| Excerpt
"Vanity, thy name is woman,"
Maria Costello told herself, even as she snapped the clasp of her evening
purse closed over her glasses and ditched the last particle of her normal
librarian look. If there one thing she didn't need tonight it was anything
that smacked of timidity.
No, if she was to face up to her bête
noir, then she had to look as if all the power was in her hands, whether
it was true or not. She took a deep breath, tilting her chin and stared
after the lights of her departing cab. Without her glasses they were just
two fuzzy red balls zooming into the deep blue of a New Zealand summer
twilight.
On any other day, the soles of her feet
would have itched to dance to the music pouring out of the early New
Zealand colonial edifice that housed The Point restaurant, but tonight
nothing could distract her. Not even the song rocking off the overhanging
verandas that sheltered sidewalk diners. Tonight the tables were empty.
All the action was taking place inside at the party she intended
gatecrashing.
Of course if Mamma knew what she was about
to do, she would think Maria's sense of proportion had gone haywire. An
opinion that would be voiced in a mixture of English and Italian, the
exact mix dependant on the level of her excitement.
Somehow, Maria was positive tonight it
would be Italian all the way. One look and Mamma would know she'd gone
over the top with her plum-colored dress. Its nun-like high neckline and
long sleeves fooled everyone until she turned around.
She'd needed a confidence boost and this
was the first time since buying it she'd hauled it out of the wardrobe and
worn it outside of her bedroom.
All her best glamour products, and for
what? For the sake of turning the tables on the man she believed was
stalking her.
Some people might think she was taking a
gamble denouncing him with no more proof than he'd been the only person
she'd recognized when the sensation prickled up her neck. But it hadn't
started until just after she'd been called to reception at Tech-Re-Search
and Randy Searle had handed her some documents from Stanhope Electronics.
Nearly every time she turned around quickly, she'd caught him dodging out
of sight.
She shuddered, switching her thoughts back
to her mother before fear could sneak in a low blow and turn her away from
her goal. The way Maria looked at it, in this life you either had to laugh
or cry and she was done crying and ready to do battle.
Clenching her back teeth so hard it hurt
she walked into the pool of light spilling from the restaurant door. The
happening inside was the Christmas party of Stanhope Electronics, the firm
that employed Randy Searle. She'd convinced herself that by confronting
him face-to-face, even if he tried to bluster his way out of it, people
would know, and in future he'd leave her alone.
Her shoulder-length hair, caught up in
butterfly clips, tugged as her scalp prickled, the way it did when she
felt him around.
Watching.
No! No more letting her mind take that
track.
One more in-drawn breath, one more step,
and she crossed the threshold into a world of pure sound. A quick sidestep
helped avoid a collision with the couple leaving. Laughing over their
shoulders, they waved goodbye calling out, "See you next year."
At the last moment they noticed her.
"Oops, sorry." The tall blonde's blue-eyed gaze held hers with
the soft bleariness of someone who'd had just enough to drink.
"No harm done," said Maria,
standing to the side to let them exit, hoping the smile on her face hid
her apprehension.
The male half of the couple endowed her
with a sloppy grin, and just when she thought she was safe, shouted,
"Hey, Franc, hang about, we've got a live one here."
A live one? What kind of party was this?
As she hesitated, he said, "Go right
on in. Better late than never, it's one hell of a party."
His blonde companion tugged at his sleeve,
snagging his attention. "And it can only get better."
A look passed between the two. A look of
naked need and desire that pinched at Maria as she watched him practically
carry the blonde down to the street in their haste to be alone.
Distracted, she wondered what it felt like
to want someone so badly you didn't care who knew?
Mentally reproving herself to get back to
the task in hand, she let her eyes adjust to the soft glare of candles
reflected in the old fashioned white and black tiles that had first
adorned the walls when it was a butcher's shop.
"Looking for someone?"
Maria turned in the direction of the
rough-honed male voice and almost replied, "You. I'm looking for you.
I have been all of my life."
Uh oh, was her mouth gaping. She shut it
with a snap. In a near daze, she dragged her eyes from the guy's lop-sided
grin. A grin she'd thought exclusive to her favorite movie hero. Now she
knew better. And for worse.
It was like someone played a sick joke on
her. She'd never thought to meet man who could actually make her heart
jump into her throat. Truth be known, she'd hadn't been sure if she wanted
to. But to happen tonight of all nights! Swallowing her instincts to flee,
she answered, "Randy. Randy Searle, is he still here?"
Head cocked to the side, he gave her a
once-over that was almost insolent in its laziness. "Too bad,"
he drawled. "I'd hoped you were looking for me."
Her hands fisted tightly round the strap of
her purse until her nails dug into her palm. Real life intruded on her
fairy tale moment and let loose the beast to steal her peace of mind.
Hopefully a crowded place would keep her safe. "Am I too late.'"
He turned his wrist to check. Dark hairs
showed above a gold watch where the cuffs of his white silk shirt folded
back. "Not that late, nine-thirty." Too late for me, once I've
done what I came for.
"Is...is he still here?" she
stuttered, watching the only guy to ever make her mind crash come closer,
moving with all the lethal grace of a male confident of his own
attractions. Slim black pants finished his outfit as if he'd dressed to
fit in with the décor, but she forgot her mental sarcasm the moment she
looked into his eyes. Brown like her own, but more intense in color,
bitter chocolate. They held hers until she forced herself to look
away." |
