Betrayal Read Free Page A

and simply refilled the crystal glass every time she emptied it.
    When Toby Walker slid on to the stool next to her she was beginning to feel bored with the nuts and reached in front of him for some olives. To her surprise he put one large hand round her wrist and kept it lightly imprisoned.
    'If you're that hungry, I suggest we go on somewhere else and have a proper meal!' he laughed. She turned to look at him. He was stunningly handsome with jet black hair, dark…blue eyes and a fantastic tan that looked genuine. 'I'm Toby Walker,' he added as an afterthought, and then paused as though she ought to know the name. 'I'm Lisa Greene, and kindly let go of my wrist. I'm desperate for an olive.'
    'Only an olive?'
    'Possibly a heap of spaghetti bolognaise wouldn't come amiss.' 'I'm suitably crushed!'
    'Why should you be? You weren't responsible for the extremely lean cuisine we've just finished, were you?'
    'No! Are you here with anyone?' he added, his eyes lingering on her crossed legs which looked endless from where he was sitting.
    'Only my parents.' 'Who are they?'
    'Mr and Mrs Greene!'
    'Very sharp! I meant which ones are they? Point them out so that I can see where your good looks come from.'
    'That's my father over there, talking to Mrs Markoff, and my mother's the lady in the glittery dress.'
    'You don't look like either of them.'
    'That's probably because I'm adopted.' She wondered why she'd told him; it was something she usually kept to herself.
    'A beautiful orphan, how romantic!' His eyes glinted with amusement.
    'Sarcasm…is…more…effective…when…it's…done…with…subtlety,'…she retorted, and wished she'd kept silent.
    'I don't know anything about that. I'm an actor.'
    'At least that's different. Are you resting at the moment? That's what actors usually do, isn't it?'•
    'No, I'm working. I've got a series running on television.'
    'You mean you're the star?' she asked with a laugh. She was only flirting with him because he was so handsome and the youngest person in the room apart from herself. She didn't imagine he was really famous. All show-business people exaggerated, it was part of their nature.
    'Yes,' he said slowly. 'I'm the star. Where have you been living? On the moon?'
    'I'm at finishing school in Switzerland.'
    'My, my! Daddy wants you to marry well, does be?'
    'Yes. What's your programme called? I'll make sure I watch an episode.'
    ' The Outsider. I'm an undercover intelligence officer who rushes round saving the country every Monday night after the news.'
    'I'm impressed. How did you get the part?'
    He shrugged. 'I was lucky. In the right place at the right time, that sort of thing. I hadn't done much before. I took up acting rather late, having started out as a draughtsman.'
    'Useful to have a trade to fall back on in the hard times.'
    'There won't be any hard times after this, providing I'm sensible, of course.'
    'And are you sensible?'
    'Not always, ' he said slowly.
    'Good! I don't ever intend to be too sensible, not even when I'm old and grey.' Their eyes met and she was fascinated by his undoubted magnetism.
    'Lisa, darling,' cooed Stephanie, 'I'd like you to meet… 'Toby turned round and smiled his most charming smile at her. He was amazed by the venom in her small, over made-up eyes and saw how quickly she reached out a fat hand to take hold of Lisa's arm. 'Lisa, I said… '
    'I'm talking to someone,' protested Lisa.
    'Hasn't your school taught you about mixing?' hissed the older woman. 'You can't just sit here chatting away to some second-rate TV star, there are important people for you to meet.'
    Toby, who could hear every word, had to turn away to conceal his annoyance. He didn't consider himself to be in the least second rate.
    'Stephanie, please!' protested Lisa under her breath. 'I'm enjoying myself. Toby, didn't you mention something about going out to eat?' and she slithered off the bar stool so that her dress got caught up, revealing shapely thighs and a tantalising glimpse