ONE

HIS CYNICAL FACE had the wicked fascination of a fallen angel and he had the strange olive-green eyes of a sorcerer capable of conjuring both white and black magic.

As Kendra’s gaze met his across the crowded room, she felt a queer breathless shock and her hand tightened involuntarily on the stem of her cocktail glass. There was a mesmerizing intensity about those deep-set eyes; she felt as though she was wrapped in a shimmering force field of power. And suddenly she felt weak and ineffectual. Then one of the men in the little coterie surrounding Damon spoke to him and he glanced away, releasing her.

Releasing? Good heavens, she was being fanciful tonight! She made a conscious effort to relax her death grip on her glass.

She must be more tired than she realized. Joel Damon might be known for being something of a miracle worker as a director, but there was nothing in the least supernatural about him personally. His reputation with women was scandalous, even in the permissive culture of Tinsel Town. That narrowed, searing glance he had directed at her had merely been the appraisal of a virile predator seeking new prey. She surely should be used to that by now.

Her hand absently rubbed at the nagging little pain in the small of her back. The moment she became aware of what she was doing, she quickly jerked her hand away. This must be her night for being stupid. There were too many people here who would recognize and correctly interpret that little sign of weakness for exactly what it was. That had to be avoided at all costs. All she had to do was hold on until the painkiller she’d taken fifteen minutes earlier had time to take effect; then she’d be fine. The gag today had been rough and she was tired—that’s why the ache seemed so unbearable at the moment.

“God, you look gorgeous, Ken,” Dave Balding’s voice was lazily admiring her as he appeared at her side.

He looked more like an ebullient genie than ever, she thought. Oh, dear, yet another mythical simile. Her lips turned up in a rueful smile. “So do you, Dave,” she said lightly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a tuxedo. You look quite dashing.”

He made a face. “Come on, Ken, cut the bull. We’ve known each other too long for me to swallow that.” His blue eyes were twinkling as he patted his slightly rotund stomach. “Even Sheila said I looked like a pregnant penguin in all this sartorial glory. She should know; she’s due herself next month.”

“Is Shelia here?” Kendra’s gaze eagerly searched the room, but Dave was shaking his head.

“Nope.” He lifted his glass to his lips. “She didn’t feel up to this kind of bash tonight. You know how she is when she’s pregnant. She gets positively claustrophobic in crowds.” He frowned. “I didn’t like leaving her alone, but I couldn’t risk offending the great man.” He gestured mockingly toward Joel Damon across the room. “I may be assistant producer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t jump when Damon whistles. I have instructions from Michael Donovan that he’s to have everything he wants for Desert Venture.”

Kendra’s brows lifted in surprise. Michael Donovan of Donovan, Ltd. Productions didn’t have the reputation of relinquishing one iota of his power as executive producer in the blockbuster hits his company produced. Though he gave his directors complete artistic license, his iron hand was always visible behind the scenes. “That’s rather unusual, isn’t it?”

Dave nodded. “I’ll say it is.” He took a sip of his drink. “But then, so is Joel Damon. He can write his own ticket with any film studio in Hollywood these days. He picked up his second Oscar last year, you know.”

“How could I help it?” With an odd sense of reluctance her gaze followed his to the corner of the room. In the conventional tuxedo he wore with such careless elegance, Damon’s tall slim body gave off an aura of power that dominated the little circle around him. There was a lazy smile on those cynical lips now as he looked down at the woman beside him. She was chattering with almost desperate vivacity in the attempt to hold his attention. His green sorcerer’s eyes were nearly hidden by his heavy lids, so that only a jewel-bright gleam shone through the dark lashes. Then those lashes flicked up and his gaze met hers with the impact of an electric shock. Electricity. Yes, that was the word for the whorls of power that were radiating from him, and again she was conscious of the sensation of being caught in the paws of a predator.

This time his oddly possessive glance didn’t stop at her face, but wandered over her golden throat and shoulders to the full thrust of her breasts against the cinnamon chiffon gown. His gaze lingered there for a long moment and, incredibly, she felt her breasts respond to his hot glance as if he actually touched her. Then he looked at her slim waist, hips, and long legs. When his glance shifted from her to Dave, she let out her breath in a rush of relief.

Dave Balding’s lips pursed in a soundless whistle. “When did you meet Joel Damon, Ken? I have an idea you didn’t need my help to get you on the payroll.”

“What?” She shook her head as if to clear it. What in heaven’s name was wrong with her tonight? “I’ve never met the man,” she said lightly. “I imagine the only reason I was invited to this party was that his secretary noticed my name on the production log.” Her glance flitted around the room, dramatically decorated in black and white. “It’s far from a select gathering anyway. Everyone from the wardrobe woman to the key grip is here tonight.” Her gaze returned to the blonde standing beside Damon. “Not to mention half the starlets in Hollywood.”

“Joel’s leaving for Sedikhan tomorrow and he usually throws a party for the cast and crew the night before he goes on location,” Dave said. “Not that I think he enjoys it. I get the distinct impression that the social scene bores him to tears.” He moved his shoulders uneasily. “You’re sure you haven’t met him before? That look I’m getting from our lord and master is definitely menacing.”

“It has to be your imagination,” she said deliberately, shifting her position so that her back was turned to Damon. But even then she could feel the force of his gaze on her bare back and shoulders. “From what I’ve heard, it’s not unusual for Joel Damon to display an interest in a woman. Any woman.” She took several sips of her champagne before speaking again. “Perhaps his boredom is extending to that lush little blonde who’s hanging on to his every word.”

“Maybe.” Dave’s smile brightened his plain face. “It’s not the first time you’ve shut out the competition without even trying.” His admiring glance skimmed over her long chestnut hair. It tumbled down her back in a silken curtain and shimmered with a thousand tiny flames in the softly lit room. “Most men take one look at you and immediately decide that you’re just what they need as an erotic nightcap. I don’t know how I escaped your luscious allure all these years.”

“I do.” Kendra’s deep brown eyes were twinkling. “It probably had something to do with the fact that I tagged after you and Casey from the time I could toddle. What’s that expression—‘familiarity breeds contempt’?”

His face sobered. “Never contempt, Kendra,” he said quietly, raising his hand and gently stroking the curve of her cheek. “I think I respect you more than anyone I’ve ever known.” He hesitated. “How is Casey?”

“Better,” she answered. “Much better.” Her face clouded. “He was pretty bitter at first, but who could blame him? I don’t think anyone could accept being partially paralyzed without going a little crazy. Particularly a man like Casey who knew it also meant the end of his career as a stuntman.” She tried to smile. “He’s studying law now, you know. Casey always was a great one for talking. He’ll probably become a Supreme Court justice before he’s satisfied.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Dave said softly. “Casey’s the type of man who gets whatever he goes after. Is he still in that convalescent home in the Valley?”

She nodded. “Dr. Dystron says he’ll be there at least for another six months for physical therapy. He’s really chomping at the bit to get back to the real world.” Her lips tightened with determination. “But I’ll be damned if I’ll let him get out before he can get around without that walker. It’s going to be tough enough for him facing all of his old friends in the business. Besides, he’d start skipping the outpatient therapy, and he needs all those nurses right there to nag him about it.”

Dave’s eyes were thoughtful. “You know, when we were all kids together, you were the quiet gentle one who let Casey and me stampede all over you. It seemed impossible sometimes that you were really brother and sister.” His hand moved from her cheek to squeeze her shoulder affectionately. “Somewhere along the way you’ve managed to develop into one hell of a woman, Ken.”

“I’ve just grown up,” she said simply. “After Casey’s accident I didn’t have much choice: I had to be strong enough for both of us. Casey needed an adult to depend on, not a child.”

“You were only nineteen when Casey broke those vertebrae in his back.” Dave’s lips tightened. “There should have been someone there to help you. You’ve gone through hell with those three operations and Casey in one hospital after another.” He frowned. “We all wanted to help, Ken. Why wouldn’t you let us?”

“What could anyone do?” she asked wearily, her hand rubbing unconsciously at the tendons in the small of her back. “His friends all stood by him. His hospital room looked like a De Mille crowd scene most of the time. You were all wonderful to support him like that. The rest was my responsibility.” She smiled up at him. “But you all helped there, too. You got me the stunts to help pay all those medical bills.” She made a face. “Well, almost all the bills. The operations have been paid for now; that leaves only the convalescent home to worry about.”

“I don’t know if we did you any favors doing that.” His concerned gaze was on the hand rubbing her back. “You’ve been overdoing it, Ken. All the stunt boys say so. You’ve been taking any job that comes along and not insisting on proper safety measures. I heard you tore up some tendons in your back a few months ago, yet you were back on the set six weeks later. Is your back still bothering you?”

She dropped her hand away quickly. “No, not at all,” she lied. “I’m just a little stiff because of a fall I took from a horse this afternoon. The stunt coordinator misjudged the spot where I’d fall and dug up the earth three feet from the place the lariat actually toppled me off my trusty steed.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t break any bones,” he said grimly. “Like I said, you’re not being careful enough in choosing your jobs. The wrong stunt coordinator can get a person killed. I bet you didn’t even insist on a run-through before the scene was shot.”

“The director was in a hurry to finish the day’s shooting. He didn’t want to take the time.” She smiled bitterly. “Time is money, you know. Casey didn’t have a run-through either or he might not have skidded that car into a stone wall.”

“You should have learned from his mistake,” Dave said. “If you’re not careful, you’ll end up in the hospital yourself and then how will you help Casey?”

“If you want work in this business, you don’t argue with the director,” she said softly. “You know that as well as I do, Dave. All a stuntwoman needs to get blacklisted is a reputation for not being ‘cooperative.’ There are too many amateurs out there ready to step in and take the risks just to get the chance to break into the business.”

“It’s not worth your life, Kendra,” Dave said bluntly. “Hell, it’s not even that the job really appeals to you. You never did get the kick out of it Casey did.”

“But I’m good at it.” Kendra smiled gently. “And that’s what’s important right now. Even as a favor you wouldn’t have hired me for Venture if I wasn’t a competent professional. And you don’t have to worry about the stunt coordinator on this picture. Skip Lowden is the best in the business. I’ve worked for him before.”

“He’s going to have to be,” Dave said. “Venture is going to have more stunts than a James Bond thriller. Joel insisted I get the top people in the field.” He glanced down at her glass. “You need a refill; shall I get you one?”

“Please.” She watched as Dave dodged his way through the crowd to the bar at the end of the room. She seldom had more than one drink, but she had an idea she might need all the help she could get to see her through the evening. Why weren’t those damn pills taking effect? Cold fear surged through her. Oh Lord, had the fall damaged the scar tissue on the tendons again? Oh, please, God, not now! She needed this job. She hadn’t been entirely truthful with Dave. There had been no need to worry him any more than he was already. Why burden him with the knowledge that she still owed another ten thousand for Casey’s last operation and that the convalescent home bills were astronomical?

“Dave told me you were on the team, but I wasn’t sure you’d be here tonight.” The southwestern drawl was unmistakable, so was the lean hard-bitten face of the man who appeared at her side. Skip Lowden was in his early forties, but the only thing that testified to his age was a sprinkling of gray at his temples. The rest of him was all tough whipcord muscle and cool coordinated power. A power that was echoed in the keen razor-sharp gray eyes gazing into her own. “I heard you took a little tumble this afternoon.”

She should have known he would have heard, she thought in resignation. The professional stuntworld was a very tight network and Skip was prominent in the hierarchy. “It wasn’t much,” she said defensively. “We got it on the second take.”

“The second take should have been the first!” His voice resonated with authority. “You should have insisted on a run-through. Particularly with an amateurish ass like Bodine running the show. You know better than that, Ken.”

She was getting very tired of hearing that. It was all very well for Skip to talk. He had the experience and reputation to be able to demand…and get anything he wanted.

“I’ll remember that on Venture,” she said lightly. “But then, you wouldn’t let me run even one risk without planning it out to the last detail. I know the way you work, Skip. I hear I’m to double for the supporting actress, Billie Callahan.” A tiny frown wrinkled her brow. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of her.”

“It’s her first picture,” Skip answered. “She’s Joel Damon’s new discovery. Brenna Donovan’s starring, but the ingenue gets all the stunts.” His glance went over her objectively. “You’re about the same height, but you’ll have to bind your breasts. Billie isn’t nearly as…voluptuous.”

She grimaced. “Not many women are,” she said gloomily. “Which is a distinct disadvantage when it comes to doubling for men as well as women. The only place I can get away with it is in a car chase.” She gazed up at him, her brown eyes narrowing. “I hear there’s a special stunt involving a jeep jumping a canyon in the picture. Is it a big money gag?”

“Eight thousand.”

Eight thousand. Together with what she was making for the rest of the picture, it would be almost enough to clear the debt on Casey’s operation. “I want it, Skip,” she said, her voice vibrating with intensity. “I need it.”

“I haven’t decided who’ll do it yet.” Skip’s voice was as coolly measured as a metronome. “There are five men on the team who have the experience for the job and they’d all give their union cards to get it.”

“I could do it. You know I could do it. I’m good with cars. Almost as good as Casey was. Give me the gag and you won’t be sorry, Skip. I won’t let you down. One take, I promise.”

“There wouldn’t be any question of that,” he answered. “There’s no run-through possible on this one. It’s either make it or end up at the bottom of the canyon. And my people don’t end up like Casey, Ken. Not when I’m running the action.”

She was still looking at him hopefully, but he was shaking his head. “I’m not going to promise it to you, Ken. I haven’t worked with you in two years and I’ve been hearing a few disturbing things about you lately.” He was turning away. “I’ll think about it, but I’m not going to commit myself to anything until I watch you work. We’ll talk again in Sedikhan.”

He was gone as quickly as he’d appeared, leaving her to gaze after him. Disappointment mixed with a glimmer of hope. At least he hadn’t rejected the idea entirely and that was something. If he hadn’t given the gag to someone else there was still a chance for her to get it. Skip was absolutely fair and, if she could prove herself to him, he’d give her the job.

“Sorry to be so long; the bar was a mob scene.” Dave pressed a champagne glass into her hand and grinned down at her. “I saw Skip talking to you so I didn’t try to speed up the bartender. I thought you’d welcome the chance to try to get him to let you do the jump. Did you convince him?”

A little smile tugged at her lips. “You know me too well, Dave.” She shook her head. “No, he’s reserving judgment at the moment, but I’m not giving up.”

“I didn’t think you would.” Dave gave a mock shudder. “Better you than me. That stunt would make Evel Knievel turn pale. I can’t understand why you stunt people fight so ferociously for the privilege of breaking your necks.”

“Money,” she said succinctly. “And the chance of beating a record set by some other stunt person.” She took a sip of champagne. “And some can’t resist the challenge of walking that tightrope between life and death.” She shrugged. “There’s any number of reasons why we do it if you think about it.”

“None of which makes any sense to a sane individual,” Dave said dryly. His blue gaze was fixed musingly on her face. “You appear to be feeling better. There’s some color in your cheeks now. When I first saw you, you looked so strained and exhausted that I was worried.”

She was feeling better, she discovered to her amazement. The painkillers must have done their stuff because her back wasn’t aching at all now. In fact, she’d never felt more vibrantly, glowingly alive in her entire life. She looked down at the champagne in her glass and smiled broadly. She felt like one of the bubbles that rose in the golden liquid—effervescent, yet very clear and sharp. It was such a lovely sensation. But was it too lovely? She couldn’t be a little tipsy, could she?

Nonsense, she had only had one glass of champagne! It must be the relief of knowing she had a chance at the jump that explained this strange exhilaration. “I feel fine,” she said, smiling brilliantly at Dave. “Wonderful. Now why don’t you tell me what you and Sheila have been up to lately?”

She continued to float on iridescent bubbles during the next hour and, if possible, the euphoria escalated to an even more shimmering plateau. When she’d first arrived at Joel Damon’s home in Laurel Canyon, she had thought the stark black-and-white decor was cold. Now she changed her mind. It was a perfectly beautiful room. Everything was perfectly beautiful.

Dave’s face was beautiful too, with his bright blue eyes and warm understanding smile. But he wasn’t smiling at the moment, she realized hazily.

“Are you okay, Ken?” Dave’s voice was full of concern.

She looked at him wonderingly. What a foolish question. “Of course I am,” she said liltingly. “I was a little tired before, but now I’ve got my second wind.”

His glance dropped speculatively to her glass. “I have an idea that’s not all you’ve got. How many cocktails did you have before I found you in this mob?”

Did he think she was tipsy? The idea was so absurd that her throaty laugh rang out causing a few bystanders to look at her in surprise. “Only one,” she answered, standing on her tiptoes to plant an affectionate kiss on his cheek. “You know I never have more than two in an evening.”

“I thought I did.” He frowned as he studied her flushed cheeks and velvet-brown eyes shining with an almost feverish excitement. He linked his arms loosely about her waist. “But something’s sure got you lit up like neon. Are you on something?”

“On something?”

“Coke, uppers, Quaaludes?” he enumerated tersely.

“Don’t be silly,” she said indignantly. “I’ve seen enough careers blown to atoms by drugs to shy away from them like the plague.” Drugs. She had taken that painkiller earlier but it could have no connection with this lovely mood she was in. Well, perhaps a minor connection. It had taken the pain away and no doubt relief was partly responsible for the joyous ebullience that was surging through her. But she wasn’t going to worry about that now. She was too happy. It seemed a lifetime since she’d felt this irresponsible, this free from care.

“I think I’d better take you home.” Clearly worried, Dave chewed at his lower lip. “Where’s your wrap?”

“I think one of the maids put it in a bedroom upstairs,” she said vaguely. “But I can’t go home yet. I haven’t paid my respects to the wizard. He might get angry and turn me into a frog.” She shook her head, her forehead knitting in thought “No, that’s a prince.” She laughed again, her face alight with amusement. “And I’m not even a princess, so I guess I’m safe.”

“What wizard?” Dave asked blankly, as he turned her firmly in the direction of the staircase that led to the upper level of the ranch-style house.

“Is there more than one?” she asked, turning toward the corner of the room where Damon was still holding court. She knew exactly where he was, even though she’d been careful not to glance at him after that first searing exchange. She had been as aware of him as if they’d been linked by a golden cord. Perhaps they had, she thought hazily, but the cord was invisible. Sorcerers could weave spells like that, couldn’t they? She realized she had been a little afraid of him, but the emotion was gone now. She wasn’t afraid of anything at the moment. “Joel Damon, magician extraordinaire!” She lifted her glass in a mocking salute.

He was gazing at her as she knew he would be. She’d felt his eyes on her all evening and it had engendered a tiny flame of excitement she had refused to acknowledge. He wanted her. Desire for her was there, blazing openly and hungrily in his expression, but there was something else as well. An anger and resentment so intense it pierced even her present buoyant self-confidence. “Perhaps you’re right; maybe I shouldn’t press my luck.” She smiled impishly up at Dave. “He might not realize I’m not a princess.”

“At the moment he’s looking at you as if you’re a full course dinner after a month-long fast,” he said, his lips tight. “I think I’d better get you out of here before he decides to gobble you up.” He was propelling her rapidly across the room toward the stairs. “Home,” he said firmly.

“If you say so,” she agreed cheerfully. “However, I don’t know why you think there’s anything wrong with me.”

         

“Who is she?” Joel’s voice was clipped. His gaze followed Balding and the chiffon-clad woman as they slowly climbed the stairs. Balding’s arm was clasped around her waist with a casual intimacy that scraped like rough sandpaper on Joel’s nerves. Not that it was any more caressing than the fondling they had been indulging in all evening, he thought darkly. They couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other and were obviously seeking privacy for greater intimacy. He pulled his gaze away from them with no little effort and turned to scowl at the slim dapper man next to him. He’d been resisting asking about the woman all evening and wasn’t the least bit pleased that the impulse had finally overcome his strength of will. “And what the hell is she to Balding? Didn’t you tell me he was married?”

Ron Willet, his assistant director, raised a mocking brow as he watched the couple who were now entering a bedroom on the second level. “He’s very much married—and to an extremely nice lady from what I hear. But marriage wouldn’t stop many men when a sexy little siren like that one makes herself available to them.” His eyes narrowed as they moved to Joel’s face. He had been aware all evening that Joel’s attention had been caught by the chestnut-haired beauty and had been surprised that his boss hadn’t made a move on her. In the five years he’d worked with Joel, he’d never known him to hesitate when it came to taking what he wanted, particularly when it was a woman. And if he read the signs right, Ron knew that Joel wanted this one very much. He had noticed a smoldering intensity about Joel this evening that had aroused his curiosity. “She’s some eager little starlet, I imagine. It’s your party; don’t you know who your guests are?”

Joel shook his head, his frown deepening. “My secretary appears to have issued invitations to half the film colony. I usually leave it up to her.” His lips twisted. “It doesn’t really matter. The faces may change, but the personalities stay essentially the same.”

“I saw that luscious little blonde hanging on to you earlier in the evening.” Willet’s eyes twinkled. “She looked vaguely familiar. Have you used her before?”

“In one of my pictures or in my bed?” Joel asked rhetorically. “Neither, thank you, but she has aspirations for both positions. She’s the second woman tonight who’s made sure I knew that she’d be ‘passionately’ grateful if I decided to cast her in that minor role in Venture.” He took a hefty swallow of his brandy. “For God’s sake, the part is barely a walk-on and half the women in Hollywood are willing to throw themselves on the traditional couch and spread their legs for me. I wish to hell casting would get busy and give the role to someone, and get these women off my back.”

“I should have your problems,” Willet said dryly. Then he suddenly chuckled. “Though perhaps they’re beginning to filter down to us lesser mortals. Balding is obviously reaping the benefit right now with that lovely upstairs. She probably thought he’d be an easier nut to crack than you.” He shook his head admiringly. “What a fantastic body. Do you think I could persuade her to believe I have more influence with you than Balding does?”

Joel felt a totally unreasonable rage surge through him. “You think she’s wheeling and dealing?” he asked tersely. Why did the idea annoy him so much? It was exactly what he’d decided she’d been doing all evening.

Willet shrugged. “Seems logical. Most of the women in town who are as gorgeous as she is are fledgling actresses, and I wouldn’t say Balding is the type to sweep a woman off her feet. She certainly was more than a little affectionate with him. Add it up for yourself.”

“I already have,” Joel growled. His brooding gaze returned to the closed bedroom door. “You’re right. The picture couldn’t be much clearer.” He had known as well as Willet what the woman was up to, but for some reason he hadn’t wanted to admit it. And that was as unreasonable as all his other reactions to the sexy little hooker had been! He’d heard of instant explosive attraction, but he had never really believed it existed until tonight. Now he could hardly deny what was an obvious, physical fact. Very physical, he thought wryly.

He liked to be in complete control of all facets of his life and this sudden compulsive magnetism filled him with a nameless uneasiness. My God, he’d been as jealous as hell when he’d seen Balding put his hands on her, yet he hadn’t so much as exchanged one word with her. He didn’t even know her name, dammit. This was utterly insane. When he had seen her start up those stairs with Balding, he had felt a possessive rage that was totally alien to him…and utterly new.

Willet had been watching the expressions chase across Joel’s face. “I gather you’d like a chance at Balding’s little starlet yourself,” he commented. “Why don’t you deal yourself into the game? You hold more aces than Balding could ever hope to draw. I’m sure the lady wouldn’t be adverse to changing partners if you cared to show her it would be worth her while.”

“Your faith in my fatal charm is hardly flattering,” Joel said caustically. “But in this case your assumption is probably correct. I’ve had too much experience with the genus starlet and I’m well aware of their priorities.”

He had no doubt he had the necessary muscle if he cared to exert it. Besides, a chemistry as dynamic as what he had experienced couldn’t be one-sided…despite the cool little game she had been playing throughout the evening to pique his interest. And that last little mocking toast she’d thrown him before she’d gone upstairs with Balding had been redolent with challenge. But he wasn’t at all sure it was a challenge he wanted to meet considering the volatility of the emotion she seemed to be able to provoke in him. He had an idea it would be much safer for him to stay away from the source of that turbulence.

“You’re not interested?” Willet asked. “You’re going to leave her to Balding then?”

“No!” The violence of his reply surprised even himself. He drew a deep breath and made a conscious effort to regain his usual composure. His fierce response to the idea of Balding making love to her had caught him off guard. But at least it had answered the question he had been asking himself.

A reckless little smile curved his lips as he finished his brandy in one swallow. Why the hell had he hesitated anyway? He had always had a taste for the bizarre and unusual and this response certainly qualified in that area. There was no way he was going to let another man take what he oddly felt was his own. He thrust his empty glass at Willet. “Get rid of this, will you, Ron?” he asked. “I think perhaps I’ll follow your advice and sit in on the game. It might prove interesting.” He turned and strode across the crowded room to the staircase.

         

Dave opened several doors, finally discovering the guest bedroom that was obviously being used as a cloak room. There was a closet open, jammed with furs and velvet cloaks of every description, and the king-size bed was overflowing with other wraps. “Oh, there’s nothing wrong with you; you couldn’t be more right,” he said caustically. “You always worry about wizards turning you into frogs.” He shut the door behind them. “What does your wrap look like?”

“It’s chiffon and it matches my gown,” she said absently. “I wasn’t worrying about him turning me into a frog. I told you they only bewitch royalty.”

“It’s not here.” He turned from the closet, moved swiftly over to the bed, and began to toss wraps carelessly aside as he searched for the scrap of cinnamon chiffon. “It’s probably on the bottom: Sheila’s always is.”

“I’ll find it.” She joined him at the bed and knelt on the area he had cleared with his ruthless pillaging. She quickly located the sheer bit of chiffon and waved it triumphantly. “Got it.” She draped the stole dramatically over her chestnut head and around her lower face like an Oriental veil. “Come with me to the Casbah,” she intoned huskily, her brown eyes dancing.

“Dammit, quit kidding around,” Dave said in exasperation. His hands closed on her shoulders as he prepared to haul her off the bed.

“I can see how you might be annoyed.”

The voice was deep and faintly cynical. Kendra didn’t have to glance at the figure leaning indolently against the door jamb to know it was Joel Damon. She wasn’t even surprised.

“When a lady invites you to accompany her to a bedroom, it’s very frustrating when she starts playing games instead of getting down to the business at hand.” Damon strolled into the room and closed the door with utmost care behind him. His smile deepened and seemed oddly feral to Kendra. “And I trust it was business, pretty lady?”

Dave released her and straightened slowly. “I think you have the wrong idea, Joel,” he said quietly. “I was just about to take her home. We were looking for her wrap.”

“Of course you were,” Damon said smoothly as he strolled over to the bed and stood looking down at Kendra. She was conscious of a curious tension beneath that mocking control and saw a flicker of that bewildering anger in the depths of his eyes. His hand reached out to push the chiffon veiling from her head and it fell to her shoulders. “I’m sure you were having an exceptionally good time doing it, too. I really should apologize for barging in, but I was compelled to interrupt you. There are some reporters downstairs and we wouldn’t want to give them cause to write about the orgies at my innocent little get-together, now would we?”

Orgy? Dave and her in an orgy? It was too much! Kendra threw back her head and laughed.

Damon cocked his head; his eyes narrowed on her face. “You have the sexiest laugh I’ve ever heard,” he observed bemusedly. “I heard you laugh several times tonight, but I was too far away to hear you speak. Talk to me, pretty lady.”

Her eyes locked with his in an intense, mesmerizing stare. Then she smiled impishly. “My name is Kendra Michaels. And I’m not a princess.”

“How unfortunate,” Damon drawled. “But I’m sure you have many other attributes. That hoarse throaty little voice is definitely one of them. It reminds me of the sound a kitten makes when it runs its claws over velvet.”

“I think she’s had a bit too much to drink, Joel.” Dave’s voice was wary. “I’d better take her home.”

That was the second time Dave had accused her of that. “I’m perfectly sober,” she said indignantly. “I told you I’ve only had two glasses of champagne.”

“You heard the lady.” Damon’s lips twisted cynically. “She knows exactly what she’s doing. I rather thought she did.”

“Of course I do,” Kendra said firmly. Ahh, but if she had thought him a sorcerer across the room downstairs, it was a mild witchery compared to his spell at close range. His olive eyes were even more brilliant and mesmerized her with a force as potent as the most magic elixir. She licked her lower lip nervously and his gaze followed the motion with a heated absorption that made her breath leave her body. “But maybe Dave’s right and I’d better go home.”

“Yes, we’d better leave.” Damon’s voice was a little thick. He turned abruptly to Dave and said crisply, “I’ll take care of her. Go on downstairs and play host for me. God knows I’m bored enough with the role.”

“You’ll take her home?” Dave frowned uncertainly.

“Do you think I’m going to ravish her on the spot?” Damon asked evasively. “I told you I didn’t want any orgies at my party. It’s very bad form. We’ll leave in a few minutes. I just want to get to know Miss Michaels a little better.”

“Kendra?” Dave asked.

Poor Dave, she thought. He was obviously concerned about her and it was equally evident he didn’t want to offend Joel Damon, who could make or break his career with the utmost ease.

“I’ll be fine. Dave,” she said gently. “Mr. Damon can take me home. Why don’t you do as he says?”

“If you’re sure.” There was an unquestionably relieved expression on Dave’s face as he turned toward the door. “I’ll give you a call in the morning, Kendra.”

The door had scarcely closed when Damon dropped down on the bed beside her, pushing her from her kneeling position back on her heels. His hands were gentle on her bare shoulders but nevertheless she was startled. Then his hands were gone and she felt cold and lonely.

“It was wise of you to let him go,” he murmured. “I think if you had offered any objection at all, Dave actually would have put up a fight. That says quite a bit for the potency of your sex appeal, because Dave’s a very ambitious young man.”

“I know,” she murmured. He was sitting so close she could feel the waves of heat emanating from him while the scent of clean soap and a cologne that had a fresh spicy fragrance assaulted her nostrils. “He knows exactly where he’s going. I admire that about him.”

“Like-to-like?” he asked, his tone caustic. “I can see how an ambitious little lovely like you would feel a certain fellowship with Balding.” His eyes narrowed. “Did you know he’s married?”

Her eyes widened. “Of course! What difference does that make?”

He laughed mirthlessly. “None evidently. Not to you and certainly not to Balding after the vamping you did tonight. I don’t have to ask if you got what you wanted from him.”

“What I wanted from him?”

“The job,” he said impatiently. “Did he promise everything you wanted on a silver platter or was he waiting for you to deliver first?”

She stared up at him in bewilderment. “Yes, he gave me the job. I’ve already signed the contract.”

Joel’s lips tightened grimly. “Well, I’m afraid you’ll just have to renegotiate—especially the clause concerning fringe benefits. All those will be awarded to me from now on.” His expression softened as his hand smoothed her hair with featherlike strokes. “You won’t be disappointed. I wield a hell of a lot more power than Balding and I always keep my word.”

Fringe benefits? He wasn’t making sense, but it didn’t seem to matter as long as he continued to stroke her hair with that gossamer touch. How long had it been since she had felt so wondrously pampered? “Sorcerers always wield an enormous amount of power,” she said dreamily. She turned her head to rub her face on the hand stroking her hair. He really had lovely hands, strong and tan, with long graceful fingers that spoke of sensitivity and creativity. Beautiful hands that burned the soft smoothness of her cheek. “Your touch makes me feel so strange.”

Strange wasn’t the word for it, he thought wryly. He’d never even conceived of an emotion this powerful. Why the hell did she have such an effect on him, he wondered irritably. It wasn’t as if Kendra Michaels was the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. Her figure was a little too curvaceous for current tastes, and her wide-set brown eyes were too large for the thinness of her face. Her lips were lovely, but they looked more vulnerable than sensual. Yet when she had run her little pink tongue over that full lower lip, he had felt a jolt of pure desire that had caused his loins to swell and his heart to pound crazily. It must be her gorgeous coloring that was so provocative. She was all rich, golden sheen from the clear olive skin to the auburn-burnished chestnut hair rippling down her back in gentle silken waves. An impatient scowl darkened his face as he remembered the insane burst of possessiveness that had exploded inside him when he had first caught sight of her. Mine, he’d thought with instant certainty. She’s going to be mine.

“Is it strange for you, too?” Kendra asked.

“Oh yes,” he muttered. “It’s like that with me too.” His hand wandered down to encircle her throat, his thumb pressing gently in the soft hollow. “I hadn’t the slightest doubt that it would be from the moment I first saw you.”

She was gazing up at him with the grave wonder of a child. “You’re angry, aren’t you?” she whispered. “I can feel it in you. Why are you so angry?”

“I’m not angry,” he denied quickly, knowing that he wasn’t telling the truth. There was a slow burning resentment deep inside him that was aimed more at himself than at her. The longer he was with her the more conscious he became of that loss of cool control. He shrugged. “Perhaps my emotions are a little confused at the moment. I can’t say that I like my reaction to any woman to be quite this violent.” His eyes narrowed on her face. “You are aware that this thing between us couldn’t possibly be termed ordinary.”

“Yes,” she answered absently, her gaze still on the well-defined curve of his lips. Those strange mesmerizing eyes had caused her to overlook how sensitive and beautifully shaped they were. “You have a lovely mouth; do you know that?” Her index finger reached up to trace the sensual line of his lower lip. It felt smooth and warm beneath the pad of her fingertip, and she knew again that breathless little tingle. His lips parted suddenly to capture her finger and for the briefest instant she felt the sharp nip of his teeth before he released it.

“The better to eat you with,” he said lightly. She could see that the pulse in the hollow of his throat was throbbing jerkily and there was a slight flush in the hollow of his cheeks. He slowly leaned forward until their lips were only a breath apart. “And eat you up is exactly what I intend to do, sweetheart. You’re a feast that would tempt the gods and I find I’m a very hungry man.” Each word was a tiny warm puff of breath that was a kiss in itself. “Hungrier than I’ve ever been before. I want to devour every bit of you.”

Hungry he might be, but when his lips finally closed on hers they were gentle, almost tentative. They brushed and moved against hers like a connoisseur who wanted to savor the delicacy of the bouquet before he permitted himself to taste the wine itself. And the giving and taking was intoxicating enough to Kendra that her breath caught in her throat.

“Delicious.” Joel’s voice was tremulous and his heavy lids half closed to veil the smoldering glint in his olive eyes. His hands tightened on her shoulders and he brought her closer with utmost care so that her chiffon-covered breasts were resting lightly against him. “But I think we both need a little more solid sustenance, don’t you, Kendra?” This time when his lips touched hers they were still gentle but firmer and the demand greater as the kiss progressed to a sweet sultry languor. “Give me your tongue, love,” he muttered, parting her lips to flowering fullness. “I want to taste you. I want to know the textures of you.”

She wanted to know that about him too, she thought dreamily. Suddenly it seemed the most vitally important thing in the world to learn everything she could about the exciting physical presence of Joel Damon. She gave him what he’d asked for and heard him utter a deep groan that sounded for all the world like the contented growl of a domesticated animal.

His lips closed on her tongue, using a gentle suction to draw it from her. Once her tongue was lured deep into his mouth, he began a leisurely exploration that caused her to press closer against him. With a little moan, she opened her lips wider. His tongue was searching, probing, touching, moving over the roughness of her tongue. She could tell that everything he found was wildly pleasing to him by the mad pounding of his heart against her own and the gasps of hunger and delight that broke from him when he paused for breath. The pauses were ever so brief before he plunged once more into the sensual pool of pleasure that was their joined mouths.

To have such an effect on him, to know that she could cause the sorcerer to tremble and groan with the same fiery magic that he was weaving in her gave Kendra a wild, primitive satisfaction. Her heady sense of power only served to increase the exhilaration she was experiencing. She broke away with a little breathless laugh, her face alight with delight. “It’s wonderful!” Her hands curved around his neck to thread through the hair at his nape. “It’s like flying; it’s like skydiving; it’s like…”

Her lips covered his with an eagerness that made his muscles harden against her softness. It was he who finally broke the hot, fluid contact. He lifted his head and drew in a deep breath as if his lungs were starved for oxygen.

“Well, no one could accuse you of being coy,” Joel said. His lips twisted wryly as he looked down into her eyes, sparkling like rich cognac. “Are you always this frank and straightforward?”

Her hands were running caressingly through his thick, dark hair. It felt as clean and vibrant as the rest of him. “I try to be,” she said vaguely. Her face clouded as she remembered that she hadn’t been entirely honest tonight with either Dave or Skip. How could she have been when there was so much at stake? But she wouldn’t think of that now. It brought a return of the crushing heaviness that seemed to be always with her and that, miraculously, had lifted for the last few hours. “Sometimes it’s not so easy,” she said uncertainly. “But I like to think that I’m a fairly honest person.” Her face was as troubled as an open, innocent child. “Does it matter to you?”

He felt a sudden melting tenderness that was as poignant as it was unexpected. She looked so vulnerable and unhappy after her brief burst of joyous merriment that he felt a surge of fierce protectiveness, completely at odds with the desire wracking him. Immediately he experienced defensive anger. Dammit, what was the woman doing to him?

“Your honesty matters a hell of a lot,” he said at last and with soft menace. “You won’t find me very lenient if you ever decide that being honest with me is a little too ‘difficult’ for you, Kendra. I won’t tolerate you cheating on me. While we’re together, there won’t be any other men in your bed.” His lips curved in a mirthless smile as he gazed down at her bewildered face. His hand deliberately fell from her shoulders to the curve of her buttocks and brought her swiftly into the cradle of his hips so that she could feel the bold hardness of his arousal. His smile deepened at the gasp that she gave as her hands clenched spasmodically on his shoulders. “As you can see, I plan to keep you very occupied from now on.”

Then without waiting for her to reply, his mouth was once again on hers and this time there was no tentativeness and very little tenderness. His hot passion was so intense it was almost brutal. She made a soft moan of protest that was almost inaudible. He must have heard it, however, for abruptly the harshness ceased though the tenderness didn’t return. Instead, he practiced a skilled voluptuousness that wooed her into blind, submissive need. She writhed in his cupping hands like a wild thing. Her lips and tongue responded to him with a thirst that mirrored the hunger she felt in his tense, hard body.

He broke away and there was a look of grim satisfaction on his face as he took in the wild rose flush on her cheeks and the bruised softness of her lips. “You’re a very hot lady, Kendra Michaels,” he drawled, a flicker of triumph in his eyes. “Which is damn fortunate for me. If I’m going to be caught in this sweet little trap, I’ll be damned if you won’t be there with me.”

“Trap?”

“Never mind.” He was suddenly on his feet and lifting her from the bed. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” He picked up the chiffon wrap from where it had fallen on the bed and drew it carefully around her. Then he was grasping her by the wrist and pulling her toward the door.

“But where are we going?” she asked, startled. She was knocked totally off balance first by the most intense, sensual euphoria she’d ever experienced and now by this sudden about-face.

“If we stay here another five minutes, all those coats and capes are going to end up on the floor and we’re going to be between the sheets.” His lips tightened grimly. “And everyone downstairs will put two and two together and be trying to imagine just exactly what we’re doing to one another in that bed.” He shot her a dark glance. “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t give a damn, but for some reason I’m feeling as possessive as the devil about you. I won’t let those bastards run their thoughts over you any more than I will let their hands.” He paused at the door to take out his pristine white handkerchief and dab at her lips. “You’re a little mussed,” he said and smiled as his other hand tidied her hair. “Delightful, but too obvious all the same.”

He opened the door and propelled her down the corridor, his hand cupping her elbow with an impersonal courtesy.

“We’re going back to the party?” she asked, confused. They started down the stairs.

“No way,” he said, adroitly avoiding a couple standing on the bottom step. He gently guided her across the foyer to the front door. “We’re getting out of this zoo.”

She tried to push the shock and disappointment away. She didn’t want to go home. She had never known such magic. She wanted it to go on and on forever. “You’re taking me home?”

“In a manner of speaking,” he answered quietly, an enigmatic expression on his face. He opened the front door and allowed her to precede him. “Yes, we’re going home now, Kendra.”