Misbehaving Under the Mistletoe (Mills & Boon M&B): On the First Night of Christmas... / Secrets of the Rich & Famous / Truth-Or-Date.com (Mb)

by Heidi Rice

  ‘Mr Gibson. Good to see you again, sir. Any chance of a quick interview before the presentation ceremony? I promise you that it will be five minutes at most.’

  Miles looked at Andy and shrugged. ‘Would you mind? I’ll be right here.’

  ‘Not at all,’ she replied as though she did this every night of the week. ‘Go right ahead.’

  Andy stood back and watched him walk away. And within two steps the man she had come to know had gone. Replaced by Miles Gibson, superstar.

  She could only stare in amazement as his back and shoulders straightened to fill his dinner jacket to perfection. His chin lifted and he seemed to be taller, slimmer and more elegant than ever before. There was nothing hesitant or undecided in his actions.

  Far from it.

  His legs strode powerfully forwards to the bank of photographers so that they could get the full benefit of his physique as he gave the interview in a laughing light style, which nobody could ever associate with someone who was in daily pain.

  He plunged his left hand inside his trouser pocket, relaxed and in control, and used his right to wave to the incoming celebrities and, in a few cases, to back-slap a passing sportsman and give him a wink and a joke.

  This version of Miles was a revelation. Oh, she had seen a glimpse of the media star that first few minutes when he’d marched into the coffee shop that night, but this was something entirely different.

  Miles had missed his true calling. He should have been an actor.

  He had put on the costume and now he was playing his part as the king of Cory Sports, master of all he surveyed. Proud, confident and totally in control of what the cameras were recording from this event. He turned from side to side, posing and laughing, the consummate professional.

  And he loved it. He loved every second of it.

  He wanted the adoration of the media—more than that, he seemed invigorated by it. This was what was missing in his life. This was what he had been used to before the accident.

  Oh, Miles.

  Little wonder that he had probably forgotten that she was still waiting for him.

  And it looked as if he could be holding court for quite some time.

  Just for a second Andy sighed with regret, then rolled back her shoulders and turned to find Jason. Only to find that he had already moved on to other guests.

  Standing next to Jason was a tall, slim and very handsome man who, judging from the applause and the number of photographers calling out his name, was clearly the star of the show, Carlos Ramirez.

  And standing only two feet away from her, patiently waiting for Carlos, was Lori Wilde.

  Andy had seen her on television a couple of times in her top-rated modelling talent show, where she seemed to be caring and talented, but in the flesh it was disgustingly obvious that she was one of those tall, very slender women who was so naturally beautiful that it was no surprise that the cameras loved her.

  Tonight she was wearing a gold Greek goddess column one-shoulder dress, which was so perfect on her it was ridiculous. Her glossy dark hair was artfully arranged into a chignon, softened by trailing wisps at the front.

  For a girl that beautiful the only jewellery she needed was a single platinum and diamond collar and matching bracelet. From her ears dangled diamonds that were probably worth the same as Saffie’s house.

  She could have been posing for a fashion magazine, and Andy froze. Uncertain about what to do, or say, to this perfect creature who had been Miles’s girlfriend for three years.

  Take a risk, Andy. Take a risk. These things happen. That was then. This is now. Go for it.

  And then Carlos was snatched away by a TV crew and the two of them stood there, only feet apart, giving each other furtive glances, while their men were working.

  Oh—this was ridiculous. Andy inhaled deeply, smiled and stuck out her hand.

  ‘Hello there—you must be Lori. Lovely to meet you. I’m Andy.’

  ‘And you—Andy. Is that right? I overheard Jason mention your name, but I was teasing him at the time about who Miles was bringing to the event. What a lovely name. Is that short for Andrea?’

  Her voice was warm and expressive and lively and such a contrast to the cool and elegant TV persona that Andy laughed out loud. Lori wasn’t cold at all.

  ‘Andromeda. Can you believe it? Parents. You leave them unsupervised for a few years and they come up with a name like Andromeda. But I can cope. It suits my classical bent.’

  ‘Oh! Don’t get me started about names. Did Miles tell you that Lori is my stage name? He didn’t?’

  The stunning brunette looked from side to side, then bent down and whispered something in Andy’s ear as discreetly as she could.

  Andy glanced back to Lori’s face. And her mouth fell open.

  ‘No! Your parents would not be so cruel.’

  ‘They would. Even my Scandinavian friends struggle to pronounce my real name. You can see why I changed it. But not a word. It has to be our little secret.’

  Andy tapped the side of her nose twice with her forefinger. ‘Not a word.’

  A huge round of laughter rang out behind them and both Lori and Andy turned around to watch the red-carpet photographers as Carlos played with a football to amuse the crowd. ‘Miles tells me that your boyfriend, Carlos, has been shortlisted for an award. You must be delighted.’

  Lori’s flawless face glowed with genuine delight that no amount of clever make-up could fake.

  ‘Totally. He works so hard for his success. And he’s lovely with it. I’m a lucky girl.’

  ‘I would say that he was the lucky one, Lori.’

  Lori turned back to her and, without hesitating, gave Andy a one-armed hug, filling the air around her with a sensational aroma of amazing perfume and elegance and class in the second before she released her. ‘What a lovely thing to say. Thanks, Andy. We are both lucky.’ And then Lori looked up and her easy warm smile shifted to a look of wariness and concern.

  Andy was about to reply when a familiar strong arm wrapped around her waist and drew her closer.

  ‘What was that about being lucky? Talking about me again?’

  Andy rolled her eyes and tutted. ‘Not everything is about you, Miles. I was just saying how lucky we were to be here tonight. It is a lovely party. Isn’t that right, Lori?’

  ‘Absolutely.’ The brunette stretched out her hand and Miles accepted it as though it were a poisonous viper. ‘Nice to see you again, Miles. You are looking well.’

  ‘Same for you,’ he replied and took a firmer hold of Andy. ‘I hear that you’ve been spending time in Rio with Carlos. Great city.’

  ‘Oh, you know what it’s like, work, work, wor … k.’ Lori’s gaze slid down to his leg and Andy could feel the muscles tighten in his arm at her waist. ‘Sorry, that was insensitive of me.’

  Andy smiled up at Miles, expecting him to make some witty and kind remark, but his face was frozen into a look she had never seen before and would rather not see again. White-lipped, tense and with a fierceness about it that brought the temperature of the already cool reception area down another couple of degrees. The air almost crackled with ice until Andy could not stand it any longer and smiled up at Lori.

  ‘Oh, Miles and Jason never seem to stop working. I have only been in their office a few times but the phone never stops ringing and they seem to be dashing about the place all day.’

  Lori’s eyebrows defied any suggestion of Botox by creasing together and one corner of her mouth twisted up into a half-smile. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, Andy. I thought that you were here as Miles’s date. I didn’t know that you worked for Cory as well.’

  ‘Andy is one of our consultants,’ Miles replied for her in a cold, accusing voice. ‘But tonight she is here as my date. Isn’t that right, Andy?’

  And without waiting for her to reply, he wrapped both arms around her back and whirled her up off her feet and into his arms, twirling her twice and making her laugh. Only then did he stop twirling long enough to kiss her on the mout
h in a kiss that would have been magical except that the second before his lips touched hers she smiled into his eyes with delight and what she saw there chilled her to the marrow.

  His eyes were open. Only they were not looking at her face.

  Miles was staring at Lori Wilde and the bank of photographers behind her back, who were only too happy to get some photos of Miles Gibson kissing one girl while his ex and top model Lori Wilde was only a few feet away. Perfect!

  And in that instant she knew.

  Miles wanted to see Lori’s face when he kissed someone else.

  Anyone else.

  Miles had not asked her to be his date because he liked her and wanted to be with her.

  He simply needed someone to be his date so that he could prove to Lori and the sports press that he was over her. More than that—he wanted to rub it in her face that he was capable of finding another girl after his accident.

  Or was that dupe an innocent, lonely girl into thinking that he cared about her so that she would walk through that door this evening?

  And in that second she made the connection, any happiness and delight Andy had enjoyed that evening were instantly blown away as though they had never happened. Destroyed. Eliminated.

  Her happy memory of their evening so far, corrupted and stained.

  He was kissing her for the benefit of the cameras and his ego. As far as Miles was concerned she was just an accessory for the evening.

  She had been played. Used. Again.

  Luckily, she did not have to keep up this game of charades for one second longer, because just as Miles lowered her to the floor Jason appeared at his side and whispered something about heading into the main ceremony. Miles instantly released her to look at his watch and talk timings.

  Over his shoulder, Andy watched Lori and Carlos walk slowly along the main ground floor corridor, until the backs of their heads were a blur in the bustling crowd of cameramen, TV reporters and elegantly dressed guests.

  ‘Nicely played, Andy. I might not be able to surf but the prettiest girl in London has just made my evening. And that’s the truth … Andy? What are you doing now?’ He laughed as she shuffled as far away from him as possible and fastened up her opera coat, her clutch bag waggling under her arm.

  ‘What am I doing?’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘I’m getting my stuff together because I have just realised that I’ve forgotten something rather important. Is there another way out of the hotel? Apart from that ridiculous red carpet? I need to get out of here right now.’

  And without waiting for Miles to reply, Andy strode back towards the main hotel entrance.

  ‘Through the bar, but what do you mean? Way out?’ Miles asked, his brow furrowed in concern. ‘I thought that you were having a good time?’

  ‘Oh, I was,’ she said, her body turning to face him in jerky, stiff movements.

  ‘Then tell me exactly what it is you have forgotten that is suddenly so important? We are just about to start.’

  Andy’s fingers balled into fists but when she spoke every word came out burning with fire. ‘What have I forgotten? Only this. For a few minutes this week I forgot that I am not prepared to be used by anyone ever again.’

  ‘Used?’ Miles looked from side to side and waved at a few of the other guests. ‘Andy, lower your voice—you are in the middle of a big public event here. There are cameras. I—’

  ‘No. No. You don’t say another word to me. Not now, not ever. You don’t get it, do you? You have just admitted it.’

  She leant forwards from her waist, her head still, her gaze unblinking. ‘You had every intention of using me to make your ex-girlfriend jealous, and make sure that your photograph was on the front page of the gossip magazines tomorrow, and not once—’ her voice was shaking now, and she had to take a breath before finishing ‘—not once did you think about how I would feel. And don’t you dare try and deny it, because I won’t believe you.’

  Closing her eyes through blinding tears she could not fight, Andy forced the words out. ‘You didn’t invite me out this evening as your friend. You invited me to prove to a lingerie model that you still had some pulling power. Apparently I am just some replaceable girl who you can pick up and put down from the shelf when your ego needs a boost.’

  ‘Andy, no. You don’t understand …’ Miles moved closer, white-faced, and reached for her arm. But she grabbed her bag and reared away, her feet already heading towards the hotel bar area.

  ‘You are so wrong,’ she replied, her voice ice-cold despite the burning in her heart. ‘But do you know what hurts the most?’ She licked her lips. ‘I thought that you were better than that. A lot better.’

  And she wrenched her head away and stomped through the crowded cocktail bar, oblivious to the other patrons who were blocking Miles, flung open the side door and was on the pavement before he could catch up.

  ‘Andy. Come back inside. The presentations are about to start.’

  Andy slammed the door shut in his face. ‘Leave me alone, Miles. I mean it. Because I am not interested in anything you might have to say.’

  Her thin-soled red lovely sandals slipped on the wet pavement but she’d turned her back on the man she thought was the centre of her life and strode out into the obscurity and oblivion of crowds of people who thronged the London streets on a Saturday evening.

  Miles watched her go for a second, his mind reeling with options.

  She was right. So right it shocked him.

  He had kissed her for the benefit of Lori and the camera crews, who had lapped it all up. Miles Gibson, stud, was back in town. This was exactly what he had wanted to happen.

  But somehow along the way he had managed to fall for the stand-in date. Big mistake.

  ‘Andy, wait, please.’

  He hobbled down the few steps to the cold pavement as fast as he could, cursing the pain, but to his overwhelming relief her steps slowed before she had gone far.

  Andy turned slowly around and looked back at him, her eyes glassy and her face contorted with every kind of emotion that he did not want to see.

  She did not speak. She did not need to. It was all there on her face.

  ‘I should have told you about Lori,’ he said. ‘I knew that she would be coming here tonight with Carlos. But I didn’t know how to handle seeing her again. But that’s done now. Please—come back inside.’ He waved back towards the hotel where cars were still discharging their VIP guests.

  ‘Oh, no, Miles. I have done that little job you wanted me to do. Haven’t I? Just the perfect accessory to make your triumph complete.’

  The temperature of the blood in his veins seemed to drop several degrees and a chill spread out from deep inside his belly. Speech was impossible.

  Andy moved closer, her gaze locked onto his face, scanning, laser sharp. ‘All this week I have been asking myself the same question. Why did Jason set you up on that Internet dating site? You don’t need help finding a girlfriend—you never have.’

  She stopped, just out of arm’s reach, and lifted her head before going on. ‘I’ve just worked it out. You didn’t want to meet someone different. Oh, no. All you needed was a girl capable of stringing two words together who could stand by your side on one special occasion. This occasion. That’s it, isn’t it? You wanted a date for tonight so that you could make sure that your photograph made the headlines. And it took one kiss to make it all crystal clear.’

  She moved her head slowly from side to side.

  ‘You’re pathetic. Do you know that? Everything you have done and told me during this past week has all been for one reason—to charm me into coming here tonight so that you can prove to the media and that lovely girl in there that you are still the womaniser you were and that she was a fool to break up with you.’

  Her chin lifted and when she spoke the words resonated across the cold night air. ‘Well, congratulations. Mission accomplished. I hope that you are happy with your work. Sorry I blew it by saying that I worked for you—oh, excuse me. Used t
o work for you. You should really have given me a script to follow.’

  Miles stepped closer, but she backed away as he spoke. ‘Andy, give me a chance to explain. Please. Okay, I made a mistake, and I am sorry that you had to find out like that. I should have told you about Lori earlier, but I never wanted you to get hurt. You have to believe that.’

  ‘Believe you? No. I am not listening to another word you have to say. It’s over, Miles. Get back inside and do your job. Go. Jason needs you. But Lori doesn’t. And that is what really gets you. Isn’t it? Lori has moved on and found someone to love while you are still trapped in the past. Tell me I am wrong, Miles.’

  She strode forwards, her face rigid with anger, eyes glassy and fixed. ‘Tell me I am wrong about Lori.’

  ‘You want to know about Lori. Okay. I’ll tell you. Lori didn’t just break up with me. She left me. She left me the day I got out of hospital. Because just the sight of my broken, useless body made her feel sick. There. Satisfied now?’

  Miles turned away and started pacing up and down the stone pavement. ‘The only thing that Lori Wilde felt for me was pity. She felt sorry for me. The minute she saw me in a wheelchair with pins and wires holding my bones together she knew that her fabulous celebrity lifestyle was over. That’s why she left. I had stopped being useful to her career any more.’

  He glanced back at Andy, who was standing with her arms wrapped around her body, and she looked so vulnerable and fragile he almost slumped down in pain that he had caused her such distress.

  ‘I am sorry, Andy. I am so sorry. This was supposed to be a special evening for you.’

  She raised her chin and looked at him with eyes filled with tears, and when she spoke her voice cracked with each word. ‘That lovely girl in there cared about you. But you pushed her away. You were the one who told her to go. Weren’t you?’

  He was thumping his fist into the air. ‘After all of those years together she still didn’t know me or love me. Lori actually thought that I would be grateful when she offered to stay and take care of me. As if I needed another nurse. I couldn’t believe it. So yes, I told her to go and get on with her life and I would get on with mine on my own. And she left. Oh, yes, she couldn’t wait to jump on the next plane out.’