LITMIR.BIZ

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aunt with the approved colours for her. Not that she’d ever have the confidence to wear a dress like that. She was way too tall.

      ‘It will be perfect with your hair and skin. Not to mention your height.’

      Turning, Chloe expected to see some deferential shop assistant about to do a hard sell on her, when she found herself face to face with current London ‘It’ girl and wild child of the Chatsfield clan – Cara Chatsfield.

      ‘You’re Cara Chatsfield,’ Chloe almost stammered with her shock. ‘Sorry, that was truly gauche of me.’

      Cara laughed, her voice light and musical. ‘Not at all. It’s nice to stand next to someone taller than me for a change. That dress can either be dressed up or down depending on the shoes you choose.’

      Chloe glanced at her Audrey Hepburnesque black ballet flats.

      ‘Probably not those.’ Cara laughed. ‘Go on, try it on.’

      Chloe glanced at the dress dubiously. ‘I think I’m too tall.’

      ‘Nonsense. It’s made for a tall girl,’ Cara said. ‘And that colour will bring out the strawberry tones in your hair. Is that natural by the way?’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘Now I’m truly jealous. Go on. The designer is fabulous.’

      As was the price tag most likely but Chloe did as the famous model bid, wondering if perhaps she’d stepped down a rabbit hole or something. Or perhaps she was just asleep in her bed and this was all just a weird dream.

      Wishful thinking, she thought somewhat miserably.

      But when she appeared with the dress on Chloe had to admit that it was dazzling.

      ‘What did I tell you?’

      Cara stood beside her in the full-length mirror wearing a very daring and very short electric blue strapless dress with gladiator sandals. The outfit should have looked garish. It only looked fabulous.

      ‘Are you going to wear it somewhere special?’ Cara asked.

      Chloe hesitated and then thought what the hell; everything about this day felt surreal anyway. ‘Liam Hunter’s party tonight.’

      ‘Oooh my.’ Cara’s eyes twinkled with devilment. ‘He will keel over when he sees you in that. Are you dating him?’

      ‘No.’

      There must have been something in her tone because Cara placed a manicured hand on her arm. ‘There’s a story there. Why don’t you tell it to me over at the salon where you can have your hair and makeup done as well.’

      ‘Hair and makeup?’

      ‘Sara, be a love and put both outfits on my account.’

      ‘You can’t possibly pay for my dress,’ Chloe spluttered.

      ‘Yes I can, my father owns the hotel.’ Cara grinned mischievously and Chloe wondered if anyone could resist her when she did that. ‘Come on. Say yes, I’m in dire need of cheering up right now. What was your name by the way?’

      ‘Chloe, but–’

      ‘Great.’

      Linking her arm through Chloe’s, Cara had herded her out of the boutique and across the wide hall into a discrete-looking salon before she had a chance to blink, let alone object. She’d leave a cheque for the dress at reception later, she decided.

      Still… ‘I should warn you that I’m a journalist,’ Chloe pulled a face, her innate sense of right and wrong coming to the fore. ‘Not that I would ever repeat anything you said to me outside of a formal interview.’

      Cara tilted her head and inspected her. Then she smiled. ‘And now I trust you even more. Charles!’ Cara air kissed a short grey-haired man with a goatee. ‘My friend Chloe here needs you to wave your magic wand and then I’ve decided to go pink.’

      Chloe looked at Cara’s white blonde hair. ‘Pink?’

      Cara shrugged. ‘It’s about the only colour I haven’t tried. Other than blue…’

      Two hours later Chloe felt completely bamboozled as she stared at her reflection in the salon mirror. She had spent a lot of time learning how to play up her looks since her disastrous high school days but Charles had done something else. He’d made her beautiful.

      Her makeup was elegant and barely there the way she liked it and he’d cut soft layers into her hair that meant that it didn’t bounce around her head when it was down. ‘Wow.’

      ‘Wow is right.’ Cara came to stand beside her. ‘Now where are you getting changed?’

      Chloe blinked. ‘I was going to pop home and–’

      ‘Ruin your gorgeous hair and makeup. No.’ Cara twisted and turned in front of the mirror and Chloe wished she had a shred of her confidence. ‘You can come to the suite I’ve booked for the night. I’m having a small party myself and we can use the time to perfect your marvellous plan to show Liam Hunter what he missed out on.’

      Chloe was still shocked that she’d even confided her story to the stunning model but there was something about her that had gained Chloe’s confidence. Or maybe she had just needed to talk to someone. Get some advice. She wasn’t exactly the vengeful type and what if he laughed at her inexperienced attempts at seduction? Fortunately Cara had given her plenty of ideas and added stiletto heels to her purchases so she could be sure to really leave her mark on Liam Hunter as she used him as a doormat on her way out.

      Yet even as she’d told Cara how much she disliked Liam, Chloe could still feel the way his long fingers had felt wrapped around her own. Still see the chiselled perfection of his face, still smell his woodsy male scent. Part of her obviously did like him. Very much. And it had nothing to do with her brain.

      Did he really find her attractive now or had it all been in her imagination? And was it pathetic of her to feel just a little thrilled at the prospect?

      Chloe swallowed. The more she thought about her marvellous plan for revenge the sicker she felt.

       Chapter Four

      She wasn’t coming.

      Liam paced around his vast hotel living area taking no notice of the lavish furnishings which were currently draped with a throng of party goers he didn’t know. When he’d first made it big in Hollywood he’d soaked up parties like this one. Parties strewn with near naked girls who were more than willing to put out even in a room full of people, and guys who wanted to bask in the glow of his overnight success.

      What would they all think if they heard about the horrible prank he’d been a part of five years ago? His father would be ashamed of him if he knew the full extent of it and while Liam hadn’t been personally responsible for the romantic banner pinned to the wall asking Chloe to marry him he’d been responsible for leading her on. He’d been responsible for letting her wrap her arms around his neck and for letting her say she loved him when he could have prevented it. Yes, he’d been dumbfounded by the joke. Dumbfounded that his friends had taken things to that level. But he’d done nothing to stop it and he still hated himself for that more than anything.

      His ex-friends had uploaded the secret video straightaway, calling Chloe the plain pony to his sexy stallion. A frown marred Liam’s brow. She might not have been one of those girls who played on her looks but that didn’t make her plain. Not with those striking blue eyes and wavy red hair. That lush mouth that she’d nibble on in between explaining verb conjugations and negative infinitives. The fact that he’d been able to retain half the stuff she was telling him was thanks to that mouth and the amount of time he’d spent watching it.

      And she wasn’t coming.

      ‘Hey, dude, great party.’

      Liam

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