His eyes flickered towards her and he gave a start as he realised the lift doors had opened. ‘I’m busy,’ he hissed into the phone, jamming it back in his pocket.
Lara couldn’t even think straight. Her head was still full of every item of clothing that she’d need to replace with unknown funds so by the time he’d steered her in and out of the lift she didn’t have a clue where she was.
An elegant young woman in a dark suit with a jaunty scarf at her neck greeted them. ‘Mr Tyler?’ she asked. ‘I’m Bree, your personal shopper.’
Reuben nodded, his hand firmly in the small of Lara’s back. ‘This is my friend, Lara Callaway,’ he said swiftly. ‘She’s had a mishap with her summer wardrobe and needs some replacements.’ He glanced around the dazzling array of clothes. ‘Things that will be suitable for a summer cruise she’ll be enjoying in a couple of weeks.’
This time Lara did blink. She was trying to suck in a breath between her tightly clenched lips.
The dark-haired, red-lipped woman nodded attentively. She was so neat. So tidy. So professional that Lara felt entirely dowdy. But Bree nodded as if she were the most important person on the planet and steered her towards a room. ‘What kind of things would you like? Dresses? Skirts? Or trousers? Is there a particular colour you prefer? And would you like daywear as well as nightwear?’
Lara felt herself nod along and murmur, ‘Pink, or blue, or green. Any summer colours really.’ How come she already knew that Bree had that ruthless efficiency edge to her personality type?
Her hands pressed self-consciously against her stomach. ‘Do you need to know my size?’
Bree shook her head, her eyes running up and down her body. ‘No problem. I’ve got your size,’ she said confidently. She ushered Lara behind a set of velvet curtains. ‘Get undressed and I’ll be back in a few minutes.’
Reuben hadn’t even lifted his head from his phone. He was answering some text or email as he sat down in the velvet-covered chair in the corner of the room.
Another assistant appeared with some glasses and a bottle of champagne. She poured them without a word and set one glass down on the table next to Reuben and the other in the dressing room next to Lara. ‘Would you like some chocolates?’
Lara shook her head wordlessly. If she couldn’t afford a cup of tea in here, she certainly couldn’t afford any clothes.
She stood behind the curtains and stared out at Reuben for a few seconds. He looked furious. She was almost scared to speak.
She grabbed hold of the edge of one of the purple velvet curtains. ‘Reuben,’ she hissed.
He didn’t even acknowledge that she’d spoken.
She tried again. ‘Reuben!’ This time she was louder. He looked up.
‘What?’
She blinked back the tears that were threatening to fill her eyes again. ‘Why did you bring me here? I can’t afford any of this stuff.’ Her stomach clenched. ‘You should have told me. You should have told me about my clothes this morning. Then I might have had a chance to get something sorted instead of wasting time over coffee and cakes!’
He frowned. ‘What are you worrying about? I’ll cover the cost of your clothes.’ He waved his hand and went back to his email.
Her mouth fell open. ‘What? No.’ She couldn’t believe it. Why would someone she barely knew offer to restock her wardrobe for her?
He gave a little shrug as he kept bashing away at his phone.
She opened her mouth to speak but Bree swept back into the private changing room with half the contents of the store held effortlessly over her arm.
She stood behind the curtains with Lara and systematically hung things up. ‘You’re not ready yet?’ she asked as everything was slotted into place. ‘Summer dresses, skirts and matching tops, Capri pants and a variety of matching items. You get started and I’ll find some eveningwear for you and some shoes.’ She regarded the rainbow of clothes hanging in front of her nose. ‘I’ve brought the colours I thought would suit you best, but we can change that if there’s anything you don’t particularly like.’
She swept back out without another word and Lara gulped. She wasn’t sure she’d have the heart to tell Bree she didn’t like anything she’d chosen.
She stared down at her skinny jeans, brown boots and simple top. Talk about being out of place.
She picked up the glass of champagne and stared at it for a second before taking a nervous gulp. Bree wasn’t making her uncomfortable. She’d been nothing but efficient. Lara was making herself uncomfortable.
She fingered one of the pale pink summer dresses hanging in front of her. It was gorgeous and would suit her pale complexion and blonde hair perfectly. But there was no way she was even looking at the price tag.
Where was the harm in trying on a few nice things? There was no way she’d let Reuben buy them for her, but on an ordinary day she would never dare to come in here and try on all these clothes. It was a bit like being a child in a sweetie shop, surrounded by a million fabulous sweeties crammed in jars all around her.
She kicked off her boots and jeans, leaving them in a rumpled heap on the floor, tossing her T-shirt on top. It took only a few seconds to slip the dress over her shoulders and slide the zip into place. She stood back a little to get a look in the mirror.
That was what a dress that probably cost more than her monthly salary looked like.
Nice. More than nice. She ran the palms over the fabric. Gorgeous.
The curtain moved behind her and Bree appeared at her elbow. ‘Oh...very nice,’ she said, as she deposited some glittering eveningwear on the hooks on the wall. ‘Step outside and get a proper look. The light is better there.’
Bree swept back the curtain before Lara had a chance to object. The noise attracted Reuben’s attention and he looked up. There was a slight rise of his eyebrows. ‘Very Monte Carlo,’ he quipped.
She wasn’t used to having a guy around while she tried on clothes. Parts of her favourite movie were springing to mind. On one hand it brought a smile to her face, and on the other she was feeling slightly uncomfortable.
She stepped in front of one of the other mirrors. It was a gorgeous dress. Perfect for sitting in the café opposite the Casino in Monte Carlo. Oh, she already had her whole visit planned out.
Bree held up another summer dress. This one was pale yellow dotted with tiny flowers—not dissimilar to a top she owned. ‘Try this one too,’ she urged. ‘I think it will look just as nice and be a good contrast for you.’ She gave a wave of her hand. ‘I’ll get you some sandals.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Will you be doing any walking?’
Lara nodded. ‘I expect to be doing lots of walking.’
Bree nodded. ‘I’ll get you some wedges, then.’ She disappeared again and Lara stared over at Reuben. She might as well not exist right now. He was talking on the phone again. Someone was getting the benefit of his full attention—but she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted that to change.
She took a few steps back and her hands settled at the edge of the velvet curtains—it was almost as if she was peeking around at him.
From here she was beginning to get the whole ‘bad boy’ experience. Trouble was, it was making her blood rush quicker around her body. The skin at the back of her neck prickled as he started full-on ranting at the person at the end of the phone. He’d taken off his jacket and laid it across another chair, giving her a bird’s-eye view of the muscles rippling underneath the thin fabric of his T-shirt.
There was a hint of stubble along his jaw line and even from here—at the other side of the room—she could see his dark brown eyes blazing. She ducked back behind the curtain and wriggled her way out of the pink dress, taking the yellow one off the hanger. It really was cute, she liked it, she could imagine herself standing in front of the Leaning Tower in this dress and taking a photo. Right now she would be standing i
n front of the Leaning Tower in her underwear. She shook her head and took another little gulp of her drink. Too quick, and this time the bubbles shot up her nose, making her cough and splutter.
A head appeared around the curtain followed by a warm hand that thudded her back.
‘Reuben!’ she gasped as she held the dress up in front of herself.
It was no use. He had a rear view anyway and from his amused expression he was taking full advantage.
‘What?’ Even though the word was innocent, with his Irish accent it sounded like pure cheek.
‘Get out!’ she hissed.
He disappeared back behind the curtain and she pulled on the dress as quickly as she could, yanking back the curtains, ready to tell him exactly what she thought.
Bree breezed back into the room with two pairs of wedges in each hand. Her footsteps faltered and she looked from one to the other.
Lara was mad but Reuben was sitting with his arms folded, one leg slung over the other with a look of pure amusement on his face.
‘Should I come back?’ Bree asked hesitantly.
‘Don’t mind me.’ He shrugged.
‘I thought you were on the phone,’ Lara snapped.
He shrugged again. ‘I was. That was round one.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I’d say round two will start in about five minutes. Let’s see how much you can try on in that space of time.’
He stood up and walked over to her, flooding her with a waft of his aftershave. ‘The dress is perfect for you.’ He looked towards Bree and pointed at the wedges. ‘And I like the natural-coloured ones. Not so plastic looking. Get them.’
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he ignored it. He looked at the huge amount of clothing hanging from the hooks. ‘What else do you like?’
She was stunned. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of this. There was no way on this planet that Reuben Tyler was the least bit interested in women’s clothes. Not unless he was removing them. What was he playing at?
Bree was smiling anxiously behind him. It would be rude not to respond. She ran her hand down some of the items hanging in front of her. ‘I like this one, and this one. Not so much that one or that one.’ She pulled out a pair of white Capri pants. ‘I still need to try these on.’
Reuben’s eyes fixed on something else, and his hand brushed across hers as he reached between the clothes and pulled out something shimmering underneath. It was a gold evening dress. Almost invisible net fabric covered in tiny gold sequins and jewels adorned with fringes—almost like a really chic flapper-style dress.
He held it up against her. ‘I think this will really suit you.’
She gulped. It was gorgeous but she could tell from just looking it was way out of price range. On a normal day she’d be too scared to even touch a dress like this.
She shook her head. ‘It’s probably too fancy for a cruise ship.’ Her voice came out almost as a squeak.
Reuben’s phone sounded in his pocket again. He completely ignored it, his eyes fixed firmly on hers. He leaned forward, the stubble at the side of his jaw scraping her cheek as he whispered in her ear, ‘Go on, try it on. For me.’ He stood back.
Bree was wide-eyed behind him. ‘I have the perfect sandals for that dress,’ she said quietly, before turning on her heel and disappearing.
It was weird, the effect he was having on her skin. Was it the voice? The smell? Or just the masculinity that seemed to exude from his pores? A million little butterflies were currently beating their wings against her skin, making her unable to focus on anything else.
It didn’t help that she couldn’t seem to draw her eyes away from his hypnotic gaze. Those deep brown eyes just kept pulling her in and she felt her body drift towards his almost subconsciously. And his was moving too, as if pulled by an invisible magnet. His hand caught at the back of her head, tangling in her hair.
She had a wave of déjà vu. Back to earlier in the café downstairs. Back to the feel of his lips against hers. Back to feeling stunned when they’d finally pulled away.
‘These ones! I told you they were per...’ Bree’s voice tailed off as both parties jumped back.
Reuben muttered a curse under his breath and stalked back over to the chair. Lara tried to suck in the air around her but that was a bad idea. Because all she inhaled in was the remnants of his aftershave and that did funny things to her ability to concentrate. She made a grab for the shoes. ‘Thanks.’ And whipped the curtain closed in front of the stunned Bree’s face before sagging against the mirror.
She squeezed her eyes closed. It could have been so much worse. They could have actually been kissing. Come to think of it, she was quite sure people had been caught in much more compromising positions than they had in these fitting rooms.
Something coiled inside her. Something odd. She might be feeling a little off balance but part of her felt cheated. Cheated out of what might actually have come next.
Her hand went automatically to the glass but it was already empty. Her throat had never felt so dry but the last thing she should do right now was ask for more. It had obviously gone to her head already.
She peered round the curtain to locate Bree. ‘Could I trouble you for a glass of still water, please?’
Bree nodded and disappeared, leaving Lara with a few seconds to try and think straight.
She took a deep breath and looked at the dress again. It was gorgeous. Better than she could ever have imagined. Reuben had asked to see her in it, and how wrong was it to play princess for five minutes?
The dress slipped over her shoulders as if it had been made just for her. It covered everything but gave the illusion of not quite covering everything at all. The gold jewelled sandals did match perfectly, with just enough of a heel to give her some elegance without having the fear of falling on her face.
Her hand toyed with the curtain. She loved it. But what would Reuben think—and why on earth was that important?
She pulled the curtain back and stepped out into the room. The brighter lights in the larger room caught the beadwork, sequins and fringes on her dress, sending little shards of colour scattering all around the room.
The rainbow effect made Reuben look up from his phone. His eyes widened and his tongue ran slowly along his lower lip. ‘Oh, wow...’ His voice was low and throaty.
Bree reappeared with the glass of water in her hand. ‘Gorgeous,’ she breathed.
He waved his hand towards Bree without taking his eyes off Lara. ‘This one’s definitely a keeper.’
She was caught. She loved this dress. She loved everything about it. But it was just a dream. Like the rest of the clothes behind the curtain. A dream that could never be hers.
‘We’ll take it.’ He’d lost his huskiness. Now his voice was determined.
‘What? No. No, we can’t. I don’t even know how much it costs.’ And probably don’t want to know, because that would definitely spoil the dream.
‘It doesn’t matter. I’d said I’d cover it. That...’ he glanced down at her bare legs ‘...and the shoes. And the rest of the clothes she tried on and liked.’ He walked back over to the range of clothes and picked up a slinky electric-blue dress. ‘I like this one too, it matches your eyes. Try it on and if you like it we’ll have it too.’ He nodded towards a bright pink dress with sparkling circular beads. ‘And that one.’
He punched a number into his phone and put it to his ear.
Bree started flapping around her, a wide smile reaching from ear to ear. She lifted out the clothes that Lara had preferred. ‘Okay, I’ll put these ones over here.’ She pointed to the capri pants and blue dress. ‘Take your time and try those on too. I’ve got a gorgeous pink printed blouse that will match those pants.’ She disappeared before Lara had a chance to speak again.
Lara looked down. It would be so easy right now to say yes. But she c
ouldn’t. She just couldn’t. She didn’t want to feel as if she owed anything to Reuben. And it didn’t matter that he didn’t give her that vibe—money was no object to a man like him. She just didn’t want to feel like that.
Reuben’s voice started to rise. ‘That’s enough. You have a responsibility to the club. If you renege on the deal now it could affect the club’s shares.’
Lara was hesitating behind the curtain. It didn’t look like now was a good time to talk to Reuben. She shifted from foot to foot then grabbed the white capri pants and tried them on. Bree was back a few seconds later with the printed pink shirt.
Bree’s taste was impeccable. She hadn’t picked a single thing that hadn’t complemented Lara’s skin tone and shape. The pink shirt was printed with little birds and tied at the front. It was perfect.
Bree gave a little sigh. ‘That’s fantastic. Is there anything else I can get you?’
‘No.’ Lara said the words quickly before she could change her mind. This was getting out of hand.
She slid the shirt and pants back off and handed them to Bree, who disappeared while she pulled her skinny jeans and T-shirt on again. She pulled back the curtain as she tugged on her boots and shouted over to Reuben. ‘Reuben, we really need to talk.’
He glanced up from his phone and waved his hand at her. This was getting old.
She marched over in front of him. It was clear he was mad. His voice had risen even more and now he was just plain shouting. ‘I’m tired of this. Fed up having to try and placate an adult who is acting like a two-year-old. Enough! I’m done dealing with you.’ He hung up and jammed his phone in his pocket as his other hand kneaded the side of his temple.
* * *
If Reuben had been in the same room as that player he would probably have killed him with his bare hands. Troubleshooting was becoming exasperating. This one footballer had signed for a lesser-known club, taken part in the announcements and then decided to back out of the deal—after the club’s shares had already soared and they’d spent a huge amount of funds on printing his name across their shirts. Kids were already fighting to get one.
Holiday with the Millionaire Page 7
