Read Online Superstar by T C Southwell - Free Book Online Page A

strange girl, you
know."
    Carrin
finished the dance in a daze of confusion. Why was Simon surprised?
Surely everyone knew what Mark was like? Hadn't Helen said so?
Maybe they all thought that he was such a good catch it didn't
matter how badly he treated women. When Simon took her back to the
table, Mark was expressionless, but Jenna looked triumphant.
Several hard looks from Mark's friends unnerved Carrin as she
settled into her seat. Mark ignored her for a few minutes,
conversing with the man on the other side of him, and Carrin knew
that he was chastising her.
    Simon
winked at her, which helped, but Jenna elbowed him, and they left
the table to dance. Carrin sipped her drink and watched them,
thinking what a lovely couple they made. Jenna was almost as tall
as Simon, and his blond Adonis looks complemented her red-haired
loveliness. When the music slowed again and the lights dimmed, they
moved into an intimate clinch that left no doubt about their
relationship.
    Carrin jumped
as Mark's soft voice spoke in her ear. "Are you going to dance with
me, or would you rather wait for Simon?"
    Carrin flushed
with embarrassment, noticing that some of his friends watched them
curiously. "Of course I'll dance with you, but can't we wait for a
fast one?"
    "What are you
afraid of, Carrin?"
    You, she wanted to say, but shook her head instead.
"Nothing."
    Mark rose and
led her onto the dance floor. He held her loosely, but she still
found his proximity unnerving. Dancing with him seemed far more
intimate than with Simon, since Mark was almost the same height as
her. She turned her head away, but could not ignore his warm
nearness.
    The sad ballad
about lovers parted was one of her favourites, and her eyes burnt
as she thought about her departure the next day. She was falling
under his spell, her bones turning to jelly at his touch. She
longed to rest her cheek against his and press her lips to his
mouth. A glance at him showed her that he was looking elsewhere,
his expression angry.
    Following his gaze, she spied Jenna swinging past in a
clinch with Simon Grey. Taking this rare opportunity to study Mark
up close, she noticed a tiny scar on his cheek, and that his hair
gleamed like watered silk. A flash lighted his eyes, revealing that
they were tinged with green, and not merely dark blue as she had
always thought.
    Mark glanced
at her, and she looked away, embarrassed to be caught staring. He
pulled her a little closer, apparently to avoid the couple behind
her, and she strived to quell her stomach's quivering. Her hand on
his shoulder longed to creep up to his neck, but she restrained it.
His nearness was intoxicating. Her wildest dreams did not compare
to the magic of reality and the potency of his charisma.
    Carrin
prayed for the song to end, even as she revelled in his closeness.
If only she could reveal her feelings. If only he was the kind,
considerate man of her dreams, who would be delighted by her
confession and admit his feelings for her. Then there would be no
more barriers between them, nothing to stand in the way of their
happiness, no nasty rumours, and no intrigue. It was just an
impossible dream, though. She stared at the pulse that throbbed in
the hollow of his smooth, tanned throat, her heart a lump of lead.
He was a living, breathing fantasy, and utterly
unattainable.
    At last
the dance ended, and she moved away when he released her, unable to
look at him. Jenna and Simon were still locked in a lover's
embrace, and Carrin glanced at Mark, surprised to find him gazing
at her. She thought she glimpsed a hint of sadness in his eyes
before he turned to lead her off the dance floor, but dismissed it
as imagination.
    Back at the
table, the party continued. Champagne flowed, laughter wafted
around them, and Carrin sat sunken in deep gloom. Over the next few
hours, other men asked her to dance, and she danced a fast dance
with Mark, surprised by how good he was. They left well after
midnight, by which time Carrin was exhausted.