Скачать книгу

very much. But apparently, judging from his reaction, he could take or leave her. It was probably a routine thing for him, kissing women. She had to stop thinking about that. She had a design to improve, and the first real chance of her career. She wasn’t going to waste it, or be sidetracked, even by a very attractive man like Curry Kells.

      Miss Raines was venomous when she heard that Mr. Kells had added Ivory’s design to the collection. She was even more venomous about Ivory being taken off repairs. They’d never make the schedule now. She shouldn’t have mentioned the girl to Curry Kells. She’d inadvertently called attention to Ivory, which had been the very thing she’d tried to prevent.

      Several people had remarked that Mr. Kells took Ivory home from the party and didn’t come back for a couple of hours. No wonder the girl had been given a chance, she thought viciously. Ivory had seduced the boss and turned his head. Now she was reaping the benefits. But that design wasn’t going to get her anywhere. Miss Raines knew good style when she saw it, and that dress would be the laughingstock of the company. Mr. Kells owned the company, but he was no fashion expert. His protégé was going to fall flat on her face, and Miss Raines could hardly wait to see it.

      She wasn’t openly hostile, however. She’d even smiled when she congratulated Ivory on her promotion to junior designer.

      “She smiles like a barracuda,” Dee remarked coldly. “You watch her. She isn’t happy about this. I’ll bet she’s boiling inside. You don’t know much about company politics, but I’ll tell you, people can be underhanded in this business. Some of them will do anything to keep their jobs or prevent other people from promotion.”

      “Miss Raines isn’t spiteful,” Ivory protested.

      “Her job isn’t on the line—yet. If you’re ever in the position of competing with her, look out. You’ve got fresh and original ideas, and most of hers came out of Chanel back in the sixties. Chanel moved easily into the contemporary market, but Virginia Raines wouldn’t know modern fashion if it bit her on the nose. You watch your back, so that she doesn’t put a knife in it.”

      “I’ll watch,” Ivory promised, smiling. “But I think you’re wrong.”

      “I hope I am,” Dee said fervently. “But be careful, just the same.”

      “How was your late date last night?” Ivory asked, to change the subject.

      Dee chuckled. “Well, it was a start. I like him, I really do. He’s a Midwestern farm boy who came to the big city for a chance and found one doing commercials. With that face and body, I’m not one bit surprised that he was discovered so quickly. I have contacts, too, so maybe I can help his career along.”

      Just for an instant, Ivory wondered if Dee’s escort might have had that in mind. She decided that she was much too suspicious of people and went back to work.

      * * *

      TERESA KELLS HAD large black eyes, salt-and-pepper hair that she wore in a bun, and hands that were twisted with arthritis. In her simple black dress and her low-heeled black lace-up shoes, she sat clutching her designer purse in her lap tightly as they waited impatiently in the lab for the radiologist to come back and explain the radiation treatment she was to have.

      Diverted by the movement of her son beside her, she turned her head and smiled at him uneasily. He was a good man. All his adult life he’d looked after her. She shouldn’t be so possessive of him, she knew, but he was all she had left. Her daughter, married now to that overbearing computer executive she didn’t like, and vice president of a major corporation, wouldn’t listen to her anymore. Her mentally challenged son had never recognized her. She had no husband, because the father of Curry and her other children had vanished twenty years ago. She had friends, but they were no substitute for this son of hers who cared so deeply for her welfare. She was keenly aware, as well, that her being Puerto Rican and Catholic had subjected her to discrimination far too often in the past.

      Curry resembled her, with his black eye; but his wavy hair was more deep brown than black, and his olive complexion wasn’t overly dark. Besides that, he had a well-modulated voice with no trace of an accent, although he spoke Spanish as fluently as she did, along with several other languages.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4SZ1RXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgADAEAAAMAAAABBicAAAEBAAMAAAABCUsAAAECAAMAAAADAAAA ngEGAAMAAAABAAIAAAESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEVAAMAAAABAAMAAAEaAAUAAAABAAAApAEbAAUAAAAB AAAArAEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAeAAAAtAEyAAIAAAAUAAAA0odpAAQAAAABAAAA6AAAASAA CAAIAAgALcbAAAAnEAAtxsAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTNS4xIFdpbmRvd3MAMjAxNzox MjowOSAxMzozNDoxMQAAAAAEkAAABwAAAAQwMjIxoAEAAwAAAAH//wAAoAIABAAAAAEAAAIzoAMA BAAAAAEAAANSAAAAAAAAAAYBAwADAAAAAQAGAAABGgAFAAAAAQAAAW4BGwAFAAAAAQAAAXYBKAAD AAAAAQACAAACAQAEAAAAAQAAAX4CAgAEAAAAAQAAJO8AAAAAAAAASAAAAAEAAABIAAAAAf/Y/+IM WElDQ19QUk9GSUxFAAEBAAAMSExpbm8CEAAAbW50clJHQiBYWVogB84AAgAJAAYAMQAAYWNzcE1T RlQAAAAASUVDIHNSR0IAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAPbWAAEAAAAA0y1IUCAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARY3BydAAAAVAAAAAzZGVzYwAAAYQAAABs d3RwdAAAAfAAAAAUYmtwdAAAAgQAAAAUclhZWgAAAhgAAAAUZ1hZWgAAAiwAAAAUYlhZWgAAAkAA AAAUZG1uZAAAAlQAAABwZG1kZAAAAsQAAACIdnVlZAAAA0wAAACGdmlldwAAA9QAAAAkbHVtaQAA A/gAAAAUbWVhcwAABAwAAAAkdGVjaAAABDAAAAAMclRSQwAABDwAAAgMZ1RSQwAABDwAAAgMYlRS QwAABDwAAAgMdGV4dAAAAABDb3B5cmlnaHQgKGMpIDE5OTggSGV3bGV0dC1QYWNrYXJkIENvbXBh bnkAAGRlc2MAAAAAAAAAEnNSR0IgSUVDNjE5NjYtMi4xAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASc1JHQiBJRUM2MTk2 Ni0yLjEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFhZ WiAAAAAAAADzUQABAAAAARbMWFlaIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABYWVogAAAAAAAAb6IAADj1AAAD kFhZWiAAAAAAAABimQAAt4UAABjaWFlaIAAAAAAAACSgAAAPhAAAts9kZXNjAAAAAAAAABZJRUMg aHR0cDovL3d3dy5pZWMuY2gAAAAAAAAAAAAAABZJRUMgaHR0cDovL3d3dy5pZWMuY2gAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZGVzYwAAAAAAAAAuSUVDIDYx OTY2LTIuMSBEZWZhdWx0IFJHQiBjb2xvdXIgc3BhY2UgLSBzUkdCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAuSUVDIDYx OTY2LTIuMSBEZWZhdWx0IFJHQiBjb2xvdXIgc3BhY2UgLSBzUkdCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAGRlc2MAAAAAAAAALFJlZmVyZW5jZSBWaWV3aW5nIENvbmRpdGlvbiBpbiBJRUM2MTk2Ni0y LjEAAAAAAAAAAAAAACxSZWZlcmVuY2UgVmlld2luZyBDb25kaXRpb24gaW4gSUVDNjE5NjYtMi4x AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB2aWV3AAAAAAATpP4AFF8uABDPFAAD7cwABBMLAANc ngAAAAFYWVogAAAAAABMCVYAUAAAAFcf521lYXMAAAAAAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKP AAAAAnNpZyAAAAAAQ1JUIGN1cnYAAAAAAAAEAAAAAAUACgAPABQAGQAeACMAKAAtADIANwA7AEAA RQBKAE8AVABZAF4AYwBoAG0AcgB3AHwAgQCGAIsAkACVAJoAnwCkAKkArgCyALcAvADBAMYAywDQ ANUA2wDgAOUA6wDwAPYA+wEBAQcBDQETARkBHwElASsBMgE4AT4BRQFMAVIBWQFgAWcBbgF1AXwB gwGLAZIBmgGhAakBsQG5AcEByQHRAdkB4QHpAfIB+gIDAgwCFAIdAiYCLwI4AkECSwJUAl0CZwJx AnoChAKOApgCogKsArYCwQLLAtUC4ALrAvUDAAMLAxYDIQMtAzgDQwNPA1oDZgNyA34DigOWA6ID rgO6A8cD0wPgA+wD+QQGBBMEIAQtBDsESARVBGMEcQR+BIwEmgSoBLYExATTBOEE8AT+BQ0FHAUr BToFSQVYBWcFdwWGBZYFpgW1BcUF1QXlBfYGBgYWBicGNwZIBlkGagZ7BowGnQavBsAG0QbjBvUH BwcZBysHPQdPB2EHdAeGB5kHrAe/B9IH5Qf4CAsIHwgyCEYIWghuCIIIlgiqCL4I0gjnCPsJEAkl CToJTwlkCXkJjwmkCboJzwnlCfsKEQonCj0KVApqCoEKmAquCsUK3ArzCwsLIgs5C1ELaQuAC5gL sAvIC+EL+QwSDCoMQwxcDHUMjgynDMAM2QzzDQ0NJg1ADVoNdA2ODakNww3eDfgOEw4uDkkOZA5/ DpsOtg7SDu4PCQ8lD0EPXg96D5YPsw/PD+wQCRAmEEMQYRB+EJsQuRDXEPURExExEU8RbRGMEaoR yRHoEgcSJhJFEmQShBKjEsMS4xMDEyMTQxNjE4MTpBPFE+UUBhQnFEkUahSLFK0UzhTwFRIVNBVW FXgVmxW9FeAWAxYmFkkWbBaPFrIW1hb6Fx0XQRdlF4kXrhfSF/cYGxhAGGUYihivGNUY+hkgGUUZ axmRGbcZ3RoEGioaURp3Gp4axRrsGxQbOxtjG4obshvaHAIcKhxSHHscoxzMHPUdHh1HHXAdmR3D HeweFh5AHmoelB6+HukfEx8+H2kflB+/H+ogFSBBIGwgmCDEIPAhHCFIIXUhoSHOIfsiJyJVIoIi ryLdIwojOCNmI5QjwiPwJB8kTSR8JKsk2iUJJTglaCWXJccl9yYnJlcmhya3JugnGCdJJ3onqyfc KA0oPyhxKKIo1CkGKTgpaymdKdAqAio1KmgqmyrPKwIrNitpK50r0SwFLDksbiyiLNctDC1BLXYt qy3hLhYuTC6CLrcu7i8kL1ovkS/HL/4wNTBsMKQw2zESMUoxgjG6MfIyKjJjMpsy1DMNM0YzfzO4 M/E0KzRlNJ402DUTNU0

Скачать книгу