It was the same face she was looking for. A gorgeous, dark face with eyes that could be black with anger or warm and soft with desire, and a mouth that twitched sexily when he laughed at her jokes.
She drew in a deep breath and ordered her heart to stop beating so fast. It didn't listen.
The crowd parted ahead and Abbey suddenly wanted to turn and run. The man she now knew to be Nick Delaware was chatting with a group of people. He stopped when he spotted her and the look in his eyes told Abbey he liked what he saw.
More than liked—he wanted her. The muscle jumping in his jaw was a dead giveaway.
"Damien," said Tarken. Abbey cringed. He'd turned on his saccharine-sweet tone. "So good to see you again. I believe you've met my girlfriend, Abbey."
"I'm not your girlfriend, Tarken," she said through gritted teeth.
Nick looked like he was trying not to smile. Damn.
"Yes, we've met." Nick's voice was luxurious velvet and his eyes, fringed with black lashes, sparkled at her. He took Abbey's hand and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss it, but he just shook it.
She smiled weakly, suddenly wishing she could sit down. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to seduce him, not the other way round.
Nick's eyes moved from her face and traveled the length of her body all the way to her toes. She heard him suck in a breath before glancing away.
Good. She had him, hook, line and sinker. He wanted her.
Tarken coughed nervously and pulled Abbey into him, his fingers curling possessively around her waist. She unclasped his grip and stepped away. Tarken was not part of her plan. She didn't think Nick would be jealous of the little wimp.
No, if she was going to make Nick jealous then she needed a better target. Someone just as good looking as Nick. Making him jealous was the only way she could make him suffer. Then, when he was insane with jealousy, she'd tell him she knew all about his lie. Then she'd walk away.
She scanned the immediate faces and there was only one that would fit the bill. He was tanned, although not as dark as Nick, and quite good looking, but he didn't have the smoldering eyes or the high cheekbones and sexy lips of Nick.
Okay, so he wasn't a patch on Nick, but he was good looking in the classic sense. And he was a better option than Tarken.
The man seemed to sense her looking at him and he glanced up from the woman he was standing very close to. Within seconds he'd made his apologies and was introducing himself to Abbey, completely ignoring Tarken and Nick.
"Hello," he said taking Abbey's hand. Unlike Nick, he did kiss the back of her hand. "I'm Nick Delaware. I own Software Solutions."
Abbey didn't know whether to laugh out loud or slap him across the cheek for lying to her as well. This was getting ridiculous. Why was this man pretending to be Nick while Nick was pretending to be Damien?
Whatever their reason, it meant he was probably the real Damien Vane.
Abbey glanced at the real Nick, her Nick, who was standing calmly by, watching the charade play out in front of him. He seemed disinterested, sipping from a champagne flute, his eyes lowered.
No, not entirely true. He was watching them through his lashes and his lips had formed into a tight line as he stared at the hand that was now caressing Abbey's. He was studying her reaction to the fake Nick like a hawk watches its prey just before it attacks.
Damn him! What game was he playing? Why all this duplicity?
Abbey returned her attention to the fake Nick, still fawning over her hand. She became aware that Tarken was hovering very closely by, but she doubted it had anything to do with his jealousy, and everything to do with who he thought this guy was —a wealthy tycoon who could buy him twenty times over.
"So you see," the real Damien Vane was saying as he held her hand, "that it's lucky I've got such good employees like Damien here, to entrust the company to. I'm just far too busy to go to all these things."
"Oh? Busy doing what, Mr. Delaware?"
He smiled, not an unpleasant smile, if you like snakes. "Oh, flying around the world, closing business deals. I was in New York this week. Very nice city. Have you been there?"
Abbey shook her head and glanced at Nick out of the corner of her eye. He was unmoving, still watching her surreptitiously with Damien. Fine, she could do this. She turned her full attention to Damien and smiled her most dazzling smile.
"I'd love to go to New York, Mr. Delaware, please tell me about it."
She took another sip of her champagne and tried to relax a little. It was difficult with Vane still holding her hand, Tarken breathing over her shoulder trying to attract his attention, and Nick watching them all through lowered lashes.
Why didn't he say something? Why didn't he come over and try to get this ass**le away from her? Couldn't he tell she found him repulsive?
Perhaps not—she was doing a good job of pretending to like him by nodding and laughing at his pathetic jokes.
Okay, so maybe he couldn't tell that she thought Damien was a dog turd, but Nick should at least be seething with jealousy about now. In her fantasy, he'd be so jealous, he'd march over, force her to go with him, probably to his hotel room, and make wild, passionate love to her.
Bad idea, Abbey. Don’t think about the wild passionate love, just concentrate on the getting-him-jealous part.
She straightened, threw out her br**sts, heard both Tarken and Vane suck in deep breaths, and placed her hand on Vane's arm. She steered him off to one side so their conversation became private although she was still within view of Nick.
He drained his glass of champagne and retrieved another from a passing waiter. She did the same when the waiter passed her. A man and woman had approached Nick and he appeared to be lost in social chit chat with them, but she was sure he was glancing her way every now and again. Almost sure.
The real Damien was saying something to her. Something about log cabins in the mountains. She smiled, nodded, and tried to concentrate on the conversation when all she wanted to do was watch the real Nick. And kiss him, run her hand across his hard muscle, down to his full erection...
Damien's hand moved from her arm to her waist. Abbey let out a small yelp, but instead of following her instincts and moving away, she leaned into him slightly. The man smelled of beer and cheap cologne. She hid a grimace with a grin and tried to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach.
***
Nick's gut churned as Abbey smiled that fabulous smile at Vane. Then everything in him tightened when Vane put his arm around her and whispered in her ear. She didn't move away. Damn it, she actually leaned into him!
He clutched his glass and swallowed another mouthful. He didn't have a clue what his companions were saying and eventually they must have grown bored with his lack of conversation because they moved away.