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Was she clairvoyant or what? “What’s wrong with Sophia?”
“She’s cold, Edsie.” Lillian clasped her hands to her chest. “She’s calculating. Beneath that honeyed smile lurks a viper.”
A very beautiful, younger viper. “Did she do anything specific?”
“Not yet.” Narrowing her eyes, Lillian hissed, “But I see her. I know what’s she’s up to.”
“Which is?”
“She wants my part.” Lillian’s grip on Eddie’s hands increased to a painful level. “She’s working to get me out of the Paradise Players.”
Eddie didn’t know about that, but a jot of logic wouldn’t go amiss right now. “But she only arrived here yesterday morning.”
“Ha!” Lillian gave a bitter chuckle. “I knew what she was about the moment I clapped eyes on her.”
It hadn’t looked that way to Eddie, but she knew better than to go down that road with Lillian. “What happened at your greenroom meeting?”
“That’s when her true colors emerged.” Lillian scowled. “Working her wiles on Peter and Rodders. Even Patty was lured under her spell.” Her eyes teared up again. “And Barrie hates me, so he was sucking up to her to hurt me.”
That must have been quite some meeting. “Did Peter say anything about her?”
“That’s all he could talk about. All night long.” Lillian’s face crumpled back into woeful lines. “All night, he went on and on about how beautiful she was, and how much he wanted to see her read for a part.”
“Is she interested in acting?” Eddie trod carefully forward. She wanted to smack Peter. He should know his wife better than to talk about another woman in front of her.
Lillian reared back as if Eddie had struck her. “You think she’s trying to get me kicked off Macbeth?”
“No.” Eddie still had to suppress her wince when the Scottish play was mentioned. Which was pig stupid, because in terms of the worst happening, they’d pretty much blown that bridge to shit already.
“Good morning.” Shade’s honey and whisky voice spoke from the doorway.
It was assuming that the worst had already happened that did it every time. It was like showing the universe the finger, and it came back with a throat punch.
Lillian’s eyes went huge, and her mouth dropped open.
He sauntered into the room like he was on the catwalk, sexy half-smile in place, eyes glinting silver. “I’m Shade.”
“Shade.” Lillian snapped her mouth shut and flushed. “Lillian. Lillian Hampstead.”
“Pleased to meet you, Lillian.” Taking Lillian’s elegant, pale hand between his palms, Shade stared into her eyes.
Lillian’s flush deepened, and her eyes grew brighter. Her chest rose and fell as her breathing changed. Leaning toward Shade like a tree in a tall wind, she whimpered.
Color flooded Eddie’s cheeks at the signs of Lillian’s arousal.
Rising from her chair, Lillian moved closer to Shade. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts into his chest.
Eddie scrambled to her feet. She had to stop this. “Lillian.”
“I need you,” Lillian whispered. “Fuck me, please. Fuck me hard.”
Oh sweet fuckery. The son of a bitch was doing this to Lillian.
Eddie pinched his arm. “Stop it. Stop doing that to her. You have no right.”
“Ouch.” Shade snatched his arm away. “I have to,” he gritted out. “I need the lust to heal.”
“I don’t care.” Eddie yanked on his arm. “What you’re doing to her is wrong, and it needs to stop.” This was so wrong. He was using Lillian in a horrible way, using her body’s reaction against her. Eddie was disgusted. “Stop it.” She punched his arm. “You fucking stop that now. You’re abusing her.”
