Read Online Star Attraction by Sorcha MacMurrough - Free Book Online

from one
disaster to the next,” she said, licking the butter off her fingers as she put
the bread in the oven.
    She busied herself stirring the
pasta to avoid his awesome presence, which seemed to fill the small kitchen
with electricity.   “It’ll be ready
in about five minutes,” Zaira told him.
    “Great, I’m famished,” he
said.   “Here, give me those things,
and I’ll set the table.”  
    He picked up the plates and
cutlery before Zaira could protest, and was out the door in a second.  
    She stood thoughtfully for a
moment, amazed at the ease with which they got on together.   Brad was so friendly, unassuming,
unpretentious, not at all like the papers had led her to believe.   But then, he himself had just admitted
that he was demanding as a director, and did not tolerate impolite behavior
from anyone he worked with.   Probably the ones who had spoken to the gutter press were all enemies
who had run afoul of him in the past.
    As the pasta boiled, Zaira
reflected that it was wonderful to cook for someone. In her life with Jonathan,
he had always been too busy to share meals with her, and in any case he had
never liked any of the foods she prepared.   He had hated Italian, or indeed anything ethnic, which is
all she ever made once she began to cook for herself as a young woman.   She loved trying new recipes, and
bought cookbooks avidly.   It was
the one luxury she kept from her old life, and they stood proudly on a shelf of
their own in the kitchen.
    Brad went over and flicked through
a few of them, making intelligent remarks about his preferences, and obviously
as knowledgeable about Mexican and Middle Eastern food as herself.
    “What lovely books,” he admired.
    But Zaira got the feeling that he
was trying too hard, so she replied frostily, “Yes, they are nice, but it’s
expensive to eat that way, and I haven’t exactly been rich lately.   Besides, there’s not much point in
cooking for one.”
    Brad nodded and looked around him
thoughtfully before disappearing into the living room again.
    Zaira came out with two full
plates of sausage and peppers, with pasta, and then brought the salad.   She brought the wine and bread next,
and admired Brad’s graceful movements as he opened the bottle for her and then
sat down.
    He praised the food, the wine, the
apartment, everything, over and over again, until Zaira wondered exactly what he
was up to.   She certainly enjoyed
his compliments, but she kept getting the feeling she was being manipulated by
Brad in some subtle way.   He
chatted amiably about every topic she brought up, especially classical music
and literature, and she began to enjoy herself in spite of her wariness of him.
    Once they had finished eating,
Zaira told Brad to sit down on the sofa and start to read her work, and handed
him a red pencil for making corrections and comments.   She felt especially vulnerable now, for he was going to
criticize and comment on her work.   She knew that this was a very different kind of writing from her novel
and her academic work, and was afraid that he would think she wasn’t up to it
after all.  
    Rather than stand there watching
him score out dozens of passages, Zaira fled to the kitchen to make coffee and
cut the cake he had brought.   She
also got out the ice cream, and opened the box of chocolates.   She checked the champagne which she had
left to chill in the freezer, and found it cold enough to drink.   Feeling very daring, she decided to
take it out and placed it on the coffee table with two glasses.
    He observed her movement, and she
tried to read his expression as he looked up.   Her heart began to pound as the emerald eyes caressed her
own, and for a moment she was sure he would come to her, kiss her.   But no, he merely smiled, and said,
“Fantastic.   Absolutely brilliant!
You've captured their voices and emotions perfectly.   This really does call for the champagne!”  
    Brad slapped the papers down on
the table with a