Hidden Talents

don't want any more of your damned explanations.”
    There was a moment of startled silence behind him as his words went home.
    “So whoever sent the note was right,” Serenity said slowly. “You don't approve of nude art photography. Does this mean you'll want to break off our business arrangements?”
    “I'm going to have to think about it.”
    “I see.”
    He sensed her withdrawal, and the rage within him grew stronger. She was the cause of this, not him. “Tell me, Serenity, what other talents do you possess? Do you act as well as model?”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “I was just wondering if, by any chance, you've made a few films with Ambrose Asterley or some of his colleagues.”
    “Films?”
    “You know the sort I mean. The kind that get shown in X-rated theaters. The kind that are displayed in the adults-only section of the video stores.”
    “Good grief.” Serenity was obviously affronted. “What are you accusing me of?”
    “I'm not accusing you of anything.” Caleb swung around and met her offended gaze. “You're the one who announced that she was being blackmailed because of a bunch of nude photos. I just wondered how wide-ranging your talents actually are.”
    “You think I'm some sort of porn film star?” Serenity leaped to her feet. She clutched her small briefcase to her like a shield. “That's ridiculous. Look at me. Do I look like a woman who could make a living that way?”
    He studied her slender, delicate frame dispassionately. He was well aware that she lacked the plastic breasts and the aggressive sexuality that one associated with the models who graced the pages of cheap magazines and soft-porn films.
    But there was a disturbing sensuality about Serenity that heated Caleb's blood whenever he was in the same room with her. It was an earthy, elemental thing that defied explanation. It was all too easy for him to envision her lying sleek and naked in some grassy meadow, her eyes full of feminine mischief, her mouth parted in invitation.
    A jolting thought went through Caleb. A photo that actually succeeded in capturing Serenity's ethereal sensuality probably would be a work of art.
    But those weren't the sort of pictures that got shot by a seedy, drunken has-been of a photographer who had once worked in L.A.
    Caleb sucked in his breath. He could not stomach the thought that Serenity had posed for the kind of photos that could be used for blackmail purposes; photos like those that had destroyed his parents thirty-four years ago. He lashed out with the fury of a wounded beast.
    “No, you probably wouldn't be much of a success as a porn star,” Caleb said. “I suppose it's no surprise that Asterley failed to sell the pictures he took of you. You haven't got what it takes, have you?”
    The blood rose into Serenity's cheeks. “I told you, Ambrose Asterley is an artist.”
    “You can call him anything you like.”
    “You don't understand.”
    “I understand very well, Serenity. It's simple when you get right down to the bottom of it. A few months ago you posed for some trashy photos, and now someone is trying to use them to blackmail you. I believe that about sums up the whole mess.”
    “The blackmail attempt can only succeed if you allow it to do so,” she said quickly. “Caleb, don't you care that someone is trying to stop us from revitalizing Witt's End?”
    “I don't really give a damn if somebody wants to halt the march of progress in Witt's End. From what you've told me about the inhabitants, your blackmailer could be any one of those misfit refugees from mainstream society that you've got living there. The point is, this isn't my problem. It's yours.”
    “It doesn't have to be a problem at all.” Serenity gave him a pleading look. “I only told you about the pictures because I thought you should know about them. I certainly don't intend to let anyone blackmail me into dropping my plans for Witt's End.”
    “Bravo for you. I wish you the best of luck.”
    “Look, I'll find out who sent the photos and talk to him or her. I'm sure that whoever made the threat acted out of a fear of change. I can reassure the person that things will remain very much the same in Witt's End even if I do get the mail order business up and running.”
    “You're going to try to reason with a blackmailer?” Caleb asked, amazed at her naiveté.
    “Why not? I know everyone in town.” Serenity sighed. “It may have been Blade, although I can't imagine how he got hold of the