From Fake to Forever (7 page)

Which room at Hurst held the outfits for photo shoots? Someone had shown it to her during her orientation, but she’d been too busy gushing over the clothes to notice her surroundings. Meredith snagged a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and offered it to Allo as the name came to her.

“West gallery,” she lied brightly. With no clue where Jason had actually scored the dress, she had to wing it. “I immediately recognized it as yours, and you’re such a genius, I knew I couldn’t wear anything else tonight. Only Allo will do for me from now on. The press ate it up.”

“Of course they did.” Allo sniffed, accepting the glass as if he’d asked for it thirty minutes ago and Meredith had been slow to fetch it. “You’re too short to do that bit of brilliance justice, by the way. Don’t be late tomorrow. We have much work to do.”

He sailed off into the crowd and Meredith shook her head. Crisis averted. For now. “See you around, boss.”

From behind her, Jason’s warm chuckle flowed over her like honey.

“Don’t turn around,” he murmured.

“Why, because you don’t want anyone to know I’m talking to you?” Meredith guessed and clamped down on the hard twist of need his presence had generated. He wasn’t close enough to feel, but she could sense him, as if his heat had wrapped around her.

“Because I find myself entranced by your back.”

“Yeah, you seem to have a thing for zippers.” She bit her lip as awareness ratcheted up a notch with the memory of his body behind hers as he’d helped her dress earlier.

He’d been hard and delicious, and while he might be lying to himself about not being into her, his erection against her backside had told her the plain, honest truth. He wanted her. And she wanted him. Sex between them had been mind-altering. Explosive. Unmatched.

So why all the theatrics over whether they’d eventually end up in bed? It was pretty much a foregone conclusion in her mind. Once she got him between the sheets, they’d laugh over private jokes and share their souls and he’d remember how great it had been in Vegas.

Maybe they wouldn’t have to end things so quickly this time.

Jason cleared his throat. “Good thinking with Allo. It was impressive.”

“Yeah, well you owe me.” A spiky little thrill in her midsection that had nothing to do with sex surprised her. She’d been trying to save her job, but Jason’s approval meant more than it should.

“Avery just waltzed in. Showtime.”

Jason’s heat vanished. By all rights, they should have been vanishing through the door together to make out in the car on the way back to her hotel room, where the big, lonely bed would actually be used for its rightful purpose.

All at once, it wasn’t sex she craved, but the totally foreign desire to fall asleep in Jason’s arms, like she had in Vegas, knowing they’d wake up together in the morning in perfect sync. Back then, they’d shared some kind of mystical connection that she desperately missed.

“See you around, boss,” she muttered for the second time with a mental salute.

Here in New York, he wasn’t on her side. In this sea of people, she was alone. It wasn’t the two of them against the world, supporting each other and dreaming of how the future could look. All of that seemed to have been left behind in the desert.

Maybe he’d changed more than she’d been willing to admit. Was that why she couldn’t find her footing with him?

Maybe he was right about keeping things platonic. The last thing she wanted was to get naked with Jason again, only to have her perfect fantasy destroyed by reality.

Sadness cut through her heart. She was chasing a man who didn’t exist any longer. She had to stop wishing for something that wasn’t going to happen. Get the intel, get the divorce and get home so she could ask her father for a loan—that was her purpose here. This was nothing more than a job.

It was bad enough to have one person to answer to. In actuality, she had two. And she didn’t like either one of them at the moment. She elbowed her way through the crowd until she caught sight of Jason’s sister.

Meredith pasted on her best I’m-the-answer-to-all-your-prayers smile and approached Avery Lynhurst. The blonde woman oozed style and class in her Hurst House gown and emanated the warmth of a barracuda. She and Jason shared similar features, mostly around the mouth and eyes, and they both had that sharp, attentive air as if neither of them missed an iota of what happened around them. Meredith had a feeling Avery used the information she gathered to get what she wanted just as effectively as Jason did.

Avery was indeed a formidable opponent to Jason’s plans.

“Ms. Lynhurst, I’m Meredith Chandler-Harris.” Meredith shook the other woman’s hand as Avery took her measure. “I’m Allo’s new assistant.”

“Yes, I know.” With a toss of her white-blond hair, Avery swept Meredith with a condescending glance. “Nice of you to deign to wear the label of the house that signs your paychecks.”

Meredith smiled as she clamped her back teeth together to keep the snarl from escaping. “Wearing Wang to the office today was a rookie mistake. I’m a fast learner, obviously.”

Avery nodded to Meredith’s dress. “That’s one of my favorites. It’s not my color, though.”

To anyone else, Avery’s comment would have seemed downright friendly, but Meredith had spent years in the trenches with pageant contestants and she recognized the need to tread carefully. Avery wasn’t complimenting her, that was for sure.

“But only you could pull off that particular Allo.” As she eyed Avery’s dress, Meredith fixed the most appreciative and slightly jealous look on her face possible. “He designed it with you in mind, clearly. And his inspiration was well-founded.”

“Yes, well.” Avery cocked her head. “Where did you work before coming to Hurst House? I know every designer and designer’s assistant in Manhattan. You’re not from here.”

“I’m from Houston.” And the name Chandler-Harris meant nothing in New York, so Meredith didn’t bother to toss in a mention of her connections. “I worked for a bridal design company. I feel truly blessed to have a chance to work for a top-notch label like Hurst House.”

“Hurst is a long way from wedding dresses.”

The disdain was thick. Meredith enjoyed working for Cara and liked wedding dresses, but she flicked a hand and bit back the name she’d really like to call Avery. “Honey, that scene is so limited. You know. Same fabrics, same colors. Same indecisive brides. This is where all the action is. Designers at Hurst House know what they want and how to do it and don’t let anyone stand in their way. I’d like to learn that.”

Avery’s eyes glittered brighter than Meredith’s dress. “Interesting. You’re the first designer’s assistant I’ve met who understands fashion is about more than the clothes. It’s about owning your designs. No apologies.”

Nodding, Meredith went with it, though it was really the first time she’d articulated how she felt about the fashion industry. “That’s what makes working for Allo so amazing. You can feel the energy in the room. When he’s creating, he makes no mistakes. It’s brilliant simply because he believes that it is.”

Avery seemed intrigued for God knew what reason.

“You know, if you’re eager to learn from a mentor, I’m working on a project and I need a fresh perspective.” Avery evaluated Meredith coolly. “It’s hush-hush, though. I need someone who doesn’t mind long, grueling hours far past the time regular people go home. I call the shots, you listen and follow my instructions to the letter. It’s a chance to see what really goes on at a major house like Hurst. Behind the scenes. Interested?”

Not for any amount of money did she want to hole up in Avery’s office at midnight. Especially since she had a sneaking suspicion Avery had only made the offer to keep an eye on her. Meredith must have tripped Avery’s radar somehow. Why else would Jason’s sister waste an opportunity like this on a new hire?

But Jason was paying her in currency far more valuable than mere money, and this was her golden opportunity to keep an eye on Avery in turn, regardless of the woman’s suspicious motives. “I’m your girl. Long hours don’t scare me. I don’t even own a watch.”

“I’ll be in touch. You’ll keep working for Allo, but we’ll come to some agreement about your after-hours compensation. Welcome to Hurst House.” Avery smiled and excused herself.

And now Meredith had three bosses. Four if you counted Cara, who was patiently waiting for Meredith to rejoin the wedding-dress business.

Meredith’s head swam. For a woman who’d been floundering, she certainly seemed to have found a life raft full of opportunities.

Five

M
eredith and Avery talked far longer than Jason would have ever put money on. And Avery looked far too satisfied with the conversation for his comfort.

What were they saying to each other? Had Avery dropped any worthwhile information into the mix? No. Surely not. She’d just met Meredith, and Avery wasn’t much of a blabbermouth. Everything she did came about through careful calculation.

Finally, his sister and Meredith parted, and Avery’s smile was enigmatic and dangerous. He didn’t like it. Anytime his sister smiled, it made him nervous.

His mother snapped her fingers in his face. “Earth to Jason.”

“Sorry. I’m a little distracted.” He refocused on Bettina and tried to put Meredith out of his mind.

With an indulgent smile, Bettina swirled her club soda and lime. “Yes, that’s certainly one way to describe Avery’s gorgeous new friend. As I was saying...”

She launched into a lengthy speech about ideas for her new swimwear line targeted at younger girls. Jason offered a half-formed opinion, wondering how his mother had known he was watching Meredith when he’d been careful to give everyone the opposite impression. Obviously, he was slipping.

Swimwear. That’s what he needed to be thinking about. Bettina had been running the company for two years and was ready to jump back into the design side. Perfect timing, in Jason’s mind. If she eased away from her CEO role, he could slide right into the gap, ready to take over and execute his merger plans. His mother needed confidence in him and a new project to keep her busy.

Then Meredith left the ballroom in a swish of glittery dress and mahogany hair and Jason left his mother midsentence with a terse, “Be right back.”

He had to know what Avery said to Meredith. The suspense was killing him.

Meredith ducked into the ladies’ room, forcing Jason to cool his heels in the hall. He sipped his martini and tried to pretend he was getting some air.

When Meredith’s distinctive dress flashed in his peripheral vision, he tilted his head toward the opposite end of the hall, away from the ballroom. He strolled in that direction without looking over his shoulder to be sure she was following him. She better be.

He turned the corner and lucked into a small alcove with a plush bench and side table. It was empty. Meredith’s exotic perfume hit him a moment before the most striking woman in attendance appeared. The one-two punch put him on edge.

“What’s up?” she asked. “Isn’t meeting like this a little risky?”

He conceded the point with a small nod. “Yeah. So talk fast. What did Avery say?”

“Maybe you should learn the art of patience, hmm?” She perched on the edge of the bench and made a big show of fixing a buckle on her shoe.

“Don’t be difficult. You talked to her for a long time. Avery doesn’t chat. She strategizes. What angle did she play?”

Meredith flipped her hair behind her back and stole Jason’s martini, which she downed in one gulp. “Pot, meet kettle.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She arched a brow. “It means you two are cut from the same cloth, no pun intended. Maybe you should stop thinking about the angles once in a while.”

With a growl, he snatched the empty glass from his wife’s hand and checked his temper before he slammed it down on the side table and shattered it into a million pieces. Which might ease his frustration but wouldn’t get the answers out of Meredith any faster. “What is your problem? I’m asking you to give me information. That’s why you’re here, Meredith.”

“No, that’s why
you’re
here, darling.” She raked him with a smoldering once-over that lit him up instantly. “I have my own reasons for agreeing to this stupid plan of yours.”

His scowl didn’t faze her and her calm rattled his cage even further. “Is this another cheap ploy to get me to hop into bed with you? Because it’s getting a little old. Why can’t you get it through your head that I’m not interested?”

Quickly, she smoothed the hurt from her expression. If he hadn’t been so focused on her face, he would have missed it. Instantly, his ire drained away. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. Avery drives me mental.”

It was a poor excuse and not fully accurate. Oh, his sister had her moments, but he’d never had any problem keeping his cool around
her
. It was his wife who altered his brain waves with merely a glance.

“It’s fine.” She waved it away dismissively, but her tone said it was anything but fine. “I decided you’re right. Sleeping together would be a mistake. Much cleaner to stay out of bed and get through this as quickly as possible. No reason to complicate something that’s already complicated enough.”

Well, well. He was finally getting through to her. “Glad you see the wisdom.”

He waited for a sense of relief. And kept waiting.

What had prompted this turnabout anyway? He didn’t understand her motivation for her invitation to pick up where they’d left off in the first place, and he
really
didn’t understand her motivation for backing off now. He had to know why.

Right after she spilled about Avery.

“Is there more you can get out of Avery tonight? If no, maybe we should go,” Jason suggested.

Once they got back to her hotel, the stress of being caught together would be off and then he could pick through her strange mood until she told him what he wanted to know.

“No, my work here is done,” she said flatly and stood. “I’ll catch a cab back to my hotel. No need to see me out since this isn’t a date. Later, Tater.”

With the sarcasm of her parting comment still echoing through the alcove, she sailed down the hall without a backward glance. Jason barely got his mouth closed fast enough to scramble after her.