The Perfect Kiss (9 page)

As though acknowledging that thought, Freida’s voice quivered with fear. “Anya, do you know what you are proposing? You would be working closely with…that man. You would be tempting fate. He is dangerous to you. He could destroy you—and just when you have a chance to finally be free.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” Anya cried. “After all this time, do you think I’m not constantly aware of the danger that faces me? Do you think I don’t know how careful I would have to be?” She turned from the window and stared at Freida.

The older woman’s eyes were brimming with despair. “Yes, but the danger is greater now. We both know that. We both know what Zach Christopher can do to you. All those years when you hid yourself away from everyone but Karl and me, when you had only us and Dr. Traymore to help you—your secret was safe then.
You
were safe. But now you’ve come back here, to this city, and this man…he wants you, Anya. He will stop at nothing to have you. He is very much like—”

“Don’t!” Anya’s voice hardened, masking her own fear. “He is
nothing
like Gershom.”

“There is darkness inside him, Anya. A darkness that speaks to you, does it not? You are already fascinated by him. I can see it in your eyes. You’re playing with fire, child.”

“What choice do I have?” Anya asked bitterly. “You and I both know there’s no other way. How else can I get that kind of money so quickly? We have to have that book. It’s my only hope. The alternative is…unthinkable.” She softened her tone. “It’ll be okay, Freida. As long as I don’t get too close to…anyone, I’ll be safe.”

And she
would
be careful. So very careful. But as Anya picked up the phone to call Zach, her heart was already pounding with a damnable excitement.

* * *

“It’s too late. We’ve already found someone else.” Zach sat back in his chair and tried to convince himself that his heart was hammering away at his chest because he’d just run up six flights of stairs. Certainly not because Anya Valorian
was on the other end of the line. Not because she’d called
him.
Not because she had finally agreed to accept his proposal.

He smiled triumphantly to himself as he swiveled his chair around and stared out the window. How fortunate that he’d decided to work late again tonight and had still been here to take her call. He hated to think he might easily have missed it. Timing was everything.

“You’ve already signed another model?” Anya’s soft voice flowed over the line like crystal bells, melodious, sweet and extremely enticing. Zach thought he detected a note of desperation in her tone, but he ignored it. He wanted to relish this moment of victory.

“That’s right. You did say you had no interest in the contract, remember? I recall the conversation vividly,” he said, his ego still smarting from the encounter. But he’d been right about one thing. Her reticence had merely been a ploy. Had her rejection been a ploy, as well?

“That’s that, then,” she said softly.

Zach frowned. Damn. She
did
sound desperate. His own tone softened in spite of himself. “Anya, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing at all. I thought over your proposal, and I agree with what you said. It is the chance of a lifetime. I’m sorry I missed it. I won’t take up any more of your time. Goodbye, Zach—”

“Anya, wait.” So much for Mr. Cool, he thought, wincing at the desperation in his own voice. “Look, the deal isn’t cut yet. You were my first choice. If we can sign the contracts right away, then I see no reason why we can’t still have a bargain. Can you come to my office first thing in the morning?”

There was a deep pause, then Anya said, almost reluctantly, “Why don’t you bring them over tonight?”

“To your place?”

“Yes. I think there are a few things we should discuss first. You may not want me to sign when you hear my…stipulations.”

“Stipulations? This sounds ominous.” Zach was only half joking. Damn. Her contract would be hard enough to sell to the board as it was. He hoped Anya wasn’t going to make his life difficult with a list of impossible demands. He glanced at his watch and scowled. “Look, I still have a lot of work to clear up here. It’ll be late by the time I can get there—maybe even close to midnight. I’m sure that’ll be too late—”

She said very quietly, “No, Zach. Midnight is perfect.”

It was only a little while later, as it turned out, that Zach was easing the Viper to the curb in front of Anya’s house. He was early, but he’d been unable to concentrate on anything after her call. He couldn’t wait to see her again.

He cut the engine, then rested his arms on top of the steering wheel and stared broodingly at the dark, imposing lines of Anya Valorian’s house. What kind of hold did she have on him? Why couldn’t he forget her? As much as he tried to deny it, she was in his blood now, and Zach knew there was only one way he would ever be free of her.

He had to have her.

Whatever the cost.

Resolutely, he got out of the car and walked slowly toward Anya’s house. Leaves rustled in the street as a chilly wind blew in from the river. The air smelled dank, portentous. A fine mist chilled his face, but nothing could deter him. Having made his decision, nothing could stop him from walking up those steps to Anya’s door.

Behind him, the wind whispered through the trees like a sly warning. Somewhere up the street, a dog bayed at the moon.

Zach lifted a hand, but the massive door swung inward before he had time to knock.

CHAPTER SIX

A
nya stood at the door and stared up at Zach. She couldn’t seem to get used to his height. At five ten, she rarely had to look up to anyone, but Zach stood several inches taller than she. The air of impatience that always surrounded him made him seem even more imposing. Even more threatening.

Mist glistened in his hair. Moonlight glinted in his eyes. She could smell the night wind on his clothes. He seemed more dark than light tonight. More dangerous somehow.

Or perhaps it was the darkness inside herself making her feel so breathless, so…edgy. His lips curved upward in a slight smile, trapping her gaze. Anya’s eyes lingered on his mouth for a long, heart-stealing moment. She longed to raise her hand and touch his throat, to feel the pounding of his pulse against her fingertips.

You must be careful, she warned herself. Very, very careful.

“May I come in?”

With a start, Anya realized her fascination had kept him waiting out in the cold. Flustered, she pulled open the door and moved back, so he could enter. Zach stepped into the dim foyer, gazed around at the darkened house for a moment, then turned back to her. He seemed a bit disconcerted, she thought, not at all like his usual confident self.

“It’s dark in here,” he remarked, as though mentioning the first thing that had popped into his mind.

“I like the dark,” she said softly. He turned back toward
her, and his gaze swept over her, leaving her feeling weak, trembling. Hungry.

Oh, God…

“I’m beginning to like the dark myself,” he said, his eyes gleaming in the dim light cast by the skylight.

In one hand he held a perfect white rose; in the other, a bottle of champagne. He held them both out to her now and smiled ironically, as though such trappings were unusual for him.

“To celebrate our union,” he murmured, and Anya wondered if he had deliberately chosen such a provocative word.

Her heart began to pound again as she accepted the rose and lifted it to her nose to inhale deeply the sweet, heavy scent. The velvety petals tickled her skin, made a thousand memories stir to life inside her. Like wispy clouds, pictures of long, lazy summer days, of sunlight dancing on water, of a little girl’s innocent laughter drifted through her mind. All images and dreams from a different lifetime, a different world—a bigger, brighter, more beautiful world.

Anya lowered the rose and gazed down at the snowy blossom. Already the pristine petals were rimmed with brown and the stem had begun to droop. She closed her eyes, grieving for the lost purity of the flower, the lost innocence of her youth.

Zach’s hand closed over the stem as he gently took back the rose. “I guess I’ve been had, haven’t I?”

Anya looked up at him in alarm. Had he guessed? Did he know? Her hands trembled. “What do you mean?”

“The lady at the flower stall assured me her roses were fresh, but she obviously recognized a sucker when she saw one. I don’t know much about flowers. I usually don’t do this sort of thing.” He shrugged, looking even more doubtful now. “My secretary is always accusing me of having
no finesse, but I wanted to do something to welcome you aboard.”

“Thank you for the gesture,” Anya murmured. “Though after you hear my stipulations, you may not feel like celebrating after all.”

“Maybe we should get down to business, then.” His tone was brisk as his skeptical gaze roamed through the darkened house. “Is there someplace we can talk?”

“In here.” Anya turned and walked through the darkened living room. Behind her, she heard Zach bump into a piece of furniture and curse as he followed her into the solarium.

Moonlight flooded through the glass walls, and starlight sprinkled through the clear ceiling. Anya loved this room best of all. The solarium, and the remoteness of the neighborhood, were the reasons she’d leased this house when she’d returned to the city. The solarium gave her back much of what she’d lost—or at least the illusion of it. Here, she could bask in her own private garden, her personal oasis in an otherwise eternal darkness.

Moonflowers glowed in the silky darkness, their porcelain petals opened wide to the sterling light. Spiky, night-blooming jasmine sparkled like stars against a dark green backdrop, and vines of passionflower tangled around columns and rafters.

And there were roses. Bloodred roses. The air hung redolent with their perfume.

Anya walked through the solarium, careful not to brush against any of the delicate blossoms. She let her senses drink in their beauty and their fragrance, but she kept her distance. She didn’t want to spoil them.

Her mere touch could do that.

Behind her, Zach’s hand brushed against her arm. Anya whirled away from him.

She stood in the shadows, looking for all the world like a frightened little girl. Zach took a step toward her, but she flinched away. With a silent curse, he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. She couldn’t have made her message any plainer—
look but don’t touch.
She said nothing, but he knew actions spoke louder than words. He cursed again, not so silently this time, and turned.

The seconds stretched into an awkward silence. Zach walked to the rattan sofa set against one wall and sat down. He withdrew the contract from his pocket and spread it on the table in front of him.

“Could we have some light in here?” His voice was edged with exasperation. He heard it, and he knew she did, too.

Like a whisper of wind, she moved across the room and switched on a lamp. The room leaped to life, but somehow the riotous confusion of flowers seemed diminished by the artificial light, not nearly so lovely as by moonlight.

Anya, however, still looked very beautiful indeed. Zach felt his heart pound an uneasy rhythm as she moved toward him. She wore a misty, feminine dress in swirling midnight blue chiffon. In the light, the sheer fabric gave him tantalizing glimpses of her curving silhouette, and Zach felt a spark licking down his spine.

Look but don’t touch, he warned himself.

Reluctantly, he let his gaze travel back to the contract.

Business. This was a business meeting, nothing more. Obviously, Anya had no trouble whatsoever remembering that fact. After his discussion with Roland Sutton this morning, he’d better find a way to remember it, too. Convincing the board that Anya Valorian was worth the kind of money Zach was offering her might not be as easy as he’d originally thought.

But as he looked at her now, gazed at her delicate beauty,
Zach knew he’d made the only decision possible. Anya Valorian would be the new signature model for Seduction.

She sat down beside him. The air stirred with her fragrance. He could smell her perfume now, a heavy, opulent scent that went straight to his head. Never had a perfume smelled more like a fantasy, he thought, like a delicious dream.

“You’re wearing Seduction,” he murmured.

“It did seem…appropriate,” she said.

Was that a tremor in her voice? Could it be possible that she, too, felt this incredible attraction?

Nothing else gave her away. She reached past Zach and picked up the contract, studying the pages for a moment without looking up.

“I’m sure you’ll want to have your agent look it over before you sign,” Zach said. “But it’s the same deal I offered you the last time.”

Anya looked up in surprise. “I would have thought my value might have gone down somewhat, since you found another model so quickly.”

“A deal is a deal. I made that offer in good faith. I am curious, though. You were so adamant last night. What made you change your mind?”

Don’t give him the wrong signals, Anya cautioned herself. Make sure he knows this is business.

She schooled her expression as she let her eyes meet his. “I need the money,” she said bluntly. “Badly.”

Something flickered in his eyes. Disappointment? Anger? Anya couldn’t be sure. She felt her own stab of disappointment as Zach stood abruptly and moved away from her.

“Well,” he said casually, shoving his hands into his pockets, “whatever your reasons, financial or otherwise, I’m grateful you decided to accept my offer. You’re going
to make Renee Alexander a great deal of money. Women all over the world will soon be wearing Seduction.”

“I’m glad you have so much faith in me,” Anya said. “I hope I don’t disappoint you.”

“I don’t think you ever could,” he said, so softly Anya was uncertain for a moment she’d heard him correctly. He trailed a finger along the smooth petals of a rose. The flower seemed to open to his touch. He seemed intrigued for a moment by the velvety softness, then he looked up and captured her gaze. “We’ll make quite a team, Anya.”

Her heart thudded against her breast. With an effort, Anya returned her attention to the contract. “Yes, well, as I told you earlier, there are certain stipulations which I must insist upon. For instance…” Her voice faltered as their gazes met again. He was lounging against one of the columns across the room, but even from so far away, he seemed so big and powerful, so masculine standing there in her indoor garden, surrounded by flowers. He looked so inviting….