‘I asked the buyer in the boutique downstairs to stock my wardrobe. He came up, took my measurements and filled the wardrobe.’
‘So an interior decorator bought your furniture, a boutique owner stocks your wardrobe, and you have nothing personal. That’s so...’
Adam rolled his eyes. ‘Convenient?’ he suggested.
She shook her head violently. ‘No. You don’t get it.’ She huffed out a sigh. ‘I know what I’m talking about. I’m a personal shopper.’
It figured. No wonder she looked so damn good, and no wonder she had taken such care with each and every transformation. Burglar, hotel employee, ball guest, girlfriend... Olivia knew how to dress for every role.
‘I run a company called Working Wardrobes.’ Pride rang in her voice and illuminated the elven features. ‘But the whole point is that I’m a personal shopper.’ Her hands gesticulated animatedly as she spoke. ‘I don’t look at someone and think six foot three, dark hair, chocolate-brown eyes, ripped body, so I’ll buy him two pairs of designer jeans and four urban sweatshirts—’ She broke off as his eyebrows rose. ‘For example...’ she added hurriedly. ‘Taking a completely random example.’
Her face creased into a fluster of dismay and he couldn’t help himself: a snort of laughter erupted.
After staring at him for a perplexed second she curved her lips into a smile and then she was giggling. A full-on giggle that bubbled forth and made him laugh. A proper belly laugh. How long was it since he had laughed like that?
Too long.
Almost as though she was thinking the same thing about herself she stopped, lifted a hand to cover her lips and stared at him.
Her eyes sparkled and she looked so gorgeous all he wanted was to step forward and plunder the lushness of her lips.
Every which way he went, that was where he ended up.
Leaning forward, she snatched a shirt from its hanger. ‘I’ll go and transform myself,’ she muttered, and scurried towards his bathroom.
SEVEN
Olivia gulped. The sheer surrealism of the situation boggled her mind.
Any second now Adam was going to walk through the swish lounge, open the door and let the press into the suite—aka Adam’s home, or base, or whatever he called it—and she was going to pretend to be his girlfriend. How had this happened? How?
Olivia felt a small familiar roll of nerves in her tummy. This was like her years growing up—years when she had had to play roles varying from ‘beautiful young girl throwing herself on landlord’s mercy’ to ‘beautiful girl surprising rowdy revellers with a well placed kick’. But any second now adrenaline would kick in and she’d pull this off. Just as she always had.
She could do this. She flicked a glance across at Adam. They could do this. Because this time they were in it together; if she went down she’d be taking him with her.
‘We’ve got this,’ Adam said, coming up behind her. The warmth and strength of his body gave her reassurance whilst it also made her strum her with desire.
Minutes later Adam ushered in Helen Kendersen and the photographer from the previous night. ‘Good morning, you two. And thank you for this exclusive. Frisson is honoured.’
With a newfound awareness Olivia knew that Helen and the photographer had some sort of a relationship. Could see it in their body language. Helen looked...content—sleek and sated. The photographer had a smile on his face that said all was right with his world.
An unexpected tingle of envy twanged her nerves. If only she’d pulled Adam down onto the sinfully rumpled black sheets of his sumptuous bed. Earned the right to wear his shirt.
Focus, Olivia.
‘Would you like to have a look round?’ she offered. ‘And Adam can sort out coffee for everyone.’
An hour later Olivia allowed herself a cautious exhalation of relief. Putting aside the fact that she’d had to pose on the bed with Adam, with a sappy smile on her face, the whole interview had gone amazingly well. In fact she was impressed with herself. Clearly her acting skills hadn’t deserted her any more than her lock-picking ones.
‘There is one more thing I’d like to request,’ Adam said. ‘I’d like you to ask the billionaire-baggers to back off.’
Time to chime in. ‘Adam and I would really appreciate that,’ she said. ‘We need time together, time to explore these new feelings, and it would be so marvellous if we could do that in peace. Without tripping over gold-diggers every way we turn.’
‘Wow.’ Helen’s blue eyes glittered as they rested first on Adam’s face then switched in speculation to Olivia. ‘All this... It sounds like serious stuff.’