‘Never mind.’
‘Oh, but I do mind. Explain yourself.’
It was too late to rescind her comment, and Maya sensed her shoulders drop with resignation and not a little annoyance. ‘Enough to say I’m not part of the floor show or entertainment for the guests, however it might look. I didn’t even want to be here in the first place!’
The stranger’s well-cut lips parted in a puzzled smile. ‘This is getting more and more interesting. Why didn’t you want to be here, Miss…?’
‘Hayward.’
It was difficult to say with any sense of accuracy what colour his eyes were in the muted glow of the lamps—it sufficed to register that they burned with a fierce, concentrated gleam across the distance between them, keeping Maya prisoner even though she desperately wanted to flee. Beneath the bold regard of that disturbing glance she shifted uncomfortably. Was it her, or had the room suddenly acquired the temperature of some tropical oasis?
‘I’m only here because of work. All I meant was this isn’t my kind of scene and neither are the people. I apologise if I’ve offended you in any way with my frankness.’
‘Apology accepted. I’m not offended at all. Just intrigued.’
‘I’d still better go.’
‘I wish you wouldn’t.’ The man walked towards her and a sharp spasm of recognition jolted through Maya’s insides. Blaise Walker—movie actor turned lauded and brilliant playwright. No wonder he had made that dig about her not doing her homework. He was the guest of honour, no less! The guest that Jonathan had announced to the table a mere ten minutes ago as being unavoidably detained.
Now her face burned for another reason. She had just been bordering on rude to the man, and no doubt Jonathan would hear all about it. But what was Blaise doing, hiding out in here? Her growing unease deepened. One, because the man was even more devastatingly attractive in the flesh than in his photographs, and two, because she didn’t really think her boss would like the idea of a mere admin assistant like her fraternising with such an important client—let alone verbally putting him in his place! She should make herself scarce…now.
‘Well, I have to go. I’m expected back any time now.’
‘Of course…it’s no surprise that a woman like you would be missed if you were away too long.’
‘Look…I didn’t mean to disturb you in any way. I was just trying to find the Ladies’ Room, but I’m afraid I—I got lost.’
‘This is a big house.’
Did he think she hadn’t noticed? It was an extremely impressive one too—a real showpiece. The kind to which her father would have relished inviting his illustrious clientele—which had included rock stars, film actors and art sycophants, who had bought his paintings during his short but infamous career—for drinks and other ‘recreational’ refreshments. The minuscule square footage of her studio apartment would fit into it at least a hundred times over, she was sure.
Renewing her intention to make herself scarce, Maya moved back towards the still ajar twin doors.
‘Anyway, like I said…I’m sorry for the intrusion.’
‘An apology is hardly necessary when the pleasure was all mine. Perhaps when you’ve visited the Ladies’ Room you might consider coming back for a while, to give us a chance to get properly acquainted?’
‘No!’
She hadn’t meant to sound quite so adamant, but any further explanation somehow got stuck in her throat. The way Blaise Walker was surveying her—disturbing eyes mocking in that haunting angular face of his, tarnished gold hair darkly glinting against the startling white of his shirt collar—Maya was finding it seriously difficult to think straight. She just prayed he wouldn’t reveal her inadvertent intrusion and blunt opinions to Jonathan when they met up. Her boss might want to bed her, but he wouldn’t take it lightly if his client intimated that she’d bothered him in any way. Her hand curved anxiously around the brass door handle.
‘Sorry…’ she muttered once more as she exited hurriedly into the hallway.
After she’d gone, Blaise sniffed the faint trail of stirringly sensual perfume that his entrancing temporary visitor had left in her wake and a charge of electricity zigzagged powerfully through his taut mid-section. It wasn’t just the arresting notes of amber and warm tangerine that had stirred his previously slumbering libido. It was the intoxicating sight of almond-shaped green eyes fringed with sooty black lashes, long dark hair as glossy as a glittering moonlit sea, and audacious curves poured into the most seductive black velvet dress he’d ever seen.