rasped.
Her brows rose mockingly. 'I just thought you might remind her of our two o'clock appointment tomorrow,' she said with saccharine sweetness.
'She'll be here,' he assured her arrogantly.
'Thank you,' she inclined her head in a mocking salute.
'Don't thank me,' his voice was harsh. 'The portrait is part of Audra's job.'
Despite Nick's arrogant assurance the actress was half an hour late the next day, and if her mood was anything to go by someone had already upset her today.
'I can only stay half an hour at the most,' she informed Danielle haughtily. 'I have a hairdressing appointment at three-thirty.'
Danielle shrugged her acceptance of the fact, not in a mood to be antagonised today. 'That just means we will have to have one more sitting than planned,' she said lightly. 'Would you like to go and change now?'
The actress seemed to take even longer doing that today too, leaving them only twenty minutes of the allotted half an hour. Not that Danielle minded, the less she had to do with the other woman the better.
'Have you seen Nick lately?'
Danielle took her time about answering the casually put question, knowing it was anything but, Audra's mouth tight. 'He called yesterday,' she dismissed.
The brown eyes glittered angrily, I thought you weren't interested in him!'
'I'm not.'
'Then—'
'Could you please sit still. Miss McDonald?' she requested with a sigh. 'We don't have much time today as it is,' she added pointedly.
The other woman stood up to pace the room. 'I suppose you think you've been very clever.'
'I do?' she sat back, realising that for now, at least, work was impossible.
Audra glared at her. 'I know you've been seeing Nick since Tuesday night,' she snapped.
She frowned, thinking the accusation through, not knowing what could have convinced the other woman of such a thing. 'Why do you think that?' she finally prompted.
'I know it,' the other woman's eyes glittered furiously.
'Then you know more than I do,' she shrugged. Audra's mouth twisted into an ugly smile. 'I know the two of you had been doing more than talking out on that balcony Tuesday night. I know how Nick looks when he's aroused.'
'You and a hundred other women!' Danielle heard herself make the bitchy comment as if in a dream.
'Why you—'
'I'm sorry,' she sighed. 'There's no point in the two of us resorting to insults. If you haven't seen Nick since Tuesday it certainly hasn't been because of me. He came here for about fifteen minutes last night, and you have to admit that isn't long enough for him to have even showered, let alone for the two of us to go to bed together,' she derided.
Audra looked uncertain. 'If you're lying to me. . . .'
'I'm not,' she answered steadily, although she wasn't sure she couldn't be the reason Nick hadn't seen his mistress since Tuesday. Maybe he really wanted her so much he could no longer feel any desire for the beautiful Audra? The thought filled her with triumph. Not too much longer now and he should be ripe for her revenge. Then she would see how the arrogantly cruel Nick Andracas liked his own humiliation.
She telephoned her mother once Audra had left, the two of them going shopping for an hour, her mother coming back to the apartment for a cup of tea before driving home.
'Your father has been a little concerned about you, dear,' she looked at Danielle anxiously.
She gave her a surprised look. 'I'm fine,' she assured her. 'You know I am.'
'You have been looking a little pale lately, a
little like you did after—'
'Wrong time of the month,' she dismissed evasively, pouring their tea.
'But you looked pale last week too, Ellie,' her mother said concernedly, an older version of Danielle, the two of them having a wonderful rapport. Which wasn't always a good thing, especially at a time like this; it meant her mother knew her too well. 'You aren't working too hard?'
'Probably,' she smiled. 'But I'm definitely taking a holiday once this one is completed.'
'Can I see it?' her
Her brows rose mockingly. 'I just thought you might remind her of our two o'clock appointment tomorrow,' she said with saccharine sweetness.
'She'll be here,' he assured her arrogantly.
'Thank you,' she inclined her head in a mocking salute.
'Don't thank me,' his voice was harsh. 'The portrait is part of Audra's job.'
Despite Nick's arrogant assurance the actress was half an hour late the next day, and if her mood was anything to go by someone had already upset her today.
'I can only stay half an hour at the most,' she informed Danielle haughtily. 'I have a hairdressing appointment at three-thirty.'
Danielle shrugged her acceptance of the fact, not in a mood to be antagonised today. 'That just means we will have to have one more sitting than planned,' she said lightly. 'Would you like to go and change now?'
The actress seemed to take even longer doing that today too, leaving them only twenty minutes of the allotted half an hour. Not that Danielle minded, the less she had to do with the other woman the better.
'Have you seen Nick lately?'
Danielle took her time about answering the casually put question, knowing it was anything but, Audra's mouth tight. 'He called yesterday,' she dismissed.
The brown eyes glittered angrily, I thought you weren't interested in him!'
'I'm not.'
'Then—'
'Could you please sit still. Miss McDonald?' she requested with a sigh. 'We don't have much time today as it is,' she added pointedly.
The other woman stood up to pace the room. 'I suppose you think you've been very clever.'
'I do?' she sat back, realising that for now, at least, work was impossible.
Audra glared at her. 'I know you've been seeing Nick since Tuesday night,' she snapped.
She frowned, thinking the accusation through, not knowing what could have convinced the other woman of such a thing. 'Why do you think that?' she finally prompted.
'I know it,' the other woman's eyes glittered furiously.
'Then you know more than I do,' she shrugged. Audra's mouth twisted into an ugly smile. 'I know the two of you had been doing more than talking out on that balcony Tuesday night. I know how Nick looks when he's aroused.'
'You and a hundred other women!' Danielle heard herself make the bitchy comment as if in a dream.
'Why you—'
'I'm sorry,' she sighed. 'There's no point in the two of us resorting to insults. If you haven't seen Nick since Tuesday it certainly hasn't been because of me. He came here for about fifteen minutes last night, and you have to admit that isn't long enough for him to have even showered, let alone for the two of us to go to bed together,' she derided.
Audra looked uncertain. 'If you're lying to me. . . .'
'I'm not,' she answered steadily, although she wasn't sure she couldn't be the reason Nick hadn't seen his mistress since Tuesday. Maybe he really wanted her so much he could no longer feel any desire for the beautiful Audra? The thought filled her with triumph. Not too much longer now and he should be ripe for her revenge. Then she would see how the arrogantly cruel Nick Andracas liked his own humiliation.
She telephoned her mother once Audra had left, the two of them going shopping for an hour, her mother coming back to the apartment for a cup of tea before driving home.
'Your father has been a little concerned about you, dear,' she looked at Danielle anxiously.
She gave her a surprised look. 'I'm fine,' she assured her. 'You know I am.'
'You have been looking a little pale lately, a
little like you did after—'
'Wrong time of the month,' she dismissed evasively, pouring their tea.
'But you looked pale last week too, Ellie,' her mother said concernedly, an older version of Danielle, the two of them having a wonderful rapport. Which wasn't always a good thing, especially at a time like this; it meant her mother knew her too well. 'You aren't working too hard?'
'Probably,' she smiled. 'But I'm definitely taking a holiday once this one is completed.'
'Can I see it?' her
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