Any Way You Want It (Brand Clan #2)(36)
Already considered a fashion trendsetter among her peers, she’d wanted to look her absolute best tonight. And she’d apparently succeeded, judging by Colin’s response and the admiring stares and whistles that greeted her as she stepped from her limo.
“Who are you wearing, Miss Kennedy?” reporters called out eagerly to her.
She only smiled enigmatically, setting off another flurry of flashbulbs.
For tonight’s fundraiser gala, the entrance to the art museum resembled an Academy Awards ceremony with a red carpet and photographers snapping pictures of arriving guests. Hundreds of well-heeled Chicagoans had shelled out two grand per ticket to enjoy a glitzy evening of fine dining and dancing, and to celebrate the highly anticipated opening of the newly renovated museum.
Colin’s hand rested possessively at Zandra’s waist as they climbed the grand staircase and entered the elegant lobby to join the milling crowd. Jeweled flesh wrapped in the expensive silk of designer gowns created a dazzling kaleidoscope of color. Waiters circulated among the guests offering canapés and glasses of champagne. Orchestra music from a string quartet wafted over the hall.
Zandra knew the moment Remy arrived.
Not because she saw him walk through the doors, but because her pulse quickened and her skin erupted in goose bumps.
She glanced around the crowded lobby.
And there he was.
Tall, dark and devastatingly handsome in a Brioni tux that fit his powerful body like a dream. Her mouth went dry as she stared at him, a Rembrandt who deserved his very own exhibit in any museum.
It was only belatedly that she noticed Noelani on his arm.
There was a reason the Hawaiian woman was one of Zandra’s most popular escorts. Not only was she exotic and drop-dead gorgeous, but she’d perfected the art of treating each client as if he were the best date she’d ever had. The way she was staring at Remy made it clear that she wouldn’t have to do much faking tonight.
As if sensing Zandra’s gaze, Remy glanced up, his eyes locking on her from across the room.
She trembled as his dark gaze blazed a path from her face down to her bare shoulders, the swell of her cleavage and past her flat stomach. He lingered at the juncture of her thighs, as if he could sense the slick moisture he’d just coaxed from her body.
The eyes that slowly returned to hers glittered with a possessive satisfaction that made her shiver. Her nipples hardened, craving the heat of his touch, the stroke of his tongue.
As an electric hum of arousal crackled in the distance between them, Zandra swallowed hard and looked away.
But she felt him watching her as she worked the room—smiling beguilingly, fluttering her lashes, touching an arm here, patting a cheek there, coyly drumming up funds for one of her favorite causes, which was keeping art programs alive in Chicago’s public schools.
Remy’s smoldering gaze tracked her every move. But he kept his distance, because he knew Zandra had a thing about not socializing with her escorts when they were working. And given the way he’d felt about Colin accompanying her to tonight’s function, it was best for all involved if he stayed as far away as possible.
Zandra and Colin were conversing with Enid Roche and her husband when a laughter-tinged voice whispered in her ear, “Oh, my God. He’s doing it again.”
Zandra turned and smiled at the petite, curvaceous brunette who’d appeared beside her. “Hey, Skylar.”
“Hey, yourself.” Skylar Blake pressed a chaste kiss to Zandra’s cheek, then smiled congenially at Enid. “Everything looks fabulous. And what a turnout.”
“Isn’t it wonderful?” The gala committee chairwoman beamed with pleasure. “I was just telling Zandra that we raised over two million dollars from ticket sales. Seems that a lot of people wanted to be the first to see the renovated museum before we open our doors to the public next week.”
“Two mil? Wow, that’s awesome.” Skylar shifted her smile to Colin, her hazel eyes twinkling with undisguised interest. “And you are?”
Chuckling at her friend’s forthrightness, Zandra made the introductions.
“Pleasure to meet you, Skylar,” Colin said easily, shaking her hand.
“The pleasure’s mine. Would you excuse us a minute?” Without waiting for Colin’s assent, Skylar grabbed Zandra’s hand and steered her out of earshot.
“Oh, my goodness,” she breathed excitedly. “I just had to come over here and find out what the hell is going on between you and Remy Brand.”
Zandra feigned ignorance. “What do you mean?”
“Remember how he showed up at your dinner party last month and spent the whole evening devouring you with those bedroom eyes?”
Zandra nodded reluctantly. Of course she remembered.
Skylar grinned. “Well, in case you haven’t noticed, he’s doing it again. And this time he’s eye-f*cking you so hard, you’re probably already pregnant.”
Heat scalded Zandra’s face. “Skylar!”
She laughed. “I’m just speaking the truth, Zandra. The way that man looks at you...” She trailed off, fanning herself with elegantly manicured fingers.
Shaking her head, Zandra lifted her champagne glass to her mouth. “You’re crazy.”
“Not crazy,” Skylar corrected. “Jealous. Insanely jealous. Remy is hot as hell, Zandra. And even though women have been practically throwing themselves at him since he got here, he only has eyes for you. Not that anyone could blame him,” she added, her eyes glinting as she looked Zandra over. “I’m as straight as they come, and I wanna f*ck you in that dress.”