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At that point, in that suspended moment, when all four of them stood frozen like a tableaux, Cally realised the night could get way,wayworse.
‘Paola.’His voice gave nothing away but his body language sure did.His comforting hand at Cally’s waist had gone and she sensed the rigidity, the tension in his muscles as he stood beside her.
There was another frozen moment.
‘This is Cally.’Alicia directed the newcomer’s attention towards Cally.‘Blake, I must introduce you to someone...’With a sly look, her mother had Blake by the arm and was shepherding him away.With his customary charm he was allowing her to, but it wasn’t to Cally that he directed his parting glance.He looked straight at the supermodel.Their eyes met on a level that Cally wasn’t able to reach or to fully understand.But she saw the glint—the flash of warning.Definitely warning.And then he disappeared into the crowd with Alicia’s fingers possessively curling around his arm.
If she looked under the soles of her feet Cally might find the remnants of her heart.She turned to see Paola also watching Blake, history written all over her.
An oldfriend?Whatever they had been, Cally would never believe it was just friends.Not knowing what to say, not wanting to be next to this woman a minute longer than necessary, she coughed, about to excuse herself for a rest room stop.Paola turned and fixed her in place with eyes like daggers.
‘Soyou’reBlake’s wife?’the model asked, incredulous in afauxpolite fashion.‘Well, you’re a brunette, I suppose.He’s always gone for brunettes.’She sort of smiled.‘I can understand why you didn’t want Alicia at your wedding.Most brides wouldn’t want to be overshadowed on their wedding day.Certainly not by their own mother.’Her dagger eyes sharpened.‘He once askedmeto marry him, you know?I refused, of course, but he wasn’t the man then that he is now.’
Fighting for breath, Cally couldn’t think of a thing to say.But no reply was necessary, for Paola wasn’t done with her damage.
‘Of course, I wouldn’t have a problem inviting Alicia to my wedding.’
Cally intercepted the passing waiter and stared at his tray.The woman had to be on drugs.How could she think that saying such things could be okay?
‘This is just fruit juice, right?’Wow.Her voice still worked and wasn’t wobbling—unlike every muscle in her body.The waiter nodded and she lifted the glass.
‘You don’t want champagne?’Paola asked as she took a flute of bubbles.
Cally paused, panicked for a second before a good enough answer came to her.‘I’m driving.’
‘You could still haveone—after all, this party is for you.’
This party wasn’t for her.This party was a nightmare.‘I really don’t feel like drinking tonight.’
Paola’s eyes widened, assessing, as she looked over curves that Cally knew were even lusher than normal.‘He’s gotten you pregnant.’There was a long, hideous silence and then her beautiful lips twisted.‘He’s good at that.’She spoke low and in a voice harder than the glittering icy chips that were her eyes.
Cally didn’t have the chance to ask what she meant because suddenly Blake was back and again he had no look for her—all his attention was on Paola.Paola met his gaze head on and smiled a small, secretive,pleasedsmile.
Cally wanted to leave.Just wanted to curl in a ball to hide and wish, wish, wish she’d never met him.The undercurrents of tension were almost more than she could bear and there was so much more going on here that she didn’t understand.And she knew she didn’t want.
‘So how did the two of you meet?’Was it only Cally who could hear the malice underpinning Paola’s seemingly innocent question?
‘At a charity fundraiser,’ Blake answered briefly.
‘Charity?’Positively bitchy now.
‘A bachelor auction, wasn’t it?’Alicia dropped into the conversation as she re-joined the group casual, with a smile and with such malevolent amusement Cally wondered what exactly it was she’d done in a past life to deserve such a mother as this one.
‘Oh.Youboughthim.How funny.’Paola’s accompanying laughter was shrill.
Alicia’s was melodious.‘And quite a price too, wasn’t it, Cally?How ironic when you were so mad with me over Luc.’
Oh, she just had to bring that up, didn’t she?Cally used peripheral vision to check on Blake’s reaction.He didn’t seem to have heard.He was too busy looking at the Brazilian beauty.
Cally attempted a smile, felt ghastly and figured the screw of her lips showed it.Too bad.
Blake didn’t smile.‘She bought me for one weekend.I bought her for the weekend after.’
‘I didn’t know there was another auction.’Alicia’s brows delicately rose.
‘There wasn’t.We had our own private arrangement.’For the first time in forever Blake put his arm around Cally, but she felt no closer to him.
‘And I wasn’t taking no for an answer.’His hand ran possessively down her arm.Could he feel her goose-bumps?‘Once I’d found her, I could never let her go.’
