Until it had all blown up in her face.
They’d been in LA when his cell phone had rung and she’d found herself speaking to his wife. A wife she didn’t know he had. A wife he’d been trying to hide their affair from by making Marisa pay for everything to keep the expenses secret.
Heartbroken, she’d told Alistair it was over and left him, only to arrive back in New Zealand to find he’d bad-mouthed her to everyone in the business so that she couldn’t get another modeling job. Word was, he was bitter she’d been the one to end it.
It had all been years ago, but she’d never forgotten. Hadn’t quite managed to put the humiliation of knowing how badly she’d been conned behind her. How she’d given herself totally to someone, only to have that flung back in her face.
She wouldn’t be so stupid again.
Gently, Marisa touched the blue bead around her neck, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger.
“Carpe diem, Marisa. Do you know that that means? It means ‘seize the day.’ Get out there and grab those dreams. Don’t let them escape.”
She let out a breath, released the bead, her father’s voice echoing in her head.
She’d been putting those art dreams of hers on hold for too long. Letting the past with Alistair hold her back. Letting herself get distracted by men and parties and shopping.
The time for that was over. No more self-sabotage. No more mistakes. And definitely no more hot lusty-pants with men who didn’t appreciate her.
She had stuff to do. Dreams to put in motion.
Time to carpe that effing diem.
Chapter Five
“What do you know about Marisa?” Luke had been sitting on the question all evening and he couldn’t stop from asking it a second longer.
The sounds from the busy pub, full of the evening crowd, seemed suddenly loud.
Caleb Steele, ex-All Black and one of Luke’s oldest and best friends—and apart from Joseph, his only friend—raised his eyebrows in surprise. Understandable really, since they were here to talk about Caleb’s skills auction, not about women.
“Marisa?” his friend said. “Uh, apart from the fact that she’s hot?”
“So nothing then.”
“Hey, I didn’t say that.” Caleb leaned his muscular frame back in his seat, brown eyes assessing. “Why d’you want to know? Got an interest there, mate?”
Luke didn’t. At all. Two weeks after their supply room interlude and he’d—thank God—managed to get back to his normal routine without her screwing around with his concentration. Kind of. Mostly.
Except when odd things would remind him of the touch of her skin. Or her hair. Or the tight clasp of her body when he was inside—
“No,” he said firmly. “I don’t.”
“So what’s with the question?”
Luke tried to think of a good reason. “I had a…run-in with her at work.”
“At work? But isn’t she at that magazine of Christie’s?”
“I own the magazine now.”
“Oh, that’s right, so you do. So when you say ‘run-in’ you mean… What?”
“She was using company e-mail for something other than work.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “Christ, uptight much?”
Luke didn’t bother with defensiveness or justification. He didn’t do either these days, as he didn’t bother apologizing for the way he was. He had control of his life and his work in spite of his condition, and that was the way he preferred it.
“You should have seen the e-mail,” Luke said. “It wasn’t appropriate.”
Caleb’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh really? Why? Rude pictures? Dirty jokes?”
Luke shifted on his chair. The mere thought of that e-mail should not be making him so uncomfortable. It really shouldn’t.
“That’s not important,” Luke said tersely. “I had to call her into my office to give her a warning about it.”
“Whoa, it sounds pretty bloody important if you had to get heavy with her.” His friend leaned forward. “C’mon mate, tell me all about this e-mail.”
But he didn’t want to share what was in the e-mail. Or in fact anything about their relationship.
What relationship?
Yes, exactly. They’d had sex once and that was all the relationship they had.
“No,” Luke said. “If you don’t know anything just say so.”
“I don’t know anything.” Caleb raised a finger. “But she’s hot.”
Hot. Yes, that was true enough. His thoughts drifted again. To the attraction that had ignited between them when he’d kissed her. Intense and vital. So strong…
“Mate, you’re zoning,” Caleb said. “I need to talk to you about this auction...”