“Being ugly,” Christian muttered. “Oh, come on.”
The Homer Simpson look-alike shrugged. “Calling it like I see it.”
“Let me talk to him, love,” Christian offered in his very proper British voice, the sound making her knees wobble.
She stepped out of his way. “Be my guest.”
Grabbing the squat man by the collar, Christian shoved him against one of the black columns that framed RARE. “I made her fall into the trees. You will apologize to the lady, because that’s exactly what she is.”
Murmurs arose from a crowd of onlookers.
Christian froze, staring down at the man he’d pinned against the restaurant. A you’re-in-for-it-now smile appeared on the guy’s face and his mouth opened. “Don’t even think about.” But Christian needed to. How would he get out of this situation? He was quite sure this kind of publicity wasn’t what his agent had in mind. The board members of B.T.S. wouldn’t be amused either.
“Cut!” Christian heard Zoe shout, then she began to clap. “Well done, gentlemen. I really liked it when you, Mr. Romanov, pushed, um, him against this column here—” She patted the faux marble. “—in order to defend the lady’s honor. A supremely nice touch.
“You can let him down now,” she added in a hushed voice that barely reached Christian’s ears.
A few people joined in, until the entire crowd was clapping along with her.
Christian watched in complete fascination as Zoe disappeared into the remaining jungle of palm trees. Where was she going?
“Uh, Mr. Romanov?” his prisoner asked.
Christian smiled, then adjusted the man’s collar before letting go. He waved to the crowd, mouthing ‘thank you’ and winking. He elbowed the facilities manager in the side. “Wave and look extremely happy while you do it. Or I’ll rip your bloody head off.” He glanced down at the name tag on the man’s uniform. “Is that understood, Mr. Fulner.”
Frantically waving, Mr. Fulner managed to get an arm around Christian and half hugged him. “Too much?”
“No,” Christian whispered back, smiling and nodding all the while. “Too much would be my foot up your arse. Here’s what you’re going to do: fill her entire room with flowers and the largest box of chocolate truffles you can find—dark, mind you, not milk.” Zoe struck him as a dark chocolate type of woman. “Now, we’re done.”
Mr. Fulner pulled at his collar, then shook Christian’s hand and clapped him on the back. “Pleasure rehearsing with you, but I’ve got to get back to work.”
“Brilliant plan.” Christian strode to the jungle of plants and pulled Zoe out of her hiding place. “Hullo, beautiful. Going my way?”
The crowd went wild. Cameras flashed and cell phones recorded their every move.
“Tell me when it’s over,” she whispered, her arm slipping around him. Briefly. He mourned the loss of contact when it fell away, but when she turned right, he found another excuse to touch her.
“Let’s try this way instead.” Guiding her by the elbow, he led her in the opposite direction of the crowd. He still couldn’t believe she’d saved him. A woman like her didn’t exist in his world. Anyone else would have jumped at the chance to be linked with him, but she’d practically hidden from sight the entire time. Zoe hadn’t been up front, posing for the cameras and telling everyone her name. Although everyone would know by tomorrow.
He glanced over his shoulder. Security had stopped the crowd from following them.
“It’s safe, love,” Christian said.
She looked up at him, her lips curving into a smile. “Thank you. It was really sweet of you to defend me.”
“Actually, I should be the one saying thanks.” Although now that he thought about it, the entire incident with Mr. Fulner was rather convenient. He wouldn’t put it past his agent or his father to pay someone or someones to stage the entire thing. His gut told him that Zoe wasn’t in on it. She’d looked horrified that something so dreadful had happened.
Perhaps he would do a little digging of his own into tonight’s incident.
“Well, I didn’t think it was right for Mr. Fulner to look like the victim when clearly he wasn’t. You put him in his place and that kind of behavior should be rewarded, not treated like the next YouTube video gone viral. Besides, who doesn’t know a tree is a plant? It’s leafy and green,” she said.
“So’s the Jolly Green Giant.”
She laughed and he grinned at her.
“I like hearing you laugh.” For once his words weren’t an attempt to hook up with her. “You did that a lot at dinner. At one point I could’ve sworn you were beginning to actually like me.”
“Don’t remind me of that disaster. I wouldn’t be surprised if Peak wants to call the whole thing off. How’s your hand by the way?”
“I’ll live to see tomorrow,” he drawled, feeling slightly guilty. He hadn’t thought of that when he decided to cause a big scene. Okay, so he wasn’t the direct cause, but he had milked it, never considering Zoe’s reputation. “However, I was referring to Act One when you were in your element.”
She gave him a big smile. “You’re my hero.”
“Actually, I’m the villain.”
Her face turned pink and her eyes shifted away, staring at the corridor in front of them. “Is this the kind of the help you wanted?”
Stopping at the elevators, he pressed the button for ‘up’. “I want whatever you’re willing to give me.”
Chapter Six
“Press fifty-nine.” Zoe gestured to the rows of numbers Christian’s body blocked. There was no way she would reach around him. He was too close for comfort as it was. The adrenaline of their performance was quickly waning and cold reality was taking its place.
He hit the button with his elbow and moved to the opposite side of the elevator to lean against the mirrored wall. “You smell delicious, Zoe. Good enough to eat and I haven’t had any dessert… yet.”
Guess the whole talking to her like she was a real person, with goals other than hooking up with him, was over. “Pressure Play.”
“What?”
“I thought we talked about this?” She sighed at his blank look. “You just gave me a line from one of your movies.”
A small frown played on his perfect lips. “How in God’s name do you remember that?”