by Ilana Fox
‘And what’s the second condition?’ Mia asked neutrally, not wanting to give her excitement away.
‘Number two, you have dinner at my house tomorrow night so we can discuss this, and our relationship, in more detail.’
Mia remained silent for a moment as she thought about what Joshua was implying. Mia knew that he had only married so that he could demonstrate to his father that he had given up his playboy ways, and that marrying Madeline was proof enough to Harold Garnet that his son was ready to control Garnet Publishing. Now that his wife had disgraced the company so dreadfully, Mia realised that there could be an opening for Madeline’s other position within the Garnet empire. The thought of it excited and disgusted her all at once, but Mia now realised just how powerful she could become if she did end up being Joshua Garnet’s second wife. If Madeline hadn’t been able to get pregnant, Mia was sure that the family would see her as surplus to requirements, leaving Mia shining so brightly as Garnet Publishing’s new golden girl that nobody would see Madeline lurking in the shadows.
‘Let me think about what you have just said, and I’ll let you know my thoughts about this at dinner tomorrow night,’ Mia said, after some consideration. She had briefly toyed with the idea of announcing to Joshua that he had just offered Joanne Hill a job as editor of his most popular magazine, but Mia knew that if she bided her time, her declaration would be even more spectacular.
Joshua agreed. ‘A car will pick you up from your house at eight tomorrow night,’ he said, and Mia felt a shiver of excitement run down her spine as she remembered that one of the perks of being an editor at Garnet Publishing meant you were automatically assigned a gleaming dark red Mercedes complete with driver. ‘Dress up, Miss Blackwood,’ Joshua said softly, and without saying another word he hung up, leaving Mia speechless that she had just been offered the job of controlling Gloss. It took a moment, but she suddenly realised that she was so close to having her revenge on Garnet that she could almost smell it. The thought of finally treating Joshua Garnet as he had treated her was exhilarating, and all night she tossed and turned in bed, guiltily imagining herself encased in Madeline Turner’s office, but also wondering what she should wear to dinner the following night.
Chapter Eighteen
Mia was standing by her window when she noticed the dark red Garnet Mercedes discreetly pull up outside her house. She skipped over to her full-length mirror and checked her reflection one final time. She looked like Cinderella, she thought, as she remembered how she had loved the old Disney film as a child. A man named Pedro at Vidal Sassoon had spun her blonde hair into an intricate bun earlier in the afternoon, and as Mia twisted in front of the mirror she noticed that the gems on the tiny combs that held her hair in place sparkled in the light. Mia’s dress was a cloud of peacock blue, with hand-sewn crystals twinkling on a bodice that pushed her full breasts higher and made her already small waist look even tinier. At her hips a full skirt flared into a waterfall of silk that cascaded down to her delicate silver heels, and as Mia walked over to her bed to pick up her silver Prada handbag the skirt moved with her, making Mia look as though she were gliding across her bedroom carpet. She had never looked lovelier, and she couldn’t wait to present herself to Joshua. He would want to ravish her, she thought, as she sprayed herself lightly with Ralph Lauren Romance. And the best bit was that she’d never, ever sleep with him. She only wanted to tempt him, to make him crazy about her.
The car left Hampstead, eventually pulling up outside a tall Georgian house in Connaught Square, and Mia tried not to let her eyes widen in disbelief. Was this really where Joshua and Madeline lived? It was so grown up, so expensive, so exclusive. Her surprise was answered soon enough, as Joshua pulled open the heavy black door and grinned at her from inside his house, which, despite looking cold and imposing on the outside, appeared to be warm and inviting on the inside. Joshua was wearing a navy Turnbull & Asser suit and a white shirt from Haines & Bonner, and Mia could see a shadow of stubble on his chin. Despite the stress of the Madeline situation he still managed to look attractive.
‘Glad you made it,’ Joshua said, drinking in Mia’s appearance as she walked up the path to his house. The press would love her, he thought, as his gaze swept over her breasts, her waist and her hips. Just looking at her turned him on, and it made him grin. Working even closer with Mia when she was formally editor of Gloss would be a lot of fun.
‘I was beginning to think old John here had got lost,’ Joshua remarked as he nodded curtly at the driver, and he shut the front door firmly on Mia’s chauffeur, refusing to tip a Garnet driver when – in his opinion – they were paid well enough. Mia stood in Joshua’s hallway, but before she had the chance to take in her surroundings he led her into one of his sitting-rooms. Mia looked around nervously, hoping there’d be no personal items of Madeline’s lying around. She didn’t think she’d be able to cope with seeing a more human and intimate side to the woman she’d pushed over the edge.
‘Have a seat,’ Joshua gestured, as Mia took in the room. Cream rugs were thrown across the oak floor, and four large chocolate-brown leather sofas formed a square formation around a huge glass coffee table. A plasma television screen dominated one of the white-painted walls, and gold-framed mirrors hung from the others. Joshua clearly liked looking at himself, and thankfully there were no photos or traces of Madeline’s personality dotted around – it was as though she’d been erased. Mia perched gingerly on one of the sofas and she looked up at Joshua, who was staring at her with a mixture of pride and lust so intense that she could feel herself involuntarily squirming under his gaze. To distract herself Mia concentrated on the leather beneath her hands. It was soft and buttery, and without warning she remembered the feeling of William’s skin. She couldn’t shake the memory of him, no matter how much she wanted to.
‘I adore your house,’ Mia said, as she tried to stop staring at what looked like an original Vettriano hanging on a wall. ‘It’s beautiful.’
‘It’s not too bad,’ Joshua said, brushing the compliment aside. ‘I’m sure the price has devalued since that politician and his awful wife bought the one down the road, but there wasn’t much I could do to stop him from getting it. There’s an actor who lives here too, terrible riff-raff. To be honest, I’m thinking about moving out, getting a place in Mayfair.’
Mia gulped. Although she’d always read about the Garnets’ enviable wealth she’d never imagined stepping into Joshua’s life and experiencing it for herself. A memory of an article about Joshua running baths of Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame for former kiss-and-tell lovers flashed through her mind. She’d always thought that the Garnets’ wealth was more urban myth than fact, but sitting here, in one of Joshua’s opulent sitting-rooms, Mia could tell Joshua Garnet had never needed to work in the equivalent of The Royal Oak. It intimidated her, and she had to remind herself that she was good enough to be Joshua’s companion for the evening. Mia had earned her position by working up the ladder and being cunning. It was more than Joshua Garnet had ever had to do.
‘Drink?’ Joshua asked, as he leant against his original Georgian mantelpiece. ‘Have you ever had a Louis XIII cocktail?’ Mia shook her head, and Joshua looked pleased. ‘Women love them. Marina Stone, the model, is a dear friend of mine, and she once had one at the Piano Bar at the Sheraton Park Hotel. I managed to persuade the head man there to make two for us to celebrate your editorship. They were delivered ten minutes ago. Let me get my girl to bring them in.’
Joshua pressed a subtle panel in the wall and murmured something quietly into it. Within a minute a girl in a French maid’s uniform placed a silver tray with two cocktails on the coffee table, and before Mia could thank her she slipped back out of the room. Mia wanted to laugh. Of course Joshua would have servants, and of course they would be dressed in French maids’ uniforms that, if made of latex, wouldn’t have looked out of place in a sex shop in Soho. Joshua raised his eyebrows at Mia, as if he could tell what was on her mind, and passed her the drink.
‘I don’t fuck her, if that’s what you’re thinking,’ Joshua said, startling Mia with his frankness. He changed the subject. ‘Now, before you taste this, let me tell you exactly how it is made,’ he said. ‘Knowing how expensive it is will make it taste even better. A shot of Rémy Martin Louis XIII – the finest cognac in the world, I must add – is poured into this crystal martini glass. A sugar cube is then added, along with two drops of angostura bitters, and then it is finished off with Charles Heidsieck champagne.’ Joshua stared at the liquid in the crystal glass and then looked at Mia. ‘But look closer. Can you see any other ingredient?’
Mia peered at her cocktail, and, in shock, she realised there was a diamond nestling at the bottom of the glass. It had to be a whole carat. Her mouth dropped open and Joshua laughed.
‘That’s four thousand pounds’ worth of cocktail in your hands, Mia. It’s a special cocktail for a special girl, and I couldn’t think of anything finer to toast your promotion with.’ He raised his glass and Mia copied him, still grinning in disbelief at the cost of the drink in her hands. ‘Congratulations, Mia Blackwood, and welcome to your editorship of Gloss.’
Joshua took a sip of his drink, and Mia followed suit. It was one of the most delicious drinks she had ever tasted, and even though she was impressed that Joshua had gone to the trouble of getting them, a tiny voice in her head asked if she wouldn’t be more at home with a gin and tonic. Mia ignored the voice and smiled. She would just have to get used to such extravagance. She was editor of Gloss, after all. She had a lifestyle to keep up.
‘Joshua, it’s superb, thank you so much,’ Mia said, and she took another sip. ‘I can see why Marina Stone likes this cocktail so much.’ Mia wondered if Joshua would mention that he and Marina were lovers. Would he ever be that honest with her?
Joshua laughed. ‘Marina likes extremes, and this drink takes “ice with a slice” to a whole new level. Unfortunately Marina also likes to powder her nose a little too much, so I’ve not seen her in a while. She’s at a place in America at the moment cleaning up. I have to admit I miss her – she’s a good friend, even if her nose is falling to bits.’
‘Joshua …’ Mia began hesitantly. ‘May I ask where Madeline is?’ The moment Mia asked the question she instantly regretted it. Joshua’s face turned to thunder, and Mia could tell that the subject of his wife was a sore point. Best stick to mistresses, Mia reminded herself as she took another sip of her drink. She had to admit it was exquisite.
Joshua sat next to Mia and sighed. For a moment she thought she could see real pain in his face, but the closer Mia looked, the more she realised that Joshua was putting on an act. He didn’t give a fuck about Madeline Turner, and Mia knew it.
‘She’s gone,’ Joshua said melodramatically, and Mia wondered if he stretched to fake tears. ‘Our marriage has been unhappy for a long time, and unfortunately Madeline became so preoccupied with trying to have a baby that our relationship floundered. I don’t believe Madeline is well, so she is spending some time in a hospital while I file for divorce.’
Mia put her martini glass on the coffee table carefully and turned to look at Joshua. Was she hearing him correctly? ‘A hospital?’
Joshua nodded. ‘I’m afraid to say Madeline isn’t quite right in the head, so we persuaded her some time in a little clinic would do her good,’ he said, sighing again. Mia could see an amused glint in his eye, yet she played along. Lying was what working in the media was all about.
‘The newspaper piece was the final straw to be honest. Anyone could see that Madeline was not well, and my father and I realised we had to do something about it. The poor woman was quite delusional and refused to admit she had spoken to the Media Guardian, but we phoned them up and they forwarded a copy of the email she originally sent them. I think they thought we were going to sue, but Madeline’s health was our main priority. We were rather shocked – we didn’t think that Madeline was this bad.’
Mia bit her lip and felt ashamed of herself. Poor Madeline.
‘But let’s not talk about my soon-to-be ex-wife any more,’ Joshua announced, the mood in the sitting-room lightening instantly. ‘And let’s talk about you. I must say that I knew it was only a matter of time before we handed the magazine over to you. What you have done with Gloss is marvellous,’ he said, brushing her arm with his. ‘And now that you are formally editor the sky is the limit with what you can achieve … with my help, of course. I hope you don’t mind but I thought we’d run through the salary increase and the flat when we’re back at the office.’ For a moment Joshua looked a little uncertain, and Mia stared at him. She could guess what was coming as he cleared his throat and turned on his charming smile, reserved only for women he wanted to fuck.
He spoke softly. ‘I really want to use this evening to get to know you, Mia. I think you’re one of the most beautiful women I have ever met, and, if you don’t object, I want to forget about the Mia who I work with in the office and get to find out more about what drives you, what turns you on. You fascinate me, Miss Blackwood, and I want to discover the real you.’
Mia tried not to laugh. If Joshua knew who the real Mia Blackwood was he would have made her regurgitate his £4,000 cocktail back into the glass before throwing her out into the street. Imagining his fury when he found out who she really was pleased her, and she gave Joshua a slow, sexy smile. If she could get Joshua to fall in love with her, revenge would taste even sweeter.
‘I’d like that,’ Mia said tenderly, and as she put her hand into Joshua’s she could feel him squeezing it gently. Even though she could see past all of Joshua’s bullshit there was something about him that was quite sexy in an obvious way. She let Joshua lead her into the dining-room, and she didn’t even mind that his eyes never left hers the entire time.
‘Tell me you didn’t fuck him,’ Amelia said on the phone to her best friend the next day. ‘Please tell me that even you wouldn’t fuck Joshua Garnet. You hate him!’
Mia lay on her bed and giggled as she remembered the evening. Joshua’s private chef – who used to work at the Ivy, no less – had served up a meal of her favourite foods: tender sirloins of steak, crispy fries and a soufflé that oozed a river of dark, bitter chocolate the moment her spoon broke the surface. After dinner Joshua had tried to tempt her with Paxton & Whitfield cheeses, Rozes Port Red Reserve and Pierre Marcolini chocolate truffles, but Mia was too high on the conversation with Joshua to eat another bite. She knew Joshua was trying to seduce her with food, and she appreciated his attention to detail. To her surprise, Joshua was brilliant company, full of funny stories and amusing anecdotes, and above all else he knew the magazine industry as well as she did. It was wonderful to have a sparring partner, and even though Mia hated him she allowed herself to ignore her vendetta for one evening so she could enjoy a side of Joshua Garnet she had never experienced before.
‘It’s all part of my plan, Ames,’ Mia said, ignoring her question. ‘If I can get him to fall in love with me, it will make the realisation that I am Jo Hill hurt all the more.’
‘You did, didn’t you,’ Amelia said bluntly, and there was a pause at the other end of the phone.
‘I won’t say it didn’t cross my mind,’ Mia admitted, ‘but no, I didn’t. When it comes down to it I’m old-fashioned about my virginity, and I don’t want to lose it to the person I hate more than anyone else.’
Amelia let out a sigh of relief.
‘Besides,’ Mia said, ‘if I refuse to sleep with him he may even propose just to get me into bed. Imagine Joshua Garnet getting down on one knee to Joanne Hill and how he’d feel once he knew what he’d done.’
April 2007
Six months later Joshua sat in on the editorial meeting. As Mia gave a presentation about her vision for the future of Gloss, Joshua let his eyes wander over her. Although she was dressed sedately for spring in a pink Ballantyne cashmere jumper and soft grey trousers from Joseph, Joshua thought Mia was still incredibly sexy. With her high, firm breasts almost jutting out of the cashm
ere every time she made a point, and her juicy, round bottom being hugged deliciously by the wool of her trousers, Mia was scandalously sexy. She may have acted like butter wouldn’t melt, but Joshua knew that underneath that sweet exterior there was something a lot dirtier than most people would think. She had a devious side, and there was something in the steel in her eyes that made Joshua realise that she was a lot like him: cunning, manipulative and accustomed to getting what she wanted. However, Joshua thought, as he shifted in his seat to try to hide his erection, if you didn’t know her, Mia could almost have passed for a virgin. There was something about her that reminded him of a schoolgirl desperate to lose her virginity, and it turned him on even more.
Yet the more she spoke, the more Joshua realised that there was more to Mia than just a knockout body and a face that Cameron Diaz would be jealous of. Mia truly was a brilliant editor, and it looked as though his instinct about her was right. She would not only be a credit to the company – selling hundreds of thousands of magazines and bringing in enough advertising revenue to wipe his ass on – but also to his family. If she just spread her legs – and Joshua was sure that she would, as no woman had ever said no to him – then the Garnet heirs would be beautiful children.
Joshua tried to concentrate on Mia’s sales forecast, but gave up. He let his gaze lazily wander over Mia’s body again, and he could feel his balls beginning to ache. Mia was a distraction, a horny, beautiful and lithe distraction, and Joshua loved women who played hard to get. Girls who threw themselves at him were a turn-off – they were only after a slice of the Garnet fortune, and Joshua wanted a woman who already had money. If they were poor they couldn’t possibly be able to afford to look after their bodies properly, and a flabby twenty-something with badly applied fake tan and cellulite didn’t do it for him. Mia did. And however much Mia pretended she didn’t want him, Joshua knew that when the time was right she would pour herself out of whatever designer dress she was wearing for his exclusive benefit, and would allow herself to submit to him. It was only a matter of time, and even though Joshua was nearing thirty-five, there was still all the time in the world for Mia to realise she was going to marry him and have his child. But if Mia thought he was going to propose without a taster of what she was like in bed, she had another thing coming. There was no question that Joshua was going to try her out first and make sure she was up to scratch at sex. He had made that error with Madeline, and he wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.