Larger than Life Read Online Free

Gingerly, he took the copilot’s seat, careful to touch nothing. “And I’d appreciate it if you kept both eyes on the road.”
    Saber turned her attention forward again and, to his surprise, laughed quietly. “Well, I’ll say this for you: you don’t give up easily.”
    Travis studied her for a long moment. Gone was the sequined, explosively powerful performer ofthe night before. Gone was the soft-spoken and somewhat weary lady of the silk blouse and veiled eyes. This lady was casually dressed in jeans and a workshirt open over a cowl-neck sweater, her tiny feet encased in scuffed western boots. The only jewelry she wore was a broad, masculine watch on her left wrist, and her delicate golden face was bare of any makeup.
    She looked amazingly small, incredibly young, and as frail as the hothouse flower he’d compared the earlier Saber to. Yet there was something about her, something he sensed more than saw.
    “You’ll know me if we ever meet again,” she said dryly.
    Travis blinked and forced his mind away from the speculation. “Sorry. It’s just that … you seem so different.”
    She obviously had no trouble following his vague comment. “From the stage performance, you mean? That’s because I am different. Every performer has two sides, one for the stage and one for the personal life. We can’t be ‘on’ all the time, you know.”
    He frowned a little, listening to the soft, educated voice, the crisp, clean tone. “I know that. But you aren’t … ‘off’ now. You’re just different.”
    Her light eyes moved ceaselessly over the instrument panels and her small hands gripped the controls a little too firmly. “Does it matter?”
    Travis noted the signs of tension and made a surprising discovery. “You’re afraid of something, aren’t you?”
    She threw him one startled look and then returned her attention to the controls, making an odd little grimace. “Very perceptive of you. And since,” she added wryly, “I’m not particularly concerned with the nerves of my stowaway, I’ll confess that what I’m afraid of, Travis, is flying.”
    “You’re afraid of flying?”
    “That’s right. Almost a phobia, in fact.”
    “Then what the hell are you doing flying this jet?” he demanded incredulously.
    “A very wise man told me once that a person should always try to control fear. And since the only way I can control my fear of flying is by doing the thing myself, that’s what I do. I
am
a licensedpilot. I learned to fly years ago. I’m fairly new to jets, though.”
    “Great.” But in spite of his doubtful tone, Travis was impressed by her method of handling fear. It told him a great deal about her personality; she was one who would always confront a problem head-on and set about solving it. And his silent observation was proven when she took her present problem by the horns.
    “I told you I didn’t want a book written about me, Travis. I haven’t changed my mind.”
    “And I haven’t given up.”
    “Obviously.”
    “All I’m asking,” he said with persuasive charm, “is a chance to get to know you, Saber. No probing questions, I promise. I just want to get better acquainted with a very beautiful and talented woman.”
    “D’you generally get results with that line?”
    So much for my vaunted charm
, he thought, not without a trace of self-mockery. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I didn’t mean to try, uh—”
    “You have a very effective voice,” she observed.“Just the right blend of coolness and charm. I’m not surprised your exposés are so penetrating; it would be very easy for your victim to forget that you’re always after some little tidbit of information.”
    He stiffened, then relaxed suddenly. “But not this
victim?”
he drawled.
    She was smiling, though still not looking at him. “No, not this one. You can save your subtly probing tactics, Travis, for your next exposé. My life is my business. I accept that my profession puts me in the public eye, but I see no