Microsoft Word - Rogers, Rosemary - The Crowd Pleasers by kps Read Free Book Online Page A

can get when he's angry, and if I'd thought ..."
    Anne tried to keep the breathlessness out of her voice as she said carefully, "Of course I'm all right. I mean-we did have quite an argument"-involuntarily her eyes went to Webb, who was calmly pouring Carol's cognac into two glasses, giving her a silent, mocking toast with one when he caught her glance-"but everything's just fine now. I'm sorry-"
    "You don't have to apologize, Anne! Listen, I thought I'd call before I came down to get you-you are going to show up at Carol's party, aren't you? She's expecting you ..
    ."
    "Carol's party?" Oh God, she hoped Harris wouldn't think she sounded as bemused as she felt, with Webb's eyes, narrowing wickedly, traveling all over her body. Some kind of sanity came back to her, and she clutched at the telephone as if it was a lifeline. "Oh-oh yes! It'll just take me a few minutes longer to-to finish taking all my makeup off and change-"
    She felt the receiver taken firmly from her, exchanged for a glass she could hardly hold with her shaking fingers.
    "Listen, Harris," Webb said, "you tell Care-baby that she owes me for the little trick she played on me tonight. And you don't have to come charging down here to rescue Annie-I'll bring her back in one piece. We've decided to walk back for the exercise, especially since it's such a nice clear night."

Chapter Five
    WHERE WAS ALL HER DETERMINATION to make something of her life to satisfy herself-the bitter courage that had brought her this far along the path to freedom?
    Anne paused at the open door to Carol's suite, hesitating-still tom between the ridiculous, impossible urge to turn and run from the loud music and the heat and the people in there, to run back to Webb, and the need to assert her independence of him by walking forward instead.
    Harris Phelps must have been watching for her. He came forward and took her arm, his pale gray eyes sharp with concern. "Anne! I'd really begun to worry, and so has Carol. It's been over an hour ..."
    "I really am sorry, Harris!" She hoped her voice sounded as insouciant as she tried to make her shrug. "But we walked, and it was uphill most of the way."
    "Where's Webb?"
    "Oh ... he decided to make an early night of it, I guess." Had she said it lightly enough? She forced a smile for Harris, trying to shut out the image of Webb's dark, angry face-the sound of the door to his room slamming shut.

    How had they begun to quarrel? Had it been her own urge for survival that made her want to negate the powerful pull he exerted over her senses? The feeling of not belonging to herself as soon as he touched her had been frightening. Wasn't that what she had been trying to escape? And then, when he had left her alone to cream off her stage makeup and get dressed, there had come the nagging memory of Harris's warning words ... Webb's own obvious familiarity with the things in Carol's dressing room, with Carol herself. And Tanya, who had been so upset. What about her?
    The walk in the cold, still night air with pinpoint stars seeming to pierce the midnight blue sky had been exhilarating-Anne had been able to forget almost all her misgivings with her hand held in Webb's as he tugged her along with him. Laughing for no real reason except to see how the steam from her breath etched itself against the stillness of the air. The slightest brush of his shoulder against her bringing back the memory of his body-naked, arrogant, claiming hers, and making her feel at last for herself everything she had read or heard about feeling.
    He had made love to her again, the cognac warming her within while his lips and his hands made her flesh bum every-where they touched. And it had happened again, the starburst of ecstasy starting from deep inside to send its fire through every nerve in her body while the only reality was the piston-driving strength and hardness of his body possessing hers.
    Afterwards... Why did there have to be an afterwards,with all of its doubts and fears?
    Maybe