‘Why would you do this for me?’ The words tumbled out on a wave of fear-fear that he meant to mould her into what he wanted, and the promise of independence was the lure to trap her into something worse than she had known.
‘I don’t want any disruption to the delivery of this show, which has been-and is-a project I’ve planned for a very long time. You’re the key player in it, Chloe. I need you functioning as only you can. If that means freeing you of every distressing influence, ensuring you won’t be got at by people who’ll cause you grief, I’ll do it. Throw a blanket of security around you that no-one can break without your permission. All I ask in return is that you keep working on the show for as long as your contract runs.’
Protecting his investment.
It made sense.
Maximilian Hart was always linked to success, never failure.
This wasn’t a personal thing to him. It was business. He simply didn’t want her private life adversely affecting what he had put in place.
Her fears suddenly seemed ludicrous. Strangely enough, she felt a surge of confidence that she could do as he asked-keep playing her part in the show-if she didn’t have to deal with her mother or Tony or Laura while she did it.
‘I’ll make them go away,’ he said softly, somehow tapping straight into her thoughts. ‘Just say the word, Chloe.’
Her battered mind started swimming with a vision of a white knight fighting all her dragons instead of a dangerous Svengali of a man planning to use her for some devious purpose of his own. It was more than seductive. It propelled her into accepting his offer without any further fretting over it.
‘It is what I want,’ spilled from her lips.
‘Yes,’ he said as though he’d known it all along and had only been waiting for her to confirm it. He rose from his chair with the air of a man relishing the sniff of battle. ‘You’ll be absolutely safe waiting for me here. You probably need to eat something. Order whatever you like from room service. Make yourself comfortable and relax, knowing you don’t have to face harassment from any source tonight.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘Back to the Starlight Room.’ He smiled a smile of intense private satisfaction. ‘By the time I’ve finished there, I doubt anyone will have the desire to harass you about your decision.’
Her decision.
An independent decision.
She felt weirdly awed by it as she watched the man who’d made it so easily possible walk away to begin putting it into effect. Maximilian Hart. Who had the power to do whatever he set out to do. And he was about to use his power to free her from the life she’d wanted to escape from for as long as she could remember.
CHAPTER TWO
‘WHAT’S going on, Max?’
The question was shot at him the moment he re-entered the Starlight Room-it was Lisa Cox, the editor for the entertainment section in one of the major newspapers, sniffing a story that might have more sensational value than a report on a launch party and waiting to pounce on the major source for it. She was a sharp-faced woman with big curly hair, inquisitive eyes and a dangerous tongue.
‘You whip out of here with Chloe, who looked like death,’ she swiftly put in. ‘You come back alone…’
‘Chloe is resting,’ he blandly stated.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
‘The energy drain of the party, continually responding to people without pausing to eat or drink. I think she needed a fast sugar-hit,’ he said with a frown of concern.
‘Does she have diabetes?’
‘I’m about to speak to her mother about Chloe’s condition, if you’ll excuse me.’
He stepped aside, his gaze already scanning the crowd for a carrot-red head.
‘Is this going to be a problem for the show?’ Lisa threw at him.
He returned a freezing-off smile. ‘No. Someone needs to take better care of her. That’s all. And I’ll make sure it’s done.’
Closure on that issue. No gossip to pursue.
Stephanie Rollins had moved to the far corner of the room, obviously involved in a heated discussion with Tony Lipton and Laura Farrell. They were unaware of his return, probably the only three people in the room who were since the crowd literally parted to make way for him as he took the most direct path to where they stood.