That hankering for some perfect hero was the only strand of romance I had left in me. My parents had gotten together right out of school, and Mum only had stories of Dad being the perfect man for her. I barely remembered him, but I knew without a doubt that there had to be someone just as perfect for me as he had been for her. No way in hell was I going to wind up getting taken in by some fraudster like Pierce. I wasn’t going to settle for anything less than the man who was meant to be mine forever.
“Are you listening to me Elizabeth? What year did I win the Pulitzer?”
I wanted to tell him I didn’t give a damn, but I knew better than that. I forced myself not to sigh. “The year before last, Pierce. It was in the papers.”
“I know that you imbecile. Right. Stand up, get the door. I’m not having you making us late.”
Out on the street, the taxi was waiting.
I caught myself looking over to the doorway of the mansion as I climbed into the back seat, straightening out the skirt of the pristine dress that I was certain now he hadn’t bought for me. Foolish as it was, I found myself looking for the guy in steel-capped boots, as though he’d still be hanging around this late.
Pierce got in behind me, and kept his distance, sticking to the otherside of the plentiful seat of the black cab, clinging onto the handle above the window as he instructed the driver on exactly which roads he was supposed to avoid.
The hum of the engine changed, and I glanced back to the shadowed doorway across the street, drawing in a breath at the sight of that same pair of bright blue eyes meeting mine just as the cab pulled away from the curb.
I whipped around in my seat, determined to keep my eyes on him, but we were already rounding the corner, heading towards Cadogan Square.
I didn’t realise the man was wearing a pristine evening suit and a black tie until the pounding of my heart settled. What was he doing there lurking in the dark?
The possibilities crowded in on me. Maybe I’d never know for sure, but there was something dangerous about him, and it drew me to him like a moth to a flame.
“What on earth is the matter with you?” Pierce snapped, frowning hard at me. “You better not be this jumpy all evening.”
“No sir.”
CHAPTER 11
Elizabeth
I saw him on the other side of the room when we were in the reception area and everyone was standing around with glasses of champagne, waiting with undisguised hunger for the waiters to bring out their silver trays of doll-sized little bits of food. Pierce’s publicist didn’t seem to see the irony in putting caviar and cocktail blinis on the menu, and given the speed at which the waiters were being ever-so-politely mobbed, I didn’t think anybody in the entire place noticed apart from me.
And maybe him.
Out of the scruffy building site clothes, he looked ruggedly handsome. He had a dark beard that was just a little past what was classed as stubble, in here it made him look refined where out on the street it had made him look dangerous. I didn’t think one was less true than the other.
The dark suit jackets was perfectly tailored to accentuate the sharp V of body, broad chest tapering to impossibly slim hips. But his legs were strong. All of him was, and the expensive suit didn’t hide that well enough from me at least. I could still see he was the same man underneath. He was as out of place amongst these slim, perfect media people as I was. But he did a hell of a good job of fitting in.
I was practically salivating just watching him, wondering what he’d meant by sending me this dress. I wanted to go over to him, but didn’t dare risk it. I hoped maybe he’d come over to me.
When he looked up, he held my eye for a long, long moment and I thought my heart was going to beat itself out of my chest. He raised his glass minutely, and if I hadn’t been watching him so intently, I would have missed it, along with the tiniest tilt of his head, before he turned away.
I was about to cross the room to him, to find out what he was playing at. Get to know what his game was, when Pierce’s publicist Sandra grabbed me by the arm.
“Be a dear, Elizabeth, you must come and say hello to Simon. Pierce has been avoiding him all evening, I’m sure you can work your magic.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but her talons that passed as fingernails tightened on my arm and her bright lipsticked smile pulled dangerously thin. “There’s a good girl.”