She’d left her blonde hair in loose curls over her shoulders, there was a light tan on her skin, and her feet were encased in red-soled silver sparkling shoes. She’d never looked so beautiful.
‘Wow, Lexi. Just wow. You don’t need to win the award tonight. No one will be able to take their eyes off you.’
She waved her hand and picked up her evening purse. ‘Sure they won’t. They’ll be more interested in the free food and free bar.’ She paused in front of the mirror and applied some more pink lipstick, giving him a cheeky wink. ‘I, on the other hand, will spend the whole night wondering if you’re a true Scotsman or not.’
‘Wanna find out now?’
‘Naughty.’ She batted his hands away, picking up the silver invitation and tucking it into her bag.
His hands caught her around the waist. There was no way he was leaving here without a kiss. He bent forward and nibbled at her neck, catching the aroma of her trademark perfume. It sent his pulse racing. What kind of underwear did she have on under that beautiful dress?
‘So, Lexi. Make me pass out with shock at the price of that dress. You look stunning.’
‘This?’ She shook her head. ‘I bought it on the high street. I’m sure the fashion press will have plenty to say about that tomorrow.’ She lifted her leg and extended her sparkling shoe towards him. ‘These, however, would probably make me remortgage my house.’
‘Really? Shoes?’ He stared for a few moments. Sure, they were pretty. And they matched the dress. But crazy money—on shoes?
He shook his head and watched as she fastened some glittering earrings on her lobes. ‘Are you ready?’
She took one last glance in the mirror then picked up her bag. Her hands were trembling slightly. Lexi Robbins was nervous. He couldn’t believe it. She looked a million dollars and her work spoke for itself. Just about every newspaper in the country had covered Carol Kennedy’s story after her interview had appeared on Lexi’s father’s show.
Carol had shown great courage, though not without a tear or two. She’d let the cameraman film her drains being removed, the initial scars. The post-op complications. Every time she spoke there was a tiny waver in her voice that was overcome by her courage and the message that she wanted to share with others. It was media gold and everyone knew it.
The only thing that had irked Iain had been the glossing over of Lexi’s role. Her name had appeared in the credits of her father’s show, but very little had been said about the work she had done. That was part of the reason he’d nominated her for the award. He wanted the world to know about the sterling work that she had done.
And that was without mentioning the current waiting list of clients he’d had since his interview for the Hunter Clinic had exploded all over the media. If it had been anyone but Lexi, he might have been annoyed to be in the public eye. But it would only be for a few weeks then they would move on to someone else. Or so he hoped.
The flashlights exploded as they stepped from the car outside the prestigious London hotel. For the first time in his life Iain could hear people shouting his name, vying for his attention. And he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one little bit.
‘Dr Sexy! Look over here first!’
It didn’t help that the hotel had laid a red carpet outside and set up sponsorship banners for photographers. Iain kept his arm tightly around Lexi’s waist and tried to steer her directly inside.
‘Lexi, are you dating Iain McKenzie? Is that why you did the interview?’
‘Lexi, where’s the dress from?’
‘Dr McKenzie, what’s your relationship with Lexi Robbins?’
He grimaced. Ignorant journalist. He was a surgeon. He was Mr McKenzie, not Dr. And he couldn’t even begin to say what his intentions towards Lexi were—because he didn’t know himself.
The hotel was stunning and after the first glass of champagne Lexi’s nerves seemed to settle. She moved into professional PR mode, working the room, circulating and talking to everyone, without letting Iain leave her side.
After around half an hour he felt Lexi stiffen. He didn’t even need to ask why. Her mother and father had entered the room to a round of applause. They moved through the crowd effortlessly. And after a few minutes’ fascination he quickly came to the realisation that they were their own biggest fans.
They barely even glanced at their beautiful daughter and Iain could feel the fire surge in his belly.
Lexi was pretending not to notice. She was smiling and talking politely to those around her, even though it was blindingly obvious to the whole room that her parents hadn’t even taken the time to acknowledge her.
She pressed her hand on Iain’s arm. ‘You’ll need to excuse me a minute, Iain, I need to check my make-up.’ He could see unshed tears hiding behind her eyes. She needed a little time out. A little space to collect herself.
‘No problem,’ he muttered, watching her cross the room in her fluttering dress. As soon as she was out of sight he walked directly over to the bar, where her father was ordering champagne.
He held out his hand. ‘Steve Robbins? I’m Iain McKenzie. I’m here with your daughter tonight.’
Lexi’s father frowned then switched into false mode and shook Iain’s hand. He could tell the man wasn’t the least bit interested, but Iain hadn’t even started yet.
Lexi’s mother sidled up to the bar in a blue silk sheath dress, her eyes watching her own reflection in the mirror behind the bar.
‘I nominated Lexi for the award this evening. She’s done some really fantastic work at the Hunter Clinic.’
Penelope Crosby lifted her eyebrows. He could tell it was because the conversation wasn’t directly focused on her. What a sad woman. But she couldn’t deter him.
‘Lexi has raised over a hundred thousand pounds in the last few weeks for the charity work of the clinic.’
‘Charity work, huh?’ Lexi’s father shook his head. ‘More likely lining the pockets of you and your colleagues.’
Iain stilled the fire in his belly. ‘I don’t need anyone else to line my pockets. I probably earn more money than you do,’ he shot back, without the slightest hint of embarrassment. ‘I think you should appreciate the wonderful job that your daughter does. She gave you that breakthrough a few weeks ago with my patient Carol Kennedy. None of that filming would have taken place if I hadn’t agreed to it. And the only reason Carol spoke to Lexi was because Lexi was genuinely concerned about her and showed her some compassion.’ He took a drink from his whisky sitting on the bar. ‘A trait that obviously doesn’t run in the family.’
Lexi’s mother looked horrified. She’d spent her life with people fawning over her and obviously wasn’t used to be spoken to like that.
Iain finished his whisky. ‘Tell me, Mr Robbins, exactly how much of a rating boost did that interview give your flagging show? And have you thanked your daughter for it yet?’
Lexi’s father’s face started to turn beetroot. ‘How dare you?’
‘Oh, I dare.’
‘Who do you think you are?’
‘I think I’m the person who knows your daughter is beautiful, inside and out.’ He replaced his glass on the bar. ‘I’m the person who thinks she works hard and deserves recognition for the job that she does. That’s who I think I am.’
The beetroot colour was settling on Lexi’s father’s face. It was turning to an embarrassed dark glow.
‘It’s such a pity that Lexi still looks for your approval.’ He paused, there was so much more he could say here. But the truth was it really wasn’t his business. He’d probably already overstepped the mark.
It was time to leave her parents’ company. Lexi’s mother had stopped being horrified and was back to checking her reflection in the mirror behind the bar again. And as beautiful as her reflection was, she had nothing on Lexi.
She didn’t have Lexi’s heart. Or Lexi’s soul. She didn’t have any of the compassion or humility that Lexi showed. She was so self-centred. Iain couldn’t bear to in her company
a second longer.
He watched as Lexi came out of the ladies and gave her a wave. He didn’t want her to come over here. To listen to the indifference of her parents. He gave them a quick glance. ‘I just want you to know that I’m proud of Lexi, even if you aren’t.’
But no matter what he thought, Lexi was on her way over, with a tilt to her chin that proved she was ready.
She walked over, sliding her hand into his and smiling as he gave it a squeeze. She angled her cheek as her father gave her a kiss. ‘Congratulations on your nomination, Lexi.’ His eyes shot to Iain. ‘You know that we are proud of you.’ Her mother hadn’t moved from the bar, almost as if she was waiting for her cue.
And there it was. ‘Lexi, darling, you look wonderful!’ She stepped over from the bar with her arms in the air, her blue sheath-style dress barely allowing her to move. Her arms closed around her daughter’s neck just as there was the flash of a camera.
Iain cringed. It was obvious she’d orchestrated the whole thing. Lexi was spun around and positioned between her parents just as one of the photographers from a national magazine appeared. ‘Oh, perfect!’ the photographer shouted. ‘I don’t know who is more beautiful, mother or daughter!’
It was pretty obvious to Iain, but he waited a few moments as the photographer positioned them all exactly as he wanted them and snapped away. Lexi’s mother spent most of the time throwing back her head and laughing—obviously the way she wanted to be captured on film. When the photographer nodded that he was finished, Lexi slid out from under her parents’ grasp and took a few steps back to Iain.
He bent to give her a kiss. Raspberries. She tasted of raspberries. ‘Let’s go and mingle,’ he said to her, guiding her away from her parents. She didn’t even glance in their direction. They’d moved on to speak to another TV personality with barely a few words to their daughter. And he could tell from the tension in her body and the sheen in her eyes that she hadn’t quite collected herself yet.
He glanced at his watch and scoped out the bar on the other side of the room. ‘How about a little cocktail before they announce the awards?’
She jerked to attention. ‘Is it that time already?’ She looked stunned, almost as if she’d forgotten why she was there. He loved that about her.
They made their way to the bar and Iain grabbed the cocktail menu. ‘What’s your favourite? Vodka? Rum? Whisky?’
She wrinkled her nose. ‘Whisky cocktail? Yuck.’ Her eyes ran down the menu. ‘I’ll have a raspberry daiquiri.’
He smiled. ‘I should have guessed. You taste of raspberries already.’
She smiled and ran her tongue along her lips. Boy, just that tiny action could drive him crazy. He gave their order at the bar and waited while the bartender mixed the frozen cocktails. Then they stood quietly for the next half-hour, his arm around her waist as they drank their cocktails.
Then the lights in the room dimmed and the compère appeared on the stage, giving a short presentation about the awards and past recipients. The PR award was one of the first to be announced. One by one the nominees appeared on screen, along with a presentation about their work. Then Lexi’s face appeared on the screen ahead of them.
She flinched. ‘Oh, no. I don’t like my face in high definition.’ She burrowed her face into his shoulder. ‘It shows all the blemishes.’
Iain took a deep breath. There it was again. The fact that Lexi didn’t see what he did. On the screen ahead of him he saw a beautiful fresh-faced woman. Long eyelashes around clear blue eyes, luscious pink lips and long blonde curls. She could out-supermodel her mother any day of the week.
He slipped his finger underneath her chin and tilted her head up towards his. ‘Trust me, Lexi, there are no blemishes.’ He kissed her again, tasting the raspberries still on her lips and pulling her closer to him.
Clapping broke out around them and they both broke apart.
‘Is it over?’ Lexi asked, her hands pressed against his chest. She started to clap, even though he knew neither of them had heard the announcement of the winner. A face flashed up on the screen of one of the male nominees who worked for a newly opened fashion chain. They watched as he walked up on stage in his sharp suit and gave his acceptance speech.
Iain squeezed Lexi around her waist, his fingers catching the chiffon material and silver sequins beneath his hands. ‘You were robbed,’ he whispered in her ear.
She shook her head firmly. ‘No, I wasn’t. He’s done a good job. He deserves it.’ She kept clapping until he left the stage. ‘I feel lucky to be nominated. I never thought I was going to win anyway, so I’m not disappointed.’
He could tell she meant it. Her generous spirit was still evident, showing grace in defeat. ‘Well, I’m disappointed for you. I thought you deserved to win.’
She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. ‘Thank you, Iain. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all night.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘What do you say we get out of here?’
She had that gleam in her eyes. The ones that could send a sweep of sensation down to his toes, igniting all the parts of his body it needed to.
‘Let’s go now.’ Even he could recognise how husky his voice sounded. He only had one thing on his mind.
‘Give me five minutes to visit the ladies before we go.’ And before he could even answer she’d swept away and ducked into the nearest ladies room. All he could see was the flutter of her pale pink dress around her legs.
It was more than he needed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
LEXI STOOD IN front of the mirror and re-applied her rose-coloured lipstick. Her face was flushed. But it was excitement. Excitement over what would happen next with Iain.
He’d been fabulous with her tonight. Supporting her with her parents and keeping her close during the award announcements. But she wasn’t disappointed at all about not winning.
Truth was, she already felt as if she’d won because Iain had nominated her and brought her here tonight.
She took one final glance in the mirror. The dress he’d admired so much was nice. Much nicer than some of the dresses tonight that were ten times the price. It just went to show that pricier wasn’t always better.
She gave a little smile then walked back outside to meet Iain.
Her eyes swept the room. He was only a few feet away, talking to some man in a dark suit.
A voice breathed in her ear, ‘Well, what do we have here?’
Her stomach turned over, thankfully not all over her dress. A blast from the past. And one she certainly didn’t welcome.
She spun round in her sparkling shoes. ‘Jack, what an unpleasant surprise.’
Jack Parker was standing in front of her, his arm around a buxom blonde who looked as if she was being strangled by her bright blue dress. How on earth she’d managed to contain her oversized breasts in a dress two sizes too small was anybody’s guess. His tie was askew and his hair rumpled. What a surprise—Jack Parker was drunk.
He leaned forward and she got the whiff of alcohol on his breath. Any closer and he could anaesthetise her.
‘I saw you up on the screen. Close up doesn’t do you much good, does it?’
She took a deep breath. ‘I could say the same about you, Jack,’ she shot back.
He raised one eyebrow. What had she ever found attractive about this guy?
Her stomach was churning. He was saying out loud the thoughts that had sprung into her mind the second she’d seen her face on the screen. Jack Parker was still inside her head. Still circulating little horrible thoughts. It made her angry. It made her angry that she was still allowing him to influence her thoughts, and have a little bit of control over her life.
She ran her eyes up and down his rumpled suit. ‘Did you pick that one straight up out of the garden after I dumped it there?’
His eyes narrowed. He wasn’t used to Lexi standing up for herself. He wasn’t used to it at all. She’d always found a way to try and avoid any arguments with him. Had spent most of her time trying to
placate him. More fool her.
And for a time it had seemed his greatest pleasure was to make her cry. Well, not tonight.
Jack’s drunken girlfriend swayed and turned to him. ‘What’s she talking about, baby? I thought you dumped her?’
Her hand rested on his chest. There was something vaguely familiar about her. Lexi’s eyes dropped to her obviously over-implanted breasts. Of course, she was a glamour model. But her breasts stood out like sore thumbs. Lexi could tell just by looking that they were obviously too large for her slim frame. And her implants had been placed over her chest muscles instead of under, causing obvious ridge marks at the tops of breasts. Oh, dear. Even Lexi could tell this woman would need reconstructive surgery at some point. Had Jack made her do that?
She could feel the fire building in her belly. On any other day if she’d seen Jack Parker she would have ducked and hidden. She didn’t like conflict. She didn’t like attention being on herself. It didn’t matter that she’d picked up the courage to throw him out. Even one glance of Jack brought back the overwhelming surge of not being good enough. It brought back the seeds of doubt and the memories of his cruel words and actions.
She looked across the room. She wasn’t panicking—she was just looking for some reassurance. Iain was still in conversation with another man just a few feet away. He obviously hadn’t realised anything was wrong.
These last few weeks with Iain had given her some new-found confidence. She felt appreciated. She felt respected. She felt … loved?
Something she’d never felt before. Either with Jack or her parents. Her aunt was the only person who’d ever shown her love.
It was a startling realisation. It almost made her feel giddy.
Jack was wrinkling his nose at her, mumbling under his breath. She couldn’t stand him. She couldn’t stand to be in the same place as him. Even now he treated her with disdain. How dared he?
She straightened her shoulders, gave a smile to his girlfriend and extended her hand. ‘Pleasure to meet you. I’m Lexi Robbins. Jack’s never had any manners and that’s obviously not changed.’ As she took the action she was aware of Jack’s eyes on her bust. Even though she was perfectly happy with her figure, it could clearly never compete with his new girlfriend’s. And she’d never want to. She couldn’t imagine the health problems the woman was likely to have in the future.
Girl From the Red Carpet Page 12
