She felt her heart give a little jerk. She only hoped her reaction hadn't shown in her face. She moved forward, swaying with deliberate grace. She felt a little shock as she slipped her hand into his. "I hope you think I've improved," she said lightly. "That little scarecrow had a long way to go."
"Oh, I don't know," he drawled. "I had a certain fondness for that scarecrow." He pulled downward with sudden force, and she found herself on her knees before his chair, looking up at him with startled eyes. His gaze was suddenly on the lush cleavage revealed by the low neck of her gown. "Though I can see a couple of advantages to the new you."
She wouldn't blush. "I'm glad. I suppose old habits are hard to break." She met his eyes. "I still want to please you."
His thumb began tracing a lazy pattern on the sensitive flesh of her inner wrist. "That's not an old habit, that's a new development. I don't recall your ever caring whether I was pleased or not."
Her lashes lowered. "I cared." Oh Lord, how she'd cared.
There was a sudden note of anger in his voice. "Look at me, dammit. You remind me of a blasted Khadim."
She kept her eyes fixed on the middle button of his shirt. "But you like Khadims." Her tone was gently teasing. "I remember that very well. There was always one on the horizon or one disappearing into the sunset. From what I read in the newspapers, you still use their services or that of their Western counterparts. Some of them are very lovely. Am I as pretty as they?"
His thumb abruptly ceased its movement on her wrist. "Are you inviting comparisons?"
She didn't answer. Her throat was so tight she didn't think she could speak.
"I take it silence is assent?" His voice was no longer curt, but a silky drawl. "That puts a different light on our little meeting. Interesting. But then you were always that, Pandora." He released her wrist and leaned back in his chair. "Why don't you get up and go sit on that couch across the room? I think putting a distance between us would be a good idea at the moment. A proposition like that has a distinct physical effect on a man that tends to cloud his judgment. I believe we need to resolve a few points before we take up the issue you've raised."
"If you like." She stood and crossed the room. "Though I'd have thought you would be accustomed to this sort of thing." She sat down on the couch and gave him a brilliant smile. "It's not as if I'm asking for any kind of commitment from you. We're both adults and know what we want."
"Do we?" He smiled cynically. "I know what I want. I've known since you walked into the room, but I'm not sure I know what you want." He paused. "Are you going to tell me why you ran away six years ago?"
She shrugged. "I left a note."
His lips tightened. "A note that contained two sentences: 'Don't look for me. I'll come back only when I'm ready.' Very melodramatic. Didn't it occur to you that it was also a little inconsiderate?"
For a moment her control broke. "No more than it did to you when you sent me away," she said fiercely. "I told you I didn't want to go. You wouldn't listen to me. I told you—" She broke off. "But that's all in the past. It's not important now."
His lips curved in a curious smile. "For a moment there I thought it did matter to you," he said softly. "My mistake." He stretched his legs out before him with the deceptively lazy grace of a stalking cat. "So what have you been doing all these years?"
She glanced away. "Nothing much. I had a few jobs. I managed to survive."
"You don't intend to confide in me?" He clucked reprovingly. "And we're such old friends, Pandora."
"It's not very interesting. I wouldn't want to bore you."
"On the contrary, I'd be very interested." He waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal. "All right, let's move on to more recent history. Let's talk about Luis Estavas."
Her eyes widened. "Luis? But how—"
"Or perhaps you'd like to tell me about your weekend with that Texas millionaire, Ben Danford." His expression hardened. "Or your current live-in companion, Neal Sabine."
"You've had me investigated," she said, her eyes wide with incredulity.
"You're damn right I did," he said harshly. "You stole those six years from me. I had a right to know who you were spending them with."
"Stole!" She shook her head. "You're impossible. Those were my years, my life, not yours." She was so indignant that for a moment she didn't realize what a lucky break this was. Philip had done her work for her. She wouldn't have to drop any subtle hints about her shady past or dangle poor Neal in front of him. She was already established as a woman of the world thanks to Philip's possessiveness. She tried to hide her relief beneath a careless laugh. "My men friends have been delightfully amusing." She paused. "And quite protective. Life can be difficult for a woman on her own."
"Financially?" He lifted a brow. "I understood rock stars made exceptionally good money."
"They do while they last." She made a face. "And good musicians can have lasting and lucrative careers. Unfortunately, I seem to spend money as quickly as I make it." She touched the velvet of her gown. "I like pretty things, and I have no illusions about my talent. I have a good, strong pair of lungs, style, and a body that's appealing enough in the scanty costumes Neal dresses mein. I'll coast along another year or so, but in the end I'll be replaced by a new craze."
"Still, you're very watchable. I think I might like to see you perform."
She tried to hide the sudden alarm she was feeling. He mustn't do that. She revealed too much of herself when she was on stage. "You don't like rock, and I'm hardly good enough to change your mind. You'd be disappointed."
"You're very realistic."
"The life I've lived hasn't encouraged anything else. I've learned to look for certain"—she paused delicately—"rewards in my relationships." She gave him the smoldering look Neal had taught her for publicity photos. She did it very well by now. "That's the real reason I sent you the medallion. I thought we might come to an arrangement. You've always been very generous to women who please you."
His face was impassive. "You know I don't indulge in permanent associations. You were streetwise even as a child, and I never tried to hide my relationships from you. I haven't changed."
She laughed. "Does that report from your detective agency indicate that I'm looking for commitment?" She shook her head. "Permanency doesn't have any appeal for me either. It just so happens I have a three-month break after the concert tomorrow night and I thought we might spend it together."
His face was watchful. "Let's be very clear, shall we? You're offering to become my mistress for the next three months, with no strings attached, inexchange for my"—his lips curved in a mirthless smile—"generosity?"
Her throat was dry. "Yes. Does the idea appeal to you?"
"Oh yes, it appeals to me. You're a very beautiful woman, and I've always liked a businesslike approach in my Khadims."
Khadim. There was no special emphasis on the word, yet it cut like a knife. She held her smile in place with an effort. "I remember that. Then are we in agreement?"