‘Oh, absolutely,’ declared Maxine, the words dripping sarcasm. But the urge to show off was simply irresistible. Glimpsing a semi-familiar face in the crowd, she waved over Bruno’s shoulder, realizing too late that the face belonged to an actor whom she had only seen on television. At least Bruno hadn’t witnessed the actor’s blank stare. ‘Sorry, so many old friends,’
she said airily. ‘Me? Oh, Jamie’s a darling, isn’t he? I’ve been up here all week, shooting a commercial with him. It’s all gone wonderfully well, he’s predicting great things for me if I decide to give the acting business another go.’
‘So you’d leaveTrezale?’ Bruno, equally unable to resist putting her down, looked sympathetic. ‘Oh dear, you mean persuading Guy Cassidy that you were the woman of his dreams didn’t work out? Must have been a bit of a kick in the teeth for you.’
‘A kick in the teeth for me?’ Maxine gave him a condescending smile. ‘Bruno, men like you are the reason women like me wear stiletto heels. Is being obnoxious a hobby of yours, or are you just particularly miffed because I turned down your own touching little offer of a quickie in the back seat of your car?’
She was wonderful, he thought, filled with silent admiration. He adored almost everything about Maxine Vaughan, from those fabulous bare shoulders right down to that pair of ridiculously high heels. But if the body was terrific, the mind was even more entrancing. She could trade insults like no female he had ever met before, she was sharp and funny, a talented liar, and out for everything she could possibly get.They were alike in every way. Best of all, he thought with a barely suppressed smile, she was as mad about him as he was about her.
‘I wasn’t miffed,’ he replied easily, leaning against the wall and running his fingers carelessly through his hair. The emerald-green wallpaper matched his eyes and offset his deep purple jacket to perfection. ‘You were being loyal to your sister; an admirable quality in any girl, but especially you.’
He thought he looked so great, thought Maxine, with all that streaky blond hair and that toffee-brown tan. He was only resting against the wall because the colour of it went so well with his jacket. And he had some nerve, too; you had to be unbelievably un-gay in order to get away with wearing a jacket like that over an ochre tee-shirt and pale yellow trousers. She was only surprised it wasn’t smothered in bloody sequins .. .
‘I told Janey she should never have got involved with you,’ she declared, ignoring the last jibe. ‘I knew exactly what would happen and I was right. Tell me, does it give you some kind of thrill, finding some vulnerable female and tearing her to pieces like that?’
‘I didn’t actually set out to hurt her,’ Bruno protested with a good-humoured shake of his head. ‘Believe it or not Janey couldn’t accept the way I am, that was all.’
‘You mean she couldn’t accept the fact that you’re such a bastard?’There was derision in Maxine’s eyes. ‘Or that you deliberately humiliated her in front of two hundred people at your stinking rotten party?’
‘Maybe I went a bit far.’ Despite the admission, Brunowas still smiling. ‘But she started it.
All I did was retaliate and she didn’t even fight back. Let’s face it, Janey’s too nice.’ He shrugged. ‘We really weren’t suited at all.’
‘You can say that again.’
‘Ah well, these things happen. I suppose she hates me now.’
Cindy, who had appeared behind Bruno, was wriggling her eyebrows in a gesture of deepest appreciation. Maxine, pretending she hadn’t noticed, snapped, ‘You can definitely say that again.’
‘Good.’ He glanced over his shoulder, winked at Cindy, then returned his attention to Maxine. ‘So loyalty is no longer an issue.You can stop pretending, sweetheart. We just take it from here.’
As he said the words he moved closer, lowering his voice accordingly. For something to do, Maxine reached for her drink and took a great slug of red wine. The glass remained in her hand, between them, on a level with Bruno’s trousers.
‘Armani versus Alaia,’ he observed in conversational tones. ‘We’re talking serious money.’
‘You think you’re so irresistible,’ Maxine drawled. ‘Don’t you?’
‘Not at all.’ Bruno removed the glass from her hand, drained it and put it out of reach. ‘I’m just honest. Maxine, I admire you enormously for your loyalty towards your sister, but it’s different now. You can relax. We’re both three hundred miles from home. Janey hates me. As far as I’m concerned, you are the most delectable female I’ve ever known and as far as you’re concerned, you fancy me rotten. So why don’t we stop playing games and simply admit how we feel about each other? OK,’ he conceded, ‘so it’s a massive coincidence, but since we’re both here in London at the same party, why waste time? Why don’t we just take advantage of the situation and enjoy it?’
Coincidence had had precious little to do with it, other than the fact that Jamie Laing really was a friend of Bruno’s. Upon hearing from his new waitress that according to her son – who attended the same school as Josh Cassidy – Josh’s nanny was doing a TV commercial with someone called Jamie, all it had taken was a phone call. He had practically invited himself along to the endof-ad party at Jamie’s elegant, three-storey Chelsea home. His appearance there tonight might have caught Maxine off-guard but he had been rehearsing these lines for days.
Maxine fixed him with an unswerving gaze. Beneath a great deal of gold eyeshadow and at least three coats of mascara, her dark eyes were serious.
‘You really think,’ she said, very slowly, ‘I fancy you rotten?’
‘I don’t think.’ Bruno gave her a modest smile. ‘It’s a fact.’
‘Shit!’ howled Maxine. ‘That is just so unfair. How could you possible know?’
The fact that she was wearing those ludicrous high heels didn’t bother Bruno in the least; he didn’t care that at this moment she was a couple of inches taller than him. Leaning across, he kissed her very lightly on the mouth.
‘I’m an expert,’ he said, then broke into a grin. ‘But even if I hadn’t been, I would still have known. It was obvious from the start, angel. You might be able to actbut even you aren’t that good.’
This was unbelievable. Talk about one-upmanship, thought Maxine, torn between admiration for such a talent and annoyance because if there was one thing she couldn’t stand, it was being seen through. And she had thought she’d done so well, too. Damn, damn, damn!
‘You don’t even know me.’ She looked cross. Not properly, anyway.’
‘Don’t sulk,’ Bruno chided. ‘And of course I know you, as well as I know myself. I told you before, we’re alike.
