‘Of course—what’s the favour?’ Ash said, and Cassie wanted to kiss her despite the dress debacle.
‘Could you pick up Temple’s tuxedo from the dry cleaners this afternoon and deliver it to his place in Mayfair by six? He has a big event tonight and Gwen’s just bailed on me. I can text you his address on the way to the airport,’ she said, as she frantically tried to find the zip on the dress.
‘Can’t he get his own tuxedo?’ Ash replied, surprising Cassie.
‘Um...no. And I need someone I can trust to pick it up for him.’
Ash wasn’t always super-reliable, but if she said she’d do something she would. And she would go to the wall for Cassie, so surely...?
‘Seriously? There isn’t anyone else you could ask?’ Ash said.
‘Not at such short notice,’ Cassie said, confused by Ash’s continued resistance—her friend was usually so helpful. ‘Ash, what’s the problem?’
As far as she knew Ash had never met Temple, and she’d never detected any animosity from her friend before about her boss. That said, they were total opposites. Because Ash was warm and sweet and slightly kooky, and Temple... Well, Temple so wasn’t. But...
‘It’s fine. I’ll do it.’ Her friend cut through Cassie’s thoughts, bending her head to work on the dress zip. ‘I’m just not keen on being a billionaire’s handmaiden, that’s all. It’s nothing personal.’
‘Okay...’ Cassie studied her friend a moment longer. Was Ash blushing? ‘Are you sure?’
Ashling rolled her eyes so hard Cassie was surprised she didn’t dislocate her eyeballs. ‘Of course. My yoga class finishes at three-thirty. I’ll have plenty of time.’
‘Right... Great...’ Cassie said as her friend eased down the zip.
The dress slipped over her hips, triggering a rush of sensation. She dived for the T-shirt she’d left on the bed, far too aware of a strange feeling of exposure... And vulnerability?
What was with that?
Okay, so she was technically still a virgin—thanks to a couple of really lacklustre dates at university—but she was hardly a complete novice. She’d kissed her fair share of guys. And the only reason she’d never gone the whole way was because her career had always been more important than her sex-life.
Was that where her concerns about this event really came from?
She pulled the T-shirt over her head.
No, that couldn’t be it. Maybe she wasn’t that comfortable without her professional armour firmly in place, but she had never been intimidated by men like Broussard—rich, powerful men—because she’d spent the last three years of her life working in close proximity to Temple.
‘Now, you need to pack this dress and get going, if you’re going to make your flight.’ Ash scooped the dress off the floor. ‘And try to enjoy your trip, even if it is work. There’s no harm mixing business with pleasure occasionally.’
That trickle of anxiety returned at Ashling’s teasing remark—and joined the swelling in Cassie’s throat and a few more disconcerting parts of her anatomy.
No more overthinking, Cassie. It’s just a job.
But the gold lamé still felt dangerous—and exciting—as she folded the dress into her suitcase.
CHAPTER ONE
You were right about the dress, Ash. I’m not even the most naked woman here... But what happened with the tux? You had one job, Ash!!
LUKE BROUSSARD TOOK another sip from his beer and continued to watch the woman standing on the opposite side of the arbour as she finished texting, switched off her phone and tucked it back in her purse. Her gold dress shimmered in the dusky orange light as the sun sank into San Francisco Bay, accentuating her high breasts and slender neck.
He’d spotted her twenty minutes ago, busy fending off all the eligible heterosexual bachelors, as soon as he’d arrived at this wedding in the Botanical Gardens. That stunning dress and the even more stunning figure it displayed had been turning heads ever since.
But it wasn’t her body which had snagged his attention. Not entirely, anyway.
He sipped the cold brew again, to douse the low-grade fire in his pants which was calling him a liar.
Nah, the thing that had really intrigued him was the fact that he didn’t recognise her. And he was pretty sure he knew all the available women on the West Coast scene, because he’d either dated them or they’d hit on him.
Who the heck is she?