Superstar Read Free

palms in pools of warm
light. What chance did she have of impressing Mark Lord when even
his maid was so lovely? Helen showed her into a bright, spacious
bedroom furnished elegantly in pale salmon pink and white with
hints of light grey. Everything looked brand new, from the soft
grey carpet to the spotless pink and white linen on the four-poster
bed. Lacy curtains fluttered in the breeze that blew in through the
glass doors that opened onto a balcony.
    Carrin went
over to it and gazed out. Below, a second manicured garden
surrounded a marble pool filled with sparkling blue water. Carrin
turned to find Helen opening her suitcase.
    "Oh, don't
worry about that, I'll unpack it later."
    The maid
straightened and raked Carrin with a contemptuous glance. "Very
well."
    As she
turned to leave, Carrin asked, "Would Mr Lord mind if I use the
pool?"
    Helen stopped
at the door. "I'm sure he wouldn't, Miss York. You are, after all,
his guest."
    Carrin
nodded, aware that she had made herself look even more of a hick.
After Helen left, she sat on the bed and contemplated her well-worn
shoes. Her nervous euphoria had turned to despair, and she longed
to burst into tears. Her sense of inadequacy rankled, and
resentment replaced it. So, she was poor, so what? So her wardrobe
consisted of jeans and T-shirts with two faded dresses.
    Her
family laughed at her dreams, the chauffeur condescended and the
maid outranked her in beauty and poise. So what? She was here to do
business with Mark Lord, not worry about what he thought. Her
romantic dreams had to take a back seat to reality now, and she
would look like a complete idiot if she revealed the slightest hint
of her feelings for him. She rose and changed into her costume and
sarong. Undoubtedly Mark Lord would be several more hours at his
meeting.
    Barefoot, she padded down the hall and found a door onto
the pool area. A professionally landscaped garden surrounded it,
complete with rare tree ferns in ceramic pots and a gazebo in the
distance smothered with climbing roses. Hedges bordered bright,
freshly planted flowerbeds, and spreading trees shaded the expanse
of lush lawn mowed to putting-green perfection, complete with
dead-straight stripes of light and dark green. The clipped grass
tickled her feet as she trotted to the pool's deep, inviting
coolness. She dropped the sarong on a reclining pool chair and
enjoyed the breeze. Her swimming costume was almost new; she had
bought it a few years ago for a trip to the coast and only worn it
for the few days that she had spent at the seaside. The bright
blue, silky material of the sleek one-piece suit matched her
eyes.
    Determined to enjoy herself, she crossed the last few steps
to the pool at a run and hurled herself into the water. The splash
was rewarding, but she surfaced gasping in shock. Instead of a cool
dip, the warm water did nothing to refresh her. Swimming to the
side, she pulled herself out and sat on the edge to mop water from
her face and shake it from her hair.
    "Of all the
damn stupid ideas," she muttered. "Is he so rich he can't even have
cold water in his pool?"
    "I like it
warm, and since I usually swim at night, when it's cooler, it suits
me."
    Carrin
gasped and spun around. There he was. Mark Lord: superstar. His
eyes flicked over her and came to rest on her face.
    "Welcome to my
home, Miss York. I hope the rest of it comes up to your
standards."
    Carrin
realised that her mouth was open and closed it with a snick of
teeth. Her eyes remained riveted to his. She could not tear them
from his piercing gaze. His crooked brows, which she had seen so
many times on the big screen, rose. He glanced at the pool,
breaking the spell. Carrin tried to swallow her pounding heart,
which was doing a fandango in her mouth, and wiped water from her
face. Rising to her feet, she snatched up her sarong and wrapped it
around herself before turning to face him again, feeling slightly
less exposed. A slight, seductive smile tugged at one corner of