The Right Mr. Wrong

‘You think?’ She took another deep sip of the champagne. She was infuriated with Liam for showing up. As for standing that bit too close, speaking that bit too soft—as if it were yesterday that they’d been shagging as if there were no tomorrow? There hadn’t been a tomorrow, of course. There hadn’t been anything for him but blind lust and she wasn’t falling into that trap again.

Nico nodded, his gaze roaming over her. ‘You have an aura about you.’

‘An aura?’

‘A lot of energy.’ He looked her up and down again.

‘There’s definitely something in the air tonight.’ Nico looked surprised. ‘You really do look different. More liberated.’

‘That would be my lack of bra,’ she said bluntly. ‘Alannah used it in the show and now it’s shredded.’

‘Alannah seems to be interested in another of your possessions at the moment.’

Her possession? Vivi followed Nico’s gaze and looked over to where Alannah was hanging on Liam’s every word. ‘She can do what she wants with that.’ Vivi determinedly turned back to Nico. ‘He’s not mine.’

‘Vivi.’ Nico looked amused. ‘You forget I record expressions for a living. I understand every flicker of emotion on someone’s face. My trigger finger knows when to snap that flash of pure, personal honesty. You own that guy.’

‘As if.’ Vivi damped down the violent surge of feminine satisfaction at the possibility. It was ludicrous. ‘You don’t understand emotion—you deal with blank canvasses and give the illusion of emotion with make-up, staging and lighting.’

‘Vivi—’ Nico put his hand on his chest ‘—you wound me.’

‘It’s true. And then you tweak the fantasy pictures even more on the computer.’ She teased with a smile. ‘You’re not a photographer, you’re a two-bit magician using sleight of hand and trickery to deceive the eye.’

Nico laughed with relish. ‘Definitely a blazing aura. I wonder just what—or who—it is that’s set you on fire tonight.’

‘I’ve already told you.’ Vivi shrugged. ‘It’s the lack of bra.’

‘When stripped, Victoria’s a completely different person,’ Liam drawled behind her.

Vivi stiffened and turned.

‘Victoria?’ Nico laughed again. ‘Who is this woman?’

Liam stepped between her and Nico. ‘The one I want to talk to.’

Brows sky-high, Nico lifted his champagne flute in a silent toast and slinked away.

‘That was classy,’ Vivi admonished Liam lightly, but her fingers were so tight around her glass it was a wonder it didn’t shatter. ‘What if he was my boyfriend?’

‘He’d have stayed,’ Liam answered in a ‘duh’ tone. ‘Anyway, it’s obvious he’s not. The cow-eyes he was giving me...’ He grinned, unabashed.

Everyone in the room was sending that look to Liam. It was grossly unfair of him to be more attractive than all the models in the room. And all the models were looking at him as if he were the predator they hoped to be prey for. They preened and posed, but to no avail. Liam didn’t seem to notice them, certainly didn’t do the same. He’d no need to conform to some code of coolness. He wasn’t afraid to throw his head back and laugh freely. In short, he was so comfortable in his own skin he drew everyone towards him. Which infuriated her—because he affected her most of all.

‘What did you want to talk about?’ she asked, trying to regain her legendary efficiency.

‘I had another thought about the shoot.’

‘We can discuss it at the meeting you scheduled first thing tomorrow.’

But he grabbed her wrist as she turned away—his large hand wrapping around her, branding her skin.

‘Don’t tell me you’ve clocked off for the night? Rumour has it you never stop working. But...’ he leaned closer ‘...I’m happy to go personal if you’d prefer.’

She hoped he couldn’t feel her frantic pulse. She rolled her eyes. ‘See? Some things don’t change.’

‘Such as?’

‘Leopards, spots...’

‘Hmm.’ He nodded. ‘Nor do the laws of physics, right? Magnetic attraction.’

Vivi smiled sweetly. ‘And let’s not forget repulsion.’

He laughed. This time it was a warm burst of infectiousness that lingered a long time after he’d fallen silent. He let her go. Yet she didn’t step away. Didn’t want to. Because there was something about him that called to her—that sensuality, yes. But also that sense of fun. So very inviting.

‘You’re even more arrogant.’ She shook her head.

‘I wasn’t arrogant,’ he denied oh-so innocently. ‘I was a callow youth caught in the throes of his first love affair.’

‘First?’ She choked—one quarter outraged, three quarters amused.

His eyes twinkled. ‘The first that counted.’

r /> She let her brows shoot to the ceiling. ‘Have any counted?’

‘You’ve changed,’ he mused. ‘You talk back.’

Hell, yeah, she did. ‘Well, I am five years older.’

‘Wiser.’ He nodded. ‘More experienced.’ A whisper of a wink. ‘And at pains to point out how perfect your life is now.’

‘Because it is.’ It was. And, yes, she wanted him to know it.

His eyebrows did a dance then. ‘There’s always room for improvement.’ His voice dropped. ‘A tweak here and there.’

What kind of ‘tweaks’ was he thinking of when he spoke in such a wicked way? ‘Are you flirting with me?’

He spread his hands wide, his shoulders lifting an inch. ‘You have a problem with that?’

‘We now have a business relationship.’

‘What’s with all this emphasis on boundaries? You were happy to ignore other kinds of relationships five years ago.’

Oh, that was low. ‘Well, you can flirt all you like, but I’m not playing.’

‘No?’ He laughed. ‘You challenging me? Don’t you remember I find those hard to resist?’

She swallowed. ‘You’re saying you haven’t changed? You’re not older and wiser and more experienced?’

‘Two out of three isn’t bad.’ He shrugged.

‘No prizes for guessing the two,’ she snapped back.

He smiled—easy, amused. ‘I can’t wait to catch up more at our meeting tomorrow. Seeing you first thing was always a pleasure.’

She suppressed a shiver but there was no hiding the attraction was still there. That chemistry. She had to mentally grip every muscle and not move. Not preen or lean towards him. Not lick her lips. Not shift her legs apart.