Lachlan wasn’t so great an actor, and his range was decidedly limited. Once he was seduced by the big boys in Hollywood and started making movies that weren’t tailored to his specific brand of looks and charm his career might very well sink like a stone. Major studios were very unforgiving once the box office results rolled in. Lachlan’s past successes in Blake’s movies would not carry him for ever.
A slight smirk curved his top lip as he put his signature to the marriage certificate. It was still there when he put the pen down and turned to face his intriguing partner.
‘So, Kate Holiday,’ he said, doing his best to hide his underlying irritation, ‘we haven’t been properly introduced. But I dare say you know who I am.’
‘Yes, of course I do,’ Kate said. ‘Lachlan has spoken of you a lot.’
‘Well, you have one up on me, then—because he’s told me nothing about you.’
She seemed quite taken aback. ‘You mean he’s never mentioned that we were students together at NIDA? We were in the same class,’ she went on, obviously peeved. ‘We graduated together last year.’
‘Sorry. He’s never mentioned it,’ he told her, doing his best to get his head around this news.
Kate was an actress! Who would have believed it? Still, it went some way to explaining her ability to hide her emotions. Though she wasn’t hiding them at the moment. She was looking decidedly upset. On his part, he was just perplexed.
Why hadn’t Lachlan told him that his future sister-in-law had been at NIDA with him? He knew Blake held an enormous respect for their graduates. On top of that, he was always on the lookout for fresh talent—especially actors with Kate’s unique and very interesting face.
He wondered if Lachlan was jealous of her acting talent. That would be just like him. He would hate anyone to steal his thunder. Narcissistic devil!
‘All I know is that you’re Maddie’s older sister,’ he admitted. ‘I don’t even know how much older.’
‘I’m twenty-five,’ she confessed, almost as if it was a crime.
Twenty-five was a good age for an actress, he thought. And for other things...
Finding out that Kate was an actress didn’t dampen his desire for her in any way. If anything, it increased it—along with his sudden resolve to help her career in any way he could. Blake suspected it might not have taken off, since he’d never heard of Kate Holiday. And he would have if she’d done anything of note. Blake had his finger on the pulse where rising stars were concerned.
Just then they were shepherded outside by the photographer—a rather officious fellow who was very full of himself.
‘So, what have you been in lately?’ he asked her as they trailed past the huge marquee which had been set up in the gorgeous grounds of Byron’s home. ‘Anything I might have seen?’
‘I doubt it,’ she said. ‘I was in a play earlier this year, but it closed rather quickly. I was brilliant, of course,’ Kate added, throwing a self-deprecating smile his way. ‘But not brilliant enough, apparently. One of the reviews said I was “very decorative”.’
Blake laughed. ‘Which you are,’ he said. ‘Very.’
She looked startled, her high cheekbones pinkening a little. Acting? he wondered. Or was she genuinely taken aback by his compliment? Blake decided he didn’t care either way. She enchanted him. And intrigued him. He was going to enjoy finding out more about her this evening, and at the same time putting a spoke in Lachlan’s ego by giving her career a boost.
He would offer her a part in one of his upcoming movies. Nothing too large. She was an unknown, after all.
Of course Blake anticipated that his offer to help her out would come with the bonus of taking her to bed in the foreseeable future. Which he very much wanted to do. More so than he had in a long while. Whilst sex was something he enjoyed, he wasn’t a sex addict. He could do without—especially when he was working long hours. Which he had been for several weeks now, finishing up Lachlan’s latest movie and getting it ready for distribution.
Possibly this longish stint of celibacy was responsible for the rather urgent wave of desire he was currently experiencing. Hopefully there wasn’t any extraneous reason why Kate shouldn’t respond to his pursuit. The only hurdle he could think of was a boyfriend in the wings. Or, worse, a fiancé.
A swift glance at her left hand detected a total absence of rings.
Good. A boyfriend he could handle, but a fiancé was another matter entirely.
‘I am so going to hate these photographs,’ Kate muttered when the photographer started giving them orders.
‘I don’t know why,’ he commented as they were forcefully arranged in a group in the well-lit gazebo, with the harbour and the bridge in the background. ‘With your bone structure I bet you’re very photogenic.’
Even if she wasn’t the best actress in the world, she would look good on screen. Blake felt confident that the camera would love her.
‘It’s very nice of you to say so.’
‘Not at all. It’s the truth. I never say things just to be nice.’
Not until tonight, that is. For some weird and wonderful reason Blake felt uncharacteristically compelled to be nice to Kate. Very nice. And it wasn’t just because he wanted to have sex with her. Right from the first moment he’d set eyes on her sad-looking self she’d brought out the gallant in him. Which was unusual. Because a white knight with women Blake was not—especially since Claudia’s betrayal.
Quite frankly he could be a bit of a bastard where the opposite sex was concerned. Especially if the girl was an ambitious young actress who made it obvious when they met that she was his for the taking—not because of a genuine attraction but because sleeping with him would further her career.
Kate was different, though. A different sort of girl. A different sort of actress.
He’d given her every opportunity to flirt with him. And flatter him. But she’d done neither. He liked that. He liked that a lot.
‘Would the bridesmaid please smile?’ the photographer snapped impatiently. ‘This is a wedding, not a funeral.’
BUT IT IS a funeral, Kate wanted to wail. It was the death of her dream to marry Lachlan herself one day.
A stupid dream, really. Stupid and futile—especially once he’d met Maddie.
Of course she should never have taken him home. But she’d honestly thought it would be safe, with Maddie practically engaged. How had she been supposed to know that they would take one look at each other and fall head over heels in love?
Well, you should have known, you idiot!
Not that it would have made any difference.
Get real, you fool. Even before
