idly around for her purse without any idea where she’d set it. “It’s too far for you to drive all the way to Newport Beach and back again.”
“Just part of the service.” A.J. handed her the purse she’d been holding throughout the shoot.
“Oh, thank you, dear. I couldn’t imagine what I’d done with it. I’ll take a cab.”
“We have a driver for you.” David didn’t have to look at A.J. to know she was steaming. He could all but feel the heat. “We wouldn’t dream of having you take a cab all the way back.”
“That’s very kind.”
“But it won’t be necessary,” A.J. put in.
“No, it won’t.” Smoothly Alex edged in and took Clarissa’s hand. “I’m hoping Miss DeBasse will allow me to drive her home—after she has dinner with me.”
“That would be lovely,” Clarissa told him before A.J. could say a word. “I hope I didn’t embarrass you, Mr. Marshall.”
“Not at all. In fact, I was fascinated.”
“How nice. Thank you for staying with me, dear.” She kissed A.J.’s cheek. “It always puts me at ease. Good night, David.”
“Good night, Clarissa. Alex.” He stood beside A.J. as they linked arms and strolled out of the studio. “A nice-looking couple.”
Before the words were out of his mouth, A.J. turned on him. If it had been possible to grow fangs, she’d have grown them. “You jerk.” She was halfway to the studio doors before he stopped her.
“And what’s eating you?”
If he hadn’t said it with a smile on his face, she might have controlled herself. “I want to see that last fifteen minutes of tape, Brady, and if I don’t like what I see, it’s out.”
“I don’t recall anything in the contract about you having editing rights, A.J.”
“There’s nothing in the contract saying that Clarissa would read palms, either.”
“Granted. Alex ad-libbed that, and it worked very well. What’s the problem?”
“You were watching, damn it.” Needing to turn her temper on something, she rammed through the studio doors.
“I was,” David agreed as he took her arm to slow her down. “But obviously I didn’t see what you did.”
“She was covering.” A.J. raked a hand through her hair. “She felt something as soon as she took his hand. When you look at the tape you’ll see five, ten seconds where she just stares.”
“So it adds to the mystique. It’s effective.”
“Damn your ‘effective’!” She swung around so quickly she nearly knocked him into a wall. “I don’t like to see her hit that way. I happen to care about her as a person, not just a commodity.”
“All right, hold it. Hold it!” He caught up to her again as she shoved through the outside door. “There didn’t seem to be a thing wrong with Clarissa when she left here.”
“I don’t like it.” A.J. stormed down the steps toward the parking lot. “First the lousy cards. I’m sick of seeing her tested that way.”
“A.J., the cards are a natural. She’s done that same test, in much greater intensity, for institutes all over the country.”
“I know. And it makes me furious that she has to prove herself over and over. Then that palm business. Something upset her.” She began to pace on the patch of lawn bordering the sidewalk. “There was something there and I didn’t even have the chance to talk to her about it before that six-foot reporter with the golden voice muscled in.”
“Alex?” Though he tried, for at least five seconds, to control himself, David roared with laughter. “God, you’re priceless.”
Her eyes narrowed, her face paled with rage, she stopped pacing. “So you think it’s funny, do you? A trusting, amazingly innocent woman goes off with a virtual stranger and you laugh. If anything happens to her—”
“Happens?” David rolled his eyes skyward. “Good God, A.J., Alex Marshall is hardly a maniac. He’s a highly respected member of the news media. And Clarissa is certainly old enough to make up her own mind—and make her own
“Just part of the service.” A.J. handed her the purse she’d been holding throughout the shoot.
“Oh, thank you, dear. I couldn’t imagine what I’d done with it. I’ll take a cab.”
“We have a driver for you.” David didn’t have to look at A.J. to know she was steaming. He could all but feel the heat. “We wouldn’t dream of having you take a cab all the way back.”
“That’s very kind.”
“But it won’t be necessary,” A.J. put in.
“No, it won’t.” Smoothly Alex edged in and took Clarissa’s hand. “I’m hoping Miss DeBasse will allow me to drive her home—after she has dinner with me.”
“That would be lovely,” Clarissa told him before A.J. could say a word. “I hope I didn’t embarrass you, Mr. Marshall.”
“Not at all. In fact, I was fascinated.”
“How nice. Thank you for staying with me, dear.” She kissed A.J.’s cheek. “It always puts me at ease. Good night, David.”
“Good night, Clarissa. Alex.” He stood beside A.J. as they linked arms and strolled out of the studio. “A nice-looking couple.”
Before the words were out of his mouth, A.J. turned on him. If it had been possible to grow fangs, she’d have grown them. “You jerk.” She was halfway to the studio doors before he stopped her.
“And what’s eating you?”
If he hadn’t said it with a smile on his face, she might have controlled herself. “I want to see that last fifteen minutes of tape, Brady, and if I don’t like what I see, it’s out.”
“I don’t recall anything in the contract about you having editing rights, A.J.”
“There’s nothing in the contract saying that Clarissa would read palms, either.”
“Granted. Alex ad-libbed that, and it worked very well. What’s the problem?”
“You were watching, damn it.” Needing to turn her temper on something, she rammed through the studio doors.
“I was,” David agreed as he took her arm to slow her down. “But obviously I didn’t see what you did.”
“She was covering.” A.J. raked a hand through her hair. “She felt something as soon as she took his hand. When you look at the tape you’ll see five, ten seconds where she just stares.”
“So it adds to the mystique. It’s effective.”
“Damn your ‘effective’!” She swung around so quickly she nearly knocked him into a wall. “I don’t like to see her hit that way. I happen to care about her as a person, not just a commodity.”
“All right, hold it. Hold it!” He caught up to her again as she shoved through the outside door. “There didn’t seem to be a thing wrong with Clarissa when she left here.”
“I don’t like it.” A.J. stormed down the steps toward the parking lot. “First the lousy cards. I’m sick of seeing her tested that way.”
“A.J., the cards are a natural. She’s done that same test, in much greater intensity, for institutes all over the country.”
“I know. And it makes me furious that she has to prove herself over and over. Then that palm business. Something upset her.” She began to pace on the patch of lawn bordering the sidewalk. “There was something there and I didn’t even have the chance to talk to her about it before that six-foot reporter with the golden voice muscled in.”
“Alex?” Though he tried, for at least five seconds, to control himself, David roared with laughter. “God, you’re priceless.”
Her eyes narrowed, her face paled with rage, she stopped pacing. “So you think it’s funny, do you? A trusting, amazingly innocent woman goes off with a virtual stranger and you laugh. If anything happens to her—”
“Happens?” David rolled his eyes skyward. “Good God, A.J., Alex Marshall is hardly a maniac. He’s a highly respected member of the news media. And Clarissa is certainly old enough to make up her own mind—and make her own
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