‘There you are, then,’ she said huskily, and the throatiness wasn’t at all feigned. Janice had been right when she’d said Xavier Grey had something, and that something was lethal. Call it sheer old-fashioned sex appeal or animal magnetism or whatever—he had it all right. And he knew how to use it when he wanted to, Essie thought weakly. One minute the cool, aloof ice-man, the next a seductive, fascinating charmer with more pulling power than a hundred icons of the silver screen.
‘Look, I’m going to have to circulate for a while.’ She stood up abruptly and she wouldn’t admit to herself it was due to panic. ‘We’ve been talking for nearly an hour and as—’ she nearly said ‘chief bridesmaid’ and checked herself just in time, in case he’d been told that job was Essie’s ‘—a bridesmaid there are certain duties expected of me.’
‘Of course.’ He had risen to his feet with her and now he nodded, his manner easy. ‘Just one thing…’
‘Yes?’ He had paused and now Essie looked up at him enquiringly. ‘What is it?’
‘Come back to me.’ His voice was deep and low and the heat inside her burnt stronger. Which was ridiculous, just plain ridiculous, she told herself feverishly, hearing her voice make some light reply even as her mind worked quite separately. He was an experienced man of the world, a powerful, rich bachelor who was used to women lining up for him, and an encounter like this would mean nothing to him.
And what was this encounter, anyway? she asked herself with a touch of hidden hysteria as she walked across the room to where Janice was sitting—with characteristic abandonment—with her shoes off and her feet resting on another chair. It was a fabrication, an illusion.
‘I see you’ve made a conquest.’ Janice’s voice was utterly without malice as she glanced up at the slim, beautiful girl in front of her. ‘He hasn’t taken his eyes off you all day.’
‘No.’ Essie looked down at the other girl and came to an instant decision, plumping down beside her and leaning forward conspiratorially. ‘Actually, Jan, it isn’t as straightforward as it looks.’
‘What isn’t?’
‘Me and Xavier Grey. He thinks I’m you,’ Essie said quietly.
‘What?’ Janice jerked her feet to the floor. ‘How on earth did he come to think that?’ she asked in bewilderment. ‘And why haven’t you told him who you really are?’
‘Well, it was like this…’ As Essie began to explain, Janice’s eyes began to twinkle, and by the time she had finished, the other girl was giggling unrestrainedly.
‘Serves him right.’ She glanced across the room and then back to Essie. ‘And it’s pretty insulting to me, too, if you think about it. I might not be God’s gift to the male sex, but I can still get the odd fella’s juices going, I can tell you.’
‘I don’t doubt it for a minute.’ Essie grinned back, and then, as their gazes met and held, both girls collapsed into helpless laughter.
‘So when are you going to tell him?’ Janice asked, once they had composed themselves.
‘I don’t know.’ Essie shrugged her slim shoulders. ‘When I’m tumbled, I suppose; someone is bound to drop me in it eventually.’
‘Talking of tumbling…’ Janice’s face was suddenly serious as she looked into the deep violet-blue eyes in front of her. ‘He’s got a bit of a reputation, Essie, so watch yourself. He’s the original cool love-’em-and-leave-’em type; never gets involved and plays strictly by his own rules. According to Aunt June, he has women throwing themselves at him all the time; but as soon as it looks like getting serious it’s curtains. He’s not a man to mess with.’
‘I don’t intend to mess with him, Jan, not in that sense, anyway,’ Essie said firmly. ‘He’s arrogant and rude and overbearing—’
‘And gorgeous.’ Janice’s voice was full of laughter now. ‘You have to admit that, Essie, even if you don’t like him. He’s totally drop-dead gorgeous. That mixture of cool control and ruthlessness is dynamite and, when added to his looks and the fact that he’s absolutely loaded…what an aphrodisiac!’
‘Jan, you’re awful.’ Essie pushed at the other girl’s arm but she couldn’t help laughing. Janice was one on her own, a real original, and she was warm and funny and kind. In the short time she had known her, Essie had found she liked Christine’s cousin very much. And Janice was quite right—it was every bit as insulting for Xavier to label Janice as it was for him to label her, Essie thought militantly. Janice might not look like Marilyn Monroe but that didn’t mean she couldn’t make it in the theatre, or that she didn’t have plenty to offer a man.
The two girls did a duty tour of some of the guests before making their way to Christine and Charlie’s side as the time approached for the bridal couple to get changed. The reception was due to finish at seven o’clock and Christine and Charlie were catching a train to London, where they were staying overnight before flying to Greece for two weeks.
Christine had brought her suitcase to the hotel and now, as Essie and Janice helped the other girl change in the little room the hotel had provided, there were plenty of giggles and fun. And then Christine was ready, looking lovely in a pale blue stretch-silk dress with a white cotton jacket, and the next few minutes were full of goodbyes and confetti and tears from both the mothers as the newly-weds departed in their taxi.
And all the time, through every moment that had elapsed since she had left Xavier’s side, Essie was conscious of a tall, dark figure dominating her thoughts and keeping the host of butterflies in her stomach dancing madly.
Perhaps he knew by now? As the taxi disappeared out of the hotel car park with a cheerful honking of its horn, Essie turned to survey the crowd standing on the steps, and immediately she caught Xavier’s eye. He was at least a couple of inches taller than the other men present but it was more the quality of aloofness that seemed to permeate his air space that acted as a magnet. And she saw straight away, from the warm smile and lazily hooded eyes, that as yet he was oblivious to the trick she had played on him.
And Janice was right, he was gorgeous, she admitted faintly. The dark grey suit that screamed a designer label, the jade-green shirt and silk tie were all of the very best, but it was him—Xavier Grey—that was breathtaking.
She shouldn’t have started this. The thought was there and it was disturbing, but in the next moment he had made his way to her side, looking down at her with silver-blue eyes that caught the last of the dying sunlight.
‘You performed your duties admirably.’ His smile included Janice, who was standing at her side, and now his gaze swept over the pair of them as he said courteously, ‘Perhaps you would allow me to buy you both dinner, if you’re not otherwise engaged?’
She must tell him. This had gone far enough and it was time to come clean. But before she could open her mouth Janice said brightly, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, Mr Grey, but I’m already booked. I’m sure Janice would love to have dinner with you, though.’
‘Would you? Love to have dinner with me, that is?’ he asked her softly as Janice disappeared with a cheerful goodbye into the crowd moving back into the hotel.
‘I…I don’t know—’
‘You’d be taking pity on a lonely stranger if you did,’ he drawled persuasively.
