‘Hey; good to see you. You’ve bought the cottage down the road?’
To her it was a cottage – he swallowed his annoyance.
‘In Sagaponack. Yes.’
‘Well, we look forward to having you around. You should say hi to my husband; he’s upstairs playing guitar, I think. Lots of boys.’ She laughed. ‘Never stopped being a rock star, in his heart. And who’s your girlfriend?’
‘This is Dina Kane. She works for me at Torch, in the beauty department.’
‘Hi,’ Dina said, nervously. Roxana Felix was a legend – one of the great supermodels of the nineties. And she still looked incredible.
‘I heard you’re doing great things over there, Dina.’
‘Thank you, ma’am.’
‘Ma’am is my mother. Did you make yourself up tonight?’
Roxana was leaning closer, and Dina suddenly, desperately, wanted her to approve. She was a hell of an expert.
‘Yes, I did. Do you like it?’
‘I do. You have real talent. I’ve started to use Meadow, by the way.’
Dina flushed. ‘How did you know that was me?’
‘Oh, my friend told me. He was actually just talking about you. Let’s see if I can find him.’ She turned around. ‘Susan! Joel! Come here.’
Dina gripped on to Ludo. She breathed hard; she felt dizzy.
‘Come on, baby,’ he whispered.
Desperately, she grabbed a flute of champagne from a passing waiter and tipped it back, downing half of it in a couple of seconds; the icy cold alcohol hit her tongue, bubbling and soothing, promising her a little courage by the time it had soaked into her bloodstream.
She looked good; she knew it. That was important to her. She had a man. She had a job, a career. Success. Time to hold her head up. Dina forced herself to calm her ragged breathing. Do you want him to see?
‘Dina, Ludo, this is Susan Gaines.’
‘Oh! Hiiii!’ A tall, older, groomed blonde with talon-like nails painted scarlet and an artfully made-up face smiled at her from a pillar of blue velvet. Dina tried to take her in. She was beautiful, in a way, but plucked and painted to within an inch of her life; diamonds glittered around her throat like stars, and there was a massive ring on her left hand, the size of a marble. Her ears were studded with long, dangling columns – more diamonds – and there was a huge pearl and conch brooch at her ample bosom. Blonde, big-breasted, she said rich in every possible way. Wife. Queen. Dina felt ill; she swallowed a little more champagne.
‘Hi to you. What a pleasure!’ Ludo said. ‘We’ve heard so much about you. Looking forward to getting to know you guys better. Dina owes your husband a favour, don’t you, honey?’
‘Oh, yes. Mr Gaines has been very good to me,’ Dina said, weakly.
‘Mr Gaines! Come on, you call him Joel, don’t you? If you don’t, you’re going to start,’ said Susan. ‘Joel! Sugar! It’s that couple I was talking to you about. We were discussing you guys just this afternoon,’ she said, as Joel walked towards them, and Dina could not take her eyes off him.
Her heart thudded against her ribcage; she was dizzy. Hold on. Keep it together.
She couldn’t let him see. He would laugh, thinking she still wasn’t over him. Dina forced a bright smile on to her face with the utmost effort, and threaded her arm through Ludo’s, bringing him closer to her.
‘Hi,’ Gaines said, offering his hand to Ludo.
‘Good to meet you, sir,’ Ludo said. There was something like awe in his voice, and Dina blushed to hear it. Gaines was the kind of man other men feared and envied, and it turned her on to see them scurry and scuttle about him. To have Ludo do it was an exquisite humiliation. ‘My father knows you well, I believe.’
‘For a long time.’
‘And you sent us Dina. She’s quite the worker.’ Ludo smiled proudly. ‘I should thank you for that, and a lot more, because I got a beautiful girlfriend out of the deal.’
Joel Gaines turned his dark eyes to Dina Kane, looking down at her; she couldn’t read their expression. Nor could she move her gaze from his. She was utterly mesmerised. She felt her lack of jewels, of haute couture, of evening make-up. Simple had seemed chic; now she felt like some kind of shepherdess who had wandered into Versailles. Outclassed and out of place.
‘Isn’t it hard dating somebody that works for you? Office romances are notorious,’ Susan Gaines said, conspiratorially. ‘All the other girls will complain about how you got the job, Dina – and they’ll be after your man. Although I’m sure you quite hold your own!’
‘Oh, no. Dina’s a great worker. She’s really helped in my turnaround of the store,’ Ludo said.
Dina wasn’t listening. She was looking at Gaines, lost in his eyes like her body was crying out to him. Dimly, she became aware that Ludo was looking at her, and forced herself to break the spell, look at the floor.
‘Yes, that’s right,’ she said, automatically.
‘It’s interesting that you put it like that, though,’ Gaines said, lightly. ‘I thought it was Dina, not you, who had turned the store around. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to take credit for the way she blitzed your beauty department.’
It was a shock. She hadn’t been expecting that, not any of it. Gaines was defending her; he was taking Ludo on. And he knew – he knew about her work. Not a word from him, not an email all these many months, but he still knew all about it, and this was firm praise.
‘She submitted plans, sure. I ran with them. And I have been revamping all our other departments.’ Ludo didn’t bridle, he couldn’t afford to, but he was furious. What did Gaines mean by it, at a social gathering? And was this his life, to have his woman upstage him in front of bankers, investors? His anger hardened – at Joel, even at Dina. This charade would be finished by the end of the night, he vowed it. The ring came with a price. ‘Isn’t that right, Dina?’
She was put on the spot.
‘Is it, indeed?’ asked Gaines, as if idly curious.
‘I . . . Yes.’ She could not fight with Ludo, not right now. She was with him, here, as his girlfriend. That meant loyalty, or go home. ‘Many of the suggestions came from Ludo, and he’s the one working the rest of the store . . .’
‘And I’m in charge of social media, development and purchasing,’ Ludo said, curtly. ‘I run our press campaigns. Perhaps you saw me in Vogue?’
‘I did! I did!’ Susan squealed. ‘I swear, that’s what I was showing Joel, like, just today! It was amazing! You looked fantastic. You’ve done wonders; your father must be proud as hell, young man. And you, Dina, you have a great boss. I think Ludo’s going out of his way to talk up her contribution, am I right, Dina? After all, there are a lot of staff who make up that beauty department. I’ve been there. The make-up artists are to die for. And the girls at the counter are all experts—’
‘Yes, and Dina hand-picked them,’ Joel said. ‘But never mind; I hope the rest of your rebranding goes as well as the beauty department, Ludo. We shouldn’t be all business tonight.’
‘Hey, thanks,’ Ludo said. ‘In fact, I was hoping your wife might give me some tips for the summer, now I’m moving in.’ He turned to Susan. ‘Good restaurants, reliable pool cleaners, that kind of stuff. And perhaps we could all have dinner?’
Dear God, no. Dina groaned.
‘Oh, yes! That would be perfect. We’d love to. And we’ll get a few friends round to meet you.’
Ludo smiled, that was what he was hoping for.
Susan turned to Dina. ‘Sweetie, can I steal him for a second? We have lots to discuss. Joel will look after you.’
Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed a willing Ludo by the elbow and led him over to one of Roxana Felix’s cavernous leather couches.
Dina breathed in, a shuddering breath of excitement and fear. She clutched the stem of her champagne flute like it was a lifejacket.
‘Oh, yes,’ said Joel, softly. ‘I’d love to look after you.’
She bridled. ‘After you last saw me? You basically t
old me to drop dead. You implied I had a crush on you.’
‘And you didn’t?’
The casual, teasing power of his voice . . . She couldn’t help it, her body responded immediately, her nipples tautening, her belly warming with blood.
‘Don’t talk to me that way. I’m with Ludo.’
‘So I see.’
‘And you’re with Susan. Nice dress. Nice jewels.’
He lifted an eyebrow. ‘You sound bitter.’
‘I guess I just don’t understand what you have in common, Joel. And I’m not bitter; I’m angry.’ It was tumbling out of her now, and she couldn’t stop it, didn’t want to. ‘You shouted at me; you dropped me. But you wanted me just as much. Perhaps I shouldn’t have asked you to meet me, but we both know how you looked at me, Joel Gaines. It’s goddamn cruel of you to lay it all on me.’
He stared down at her, and his eyes softened.
‘Maybe so.’
Her heart leaped. ‘So you did want me? You admit it?’
‘I wouldn’t put it in the past tense.’ He glanced over at the couch, where his wife was holding court, and Ludo, like a little puppy, was sitting next to her, making notes in his phone. ‘Let’s step outside, into the garden. He’ll find you. You can say you went for some air.’
Meekly, she followed him, her blood singing, the desire and excitement crackling across her skin like electricity. She had the feeling of being right on the edge with him, of saying things that could never be unsaid. But she didn’t want to unsay them. She wanted to speak the truth, let it all out, tell him, plainly, how she felt, and then let the cards fall where they would. It would be a relief, a massive relief, not to have to pretend.
He took her outside, away from the spotlights, across a lawn with a few people on it, and into a garden with hedges; through the darkness, she could see roses and English topiary, lit with candles.
‘Stop here.’ She did, stumbling after him, her heels sinking into the grass. He stood close to her, really close, his huge, tall, strong body looming over her, in her space, and the eroticism hung about him so hard she could hardly breathe.
‘There’s something I have to do,’ Gaines said, and he drew her in close, his arm around her waist, pulling her tight, and kissed her, full, deep. His strong arms folded around her, his tongue in her mouth, and she was wet, hot and open, moaning with a desire that he swallowed, his lips strong on hers, firm, exploring her, feeling her need, and the warmth of her body stretched all across him.
And then, finally, he let her go.
Dina wiped her hand across her mouth, panting.
‘I had to taste you,’ he said. ‘I’ve been thinking about it, dreaming about it since we met. You have no idea how hard I’ve fought to get you out of my system. I wanted to be so foul to you, you’d never speak to me again.’
She sobbed. ‘And it worked.’
‘No. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I was obsessed. I couldn’t even tell my shrink.’ He chuckled, without mirth. ‘And I haven’t even slept with you.’
‘Nor will you,’ she said, wiping away tears. ‘I won’t be your piece on the side. Ludo is good to me.’
‘You don’t love him.’
‘And you don’t love your wife.’
He sighed. ‘I deserved that. I guess I love her enough not to divorce her, after all these years, and two kids together.’
Dina froze; she couldn’t disagree with the words, but the pain in her heart was acute, so strong she could hardly breathe.
‘Then please do not torture me,’ she said. ‘Let me make a life.’
‘I want to be in touch. I want to be your friend. We don’t have to see each other, just talk on the telephone.’
‘That’s fine.’ She wiped her eyes, trying to repair her face. They would have to go back inside. ‘Ignoring you didn’t work.’
‘I get that. Same here. You know I want you; I want to make love to you. I want to turn you inside out. I think about it all the time. I hate to see you with Ludo Morgan.’
‘He’s a good man,’ Dina said, flatly. ‘What the hell difference does it make? It would be the same with anyone else.’
‘You might be in love with somebody else.’
She shook her head. ‘I’m in love with you, Joel. It’s stupid and hopeless, but there it is. I know it now. I knew it when you kissed me. So I may as well date a friend. There’s nothing better out there for me.’
‘Oh, God,’ he said. He crouched down, squatting, and put his hands over his head. ‘Oh, God. This feels so wrong. I can’t; I wish I could. My God. I just want to have you. Only that’s not it. I want to talk to you the next day. And every day.’
‘You can call me,’ she said. ‘It’s probably unhealthy, but I don’t care. If talking is all I can have, I’ll take it.’
He stood. ‘We must go back. You know, Ludo Morgan is ripping you off. Perhaps you’ve been too busy to see it.’
‘He’s backed me.’
‘Backed you by signing his own name to every press release. Backed you by ripping off your ideas as his own. He does the interviews; he’s the brand. Susan was crass, but that’s how people will see you – as a better paid version of a make-up girl.’
Dina slowly turned the idea over in her mind. ‘I really don’t think—’
‘Yes, you do. You just didn’t want to admit it to yourself.’
‘He gave me a pay rise, a company car. A budget—’
‘That’s cents on the dollar, baby. You’re making the stock of his company soar. Come on, Dina. Don’t let this guy screw you. At least not like that.’
‘He’s not that way. He really loves me, wants me to succeed.’
‘So ask him to make you a partner. You deserve it; the company was treading water. You’ve opened up everything. You should have stock.’
She walked with him, back to the house, back to her life.
‘And, Dina, you can do whatever you want, of course you can, but I think you’re wrong. Don’t make any big decisions while you’re on the rebound. You . . . you can find the right man.’
‘You really have no say in that, do you, Joel?’
He bowed his head, and they walked back into the house together. She left his side as fast as she could, and went to look for Ludo; he was still sitting there, like a puppy looking up at its mistress.
‘Hey, Susan. So sweet of you to take Ludo under your wing! But he’s really got to come back to me now, or I’m going on strike.’ She flashed a bright smile at the older woman.
‘Sure! I hope Joel took care of you.’
‘He was the perfect host,’ Dina said, lightly. ‘Sweet of you both.’
‘I’d better get back to him myself. But we’re looking forward to seeing you both soon!’
Susan stood up; Ludo did the same and they exchanged air-kisses. Then she smiled benignly at Dina and wandered off into the crowd, looking for Joel. Dina pictured it: the clutching at his arm, the laughing, the rich patroness regaling him with stories of how she’d helped the eager young man. She wasn’t looking forward to the rest of the party, not one little bit; socialising was too much.
‘Hey! How was it?’ Ludo was peppy, full of excitement. ‘Please tell me you made friends? Susan was so great. They want to have a dinner party for us next month—’
‘Oh, let’s not go so fast. You’ve hardly settled into the house—’
‘No time to waste. He can really help me, you know. Joel Gaines is an incredible person to know. I’m excited, Dina. Did you get on with him?’ His eyes were wide and hopeful.
‘I got on fine with him,’ she said, dying a little inside.
‘That’s perfect! We’ll be such a hit here. I can’t wait. Come on outside, would you?’
She baulked. ‘Not the garden – I really don’t want to go out there . . .’
‘No, Dina – the beach. The ocean. It’s romantic, see?’
He gestured out front to the door, and the spotlights on the shore. ‘I would really like you to come, OK?’
Dina nodded. ‘OK. Sure.’ She could hardly turn him down. ‘And then maybe . . . maybe we could go home – to the cottage? I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by all this.’
‘Oh no, sweetheart. You’re doing great. Believe me, you’ll want to come back in after this.’
He held out his hand, and Dina took it. It was clammy with sweat. She followed him out of the packed crowd of beautiful people in their jewels and silks and bespoke suits, grateful at least to be outside, away from everyone, away from Susan Gaines – away from Joel Gaines.
‘Come here, where we can see the sea.’
She dutifully followed. She was barely paying attention. Her mind was back in the garden, in Gaines’ arms, in the insistent mastery of his kiss.
‘Stop – that’s enough.’
Dina jerked herself away from her thoughts and looked around. They were just at the edge of the light, and in front of them was the dark, quiet sand of the beach, with the immensity of the ocean crashing on the shore. It was lovely, and soothing, and she wished to God she were almost anywhere else.
‘I have something to say.’
She looked at him. She could still hardly pay attention to him. Whatever it was, it could wait.
‘Dina, we’ve been going out for a while now, and each month I feel I’m getting closer to you. You’re so beautiful, and stylish, and stunning, and you make me feel great about myself. You’re funny and you work so hard. Too hard. I’d like your work to be different, to be us, and our family.’
‘Our family?’ Dina repeated, blankly.
‘Yes. The one we can start, any moment now. Once we get married.’
She gasped. For once, Ludo Morgan had taken her completely by surprise.
‘You can’t believe it, can you? But it’s true. Dina, fairy tales do happen. We met by chance, and now, this.’ He reached into his pocket and drew out the small Tiffany box; as she looked, transfixed with fear, Ludo flicked it open.
Proud. Smug. Looking up at her for acceptance.
‘My God,’ Dina whispered. The diamond was huge, the sapphires exquisite.
‘Yes. It’s true. I want to marry you,’ Ludo said. ‘What do you say, Dina Kane?’
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