Hollywood Wedding (Landon's Legacy 3)
It was just that it would have been better if she’d look like she was squirming. If she’d ground her teeth, or snarled. If she’d turned blotchy under her makeup…
But she wasn’t doing any of that. In fact, she still looked like the most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen.
No wonder the old man had been so easy.
“You’re right,” Zach said coldly. “I don’t know a rat’s whisker about movies. As for numbers—anybody with an adding machine would have a heart attack once he ran the figures in your files.”
“But you haven’t seen my files.” Eve gestured to the cabinets that lined the walls. “If you’d just take a look and let me explain——”
“You’re wasting your time, Eve. I have a full report on Triad.” He smiled tightly. “The one the auditors made for my father when he bought this place. I read it from cover to cover on the flight out here.”
“So what? It’s obvious you don’t understand it. Charles did. He saw the potential in Triad.”
Zach leaned against the desk, his eyes on hers. “Tell me something,” he said softly. “Do you miss him?”
“Do I…? Charles, you mean?”
His teeth showed very whitely in a quick, mirthless smile.
“Yeah. That’s who I mean, Evie. Do you miss the old man at all?”
“I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
“Humor me.” His teeth flashed again in that same smile, one that sent a whisper of warning along her spine. “Do you at least think of him once in a while?”
“Of course. Your father was very kind to me. He didn’t know much about the film business, but——”
“But he didn’t have to.”
“That’s right, he didn’t. He was willing to learn.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet.” Zach leaned away from the desk and moved toward her. “And I’ll bet you were one hell of a teacher.”
“I taught him what I could.”
“What did you teach him?” Zach put his hand on her arm. Her skin was fever hot; he could feel its heat straight through her silk dress. “I’m curious.”
“I taught him about Triad, about this business… Don’t do that,” she said sharply, as his hand stroked down her arm. His touch was light, but it sent a tongue of flame licking through her.
“I told you before, Eve, my old man was the fool, not me.” His voice thickened. “That’s not all you taught him, is it?”
Eve stiffened. “I don’t like what you’re implying.”
Zach’s hands closed lightly around her face. She held herself rigid, but the pressure of his fingers was powerful. Slowly, he lifted her chin.
“What did you teach him, Eve?”
She stared at him, despising him for what he thought, despising herself for the whisper of heat his touch was sending through her blood.
“Nothing I’d be willing to teach you,” she said coldly.
His gaze fell to her mouth, then lifted to her eyes.
“You already taught me something, on that hillside.” He moved closer, so that only a breath separated them. “You taught me that you’re good at what you do—but I keep wondering, was that your best shot?”
“So help me, I’ll scream if you——”
“Scream? Because a man kisses you?” Zach laughed as his head lowered slowly to hers. “From what I’ve heard of Hollywood, Eve, a kiss between friends isn’t anything more than an updated handshake.”
“We’renotfriends,” shesaid, “we’renotevenacquaintan”
Zach’s mouth closed over hers.
Eve froze, telling herself that to fight him would only be to humiliate herself and give him the satisfaction he wanted.
I won’t move, she told herself, I won’t give him the pleasure of reacting, I won’t…
She swayed as Zach shifted the angle of the kiss. His mouth moved against hers, not in hard demand but softly, coaxingly. She felt the swift, silken brush of his tongue across the seam of her lips.
I won’t react, she thought desperately, I won’t…
His teeth sank gently into her bottom lip at the same moment that his hand rose and cupped her breast. A soft sound rose in her throat, one she didn’t even want to think about. To her horror, she felt her nipple rise and seek the heat of his palm.
Stop him, she thought desperately, stop him!
Instead, she opened her mouth to his.
His tongue thrust between her lips, filling her with his taste and with the promise of an ever greater fulfillment. His arms swept around her, crushing her to him, and the world spun out from beneath her feet.
She heard his soft groan, heard the echo of her own breathless whisper as the kiss deepened. Nothing mattered, nothing but this. She felt the heavy race of his heart beneath her palms, the swelling power of his erection against her groin. The heat, and the hardness, made her begin to tremble, and she stumbled against the desk.
Zach came with her, his hungry mouth drinking from hers, his hands hot as he grasped her skirt and hiked it around her hips. His fingers brushed over her thighs and she made a soft, incoherent cry and flung her arms around his neck…
Suddenly, his hands closed over hers. With a muffled curse, he tore her fingers away.
Eve’s eyes flew open. Zach was looking at her with such smoldering hatred in his face that it took her breath away.
Bile rose in her throat. She clapped her hand to her mouth and stumbled into the bathroom.
He was gone when she came out, but she knew that didn’t mean a thing. She opened her closet, took out her briefcase and her jacket and left the office without looking back.
Emma was waiting, her eyes wide and tearstained.
“He said—he said you were leaving,” she whispered, “that he’d fired you.”
Somehow, Eve managed to smile. “I’ll send for the rest of my things,” she said, and then she hurried out the door, wondering who she despised more, Zachary Landon or herself.
CHAPTER FOUR
RAIN sheeted down across the parking area in front of the building that held the Triad offices, turning the worn asphalt into a sea of glistening ebony. Beyond, cars navigated the roadway with caution, their lights bright against the gloom of late afternoon.
Rain, Zach thought as he stood staring out the window of his office, that was all he’d seen for the past who knew how many days, nothing but endless, miserable rain. Where was all that California sunshine people were always boasting about?
The telephone buzzed. Zach reached back without looking and hit the on button.
“Yeah? What is it, Emma?”
“Mr. Kaplan of State Affiliated Bank is on line one, Mr. Landon. Will you take the call?”
Zach turned, kicked out his chair and sat down. “Tell me something, will you?”
“If I can, sir.”
“Is it always this cheerful in L.A.?”
“Sir?”
“The rain, Emma. Doesn’t it ever stop?”
Emma’s tone was cool. “Fall is our rainy season, Mr. Landon.”
“Winter’s our snowy season back East, but that doesn’t mean it snows every day. This isn’t good for the L.A. image, Emma. Somebody should pass the word to the Chamber of Commerce.”
“Did you want to dictate a letter to them, sir?” Emma said politely.
Zach sighed. He’d fired Eve Palmer and moved into her office a week ago, but her secretary still treated him as if he was a leper.
“Never mind. Just put Mr. Kaplan through, please.”
Minutes later, Zach hung up the phone, tilted back his chair, linked his hands behind his head and put his feet up on his desk.
Bob Kaplan had been pleasant. He’d even invited Zach to a party—"Nothing fancy, just a barbecue somebody’s giving for this guy who’s being transferred—” before getting down to business.
State Affiliated could not extend the due date on Triad’s loan.
“I’m sure you understand, Landon,” Kaplan had said, “with your background. I got to tell you, I’d never have agreed to the loan in the first place. It was Ed Brubeck approved it, not me.” Kaplan had chuckled. “Then again, maybe that’s why I’m staying here, in LaLa Land, and Brubeck’s been transferred to Arden.”
Zach had laughed politely, but he wasn’t laughing now. Kaplan was right. Zach did, indeed, understand why the loan couldn’t be extended. It was bad business. And he was certain he also understood why old Ed Brubeck, whoever he was, had agreed to lend Eve the money in the first place.
He’d been dazzled by her, the same way the old man had. What man wouldn’t be? Zach thought grimly, as he remembered what had happened in this very room just a week ago.