Bit the inside of her lip.
And released his hand.
But he didn't move.
“Open your eyes,” he said quietly. “Are you in control or is your anxiety? Choose yes or choose no, but own your decision.”
Anger and fear blended. Her mind hyperfocused on where she was and what she was doing. Then she channeled her options-moving forward or backing out. Backing out left her right where she was when she'd come in. That was unacceptable.
She opened her eyes and met his directly.
He took a second to scan them, read them, then gifted her with a full, gorgeous smile. “I knew you had it in you.”
And flicked the other strap off her shoulder.
Her dress eased down her breasts, her belly, slowed as it glided over her hips, then vanished into a pool of darkness at her feet.
And the devil's hot gaze followed every inch of its retreat.
Giselle forced her eyes to stay open when they wanted to close, but let them blur i
n the distance. And her mind raced.
What am I doing?
What in the hell am I doing?
Air hissed through his teeth, and Giselle forced her eyes to focus. But he was still scanning her body, his hungry gaze stroking her like a touch and kicking up heat.
“Fucking beautiful.” The raw sincerity in his voice pushed a thrill through her veins. Then he offered his hand and gestured to the glass platform. “Are you ready to take your stage?”
Panic trilled along every nerve. She glanced sideways, found a couple along the edge of the room watching them, then looked around, and found everyone watching. She swallowed, met his eyes again, and admitted, “I don't know if I can do this.”
He lowered his hand. His voice was patient, but his gaze was direct. “If you can't do it now, here, in the dark with a stranger you'll never see again, around a bunch of other strangers you'll never see again, you can kiss that video role good-bye. Because when you shoot that simulated sex scene, there will be lights, cameras, and action with two dozen stagehands and cameramen looking on.”
Giselle cut her gaze to the floor and swallowed again. Her throat was dry, her stomach felt raw. This wasn't all that different from the extreme butterflies she used to get-sometimes still got-before a performance. And if she wanted to take the next step in her career, she had to get past this.
Bigger deals and bigger venues went to bigger names. She'd maxed out the leverage on her talent. She was considered one of the strongest voices in the business, one of the freshest songwriters of the decade. But that only sold so many tickets. Following sold more. Lots more. And Giselle needed a bigger following.
Sexy sold. And as Chad liked to tell her, over and over and over again, she had to be the woman other women wanted to be, the woman men dreamed of. That would give her the following she needed to break out.
“Your call, angel,” the devil said, sweeping one hand through her hair. “What's it going to be?”
She should tell him to go find a real woman, someone who could fulfill the animalistic urges he'd come here to satisfy. But in her gut, she knew that woman resided in her somewhere. She'd just been buried for a long time. For whatever reason, he'd given up on two sure things to spend time with her, and he'd already given her some of what she'd come here to find. She wanted to give back. Even if he was a stranger she'd never see again, she wanted to give him a little taste of success for his efforts.
She lifted her eyes to his with an overwhelming sensation of vulnerability, but some of the apprehension had softened beneath the alcohol's effect. “Can you lead?”
His smile flashed white-hot, and this time, it was edged with arrogance. An arrogance Giselle was pretty sure he'd earned. “I was born to lead.”
Stretching his arm out to her, he offered his hand a second time. “Let the show begin.”
Troy was going straight to hell.
He'd suspected as much for a long time. But as Giselle laid her fingertips in his, Troy knew he was going straight to the very bowels of hell.
She was scared, way out of her element, and she needed him-needed him to show her how to get into her role for this video. Needed him to make her feel safe. Needed him to satiate the lust making those ocean-blue eyes shine. The sight gave him an unholy thrill that vibrated through his body. And the fact that she didn't recognize him only added a wicked kick to his excitement.
Oh yes. There was no doubt about it. Troy would be seated at Satan's side for eternity.