From the Heart

Would it embarrass you terribly if I kissed you right now?”
    She was baiting him, and he knew it. Firmly, he put his hand behind her neck and pulled her close. Her eyes laughed at him before he gave her a long, hard kiss. She carried the strong, exotic flavors of the buffet. When he drew her away, she was still smiling.
    “Caviar’s good, huh?”
    “It seems I have a taste for it.”
    She turned and piled another cracker high. “Have some more,” she invited with a grin. “I can’t ever get enough of it myself.”
    He took a bite of the cracker she held up to his mouth. “I want you out of here,” he told her quietly. “I want you alone, where I can take those clothes off you piece by piece.”
    “An interesting proposition,” Kasey murmured, touching a finger to his tie. “Am I allowed to do the same to you?”
    “Required.”
    “Jordan!” A woman glided up to them—sturdy, fortyish and unashamedly blond and busty. Kasey flipped through her memory file and drew out a newspaper picture of Serena Newport, highly successful novelist who wrote books stacked with swashbuckle and sex.
    Serena kissed Jordan heartily on both cheeks. “You don’t show up at these things often enough,” she complained. “I like to be seen with classy men.”
    “Serena. It’s good to see you.”
    “And who’s this?” She gave Kasey a strong look. “Good God, thin as a rail and positively stunning. If I stand here for too long, I’ll wind up looking like an albino elephant. Are you a writer, dear? And who colors your hair?”
    “A fan, Miss Newport, and I was born with it.”
    “God, it’s disgusting.” She put her hand on an ample hip and shook her head. “Not the fan part, dear, the hair. Born with it? Dreadfully unfair. And whose fan are you, Jordan’s or mine?”
    “Both.” Kasey was liking her more with each passing minute.
    Serena laughed in one short boom. “That’s unusual. Not too many people read both Last Abstinence and Passion’s Victory, do they, Jordan?”
    “Kasey’s unusual, Serena. Serena Newport, Kathleen Wyatt.”
    “And what do you do? I know.” She held up a hand before Kasey could speak. “Don’t tell me—you model.”
    “Model what?” Kasey asked, enjoying herself.
    “Clothes. No—an actress,” she stated, changing her mind. “That’s a very expressive face.”
    “Thank you, but I don’t act professionally. Only in day-to-day encounters.”
    “Quick, too,” Serena murmured. “You’re not an agent trying to lure Jordan away from Agnes?”
    “Not if I value my life,” Kasey replied.
    “Well, my dear, I’m fascinated and totally baffled.” Serena hailed a passing waiter and grabbed a glass of champagne. There were chunks of precious stones on her fingers, and her nails were a brilliant red. “What are you?”
    “I’m an anthropologist.”
    “You’re joking.” Serena looked at Jordan for confirmation. “Is she joking?”
    “You wouldn’t ask if you questioned her on the tribal rituals of the Sioux,” Jordan replied and finished off his drink.
    “You don’t say.” Serena drew out the words.
    “Kasey’s collaborating with me on a book.”
    “ Hmm. ” Serena took a healthy swallow of champagne. “You don’t happen to know anything interesting about the Algonquins, do you, dear?”
    “Originally a North American tribe who were dispersed by the Iroquois in the seventeenth century. Most found new settlements in Quebec and Ontario,” Kasey countered.
    “Fate!” Serena exclaimed and grabbed Kasey’s arm. “Do you believe in fate, dear?”
    Kasey shot a look at Jordan and grinned. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
    “I’ve just started a new book. The first half is in England, but the second half has my now-penniless aristocrat off to the colonies. He’s half-starved and all but beaten to death whenhe comes upon a party of Algonquins. They wouldn’t have scalped him or anything dreadful like that, would they?”
    Kasey grinned. “Many of the Algonquins were friendly to white settlers for some time. It depends upon which tribe you are talking about. However—”
    “Perfect. Wonderful.” Serena folded Kasey’s arm through her thick one. “I’m stealing her for an hour, Jordan. It’s too good to miss. Have some more champagne.” She gave his cheek a motherly pat. “I’ll send her back to you when I’m done.”
    Kasey looked over her shoulder and shrugged as she was propelled away.
     
    “It’s the first time,” Kasey said later,