Thomas felt his heart leap. She was interested in him as a man! Why else would she make the inquiry? She might look cool and untouched, even faintly haughty, but she was fishing for information about his personal relationships. He lifted one eyebrow and gave her his carefully cultivated smile, the one that always took their breath away. “It’s my favorite restaurant.”
Alexandria didn’t like the suddenly smug look in his eyes, but she smiled anyway. “I brought some sketches with me. Samples of ideas, drawings of the story line you suggested for your next game. I see so clearly in my mind what you’re describing. I know you’ve been using Don Michaels for
Nighthawks
. He’s very good, but I don’t think he captures exactly what you envision. I see so much more detail, so much more power.” Under cover of the table, Alexandria twisted her fingers together but tried to remain outwardly composed.
Thomas was startled. She was absolutely right. Michaels was a big name, with a big ego to match, but he’d never fully understood Thomas’s vision. However, Alexandria’s obvious professionalism irritated him. She looked so cool and untouchable. She wanted to talk business. Women usually threw themselves at him.
Alexandria could see the annoyance gathering on Thomas Ivan’s face. She dug her nails into her palms. What was wrong? Doubtless she was coming on too strong. A man with his rakish, debonair reputation probably preferred a more feminine approach. She needed this job; she certainly couldn’t start right out making him angry. What harm was there in a light flirtation? Ivan was a wealthy, handsome bachelor, exactly the kind of man she should be attracted to. She sighed inwardly. She never seemed honestly attracted to anyone. For a while she’d put it down to the unsavory men in their neighborhood, to her many responsibilities with Joshua. Now she secretly thought she might be truly frigid. But she could fake it if she had to.
Thomas Ivan’s next comment proved her right. “I don’t think we should spoil our dinner with business talk, do you?” he said, flashing a charming smile.
Alexandria blinked away the image of a barracuda and allowed a soft, flirty smile to curve her mouth. It was going to be a long evening. She shook her head when he would have poured her a glass of wine and applied herself to her shrimp salad and the small talk that seemed to make her occasional dates happy. Ivan leaned toward her, frequently touching her hand to make a point.
She managed to escape once to check on Joshua. Under the sinking sun she found Joshua and Henry playing blackjack with a battered deck of cards.
Henry grinned up at her, thankfully took the food she had managed to smuggle out, and waved her off.
“We’re doing fine, Alex. Go get that job you want so much,” he instructed.
“Are you teaching Josh to gamble?” she demanded with a mock-severe frown. Both culprits laughed mischievously, and it was all Alexandria could do not to hug Joshua close. “Henry says I could probably support
you
with this game, cuz I always win,” Joshua told her proudly. “He says then you wouldn’t ever have to pretty up to a no-good hound dog again.”
Alexandria bit her lip to hide both her amusement and her overwhelming affection. “Well, until you’re a full-fledged card sharp, I’ll see to our support. So I’d better get back inside. If you guys get cold, there’s a blanket in the trunk.” She handed the car keys to Joshua. “Take good care of these. If you lose them, we’ll be sleeping out here with Henry.”
“Cool!” Joshua replied, his blue eyes dancing.
“Very cool. Cold, in fact,” Alexandria warned. “Be careful. I’ll be as quick as I can, but this man is not very cooperative. I think he thinks he’s might score big tonight.” She made a face.
Henry shook a gnarled fist. “He gives you any trouble, you send him my way.”
“Thanks, Henry. You two boys behave while I’m working.” Alexandria turned and began to make her way back toward the restaurant.
The wind was picking up, blowing the sea toward land, spitting foam through the air. Mist was seeping in, shrouding the trees in melancholy white tails. Alexandria shivered, running her hands up and down her arms. It wasn’t really that cold, but the aura of fog and mystery distressed her.
She shook her head to clear away notions of evil lurking behind every tree. For some reason she was especially on edge tonight. She put it down to the enormity of this interview. She had to get this job.
She made her way back through the restaurant, winding through the jungle of potted plants and hanging green vines.
Ivan jumped to his feet to seat her, well aware that he was the envy of the other males in the room. Alexandria Houton just had some special magic that made him think of hot nights and untamed passion.
He ran his fingers over the back of her hand. “You’re cold,” he said, his voice a little hoarse. She made him feel like a blundering schoolboy, while she remained aloof, slightly haughty, an untouched siren watching him squirm.
“I stepped outside for a moment on my way back from the ladies’ room, and the night was so beautiful, I couldn’t resist looking at the ocean. It seems to be acting up a bit.” Her eyes seemed to hold a thousand secrets, her long lashes locking up every emotion behind them. Thomas swallowed hard and looked away. He had to bring himself under control. He reached deep into his reserve of famous charm and began telling whimsical stories to amuse her, to engage her. Alexandria tried hard to listen to his conversation, but it was difficult to concentrate on his anecdotes about the making of his brilliant career, his many social obligations, and the wearying string of women constantly pursuing him for his money. She was growing increasingly uneasy, so much so that her hands were beginning to tremble. For a moment she felt a shiver of terror, as if icy fingers had wrapped around her throat. The illusion was so real, she actually raised a hand to her neck to check.
“Surely you’ll have one small glass of wine. It’s an excellent vintage,” Thomas insisted, lifting the bottle and drawing her attention back to him.
“No, thank you, I seldom drink.” It was the third time she’d told him, and she resisted asking him if he had a problem with his hearing. She was not about to cloud her mind with alcohol when this interview meant so much. And she never drank when she was driving, and never around Joshua. He saw more than enough boozing in the halls and on the sidewalks outside their rooming house.
Alexandria flashed a smile to take the sting out of her refusal. As the waiter cleared away the plates, she very decisively reached for her portfolio.
Ivan sighed audibly. Usually women were fawning over him at this stage. But Alexandria seemed immune to his charm, out of his reach. Still, she intrigued him, and he had to have her. He knew this job was important to her, and he would use that if he had to. He could tell there was fire in her, locked behind her easy smile and cool sapphire eyes, and he was looking forward to enjoying some hot, steamy sex with her.
But the moment Thomas saw her sketches, he forgot about satisfying his ego and his lust. Alexandria had captured the images in his mind better than his own words had done. Excitement caught at him, and he nearly drooled over her exceptional drawings. She was exactly what he needed for his newest game. It was a hot concept, frightening and difficult, and it would blow away the competition. Her fresh, inventive approach was precisely what he needed.
“They’re just quick sketches,” Alexandria said softly, “without the animation, but I hope you get the idea.” She forgot she didn’t like Thomas Ivan very much as she watched the appreciative way he looked at her work.
“You have such a gift for detail. Such imagination. Such technique. And, looking at these, I feel as if you’ve read my mind. You actually capture the feeling of flight here,” he said, pointing. He was impressed that she had caught such a stomach-churning sensation with her illustrations alone. What might she do with his vast array of computers and design programs?