sense, my …’
Mel shifted backwards on the overstuffed sofa, curled her legs under her and rummaged in her make-up bag. ‘Imo, hun … You need to calm down. Joe is in charge and you have no choice.’ Holding up two lipsticks, she tilted her blonde head to one side in consideration. ‘It may even be fun.’
‘Fun?’ Imogen stared at her, a flicker of guilt igniting as her tummy did a loop-the-loop of anticipation. ‘Fun to spend two hours working late with Joe and then going to an awards ceremony with Joe. That’s not fun. It’s purgatory.’
Mel raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows. ‘Imo! Imo! Imo! Methinks you protest too much. Methinks you fancy the boxers off the man.’
There was that fire of guilt again. How could she be so shallow as to have the hots for such an arrogant, ruthless bastard?
‘Youthinks wrong,’ Imogen said flatly. ‘And why are you looking at me like that?’
‘A) Because you couldn’t lie your way out of a paper bag and B) because I’m hoping you aren’t planning to go to the awards ceremony looking like that.’
Imogen looked down at herself. ‘What’s wrong with this? I wore this to a big client dinner with Steve a few months ago.’
‘Exactly.’
‘What is that supposed to mean?’
‘Imogen, sweetie. That dress is dull. It’s grey and it’s shapeless and it’s boring. It’s how Steve liked you to dress because he was terrified you would run off—like Simone did.’
‘That’s not true. I chose this dress because …’ She trailed off. ‘Anyway, it will have to do. In fact with any luck no one will notice me. I mean, it’s wrong to go to the awards ceremony when Graham did most of the work.’
Mel frowned. ‘It sounds to me like you did your fair share. Plus, Graham can’t go because he doesn’t work for Langley any more. Plus, you said that Joe said he would still be credited.’
‘Humph …’ Damn man had an answer to everything.
‘So you are going to this ceremony to display to the world that Langley is alive and flourishing. If you go dressed like that everyone will think Langley is on its last legs and you’ve bought a dress for the funeral.’
‘Ha-ha!’ Imogen exhaled a sigh as she contemplated her best friend’s words. Mel knew all there was to know about clothes, and she had a point. ‘OK. How about my little black dress with …?’
‘It’s more big black bin-bag, Imo. I have a way better idea. You can borrow one of my dresses.’
‘Um … Mel. You know me. I really, really don’t want to be …’
‘The focus of attention? Yes, you do. And I’ve got the perfect outfit. Wait here a second.’
Imogen exhaled a puff of air—of course she wanted to do the right thing for Langley, but she knew Mel, and her friend’s fashion taste was nothing like hers. Imogen’s taste was more …
More what? In a moment of horror she realised she didn’t know. In all her twenty-six years she’d always dressed to please others.
Eva Lorrimer had had very firm ideas about what a young girl should wear, and at her insistence Imogen had obediently donned plain long skirts and frilly tops. It had seemed the least she could do to make her mum a little bit happy. Plus, anything for a quiet life—right?
Then Steve … Well, was Mel right? Had she let him dictate what she wore? Steve had always said he hated women who flaunted or flirted when they were in a relationship. He had told her how Simone had always done exactly that. So she’d worked out what he approved of and what he liked and taken care to shop accordingly. Because it had made her happy to make him happy. Plus, anything for a quiet life—right?
Mel waltzed back into the room. ‘What do you think?’
Imogen stared at the dress Mel was holding up. If you could even call it a dress. For the life of her she couldn’t work out how she would get into it, or where all the lacy frou-frou would go, or even how it could even be decent. The only thing that was clear was the colour—bright, vibrant and sassy.
‘It’s very … red.’
OK. It wasn’t what she would choose. But if she had the choice between something in her wardrobe chosen by her mum or Steve and something chosen by Mel, right now she was going with Mel’s choice.
‘I’ll wear it.’
Mel blinked. ‘Really? I was prepared for battle.’
‘Nope. No battle. Though you may have to help me work out how to put it on.’
‘I’ll do better than that—I’ll lend you shoes and do your make-up as well.’
‘Perfect. Thanks, sweetie. You’re a star.’
Surprise mixed with a froth of anticipation as to what this New Imogen would look like.
An hour later and she knew.
Staring at the image that looked back at her from the mirror, she blinked, disbelief nearly making her rub her eyes before taking another gander. Her mother would keel over in a faint, Steve’s lips would purse in disapproval—and Imogen didn’t care. She looked…. visible.
‘You look gorgeous. You look hot. Joe McIntyre won’t know what’s hit him.’
‘I’m not doing this for Joe.’
Liar, liar, pants most definitely on fire.
Squashing the voice, she gave her head a small shake. The butterflies currently completing an assault course in her tummy were nothing to do with Joe.
‘I’m doing it for Langley.’
Mel dimpled at her. ‘You keep telling yourself that, Imo,’ she said soothingly. ‘Have fun!’
Joe glanced around the office and gusted out a sigh. Not that there was anything to complain about in the surroundings; he’d sat in far worse than this mecca to interior design and it hadn’t bothered him. The problem was that wherever he was sitting he’d never had this level of anticipation twisting his gut.
Irritation stamped on his chest. Anticipation had no place here. The awards ceremony would go better for Langley if Imogen Lorrimer were there. She had worked on the Richard Harvey project, knew many of the people who would be there, so it made sense for her to attend.
Joe snorted and picked up his cup of coffee. Listen to himself. Anyone would think he was justifying his decision because he had an ulterior motive in taking Imogen. When of course he didn’t. Or that he was looking forward to taking Imogen. Which was ridiculous. The woman couldn’t stand him, and he had the definitive suspicion that she was planning some sort of rearguard action against him in the hope that he’d change his mind about Graham Forrester.
She was probably running a Bring Back John-Boy Campaign.
Yet in the past two days he had more than once, more than twice, more than … too many times … found himself looking for Imogen or noticing her when there’d been no need to. Caught by the turn of her head or a waft of her delicate flowery perfume.
Exasperation surfaced again and he quelled it. Just because her appearance had somehow got under his guard it didn’t mean there was a problem. He knew all too well the associated perils of letting personal issues into the boardroom. That was what his father had done and the result had been a spiral of disaster—a mess bequeathed to Joe to sort out.
So there was no problem. All he had to do was recall the grim horror of working out that his family firm was bankrupt and corrupt. Remember the faces of the people he’d been forced to let go, the clients whose money had been embezzled.
Enough. The lesson was learnt.
His