NICK HELPED HIMSELF to another drink. He felt restless. The party that had been arranged specifically for the benefit of Lily, though that was something she would never know, was in full swing. He had asked all the movers and shakers in the world of theatre, teased their palates by throwing in a few big names in business, the sort of men and women who were interested in promoting the Arts and were willing to put their money where their mouth was, and the supermodels were really the icing on the cake.
Not a single person had declined the invitation, even though it was very much a last-minute affair. Parties thrown by him were few and far between and had enough cachet to attract even the most sought-after celebrities.
Unfortunately, the belle of the ball, so to speak, had still not arrived. Nor had her sister.
Nick’s gaze strayed once more to the door and he looked at his watch. It didn’t take a genius to work out why they were late. Rose had either decided not to come or else had employed delaying tactics. It would have been a hell of a lot easier if he had not asked her along, but his memory of their last encounter had preyed on his mind and eventually he had worked out that inviting her, letting her see for herself how little he needed to pursue a woman because of her looks, would even out the score. She had dismissed him and Nick Papaeliou didn’t like being dismissed. He particularly didn’t like being dismissed for the wrong reasons.
He was still staring at the door when it opened. He saw Lily first, exquisite in a pale blue dress that was very simple, just a short silky shift with a very respectable round collar, saw her look round the room, searching him out, and he found himself trying to stare behind her to see whether Rose had come or not.
He finished his drink and headed towards them and as he neared them he saw her, half ducking behind the door.
‘You’re here.’ A warm smile for Lily and then he stepped around her to where Rose was nervously hovering just out of sight of the crowd. ‘And so are you. I’m surprised. I thought you might decide that this wasn’t the sort of thing you were interested in attending.’
How right he was. Over four days, Rose had made several futile attempts to wriggle out of her sister’s rash promise that they would both be overjoyed to attend whatever posh party Nick had arranged. She had valiantly plugged the Nothing To Wear excuse, which had been overruled before it had even had time to gain the necessary momentum, then had come a pious, self-sacrificing But I Wouldn’t Want To Get In Your Way, and when that had fallen on deaf ears she had resorted to the truth, which was that she was totally uninterested in those sorts of things, big parties full of people talking at one another and peering around to see if somebody more interesting happened to be lurking on the horizon.
The truth was that she didn’t want to see Nick. She disapproved of his involvement with her sister and she bitterly resented his arrogant, insulting response to her perfectly reasonable request that he take his attentions elsewhere.
Now, as she looked at him, she felt all that resentment gathering pace, like a snowball turning into an avalanche.
He looked magnificent. White shirt, black trousers, but instead of looking conventional he looked darkly, broodingly, raffishly sexy. Something about the way he had rolled the sleeves to his elbows. Or maybe it was his colouring that did it.
Rose shuffled away from the comforting wall that separated her from the rest of the crowd inside and tried not to scowl.
‘It isn’t,’ she said shortly.
‘Well, don’t hide away out here, you two. Come inside and meet all the beautiful people.’ Okay, he knew that that would probably send her nervous system into furious overdrive, but he couldn’t help himself.
Lily, of course, responded with predictable enthusiasm, happily taking the arm he offered, while her sister looked at his other arm, also being proffered, and ignored it.
She felt awkward enough in her outfit without having to suffer the indignity of everyone looking at them, puzzling out who the short, dumpy woman in the black dress was. Lily might hang off his arm and look as though that was her rightful place. Rose, on the other hand, knew that were she to hang off his other arm the effect would be just the opposite. So she walked a little distance apart, grateful that Lily was keeping up the conversation with her bubbly chatter.
‘I’ll get you two a drink, shall I?’
‘Ooh. A glass of champagne would be great, Nick.’ Lily’s eyes were everywhere, like a kid in a toy shop.
‘And for you?’
Rose met his amused eyes steadily. ‘I’m fine just at the moment.’
‘No, you’re not. I’ll get you a glass of wine. It’ll help you to relax.’
‘I’m perfectly relaxed,’ Rose lied, and he grinned broadly at her.
‘In that case, you’re giving an excellent imitation of someone who would rather be anywhere else in the world but here.’
He disappeared, feeling suddenly invigorated. He had never prided himself on his altruism. Sure, he gave massive donations of money to charity, but all of that he left to his financial department. In the case of Lily, he was doing a good deed for which he would get nothing in return. Except her gratitude, most probably, although gratitude was something he never requested from anyone and rarely appreciated. Yes, indeed, being Mr Good Guy was proving to be a very enjoyable novelty.
Of course, he mused, a little gratitude from her sister might be pretty satisfying.
He caught himself scanning the room, making sure that Rose was where he had left her and, sure enough, she was, although Lily was beginning to look a little edgy. By the time he made it back to Rose, it was to find her standing on her own.
‘Lily’s disappeared,’ she greeted him.
‘So I see.’
‘She recognised some people from her last stint in the theatre.’
‘Rude of her not to introduce you to them.’
‘I…I told her to go ahead.’ Rose looked at him defiantly. ‘It’s important that she tries to make a few connections. Apparently, that’s how it works in the acting business. You can’t come to a do like this and huddle on the sidelines.’ She accepted her glass of wine while he deposited the unwanted champagne on one of the many handy chest-height tables that dotted the room. Tall bar stools were positioned by some of the tables, but most of these were unused. Rose supposed that sitting down wasn’t conducive enough to mingling.
‘No. It’s all about networking,’ Nick agreed.
‘And I really don’t want to keep you from that.’
‘I have no need to network.’ He shrugged. ‘There’s nothing I need from anyone here. They are my guests and a good time will be had by all because they offer each other opportunities. The people in the acting profession will be networking with the businessmen who make their world tick financially, the businessmen will be lusting after the models, the models will be intrigued by the celebrities—’
‘And you will observe them all.’
Nick returned his gaze to her face, which was cool and assessing. He frowned.
‘What’s wrong with that?’
‘You’re like a scientist looking at the rest of the world through a microscope, examining interesting little bugs.’
‘You know,’ he drawled, ‘maybe I shouldn’t let you loose in the room, not with that knack you have of rubbing people up the wrong way.’
Rose flushed. ‘I didn’t realise that I was rubbing you up the wrong way. I was just making an observation.’
‘The only way to succeed in life is to develop the ability to read other people.’ He looked at her carefully and realised that he was intrigued by her personality, proving yet again to himself that he needed a little novelty in his life. First Lily and now her sister. Making money was