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The wine glasses supplied weren’t exactly top-drawer crystal but they were nice enough. He placed two of them in the fridge to chill then wandered down the hallway to see how Rachel was progressing. He’d heard her shower going for ages earlier on.
‘You ready yet, Rachel?’ he asked, stopping in the hall between both shut doors, her bedroom and the bathroom. He didn’t know which room she was in.
‘Not really.’ Her voice came from the bedroom.
‘What do you mean, not really?’
‘I have a slight problem.’
‘What’s that?’
‘I—er—washed my smalls in the shower before I realised I’d forgotten to pack any more.’
Justin had to struggle not to laugh. But Rachel without underwear was so un-Rachel. ‘That’s OK. Just put on a robe for now. They’ll dry by morning, then you can go shopping for more.’
‘Er…’
‘Don’t tell me you didn’t pack a robe, either.’
‘No, no, I do have a robe but it’s a bit…um…’
‘What?’
‘Nothing. I suppose I’m silly to worry,’ she muttered.
‘Put it on, then, and get yourself out here. Your pre-dinner drink awaits.’
‘OK. I…I’ll just be a minute.’
‘I’ll be out on the balcony, waiting. Don’t be too long. I hate drinking alone.’
Justin was lounging back in a deckchair, sipping his wine and thinking life wasn’t too bad after all, when he heard the glass door slide back from down Rachel’s end. His head turned just in time to see her step out onto the balcony.
Justin did his best not to do a double take, or to stare. But, hell, it was hard not to.
The robe Rachel was wearing was not a modest little housecoat by any means, but a very sexy emerald-green satin number which clung as only satin could. Admittedly it had sleeves to the elbow and did reach down to her ankles. And she had sashed it tightly, but this only seemed to emphasise the surprisingly shapely and obviously naked body underneath it.
Clearly, she hadn’t been wearing a padded bra earlier, Justin realised as his gaze took in the natural fullness of her breasts, which were very nice indeed. Actually, her body was very nice all round. She had a deliciously tiny waist and enough curve to her hips to look very feminine and, yes, almost sexy.
Amazing what had been hiding underneath those awful black suits she’d been wearing to the office!
Amazing what that awful hairdo had been hiding as well. Having her hair down and curling damply onto her shoulders took years off her face. There was some much-needed colour in her complexion as well, possibly from the heat of the shower, which gave him a glimpse of what she might look like with some make-up on.
Maybe still not a beauty queen but one hell of a lot better than her usual colourless façade. With the right kind of dress she could look quite fabulous. That figure of hers was a knock-out.
When she started coming towards him the robe flapped back at the knees, revealing a full length matching nightie underneath, which was perhaps just as well. He didn’t want to stare too much or she was sure to get embarrassed. Even so, it was a very sexy outfit and not the sort of lingerie Justin would have expected Rachel to own, let alone wear.
Still, seeing her in it gave him an idea which just might salve some of Rachel’s pride and give him some personal satisfaction as well. He already hated this Eric creep for what he’d done to such a nice woman. Dumping her was bad enough, but fancy not recognising her!
Of course, Rachel was her own worst enemy when it came to her appearance. Obviously, she could look a whole lot better than she did every day.
If she’d do what he was going to suggest, however, then, come tomorrow night, dear old Eric was bound to recognise her. And Rachel would never have to scuttle off and hide in a ladies’ room again, weeping with hurt and humiliation. She’d be able to hold her head high in any company and show her pathetic ex-fiancé that he’d made a big mistake in dumping her.
A big mistake.
Just as Mandy made a big mistake dumping you? came the dark and caustic thought. Is it vengeance for Rachel you want here, or some vengeance for yourself?
Mandy, he thought angrily. Always, it came back to Mandy!
CHAPTER FIVE (#ulink_54f1fa11-6e8e-5afc-9a62-32921444dcc9)
WHEN Rachel saw Justin’s sudden scowl she stopped walking towards him. She hadn’t minded his surprise on first seeing her dressed as she was. Surprise was fair enough. But a scowl was another matter entirely.
‘I…I think I’d better go back and find something else to put on,’ she said. ‘This just isn’t appropriate, is it?’
‘Certainly not!’ he exclaimed, then astonished her by laughing. ‘No, no, that’s not what I meant. I meant don’t go back inside and change. You look perfectly fine as you are. Heavens, Rachel, you’re wearing more clothes than most girls wear walking down the street up here. Here, sit down and get some of this wine into you.’ He swept up a bottle of white wine from the portable cooler standing by his chair and poured her a glass.
‘I hope you like Chablis,’ he said as he placed the glass on the white outdoor table and pushed it across to where she was settling herself in one of the matching white chairs.
‘Yes, I do. Thank you.’ Rachel was grateful for the drink, but more grateful to be sitting down, and no longer on show. That short walk along the balcony had felt like a million miles. Talk about embarrassing!
The whole situation was embarrassing. Fancy forgetting to bring any underwear.
She picked up the wine glass, cradled it in both her hands to stop them shaking and took a sip. ‘Oh, yes,’ she sighed. ‘This is good.’
‘It ought to be,’ Justin said with a smile in his voice. ‘It cost a small fortune. But no sweat. Everything’s on the house, according to Guy. I aim to take full advantage of it. And so should you. Which gives me an idea. Wait here.’
He put down his wine and levered himself up from the chair. ‘Won’t be long,’ he said, and hurried back inside through the sliding glass doors, leaving Rachel to do a spot of staring of her own.
It was strange seeing her boss in a bright top, casual shorts and bare feet. She’d always known he sported a nice shape and tan, but she’d never seen so much of it before. Even his bare feet were brown, which made her wonder what a man who wore shoes and socks all week did to achieve that. Lie in one of those sunbeds at the gym? Or swim a lot in an outdoor pool? If so, where? She knew he lived in a high-rise apartment in an exclusive complex down on the harbour foreshore at Kirribilli, so it probably sported a pool. Exclusive ones usually did.
‘I thought as much,’ Justin was saying as he returned through the open glass doors, carrying an open black leather folder. ‘They do have a beauty salon in this place.’
‘A…a beauty salon?’ Rachel repeated, not sure what Justin was getting at.
‘Yes. Seeing you wearing that gorgeous green and with your hair down has shown me, Rachel Witherspoon, that you have been hiding your light under a bushel. I don’t know if anyone has ever told you before but black does nothing for you, and neither does the way you wear your hair to work. You also have a damned good figure, which your working wardrobe doesn’t show to advantage. With a different hairstyle, some make-up and the right clothes, Rachel, you could look more than good. You could look great.’
‘But…’
‘But what?’
‘But I thought you didn’t want me looking great, especially at work.’
‘What?’
‘Your mother told me all about your previous PA long before you ever did.’
He grimaced. ‘Oh, God, she didn’t, did she?’
‘Afraid so.’
He frowned over at her. ‘So you deliberately made yourself look like a plain Jane to get the job.’
Not really, an amazed Rachel was thinking. She’d just come au naturel. She was a plain Jane. But she wasn’t about to say so. She rather liked the thought that Justin believed she’d been down-playing a whole host of hidden attractions.
‘Well…’ she hedged, not sure what to say at this juncture.
‘Oh, Rachel, Rachel, you didn’t have to do that. I’d have given you the job, anyway, because I saw right from the start that you were nothing like that other girl. It wasn’t just the way she dressed, you know, but the way she acted. Like some oversexed vamp all the time. She drove me insane.’
‘So you wouldn’t mind if I did myself up a bit for work?’
‘Why should I mind?’
‘I was worried that if I suddenly came into the office with a new hairdo and a new wardrobe you might think I was…um…’
‘Tarting yourself up for me?’
‘Yes,’ she said sheepishly.
He laughed. ‘I would never think that of you. Silly Rachel.’
Rachel tried not to be offended. But she was, all the same. Yes, silly, silly Rachel.
‘Which brings me right back to my original suggestion,’ he went on. ‘Now, tomorrow I want you to go down to that beauty salon and get the works. Facial, massage, pedicure, manicure, waxing, hair, make-up. The lot. It says here they do all that.’
‘That seems excessive.’ Even for me, she thought ruefully.
‘No, it’s not. It’s necessary.’
‘Oh, thank you very much,’ came the waspish comment.
‘Now, now, this is no time for over-sensitivity, Rachel. The truth is you’ve let yourself get into bad habits with this plain-Jane nonsense. I can understand that you might not have bothered with your appearance much when you were at home all the time, but I’ll bet there was a time when you went to a lot of trouble with your hair and make-up and clothes.’
‘We-ll…’
‘Well?’ he probed forcefully.
‘I always suspected I didn’t become a finalist in the Secretary of the Year competition on my office skills alone,’ she said drily.
‘I don’t doubt it. I’ll bet you were a looker back then.’
‘I was…attractive.’
‘And you never wore black.’
‘Not often.’
‘How did you wear your hair?’
‘Down,’ she admitted. ‘With auburn highlights.’
‘No wonder people from your past didn’t recognise you today. But, come tomorrow night, Eric the Mongrel will recognise you all right.’
‘Eric the Mongrel?’ she repeated on a gasp.
‘Yeah. That’s what I’ve nicknamed him. Do you like it?’
‘Oh, dear. I love it.’
‘So you’ll do it? Come to the dinner with me?’
Rachel swallowed. It would take every bit of courage she owned to face Eric and that woman once more, even if she was dolled up to the nines. But, by God, she would!
‘Yes,’ she said, and Justin beamed.
‘Fantastic. Here. A toast is in order.’
He held his glass out towards her and she clicked it with hers.
‘To the comeuppance of Eric the Mongrel,’ Justin pronounced.
Rachel’s stomach flipped over. ‘Comeuppance?’
‘Oh, yes. Your ex deserves a few serves. And I’m just the man to deliver them!’
Justin paced up and down the living room, impatient for Rachel to make her appearance. She’d stayed hidden ever since her return from the beauty salon around five, letting herself in whilst he’d been in the bathroom, shaving. Now it was getting on for seven and he was dressed in his tux and ready to go down for the cocktail party that preceded the dinner at eight, an arrangement Rachel was well acquainted with. They’d discussed it last night.
So when seven came and went without her showing, Justin strode down the hallway and knocked firmly on her door.
‘Enough titivating in there, Rachel. It’s seven o’clock. Time you faced the music.’
‘Coming,’ she called back. But nervously, he thought.
The door opened and Justin’s blue eyes rounded.
‘Wow, Rachel. You don’t just look great. You look fabulous!’
Even that was an understatement. Where had his plain-Jane PA disappeared to? In her place stood a striking creature. No, a stunning creature. No, a striking, stunning, sexy creature.
Justin found himself standing there, just staring at her, trying to work out what she’d done to cause such a dramatic transformation.
It couldn’t just be her hair, though it was very different. And very red, he noted wryly. Cut in layers, it fell from an off-centre parting to her shoulders, framing her face and her eyes, her always lovely eyes, which now looked not just lovelier but larger. Was it the smoky eye make-up which had achieved this effect, or some other subtle change? Whatever, when he looked into her face he couldn’t stop looking at her eyes.
They looked back at him, heartbreakingly hesitant. She still didn’t know how beautiful she was. How amazingly, incredibly beautiful.
‘You honestly think so?’ she asked. ‘You don’t think I look…foolish?’
‘Foolish?’ he echoed in disbelief. ‘In what way could you possibly look foolish?’
