The Agent

by Ellen Lane

  “Dashing, am I?”

  Alice could barely manage an answer. “Yes. Quite.”

  “Good to know.” With that, he placed a brief but very heated kiss just above her collarbone, and Alice bit back a moan of raw desire. He was obviously trying to kill her.

  However, instead of crawling over her like she would have liked, Russell instead straightened, reaching out to take her hand and help her to her feet. “Shall we feed you then?”

  She wanted to eat him…. but Alice supposed she’d settle for lunch.

  She followed Russell back to the main cabin of the plane where a delicious lunch had already been laid out for them. While they enjoyed the grilled salmon and vegetables with wine, Alice did her best to recover from the fire the man had set in her loins. Thankfully, their conversation was rather companionable, and instead of trying to further seduce her, Russell instead filled her in on the new schedule shooting and showed her some preliminary shots of the first costumes her assistants had completed.

  Alice pronounced them perfect, knowing she would have to congratulate the ladies when she landed. She’d known they were great talents before she took them on, but this was just confirmation of their dedication to the project. She wouldn’t be able to do it without them.

  True to her word, Alice took a quick shower and freshened up, changing into more climate appropriate clothing before they disembarked. A naughty part of her hoped that Russell walked in on her changing so they could continue their dialogue from earlier, but she wasn’t so lucky. Instead, she made her way back to her seat for the landing, and within half an hour, they disembarked out into glorious Aruba sunlight.

  Alice had visited the island a few times before, but she couldn’t recall the last time she’d actually been to the beach. She’d been so busy with work lately that finding time to get there was close to impossible.

  Of course, she was in Aruba for work as well – that much was made apparent the moment they got off the plane. Lemmy was at the airport making sure that all his crew made it in ok, and Alice was glad that he at least had the decency to look abashed at having forgotten to tell her about the relocation.

  “Alice, so glad you could make it.” He wrung her hand so hard Alice thought he might be trying to have it off, until Russell came between them with a winning smile.

  “Almost left her in the dust, Lemmy. No gratitude needed.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that Russell. It won’t be the first time you’ve saved my ass.” With a guilty grin, he took Alice’s arm firmly to lead her through the airport. “You guys are the last to arrive, so you’ll be the first to get the overview.”

  Alice was gladder than ever that she slept on the plane. It looked like she wasn’t even going to get a moment’s reprieve.

  Lemmy began to talk on their way to the front entrance and didn’t stop until they arrived at the shooting location more than an hour later. It was, Alice realized, a very nice setup. They had rented out the entirety of an exclusive resort for the two-week time frame, and everyone got their own room. Of course, the president suite was given to the main actors, who had the nicest suites, but her accommodations weren’t bad either. Though Lemmy had requested her presence at a meeting for all the department heads in the lobby, she couldn’t help but take a moment to revel in the luxury of her room.

  She had a beachfront suite, with its own kitchenette, sitting room, and lovely bathroom with a large soaking tub. But the best part, without question, was the view. From the small balcony outside the third-floor room, she could see the ocean stretched out before her. Though she knew she would be fairly busy working, Alice couldn’t help but hope that she got to use the swimsuits Russell packed for her at least once.

  She slipped into a pair of sandals and put her hair up before getting ready to leave the calm oasis of her room. Once she slipped outside, however, she almost immediately ran into Russell. Alice jumped, startled by his presence in the hallway, and he chuckled softly.

  “My apologies. I didn’t mean to scare you, Alice.”

  He almost certainly did, and putting her hands on her ample hips, Alice merely shot him a skeptical look. “You could have just knocked.”

  “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  As far as Alice was concerned, he was welcome to disturb her anytime he liked – but she wouldn’t tell him that literally. “Are you going to the meeting in the lobby?” She decided, instead, to change the subject. After all, the last thing she wanted at this juncture was to arrive at the meeting with uncomfortably slick panties.

  “I’m attending in Regina’s place. She’s professing she needs to get at least a few hours of beauty sleep before they start shooting this afternoon.”

  Alice merely rolled her eyes. “How do you deal with all that diva behavior? I’d have slapped the dickens out of some of them by now.”

  Russell merely smiled charmingly. “They’re my livelihood. I think I can deal with a few tantrums when I take that into consideration.”

  She supposed he had a point. “You’re more patient than I give you credit for.” With that, she turned to begin down the hall, trusting that Russell would follow her.

  And he did – without question. He had certainly done a one-eighty while they’d been away. Alice only made it about ten steps when Russell twined his arm around hers, curbing her pace slightly. “In a rush to get to one of Lemmy’s notoriously boring meetings?”

  Alice hid her smile. “You, more than anyone else, should understand the need for professionalism here, Russell. It’s my first film. I’m not an old hat like you.”

  He arched a brow almost imperiously. “Are you calling me old?”

  This time, Alice couldn’t hide her coy grin. “Well you are, what? Eleven years older than me?”

  To her surprise, the man growled – actually growled- in reproach “There are some situations in which that eleven years makes all the difference, I assure you.”

  Bloody fucking hell.

  She was going to embarrass herself at the meeting. Alice gave the man a sideways look of warning. “You are being forward today, Mr. Darwell. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  In response, Russell simply tugged her more flush against his side, murmuring lowly in her ear. “I missed you.”

  Alice’s knees went shaky and she had to break out of his embrace before she lost her footing entirely. Giving the man a warning look, she hurried in front of him. Even so, she could all but feel him grinning at the roundness of her behind. Good lord, he was suddenly lecherous and she had to tell herself that being affronted would do absolutely no good.

  Especially when she liked this side of him.

  Somehow, they managed to reach the lobby without incident, but then Alice had to deal with Russell taking the empty seat beside her. She did her best to pay attention to Lemmy’s long winded explanation of how he wanted the individual cogs of the production crew to work together. However, all she could feel was Russell’s fingers brushing over her unusually sensitive forearm. He wasn’t touching her anywhere overtly sensual, but she still felt as if he might as well have had his hand down the front of her dress.

  Thankfully, Lemmy didn’t go into anything he hadn’t briefed them on in the car, and as soon as he was finished, Alice all but fled, declining to listen to the dialogue that followed. Russell watched her leave, his expression oddly longing, and Alice found herself grateful that she would be working for the next twelve hours straight. Heaven forbid that she found herself in some compromising position with Russell when she was supposed to be working. She didn’t know if she could bear the embarrassment.

  Damn the man for suddenly tempting her on a level he never had.

  Alice hurried to the conference room that had been designated for costumes, and was greeted by her assistants Sophie and Mariah, who were overjoyed to see her. Alice didn’t waste any time in praising them for the amazing job they’d done when she was in England before they began working on some of the more elaborate pieces for later shooting.

/>   Once she had fabric in her hand and a sewing machine whirring, Alice completely lost all track of time. She, Sophie and Mariah were working off designs she completed before she left for the UK, and with assistants like hers, the work went by in a snap. In a few hours, they were piecing together gorgeous dresses as well as working with approved designs from Lemmy’s black book for when they returned to LA. Sophie put on music and proceeded to put on a show, dancing around the room as she worked. All in all, they had a very productive afternoon, and only stopped working when they realized that it was past eight o’clock.

  Once they put all their supplies away and handed all the costumes they’d competed over to wardrobe and makeup, they went to one of the hotels three fine dining facilities and had an excellent dinner with two bottles of wine between the three of them. Alice ended up feeling suitably happy, but nowhere near completely intoxicated. She made her way back to her room with a smile on her face, letting herself in. She was determined to take a long, relaxing bath and work on some correspondence for her brand before she got to sleep. She could only hope that traveling again right after she’d returned did at least a little to alleviate her jetlag. When Alice turned on the light, however, she bit back a yelp of surprise.

  Russell was sitting in an armchair in the sitting area, obviously waiting for her, and she immediately scowled at him. “What the bloody hell are you doing in here?”

  At her obvious reservation, his expression turned to one of concern. “The maid let me in. I meant no affront.” Before she could begin to protest, he stood. “I can leave if you’re busy.”

  Goddamn him.

  “No, don’t.” Alice caught him by the arm before he could get far, and he looked down at her in inquiry, making her blush. “I mean…it’s fine. You just startled me is all. For the second time today.” She released him quickly, making her way to the minibar to pour herself a cranberry juice. “Would you like anything to drink?”

  “Just water, please.”

  Alice poured it for him, slipping off the sweater she’d been wearing since the evening turned cool. “I’m going to run a bath. Feel free to make yourself comfortable.”

  She sipped at her cranberry juice, considering her collection of nightgowns until Russell’s reply nearly made her choke.

  “I suppose there’s no way I could convince you to let me join you.”

  He probably expected her to splutter, bluster and glare at him again, but Alice decided that she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Instead, she merely retained her composure, taking another sip of her juice with a jovial smile. She was, perhaps, just tipsy enough that she didn’t think Russell could overwhelm her anymore. “You should be so lucky.”

  With a wink, she slung her nightgown over her shoulder and flounced into the bathroom. For a moment, she couldn’t help but admire the large Jacuzzi tub that served as the centerpiece. Then, she began to run the water, adding some dried rose petals she’d brought with her along with some of the resort’s body wash.

  As she waited for the tub to fill, she washed her face clean of any vestige of makeup that hadn’t faded through the day and brushed the tangles from her hair before pinning it up once more. By the time she was done with her beauty routine, the water was steaming and perfect. Alice slipped out of her clothes and into the bath with a long sigh of contentment. There was nothing she enjoyed quite so much as a hot bath with bubbles up to her neck. It was the perfect way to unwind after a long day.

  She had left the door to the bathroom cracked and, considering Russell’s silence, Alice wondered if he might have fallen asleep in his chair. They had a very long day and she herself was slightly drowsy – but then again, that might be the three glasses of wine talking. Alice had nearly dozed off herself when the sound of the bathroom door creaking open caught her attention. She came upright slowly – just in time to see Russell making his way across the bathroom to the tub. She was sure she looked completely and totally flummoxed, and the man merely chuckled lowly.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t be getting in with you. No means no.” That said, he sat on the edge of the tub, giving her a long once-over that heated her better than the bath ever could. “Long day?”

  Did he expect her to be able to bathe when he was staring at her like that? Thankfully, the mass of bubbles on the surface of the water shielded all her delicate bits from his view, but the bubbles weren’t permanent. They would eventually dissipate, and when they did…well…Alice wasn’t too sure she would be as upset as she’d like.

  “Terribly.” She was smiling. She couldn’t help it. It had been ages since she’d played such an alluring game of cat and mouse. “You?”

  “Something like that.” He ran a hand through his glorious mane before sighing. “Regina was insufferable. And David decided to pop in and dump his complaints on me as well, even though there was little I could do. I’m inclined to believe that his agent merely sits on her arse all day.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised. Not everyone is as patient as you.” Alice shifted in the bath, crossing her arms somewhat self-consciously over her bare breasts.

  Noticing, Russell arched a brow. “If you’d like me to leave-”

  “I wouldn’t,” Alice cut him off quickly, aware that her face was flushed. It wasn’t like her to be embarrassed about her body; but having seen Russell’s, she couldn’t help but wonder what he might think of her wobbly bits. She wasn’t a large girl by any stretch of the imagination, but she wasn’t perfectly tight and toned either. Not like him. “You know…you’re suddenly incredibly forward.” In her own defense, she abruptly changed the subject. “Before I thought you were a gentleman of the highest caliber. Now, I’m not so sure.”

  At her comment, Russell’s smile was slow and positively wicked. “Miss Tate, I assure you that I won’t do anything you don’t absolutely approve of. All you have to do is say the word.”

  Alice frowned. Despite the fact that this behavior had gone on all day, she was still having trouble comprehending it. Or, for that matter, why Russell had changed so abruptly. Certainly, he’d told her he missed her, but was just missing her an excuse for tempting her so?

  Alice was just inebriated enough to ask him.

  “What on earth has gotten into you all of a sudden?” Cocking her head, she stared up at him boldly. “Until I left, you couldn’t decide whether you wanted me or not and now, all of a sudden, there’s this overt desire. Do you know how much you’ve tortured me over the last few months?” Not that she was saying too much, but for the life of her, Alice couldn’t silence herself. “You’re hot and cold, then all over the place. You insult me, you praise me, and you make me feel…outside of myself. I’m drawn to you, but you’re so bloody detached.”

  Russell merely looked down at her raptly, clearly listening, and she continued. “Maybe...” Alice laughed as she spilled to both herself and the man beside her. “Maybe that’s why I like you. You put yourself apart from everything and everyone – a loner. I’m a bit of a loner myself. No matter what I do, I simply don’t seem to be interested in any man put before me. I might last a few weeks at the very most, but ultimately, I find myself running away. I’m far more comfortable in my office or at a family function than I am out with men…. I’m pathetic.” To her embarrassment, Alice found herself tearing up slightly. “Why is it so damned hard for me? My brother is happily settled down - a new father with a wife and daughter he adores. Even his ridiculously insufferable best mate got hitched almost two years ago. His wife is they only one who can make him behave and I swear to God, every time I see her smile at him, my heart swells and I’m so bloody envious. Everything came so naturally for them and I’m going to end up a bloody spinster!”

  Finally, she fell silent, caught between embarrassment and completely unnecessary self-pity. While it felt good to vent the issues that had been plaguing her for what seemed like an eternity, Alice knew she was an idiot for doing so in front of Russell. If anything, he would think her off her rocker and go running for the hill
s.

  Or so she thought.

  As of yet, Russell hadn’t moved. Instead, he was gazing at her with an oddly sympathetic look. Alice immediately dashed her tears away from under his scrutiny, trying to regain her composure. “Oh, never mind. Don’t look at me like that, Russell Darwell,” she warned him, her voice trembling slightly. “Don’t you dare.”

  When he unexpectedly reached for her, Alice flinched slightly. Russell, however, only used his thumb to wipe away the tears tracking down her cheeks. His blue eyes were filled with empathy, and Alice’s breath caught in her throat at one of the only true flashes of emotion she’d seen from him. “Alice, you have utterly no reason to be disheartened.” Her eyes immediately shot wide at his low but firm profession. “You’re a gorgeously beautiful, successful woman with her entire life ahead of her.” His hand shifted slightly to stroke a few stray strands of dark hair from where they had escaped her loose updo.

  “If no man can keep your interest, it’s because he’s not worthy of you. If you don’t want to spend time around him, he’s not what you need. No doubt you will love more than one man in your life, but a woman as sure as herself as you can’t give her heart to just anyone. Of course, that means a lot of waiting. But in my opinion, women are like fine wine: they only get better with age. I can imagine that will be especially true of you, darling.” As he stroked over her jaw, Alice swallowed thickly. It wasn’t fair that he knew exactly what to say to soothe her. He spoke of her like she was a paradigm of femininity, but in reality, Alice still felt like a child sometimes. The only things she could be truly serious about were her work and her family. When it came to anything else, she felt hopelessly inept.

  How on earth could Russell think so much of her? And how the bloody hell was it possible to want one man so much?

  Of course, he kissed her. Despite the fact that she was soaked, Alice clung to him desperately. His mouth was like nirvana, and the moment his tongue slid against the seam of her lips, she allowed him entry. What else could she do?