Forgotten Lover. Кэрол Мортимер

       CHAPTER ONE

      VELVET posed in front of the camera once again, her smile forced now as the sun continued to beat down on her, her make-up feeling as if it were streaking down her face. They had attracted quite a crowd of people as Paul set up his photographic equipment on the Fort Lauderdale beach, the holiday town twenty miles from Miami. Thank God they hadn’t decided to film in Miami itself; the one day they had spent there the beach had been absolutely crowded.

      As it was they had attracted quite a few people, most of them male, all watching with interest as she and Carly posed in the numerous beach outfits. The shorts were very brief, some of the sun-tops even briefer, and this was obviously appreciated by their onlookers.

      But despite the briefness of their clothing it was still terribly hot, the temperature in the nineties, and only being used to the coolness of English weather this heat had come as something of a shock to Velvet. All she longed to do right now was strip off, don one of the numerous bikinis she had brought with her, and run across the golden-white sand and into the deep blue sea, its coolness refreshing and invigorating.

      Fort Lauderdale certainly lived up to its reputation. The people were very friendly, the beaches unbelievable, even down to the palm trees that grew tall and straight even in the strong sea-breeze. The sand was fine and smooth down to the sea edge, the water still and calm, the waves lapping gently against the shoreline. Tall hotels, and one and two-storey motels edged the beach across the shore road, their walls freshly painted in gay attractive colours. It was in one of these hotels that the three of them were staying, with a breathtaking view of the ocean from their rooms, both in the blazing sunlight hours and the bright moonlight.

      But today was their first day of actually working, the previous day having been taken up in recovering from the nine-hour flight. Never having worked in such a climate before, Velvet hadn’t been prepared for the overwhelming heat and humidity that seemed to hit her like a blanket as soon as she had stepped out of their air-conditioned hotel this morning. Her brief clothing had instantly seemed too heavy, her make-up feeling caked on to her face, and all her energy seemed to be stripped from her. And that was before she had even begun working!

      The last hour had seemed like a lifetime, each change of clothes taking longer than the last, and her movements were now slow and sluggish.

      She threw off the straw hat. ‘No more, Paul,’ she complained. ‘I can’t do any more today.’ The blue sea behind her beckoned temptingly, increasingly so as each minute passed.

      His camera lowered, his features boyishly youthful despite his thirty-two years, Paul was very slightly built, his blond hair over-long, his features striking rather than handsome. Because he spent so much time with women his manner was sometimes effeminate, often leading to snide remarks from people who envied him his skill with a camera, but Velvet knew that these remarks were unfounded. He and Carly, the other model on this assignment, had been living together for the past year.

      ‘Just another couple of shots,’ he encouraged. ‘Then we can all stop for the day. Okay?’

      ‘Okay,’ she sighed her agreement, and donned the hat again, sure that by now she must look a mess and not the beautiful model she was supposed to be.

      Carly looked up hopefully from her sitting position on the sand. ‘Does that mean I can go and get changed?’

      ‘Yes, go,’ Paul told her in a preoccupied voice.

      She stood up, grimacing. ‘So nice to be wanted!’

      Paul ignored her, all his concentration on his camera and subject. He didn’t even see the models who stood before him as women, they were merely objects that he wanted to show to advantage with his skill as a photographer. Velvet loved to be photographed by him, knew he would bring out the best in her. If he hadn’t been the photographer on this assignment she doubted she would even have accepted it, hating having to leave Tony with her brother and his wife.

      Not that Tony minded, he loved staying with his Uncle Simon and Aunty Janice. But Velvet herself felt guilty about leaving him, and would have brought him with her if it hadn’t been such a long flight. As a working widow she took Tony with her as much as possible, possibly a little too possessive of him. But he was all she had left of her husband Anthony, her dearly loved Anthony who had died shortly after their marriage.

      But Tony was all she could ever wish for in her child, full of energy, so much so that he tired her out just looking at him. He was a beautiful child, almost eighteen months of pure devilment, his huge innocent brown eyes totally deceptive, as were his cherubic features and baby blond curls. Oh, how she missed him already!

      ‘There, finished,’ Paul lowered his camera. ‘You can go and get changed too.’

      She wiped her damp face. ‘I think I’ll