Page 1

HIS CYNICAL FACE had the wicked fascination of a fallen angel and he had the strange olive-green eyes of a sorcerer capable of conjuring both white and black magic.

As Kendra’s gaze met his across the crowded room, she felt a queer breathless shock and her hand tightened involuntarily on the stem of her cocktail glass. There was a mesmerizing intensity about those deep-set eyes; she felt as though she was wrapped in a shimmering force field of power. And suddenly she felt weak and ineffectual. Then one of the men in the little coterie surrounding Damon spoke to him and he glanced away, releasing her.

Releasing? Good heavens, she was being fanciful tonight! She made a conscious effort to relax her death grip on her glass.

She must be more tired than she realized. Joel Damon might be known for being something of a miracle worker as a director, but there was nothing in the least supernatural about him personally. His reputation with women was scandalous, even in the permissive culture of Tinsel Town. That narrowed, searing glance he had directed at her had merely been the appraisal of a virile predator seeking new prey. She surely should be used to that by now.

Her hand absently rubbed at the nagging little pain in the small of her back. The moment she became aware of what she was doing, she quickly jerked her hand away. This must be her night for being stupid. There were too many people here who would recognize and correctly interpret that little sign of weakness for exactly what it was. That had to be avoided at all costs. All she had to do was hold on until the painkiller she’d taken fifteen minutes earlier had time to take effect; then she’d be fine. The gag today had been rough and she was tired—that’s why the ache seemed so unbearable at the moment.

“God, you look gorgeous, Ken,” Dave Balding’s voice was lazily admiring her as he appeared at her side.

He looked more like an ebullient genie than ever, she thought. Oh, dear, yet another mythical simile. Her lips turned up in a rueful smile. “So do you, Dave,” she said lightly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a tuxedo. You look quite dashing.”

He made a face. “Come on, Ken, cut the bull. We’ve known each other too long for me to swallow that.” His blue eyes were twinkling as he patted his slightly rotund stomach. “Even Sheila said I looked like a pregnant penguin in all this sartorial glory. She should know; she’s due herself next month.”

“Is Shelia here?” Kendra’s gaze eagerly searched the room, but Dave was shaking his head.

“Nope.” He lifted his glass to his lips. “She didn’t feel up to this kind of bash tonight. You know how she is when she’s pregnant. She gets positively claustrophobic in crowds.” He frowned. “I didn’t like leaving her alone, but I couldn’t risk offending the great man.” He gestured mockingly toward Joel Damon across the room. “I may be assistant producer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t jump when Damon whistles. I have instructions from Michael Donovan that he’s to have everything he wants for Desert Venture. ”

Kendra’s brows lifted in surprise. Michael Donovan of Donovan, Ltd. Productions didn’t have the reputation of relinquishing one iota of his power as executive producer in the blockbuster hits his company produced. Though he gave his directors complete artistic license, his iron hand was always visible behind the scenes. “That’s rather unusual, isn’t it?”

Dave nodded. “I’ll say it is.” He took a sip of his drink. “But then, so is Joel Damon. He can write his own ticket with any film studio in Hollywood these days. He picked up his second Oscar last year, you know.”

“How could I help it?” With an odd sense of reluctance her gaze followed his to the corner of the room. In the conventional tuxedo he wore with such careless elegance, Damon’s tall slim body gave off an aura of power that dominated the little circle around him. There was a lazy smile on those cynical lips now as he looked down at the woman beside him. She was chattering with almost desperate vivacity in the attempt to hold his attention. His green sorcerer’s eyes were nearly hidden by his heavy lids, so that only a jewel-bright gleam shone through the dark lashes. Then those lashes flicked up and his gaze met hers with the impact of an electric shock. Electricity. Yes, that was the word for the whorls of power that were radiating from him, and again she was conscious of the sensation of being caught in the paws of a predator.

This time his oddly possessive glance didn’t stop at her face, but wandered over her golden throat and shoulders to the full thrust of her breasts against the cinnamon chiffon gown. His gaze lingered there for a long moment and, incredibly, she felt her breasts respond to his hot glance as if he actually touched her. Then he looked at her slim waist, hips, and long legs. When his glance shifted from her to Dave, she let out her breath in a rush of relief.

Dave Balding’s lips pursed in a soundless whistle. “When did you meet Joel Damon, Ken? I have an idea you didn’t need my help to get you on the payroll.”

“What?” She shook her head as if to clear it. What in heaven’s name was wrong with her tonight? “I’ve never met the man,” she said lightly. “I imagine the only reason I was invited to this party was that his secretary noticed my name on the production log.” Her glance flitted around the room, dramatically decorated in black and white. “It’s far from a select gathering anyway. Everyone from the wardrobe woman to the key grip is here tonight.” Her gaze returned to the blonde standing beside Damon. “Not to mention half the starlets in Hollywood.”

“Joel’s leaving for Sedikhan tomorrow and he usually throws a party for the cast and crew the night before he goes on location,” Dave said. “Not that I think he enjoys it. I get the distinct impression that the social scene bores him to tears.” He moved his shoulders uneasily. “You’re sure you haven’t met him before? That look I’m getting from our lord and master is definitely menacing.”

“It has to be your imagination,” she said deliberately, shifting her position so that her back was turned to Damon. But even then she could feel the force of his gaze on her bare back and shoulders. “From what I’ve heard, it’s not unusual for Joel Damon to display an interest in a woman. Any woman.” She took several sips of her champagne before speaking again. “Perhaps his boredom is extending to that lush little blonde who’s hanging on to his every word.”

“Maybe.” Dave’s smile brightened his plain face. “It’s not the first time you’ve shut out the competition without even trying.” His admiring glance skimmed over her long chestnut hair. It tumbled down her back in a silken curtain and shimmered with a thousand tiny flames in the softly lit room. “Most men take one look at you and immediately decide that you’re just what they need as an erotic nightcap. I don’t know how I escaped your luscious allure all these years.”

“I do.” Kendra’s deep brown eyes were twinkling. “It probably had something to do with the fact that I tagged after you and Casey from the time I could toddle. What’s that expression—‘familiarity breeds contempt’?”

His face sobered. “Never contempt, Kendra,” he said quietly, raising his hand and gently stroking the curve of her cheek. “I think I respect you more than anyone I’ve ever known.” He hesitated. “How is Casey?”

“Better,” she answered. “Much better.” Her face clouded. “He was pretty bitter at first, but who could blame him? I don’t think anyone could accept being partially paralyzed without going a little crazy. Particularly a man like Casey who knew it also meant the end of his career as a stuntman.” She tried to smile. “He’s studying law now, you know. Casey always was a great one for talking. He’ll probably become a Supreme Court justice before he’s satisfied.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Dave said softly. “Casey’s the type of man who gets whatever he goes after. Is he still in that convalescent home in the Valley?”

She nodded. “Dr. Dystron says he’ll be there at least for another six months for physical therapy. He’s really chomping at the bit to get back to the real world.” Her lips tightened with determination. “But I’ll be damned if I’ll let him get out before he can get around without that walker. It’s going to be tough enough for him facing all of his old friends in the business. Besides, he’d start skipping the outpatient therapy, and he needs all those nurses right there to nag him about it.”

Dave’s eyes were thoughtful. “You know, when we were all kids together, you were the quiet gentle one who let Casey and me stampede all over you. It seemed impossible sometimes that you were really brother and sister.” His hand moved from her cheek to squeeze her shoulder affectionately. “Somewhere along the way you’ve managed to develop into one hell of a woman, Ken.”

“I’ve just grown up,” she said simply. “After Casey’s accident I didn’t have much choice: I had to be strong enough for both of us. Casey needed an adult to depend on, not a child.”

“You were only nineteen when Casey broke those vertebrae in his back.” Dave’s lips tightened. “There should have been someone there to help you. You’ve gone through hell with those three operations and Casey in one hospital after another.” He frowned. “We all wanted to help, Ken. Why wouldn’t you let us?”

“What could anyone do?” she asked wearily, her hand rubbing unconsciously at the tendons in the small of her back. “His friends all stood by him. His hospital room looked like a De Mille crowd scene most of the time. You were all wonderful to support him like that. The rest was my responsibility.” She smiled up at him. “But you all helped there, too. You got me the stunts to help pay all those medical bills.” She made a face. “Well, almost all the bills. The operations have been paid for now; that leaves only the convalescent home to worry about.”

“I don’t know if we did you any favors doing that.” His concerned gaze was on the hand rubbing her back. “You’ve been overdoing it, Ken. All the stunt boys say so. You’ve been taking any job that comes along and not insisting on proper safety measures. I heard you tore up some tendons in your back a few months ago, yet you were back on the set six weeks later. Is your back still bothering you?”

She dropped her hand away quickly. “No, not at all,” she lied. “I’m just a little stiff because of a fall I took from a horse this afternoon. The stunt coordinator misjudged the spot where I’d fall and dug up the earth three feet from the place the lariat actually toppled me off my trusty steed.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t break any bones,” he said grimly. “Like I said, you’re not being careful enough in choosing your jobs. The wrong stunt coordinator can get a person killed. I bet you didn’t even insist on a run-through before the scene was shot.”

“The director was in a hurry to finish the day’s shooting. He didn’t want to take the time.” She smiled bitterly. “Time is money, you know. Casey didn’t have a run-through either or he might not have skidded that car into a stone wall.”

“You should have learned from his mistake,” Dave said. “If you’re not careful, you’ll end up in the hospital yourself and then how will you help Casey?”

“If you want work in this business, you don’t argue with the director,” she said softly. “You know that as well as I do, Dave. All a stuntwoman needs to get blacklisted is a reputation for not being ‘cooperative.’ There are too many amateurs out there ready to step in and take the risks just to get the chance to break into the business.”

“It’s not worth your life, Kendra,” Dave said bluntly. “Hell, it’s not even that the job really appeals to you. You never did get the kick out of it Casey did.”

“But I’m good at it.” Kendra smiled gently. “And that’s what’s important right now. Even as a favor you wouldn’t have hired me for Venture if I wasn’t a competent professional. And you don’t have to worry about the stunt coordinator on this picture. Skip Lowden is the best in the business. I’ve worked for him before.”

“He’s going to have to be,” Dave said. “ Venture is going to have more stunts than a James Bond thriller. Joel insisted I get the top people in the field.” He glanced down at her glass. “You need a refill; shall I get you one?”

“Please.” She watched as Dave dodged his way through the crowd to the bar at the end of the room. She seldom had more than one drink, but she had an idea she might need all the help she could get to see her through the evening. Why weren’t those damn pills taking effect? Cold fear surged through her. Oh Lord, had the fall damaged the scar tissue on the tendons again? Oh, please, God, not now! She needed this job. She hadn’t been entirely truthful with Dave. There had been no need to worry him any more than he was already. Why burden him with the knowledge that she still owed another ten thousand for Casey’s last operation and that the convalescent home bills were astronomical?

“Dave told me you were on the team, but I wasn’t sure you’d be here tonight.” The southwestern drawl was unmistakable, so was the lean hard-bitten face of the man who appeared at her side. Skip Lowden was in his early forties, but the only thing that testified to his age was a sprinkling of gray at his temples. The rest of him was all tough whipcord muscle and cool coordinated power. A power that was echoed in the keen razor-sharp gray eyes gazing into her own. “I heard you took a little tumble this afternoon.”

She should have known he would have heard, she thought in resignation. The professional stuntworld was a very tight network and Skip was prominent in the hierarchy. “It wasn’t much,” she said defensively. “We got it on the second take.”

“The second take should have been the first!” His voice resonated with authority. “You should have insisted on a run-through. Particularly with an amateurish ass like Bodine running the show. You know better than that, Ken.”

She was getting very tired of hearing that. It was all very well for Skip to talk. He had the experience and reputation to be able to demand…and get anything he wanted.

“I’ll remember that on Venture, ” she said lightly. “But then, you wouldn’t let me run even one risk without planning it out to the last detail. I know the way you work, Skip. I hear I’m to double for the supporting actress, Billie Callahan.” A tiny frown wrinkled her brow. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of her.”

“It’s her first picture,” Skip answered. “She’s Joel Damon’s new discovery. Brenna Donovan’s starring, but the ingenue gets all the stunts.” His glance went over her objectively. “You’re about the same height, but you’ll have to bind your breasts. Billie isn’t nearly as…voluptuous.”

She grimaced. “Not many women are,” she said gloomily. “Which is a distinct disadvantage when it comes to doubling for men as well as women. The only place I can get away with it is in a car chase.” She gazed up at him, her brown eyes narrowing. “I hear there’s a special stunt involving a jeep jumping a canyon in the picture. Is it a big money gag?”

“Eight thousand.”

Eight thousand. Together with what she was making for the rest of the picture, it would be almost enough to clear the debt on Casey’s operation. “I want it, Skip,” she said, her voice vibrating with intensity. “I need it.”

“I haven’t decided who’ll do it yet.” Skip’s voice was as coolly measured as a metronome. “There are five men on the team who have the experience for the job and they’d all give their union cards to get it.”

“I could do it. You know I could do it. I’m good with cars. Almost as good as Casey was. Give me the gag and you won’t be sorry, Skip. I won’t let you down. One take, I promise.”

“There wouldn’t be any question of that,” he answered. “There’s no run-through possible on this one. It’s either make it or end up at the bottom of the canyon. And my people don’t end up like Casey, Ken. Not when I’m running the action.”

She was still looking at him hopefully, but he was shaking his head. “I’m not going to promise it to you, Ken. I haven’t worked with you in two years and I’ve been hearing a few disturbing things about you lately.” He was turning away. “I’ll think about it, but I’m not going to commit myself to anything until I watch you work. We’ll talk again in Sedikhan.”

He was gone as quickly as he’d appeared, leaving her to gaze after him. Disappointment mixed with a glimmer of hope. At least he hadn’t rejected the idea entirely and that was something. If he hadn’t given the gag to someone else there was still a chance for her to get it. Skip was absolutely fair and, if she could prove herself to him, he’d give her the job.

“Sorry to be so long; the bar was a mob scene.” Dave pressed a champagne glass into her hand and grinned down at her. “I saw Skip talking to you so I didn’t try to speed up the bartender. I thought you’d welcome the chance to try to get him to let you do the jump. Did you convince him?”

A little smile tugged at her lips. “You know me too well, Dave.” She shook her head. “No, he’s reserving judgment at the moment, but I’m not giving up.”

“I didn’t think you would.” Dave gave a mock shudder. “Better you than me. That stunt would make Evel Knievel turn pale. I can’t understand why you stunt people fight so ferociously for the privilege of breaking your necks.”

“Money,” she said succinctly. “And the chance of beating a record set by some other stunt person.” She took a sip of champagne. “And some can’t resist the challenge of walking that tightrope between life and death.” She shrugged. “There’s any number of reasons why we do it if you think about it.”

“None of which makes any sense to a sane individual,” Dave said dryly. His blue gaze was fixed musingly on her face. “You appear to be feeling better. There’s some color in your cheeks now. When I first saw you, you looked so strained and exhausted that I was worried.”

She was feeling better, she discovered to her amazement. The painkillers must have done their stuff because her back wasn’t aching at all now. In fact, she’d never felt more vibrantly, glowingly alive in her entire life. She looked down at the champagne in her glass and smiled broadly. She felt like one of the bubbles that rose in the golden liquid—effervescent, yet very clear and sharp. It was such a lovely sensation. But was it too lovely? She couldn’t be a little tipsy, could she?

Nonsense, she had only had one glass of champagne! It must be the relief of knowing she had a chance at the jump that explained this strange exhilaration. “I feel fine,” she said, smiling brilliantly at Dave. “Wonderful. Now why don’t you tell me what you and Sheila have been up to lately?”

She continued to float on iridescent bubbles during the next hour and, if possible, the euphoria escalated to an even more shimmering plateau. When she’d first arrived at Joel Damon’s home in Laurel Canyon, she had thought the stark black-and-white decor was cold. Now she changed her mind. It was a perfectly beautiful room. Everything was perfectly beautiful.

Dave’s face was beautiful too, with his bright blue eyes and warm understanding smile. But he wasn’t smiling at the moment, she realized hazily.

“Are you okay, Ken?” Dave’s voice was full of concern.

She looked at him wonderingly. What a foolish question. “Of course I am,” she said liltingly. “I was a little tired before, but now I’ve got my second wind.”

His glance dropped speculatively to her glass. “I have an idea that’s not all you’ve got. How many cocktails did you have before I found you in this mob?”

Did he think she was tipsy? The idea was so absurd that her throaty laugh rang out causing a few bystanders to look at her in surprise. “Only one,” she answered, standing on her tiptoes to plant an affectionate kiss on his cheek. “You know I never have more than two in an evening.”

“I thought I did.” He frowned as he studied her flushed cheeks and velvet-brown eyes shining with an almost feverish excitement. He linked his arms loosely about her waist. “But something’s sure got you lit up like neon. Are you on something?”

“On something?”

“Coke, uppers, Quaaludes?” he enumerated tersely.

“Don’t be silly,” she said indignantly. “I’ve seen enough careers blown to atoms by drugs to shy away from them like the plague.” Drugs. She had taken that painkiller earlier but it could have no connection with this lovely mood she was in. Well, perhaps a minor connection. It had taken the pain away and no doubt relief was partly responsible for the joyous ebullience that was surging through her. But she wasn’t going to worry about that now. She was too happy. It seemed a lifetime since she’d felt this irresponsible, this free from care.

“I think I’d better take you home.” Clearly worried, Dave chewed at his lower lip. “Where’s your wrap?”

“I think one of the maids put it in a bedroom upstairs,” she said vaguely. “But I can’t go home yet. I haven’t paid my respects to the wizard. He might get angry and turn me into a frog.” She shook her head, her forehead knitting in thought “No, that’s a prince.” She laughed again, her face alight with amusement. “And I’m not even a princess, so I guess I’m safe.”

“What wizard?” Dave asked blankly, as he turned her firmly in the direction of the staircase that led to the upper level of the ranch-style house.

“Is there more than one?” she asked, turning toward the corner of the room where Damon was still holding court. She knew exactly where he was, even though she’d been careful not to glance at him after that first searing exchange. She had been as aware of him as if they’d been linked by a golden cord. Perhaps they had, she thought hazily, but the cord was invisible. Sorcerers could weave spells like that, couldn’t they? She realized she had been a little afraid of him, but the emotion was gone now. She wasn’t afraid of anything at the moment. “Joel Damon, magician extraordinaire!” She lifted her glass in a mocking salute.

He was gazing at her as she knew he would be. She’d felt his eyes on her all evening and it had engendered a tiny flame of excitement she had refused to acknowledge. He wanted her. Desire for her was there, blazing openly and hungrily in his expression, but there was something else as well. An anger and resentment so intense it pierced even her present buoyant self-confidence. “Perhaps you’re right; maybe I shouldn’t press my luck.” She smiled impishly up at Dave. “He might not realize I’m not a princess.”

“At the moment he’s looking at you as if you’re a full course dinner after a month-long fast,” he said, his lips tight. “I think I’d better get you out of here before he decides to gobble you up.” He was propelling her rapidly across the room toward the stairs. “Home,” he said firmly.

“If you say so,” she agreed cheerfully. “However, I don’t know why you think there’s anything wrong with me.”

“Who is she?” Joel’s voice was clipped. His gaze followed Balding and the chiffon-clad woman as they slowly climbed the stairs. Balding’s arm was clasped around her waist with a casual intimacy that scraped like rough sandpaper on Joel’s nerves. Not that it was any more caressing than the fondling they had been indulging in all evening, he thought darkly. They couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other and were obviously seeking privacy for greater intimacy. He pulled his gaze away from them with no little effort and turned to scowl at the slim dapper man next to him. He’d been resisting asking about the woman all evening and wasn’t the least bit pleased that the impulse had finally overcome his strength of will. “And what the hell is she to Balding? Didn’t you tell me he was married?”