The Forever Dream Read Online Free PDF Page B

lunatic. That was the reason she'd invited him into her dressing room when he'd shown up after rehearsal this morning. But reasonable men didn't go around offering a hundred thousand dollars so casually. "What kind of companion are we speaking of, Mr. Betz? And why me?"
    "It has to be you because the gentleman in question seems to find you totally fascinating, for some reason." He frowned, as if trying to puzzle it out. "No one else seems to be able to hold his interest. He requested video tapes of all your performances two weeks ago, and last weekend he came back to New York to see you dance." His lips tightened. "We knew then that measures would have to be taken to rectify the situation."
    "I'm happy to know that I have such a devoted fan," Tania said lightly. "But I'm afraid I'm not available for private engagements, even when the inducement is so great. Your client will just have to be content with seeing my performances from the third row on the aisle."
    "That's not possible." Betz's voice was clipped. "We can't permit him to return to New York." He scowled. "The remuneration is more than generous, but it's still open to negotiation. If we increase the amount, will you reconsider?"
    "More than a hundred thousand dollars?" Her lips quirked. "I'm tempted to see just how high you'd go, Mr. Betz, but I feel I must warn you that as fantastic a performer as I undoubtedly am, you'd be grossly overpaying me."
    Betz's face was expressionless. "Money is irrelevant in this case, Miss Orlinov. And it wasn't your skill as a dancer we had in mind."
    "No?" She was puzzled. Then, as he continued to stare at her with the same bland look on his face, she understood. "You want me to go to bed with your client? You want me to be his mistress for the next six weeks?" It was as wildly unbelievable as the conversation that had gone before, but the funny little man nodded with perfect seriousness. It was too much for her, and she threw back her head and roared with laughter, her face alight, her dark eyes dancing. God, she was glad she'd consented to see this solemn little man, even if he was a bit crazy. She'd not enjoyed anything so much in a long time.
    When she finally sobered enough to control herself, Ed Betz was still gazing at her with those expressionless, puppy-dog eyes and waiting patiently. "I'm sorry, Mr. Betz," she said, her lips still twitching. "I'm afraid I can't accept your client's offer. I make it a practice never to perform unless I can excel in a role." She cleared her throat to mask the laughter that persisted in bubbling. "In this case, I don't believe I have the required training for the job. I'm sure you'll be able to find someone else with far better qualifications if you make the effort."
    He shook his head. "We've tried that," he said gloomily. "This isn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, Miss Orlinov. I've considered several other possibilities, but I've come to the conclusion that it has to be you. How much more can I give you to make you change your mind? The sky's the limit."
    She couldn't suppress the chuckle any longer. The man was absolutely priceless. She shook her head firmly as she stood up. "I'm afraid that my decision is final, Mr. Betz," she said gently. "You'll have to look elsewhere."
    He must have stared at her for a full minute before he got reluctantly to his feet. "You're sure I can't persuade you to change your mind?" he asked with a frown. "We're prepared to pay a great deal of money, you know."
    "I have enough money for all my needs at the
    moment, Mr. Betz," she said solemnly, her dark eyes twinkling. "And having money is not really one of my top priorities. As I said, you'll have to find someone who makes a specialty of that sort of thing."
    "That's regrettable," he said slowly. "Its going to make things much more complicated."
    "I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me now, Mr. Betz," she said softly. "I have an engagement for lunch." She waved her hand to indicate her leotard-clad figure. "And you