Tinsel Town Read Online Free

with her wobbly legs and dancing nerves tightly under control.

    * * * * * *
Clive watched her as she slid into the padded chair and fought the urge to tell her how sexy she was. He’d had to squash down the desire to toy with the little aquamarine pendant that hung just above the tantalizing rise of her cleavage. She’d barely participated in the conversation on the way to the restaurant, speaking to him only when he’d said something that required a reply. She had obviously been shocked when she’d realized he was her escort, something he intended to use to his advantage.
    He gazed at her over the top of his menu. “I hope you like Italian.”
    Her lush lips lifted into a sardonic smile. “You know I do. I’m sure it was in my file.”
    He lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “Actually, I didn’t read past your name or what you needed an escort for. I think getting to know a woman by watching her, listening to her, paying attention to the things she does, is more important than what’s put down on a sheet of paper.”
    She blushed gently, a warm color that suffused her soft skin. “You certainly know how to put a girl in her place, Mr. Thibodaux.”
    He supposed he did, but damn it, that’s not at all what he’d intended. Her little comment pricked his usually cool temper. “Look, Ms. Frazier…do you mind if I call you Kate?” When she shook her head, he continued. “Kate, I’m not the kind of escort who reads a woman’s file. I like to get to know her through the things she tells me, verbally and otherwise. It’s much more pleasurable.”
    “Even when you only have a night with them?”

    Tinsel Town

    17
    Well, she had him there. He took a deep breath and decided to go with his own personal experiences to answer. “To be honest, Kate, I don’t have a lot of one-night dates.”
    Her features suddenly lit up, a look he saw on his students when they’d finally understood a particular issue. “So you’re the one they send on, um, long-term assignments.”
    He wasn’t sure how he should respond, so he gave her a warm smile. “Well, they did send me on this one.”
    A lie without really telling one; he wondered how many times he’d have to skirt around her like this. They were interrupted by a cheery, fresh-faced waitress in a white shirt and bow tie. He listened as Kate placed her order, cheese and mushroom ravioli, and studied the way she treated the young woman. Her smile was real, as if she understood what it was like to be a hard-working server. There was respect there, something she was willing to give to their waitress because of the returned kindness. She created an instant rapport, an easy sympathy that told him this was no act on her part. This was a part of who Kathleen Frazier was. Something inside gave a little blip, a small click that startled him.
    “Sir, would you like something to start with?”
    He had to blink his eyes to clear his thoughts. “Oh, yes, calamari, if Kate will split it with me?”
    She gave him a questioning look but nodded. As he gave the rest of his order, he noted the way she watched him, as if he were some enigma that she couldn’t possibly understand.
    Not in the way she understood their waitress, or in the way she probably understood most everyone else. Another good sign, he decided, and gave her a wink when the waitress slipped away.
    “I’m starving,” he admitted. “This place has the best homemade Italian food in the entire city. Including my own kitchen.”
    He saw her begin to relax as he chattered and reached out to stroke her knuckles. The spark was immediate and undeniable, and he absorbed it straight down to his crotch. She 18 Flesa Black
    gave a slight jerk but didn’t pull away, so he continued to caress her. She was soft, delicate, like a pastry confection that could too easily become addictive. He was struck again with the urge to touch the rise of her breasts, and had to swallow back the saliva pooling in his mouth.
    Good Lord, at this rate,