She bit her lip. ‘It’s nothing. I just haven’t ever been, well, so close to a man as this.’ She turned to hide her embarrassment, praying that her words wouldn’t make him pull away.
But instead, he put his arms around her and scooped her up, twirling her around. ‘Have no fear, my Sleeping Beauty, we can do whatever you want. My wish is your command.’
She giggled, leaning her head into his shoulder. ‘I can’t even begin to tell you how lovely it is to have someone who pays attention, someone who understands.’
He set her back down on her feet. ‘You’re like a delicate butterfly, and I just can’t wait to see you open your wings and fly.’
She beamed at him, feeling her insides explode with joy.
Then, from beside him on the floor, he brought out another, smaller bag and handed it to her. ‘This is something else I got you for the contest. Why don’t you try it on?’
Peering into the bag, she murmured, ‘Another dress?’
‘No, it’s for the swimwear round.’ Seeing her face, he took her hand in his. ‘You’ll be fabulous, darling. I just know it.’
Inside the bathroom, she pulled on the daring two-piece swimsuit, also in pale blue. It was one of the modern ones with the midriff showing and not a lot on the bottom or top.
If the other girls were wearing two-piece costumes, she had no option but to do the same.
When she looked at herself in the mirror, she gasped at the effect. She looked like a movie actress, both extraordinarily beautiful and incredibly sexy, a real grown-up woman. Suddenly, she knew she was entering the fashionable, cosmopolitan world of London, at the very cutting edge of style.
And she would live up to it.
‘Are you ready?’ Richard called from outside.
With a deep breath, she went out.
He whistled softly under his breath. ‘Very lovely, Lucy. You look like a dream. Your proportions, well’ – he put a hand onto her naked stomach – ‘they’re perfect. Your waist is so small, and your...’ His eyes went to her breasts. ‘Everything is incredible!’
Adjusting one of the shoulder straps of the bikini top, he ran his finger down so that it grazed the side of her breast. ‘My apologies, darling. It’s a hazard of the job. Don’t mind me.’
She laughed, savouring the buzz that shot through her.
And then he adjusted the bikini bottoms, too, but there was no grazing there, and she felt slightly disappointed, worrying in case he didn’t like what he saw.
After all, she needed to keep him interested, didn’t she?
He took her hand, like she was a child, and led her back to the sofa. ‘Why don’t we sit down and talk for a while, help you get used to it.’ His manner was relaxed, like they were friends.
‘You’re a true gentleman,’ she said, smiling up at him. ‘I bet all the girls think so.’
But he shook his head. ‘I’ve been too brokenhearted to notice, unable to even look at another girl.’
That made her sit up. ‘Oh no! What happened?’
‘It was a year ago. A young lady decided that I wasn’t good enough for her, and I haven’t been myself ever since.’
‘Well, I’m sure a good-looking man like you won’t have any problems finding someone new.’
‘No one seems that interested in me.’
She shuffled closer to him, and she wondered if he’d kiss her again. ‘I’m sure they are.’
But a sound from the hallway made them jump apart, and then a knock on the door sent Lucy racing into the bathroom.
Frantically, she changed. By the time she went back into the room, Richard was at the desk, Morris shuffling notes in front of him. The younger man’s eyes glanced at her briefly, taking in her dishevelled demeanour, no doubt wondering what she’d been doing there.
But Richard got up to walk her to the door. ‘Sorry, darling, duty calls! I’ll see you next Friday at the Apollo, and don’t look so fearful – you’re sure to be the most beautiful one there.’
