when she came through from the bathroom a few minutes later, her own dress a royal blue silk that clung to her curves and gave a black sheen to her hair.
They made a lovely contrast when they entered the dining-room together and several male heads turned to look in their direction. They joined Matthew and his room-mate Daniel at their table, Stacy having a hurried look around the large room once they had ordered their meal, just to see if her arrogant stranger was present.
He wasn't, although she supposed that if his employer had an aversion to meeting people he would probably be eating with him upstairs in his suite. She couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed, although he should be at the party being held privately in one of the lounges. She found herself looking forward to seeing him again, even though he had been so disagreeable.
Matthew clicked his finger and thumb in front of her eyes. ‘Hey, come back to us, dreamboat,’ he teased. ‘Surely our company isn't that boring?’
She turned to give him a dazzling smile. ‘You aren't boring at all. I was just deep in thought.’
‘I'm not needed tomorrow, would you like me to give you a lift up to London?’
‘I wouldn't want to put you to all that trouble,’ she refused. ‘I can easily get a train.’
‘Certainly not. I'll take you.’
‘Well, if you're sure …’
‘I'm sure,’ he said firmly.
She smiled again, her green eyes glowing. ‘In that case, I accept. I didn't particularly relish the idea of carrying a couple of suitcases to and from the station.’
‘You never know,’ put in Daniel. ‘You may even get an invitation to stay the night.’
Matthew grinned. ‘You don't know Stacy very well if you think that. All that fiery hair and the invitation in her eyes could mean she has a passionate nature—but I've never been allowed to find out. Stacy is waiting for someone to marry her before she makes that kind of commitment.’
Daniel leant forward to hold her hand. ‘Will you marry me?’ he asked, his eyes full of merriment.
She laughed at his teasing. ‘I would actually want the wedding ring on my finger before I allowed you to do more than hold my hand,’ she warned.
He moved away in mock horror. ‘In that case … Will you marry me, Juliet?’
‘The same conditions apply, I'm afraid.’
Daniel sat back with a sigh. ‘I wish someone would tell me where all these girls who belong to the permissive society are, because I've certainly never met any of them!’
They all laughed together at his woebegone expression, quietening down as their meal began to arrive. They were a boisterous lot working on this film and Stacy felt sure the staff of this hotel were accustomed to a much soberer clientele, although they seemed to be coping with them quite well.
It was almost nine o'clock by the time they left the dining-room, the meal superb as usual. Paul Forbes had passed their table on his way out, giving Stacy a cold look that left her in no doubt as to his feelings towards her now. She had shrugged this off resignedly; after tomorrow she wouldn't have to worry about him any more.
She felt a certain amount of regret about leaving, not about her decision concerning Paul Forbes advances, but because she had enjoyed working with the majority of the people here.
There were quite a lot of people already in the lounge when they got there, each of them grabbing a glass of champagne as a waiter hurried past them. There was soft background music drifting out from the strategically placed speakers, although the babel of conversation drowned a lot of this out.
Matthew stayed at her side, grinning down at her. ‘I can't see our famous author yet.’
Neither could she, but she could see her handsome stranger standing over the other side of the room with Martin Payne. He looked devastatingly attractive in a wine-coloured velvet jacket that fitted tautly across his wide powerful shoulders, a snowy white shirt with a ruffle front and black trousers that moulded to his firm muscular thighs. He stood head and shoulders above any other man in the room and was easily the most handsome man there.
He moved slightly and for the first time Stacy saw the man standing at his side. She knew straight away that this must be Jake Weston; he fitted her description perfectly, even to the bald head.
She turned with a triumphant smile. ‘I wish I'd made a bet over Mr Weston,’ she said to Matthew.
‘Mm?’ he followed her line of vision. ‘It looks as if you would have won.’
The handsome stranger turned to look at them as if aware of their scrutiny, nodding distantly as he recognised Stacy. She nodded back before he turned away again, feeling strangely breathless at the brooding expression in his eyes.
Matthew looked at her with raised eyebrows. ‘Who was that?’
She took a sip of her drink, giving him a composed look. ‘I have no idea.’
He gave a splutter of laughter. ‘No idea, when he looks at you like that?’ He shook his head. ‘The man was mentally undressing you.’
She coloured delicately. ‘Can I help that?’
‘No, I suppose not, not the way you look tonight. Did I tell you how beautiful you look?’
‘No.’
‘Well, you do. Payne's a fool to drop you from this film, you're going to be a really big name one day.’ He looked up as a shadow fell across them in the dimmed room.
Stacy looked up too, straight into those compelling blue eyes set in the deeply tanned face. ‘Hello,’ she said huskily, unable to think of anything more intelligent to say.
He nodded. ‘Good evening,’ he drawled. ‘I have something I would like to talk to you about, Miss Adams.’
Matthew took the hint. ‘I'll just go and get another drink from the bar,’ he said quietly. ‘Can I get you anything, Stacy?’
‘Er—no, no, thank you.’ She felt mesmerised by this tall arrogant stranger, unable to look away from his compelling features.
‘Okay, I'll see you later, then.’ Matthew nodded to the other man before leaving.
‘You found out my name.’ She said the first thing that came into her head.
He nodded, a mocking smile lifting the corners of his mouth. ‘Stacy Adams,’ he drawled slowly. ‘Very professional.’
She flushed at his intended mockery. ‘There's nothing professional about it, it happens to be my name,’ she snapped. ‘At least, the name I was given at the orphanage,’ she added resentfully.
He looked unperturbed. ‘How long were you in an orphanage?’
‘All my life, until I was sixteen.’
‘Poor kid,’ he said softly.
Her eyes
