On the Job

by BETH KERY

  The searchers’ footsteps drew nearer. Instead of being concerned, Seth looked down at the girl distractedly. She possessed gleaming, golden brown hair that was gathered at her neck in a thick braid. He unlocked his gaze from the way the light hit the richly colored strands, and he watched dispassionately as the doorknob turned. His inner elbow pressed against the young woman’s shoulder and neck. She was cuddled against the middle of his body like a pea in a pod, the pressure of her against him slight, but . . . nice. He sensed her tensing and holding her breath as the doorknob rattled. He, on the other hand, inhaled deeply. The clean, fresh scent of soap and tangerines tickled his nose. Sexual awareness flickered down his spine, the charged, wholly unexpected scenario perhaps amplifying the sensation.

  The knob twisted back into place.

  “It’s locked. Let’s go back down to the party. Maybe she’s turned up there again,” the male said in an irritated tone.

  When the voices began to fade, the young woman turned and looked over her shoulder. She stared at his face as if rapt. The silence stretched. She blinked and seemed to come back to herself.

  “Thank you,” she said earnestly. “I didn’t think I’d run into anyone I knew tonight.”

  He arched his eyebrows, extremely curious and a little wary. He drank in the vision of her face. “Cecilia Arends is one of the most sought-after agents in Hollywood. What does she want with you?”

  She shrugged uneasily under the costume armor she wore. A light pink stain spread on the cheek turned toward him. Realizing she was still sheltered by his body, he lowered his arm from the door reluctantly and straightened. She stepped to the side, but he noticed with a sense of satisfaction that she didn’t move far off. He’d liked having her next to him. He dropped her hand and scowled slightly.

  His gaze lowered over her with growing interest. She’d been costumed as Joan of Arc. Whoever had done her makeup had been smart enough to apply hardly any paint. The typecasting was perfect. The girl had the intelligent gaze and radiant, fresh glow one might imagine the virgin warrior to possess . . . although Seth somehow doubted a saint would possess such a pink, delectable mouth. There was an interesting tilt to her light green eyes; beautifully shaped, high cheekbones added a hint of regal haughtiness to her otherwise girl-next-door pretty face. He found it striking, the unexpected and exotic combined with all that rosy, creamy freshness. There was something very frank and honest about her gaze. He’d have said she possessed a tomboy quality if he didn’t find her to be utterly feminine.

  “It’s actually Tommy who is responsible for the search party,” she said, interrupting his unexpected and increasingly lustful thoughts. Never let it be said that one night you might randomly open a door and see an incredible, singular woman standing there.

  “So you’re not one of Cecilia’s clients?” he pressed.

  Something flickered across her face. She shook her head adamantly. “No. I came with my old college roommate. She’s an intern for—”

  She abruptly halted her rapid, anxious speech, lush lips falling open. Eyes the color of a newly opened leaf lowered slowly over his face and body, and then widened. “Are . . . are you Seth Hightower?” she asked in a strangled voice.

  “Yes.”

  White teeth scraped across her lower lip. Seth felt his body tingle and tighten. Her mouth was a hundred times the temptation of the Ice Queen’s flagrantly displayed ass and breasts.

  “Your friend is an intern with my company? Liza,” he stated calmly rather than asked.

  The young woman’s face went tellingly blank.

  “What makes you think that?” she hedged, the spark of panic returning to her eyes.

  He nodded once at her Joan of Arc costume. “That’s a costume from my collection. Only one of my staff could have given it to you. And I brought just two interns tonight, Liza being the only female. Last I heard, they didn’t allow males and females to share rooms at UCLA,” he said, the vision of Liza’s résumé springing into his mind’s eye in perfect detail.

  Anxiety and regret flickered across her face.

  “I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry with Liza for bringing me and loaning me the costume. It’s my fault. I begged her to let me come tonight. I’m only visiting her in Los Angeles for a few days, and I wanted to see her at work. She’s been vibrating with excitement because she won the internship with you. She says you’re the absolute best in the special effects–makeup business. She’s been walking on air.”

  “Are you trying to flatter your way out of this?” he asked. For a second, her anxious expression intensified. Then her gaze sharpened on his face. She smiled slowly, her anxiety apparently evaporating.

  Funny. Most people couldn’t tell when he was joking.

  “I just wouldn’t want Liza to get in trouble because of me,” she said, her smile lingering. “No one else wanted the Joan of Arc costume, and as you can see, Liza wasted no time on my makeup. I did my own hair. Do you . . . disapprove of my makeup?” she asked cautiously.

  He realized he’d been scowling again as he tried to discern the trick of magic to her face. He kept telling himself not to stare at her, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.

  “No. It would have been a mistake on her part to paint you,” he admitted gruffly. “Liza showed good taste in that. Or maybe that was your doing? Are you an artist, as well?”

  She pulled a face. “Sort of. I doubt you’d think so.”

  “What did you study at UCLA?”

  “History,” she said, suddenly beaming.

  He smiled and glanced down at her Joan of Arc costume in admiring amusement. “Appropriate. You still haven’t told me why Cecilia and that man were looking for you. Why were you running from them?”

  She blinked, her smile faltering. He felt a little regret at using a technique he’d learned during his days in Army intelligence—indulge in a light, warm moment of banter and then spring the loaded question calmly on the unwary.

  “Oh . . . yes. That,” she said breathlessly, glancing around the room. For the first time, Seth realized she’d been staring almost as fixedly at him for the last few moments as he had been staring at her. He raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

  “I’m not sure why Cecilia joined the hunt, exactly. She’s Tommy’s agent, so maybe she thinks it’s her duty,” she said vaguely.

  “The man was Tommy?” he clarified, nodding toward the hallway. “Your boyfriend?”

  “My ex-boyfriend,” she corrected. She seemed to realize how fierce she’d sounded because she sighed, and her stare started bouncing off every surface of the room again, except for his face. “I’ve been very stupid,” she said, the four words striking him like a regretful confession.

  “Have you?” he asked after a pause. “Or has he?”

  “He has,” she agreed. “But I was naïve enough to believe his act. I came to Los Angeles from New York during a break from work to visit Liza. I thought I’d surprise Tommy. I surprised him, all right,” she added bitterly under her breath. “He clearly hadn’t been expecting me to walk in while he was entertaining another woman in bed two nights ago. I hadn’t realized how convenient this long-distance romance was for him.” Her eyes sprang wide as if she was shocked she’d blurted something so intimate to a stranger. “I’m making it sound a lot more melodramatic than it was,” she assured him. “We hadn’t been seeing each other long or anything. We weren’t serious. Obviously, it was no great loss.”

  “We’re all young once,” he said quietly. “It’s not a crime.”

  She gave him a lopsided grin, her gaze slowly moving over his face. He was struck by the focus of her observation. Her smile turned fascinated . . . a little . . . fey. He felt his muscles tighten under that enigmatic perusal.

  “Forgive me for saying so,” she said softly. “But I can’t imagine you ever seeming young and stupid.”

  “I was. Trus
t me.” He frowned as a thought occurred to him. “So I’m Liza’s ancient employer, is that it?”

  She laughed. “God, no. I didn’t mean that at all. It’s just Liza respects you so much—so does every member of your staff I’ve met here tonight—and everyone knows about your success in the film business. You’d been nominated for two Academy Awards before you even turned thirty.”

  “And never won once by thirty-two,” he replied wryly.

  “It’s just a matter of time,” she said warmly. “I’ve also heard how intimidating you can be. Not from Liza, of course,” she added hastily. “My point is, I doubt you’d ever be fooled by a man like Tommy Valian.”

  He blinked. “Tommy V is your ex-boyfriend? The lead singer from Crime Fix?” he asked, referring to the popular rock band. “How did you ever meet him?”

  She shook her head, and he had the impression she didn’t think the topic was even worthy of pursuing. “At a Broadway play one very unlucky night.” She gave him a sheepish look. “I was clearly struck stupid by fame. If you’re a fan, I hate to break it to you, but Tommy’s lyrics are about a thousand times more poetic and smart than he could ever imagine being in his finest moment.”

  He saw the sparkle in her eyes, glad to see she was far, far from being in any distressing straits over the likes of Tommy Valian. He smiled full-out at the evidence. She blinked, looking startled. He waved over at the seating area he’d been using for a makeup station. “Have a drink with me?”

  His smile fell when she didn’t immediately respond, and her gaze roved over the garish dressing room. Would she say no? Was she just being polite, chatting it up with her friend’s ancient boss?

  He looked into the depths of her eyes. At six feet four inches, he looked down at most people. He suddenly felt like the big bad wolf, considering swallowing Red whole, and he had the distinct impression the girl was thinking the same thing . . . and was liking her thought. Another wave of simple, undiluted lust, the likes of which he wasn’t sure he’d ever experienced in his life, surged through him. Was it wishful thinking on his part, that spark of fascinated interest in her eyes? The beguiling curve of her mouth, as she smiled, was like a caress where it counted.

  No. This kind of unexpected magic was rarely one-way, at least in Seth’s limited experienced with it.

  “Well . . . a girl’s got to do something while she’s in hiding, right?”

  He raised his eyebrows in amused agreement. She went ahead of him. He followed, leaving the door locked behind them.

  * * *

  “Champagne, ice water or soda?” he asked when they approached the seating area and impromptu bar that had been set up on a long table.

  “Champagne, please,” Gia said, thankful Seth’s back was turned as she began the ungraceful process of sitting in the armor. The costume was lightweight, but still, she felt like a stiff-jointed eighty-year-old in it. To make matters worse, a dozen large mirrors scattered around the room were showcasing her ungainly maneuvering from every angle. Precisely how many mirrors did a person require? Zero, given the ridiculous way she looked at the moment. Just Gia’s luck, to be dressed this way when unexpectedly having a run-in with an extremely handsome, attractive man. She’d been curious about Seth Hightower ever since she’d first learned about him from Liza. He was reputed to be a brilliant artist, but also a bit of a lone wolf. Meeting the real man had amped her interest up to fascination. Her heart had lurched against her breastbone in flat-out shock when she had stood panicked in that hallway a moment ago and turned to stare into his inscrutable face.

  Her favorite sculpture had come to life.

  She noticed the champagne bottle looked dwarfed in his large hand. She was fascinated by his arms beneath the short-sleeved white T-shirt he wore. He had to possess the most impressive biceps she’d ever seen. He suddenly jerked to a halt while reaching for a glass. She couldn’t quite interpret the dangerous slant of his dark brows as he turned to regard her, but her heart seemed to recognize why. It leapt into overtime.

  No wonder Liza thought Seth Hightower was intimidating.

  “What?” Gia asked, freezing in the act of trying to prop her awkwardly armored body up against some cushions.

  “Liza just turned twenty-five,” he said slowly. “How old are you?”

  She stared at him in blank befuddlement. Why was he bringing up her friend’s age? A thought suddenly struck her.

  “Are you worried I’m not old enough?” she asked, a grin breaking free.

  “Are you?”

  Somehow, his suspicion thrilled her. He’s asking if you’re of age, but not for drinking. She couldn’t swear the thought that popped into her head was true, but it certainly felt that way. Seth appealed to her in an elemental way she’d never before experienced, and she didn’t want him to find her lacking in return. Unlike Tommy Valian, Seth was in his thirties, a man in his prime, both physically and in his career and life. And unlike Tommy, when Seth had looked at her earlier, she’d felt like the exact opposite of a naïve ingénue.

  “Don’t worry. I’m plenty old enough,” she assured him, repressing a smile because he was looking so fierce. He merely raised one dark eyebrow and waited. She realized he expected an answer to his question. “I told you I was Liza’s roommate in college. We’re of an age. Do you expect me to show you ID?” she teased him.

  His stare bore into her. She forced herself not to blink or flinch. His tension suddenly dissipated. He turned to pour her champagne. The sound of the liquid flowing into the flute seemed unusually sensual to her. The effervescence from the bubbles seemed to transfer to her, causing a tingle of excitement between her thighs.

  “Cecilia said your name is Gia?”

  “Yes. Gia Harris,” she said, surprised and a little embarrassed to realize she hadn’t even thought to tell him her name.

  He came toward her, holding out the flute. As he handed it to her, a small smile ghosted his lips, perhaps an apology for his former sternness. He had a very hard, very sexy mouth. It fascinated her, to see something she’d grown used to being eternally frozen now animated with life. His face was well-proportioned, bold and . . . somehow beautiful, as well, although in a thoroughly masculine way Gia wasn’t sure she’d ever experienced in real life.

  He sat down on the couch, a good portion of the center cushion separating them.

  At the start of their conversation, she was equal parts nervous and excited, so she decided it was best to just focus on his face. As compelling it was, it forced all her worries into the background. Worries about the crucial juncture she was experiencing in her career, about her uncertainty about her life . . . about what she was so uncharacteristically doing here, behind a locked door with a virile stranger.

  Gia wasn’t the type to become enraptured. She didn’t dream; she made plans. Even as a child, she’d been practical.

  But she had to admit, as she stared into Seth Hightower’s indomitable, handsome face, that for the first time in her life, she was utterly entranced. Perhaps it was the amber flecks amid the golden brown of his irises that were sending electrical impulses to her nerves, making her skin feel tingly and sensitive, her lungs and throat tight and uncooperative in their usual tasks. The light touch of his forearm on her neck earlier, as they’d stood so close at the door, had garnered almost every ounce of her attention, even with Cecilia Arends and Tommy searching for her just inches away.

  “I hope you don’t think it’s odd for me to tell you this,” she began tentatively, after they’d talked for a while. She was reclining on the pillows, having found a relatively comfortable position in the armor. “But during the summer I turned sixteen, I traveled across the country with my mother from San Diego to New York by car. I tried to live on the West Coast with my mom and my new stepfather after my parents’ divorce and my mom’s remarriage, but it didn’t work. I told her it was because I’m a New Yorker at heart. I have the city and the s
easons in my bones, but in reality . . .”

  She faded off.

  “You didn’t get along well with your new stepfather? Or your mother?” Seth asked, his gravelly baritone sending prickles of pleasure along the back of her neck.

  Gia grimaced regretfully. “Let’s just say I couldn’t abide by some of my mother’s life choices. At the time it was a bigger deal than it is now. She was a very talented attorney when she was with my dad and me. I was used to seeing her as a smart, together, accomplished woman. She threw away all of her potential, her career—everything—to become a La Jolla trophy wife.” She noticed that Seth remained very still as he watched her, his golden eyes trained on her with a complete—and thrilling—focus. “It was sort of hard to see, for a girl forming her own ambitions and goals for the future, that’s all,” she explained ruefully. “Besides, it was like a watershed summer for me. Developmentally. But that’s not the point,” she said apologetically, recognizing she was rambling. “I begged my mom to drive me back to Dad’s instead of fly. I was in my Jack Kerouac stage,” she grinned. “Driving across the country sounded very romantic to me. Mom humored me because it kept me with her for a few days longer . . . and maybe I wanted that too. It was a wonderful trip, just my mom and me and the long hours on the road with the country unfolding in front of us. You can’t help but bond under those circumstances, you know? We’d been going through some real mom-daughter drama—we still go through some mom-daughter drama—but that trip . . . well, it’s a kind of touchstone for us, a wonderful memory both of us cherish,” she trailed off wistfully.

  Noticing Seth’s unwavering, palpable attention on her, she hastened to continue. “In New Mexico, we stopped at one of those roadside gas stations and stores that sell everything. I was stretching my legs and looking at some of the artwork from local artists that was on sale there, and I saw this very subtle, masterfully carved and painted sculpture of a man.” Her gaze flickered over his face; she suddenly felt uncharacteristically shy. “And it just blew me away. The face. Even though the expression was so impassive, it spoke volumes to me. I bought it with all the money I had in my purse, ignoring my mother’s protests. I still have it today, in my Manhattan apartment.”