Truly I do by Katherine West Page B

few
opulently sexy briefs with matching bras in colours ranging from
black with purple trim to soft peach. She happily grabbed a pair of
cream, kitten heeled mules with a delicate feather trim over the
toes. These would go with anything she had bought to wear in the
privacy of her room and they would impart that lovely sense of
girlie indulgence when she chose to put them on. Finally she made
her way to the pay point. At the last minute she grabbed some
hold-up stockings and, for the devilment of it, a pair of thick,
fluffy bedroom socks. She was determined that if Russell intended
to seduce her she would enjoy the experience as much as possible,
but also that he would have to take her as he found her. If she
felt like being wrapped up in something warm and snugly - that
would be a test of his real feelings towards her, she decided.
    When
Julie-Anne entered the sweet little tea room to join Russell it was
as much as she could do to contain herself from rushing to embrace
him. He looked cool and matter of fact about her arrival, not
enquiring about her shopping but ordering her to drink up her tea
and eat her soft, sweet scone very quickly so that they could get
on with finishing their journey. The child-like glee she had felt
about her new acquisitions soon cooled like the tea in her cup. She
swallowed down both her tea and the flirtatious feelings she'd been
developing toward her handsome companion. Within only a few minutes
of her arrival they went back out into the chill of the autumnal
dusk.
    The elegant
town was already in full preparation for Christmas. The festive
season was rapidly bearing down on retailers and shoppers alike.
Autumn was turning to winter. Julie-Anne would have loved to have
stopped and gazed at the pretty coloured lighting that sparkled in
the trees around green park areas of town. She caught tantalising
glimpses of sparkling decorations in shop windows and over the
archways of mediaeval streets. But Russell had got it into his head
that he needed to hurry. She was left with no option but to hurry
along behind him, hoping that she would get another chance to come
into town in the late afternoon to really appreciate the magical
glitter that the townsfolk had tastefully sprinkled all around.

Chapter
five

    When they
arrived at the little village just north of Harrogate, Russell
parked the Lexus outside a charming, red-brick hotel. The place had
a mediaeval feel, with small, gothic styled windows and and
intriguing air of history about it. The pavement was cobbled with
uncomfortably small cobble-stones so that Julie-Anne had to be
careful not to twist her ankles as she dutifully followed Russell.
He seemed fully in control as she stepped up behind him into the
carpeted reception area. Whilst the smiling receptionist took
Russell's details Julie-Anne looked around at some family portraits
from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, at the same time she
noted that typical kitcheny smell that ancient English hotels
always seem to have.
    "Here's your
key!" Russell broke into her thoughts. He'd been carrying her
shopping bags for her, now he handed them to her along with her
room key, saying "I have a couple of phone calls to make. You go
bathe and change and we'll meet down here for dinner at seven
thirty."
    She stared at
him, he'd changed from being the happy go-lucky blue eyed boy that
she was just getting used to, and had become distant, serious and
somewhat dominating. This made her more aware than she'd been
before of how tall he was and how overtly masculine his trim body
seemed to be when he stood so close. She glanced at her watch, it
was six o'clock. "Okay." she mumbled, taking the bags from his
outstretched hand and checking the room number on her key. "I'll
see you later then."
    *
    Her bedroom
was fresh and clean. It was tastefully decorated. The furniture was
crisp white against buttermilk walls and woodwork. The atmosphere
of the comfortable room was warmed by heavy red and gold