Page 2 of All the Gossip from Paris
Maybe I should keep that to myself.
It would be reckless of her to go spilling the tea about her sister’s love life. Especially to a guy she’d only just met.
Which means I definitely won’t be saying anything about a small bundle of joy which is due to arrive in the new year.
Liam pulled a cell phone out of his jeans pocket and made a quick call.
“Hi, I’m downstairs right now. Were you expecting Camille’s sister Sophie to arrive this evening from Paris? She’s downstairs with me, but her name isn’t on the list.”
He nodded, and hummed. “Are you able to get in touch with the security people and ask them to put her name on the door?” His brow furrowed and he hummed once more. “Ok, I’ll try something else.”
After hanging up the phone, Liam turned to the guard. “Camille’s assistant says he will make a few calls and try to get Sophie’s name on your list. But it’s late and I have work to do, so how about we do this instead?”
Slipping his satchel from his shoulders, Liam handed it to Sophie. She could have sworn he winked at her. “Hold it with both hands. Its heavy. As my personal assistant I expect you to be very careful with my camera and lenses.”
Sophie turned and offered the guard an expectant smile.
Please. Please.
“Nicely played,” said the man, flipping his clipboard over. He hastily added Sophie’s name next to Liam’s then pointed to the entrance. “Have a good night, folks. If Ms. Royal is coming back in the morning, can you please make sure Camille’s assistant gets a security pass organized for her. There are a lot of runway shows on tomorrow, and it will be nuts down here. If she doesn’t have a pass by then, she won’t be getting anywhere near the front door.”
“Good to know. Will do. Thanks,” replied Liam. He headed for the front door, with Sophie following closely on his heels.
As soon as they were inside, she set the bag carefully on the foyer floor. Liam hadn’t been wrong about the weight. The camera equipment was heavy. But she’d made it into the building, and that was what counted.
Liam turning up when he did was a pure stroke of luck.
Sophie raised her hand in the air. “From what I understand the correct phrase in American English is ‘Don’t leave me hanging’.”
Her heart gave an unexpected little pitter patter of delight when a grinning Liam slapped his palm gently to hers. “Trust me, Sophie—I would never leave a girl like you hanging.”
Oooh. Smooth talker.
He went to pick up the satchel, but Sophie beat him to it. “You told the security guard that I was your assistant. Now we have to live out that lie for the rest of our entire lives.”
She slung the heavy bag over her shoulder once more. “Urgh. Or at least until we get into the elevator.”
A matter of minutes ago she’d been struggling with trying to get into the building. Now she’d met the handsome Liam, and was on the way to the elevator with him. She was going to see her sister. Sophie Royal’s night was finally on the up.
CHAPTER TWO
What is it with the Royal sisters? Camille is pretty, I’ll give her that, but Sophie is smokin’ hot.
Liam was doing his best not to keep checking Sophie out, but in the confined space of the elevator it wasn’t easy. She was certainly easy on the eye. And whatever perfume she was wearing, it had him sneaking in a few deep breaths just to get another hit.
He could see the family resemblance to Camille. But where Camille had blonde hair, Sophie was blessed with long brown locks which fell all the way to the middle of her back. As his gaze tracked lower, it settled on the silver padlock which dangled from the buckle on the belt of her wickedly short skirt.
For a moment he let his gaze touch on her lightly tanned legs. He let out a shaky breath. It echoed in the deafening silence. Liam snapped his head up. Two light brown eyes met his own. They glittered with mischief.
“Like what you see, Mister Collins?” she purred.
The heat on his cheeks had Liam wishing the floor of the elevator would suddenly disappear. He’d gladly do a Hans Gruber off the Nakatomi Plaza and fall the thirty floors to his death. She’d caught him checking her out.
“Sorry. I just hadn’t seen a lock on a belt like that before,” he stammered.
Her laugh went right to the darkest corners of his soul. “So you’re going with that story, are you? All you were doing was innocently studying my Yves Saint Laurent padlock belt. And here I was, thinking you were giving me a thorough eye fucking. My mistake.”
She was teasing him. Enjoying every second of watching him squirm. Well two could play at that game.
