The Seduction Game by Anastasia Maltezos

critical look. The dress was a sleeveless, wine-colored sheath that accentuated her small waist, flat tummy, and shapely hips. It fell just below her knees, displaying her shapely legs in her stylish sandals. She admitted she looked nice, but she told herself for the hundredth time that she was not trying to impress Adam Tyler. Besides, she sincerely doubted a nice dress would do it. The last look he had given her could have frozen the Nile.
    She drew her brows together in consternation, thinking about the interest he had displayed in her when he thought she was the school teacher, but she quickly clamped down on that thought.
    He may have been interested in her nice girl persona, but that didn’t mean if push came to shove he would have chosen her over Katrina.
    She clasped a gold bracelet around her wrist and dabbed some perfume behind her ears. Her hair had been pinned up at the office and now it hung loose and free down her back. God, she was nervous.
    As nervous as a woman going out on a first date. But this wasn’t a first date, she corrected herself. It wasn’t even a real date.
    She looked at her face and sighed as she picked up her mascara and applied two liberal coats along with a wild plum-colored lipstick. She would never be the great beauty her mother and sisters were, and for the first time, it bothered her. “Your face has character,” her mother used to tell her.
    Back in her youth, Kate had always been more focused on excelling in school than following the latest fashions in hair, make-up, and clothes. As for boys, she hardly realized they existed until she met Simon in college.
    Yet today, here in her bedroom waiting for Adam, she felt an attack of insecurity and wished someone, anyone, had called her beautiful. Even once in her life.
    She didn’t want to walk in a room and have conversations halted and forks dropped as people stared at her. All she wanted was a man to love her as much as Ben loved Barbara, and Mark loved Gail.
    The door bell rang and her heart flipped.
    Who am I kidding? she thought wryly. If it wasn’t for her long hair no one would look twice at her. Not that it bothered her. It really didn’t. She’d established two fabulous careers where she helped people, and volunteered at the hospital for all those children. What was on the inside mattered. Caring for people mattered.
    Your face has character . Kate smiled. Her mother had been right. Character was what counted. It was inborn, long lasting, something that didn’t change with wrinkles or time. It stayed with you and shone through your eyes, your voice. Kate had made that point very clear in her third, wildly popular book, A Makeover from the Inside Out.
    Downstairs, she opened the door and her heart jolted at the sight of Adam. He looked handsome in a dark suit and a tie the same color as her dress. She was about to make a comment about them at least looking like a couple, when she noticed the expression on his face and stilled.
    “You look…perfect,” he said, his tone gruff.
    Pleased, she offered him a polite smile. “Thank you. Come inside.”
    She walked a few paces when she realized he wasn’t following her and turned around. She saw him standing next to the hall table, staring down at the picture she had received.
    She recalled telling him about her search for the painting that first night in Barbara’s apartment. “Another dead end,” she said, trying to sound casual. “I’m…I’m ready to give up.”
    He gave her a deep look. “Don’t. You’ll find it, Kate.”
    She was uncomfortable under his gaze. She felt he could see right through her and knew how disappointed she really was. She motioned him into the living room.
    He looked around appreciatively. “You have a nice place here.”
    “Thank you.” She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something was different about him tonight. “I thought we could go over our game plan first before we set out. We need to have the same story. Where we met, how