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a real pro, Jewel, and Elliott will appreciate your cooperation.”

      “So, when do I meet him?”

      Instead of responding, Fred shifted his focus above Jewel’s head and made a calculating jerk with his chin. “Here he comes right now.”

      Jewel turned around in her seat, looked toward the entry and was shocked to see the man wearing the fancy black shirt walking toward her. He had a smugly confident expression on his face and was moving across the room with long, purposeful strides. He looks entirely too self-satisfied, Jewel observed, gripping the arm of her chair to steady herself when he stopped, looked down and said, “Ms. Blaine?”

      In answer, she slowly dropped her chin, eyeing him from beneath thick lashes.

      “I’m Taye Elliott.” He offered her his hand.

      Jewel stood up to take it and immediately two things clicked in her mind. First, his palm was dry and cool. Second, his fresh lemon-lime scent was making the muscles in her stomach tighten, freezing her greeting on her tongue.

      Chapter 4

      Gulping her surprise, Jewel floundered for a moment and then regained her voice. “Yes, I’m Jewel Blaine. Good to meet you, Taye.” She squeezed his hand, quickly let it go and then sat down, struck by an irresistible urge to grin. He was one fine brother! Just the touch of his hand had rocked her, shaken her, made her go damp in her panties! And she was supposed to maintain a professional cool while following this man’s direction? That was certainly going to be a challenge.

      Keep it together, girl, she silently reprimanded. Gotta play this one right. Can’t act too glad to meet him. Luckily, the waiter arrived to take their orders, interrupting the electrified lull, providing Jewel a chance to regain her composure.

      Deciding on shrimp salads all around made it easy on the server and while Taye consulted with the young man on the wine, Jewel studied her new director’s ruggedly appealing profile.

      The tiny nicks and scars on the side of his face only added to his Alpha-male image. Trophies from his stuntman days, Jewel surmised, her eyes moving over his rich tan skin. He had sooty brown eyes that sloped gently at the edges in a lazy slant that sent serious bedroom signals. His jawline was severe, but rounded at the chin, softening an otherwise-tough-guy face. Flared nostrils capped a keen nose. Black curly hair that was slightly unruly, but still well-groomed. I’d love to slip my little finger through that ringlet behind his ear, Jewel impulsively mused, shifting her attention to the vintage Cartier watch on Taye’s wrist. The man’s got good taste, she allowed, moving on to assess his flamboyant shirt once more, realizing why it seemed familiar. Ralph Lauren. Last season. She’d seen it on the runway during Fashion Week in New York.

      Fred Warner broke Jewel’s mental trippin’ with a jolt. “Jewel, I was telling Taye that you and the P & P cast are ready to get back before the cameras.” He blinked at Jewel, clearly urging her to jump in and express her mutual delight with the studio’s newest hire.

      Getting Fred’s message, Jewel locked eyes with Taye, who shot her a dazzling smile. Exhaling, she plunged ahead. “I agree completely,” she hurried to say. “The cast is fired up and ready to get on with the show. And please, Taye, let me know if I can help in any way…as far as characters, motivation or backstory go.”

      “Thanks, I’m sure I’ll need to take you up on that and I have to say…what an impossibly wonderful and complicated character you play, Jewel. Caprice Desmond is somethin’ else.”

      “Yeah, she’s a sister on a mission, all right,” Jewel jokingly agreed. “And the more you get to know Caprice, the more you’ll love her.” Jewel gulped. Damn! Why’d she say that?

      “I’m sure I will,” Taye concurred in a melodious voice that initiated a warm pulse inside Jewel. She held very still as his attention slipped from her face to the gold chain settled in her cleavage and then back up to her lips.

      Jewel resisted the urge to show him how amused she was by his obvious visual meandering. Clearing her throat, she adopted an all-about-business tone. “You’ll find the cast easy to work with,” she said. “No divas, neurotics or dual personalities among us. We’re a pretty normal bunch, so don’t be nervous.”

      “I won’t be as long as you’re around to keep things sane.”

      “I’m on the set every day, except most Fridays. If things do get crazy, and they can…or if stuff starts to unravel, I’ll do what I can to help you sort it all out.”

      “I’m sure it won’t take long for everything to fall into place,” Taye replied with a self-assurance that made Jewel flinch.

      Unable to hold back any longer, Jewel launched the question that had been uppermost in her mind since he sat down. “What got you interested in directing daytime drama? Are you a longtime soap fan?”

      “Not at all,” he quickly and laughingly confessed. “But I do appreciate the genre and I love a great romance. The Terror Train films incorporate romantic subplots with passionate, star-crossed lovers. They provide a nice respite from all the action…and encourage both the men and women to see the movies.”

      Sounds reasonable, Jewel thought, while not thoroughly convinced that Taye completely understood what he was getting into. “Okay, you like romance and action, but still…if your expertise is action flicks, isn’t this a huge departure from the genre you’re most comfortable with?” It was time to get real, get down to the essence of who Taye Elliott was and why he thought he could direct The Proud and the Passionate.

      Settling back in his chair, Taye went calm, assessing Jewel with vaguely sensuous eyes. “This is how it happened,” he started. “I guess I was in the right place at the right time and had the right vibes working for me. Like surviving an accidental collision that has positive results, you know?”

      “Accident? Collision? No, sorry. I don’t understand at all.” Jewel tossed a questioning look at Fred, who mugged innocence and shrugged. Did Taye just compare directing P & P to a car wreck? A crash? No surprise there. With an obvious sigh of frustration, she launched her next zinger. “How exactly did you get in line to be P & P’s next director?”

      Taye flashed Jewel a magnetic smile. “I’m happy to explain.”

      Jewel bent forward, anxious for the story behind this surprising development.

      Taye squinted at Fred, appearing uneasy, confirming Jewel’s suspicion that her question may have caught him off guard. “Well…you see,” Taye began. “Richie Farral, who produced the action movies that I directed, is Arthur Platt’s half brother.”

      “The Arthur Platt?” Jewel had to cut Taye off. “The former CEO of CBC?”

      “Right. So, I was talking to Richie about my plans after Terror Train, and he mentioned his relationship with Arthur Platt.”

      Jewel went slack-jawed while listening to Taye, slightly annoyed by how casually he was tossing around the names of major players in the industry. Richie Farral was up there with Spielberg and Eastwood and Lucas. And Arthur Platt was the legendary founder of the network that carried her show, a hard-nosed billionaire rarely seen in public and not known to be a generous man.

      “So I told Richie I was open for a change, you know? A project that would challenge me,” Taye was saying as Jewel struggled to concentrate. “A few days later, Richie called to tell me that Platt had alerted him to this temporary gig for a director for a daytime drama, so I took a meeting with CBC and here I am.”

      Now, she was truly annoyed. “Oh, really? It was that easy?”

      “Yep. Wasn’t much more to it,” Taye confessed.

      The ring of pride in his snappy reply sent blood rushing into Jewel’s head. A flicker of anger propelled her next comment. “So, The Proud and the Passionate is your test case? An experiment to gauge your ability to direct a daytime drama?”

      Taye scoffed a laugh.

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