The Brutal Truth

by Lee Winter

  “A long list of ideas. Really long.” Felicity’s lips thinned. “Right after the catwalk show, she was having epiphanies all over the place. She was quite specific too. And don’t bother asking me why she cares what you’ll be dressed like. The mind of Elena is an enigma wrapped up in a Coco Chanel.”

  Coco Chanel! So that’s what she was wearing. She looked gorgeous too.

  “Can you just…” Felicity squinted at her. Then sighed. “I don’t know, explain? You’re the garage-band, dead-person crime girl. Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why any of this?”

  And right then, Maddie saw it. Through all of Felicity’s bluster and dramatics, a look of pain, devastation, and confusion. She looked as though there weren’t enough jungle cheese balls and fancy booze in the world to make up for her feeling elbowed out of the way by some blow-in, clueless, fashionless upstart like Maddie.

  Felicity had hero-worshipped Elena for years. Had been loyal for years. Maybe even loved her for years. And it was Maddie who got to go with Felicity’s icon as a plus one to a VIP ball. Well, four of them to be exact. Felicity probably hadn’t even been told about the other three events.

  “Why?” Maddie said, her tone kind. “Because I negotiated a deal. It’s good business. If Elena wanted Véronique and my exclusive, she got stuck helping me network at a few balls. Elena’s a woman of her word. She agreed to help me meet some important publishing names. That means looking good, too. Hence her interest in what I will wear. That’s all there is to it.”

  Relief seemed to swamp Felicity’s features. It was almost palpable. “Okay,” she said in a voice so prim it was as though sheer bravado alone could hide the jealousy she was leaking all over the place. “Yes, that sounds…of course.”

  She shot Maddie an unguarded, grateful look that told Maddie she was much shrewder than she pretended. Felicity didn’t look all that convinced by her explanation, but it was palatable enough and she’d take it.

  “It’s business,” Felicity repeated. “It makes sense,” she said, as if trying the idea on for size. “Because Elena is a great businesswoman.” She nodded.

  “Yep.” Maddie glanced around for the woman in question. She didn’t see Elena, but she did spot the Duchamps, alone at last. Mother and daughter hugged for a moment. Maddie grinned, proud she’d had a tiny hand in bringing them closer together through her interview.

  “I have to give my congrats to the Duchamps.”

  “Go.” Felicity shooed her away, looking more like her old self. “It’s not like I care. I mean really!”

  Maddie laughed, shook her head, and pushed her way through the masses. As she neared them, Natalii rushed over, with her mother not far behind, and gave her a quick hug.

  Brimming with enthusiasm, Natalii filled her in about Adèle’s arrival. “She said she missed me too much.” She was almost bouncing. “And she rushed on the first plane after her last show so that she could see me.”

  Maddie gave her a kiss on each cheek—which seemed to be the appropriate response to French exuberance—and grinned. “So pleased for you.”

  “I’ll bet.” Natalii laughed. “Now your sullied honour, it is restored!”

  “Hey, that’s not why! But, yeah, doesn’t hurt. I’m just really happy you have found the one you’re meant to be with.”

  Véronique, who had been quietly listening, leaned in. “On this topic, Madeleine, I think the one you wish you were with is not as without the interest as you like to believe,” she said with a cryptic look. “I would say she is captivée by you.”

  Natalii seemed suddenly intrigued.

  Maddie’s gaze darted between the two women, seeing if they were joking. Neither laughed. “She’s married, she’s straight. Okay, she’s kind of surprisingly tactile at times, but still, she’s…”

  “A woman,” Véronique said. “And when I told her the emotion I had when I designed my signature dress was amour—amour for the beautiful female body, she looked right to you.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. Come on, eyes roam!”

  Véronique laughed and gave her cheek an affectionate pat. “Oui, dear girl, they do. They roam all over you.”

  Maddie bit her lip, trying not to feel hopeful. She couldn’t…wouldn’t dare to hope. If she was wrong, it would be crushing. And maybe Elena just really liked the dress? She wasn’t entirely sure what Elena was up to. The woman followed her own set of rules on everything.

  Denial definitely seemed the safest course of action around a pair of far-too-curious, teasing Frenchwomen. Well, at least until Maddie figured the confusing woman out for herself.

  As if on cue, she looked up to see Elena making a beeline for them. “Oh God,” she whispered. She so wasn’t ready for this.

  Natalii and Véronique shared amused glances.

  “Ladies,” Elena intoned as she reached them.

  Maddie swallowed. And right then, the sneaky, evil Duchamps made their excuses and exited. She glared after them.

  “Madeleine,” Elena said, drawing back her attention.

  “Elena.” Maddie gripped her orange juice glass hard and sucked through her straw for something to do. It hit an air pocket between ice cubes and a loud slurping sound erupted.

  Elena snorted softly. “Thirsty?”

  Maddie gave her a sheepish look. She glanced around. “Enjoying the monkeys?”

  “I’m actually strongly opposed to keeping animals in captivity for humans’ pleasure. I know some might enjoy this, but at what cost?”

  “They do breeding programs, don’t they? Zoos like this help keep them alive.”

  “Yes. But they can be kept alive outside zoos as well,” Elena said with a firm voice. “How would you enjoy being kept in a cage? Even one where you can roam a little but never be free?”

  Maddie didn’t know how to answer that. She wanted to say she was as pro animal rights as the next liberal arts student and had been donating to the World Wildlife Foundation for years. Pandas for the Win had been her first bumper sticker on her beat-up, blue VW. Instead she said, “I wouldn’t like it, no.”

  “I’m glad we agree.” Elena touched Maddie’s arm.

  Maddie was so surprised, she twitched.

  Elena withdrew her fingers. “What were you and the Duchamps discussing?” she asked after a beat.

  “Natalii’s engagement.”

  “Ah. Yes, a good thing for you.”

  “Why does everyone keep saying that?” Maddie’s head shot up. “I am happy for them! That’s all there is!”

  “And you somehow don’t feel you can be both relieved and happy?”

  “I guess I can,” Maddie said, hating how defensive she sounded.

  “You’re in a very odd mood, Madeleine. By the way, the first ball we’re attending together, have you had any further thoughts on what you’re going to wear?”

  It sounded so casual, Maddie almost laughed. As if she hadn’t given Perry a detailed list on how she wanted him to make her over. “I thought I’d see Perry.”

  “Excellent idea. He will be sure to have something acceptable.” Her eyes gleamed at the prospect.

  “Did you have any thoughts?” Maddie asked, feeling cheeky. “About what I should wear?”

  Elena froze. Her gaze was long and assessing.

  Maddie waited for the lie to come, the flippant brush off, and then remembered it wasn’t going to come. Not tonight, not when this was the last night of their bet.

  “Yes,” Elena said, not looking pleased about the admission. “A surprisingly long list of things I’d enjoy seeing you in. There,” she added, tossing her a small glare. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

  “Why do you care what I look like? It’s just business, right?”

  Elena seemed startled by the reminder. “That’s good to remember.” She placed her drink on a nearby table. “Don’t you think?” She gave Maddie a long look, as though Maddie had somehow been at fault, forcing Elena into thinking unbusinessy thoughts.
/>   Wait a minute… That meant Elena had been having unbusinessy thoughts. Her heart swelled briefly, until her irritation kicked in. Elena’s comment was such a load of…

  “Well, okay,” Maddie said. “We agree, it will all be about business.” She gave her a tiny smile and decided to press her luck. “But that won’t take away from the fact you were staring at my back for ages tonight.”

  Elena’s cheeks grew pink. Her eyes narrowed. “Well.”

  “Well?” Maddie supposed that was the equivalent of agreement in Elena’s world. Or not. It was so frustrating.

  “You couldn’t resist asking about it, I suppose. Getting that out of me before the bet expired.”

  Getting what out of her? Was Elena saying she was not as indifferent to Maddie as she seemed? Back stroking notwithstanding, of course. Maddie still wasn’t over that and probably never would be.

  “So…you, ah, like me, then?” Maddie asked, desperate for some clarification. Because it was her last chance to ask, and Elena was confusing as hell with her cryptic answers.

  “I could answer that, but then I would resent you for the temerity of the question. Do you really want me to resent you, Madeleine?” Elena’s voice turned to honey, and Maddie had to admire what a clever little trap that question was.

  “You don’t play fair.”

  “No, I suppose not.” She looked far too pleased with herself

  Maddie sighed. There was a reason this woman ran a media empire, after all. She won at everything. On the other hand, a “no comment” about liking Maddie was way better than a denial.

  They regarded each other.

  “I suppose this is goodbye,” Maddie said. “Until our media events together, I mean.”

  “Really, Madeleine.”

  Elena said it as though Maddie was making a huge deal out of something meaningless. Seriously? She was half tempted to re-ask the earlier question about liking her and risk the resentment rather than put up with such condescension. Her jaw tightened.

  Elena seemed to sense her raging mutiny. “So irritated at me,” she said with a knowing smile. “You don’t hide much with those accusing eyes.” Elena studied her for a few moments, and to Maddie’s shock, she realised she was openly admiring her this time.

  It was just like before, in front of the mirror, only more. So much more. A thrill skittered down Maddie’s spine, as she felt the languid gaze shift and burn across her skin. She almost dropped her glass.

  Elena leaned forward and whispered against the shell of her ear. “Madeleine, I have long admired beauty in all its forms. It comes with my job, running the world’s premier fashion magazine. Your unblemished, creamy skin, the way it dips and flows and glows with vitality? What lover of beautiful things could resist looking at it? Especially one as excellent at her job as I am.”

  Elena gave her a rich, taunting smile that left Maddie rooted to the spot, as the high priestess of media straightened, turned, and headed towards the exit.

  Maddie watched her leave and tried to swallow. She took in a shuddering breath and ran a trembling hand through her hair.

  Elena had just called her beautiful. Oh, she’d dressed it up as business, but still.

  Elena Bartell thought she was beautiful.

  CHAPTER 29

  Ivory

  Maddie wasn’t feeling too beautiful. Elena might have declared her so at their last meeting, and Maddie had been dining out on that ever since, but right now, five weeks later, she was feeling like a hot, hideous mess. June 20 had whizzed around far too fast, and before she knew it, she’d answered a call to go to Style Sydney. Now here she was, being poked and prodded by Perry and judged by model standards. And failing.

  The art director yanked and tugged and pinned and flattened her into an assortment of dresses, each more gorgeous than the last. None, however, were suited to her average-woman proportions. The proportions Véronique had admired so much. She was clearly in a minority.

  “God,” Perry said, with a huff, “do you have to be so…” His hands made a curvy shape.

  “We’ve known each other for long enough, so I don’t get why you’re so surprised about discovering my boobs now.”

  He ran a hand over his dark scalp. “True. They’re just…inconvenient. Still, I am a genius. If all else fails—boob tape.”

  Maddie screwed up her face. “Perry, I am not getting strapped down for a publisher’s ball. It’s not the Oscars.”

  Perry glanced at his black Cartier watch. “We only have five more hours to Cinderella you, so you will be taped if I say you will.”

  “But…”

  “No. And stop looking like I stomped on your kitten. By the time I’ve finished, you will be a feast for the eyes.” Perry glanced around, snapping his fingers. “We need cleavage. Oh, what am I thinking? The Alberta Ferretti, of course. The things she does with chiffon and silk! Divine.”

  He strode off to several racks of dresses. “So,” Perry called out from between the designer garments, “how is the life of the famous treating you?”

  “Good. I get a lot more people wanting me to freelance for them. I’m doing a story for Vanity Fair next.”

  He gave a low whistle. “Ooh. Fabulous.”

  “Well, yeah.” Maddie smiled to herself. “I was pretty excited when they—”

  “Not that, this!”

  He emerged like a proud father from The Lion King, holding aloft ivory, diaphanous material.

  It appeared far too see-through to cover Maddie’s dignity. “Uh-um… I don’t think…”

  “No objections, it’s perfect.” Perry gave the hanger a waggle. The dress seemed to float in the air instead of jiggle. “It was on her short list of dresses for you to consider for tonight.”

  Maddie cocked her head. “And just how long was Elena’s short list?”

  “Oh,” he waved his hand, “thirty. She narrowed it down to a dozen. Give or take.”

  He held the dress up in front of Maddie’s chest and nodded. “Right, underwear off.” He tossed her a nude thong on a hanger. “This on. So you don’t frighten the skittish horses.”

  “Perry! I’ll get arrested!”

  “Just try it…trust me. Now scoot.” He pushed her inside the changing cubicle in front of them and closed the curtain. His footsteps retreated. “Heels,” he muttered to himself. His voice got farther away. “Tall but not too tall, given you have the grace of a lumberjack.”

  “Hey! I modelled at Australian Fashion Week, I can’t be too much of a disaster!” Maddie joked, as she shimmied out of her underwear. She slid on the thong. Ew. She shifted it about a little. Not much better. Thongs were devil spawn.

  “One swallow doth not a summer make,” Perry retorted. “Oh! Choos pour vous.”

  A minute later, a pair of sleek, Jimmy Choo heels appeared in the gap under the curtain, just as Maddie pulled on her dress. “Ooh!” The shoes were gorgeous. And, mercifully, not too high.

  “I know,” Perry said with far too much smugness from the other side. “You may now worship my greatness.”

  Maddie, however, was staring at her reflection. The dress redefined the word risqué. She stared some more.

  “Come on, aren’t you ready yet?”

  Maddie stepped into the heels, and the complete effect was instant. She gasped.

  In response, the curtain snapped open. “Oh my.” Perry’s gaze roamed her form. “Yes.” He tugged the dress at the back of her neck, fiddling with the fastening. “Well, I’ve always said it—Elena has an eye for this. She knew it was made for you.”

  Maddie scrutinised her reflection, trying to see it the way Elena would. The front of the pale ankle-length dress was made up of crushed, sheer material, gathered in two, wide strips, forming a deep vee over her breasts, ancient Greek goddess style. Mercifully, the material’s many layers hid her nipples. Tiny gold-threaded beading circled and cinched her waist like the finest of belts. The back was cut low to the waist. Only one layer of translucent gauze floated over her legs. This highlight
ed the length of her legs and created a filmy effect when she moved.

  “I don’t know, Perry.” Doubt coursed through her. “I feel more uncovered than covered. I’m one stiff breeze away from badly oversharing.”

  Perry cocked an eyebrow. “Perhaps. But tell me you don’t feel breathtaking even so.”

  Maddie’s gaze slid back over her reflection. “It’s not that. This isn’t me. It’s too…too.” Glamorous. Otherworldly. Meant for a supermodel. “I’m just a kid from outer Sydney.”

  “Are you, though? Just a kid from outer Sydney? Shall we review what you have accomplished of late? Tonight is your first outing among the who’s who of publishing since your world exclusive. It’s called the Legends ball for a reason. Now, you could just find something average and hide against the wall, or you could stand up and be counted and arrive. You could look them all in the eye and make them remember who you are. Be unforgettable. This is your moment, Maddie; you don’t get it twice. So knock ’em all over.”

  Maddie exhaled. Well, when he puts it like that.

  Their eyes met in the mirror. He leaned forward and, eyes twinkling, whispered in her ear. “And she’ll love it.”

  * * *

  Maddie hadn’t meant to be fashionably late. There’d been a mix-up with the cars, and then the new one had a flat. She’d already texted Elena to explain the delay and told her not to wait for her, in case she had thought it her duty to do so. The lack of reply just made her more anxious.

  She stepped out of the car, adjusting herself as subtly as she could manage, and prayed every piece of pasty and double-sided tape kept doing its job. She did her best to sweep up the steps, remembering the lessons Natalii had taught her on how to walk in couture and heels.

  The photographers waiting at the door went insane.

  “Ooh!”

  “Hey, love, look left!”

  “Look this way!”

  “One more, one more!”

  “Here—Natalii’s girl—look over here!”

  She groaned inwardly, ignored them all, and headed inside.

  The room was opulent. An orchestra played in one corner, a chandelier flowed from the ceiling, and the crowd mingled in fine suits and gowns. Maddie immediately recognised some of the big names in world publishing. These were people she’d followed for years. The head of an international magazine conglomerate wandered by, and Maddie’s eyes grew wide. However, he wasn’t the media boss she was most excited to see. It had been five long weeks after all.