My stomach flip-flops. "This is silly." This is already awkward enough without pretending Roman is Luca Fontaine."Try," Roman says, as if he were urging me to eat my vegetables or something equally mundane.But as strange as the request might be, as nervous as it makes me, I find myself wanting to rise to the challenge. To prove to myself - and to him - that I can take the initiative, that I can lead the course of a seduction."I look at his drink," I say. "And then I order the same thing.""That could be dangerous," Roman says. "If you do that, he might want to start a conversation with you about his drink of choice. He'll notice if you don't know what you're talking about. You'll lose his trust right from the start.""I'll order my own drink, then," I say. "A Long Island." Historically, Long Island Iced Teas aren't exactly my friend, but in this imaginary lounge, I'm willing to take the chance."Good choice," he says. I'm not sure whether that's coming from Roman or "Luca," so

At first, my movements are slow and careful. I let my palms slide up over my sides and across my belly as I try to come to terms with what I'm about to do. But I'm feeling brazen, and though I'm nervous, I'm not afraid. I can already hear my breath coming faster. I can hear Roman's breath, too, slow and steady in the chair beside mine.My hands dance across my belly for a moment before moving lower. I'm glad I decided to wear a dress tonight. It makes things easier. Slowly, my fingers tug up the fabric of the skirt, exposing my bare thighs to the night. The summer air is balmy against my skin, and it makes it that much easier to let my legs fall apart. When the fabric is up past my hips, I release it and let my fingers come to rest just above the lacy panties that I know do little to cover the carefully-trimmed patch of hair beneath.I take a deep breath. Two. My knees bend, my thighs fall a little farther apart. I'm surprised at how ready I am. I can smell my own arousal, and I susp

I stare at him. "You're taking me on a date?"Roman laughs. "You say that like you're surprised.""I just... I didn't know how..." I gesture between the two of us, unsure of how to voice it without sounding insecure. "I didn't know where we stood."His hazel eyes search mine, and there's a tenderness there that he hasn't let me see before. He reaches out and touches my cheek."From our very first meeting, you intrigued me," he says. "You were clearly out of your depth, but you fought quite passionately for your job. And when you claimed that you'd seduce Luca Fontaine, I saw a drive, a fire, that I couldn't let slip through my fingers." His thumb sweeps along my jaw. "As I said, for all your determination, you seemed a little lost. And I wanted to be the one who found you."His words are quickly undoing the last of my meager defenses, and his soft caresses aren't helping."I... I thought you just found me entertaining," I said.He smiles. "I did. I do." He leans closer, and his

I've never looked this glamorous in my entire life - or felt as miserable.The gold gown swishes around my legs as I walk, and the beads sparkle like diamonds in the late afternoon sunlight. My makeup is flawless, and my thick hair has been pinned into a flawless French twist. I debated skipping the salon appointment Roman made for me, but he had one of his assistants email me a reminder this morning, and it felt childish to refuse to go. Still, there was a knot in my stomach the entire time I sat in the chair, and while the results look beautiful, I don't feel as much like Cinderella as I expected. I feel a lot more like I'm going to throw up.I've been here for almost three hours already, standing in my place behind the partition that separates the press from the red carpet. I've learned the hard way that they give priority positions to television reporters and the members of the press with cameras or other large equipment, but the crowd of journalists here today isn't nearly as la

"Luca!"My stomach tightens as the shouts multiply. Luca was my original target, but I was hoping Dante might show up first. I had a moment with Dante back at Hallevern's - a brief moment, but a promising one, and it would have given me a starting point. With Luca, I'm facing the unknown. And he's getting more attention than anyone else in his family these days, so he'll be that much harder to pin down.At least it's not Rafe, I tell myself. I'm not ready for that sort of awkwardness right now - either with one of the Fontaines or with the man behind me. I lean forward again and watch as Luca makes his way toward where I stand.He's a charmer, that he is. And like the rest of his family, he's pretty damn breathtaking in person. His dirty-blond hair has been cropped close for Cataclysm: Earth, enhancing the strong, sharp planes of his face. His body was always athletic, but he's clearly added some more muscle for this latest role - and he definitely has the build to pull it off witho