it every time she saw him, and that sooner or later he would know she was
not the dark but the auburn lady. She resolved to go down to the theatrical supply company at the weekend,
and get something temporary she could use on her hair. Fortunately, she only wore her glasses
during the day to suit the professor costume she disguised herself with, and so
her contact lenses, a violet pair which she had bought on a whim two years ago,
were firmly in place once again. Her face was beautifully made up this time, and she wondered if she
could continue to fool Brad once they spent more time with each other for
rehearsals and discussions about the screenplay.
Zaira’s heart turned over when
Brad walked in the door, and her mouth went dry with the beauty of him. Again her nostrils were assailed with
the clean masculine scent of him, and he was dressed in the sweatshirt she had
first met him in only three days before.
“How art thou, o fair Ophelia.”
Brad said with a smile, and kissed her hand.
Zaira could feel a spark pass
between them like a thousand volts of electricity. She hastily pulled her hand
away to avoid the searing contact.
Brad frowned at her obvious
avoidance of him, and she thought it best to play it as the busy and capable
director, by bustling around calling for a rehearsal of Act One from the
top.
The rest of the cast swept Brad
away into the wings, but she could sense that he was a not in the least
deceived by her performance—she was nervous around him, nervous of the way she
felt every time he came within ten feet of her.
Her mind was only half on her
tasks as director as she reflected that she had never been in lust before, so
completely overwhelmed by a man that she couldn’t think straight whenever he
came near. She wanted to be immune
to his charms, but however hard she struggled, Brad seemed so compatible with
her in every way.
Zaira had thought she could never
feel the same way about anyone again after Jonathan had left her, and for a
long time had been completely unable to face the fact that he was not coming
back. But as the weeks had grown
into months, and the revelations concerning his frauds had become more and more
horrifying, Zaira had vowed that no man would ever turn her into a helpless
wreck again.
Now Brad had come into her life,
and within days he had begun to possess her every sleeping and waking thought completely. However hard she tried to rationalize
the situation by reminding herself that she needed the money, one part of her
told her to avoid him like the plague.
But the other part of her, the Zoe
side of her nature, recklessly enjoyed the sparks that flew between them. And that Zoe side was beginning to take
over her life as Zaira, whenever Brad came near and tried to crack her crusty
academic exterior.
Perhaps Brad was just doing it as
a challenge, she thought, just to see if she was a passionate bundle of nerves
underneath her cool pinstripe suit. Only a few days ago Zaira would have rejected the idea of herself as
passionate, but now whenever she saw those emerald eyes upon her, her stomach
seized and her palms began to sweat. It was as if all her senses were enhanced as soon as he came near,
filling her with a sensual warmth and desire she had never experienced before.
Zaira forced herself to
concentrate on the play, though it was difficult not to just stare at his
amazing physique in open-mouthed admiration. Soon it was her turn to come on, and she tried to
concentrate, but every time he looked at her, she was conscious of his
magnetism, and also of her own deception.
Zaira was also more than a little
irritated that he seemed to take so little notice of either woman that he could
not see Zaira and Zoe were one and the same. But then wasn’t that a credit to her acting ability? She
didn’t want him to get too close. Or did she?
By time they reached the scene
where Hamlet and Ophelia have their last fight, she