Authors: Isabella Ashe
"Hey, lady, can I sign your petition?" a familiar voice said quietly in her ear. Bryony whirled to find Zach smiling at her. He wore a crisp white shirt tucked into moss-
brown denim jeans that defined his flat stomach and narrow hips. Her eyes brushed his lips and she gulped, remembering the night before.
Although he stood several feet away, she could almost feel his hands traveling lightly down her spine. She had to grit her teeth to still the quiver threatening to shake her body. "How did you find me?" she asked.
"Your friend at Heart's Desire told me you'd be around here someplace," he said, reaching for her clipboard. Bryony let it go without protest. Zach nodded approvingly as he read over the list of names and occupations. "You've got half of Cypress Point here."
"Yes, and I'll get the rest," she said,
then
remembered Peter Burke and the other holdouts. "Well, most of them."
"A noble effort," Zach said.
"But you don't think it will do much good."
He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe it will. Anyway, I hope you're done for the day."
"Almost. Why?"
"Because I'm taking you to lunch, that's why. Oh, and this is for you." He brought a single, perfect red rose casually from behind his back and handed it to her. Bryony took it like a sleepwalker and held it to her nose, inhaling the flower's rich, heady perfume.
"What's all this about?" she asked, slightly dazed by the gesture.
"Simple," Zach said, stepping closer until they were almost touching. His nearness was more intoxicating than fine Champaign. He lowered his voice so that only she could hear his next words.
"I want you, Bryony Lowell, more than I've ever wanted any woman. You're in my every waking thought. You've invaded my dreams with those green eyes and that luscious body. I've got to have you, and I will.
No matter what it takes."
For a moment, Bryony felt dizzy with the force of Zach's announcement.
Then she
grew angry. How dare he? How dare he think that a rose and a lunch date were all it took to lure her into bed? She'd made her position perfectly clear the night before and he'd promised to respect it. She didn't know whether to slap his handsome, arrogant face or to laugh in it.
Before she could do either, he took her elbow and began steering her toward the street. She shook him off and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she said. "Not after that ridiculous, insane, ludicrous . . .
. "
She trailed off, so mad she couldn't think straight.
"Preposterous? Foolish? Idiotic?" he volunteered, suppressing his laughter only with a major effort.
"Yes, yes, and yes.
All of those things.
I'm not some --
some
bimbo you can seduce with flowers and candy." Bryony felt the heat creeping up her neck and coloring her cheeks.
Zach snapped his fingers, shaking his head ruefully. "Candy. That's what I forgot. I knew there was something."
"Oh," Bryony gasped, outraged by his cool demeanor in the face of her outrage. "You're a poor excuse for a gentleman, Zachary Callahan."
He leered at her, a devilish look in his eye. "I never claimed I was one. But I'll treat you right, once you come to your senses and admit how much you want me."
"Never," Bryony said. "Not in a million years."
"I'll wait, then," Zach said with a sigh. "Don't make me wait too long for lunch, though. I'll starve to death." His sensual lips slid into a little-boy pout so endearing that Bryony couldn't hold on to her sense of righteous indignation. She had to smile.
Besides, she was already coming up with a brilliant plan.
Zach had no idea how close he was to getting everything he wanted. Bryony remembered their passionate kiss and how desperately she'd desired him. The mere thought of his body pressing against hers made her catch her breath. She knew her self-control hung by a slender thread. If he went through with his scheme to seduce her, she wasn't sure how long she could hold out. It wouldn't take much effort on his part to crumble her meager defenses.
The only way out was to make Zach call off the pursuit. Bryony bent her head as her lips curled involuntarily into a sly smirk. In the past week, she'd seen his contempt for magic, mysticism, astrology, and anything else that violated logical scientific rules. He was openly scornful of the merchandise in Heart's Desire. When they first met, he'd thought her a ditzy, superstitious airhead. So she would go ahead and show him just how right he had been all along.
To chase him away, all she had to do was make herself an object of his contempt. He would forget all about getting her into bed. Because, of course, that was what she wanted. She wanted Zachary Callahan out of her life before he could do any more damage. No question about it.
Maybe, at some point, she'd harbored the illusion that she cared for him. That was all in the past. He'd admitted that he didn't love her -- not even close. He'd just said flat out that all he wanted from her was sex. Zach was the one who'd set the rules for this new game. And Bryony wasn't about to give in without a fight.
"Lunch?" she said now. "All right. But I get to choose the restaurant." She smiled sweetly up at him, as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. After all, she had taken that acting class in college. She might as well put it to good use.
"Fine," Zach said, looking startled. He obviously hadn't expected her to concede so easily. "Let's go."
"It's just down the street," Bryony said. "You'll love it. I swear."
Zach squinted at the food on his plate and prodded it doubtfully with his fork. "What's in this again?" he asked.
Bryony referred to the menu before she answered. "Sprouts, soy strips, baked tofu, brown rice, and
mung
bean sprouts. With hummus and lentils on the side. Why, don't you like it?"
"I guess it's all right," Zach said, with a marked lack of enthusiasm.
"It's good for you," Bryony said. "Cleans the toxins right out of your digestive tract. Health begins in the colon, you know." She batted her eyes at him and feigned innocence. She had known he would hate the restaurant, with its faddish health food and New Age atmosphere.
"Right." He sounded skeptical. Bryony stifled a triumphant smile and sipped at her Life Force shake.
"Want some?" she asked, offering Zach the glass of murky greenish liquid. "They say it's revitalizing and refreshing."
"I don't think so," he said, shuddering. "I don't think anything in that drink has FDA approval."
Bryony scanned the list of ingredients under her selection on the menu. She believed in healthy eating, but she had to admit she'd never heard of some of the things in
her shake either. "Wheatgrass,
spirulina
,
chorella
, seaweed, lecithin, enzymes, pro-
biotics
, bee pollen, barley alfalfa,
ginko
,
pycnogenol
, etc. Hmm. Sounds good to me." She shrugged and took another sip. It tasted awful, but she didn't let on.
"Is this really your favorite restaurant?" Zach asked.
"Oh, absolutely," Bryony said, widening her eyes in an attempt to convince him. "The energy here is so positive."
Zach rolled his eyes. The familiar look of disgust passed over his handsome features, rendering them slightly less attractive for a moment. Bryony felt like letting out a triumphant yell, but she managed to restrain herself. Her plan was working better than she'd dared hope.
After lunch, she returned to the shop feeling far more refreshed than the short break merited. "I'll cook dinner for both of us," she offered before they parted. "Say, seven o'clock?"
Zach looked distinctly wary at her suggestion, not without reason. "Thanks, but maybe I'll . . . ."
"I insist," she said. "See you at seven." With that, she stepped inside Heart's Desire and let the glass door swing shut behind her. The chimes tinkled sweetly. Bryony's laughter mingled with the sound of their music.
"What are you giggling about?" Kasey asked from behind the counter, where she was paging through a movie magazine. She wore her blond hair in two girlish pigtails. With her denim overalls and clean-scrubbed face, Bryony thought her best friend could easily pass for a teenager.
"Oh, nothing," she said, knowing she couldn't fool Kasey any more than she could her older sister.
"Tell me everything," Kasey said. She handed over the keys to the cash register. "It's slow today, so we have plenty of time. You were just with him, weren't you?"
"With who?"
"Zach. Who else?"
"How did you know?" Bryony asked.
"Easy. You're glowing like a neon sign, for one thing. You could light up half of New York City with that face."
"Really?" Bryony brought her hands up to feel her cheeks. They did seem hot. She felt flushed and restless, and her heart was beating faster than usual. "Maybe I'm coming down with the flu," she said.
"Nope. I've seen it before. You're in love."
"I'm not!" Bryony said. "It's just physical attraction, that's all." She claimed her chair at the counter and straightened some of the jade carvings in the glass case. "And I don't have to worry about that, because I'm making sure Zach can't stand me."
"What do you mean?" Kasey asked.
Bryony explained her plan. "Tonight's going to cinch everything," she concluded. "I'll convince Zach that I've gone completely over the edge. He won't remember what he ever saw in me."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kasey asked. "Just a few days ago you wanted him to fall in love with you. Now you want to chase him away?"
"I know," Bryony said. "But everything's changed. He told me himself that he doesn't care about me. I'm saving myself from pain, humiliation, and a broken heart. Can't you see that?"
"I guess," Kasey said, but her voice was filled with doubt. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
"Sure I do," Bryony said. "I'm in complete control of the situation. Next week, Zach will go back to San Francisco with a great column. I won't miss him even a little bit. See? We both win."
"I hope you're right, Bryony," Kasey said. "I hope it all works out for the best."
"Don't worry about me." Bryony glanced at her watch. "Shouldn't you get over to the
Gazette
now?"
"Oh, gosh," Kasey said. "I'm almost late. Am I still working here tomorrow and Friday?"
"Yes, if you don't mind. The weekend should be extra busy, so I'd like to mind the shop Saturday and Sunday."
"Fine.
Gotta
go -- take care of yourself, okay? Call me if you need to talk."
"Sure," Bryony said, waving as Kasey grabbed her beaded backpack and rushed out the door. Bryony sat for a long moment staring at a selection of incense sticks without actually seeing them. Her mind was far away as she thought about her next step. Dinner -- she had to plan dinner.
The main course wasn't a problem. The before and after-dinner entertainment was a different matter entirely.
"What the hell --" Zach said, his eyes widening as he walked into the living room and glanced around. "What's going on here?"
Bryony smiled up at him from her lotus position on the carpet. "I thought I'd make a few changes, now that Kevin and
Viv
are gone. Do you like it?"
Bryony watched proudly as he surveyed her handiwork. She'd come straight home from the store with armloads of merchandise and set about transforming the place. New
posters adorned the walls. They depicted Egyptian pyramids, radiant angels, the Dalai Lama, the signs of the Zodiac, and an artist's rendering of a pale alien visitor.
Bryony had strategically placed an incense burner and an aromatherapy diffuser where Zach couldn't miss them. She'd also set a sandalwood Buddha and a miniature totem pole on the mantle above the fireplace. The sound of whales singing issued from the stereo.
She had paid some attention to her own appearance as well. She had put on a soft red and gold cotton skirt and matching blouse. Around her neck, she wore half a dozen crystals and a Native American medicine pouch. It was a bit much, but it got her point across.
"Come and sit down," she said, patting the carpet next to her. "I was just communing with the spirits."
"Really?" His eyebrows shot up as he considered whether she was serious. "Any spirit in particular?"
"Oh, the Egyptian goddess
Sekhmet
is my favorite," she said, struggling to keep a straight face. "But I like talking to Confucius, too. A very wise man, that Confucius."
Zach made a sound of disbelief. The puzzled, wary expression on his face was almost too much for Bryony. She was afraid she might collapse onto the floor with laughter. Instead, she forced herself to continue. "Do you like my necklaces?"
She held up one particular example so the last lingering rays of sunlight pierced the clear crystal. "They're great for amplifying and focusing the energies of the universe. We inherited the power of crystals from the ancient culture of Atlantis, you know."