“Because J. D. Price and a few other artists will insist upon it.”
“Right.”
“I’m not crazy about the idea,” she conceded.
“And you feel forced into it?”
“I think ‘coerced’ is the term I would use,” she replied thoughtfully. “I suppose you want an answer tonight.”
“It would make things easier for me.”
Maren felt as if her world were falling apart. Festival Productions was little security, but it was all she had in the world. It would be hard to give up. “I’ll have to think about it,” she whispered. “And of course I’d want to see a firm offer with an employment agreement attached to it in writing.” He waited, expecting other demands, but there was only the one. She stared at him evenly, without the slightest evidence of anxiety. “The only way I would consider your offer is if in the purchase price you included shares of Sterling Recording Company stock.”
His eyebrows raised in surprise and the corners of his mouth pulled into a tight frown.
“It’s not unrealistic,” she pointed out. “I want to make sure that I have some say in what goes on.”
“And you think by owning stock in my company, you will?”
“We’ll find out, won’t we?” she countered, hoping that her bluff would remain uncovered. What did she have to bargain with?
He noticed the deadly gleam in her eye and couldn’t help but smile. After running his fingers through his sun-streaked hair, he shook his head and smiled. His laughter was low, rich and infectious. It seemed to relieve the tension in the air. “Lady,” he said with his amused grin familiarly in place, “I have the distinct feeling that I’ve been had.” He refilled his glass and chuckled.
“That makes two of us,” she confided with less enthusiasm. If the situation weren’t so serious, she, too, might be inclined to laugh. As it was, she could barely manage a smile.
The cool wine slid down her throat and Kyle winked at her. “Lighten up,” he instructed with a sly smile. “Things can only get better. You may as well enjoy yourself.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she replied and a spark of interest danced in her clear blue eyes.
Kyle Sterling was certainly an interesting man, she thought to herself…a very interesting man.
CHAPTER THREE
THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENING passed quickly. The uncomfortable tension had eroded and though Maren wondered how she was going to handle Kyle’s proposition, she felt herself relax in Kyle’s company. Though the conversation centered around business, the intimate restaurant provided a warm, quiet atmosphere that created a sense of familiarity. All too soon the waiter had served the final cups of cappuccino and the conversation lagged.
Moonglow shimmered on the dark sea and the soft waves broke into white foam as the tide caressed the opalescent sand. Maren wondered at the feeling within her; she felt almost as if she had known the enigmatic man with her for most of her life. And she had, really. During Maren’s early twenties, Kyle Sterling was a household word, his life an open book, edited carefully by his press agent. What Maren had known of him then was only what she and the rest of the record-purchasing American public were supposed to see.
There had been glimpses of the private Kyle Sterling that even his smooth-talking agent hadn’t been able to hide. Rumors of a stormy marriage to a beautiful country singer, a child born, the marriage crumbling, and more recently, a near-fatal accident had continually headlined the scandal sheets. Conjecture ran high as far as Kyle Sterling was concerned. Maren had discounted the stories, knowing from personal experience how easily the press could misrepresent the facts.
As she stared across the small table into the bold eyes of the famous man, she felt as if she could trust him with her life. It was strange. She could sense that he didn’t completely trust her, but she chalked it up to the fact that it had been only hours since they had really met on a personal level.
“Where can I take you?” Kyle asked as he rose from the table and tugged at the lapels of his jacket. His eyes never left hers and for a heart-stopping moment, Maren imagined a seductive glint of passion in their mysterious depths. What would he say if she responded that he could take her anywhere he pleased? A tinge of scarlet touched her cheeks at the wayward thought—what was happening to her? In one evening she was willing to push aside all of her morals just to feel the touch of this one man. It was a disturbing thought, completely out of character, and she wondered if she was turning into one of those brash, lost souls called groupies.
With obvious embarrassment she regained her fragile poise and managed to smile. “My car is at the office.”
He helped her with her jacket and the warm tips of his fingers brushed the back of her neck. For a dizzying second they seemed to linger and leave a heated impression on her skin.
They walked to his car in silence, listening to the sounds of the night: the quiet lapping of sea against sand, the muted chatter of guests in the restaurant and the hum of cars moving about the city. Maren noticed the lovers walking on the moonlit beach and she felt an urge to reach for Kyle’s hand and lead him to the water’s edge. It had been so long since she had felt this way about a man. It was a dangerous, yet exhilarating sensation.
While driving toward the office, Kyle had become pensive, lost in thoughts that seemed miles distant. Maren was aware of nothing other than Kyle. She could smell the scent of his cologne lingering in the air, see his hard profile as he squinted into the night and feel the unleashed tension building within him. She knew now how he had been so successful as a country singer: There was a raw magnetism about him that contrasted to the quietly aloof image he attempted to project, a fire burning beneath the ice that enticed Maren. Kyle Sterling was captivating, and just being with him was risky.
Soon they were back at the office. He made no move to help her out of the car. Instead he continued to grip the steering wheel and stare into the black night.
Maren reached for the door handle.
“Don’t go,” he commanded. “Not yet.” His voice was hushed and raw. It forced Maren’s heart to her throat.
“I wasn’t looking forward to this meeting,” Maren admitted cautiously. She felt the urgent need to explain herself.
“Neither was I.”
“But I guess I should thank you for your offer to purchase Festival. I realize that you think it would not only be in your best interests, but mine as well.”
“Oh, Maren, haven’t we talked enough business for one night?” His hand moved from the steering wheel to touch her cheek. It was a gentle caress and quickly withdrawn, leaving Maren suddenly cold.
“Are you asking me to leave?” she asked haltingly.
“What do you think?”
Maren signed. “Truthfully, Kyle, I don’t know what to think.”
“You’re the most interesting woman I’ve ever met.” It was a flat, emotionless statement and it almost sounded as if the admission disgusted him.
“I guess I should consider that a compliment.”
Kyle’s eyes found hers in the darkness. They drove deeply into her soul. “You should, lady, because I meant it to be one. I find you incredibly alluring. You’re beautiful, I suppose you know that much. But…it’s not your looks that make you so damned captivating…it’s more than that. A lot more.”
“And you don’t like it,” she finished for him.
Kyle’s smile was grim. “I don’t know how to handle it.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I suppose you do, but then you don’t know me very well, do you?”
Honesty flashed in her clear blue eyes. “Not as well as I’d like to.”
“Now that’s the problem, isn’t it?” he whispered. “Because I want to know you better as well…a whole lot better. You know it and it scares you.” His voice had lowered to the point where it was barely audible. His eyes searched her face and she knew in that instant that he was going to kiss her.
His hand reached under
her hair and gently pulled her head toward his. She offered no resistance. She could feel the warmth of his breath fanning her face, heating her cheeks. He groaned when his lips first touched hers and conveyed the depth of his need. Liquid sparks of passion raced through her blood as his arms tightened over her body, crushing her to him with a savagery that bespoke hours of restraint. She closed her eyes and let him part her lips with his tongue. Hungrily he tasted the sweetness of her mouth and felt her soft, teasing body pressed against his.
His lips moved over hers, gently coaxing the warmth within her to flood her senses. She felt devastatingly feminine, and the womanly ache within her began to grow as it spread upward through her body.
“Oh, Maren,” he moaned, kissing her eyelids and letting his fingers twine through the thick fiery strands of her hair. “Let me be with you tonight. Come home with me.” His breath was ragged against her ear. It softly beckoned her to respond. Her throat became dry, her emotions torn.
Against the persuasive touch of his fingers on her skin, she slowly pulled herself out of his tender embrace. A thousand reasons to go with him filled her mind, but she ignored them. “I can’t,” she whispered. He heard the regret in her words.
“Why not?” He attempted to take her into his arms again, but she held his hands away from her body. Her hair was tousled, her breathing ragged, her heart pounding.
“This…this has nothing to do with desire or want,” she attempted to explain. “I just need some time to sort out my feelings about you.” Her blue eyes, darkened by the night and her passion, pleaded with him to understand. “Until a few hours ago, I hardly knew you, and now I want to fall into your arms without so much as a thought to the future. I can’t do that, Kyle. Not yet. Now that we may become business partners…or maybe not…I don’t think it would be wise to become…involved.”
“I’m not asking for a lifelong commitment.”
“And I’m not ready for a relationship.”
“Is that what you think I want?” The question, like a silver blade, cut through the silent emotions stretching between them.
She shook her head. “I don’t know what you want, Kyle, but I know that neither one of us would be satisfied with a one-night stand.” She watched him cautiously, her head tilted upward to meet his impassioned gaze. Without a word she dared him to deny the truth.
A lazy smile stole over his rugged features. “How do you know so much about me?” he asked, as he gently pushed an errant copper lock out of her eyes.
“I don’t. Not yet. But I hope to God that any man I’m attracted to isn’t interested in one lonely night of passion just to fulfill basic sexual needs.”
His dark brows raised. “You really lay it on the line, don’t you?”
“It comes with the territory,” she sighed, trying to calm her racing pulse. Why did she feel compelled to explain herself to him? Why did she care? “I’ve worked hard to get where I am, and it hasn’t been easy in a predominantly man’s world. If I had become sexually involved with any of the men I’ve worked with, I’m sure the business would have suffered. And to me, it’s just not worth the price.” She could see his eyes narrowing in disbelief.
“Are you trying to convince me that you’re a hardnosed business woman who puts her company before everything, including her own pleasure?” he asked dubiously.
“Considering the circumstances, I think you should be pleased.”
“What I am is unconvinced.” Just what kind of a woman was he dealing with?
The hint of a smile teased her lips. “Good. Because I’m trying to point out that to me, sex is more than just pleasure.”
“A commitment?”
“Yes.”
He paused and the silence in the car weighed heavily on Maren’s shoulders. How much of her soul could she afford to bare? “Is that what you expect from me—a commitment?”
Maren grinned at his obvious discomfort. “No. What I’m trying to tell you is that I’m not ready to give one,” she explained.
Kyle let out a gust of air and ran his fingers through his hair. He chuckled despite the uneasy feeling in the atmosphere. “I’m afraid that meeting you might turn out to be the biggest mistake of my life.”
“And why is that?” Her heart seemed to miss a beat. She knew that he was joking, but there was an undercurrent of truth beneath his words.
“Because not only are you going to cost me a fortune in videotape production, but you’re also going to frustrate the hell out of me!”
“You’re breaking my heart,” she teased with a wicked gleam lighting her eyes.
“If only I could,” he muttered, almost to himself.
The smile on her face faded. “Then why don’t you try being honest with me—completely honest.”
“I have been.”
She pursed her lips and shook her head, dismissing his statement as a careless lie. “I don’t think so. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that something’s up—something big.
“Such as?”
“I wish I knew, Kyle,” she replied, a sad smile resurfacing. “I’ve been in this business for nearly five years and I can sense when someone’s not leveling with me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Then let me take a guess…”
“All right.”
“Does this have anything to do with the pirating of your recordings?” she asked.
“I thought you explained all that.”
“So did I. But for some reason, I feel that there’s still an element of trust missing in our conversation. If it doesn’t hinge on the tape duplication, I’m at a total loss as to what it might be.”
She looked at him and the moonglow seemed entrapped in her eyes. Kyle hadn’t counted on the depth of Maren’s perception. Ryan Woods had warned him about her, but Kyle had been convinced that he could handle any woman, including Maren McClure. But, once again, he’d been proven wrong…dead wrong. The thought was an irritating thorn in his side, and the worst part of the situation was that Kyle was attracted to her—more attracted than he had been to any other woman in his life. The situation was rapidly getting out of hand and he had no one to blame but himself.
“If there is a problem,” he replied as he pulled on his lower lip, “I think it’s that I had no intention of becoming attracted to you.”
“Then you’re not concerned about the pirating?” she asked dubiously.
“Of course I’m concerned. I have to be. Someone is duplicating our recordings, and the videotapes as well. They’re being distributed on the black market several weeks before the albums are released.” He had her full attention and to his relief her eyes remained clear, unclouded by fear.
“And you think that someone at Festival might be involved?”
“You said the problem was corrected.”
“But I’m not sure that you believe me.”
Kyle weighed his words carefully. “I’m convinced that you’re not involved.” In one short evening his opinion about Maren McClure had changed and taken a hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. Kyle would be hard-pressed to believe that Maren knew anything about the duplicated tapes, other than what she had told him. It was the honesty in her eyes that arrested him, and he found it impossible to think her a consummate liar. He frowned at the irony of it. Maybe he was more of a fool than he knew. The last thing he would have expected this evening was to be taken in by a woman.
“But you still think that someone at Festival Productions might be on the take. That’s it, isn’t it? That’s why you want me to come to work for you—to tighten your security! And I was gullible to think that it was my talent, but it’s only because the artists are insisting on working with me! This way you can kill two birds with one stone!” Her small fist clenched and pounded against the pliant leather seat. “Damn!”
“I haven’t accused anyone at Festival of anything…”
“Yet!”
“And you think I might?” he asked warily.
“Yo
u don’t have to!” She sank back against the cushioned upholstery. “I didn’t mean to react so violently,” she apologized. No matter how angry she became, she couldn’t forget who this man was and what he represented. She had to keep her pride in perspective. “Maybe I did jump to the wrong conclusion. I hope so.”
“You act as if you expect me to accuse Festival Productions of having a part in the pirating,” he said evenly. “Do you?” Dark gray eyes held her transfixed.
The lie slid easily over her lips. “Of course not.” It was impossible to explain her unfounded suspicions about her own company. If Kyle Sterling lost faith in Festival, he could take away his offer and start his own in-house production company, robbing Festival of the business it so desperately needed. If he found out about the internal problems at Festival, Kyle would never sign a contract with Festival again. It would be a crippling blow, considering Festival’s poor cash flow position. The last risk Maren could take was to lose this man’s trust, and for all she knew, everything at Festival was aboveboard, and the missing cassettes had been found. The entire incident had been cleared up in a matter of two hours, and yet it still made Maren uneasy.
“I guess I’m a little sensitive,” she amended, “because of the trouble we had a few months ago.”
Was it his imagination, or had she paled? “But you’re sure it no longer exists.”
“Positive.” Maren placed her hand on his arm. She felt his muscles tense. “I think it’s only fair,” she began nervously, “since you’ve offered me such a unique opportunity, that I be straight with you. I know that you still have some suspicions about Festival, and I don’t know how to convince you otherwise. The only thing I can do is promise you that if we have any more trouble, to let you know immediately. That’s the best I can do.”
“Am I to assume that you’re declining my offer?”
“I’m just going to need a little time…”
She felt the warmth of his fingers over hers. “All right, Maren, but I’m not a patient man.”