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He could hear the genuine concern in her voice. Her light floral perfume with tinges of orange was floating up around him. She brushed her hand against his cheek.
The unanswered phone buzzed again and Lara let out a sigh of exasperation. She dipped into the pocket of his jeans, retrieved the phone and pressed the button. ‘Reuben Tyler is unavailable to take your call,’ she said sharply.
After a few seconds her eyebrows rose. The footballer was obviously on a tirade. She shot Reuben a cheeky smile as she shook her head. ‘Finished?’ she enquired into the phone. ‘In that case, the answers to your questions were no, no and no. And don’t call us, we’ll call you.’ She hung up and put his phone in her bag.
He’d never actually had anyone take charge of him before. It was a whole new experience. Lara just shrugged. ‘I didn’t like him much.’ She started heading towards the door. ‘You should make yourself unavailable for a while until he sorts himself out.’
She was so matter-of-fact about it. Her head wasn’t thumping with stocks, shares and the livelihoods of everyone attached to the club. It was almost like a light-bulb moment for him.
He followed her out to the main department, wincing at the bright lights. Bree was standing behind the nearest counter with a whole range of beautifully folded clothes, awaiting payment.
Lara’s footsteps faltered. ‘Oh, no,’ she whispered.
He walked right into the back of her and slid his hand around her waist. ‘Don’t panic. I have the perfect solution.’
She spun around to face him, her lips just inches from his. It struck him that to anyone looking they must appear a couple. ‘Does she work on commission?’ Lara whispered. ‘Have I just ruined her entire day?’
He reached for his wallet. ‘I’m going to pay.’
She grabbed hold of his hand. ‘No, Reuben. We’ve spoken about this.’
He gave her a smile. ‘Not entirely. I’m paying you back.’
She frowned. ‘Paying me back for what?’
He waved his hand and stopped Bree from wrapping the pink dress. ‘Here,’ he said with a flourish. ‘Go and put that back on.’
‘Why on earth would I do that?’
‘I’ll let you know what I’m paying you back for once we get out of here. Let’s test-drive your fancy new clothes.’
She was bewildered. But Reuben had already swiped his credit card. Bree reached behind her and pulled the silver sandals back out of the bag. ‘Here, take these too. You can change back in the dressing room.’
Lara held the glittering pink dress in her hand. Was she finally losing her mind? Maybe this was all just some crazy dream and any second now she’d wake up and find out the last few days hadn’t happened at all.
The bright lights of the shop made the dress glitter even more. It was gorgeous. It was a beautiful dress. She’d actually looked at herself in the mirror and held her breath.
She shrugged. Where was the harm in this? It was only temporary. Most of the clothes she could still return. The pink dress?
Well, that might just be destiny.
* * *
The bar was beautiful. In one of the most well-known five-star hotels in London, it was sleek, chic and discreet. It was definitely the place to bring a date you wanted to impress. The opulent art deco setting couldn’t be any sexier—smouldering black lacquer, burnished gold alcoves, velvet upholstery and the kind of low lighting that showed off everyone to their best advantage.
Normally Lara would have shied away from a place like this, but with her shimmering pink designer dress and silver sandals, for once she didn’t feel out of place.
Reuben obviously knew the cocktail bar well. He nodded to the barman and handed her a cocktail menu. ‘What would you like?’
She was too busy staring at the chandelier directly above her head. She gave a shrug. ‘Something fruity.’
He shook his head and leaned across the bar to place an order. ‘What do you think of the place?’
She glanced around at all the elegant couples in the room. They looked like they did this every day. ‘It’s beautiful,’ she said quietly. ‘Very elegant.’
Reuben pointed over to the corner. ‘Over there? That’s the former cabaret stage where George Gershwin and Frank Sinatra performed.’
She sucked in her breath as the barman slid some orange-coloured drinks towards them. The drinks were just as glamorous as the place. Served in stunning, long-stemmed crystal glassware, she was almost too afraid to even take a sip.
The peach-flavoured icy drink was delicious. A few more of these and she would drift off into a world all of her own. And from where she was currently sitting, she would take the sexy Irish man right with her.
