Bella Frances – The Scandal Behind the Wedding (страница 2)

‘Miss?’ The still patient tones jolted her back.

‘Fifty-ninth, thank you,’ she said, seeing the circle already illuminated.

Yes, she’d been even more gullible than usual when she’d met Nick. But this guy, even though he was smooth and sleek, actually looked hard and more than a little bit tough—a force. Elemental and real. As if he had stubble because he hadn’t had a chance to shave—not because the men’s magazines were showcasing stubble this season. As if he’d picked up the bump on the side of his nose on a rugby field or in a barroom brawl. As if he’d know exactly how to use those lips.

And the gull wings, now that she saw more closely, were really just thick, naturally well-shaped brows to set off his freakishly perfect blue eyes.

The elevator zoomed, stilled, and then the doors eased open just a few floors higher. There was barely space inside for a blast of cheap perfume but a middle-aged couple thought they’d give it a go. The guys shifted and pressed closer to her. In her heels she was nose to nose with the smallest of them, and they were all pretty tall. She could sense them exchanging looks, then heard a stifled snigger. Whatever. They were totally not getting to her and her manufactured composure.

She was late. She was heading into the unknown. But she was determined to stop being a victim. And she was going to project cool and calm—starting now.

The elevator whooshed and paused again, to deposit the couple, but the guy closest didn’t give back her personal space. Instead he turned round and winked. Really. Winked. She drew her eyes from him and stared straight ahead.

‘Hey, gorgeous, how about it?’

Georgia opened her mouth to flip out her standard, You couldn’t afford me. The line she served up with the pints and shots she passed across the bar of The Tavern—London pub and home to her and Babs since forever. But that would just get her into a conversation, and they were too young, too cocksure and too much the worse for their liquid brunch for her to go anywhere near them.

No, much better if she focussed on chatting to men who were maybe a bit older tonight, a bit quieter, a bit more homely than off-the-charts handsome—maybe a man she could … trust?

After all since Nick had gone, taking with him the stuffing he’d knocked out of her, the last thing she needed was to get all bent out of shape over another hot young dude. Or—worse still—someone like the power furnace in the corner. The one who was burning up the air in this elevator with no more than his presence. A guy like that was an incendiary device. And she wanted a slow burn, not spontaneous combustion. Didn’t she?

She could feel the thudding starting in her ears again as the number fifty-nine remained illuminated. She could feel the tension rise in the tiny cramped space as the guys re-started their testosterone-fuelled rumbling. She could feel Italian-Shoe-Man watching her closely. And she felt her eyes slide to his as she stared right back.

Georgia had to have laid eyes on hundreds and hundreds of men and boys in her twenty-six years of serving drinks, coaching football and teaching pre-schoolers. But the eyes of this man lasered right through her and jolted her harder than if the elevator had just crashed. She felt compelled to stare. She felt as if he could see right inside her. And right here, right now, anyone staring into her mess of homesick, heartsick and sick-to-her-stomach broke, was staring into something she’d much rather keep cloaked.

He didn’t flinch or shift his eyes. They were just—there. Watching … absorbing. But she was smart enough to know that, looking the way he did, he had to have a first-class degree in flirting. No way she could let herself get caught up in something as dangerous as flirting right back. Not when she was looking for a quiet, fade-into-the-background kind of guy. Someone who would cosset her, look after her and smooth her ruffled feathers. Someone who wouldn’t ask her and every other girl within a ten-thousand-mile radius to marry him. Even though this guy looked as if marriage was the last thing on his mind …

He didn’t smile, and when the doors suddenly started to close she was jolted into realising that he was probably just intrigued by how one person could wear so much make-up and not melt under the weight. And her dress, when she glanced down at it, was doing just what Alaïa had intended—flattering and flaunting.

His boozy friend broke the silence.

‘Come on—let’s get to the party. I need to get my hands on some ass …’

‘Tommy, mind your manners. There’s a lady present.’

It was quietly said but everyone hushed instantly. His eyes never left hers and her skin scorched all the way from her hot pinched toes to her hair-laquered head. He looked serious—deadly serious—and she felt a sudden intense kick of adrenalin … or fear … or some other overwhelming feeling. Trouble. That was what it was.

Time to go.

She forced herself to move. Some of them pressed back to give her a little space and she manoeuvred her sharp shoes forward.

Taking a calming breath, she stepped out of the elevator and into a broad, long corridor gleaming with the light from a thousand chandeliers and reflecting miles of pale polished marble. A small gold sign showed two choices—five suites to the left and five suites to the right. She chose left. There was silence now, apart from the light click of her heels.

In a shower of golden light a balcony opened up on her right, overhanging the atrium drop to the outrageous fountain which flowed with unadulterated affluence. The corridor swept ahead, its smooth wall curling out of sight. She clicked round, the echoes following the curve. Finally there were two doors to the left. Equally imperious. She walked right up to one. Another small golden sign: Jumeirah Suite.

This was it.

She reached her hand forward and braced herself for an hour of air-kissing and a super-bright smile.

The door swung open.

Georgia stared blankly from the very large man in western clothes who had opened it to the scene within. Riches, opulence, glamour. People—men and beautiful women. Her feet continued their self-directed path and went right in.

The place was huge. Which was no surprise, really—seven-star hotels would have seven-star suites—with more riches per square inch than Aladdin’s Cave. Still, even after six months in Dubai she was completely unprepared for what she saw.

Twin marble staircases descended with a swirl to a sunken lounge furnished with white leather sofas, overdressed with gold and china-blue satin cushions. On the mezzanines at either side were more seating areas, one with a bar and one with diner-style booths—all pale blue studded leather and filmy white and gold drapes. The wall behind the staircases was made entirely of glass—easily sixty feet of it—and behind that sat the magnificent Persian Gulf, its blue hues melding with the lilacs and oranges of the early evening sun.

But she’d seen a sunset or ten, stepped out on more than her fair share of marble, and lounged on lots of butter-soft leather. So it wasn’t the opulence that was immediately arresting. It was the rest of it that was so striking. Singles? Couples. Reclining on low white leather sofas, drinks in hand, and looking very, very relaxed. Even through the air-con there was a heady sense of hedonism. Strange for a singles’ party—even here.

She looked around for other girls like her, but every girl was occupied—very occupied—with a man.

Georgia’s eyes warred with her brain and her mouth with her feet to figure out which was going to take action first. A woman climbed one of the stairs towards her. Silky black hair and almond-black eyes. Red mouth and red one-shoulder silk dress cut to the thigh. It made her Alaïa feel more like a nun’s habit.

‘Hi—I’m not sure if I’m in the right place. I was told just to show up. This is a singles party, right?’

The stunning woman ignored her. Flicked her a derisory head-to-toe glance, arched the most perfect brow, quirked the most perfect lip and walked right on by. She paused at a bar area, trailed a scarlet nail down the cheek of a corpulent businessman. He placed his hand on her backside and squeezed. Georgia watched, transfixed, as the woman arched her back and allowed him to touch her breast.

She was not the type of woman who sang nursery rhymes to four-year-olds or who had bruises from junior football. These were not homespun girls looking for Mr Right. Oh, no. These women were sophisticated, sexy, and setting out their stalls.

Georgia looked around again for something—anything—to anchor herself to. But the whole scene was just plain weird. How could everyone be hooked up already? Okay, she’d never been to a singles party before, but she’d heard enough stories about speed-dating to figure that not everyone would be coupled up at … what? … seven-thirty p.m. In fact, when she looked a little closer, some couples were actually threes. Uh-oh.

She felt as if she was standing on the deck of a sinking ship and sharks were circling closer. If this was dipping her toe into the dating waters she’d keep herself on the warm, dry land of singlehood, thank you.