His One Desire Read Online Free Page B

show
and Tom’s job without Luke, a chance to—
    Halfway across the lobby, she froze. There was a commotion
at the entrance, and a ripple of excitement among the hotel staff.
    Slowly, very slowly, she turned to follow the direction of
all the eyes.
    Luke Tanner was coming through the door, surrounded by a
fluttering crowd of hotel employees and guests.
    He glanced casually around the elegant lobby, and when his
eyes met hers he smiled. Then he waved.
    The gaggle of fans around him turned to see who he’d waved to,
but Kali was already gone. She practically ran for the elevators, and she
breathed a sigh of relief when she found one waiting. Once inside she stabbed
repeatedly at the button for the fifth floor, keeping her eyes down until the
doors closed with a glacial slowness whose sole purpose seemed to be to make
her heart pound so hard it hurt a little.
    Oh, God.
    “What is Luke Tanner doing here?” she asked Tom twenty
minutes later. They had adjoining rooms, and she’d knocked on his door after
unpacking her things with hands that refused to stop trembling.
    Tom shrugged. “He called one of the network bigwigs, told
them how excited he was to be talking to us about the show, and got himself
invited along for the weekend.” He led the way out to his balcony, gesturing
towards one of the lounge chairs and settling down in the other. “Sheila let me
know on the way up this morning. Apparently Luke also told them that the
network was lucky to have the two of us on their team, and that the prospect of
working with us was what sparked his interest in
Ghosts
. Of course
you’re the one he really wants to work with, but I’m pretty chuffed that he
mentioned me, too. It definitely scored me some points with Sheila,” he added
with satisfaction.
    “You’re a wonderful producer, Tom. You shouldn’t need Luke
Tanner to remind the network of that fact.”
    But as she stared out over the crystal blue lake and the
rise of the Adirondacks, she acknowledged, grudgingly, that it was a nice thing
for Luke to have done. Of course when they failed to get Luke’s signature on a
contract it could all fall apart, but…
    “What are you wearing to the dinner tonight?” Tom asked. He
loved fashion, and her total lack of interest in clothes was a never-ending
source of pain for him.
    She shrugged. “I brought a couple of dresses. Both black.
One of them even has some sequins on it. Happy?”
    “Black with sequins. Not that one you bought last year for
the Emmys? Please tell me it’s something new.”
    “Well, no. It’s the same one. But this isn’t an awards
ceremony or anything, just a dinner.”
    “A formal dinner with the network executives—and Luke
Tanner.”
    She bristled a little. “I’m not going to dress up for Luke.
Especially since every other woman there will. He doesn’t need any more sops to
his ego, believe me.”
    Tom sighed. “We need to be at our best this weekend. You and
I both know that Luke might not do the show, so we need to leverage his
interest and our visibility while we can.”
    She stared at him. “That’s remarkably pragmatic of you, Tom.
What happened to your wide-eyed optimism?”
    He grinned at her. “It’s still there. In fact, it’s telling
me that tonight, for once, you’ll let me choose your outfit.”
    “Tom—”
    “I spotted something at the resort boutique that would be
perfect for you.”
    “Tom—”
    “Pretty please with sugar on top?”
    She sighed. “Fine.”
    “I’m really glad you said that, because I already bought the
dress.” He reached for a shopping bag on the other side of his chair and handed
it to her. “Consider it an early Christmas present.” He checked his watch.
“You’d better go or you’ll be late for your appointment.”
    “What appointment?”
    “At the spa downstairs. Hair and makeup and a mani-pedi.
Enjoy.”
    “Tom—”
    “See you at dinner, sweetie.”
    Two hours later she was looking at herself in the bathroom
mirror,