LITMIR.BIZ

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But, by God, she would!

      ‘Yes,’ she said, and Justin beamed.

      ‘Fantastic. Here. A toast is in order.’

      He held his glass out towards her and she clicked it with hers.

      ‘To the comeuppance of Eric the Mongrel,’ Justin pronounced.

      Rachel’s stomach flipped over. ‘Comeuppance?’

      ‘Oh, yes. Your ex deserves a few serves. And I’m just the man to deliver them!’

      Justin paced up and down the living room, impatient for Rachel to make her appearance. She’d stayed hidden ever since her return from the beauty salon around five, letting herself in whilst he’d been in the bathroom, shaving. Now it was getting on for seven and he was dressed in his tux and ready to go down for the cocktail party that preceded the dinner at eight, an arrangement Rachel was well acquainted with. They’d discussed it last night.

      So when seven came and went without her showing, Justin strode down the hallway and knocked firmly on her door.

      ‘Enough titivating in there, Rachel. It’s seven o’clock. Time you faced the music.’

      ‘Coming,’ she called back. But nervously, he thought.

      The door opened and Justin’s blue eyes rounded.

      ‘Wow, Rachel. You don’t just look great. You look fabulous!’

      Even that was an understatement. Where had his plain-Jane PA disappeared to? In her place stood a striking creature. No, a stunning creature. No, a striking, stunning, sexy creature.

      Justin found himself standing there, just staring at her, trying to work out what she’d done to cause such a dramatic transformation.

      It couldn’t just be her hair, though it was very different. And very red, he noted wryly. Cut in layers, it fell from an off-centre parting to her shoulders, framing her face and her eyes, her always lovely eyes, which now looked not just lovelier but larger. Was it the smoky eye make-up which had achieved this effect, or some other subtle change? Whatever, when he looked into her face he couldn’t stop looking at her eyes.

      They looked back at him, heartbreakingly hesitant. She still didn’t know how beautiful she was. How amazingly, incredibly beautiful.

      ‘You honestly think so?’ she asked. ‘You don’t think I look…foolish?’

      ‘Foolish?’ he echoed in disbelief. ‘In what way could you possibly look foolish?’

      ‘My hair colour bothers me for starters. It’s too red,’ she said, touching it gingerly with her equally red nails.

      ‘Honey, you can carry off red now,’ he reassured softly.

      ‘Oh…’ She blushed prettily. ‘But don’t you think the make-up girl put too much foundation on me? I look like a ghost.’

      ‘No, you don’t. That’s the fashion. You know, that’s the slinkiest bridesmaid dress I think I’ve ever seen,’ he remarked, shaking his head as his gaze ran down the dress again.

      It was a turquoise silk sheath, with thin shoulder straps and a fitted waist that showed off Rachel’s nice bustline and tiny waist to perfection. The skirt was straight and slender, and fell to mid-calf, with a slanted hem from which hung strands of crystal beads. Under this rather provocative feature her legs were bare, yet looked as smooth and shiny as they would if covered in the most expensive stockings. Her feet were shod in turquoise high heels, which matched the colour of the dress and had open toes, showing scarlet-painted toes. She smelled faintly of jasmine, possibly from a scented oil used to massage her skin. Her arms, Justin also noted as his eyes travelled back up to her face, looked as soft and shiny as her legs, probably the result of a full body massage today.

      That beauty salon deserved a medal for the miracle it had managed in one short day. Not that he’d tell Rachel that. Despite her fab new look, her self-esteem was still wavering, which was a problem. Frankly, he’d been looking forward to exacting some well-deserved revenge on rotten exes tonight, and he needed Rachel’s full co-operation to achieve that end. Clearly, her confidence still needed some more boosting.

      ‘You look good enough to eat, Rachel. Eric the Mongrel is going to be jealous as sin when I walk into that dinner party with you on my arm.’

      ‘I think it’s Eric’s girlfriend who might be the jealous one,’ Rachel returned as she looked him up and down.

      Justin was surprised but pleased that she thought him attractive. It would make his plan for the evening run smoother. ‘Yes, we’ve both cleaned up rather well, haven’t we? Come on, let’s go and put a cat amongst the pigeons. Do you have a bag?’

      ‘No, I don’t.’

      ‘No need. It’s not as though we have to go outside. There’ll be no wind to mess up your hair. If you feel in the need for any repairs during the night you can always whip up here in the lift. I’ll have my key card with me.’

      ‘Yes, I might need to do that after dinner. I always eat off my lipstick, though the make-up girl who did me up said this particular brand is renowned for not coming off. She said it’s the one the actresses use who make blue movies.’

      Justin laughed and started shepherding Rachel towards the door. ‘That’s handy to know. So if you disappear under the tablecloth at any time tonight I’ll feel confident you’ll resurface still looking immaculate.’

      When she looked scandalised Justin tut-tutted. ‘Come, now, Rachel, try to get with the spirit of this occasion. Remember, I’m not just your boss for tonight. I’m your lover as well.’

      ‘What?’ She ground to a startled halt.

      Justin was taken aback. ‘I thought you understood that was part of my plan. Look, how else are we going to get up Eric the Mongrel’s nose, unless he thinks we’re a hot item? We want him to believe you haven’t missed him one bit, that you’ve survived his callous dumping; you did your duty to Lettie like the angel you are and are now moving on to a much more exciting and fulfilling life than you would have had married to him. You’re looking better than ever. You live in a fantastic town house at Turramurra. And you have this great new job, with a handsome, successful, besotted boss who can’t keep his hands off you.’

      ‘But…but I wouldn’t like having a boss like that!’

      ‘You might not, but it’s some men’s fantasy. And some women’s. Trust me on that. I would imagine it was right up Eric the Mongrel’s alley.’

      ‘You have to stop calling him that or I’m going to giggle all night.’

      ‘That’s all right. Giggling’s good.’

      ‘But it’s not me.’

      ‘It can be. You can be anything you want to be tonight. The point of this exercise is to show your ex that he doesn’t know you at all, if he ever did. And to make him want the new you like crazy!’

      ‘I…I don’t think…’

      ‘Now, thinking’s a definite no-no for this evening as well. Thinking rarely does anyone any good. Just follow my lead, honey, and everything will be fine.’

      When he took her elbow he felt her resistance and stared down at her. She stared back up at him.

      ‘You called me honey.’

      ‘Well, I’m not going to call you Rachel all the time. Sounds far too platonic. OK, so honey’s out. How about the occasional darling? Yes, that’s much better. Much classier. Come along, Cinders, darling,’ Justin said with a rueful smile. ‘It’s time to go to the ball.’

       CHAPTER SIX

      RACHEL stood silently by Justin’s

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