MaleAndroidCompanion (20 page)

While Shelley whirled about making her
skirt inflate, Sylvia said, “They were a present from Grandma.”

Marc closed the distance between them,
standing before Gina when she looked up and slowly rose to her full height. He
let his lustful gaze skim over her. Tonight he would peel that slinky gown inch
by tantalizing inch down her luscious body before making mad passionate love to
her.

“You’re a vision of loveliness.” Bringing
her hand to his lips, he noticed the diamond tennis bracelet circling her wrist
that matched the simple but elegant necklace and earrings she wore. No rings
adorned her fingers. With a little luck, his wedding band would take care of
that.

Gina slid her tongue between her lips. “You
look quite debonair yourself.”

Marc’s mouth watered with the need to kiss
her. But two sets of inquisitive eyes were pinned on them. The girls’
ear-to-ear grins stopped him. A lucky star must have been shining on them
because the arrival of the young ladies’ mothers and grandmother forced them to
squeal with delight and make haste to greet them.

Marc took the opportunity to pull Gina into
his arms. “I need to kiss you.”

Gazing deep into his eyes, she breathed,
“Here?” on a provocative sigh.

“Oh yeah, sweetheart.” He dipped his head a
mere whisper from her lips. “Right here.”

“What’s stopping you?” Her warm breath
taunted him.

“About a hundred people,” her father stated
roughly, then opened his arms to greet his approaching wife. He gave her a
chaste kiss, pulling her into the shelter of his body.

The prettiest blush spread across Gina’s
cheeks as she stepped out of Marc’s embrace. “Mom. Dad.”

“Gina, you’re gorgeous.” Elaine smiled
proudly. “They make quite the dapper couple, don’t they, Paul?”

“Very handsome indeed, but nothing can
compare to your beauty, my dear.”

With a hand through the air, Elaine brushed
off her husband’s compliment, even though the look they shared was so private
it almost felt wrong to witness it.

Marc glanced at Gina. Where he thought he’d
find happiness he met sorrow. Her eyes were even a little misty. Before her
parents could witness her sadness, he leaned into her. “Dance with me.”

Blinking back unshed tears, she pulled her
gaze to his. “What?”

“Dance with me.” Without awaiting a
response, he grabbed her hand and led her through the crowd, not stopping until
he felt the wooden dance floor beneath his feet. Then he took her into his
arms. Her svelte body fit perfectly against his. Their eyes met and they began
to move to the slow, seductive rhythm caressing his ears.

Cheek to cheek, he inhaled her powdery
essence. “What’s wrong, Gina?” He slid his hand across her back, touching silky
bare skin. His wayward fingers traced the low dip of the gown.

“I don’t know. I—”

“May I cut in?” The low masculine voice had
Marc expecting one of the Easton brothers seeking a dance with their sister.

As they eased to a stop, he glanced over
his shoulder, unprepared when Gina whispered, “Doug.”

Chapter Ten

Holding Gina a little tighter to him on the
dance floor as her ex stood before them, Marc quickly scanned the room for his
security team. His four men, dressed to blend in with the crowd, were stationed
around the perimeter. Their eagle eyes took in the room as if nothing was
amiss.

Dammit.
Marc
would have their hides for allowing this man entrance. For a moment, he, Gina
and Temin stood in the middle of the dance floor while couples drifted around
them.

No one spoke until Gina’s anger cracked
like a whip. “What are you doing here?”

Marc felt her tremble in his arms as Temin
took his measure. His mouth hardened into a cruel line when their eyes met,
disappearing when he glanced back to Gina.

“I was invited.” The dark-haired man waved
an invitation between them.

Anger and jealousy collided, flashing
red-hot up Marc’s neck to singe his ears. The reaction caught him off guard. It
didn’t help that the man was staring at Gina with a male hunger he knew too
well.

To make matters worse, Marc’s competition
looked as if he’d walked straight out of Hollywood. Not a wrinkle in his tux or
a hair out of place. Lean and fit, he was the epitome of culture and grace, but
Marc knew differently. The man was a son of a bitch.

Temin held out his hand. “May I? Have this
dance?”

Fire flashed in Gina’s eyes and she stared
at the man as if he had just grown an extra appendage. “You’re kidding, right?”

A rumble vibrated in Marc’s throat.
Shifting his body, he put himself between Gina and her ex. Raising a hand, he
signaled the guards. Immediately, Norton and Harrison pulled away from the
walls and started toward them.

The two guards’ ominous approach made
Temin’s eyes widen and he took a step backward. Shoving his hands palms
outward, he rattled, “Hey, man. I didn’t come for any trouble.”

“The hell you didn’t.” Marc jerked his head
in Temin’s direction. “Escort him off the property.”

As the two guards eased closer, Temin
stumbled trying to avoid their clutches. “Gia.” The worm began to squirm
beneath Norton’s and Harrison’s hands closing around his biceps. “It’s
Starlight
,”
he nearly yelled.

“
Starlight
?” Marc didn’t miss the surprise
in her voice.

Apprehension slithered across his skin.
What the hell was
Starlight
?

The guards looked to him for direction.
Marc gnashed his teeth together. What would be so important that Gina would
even think of listening to a man who had betrayed and humiliated her?

Gina’s tense features eased but didn’t
relax. She glared at Temin but spoke to Marc. “Tell them to release him.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded sharply.

Only then did Marc notice that all eyes
were on them. Even the band had stopped playing. Gina’s Aunt Clare inched her
withered frame closer as her gnarled fingers worked on adjusting her hearing
aid. Parker and Scott stood beside their father and mother, concern etched on
all their faces.

Marc raised his head, his cold-as-ice gaze
touching Temin’s face. He didn’t even attempt to hide his animosity. “It’s time
for you to leave.”

Temin flinched but quickly recovered. “Gia,
could we speak,
privately
?” The emphasis on the last word sent Marc’s
ire spinning.

“No way in hell—”

Gina gripped Marc’s arm, halting him. He
hadn’t even known that he’d taken a step toward Temin. Marc’s fingernails bit
into his palms as he clenched his fists by his sides.

She squeezed his arm. “Please.”

He couldn’t believe his ears. Gina couldn’t
be contemplating listening to the man’s lies or letting him back into her life.
The second thought made a whirlwind of emotions slam into his chest.

He couldn’t lose her.

Her grip loosened. Her hand dropped to her
side. “Just let me talk to him.”

“But—”

“Please.” Her eyes begged him not to take
this further.

Against Marc’s better judgment, he
capitulated, when what he really wanted to do was slug Temin so hard he’d be
seeing stars until next week. “Release him.”

Temin shrugged out of the guards’ grasps.
Tugging his jacket back into place, he straightened his tie. The smirk Temin
shot Marc was almost his undoing, but the presence of so many had him taking a
breath and trying to ease down the fury swirling inside him.

What in the hell was she doing?

Gina shifted her head to the side and
several muscles in her neck popped. Add to that the prickling of her skin and
she was about to scream with pent-up anxiety. Doug deserved nothing better than
to be tossed out on his ass. Yet he had said the one thing that he knew would
entice her.
Starlight.

The movie was the talk of Hollywood and New
York. It promised to be next year’s best motion picture. If she secured the
leading role, she could write her own ticket. The downside was she would have
to deal with Doug. Maybe she could speak with the producers. Yet none of these
options would be conceivable if she didn’t speak with him first.

“Gina?” Marc’s terse tone jerked her
attention.

Her breath caught at the anger in his eyes.
If she didn’t know better she would have thought he was jealous. Of course,
once again she was being an idiot. Marc couldn’t be jealous. He wasn’t real,
but
Starlight
, her career—they were both real. She had no other choice
but to listen.

“It’s all right.” Why she reached up and
smoothed her hand over Marc’s cheek to comfort him she didn’t know. “I’ll be
right back.” Gia narrowed her sight on Doug. “You’ve got ten minutes,” her
voice dropped, “before these nice gentlemen escort you out.”

The big doe eyes he presented her pushed an
exasperated breath from her thin lips. He cocked his head. “A little privacy.
Please?”

“Over here.” Gia lead the way out of the
tent, stopping beneath a lighted tree only twenty feet away from the entrance.
She saw both security men and Marc hovering in the opening. Turning her full
attention to the man before her, she said, “Talk, Doug, and make it fast.”

He eased up before her. “Baby… I’ve missed
you.” His sappy tone didn’t penetrate her hardened shell, it only put her
further on edge.

“You’re down to eight minutes,” she
snapped.

Releasing a feigned sigh, he began to
speak. “I got a call from the
Starlight
producer, Thomas Solar.” He
paused for effect.

Gia didn’t know if it was excitement or
apprehension that now danced across her skin. Either way she found herself
holding her breath as she cocked a brow in question.

“It’s yours if you want it.” Then he did
something that completely disarmed her. He reached out and pulled her into his
arms. “We did it, baby.”

So taken aback by the news was she, she had
yet to find herself. When she did, she shoved him away. “We? There is no we.”

She glanced back at the entrance of the
tent in time to see Marc’s back as he stomped off toward the house. Gia wanted
to go to him, share the fantastic news, but first she had to deal with Doug.

“Baby, I’m so sorry.” Doug reached for her
again.

Shunning his grasp, her eyes widened.
“Sorry? Puleeze…”

Doug drew his shoulders back, his backbone
rigid. “You wouldn’t have this opportunity without me.”

“What?” Gia raised a hand, waving security
over.

The minute Doug saw the guards approaching,
his composure crumbled. “Please, Gia. There’s nothing between me and Mary. Not
like what you and I had. Can’t you forgive me?”

Forgive him?
Not on your life.

Norton eased up beside her. “Miss Easton?”

“Would you please escort Mr. Temin off the
property?” She turned, stopping to glance over her shoulder. “Doug, my attorney
will be in contact.”

As Norton and Harrison once again grabbed
hold of Doug, he snarled, “I’ll ruin you.”

Gia slowly pivoted. Instead of anger or
fear, she found her center and gifted him with one of her award-winning smiles.
“No, you won’t. There’ll be plenty of money for everyone, including you.” That
was the only thing that she regretted. The lying bastard would still profit off
her work, but it would end here—now. “Doug, I trust you won’t cut off your nose
to spite your face.” He wouldn’t let an opportunity like this pass him by,
would he? It was a piece of this pie or nothing.

His silence was all the confirmation she
needed. Without a second thought, she turned and started to walk toward the
house in search of Marc.

Swinging open the front door, she made a
quick sweep of the room. No Marc. As she moved through the room, one of her
mother’s maids meandered by. “Carolyn, did you see Mr. Charleston?”

The rotund, dark-haired woman paused with a
pitcher of tea in her hand. “I believe he went upstairs, Miss Easton.”

“Thank you.” Lifting the hem of her dress
so that her heels wouldn’t catch, Gia hurried toward the escalator and stepped
upon it. Funny. But Marc had been the first person to come to mind to share
this moment of triumph with. Her breath caught midway up the stairs. If she
didn’t know better she’d say she was falling in love, but how could that be?

As she approached their bedroom, she heard
something hard tumble to the floor. She eased through the slightly ajar door.
Her jaw dropped. What the hell was going on? Marc threw a can of shaving lotion
into his suitcase before he crammed a pair of pants atop it.

“Uh. Going somewhere?” She moved farther
into the room.

He didn’t look at her as he continued to
push clothing with no never mind to their condition into his bag. “Home,” he
finally grumbled.

“Home?” she repeated.