The Perfect Kiss (12 page)

What would it be like to take from him what had been taken from her?

“Anya…”

His voice whispered through the fire inside her. A mist, dark and thick and cold, began to descend over her once again. She gazed up at him, watching him as if from a distance, seeing the golden light that seemed to surround him grow dimmer and dimmer as the essence of who he was slowly drained away.

You can never know the love of a man.

He reached for her again.

“No!” Anya flung his hand away from her face. For just one second, she had let down her guard and the insidious darkness had betrayed her. The evil inside her knew her weaknesses, fed on her desires and emotions and had used them against her. Just as she had almost done to Zach.

She stepped back, away from him. Inside, her body cried out in denial, in desperation, but still she held herself back.

Zach stared at her for a moment, looking dazed and confused. Then the haze of desire in his eyes quickly melted, only to freeze in anger. In disbelief. Slowly, he shook his
head, as though to clear the remaining clouds. “I don’t believe this. You did it to me again.”

She swallowed past the aching lump in her throat. “Did what?”

His eyes narrowed. “You know damned well what I’m talking about. What’s the matter with you, Anya? Can’t you make up your mind?”

“I…don’t know what you mean.” She’d backed away from him even farther until a glaring chasm separated them. Neither of them moved to bridge it.

Zach brushed an impatient hand through his hair, the same hand that had touched her so gently only moments before. “You say one thing, but your eyes tell me something very different. I’m getting a little tired of the game.”

“No one asked you to play,” she cried bitterly, her control no more than a thread now. “You came to
me,
Zach. You pursued
me
until you got the answer you wanted. You’ve no right to expect anything else of me. We have a business arrangement.”

“Then, damn you, don’t look at me like that,” he snapped, his eyes like frosted bits of jade. “Stop looking at me as though you want to…” His voice trailed off as he exhaled sharply, putting a hand to his temple. He turned to the window and gazed out at the darkness. “You’re lucky you pulled that routine on me. Someone else might not be as understanding.”

His anger tugged at her. His confusion taunted her. And yet there was nothing she could do about either. All she could do was convince him that he had been mistaken about her intentions. She took a deep, shaky breath. “You wanted me for Seduction,” she said wearily. “You wanted a certain look, a certain attitude. I gave you exactly what you wanted. I think it’s you who can’t make up his mind.”

“You’re telling me that was simply a preview of coming attractions?” Zach asked incredulously.

“I’m telling you that what you saw is who I am. It’s nothing personal.”

“Nothing personal,” he repeated. He laughed, but there was no warmth in the sound. “You come on to all men that way?”

Anya felt her own anger stir at the harshness of his words. “‘Coming on’ is your perception of me. Other men, other people, have their own perceptions. You see what you want to see.”

“That’s bull.”

“Is it? Think about it. Think about why you felt so compelled to have me. What would it prove, Zach?”

For a moment, Anya thought she had gone too far. His jaw hardened, and his eyes flashed with…what? Anger, to be sure, but something else, something that looked a little like uncertainty to Anya.

He whirled back toward the window, as though unable to look at her any longer.

“Zach.” She put a tentative hand out to him. Not that she would really touch him. She didn’t dare.

“Just go, Anya,” Zach said, his voice devoid of any emotion now except weariness. “I’m not up to being psychoanalyzed twice in one night. Having my dear mother do it was quite enough, thank you.”

Anya paused, staring at his rigid profile.
Just go,
she repeated to herself. But something held her back. Not hunger this time. Not passion. Just deep, deep regret.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He shrugged, not even bothering to look at her. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll be relieved to know that I’m quite adept at handling rejection. But for what it’s worth…” He did glance at her then as she started moving toward the
door. “I think you were right the other night. The farther away we stay from each other, the better off we’ll both be.”

He turned back to the window then, closing her out. Even if Anya had wanted to explain, she knew she couldn’t. There were no words to make him understand. No way he could ever accept the truth.

And besides, she’d run out of time.

It would be daylight soon.

Anya stared at his back for a moment. Then she turned and fled his office.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“A
little to the left, Anya.”

“Like this?” Anya moved slightly at the top of the stone steps that had been erected in Julian Sindel’s cavernous studio. A fan blew her hair back from her face and swirled the crimson chiffon layers of the strapless negligee she wore.

“That’s good,” Julian called. “Now, slowly walk down the steps. Remember, this is the beginning of the story, Anya. Each picture we use will be a continuing chapter, until the final one when you’ll be united with your lover. You’re waiting for him now. The night’s calling to you, Anya. There’s Seduction in the wind. Will this be the night he returns to you?” His voice lowered as he guided her down the steps. “Come to me, Anya. Come to me now.”

Anya moistened her lips. She closed her eyes, trying to forget the bright lights, the searing heat, the dozens of crew members who stood watching her work. Without effort, she conjured up an image of a moonlit garden and of Zach Christopher standing below, waiting for her.

Her heart began to beat in her throat as slowly, ever so slowly, she descended the steps toward him.

Come to me, Anya.

If she concentrated hard enough, she could hear his voice, the beating of his heart as he waited for her. She could sense his presence so strongly. Was he thinking about her tonight?

Do you want me, Zach?

God, yes.

Then I’ll come to you. Now. Forever.

“Beautiful! Perfect! That was great, Anya.”

With a start, Anya realized she’d already reached the bottom of the stairs. Her feet seemed not to have touched the stones at all. She’d floated on memory, glided on fantasy. For a moment, for one powerful second, she could have sworn Zach was there in the room with her, calling out to her.

But days had passed since the night she’d walked out of his office. He hadn’t come anywhere near Julian’s studio during the photo sessions, and in a way, his absence had been a relief. As much of a relief as it had been a disappointment.

Nevertheless, the raging emotions inside her had quieted. Even here in the studio, with so many heartbeats pounding around her, with the scent of humanity swirling in her head, Anya remained in control.

No one could tempt her as Zach could.

A man who arouses your passions will also unleash your hunger.

Soon, she reminded herself. Very soon she would have her answers. The money had been wired to Dr. Traymore days ago, as quickly as Zach had given her the advance. Now all she had to do was wait.

“Let’s take a break,” Julian called, handing his camera to his assistant. He turned back to Anya and smiled. “I don’t think I have to tell you how well this is going, do I?”

Anya returned his smile. “You make me look good, Julian.”

He shook his head. “I’m not shy about taking well-deserved credit, but not in this case. I have to hand it to Zach. He knew exactly what he was doing when he went
after you. The results have been well worth it. These ads will become classics—precisely what he predicted.”

Anya hesitated, then asked, “How well do you know Zach Christopher?”

Julian shrugged, but his gaze seemed speculative. “I’ve known him for years, but even after all this time, I still don’t know him well. I don’t think anyone does.”

“But he has a family. Surely he’s close to them?”

“He’s estranged from his father, although I gather they speak from time to time. He and his mother aren’t particularly close, either, but she was instrumental in getting his appointment as CEO approved by the board. There was a lot of opposition. Still is.”

Anya thought about the bitterness she’d glimpsed in Roland Sutton the night of the press conference. She thought about the man’s anger and jealousy, the seething rage festering inside him. She thought about how much he hated Zach, and it made her blood run even colder. Zach had enemies. So many enemies all around him. And she had brought him one more.

The most deadly one of all.

If Gershom knew how she felt about Zach…

“May I ask why all this interest in Zach Christopher?” Julian queried mildly. This was the first time she and the photographer had spoken at length since the photo sessions began. Julian Sindel was always very nice to her, very polite and complimentary, but he always kept his distance. He seemed wary around her, a little on edge. Anya couldn’t help wondering if he sensed something about her, if his uneasiness was defined by some nameless fear he wasn’t even aware he had.

Still, she couldn’t fault his professionalism. He never failed to make sure the sessions ended as soon as she started showing signs of fatigue. In spite of her resolve, the hunger
weakened her unbearably at times. The hot lights added to her limitations. Some nights it was all she could do to make it through an hour. And Julian Sindel never pushed her.

He was looking at her now, waiting for an answer.

Anya shrugged, consciously lightening her tone. “I’m just curious about him. He seems so stubborn and headstrong at times, but this campaign…” She trailed off, gazing back at the romantic set.

This campaign had shown her a whole other side of Zach. The sets and her costumes were all beautiful and romantic, all moonlight and mystery. Rather than trying to relaunch Seduction as a “today” kind of fragrance, Renee Alexander Cosmetics was concentrating on the elements that made it timeless and unforgettable.

The campaign would unfold in layers. As Julian had said, each picture that would appear in magazines and cover billboards would tell a continuing story. The strategy was brilliant, and Anya knew that Zach was the creative genius behind the concept. Her admiration for him soared.

He was a smart man. Smart enough to know to stay away from her.

“How are you feeling?” Julian asked suddenly.

“I’m fine.”

“Not too tired tonight? What would you think about taking a few extra shots? There’re some close-ups I’d still like to do. I know we’ve run late tonight, but Zach’s on a tight schedule. If you’re up to it, we could help him keep the board off his back a little longer.”

Anya smiled, ignoring the tiny warning throb in her temples that told her she was fast approaching a dangerous limit. “I’d like to help Zach,” she said quietly.

It would be okay, she told herself. She would do the extra shots, and then she would leave the studio immediately. She’d go straight home, out of harm’s way. Out of temptation’s
touch. Just a few more minutes. What were minutes compared to the ten years she’d battled?

And it would be a sacrifice to help Zach this time. A small one, she knew, and one that he would never know about. But still, she owed him. She owed him more than he would ever know, and if she could help him gain the admiration and respect he deserved, then perhaps that would ease her conscience a bit.

Ease her conscience, but not her…desires.

“All right, I want you to go back to the top of the steps, Anya, and come down exactly as you did before. This time, I’m going to be focusing just on your face, though, and I want you to try to give me that same look you gave me earlier,” Julian instructed her. “If we could bottle that look, Anya…”

Zach watched from the shadows of the studio. No one had seen him come in earlier, and he’d been careful to stay out of the way. He didn’t want Anya to see him, to know that he had breached her trust. Still, for some reason, he hadn’t been able to stay away. She’d been on his mind all day.

He watched her talking and laughing with Julian Sindel, and a small pang of displeasure ripped through him. He scowled, recognizing jealousy when he felt it. Why couldn’t she be that comfortable around him? Why did she always seem so nervous and edgy and frightened? He didn’t bite, for God’s sake, although…

His thoughts trailed off as his gaze followed Anya up the stone stairway. The brilliant lights highlighted her every perfect feature, and the filmy folds of her negligee allowed tantalizing glimpses of soft skin and womanly curves beneath.

His scowl deepened as he realized just how much her gown revealed. What had he been thinking when he’d authorized
her wardrobe? Certainly not about Julian Sindel worshiping her through the lens of his camera, or the male crew standing around gaping at her. He hadn’t even been thinking about the millions of eyes that would devour her from the glossy pages of a magazine.

No, when he’d chosen that gown, he’d been thinking only about seduction.
Her
seduction.

She doesn’t want you, he told himself brutally. She’s made that plain enough.

But that didn’t stop him from permitting his own eyes to worship her, from letting his own gaze devour every delicious nuance of her as she slowly descended the stairs. The fan blew back the sheer layers of her gown, revealing a dangerous amount of shapely leg, and the strapless bodice molded to her in a way that unleashed a savageness inside Zach.

To have her. To possess such a woman…

Do you want me, Zach?

“God, yes,” he whispered.

Then come to me. Come to me now, forever.

Without even realizing what he was doing, Zach stepped from the shadows. The studio lights immediately captured him in their glare.

Anya was almost at the bottom of the stairs before she saw him. Her eyes widened in surprise. She gasped softly. Zach opened his mouth, to say what, he was never quite sure.