thanks, the room erupted with excited talk, leaving her and
Kenzie in a small zone of privacy. Now that they weren't acting together, she
felt shy with him. Reminding herself that soon they'd be rolling around on a
mattress together, she asked, "What did Gomolko mean about the deal?"
He
smiled, tanned skin crinkling around his eyes. "I told him I wouldn't take
the part unless you were cast as Marguerite."
No
wonder the director had regarded her with misgivings--he'd been afraid he might
have to choose between the actor he wanted and an actress he didn't want.
"Then I owe you quite a thank-you. Why did you want me in particular?
We've never even met."
"I've
seen most of your work, and knew you were right for Marguerite."
She
groaned. "Please don't tell me you saw Biker Babes from Hell."
He
laughed. "That movie proved you could handle Marguerite's adventurous
side. But I was already convinced. You should have won that Oscar for Home
Free."
She
thought of the awards ceremony wistfully. Attending dressed to kill and not
showing a shred of disappointment when she didn't win had been a major test of
acting skill. "There was a strong field of nominees."
"You
were the best." He touched her hair with gossamer delicacy. "This
red-gold is your natural color?"
She
shivered, a little breathless. "Yes, but usually I play drab, worthy
brunettes."
"The
time has come for you to play a glamorous woman of the world, Raine."
"People
who know me well call me Rainey."
He
repeated that in his beautiful deep voice. He'd trained at RADA--the Royal
Academy of Dramatic Art in London--which gave him an unfair advantage, she
thought dizzily. Earlier he'd been Sir Percy admiring Marguerite, but his
expression now made it clear he hadn't insisted on her for this movie solely
because of her acting.
So
be it. She'd attained success through discipline and unrelenting work, not
wasting her time on high-profile affairs to get her name into the gossip
columns. But a life without occasional recklessness wasn't worth living. Kenzie
Scott was gorgeous, likable, and attraction crackled between them like a
high-voltage current. If they had a fling, it would be by mutual choice.
How
much simpler life would have been if he'd only wanted an affair...
----
CHAPTER 2
K enzie warmed
up in the gym as Rainey changed in the dressing room. He was insane to listen
to her proposal, but when she'd marched into his bedroom, cool as an ice queen,
he'd been struck with such longing that he'd have agreed to anything to keep
her there a little longer.
He
was on the elliptical cross-trainer when she joined him. Her lovely apricot
hair tied back, she was dangerously attractive in a spangled green leotard and
tights that revealed every inch of her slight, elegantly proportioned and toned
figure.
They'd
shared countless exercise sessions in the last three years. An actor's body was
a primary tool of expression and required relentless work to maintain. The
grueling fitness regimen had been a lot more fun when Rainey shared the
sessions, bantering, discussing the news of the day, and improving the scenery.
Now and then discipline had gone out the window and they'd exerted themselves
differently, teasing and laughing until they ended up in a sweaty, relaxed
tangle of limbs.
As
she began her warm-up stretches, he said, "Tell me about your movie."
"It's
based on an obscure Victorian novel that I fell in love with years ago."
She bent over and placed her palms flat on the floor. "The Centurion was
written by a fellow called George Sherbourne who'd been an army officer in
strange corners of the British Empire. It was considered strong stuff when it
was published, practically treasonous, so it never became well-known."
"What's
the book about?"
"Torture,
guilt, and despair. The high price of empire for the soldiers who do the dirty
work in distant, dangerous places. The saving power of love."
"What's
the storyline?"
She
sat, then locked her hands around her ankles and laid