Читать книгу Enchanted - Judith Leger - Страница 9

Chapter 6

Once Shay’s assistants removed the mirror, the band started playing a new tune. Scantily dressed dancers performed during his absence.

Marcy leaned over and spoke close to Caitlyn’s ear. Her designer perfume, floral and alluring, floated about them. “Well, didn’t I tell you he was wonderful?”

Caitlyn swerved her head toward her friend and grinned. “I’m glad I changed my mind. He boggles my mind with trying to figure out how he does his acts. It’s amazing.”

Excitement shone in Marcy’s gaze, her bright smile was as white as always.

“I know.” She tapped Caitlyn’s arm and laughed. “I have to admit. I was a little disappointed he didn’t choose me.”

Caitlyn shook her head. Leave it to her friend to think only of herself.

She opened her mouth to respond but stopped as Shay walked onto center stage dressed in a different pair of pants, still black leather but with fringe and silver disks hanging on the outer sides of his thighs. The first white shirt had been exchanged for a different one with lengths of lace flowing about his neck and wrists.

Uneasy with the rapid way her heart beat each time she saw him, Caitlyn narrowed her gaze, seeking some flaw with the entertainer. How he managed to dress in such a feminine fashion and still ooze sex appeal stunned her. The neck of the shirt gaped to mid-chest and parts of solid muscled skin peeked out with each of his movements. Tawny skin called to her, stoking a fierce desire to reach out and stroke the smoothness. She swallowed and clenched her fingers into fists.

He strolled past where she sat, and she waited for him to glance at her but he didn’t. His accented voice rang out over the speaker system with a question. “Who believes in the fountain of youth?”

Shouts and clapping answered him.

From both ends of the stage came ten attendants. Each rolled a large disk which they positioned across the front of the stage. Five on the left and five on the right, lining them up in a semi-circle. On the top of each disk, a senior citizen stood, sat in wheelchairs or leaned on walkers or canes. They smiled and waved at the audience.

Shay strode behind the aged people from one end of the stage to the other. A new song started, and he sang. The lyrics spoke of timeless youth and to never give up on feeling young. His assistants covered the elderly with satiny white sheets. Once the elderly were hidden from view, his attendants rolled them about the stage on the disks to verify there were no wires or trap doors.

Midway through the song, Evers wove through the ten sheet-covered people, sprinkling glittering dust over them. Her heart pounded in anticipation. Unable to pull her gaze away, she barely breathed, watching every movement, listening to each note. Her hands ached where she clenched them in her lap. The music escalated. For each deep dip in the song, Shay ripped the sheets one at a time from the covered people.

The audience cried out in surprise. Instead of the elderly figures, children stood and sat. A small girl sat on a tricycle where before a walker had been situated in front of an elderly woman.

Caitlyn swallowed, the ever growing sense of something opening up inside her returned, like a doorway cracking open. A frisson of fear went through her. She didn’t understand what had happened and no matter how she tried, what he’d done was beyond explanation. The children even resembled the older people. The old man on the end had worn glasses and freckles had covered his lined face. The boy, now in his place, wore similar glasses and his red hair matched the freckles which spread over his nose and cheeks.

Marcy’s hand gripped Caitlyn’s wrist. Her friend glanced wide-eyed her way for a brief second. Caitlyn forced a smile and quipped, “You’re right. He’s fantastic.”

A frown crossed the blonde’s brow. She leaned closer, not taking her gaze from where Evers played pied-piper to the children trailing behind him. “How did he do that?”

Caitlyn shook her head and shrugged. “Illusion?”

Over the last few years, the networks had aired a few of his shows. The ones she had watched consisted of one or two incredible magic feats. This was the second extraordinary act in a row for his performance tonight, and with excitement, she waited to see what others he would perform before the end.

The rest of the show careened past her as she struggled to rationalize all that had occurred onstage. An hour and a half later, she leaned against the wall in the amphitheater’s ladies room and waited as Marcy applied fresh powder and lipstick. In a matter of seconds, they would go through the hallways to the special room in the building for the backstage party.

Her blood continued to rush through her veins, and the mirrors behind the sinks beckoned her to look and verify they were solid glass and not a doorway to a different world. No, she refused to believe what happened on stage earlier held even a small measure of reality. His act thrived with the spectacular illusions. Only illusions. Evers was a fake, and her determination strengthened to discover all his little tricks.

She turned and smiled, concentrating on her friend’s reflection. Marcy’s beauty amazed her sometimes. Flawless tanned skin enhanced the striking blond streaks in her hair. Bright blue eyes rose and met hers in the mirror.

“Excited?” Marcy compressed her lips to smooth the fresh coat of frosted pink lipstick.

“Maybe–a little. I haven’t had time to think about it.” Caitlyn stepped away from the wall. “Hurry up. I want to get this over with.”

“Oooh, she’s anxious. Why?” Marcy wagged a finger at her. “I know you, Caitlyn. Don’t give me that strong I’m-not-nervous attitude. You’re shaking inside. I can see the vein pulsing in your neck. Don’t be nervous, he’s a man, just like all the rest. Of course, he is famous, rich, has gorgeous looks and his body–I can’t wait to get my hands on him.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. She seriously considered the same thing, but she would never say the words out loud. They sounded vulgar and full of raw emotions, two things she excluded from her life. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe he won’t even notice you?”

Marcy laughed, a nice throaty sound, and stepped closer, slipping her arm through Caitlyn’s. “Does it matter? How many women do you know can say they had the chance to proposition Shay Evers? To me, that’s more important than actually getting him in the sack.”

“It’s good to know you’re not as bad as you appear.” She patted Marcy’s hand as they walked, arms entwined, from the ladies room. Caitlyn blinked several times to adjust her sight to the dim light in the corridor. Decorative lights hanging fifty feet above did little to dispel the shadows along the edges of the hall. Darkness lined the way. The eerie atmosphere gave her a chill.

Several teenage girls dressed in sparkling shirts and tattered jeans brushed passed them. Their overpowering perfume and excited giggles grated on Caitlyn’s frazzled nerves.

Marcy swung her head toward her and winked. “Did I tell you how fabulous you look? From now on, you’ll wear your hair down. Even without any makeup, this outfit and your hair make a big difference. Of course you still have a long way to go before you’ll match me in looks. Who knows? Evers might notice you and ignore me. Wouldn’t it be wild?” Her eyes lit up with her laugh, and she hugged Caitlyn’s arm tighter against her side. “Just imagine the headlines. Illusionist falls head-over-heels for aspiring news reporter. You’d be set for life.”

Blood rushed to Caitlyn’s cheeks. Marcy managed to dig her point deep into Caitlyn’s flesh with her words. No matter what she did, she’d never match Marcy in the looks department. Angry, Caitlyn’s answer came out stronger than she’d meant. “I have no intention of ever getting married or falling love. You know how I feel about the subject.”

Marcy rolled her eyes. “Oh calm down, I was just teasing. You’ll change your mind one day. Who knows? Today might be the day and Shay Evers the man.”

She shook her head, denying Marcy’s words, but her friend had planted the seed. Deep within her heart, she wanted a relationship with Shay, but in reality, something so fabulous would never happen. She maneuvered Marcy to the right, avoiding a group of giggling fans. The crowds thinned, but a large number of young girls still roamed the halls.

Marcy pointed to a hallway branching off ahead of them. “Take a right up here. The elevator is there. Second floor and it’s our turn to perform.”

Caitlyn’s stomach rolled. What was wrong with her? She shouldn’t feel so anxious. Evers was, like Marcy said, just a man. A sharp pang sliced through her. The rational side of her accepted her friend intended to tease her, but now the idea whirled in her head. The schoolgirl jitters inside her refused to go away.

Lost in her thoughts, she let Marcy monopolize the conversation. The elevator doors opened to a huge social area, and she forced her attention to her surroundings.

People pooled here and there. Smiles were pasted on everyone’s faces, white teeth flashing and battling for brilliance with all the diamonds and jewels in the room. A few groups wandered from one side of the room to the other. She stepped from the elevator and cool air smacked her in the face, relieving her internal rise in temperature from her thoughts of Evers. Marcy guided her toward the tables set up on the far side of the room.

“Omigod there he is.” Her friend’s excited murmur reached her above the quiet conversations around them. “Come on, hurry. I’ve seen turtles move faster than you. I don’t want to miss him. These parties don’t usually last long. If you don’t speak to the star at the start, he’ll disappear and you’ll miss your chance.”

Caitlyn frowned. How had Marcy spotted Evers in the crowd? They shifted right to avoid a group of people, and when she glanced toward the tables, she saw him. With his rear resting against the edge of the last table, he smiled and nodded at the small crowd of people huddled in a semi-circle in front of him.

Once she noticed him, the room’s perimeter darkened while the light surrounding him took on a luminous glow. A clear glass, half-filled with brown liquid hung loose from his fingertips. Long dark eyelashes hid his eyes for a second, and then gleaming amethyst met and held her gaze.

The air in her lungs ceased expelling. She failed to force it out. Caught within his brilliant stare, she battled against a wave of dizziness. The slow lowering of his right eyelid released her.

He’d winked.

She froze. Did he wink at her? Yes, he had.

He looked away.

Freed from the hypnotic spell he cast on her, she exhaled.

Narrowing her gaze, she studied him. What kind of game was he playing? Her mind screamed to turn, run away. She’d find the quiet spot, phone Kramer and tell him she couldn’t go through with this interview.

And he’d blow up and fire her. She shut her eyes for a second, trying to find a place of calmness inside her.

When she opened them, Evers nodded in response to something someone said. Even though Caitlyn believed he’d stared into her eyes, there wasn’t any proof he focused on her. More than fifty people roamed about the room. Her imagination was playing with her, and if she wanted to succeed with her career she would have to learn to handle her reactions to his every move.

Satisfied with her analysis of the situation, she focused on the illusionist once more. Someone stepped away from him, allowing her a few moments to study his every move.

One long leg, covered in black leather, stretched away from the table while the other bent back under the wooden edge. Thick dark hair framed his features and hung over and behind his shoulders. Inhaling, she glanced at his face. The real man was far sexier than the cutout had been and, unlike the cardboard picture, he moved. The left side of his mouth twitched. He glanced in her direction again.

Marcy freed Caitlyn’s arm and glided to Evers’s side, squeezing past the people in front of him. The sexy blonde stopped less than six inches from him and leaned close. The side of her friend’s breast brushed against his arm, and Caitlyn clenched her jaw, determined to rise above the sudden surge of jealousy bubbling within her.

Rolling her eyes, she refused to watch his reaction to her friend’s overtures. She hoped no one had seen her enter the room with Marcy. The woman was a great friend, but her wild streak bothered Caitlyn.

She moved toward a buffet table not far from them. She kept her gaze on the cheese tray in front of her. Without having to look, she imagined how well Marcy was coming on to the man. Her friend had no shame when it came to men.

“What is it about him that attracts beautiful women?” A man’s said from behind her in a deep, accented voice.

Curious to see the man asking the question, Caitlyn swiveled toward the speaker. Tall and slender, pale blond hair tied at the back of his neck, the middle-aged stranger stood less than a foot away from her. He stood like a monolith, his arms crossed over his chest. A frown marred his handsome face. He reminded her of a Greek statue, his features perfect and cool.

The man tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at her.

She shrugged and bit off a piece of cheese she took from the platter. “I have no idea. I’m not sure I want to know, either.” She smiled and accepted a glass of wine from a passing waiter. Rich burgundy aroma rose from the fluted glass.

“It’s as if he has a scent about him which attracts women,” the man continued.

An image appeared in Caitlyn’s mind of a stag in rut. Yes, perfect comparison for the illusionist. She raised the glass to her lips and wine shifted toward her lips. She took a small sip, the rich aroma streaming up her nose.

The blond man snapped his fingers and smiled at her. “I know. A stag in rut.”

Caitlyn choked.