hers and for a few moments he made her feel as though they were the only two people in the room.
Kate felt something unfurling deep in her belly, something undeniably sexual. Her body was telling her one thing while her mind was telling her another.
She turned to Mark. “I don’t think this was such a good idea.”
“What do you mean?”
“I shouldn’t have come.”
Mark took her hand. “I’m not going to force you to stay if you don’t want to. You’ve been seen with me which is the main thing. I can tell them you’ve got a headache.”
She’d come here as Mark’s partner to help him out. That’s what friends did for each other. All she had to do was sit there and make pleasant conversation. This was one of Sydney’s top restaurants and the food would undoubtedly be excellent. How hard could it be? She was here, so why not enjoy it?
With this new sense of resolve, she felt wonderfully calm as she turned to face him. “I’m going to stay, after all.”
Kate handed her coat to an attendant, pleased she could now uncover her dress. Sleeveless with a simple round neck, it showed off her arms but other than that it wasn’t revealling in the slightest. It was, however, designed to shimmer and cling to her figure in all the right places.
She’d bought it largely because it was the same shade as wisteria in bloom, a colour which brought out the best in her pale complexion, however that wasn’t why she’d chosen it for this evening. Her girlfriends had told her how good she looked in it and she wanted to get that same buzz. She hadn’t felt good all week and this dress lifted her spirits just a little.
The issue, Kate thought as she walked towards the table, wasn’t the dress. It was Daniel Webb’s searing gaze. He couldn’t get his eyes off her and it seemed he didn’t care who noticed.
He was doing it to her again. He made her feel like she was the only woman in the world, as if she was put there just for his pleasure. It was an unusual sensation. She wasn’t used to such blatant admiration.
Suddenly she heard Mark’s voice in her ear. “I hope you don’t mind but I’m going to take the seat next to Ray Price.”
Kate shrugged. “Sure.”
“He’s head of the selection committee and I want to stay in his good books.”
She’d agreed so easily but as she slid down into her chair, she had the feeling she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Perhaps she didn’t know quite what she was in for.
“I’m pleased you could make it tonight,” Daniel said.
His voice as smooth as silk, he was as confident as always. It made her feel that even the simplest statement was loaded.
“Why wouldn’t I?” she replied.
“To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure you were Mark’s fiancée.”
He’d called her bluff. She hadn’t thought he’d be so blunt.
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Did you enjoy the party the other night?” he asked. “You left in a hurry.”
“I had a lovely time, thank you. I’m just not one for late nights, that’s all.”
“I couldn’t help but notice that Mark didn’t take you home.”
“I’m a big girl. I can leave a party on my own.”
That night she hadn’t wanted to leave on her own but Mark had been having a good time and had wanted to stay on. Suddenly it struck her that, even though there had been over a hundred people at the party, Daniel had a noticed they’d left separately.
“Were you keeping tabs on Mark and me?” she asked.
“Not at all. He was one of the last to leave. It was hard not to notice.”
“Oh.”
Daniel’s lips curled to a smile. “I’d rather you’d been the one to stay.”
“Why’s that? So you could take me to bed. Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen.”
“I only meant you were welcome to have stayed as long as you liked.”
She had him now, she thought. “I did stay as long as I liked.”
He laughed.
“I don’t see what’s so funny,” she said. “I wasn’t joking. I didn’t want to stay and take you up on your little offer.”
Daniel looked her in the eye. “You’ll change your mind.”
She leaned back in her chair and took a sip of white wine. “I’m sure you’ve come up with that line many times before. You should hear yourself. You have no idea how conceited you sound.”
“Perhaps.”
“Perhaps you’ve used that line before or perhaps you’re arrogant?”
He shrugged.