kitchen. She'd never get him out of her apartment, thanks to this inopportune idiot on the phone.
    "This is Dain Randolph, Miss Dalton," came the unabashed reply. "I won't keep you since you seem to be entertaining, but I wanted to tell you not to come into the office tomorrow morning."
    The last straw, Keri fulminated. Riddles yet! But before she had time to comment that that suited her just fine, the bland voice continued.
    "I have an important conference tomorrow morning at nine a.m . I am taking you with me to take notes because several of the gentlemen involved speak no English. Please be ready outside your apartment building promptly at eight fifteen." When Keri didn't reply at once, he said sharply, "Is that clear, Miss Dalton?"
    "Yes, sir, very clear. I'll be ready, sir," she acquiesced tonelessly.
    There was a long pause and then he said, "Enjoy your evening, Miss Dalton," and hung up. Keri glared at the receiver and then glared at Schyler, who stood in the kitchen doorway, smiling smugly.
    "The table's set, the wine poured, and the pizza is your favorite kind. Who was that?"
    "My boss ," she answered automatically. " He's taking me to a conference in the morning so I’ m not to go into the office tomorrow. He called to tell me about it." She gave in to the inevitable. "Schyler, if I eat the pizza with you, will you promise that you'll leave after that, without any trouble?"
    Schyler knew when he'd pushed a victory as far as it would go. He raised his hand as though taking an oath. "I promise. I am on my best behavior." He seated Keri at the small dinette table with practiced flair and proceeded to make himself agreeable. He fully understood that Keri didn't trust him as far as she could see him, and he had to admit she had plenty of cause. God help him if she ever found out just how much cause, but she was an obsession with him now and he had to have her. He wouldn't allow himself to contemplate failure.
    To Keri's surprise, Schyler, for once, was as good as his word. He put himself to the task of entertaining her during