"Don't be silly. You'll look marvelous. I'll be right back." Cora swept through the bedroom door and closed it after her.
"I'll look like a ripe tomato," Gillian muttered as she dumped the suits on the bed. Then she took a deep breath. Okay, she'd squeeze herself into the red suit to make Cora happy. But there was that silver dress lying there, too, the dress that had once belonged to Marilyn.
She wouldn't agree to take that dress on the cruise, not when it was so valuable. But if she didn't take it, then she'd never have a chance to try it on, because she'd be hiding out in some peasant village in the Andes plucking chickens for a living, or whatever peasants did to earn money in the Andes.
When she thought of what her life might become once she left the cruise ship, she became very depressed. A depressed person who was also feeling a wee bit fat would be crazy to try on a bathing suit in that condition. No, instead she should zip herself into a silver sheath that had once belonged to Marilyn, who had worn her size.
Although Gillian looked for a tag, she couldn't find one. That made sense. The dress was probably custom made. The thought gave her goose bumps. Without a tag, she had no idea what the material was.
Taking off her glasses, she laid them on the table and pulled the dress over her head. As it slid smoothly onto her body, she imagined that the material had been woven from some magic substance that had no name. It hugged her hips as if it had been sewn just for her. She really was Marilyn's size, and that thrilled her to her bare toes.
Pulling the side zipper up without sucking in her breath, she adjusted the scooped neckline and walked over to the free-standing floor mirror in the coiner of Cora's bedroom. Marilyn. She stared in disbelief. She really looked like Marilyn Monroe. Same hourglass figure, same generous bust, same soft blond hair.
Bracing her hands on her knees, she leaned forward so she could see better. Glasses would min the fantasy she had going. Puckering her lips the way she'd seen Marilyn do in film after film, she let her eyelids droop in that slumberous, sexy way that was all Marilyn.
Then she ran her tongue slowly over her red lips. This whole gig was turning her on. If a man were to walk in the room right now, she'd put the moves on him, no problem.
Was that Cora's doorbell ringing? Gillian was so fascinated by her new Marilyn persona that she couldn't bring herself to care. When she shifted her shoulders, the dress undulated just enough to show off her cleavage. No wonder Marilyn had been able to transfix every man in the room. In a dress like this, Gillian could, too. She would be unstoppable.
"Gillian?" Cora knocked on the door. "Are you decent?"
Gillian snapped out of her trance and visions of Marilyn disappeared like smoke. "Why?"
"There's someone out here I'd like you to meet. If "you're wearing the bathing suit, you can throw on a bathrobe."
"You want me to meet someone?" That made no sense. "I thought I was supposed to be hiding out."
"You are." Cora hesitated. "I've hired a couple of bodyguards to go with us on the cruise. I didn't consult you because I know you wouldn't have wanted me to spend the money, but I have plenty stashed away, and I—"
"Bodyguards?" Gillian began to shiver. "You really think the Mob will follow us on the cruise?"
"Probably not, but—"
"You do!" Gillian walked over and wrenched the door open. "The cruise isn't that safe a getaway, after all, is it?"
Instead of answering the question, Cora stared at Gillian. "My God, you were made for that dress. It's astonishing how much you look like her."
"Do I look enough like her to keep from getting killed?" Adrenaline shot through Gillian's system, making her feel reckless. "Because if you hired two bodyguards, you must think that's a distinct possibility!"
"Not at all. I just believe in covering all our bases."
"Maybe I should forget the cruise. Maybe I should just get in my car and drive ... somewhere. I could go up into the mountains, or head for the desert. I could crisscross the country, never staying in one place more than a night."
"Gillian, you—"
"No, listen. On my own, in the car, I could bob and weave like a rabbit. I think this cruise will turn me into a sitting duck!"
Cora grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. "Hey! Get hold of yourself. You don't want to take off on your own, with no one to look out for you. That's crazy."
Gillian didn't really want to run away by herself, but what if she ended up trapped out in the middle of the ocean with a hit man on board? "Who ... who are these guys you hired? Are they any good?"
"They're pure gold. I've known Lex and Dante since they were kids. I would trust them with my life, and you can trust them with yours."
"That sounds better."
"Of course it does. Now come out into the living room and meet them, so we can start making plans."
Gillian glanced down at the dress she'd put on. "Like this?"
Cora surveyed her with a loving eye. "Yes, darling. Exactly like that."
"Let me get my glasses." She started back toward the dressing table where she'd left them. "The better to see them with."
"Humor me, Gillian." Cora walked over and took her hand. "Every time I look at you, it's like having Marilyn back again. Leave the glasses off a little while longer,okay?"
Truth be told, Gillian was curious about what sort of reaction she'd get from the bodyguard types when she walked into the room. Without her glasses she wouldn't have a real clear idea, but she'd hear if anybody gasped. She'd like to make a man gasp at least once in her life.
"Okay." She squeezed Cora's hand. "I'll humor you."
Three
LEX HAD NO IDEA WHAT HE SAID DURING THE Introductions. He was too busy taking in the view of then-newest client, who had actually made him catch his breath when she'd walked into the room. Lex liked to think he had better control than that, but not tonight, apparently.
Whatever he'd expected from Gillian McCormick, it hadn't been a blond-bombshell routine. She was a babe straight out of the detective shows Dante loved so much, and Lex was ready to play Magnum to her damsel in distress. Especially the sexy parts.
He'd always laughed at the idea of instant attraction, but it wasn't so damned funny right now. She was pulling reactions out of him where he'd never had reactions. Besides the usual groin-tightening, accelerated pulse, and excess saliva, the back of his neck felt hot. What was up with that?
Those big brown eyes of hers should be registered as dangerous weapons. Ditto her cleavage. She was quite obviously a bottle Monde and he didn't care at all. He, the guy who had always maintained he liked his women natural, thought this fake shade of platinum was gorgeous.
The dress, the hair, and the ruby red lipstick all made her seem exotic and slightly dangerous. His fabled detachment crumbled more with every second he stayed in the same room with her. This assignment had the makings of a complete disaster.
Dante was the first one to break the silence. "You didn't say we were guarding a Marilyn impersonator." He sounded pleased as punch about it, too.
Personally, Lex thought Gillian was prettier than Marilyn, but he kept that opinion to himself. "We ... uh ... might need to rethink this, Cora."
"I'm not a Marilyn impersonator," Gillian said in a strong, very un-Marilyn-like voice. "I'm a makeup artist, and I don't usually look like this. Cora thought I needed a disguise."
Dante gazed at her with puppy-dog adoration. "I'd say this beats the Groueho Marx nose-and-eyeglasses approach, hands down."
Lex imagined his hands down the front of that dress. He fought for sanity. "But she's hardly what you'd call inconspicuous," he said. "I'm not sure how she's supposed to blend into the woodwork looking so ..." Hot.
"She's not supposed to blend in," Cora said. "Blending into the woodwork would describe her before." She smiled at Gillian. "Sorry, darling."
"That's okay," Gillian said.
"But you blended in a really nice way." Cora turned back to Lex and Dante. "My plan was to
go against type. I think that might confuse any pursuers."
"Works for me." Dante's gaze traveled slowly over the silver dress.
Lex wanted to smack him. Once they were alone, he'd deliver another lecture about getting mixed up with clients. Gillian didn't need to have one of her bodyguards hitting on her. Unless it's me. He squished the thought the minute it crawled out of his testosterone-soaked brain.
He had a problem, and he wasn't sure how to handle it. Judging from his visceral reaction to Gillian, he should reject this assignment immediately. But if he did, who would watch out for this gorgeous woman?
If he backed out, Cora might hire someone incompetent, not that Lex felt all that competent, himself. The truth was, it didn't matter whether he felt up to the job or not. One look at Gillian and he'd appointed himself her protector. Now wasn't that trite?
"Please sit down, everyone," Cora said. "I'll mix us all a martini and we can talk strategy."
"I don't want to sit down in this dress," Gillian said. "Let alone drink a martini while I'm wearing it. I'll go take it off."
Let me help. A moan of desire tickled the back of Lex's throat. The silver material outlined the kind of curves he'd dreamed about all his life. Women these days were too skinny and underendowed for his taste. Not this woman.
"Must be Cora's designer duds you're wearing," Dante said.
"Something like that." Gillian turned and walked down the hall to Cora's bedroom.
God help him, Lex watched. The silver dress was cut low in the back, and the material stretched lovingly over Gillian's sexy butt. As she walked away, the material shifted in rhythm with her steps, creating a play of light and shadow that mesmerized him. He prayed she wasn't taking that dress on the cruise.
"Relax, boys." Cora headed for the kitchen. "I'll be back in a flash with exactly what you need."
"I doubt it," Dante said under his breath.
"She's off-limits." Lex's statement came out a little more forcefully than he'd intended.
"I know that." Dante sounded insulted. "She's a client, right? I know the drill. We don't get involved with clients."
"Exactly." Lex's head was filled with images of total involvement.
"The thing is, we've never had a client who looked like that. Take Mrs. Hannigan for example. The pool boy must have been blind as a bat, because Mrs. Hannigan was no prize. She—"
"She wasn't the client. Her husband was."
"Technically, I suppose you're right. And who would want to get involved with him? Blech. But for the sake of argument, I want to point out that Gillian McCormick is the best-looking client we've ever had."
Lex couldn't disagree. He could still see her standing there in the silver dress that nipped in so perfectly at her waist and flared out at her hips. The fact that she'd been barefoot had made the image even more tantalizing. He could weave an entire fantasy around Gillian and that silver dress. There would be music, maybe something Latin, and candles, and—
"Lex." Dante snapped his fingers in front of Lex's face.
"What?" Lex blinked at his partner. "Did you say something?"
"I asked if you owned anything that could be described as cruise wear." "I doubt it."
"I doubt it, too. Are you okay? Your eyes sort of lost focus there for a minute."
"I'm fine." Lex ran a hand over his face. "It's been a long day."
"Yeah, but it's turning out great. Cora's mixing up martinis, and we're headed out for a cruise with a genuine babe. What could be better? Well, it would be better if we could actually hit on the babe, but you can't have everything."
"Dante, about the cruise, there's something I should tell you."
"What's that?"
"I can't swim."
Dante started to laugh. "We'll be on a boat, buddy. Swimming won't be an issue unless you fall overboard."
gillian had wanted to change out of the silver dress before drinking another martini and risking a spill, but changing clothes had also been a convenient excuse to give her some privacy to think about Lex Manchester. She'd distinctly heard him gasp, which had been as thoroughly rewarding as she'd expected it would be. The thing is, she might have done a little bit of gasping, herself.
From the moment she'd stepped into Cora's living room, his lean good looks had seduced her imagination. He was handsome in a careless sort of way, the kind of man who couldn't be bothered to primp. His dark hair was ruffled, as if he'd recently been running his fingers through it in frustration. His clear blue eyes seemed to miss nothing.
Maybe her poor eyesight had given her a false hunk reading, but she was afraid he really was gorgeous. When Cora had mentioned bodyguards, Gillian had imagined a couple of no-neck guys with muscles on top of muscles.
For some reason she'd thought they'd be wearing dark suits and narrow ties, like Secret Service men or the Blues Brothers. She'd even expected sunglasses, although that made no sense at this hour of the night.
Instead these two had arrived in jeans and T-shirts. Lex's was a faded blue UCLA model, and Dante's red shirt said Italian stallion on the front. Although they were both broad shouldered and in good shape, neither man fit her concept of bodyguards. Maybe they were martial arts experts who didn't need muscles. Maybe they were smart.
She'd bet Lex was smart. His blue eyes were definitely analytical, but the fringe of dark lashes added a dose of sensuality that was not lost on Gillian. She'd eased closer to get a better look. Ever since her five-year-old self had watched Christopher Reeve walk on screen as Superman, she'd had a thing for dark-haired men with blue eyes.
Dante was cute, with his Mediterranean coloring and curly hair, but Lex could never be described as cute. Rugged, maybe. Chiseled. Yes, that was it. Definitely chiseled. Plus he could fill out a pair of jeans in a most satisfying manner. Even a blind woman would have been able to see that. To top off the presentation, he had an intensity about him that she found wildly appealing.
That would have to be her little secret, though. In a few days she'd be disappearing into Mexico, on the run from the Mob and bound for South America. Not exactly the time to begin a romantic interlude. That was a shame, too, because her recent transformation had given her new confidence in her ability to snag a good-looking guy like Lex.
That didn't mean she was ready to try on the bathing suits, though. Laying the silver dress on the bed, she started to dress in the outfit she'd worn over to Cora's house, khaki slacks and a shapeless yellow shirt. She couldn't make herself put them on. They didn't go with her new hair and makeup.
Instead she crossed to the closet and found a black tank top and white Capri pants. They fit, although the black tank dipped fairly low in the front. She should probably go back to her yellow shirt. It wasn't as if she wanted to captivate either of the men in the next room.
Liar. In spite of knowing that nothing could come of the attraction she felt for Lex, she wanted to look good for him. Maybe she had some melodramatic idea that he'd think of her with longing after she'd left the country. A girl could be forgiven for melodramatic thoughts when she was running for her life. It seemed to go with the territory.
She wouldn't wear her glasses, either. Leaving her shoes off, she walked back into the living room where Lex, Dante, and Cora were already drinking martinis and talking about the cruise. On the way down the hall she'd wondered if Lex would look not quite so yummy sitting down. But he looked fabulous sitting down, one manly arm stretched across the back of the love seat. She wanted to plop down next to him and snuggle in.
Instead she settled on the sofa where Cora was sitting. Because she felt Marilyn-like, she turned sideways and propped her feet up on the middle cushion. A woman with platinum-blond hair and an hourglass figure could do that kind of thing.
Dante had appropriated the recliner and looked like a man ready to enjoy Monday Night Football. All he needed was a remote in his hand. Gillian took in the relaxed posture of both Lex and Dante. They seemed completely at home here. She liked thinking of them as kids living in th
e same neighborhood as Cora.
Cora picked up a stemmed glass from the coffee table and handed it to Gillian. Apparently Cora didn't think the tumbler of gin and vermouth fit the Marilyn image. "I filled the guys in on what happened tonight with Neil and Theo," she said.
"Thanks." Gillian appreciated not having to retell it. As it was, she probably wouldn't sleep tonight.
"Anyway," Cora continued, "we were just starting to talk about the cruise. I know the owners of the cruise line, so I can probably pull some strings and get Lex and Dante the cabin next to ours."
That sounded great to Gillian. Protection and eye candy right next door. "But what if the cruise is full?"
"I happen to know it's not." Cora ran a manicured finger around the rim of her martini glass. "Marie and Tom called me the other day to see if I'd recruited anyone else. They let their grandson plan this cruise because he's been begging them to try it. Turns out reservations aren't what they'd hoped."
"Maybe nerds don't like to cruise, after all," Gillian said.
Dante lifted his head from the cushioned recliner. "What do nerds have to do with it?"
"Well, umm. .." Cora glanced at Gillian. "I haven't quite gotten around to telling them that part."
"Oh. Sorry. I thought they knew." And come to think of it, she wondered how two such yummy guys could pass themselves off as nerds.
"Knew what?" Lex looked uneasy.
Cora set down her drink. ''Well, this is a theme cruise. And it's a little . . . different."
"Oh, I get it." Dante looked relieved. "It's probably based on something like the Harry Potter movies or Lord of the Rings. Am I right?"
"Not exactly," Cora said. "It's more like a, well, a nerd cruise."
Dante looked stunned. "A nerd cruise? You mean we're getting on a boat with a bunch of geeks?
Cora picked up her drink again. "Don't look so scandalized, Dante. All you need to do is disguise yourselves as nerds for a few days. It won't kill you."
"So we have to look like geeks, too? Oh, man. This is so not going to be the cruise of my dreams. If I'd known that, I would have—"
Nerds Like It Hot Page 3
