Page 81 of Dangerous Temptation
His leg brushed against hers. His eyes twinkled with secret knowledge, but the light in them went steady when he focused on someone beyond her.
Elena straightened, concerned. She looked to her left, but it wasn’t what she expected. The press hadn’t gained entrance and there were no protestors with signs. Her stomach tightened all the same. A tall, buxom blonde was headed towards their table. She recognised the woman instantly. It was Barbie, the movie star from the website pictures.
‘Hello, Alex.’ The woman’s voice was sultry and cultured.
‘Barbara.’ He stood and took the hand she offered. She kept coming and he greeted her with a kiss to the cheek.
‘I’m sorry to interrupt.’ Her mouth curled upwards when she glanced in Elena’s direction, but the smile held the warmth of a reptile. ‘Hello.’
Elena returned the smile through gritted teeth. ‘Hello.’
The blonde had bombshell written all over her. She dressed to highlight her assets, and she knew just how to pose to best show them off. Her dress even sounded sexy as the silk brushed against Alex’s suit.
‘I’d heard you were in town,’ he said. ‘A new movie?’
‘Yes.’ The expression on the woman’s face brightened. ‘I was hoping we’d run into each other. Why haven’t you called?’
Elena began to tap her foot underneath the table. She was sitting right here!
‘We always had so much fun together,’ Barbara pouted.
It didn’t take a brain surgeon to understand what kind of fun that was.
An ill-tempered light came into Alex’s eyes and he gestured to the table. ‘Barbara, this is Elena.’
‘Bardot. I know.’ The condescension in the woman’s voice couldn’t have been clearer. She lifted her chin and her hair moved stiffly. ‘I’m a friend of Candace.’
Candace. Her stepmother. Elena’s jaw clenched. The plastic blonde was about the same age, she thought cattily. Although it was hard to believe that this woman was still friendly with her stepmother after her fall from grace. No money, no brunches. No cash, no wardrobe. Last she’d heard, the Bardot apartment had been taken away and the family had moved in with relatives. Candace had taken her misfortune much harder than Yvonne had. The loss of her husband hadn’t affected her as much as the loss of wealth. She’d whined and cried but had taken no steps to support herself.
The elegant movie star bit her lip and looked back and forth between the two of them. ‘Sorry if I’m interrupting a business meeting.’
Elena cocked her head.What?
That muscle ticked in Alex’s jaw. He was not happy. ‘We’re here on a date.’
‘Really?’ The woman patted her hair and swivelled her hips. She pressed her hand to her cleavage, but she quickly realised that her former lover’s attention was no longer on her. She followed his gaze to Elena, and her astute eyes narrowed. ‘You are very pretty.’
Elena was taken aback. ‘Thank you.’
She bit the side of her cheek and lied. ‘I’m a big fan.’
Barbara’s lips pursed, and her gaze swung back and forth between the two of them. ‘I apologise for the confusion, but I heard that the two of you worked together on that Fonzie thing.’
Elena had taken a sip of wine, but she nearly choked on it. Half of her wanted to laugh and the other was outraged. ‘Excuse me?’
‘We just met recently,’ Alex said, his voice like glass.
Barbara’s expression went innocent. ‘Honestly? Because Candace swears that Randolph and his daughter talked all the time about the markets and that type of thing. Maybe I just assumed …’
They hadn’t talked all the time. One call every three months or so was not often. So what if they did talk about economics? It was the one thing they still had in common.
Elena’s fists curled. Everything inside her propelled her forward. She didn’t know what she intended to do, but she started to get up.
Alex’s hand settled heavily on her shoulder.
‘Barbara, I think your date is trying to get your attention.’
The woman looked over her shoulder. Almost as if a switch was thrown, she arched her back and waved flirtily. ‘Sorry, that’s my director.’
