Blaise drank down the remainder of his drink with far less enjoyment than he’d anticipated and frowned. There was a certain lack of respect that manifested itself in him around anything that came to him too easily. That went for success and women. It was only natural that a beautiful, feisty female like his alluring visitor—a woman who was clearly not going to tumble into his bed at the click of his fingers—would inevitably arouse his interest. But, that said, despite Miss Hayward’s indignant assertion that she wasn’t ‘part of the floor show’, it was fairly obvious that she must belong to Jonathan. She had to. She hadn’t even bothered to deny it.
Dropping the crystal stopper a little impatiently into the decanter, he carefully returned it to the small rosewood table beside the chair. Raking his fingers through his sleek golden hair, he briefly closed his eyes, wishing he hadn’t allowed Jane, his agent, to convince him that he should capitalise on the current avid interest in his work from the theatre-going public and take advantage of some first-rate PR to promote his image.
All Blaise wanted to do was retreat to his remote house in the wilds of Northumberland, with nothing but the mournful soughing of the wind and the untamed beauty of the countryside for company, write to his heart’s content and let the world go its own tedious way without him.
He’d briefly become acquainted with fame during his three-year stint as a film actor, and the maelstrom of public interest at the time, as well as the intrusion into his private life, had been a right royal pain! If there were actors who craved fame, with all its dubious rewards and lack of privacy, then he wasn’t one of them. All he had been interested in was conveying the character he played to the audience with the utmost conviction and one hundred percent commitment. If he could do that then he wouldn’t have short-changed the people who had come to see him.
He applied the same passionate approach to his writing. Hopefully, when this current circus of media attention was over, he could return to Hawk’s Lair and pull up the drawbridge—for a little while at least. But, that said, it didn’t stop him continuing to speculate about the gorgeous brunette who’d inadvertently wandered in on him, with all that creamy cleavage so tantalisingly on display and a temper that—did she but know it—made her even more provocative than she was already.
His creative mind was already speculating on how that pent-up passion might be expressed in bed. Even more, it made him fantasise about helping her out of that sexy little dress later on tonight if even so much as half a chance came his way…
They stopped outside her bedroom door, with Maya twisting her arm behind her back to clutch anxiously at the doorknob as she desperately sought an escape route out of her predicament. Her boss swayed in front of her, alcoholic fumes making her grimace. Jonathan’s drinking was legendary, but he had surpassed his own reputation tonight. In fact, Maya was amazed that he was still standing, never mind trying to coerce her into bed. His chameleon-like hazel eyes—a little cloudy now from the effects of alcohol—dropped lasciviously to her cleavage. He put a hand out to the side of her, to help balance himself against the wall.
Ignoring her seriously startled expression as he loomed over her, he capitalised on the opportunity to move his body even closer, so that along with the fumes of alcohol her senses were assaulted by the overpowering smell of his French cologne.
‘I thought the dinner went really well tonight, didn’t you? But I’m really tired now, and I—’ Maya moved suddenly and darted to the side of him, just in time to deflect an oncoming caress, her heart racing so fast she was almost dizzy.
Frustrated and cross, Jonathan swore. ‘Screw the dinner! All I want to do right now is take you to bed. Think about it, darling. A girl like you deserves so much more than an admin assistant’s pay to get by on. Be nice to me and I’ll make it more than worth your while…You get my drift, don’t you, sweetie?’
He raised a perfectly groomed silver eyebrow to drive home his clumsily executed innuendo, reminding Maya so much of a dastardly rogue in one of those old silent movies that she almost laughed out loud. All that was missing was the famous handlebar moustache and the scene would be complete.
‘Yes, Jonathan. I do get your drift. But at the end of the day you’re my boss, and I make it a rule never to complicate professional relationships by allowing them to become personal.’ She sucked in a deep breath, trying not to let her voice falter. ‘I’m one of your employees…albeit a temporary one. That said, I’m going to decline your invitation and say goodnight. In the cold light of day I’m sure you’ll be glad I did.’
‘What if I offered you a permanent position? Would that help you see things differently?’
‘No.’ Maya had no hesitation in making that clear. ‘I’m afraid it wouldn’t.’
‘What a shame,’ Jonathan sneered. ‘And I thought you were such a bright girl too. Still…you’re not getting off that easily.’
‘What do you mean?’ Her green eyes flashed her alarm.
‘You’re just playing hard to get, aren’t you?’
Suddenly there was an expression on his face that put every impulse in Maya’s body on red alert. This is going to be trickier than I thought… She panicked. Letting go of the doorknob, she raked her long hair away from her face, letting her hand splay protectively across her chest.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m only here tonight because my job required it.’
‘Don’t tell me you’re that naïve?’ Jonathan breathed, yanking her towards him. ‘Common or garden assistants don’t get invited to my house just to take dictation! I’ve been flirting with you for weeks now—don’t pretend you didn’t know what it was leading to.’
‘I’m here because Caroline was called away at the last minute. She told me you needed someone to stand in for her,’ Maya protested, even as Jonathan shook his head.
‘Caroline stayed away because I ordered her to stay away!’ he growled. ‘Seeing as you turned me down every time I asked you out, it was the only way I could think of to get you alone. Has the penny finally dropped, Miss Hayward?’
She twisted her face away as his mouth descended, pushing hard against his chest with both hands, in a split second seeing all her effort and hard work wasted as she denied Jonathan Faraday the prize he craved, knowing she would get nothing for her pains but her marching orders.
Oh, well. She’d just have to tell the agency to find her something else. It would be a cold day in hell before she succumbed to sexual coercion from a man just to keep her job—that was for sure!
‘Come on, Maya—giving me the runaround is one thing, but I’ve been working myself up to fever-pitch knowing you were coming to my house this weekend. Just one little kiss, eh?’
He might have been drunk, but Jonathan was physically no push-over. He easily hijacked her arms to pin her against the wall, breathing heavily as he pressed his body hard against hers, seeing the sudden fear darkening her lovely green eyes and no doubt getting off on the thought of having his way.
That was until an authoritative male voice a few feet away said coolly, ‘I must say I’m surprised, Jonathan. For all your reputation as a ladies’ man I never thought you’d descend to physically forcing your attentions on a woman.’
‘What?’ More than a little discomfited, Jonathan abruptly released Maya to negotiate an unsteady step backwards. Wiping his hand across his mouth, he straightened, then looked Blaise Walker defiantly in the eye.
‘Don’t be daft, man! She’s been making eyes at me all evening. She was practically—’
‘Gagging for it?’ Blaise finished smoothly.
Maya wished the ground would open up and swallow her. Humiliation made her burn with rage at the injustice of it all. Did Jonathan’s famous client really believe that? She could hardly bring herself to look at Blaise Walker as she pushed back her hair, then twisted