‘Just the bottle will do.’ He took a long drink as Tabitha searched frantically for Aiden. Finally catching sight of him, Tabitha groaned inwardly. The bride was chattering to him now, which meant there was no chance of imminent rescue; she’d just have to make the best of it.
‘So what do you do?’
‘Excuse me?’
‘For a living.’ Her patience was starting to run out now. ‘I mean, I assume that you work?’
His brow furrowed for a moment before he answered. ‘I work in the family business; I would have thought you’d have at least known that.’
Tabitha frowned; there was obviously rather a lot of ground that she hadn’t covered with Aiden, and his brother’s resumé was one of them. Still, she was happy to attempt a recovery. ‘That’s right! Aiden did mention it, of course. I’m useless with names and details like that.’
‘So how did you meet my brother?’
‘At a party.’
‘Well, it wouldn’t have been at work, would it?’ He flashed a very dry, guarded smile. ‘We both know the effect that four-letter word has on my brother.’
‘Aiden does work,’ Tabitha bit back. ‘He’s a very talented artist.’
‘Oh, he’s an artist all right.’ Zavier’s black eyes worked the crowd and they both watched as Aiden knocked back one drink, grabbing a couple more from the passing waiter. ‘Dedicated too,’ Zavier mused. ‘So, what do you do for a living?’
Tabitha swallowed. Normally she loved saying what she did for a living, loved the response it evoked in people, but somehow she couldn’t quite imagine Zavier’s face lighting up with undisguised admiration when she revealed her chosen profession. ‘I dance.’
He didn’t say a word, not a single word, but his eyes spoke volumes as they slowly travelled her body, one quizzical eyebrow raised in a curiously mocking gesture as she blushed under his scrutiny.
‘Not that type of dancing,’ she flared. ‘I work on the stage.’
‘Classical?’ he asked, in the snobbiest most derisive of tones.
‘A—a bit,’ Tabitha stammered. ‘But mainly modern. Every now and then I even get to do a poor man’s version of the Can-Can.’ The bitter edge to her voice was obvious, even to herself, and she blinked in surprise at her own admission.
A sliver of a smile moved his lips a fraction and his eyes languorously drifted the length of her long legs. ‘Is that the sound of a frustrated leading lady I hear?’
‘Possibly.’ Tabitha shrugged. Hell, why was she feeling like this? Why did one withering stare from him reduce her to a showgirl? ‘But, for your information, I’m actually very good at what I do,’ Tabitha flared. ‘You might mock what your brother and I do for a living, but you don’t have to pull on a suit to put in an honest day’s work. We happen to give a lot of people a lot of pleasure.’#p#分页标题#e#
‘Oh, I’m sure you do.’ Again those black eyes worked her body, and again Tabitha mentally kicked herself at the opening she had given him.
For something to do Tabitha drained her glass and accepted another from a passing waiter. But still Zavier’s black eyes stayed trained on her, making even the most basic task, such as breathing, seem suddenly terribly complicated.
‘Don’t worry.’ He smiled at her for the first time, but just as Tabitha felt herself relax his cutting voice set the hairs on the back of her neck standing to attention. ‘I mean, once you get that ring on your finger you’ll be able to hang up your dancing shoes for ever.’
Her jade eyes flashed with anger at his inference. ‘I’ll have you know that I happen to enjoy my job—very much, in fact. If you really think I’m seeing Aiden for the chance to marry into his charming family—’ she flashed a wry smile ‘—you couldn’t be more wrong.’
Her fiery response to his provocative statement did nothing to mar his smooth expression, and he stood there irritatingly calm as Tabitha flushed with anger.
‘We’ll see,’ he said darkly. ‘But something tells me I’m not going to be pleasantly surprised.’
Aiden appeared then, oblivious of the simmering tension. ‘Glad to see you’re getting along.’ He smiled warmly. ‘Isn’t she gorgeous, Zavier?’ He squeezed Tabitha around the waist as he haphazardly deposited a kiss on her cheek.
‘Gorgeous,’ Zavier quipped, his smile belying the menacing look in his eyes. ‘Now, if you two will excuse me?’ He flashed the briefest of nods vaguely in her direction as Tabitha stood there mute. ‘It was a pleasure meeting you.’