200 Harley Street. Lynne Marshall

her some compassion.’ He took a drink from his whisky sitting on the bar. ‘A trait that obviously doesn’t run in the family.’

      Lexi’s mother looked horrified. She’d spent her life with people fawning over her and obviously wasn’t used to be spoken to like that.

      Iain finished his whisky. ‘Tell me, Mr Robbins, exactly how much of a rating boost did that interview give your flagging show? And have you thanked your daughter for it yet?’

      Lexi’s father’s face started to turn beetroot. ‘How dare you?’

      ‘Oh, I dare.’

      ‘Who do you think you are?’

      ‘I think I’m the person who knows your daughter is beautiful, inside and out.’ He replaced his glass on the bar. ‘I’m the person who thinks she works hard and deserves recognition for the job that she does. That’s who I think I am.’

      The beetroot colour was settling on Lexi’s father’s face. It was turning to an embarrassed dark glow.

      ‘It’s such a pity that Lexi still looks for your approval.’ He paused, there was so much more he could say here. But the truth was it really wasn’t his business. He’d probably already overstepped the mark.

      It was time to leave her parents’ company. Lexi’s mother had stopped being horrified and was back to checking her reflection in the mirror behind the bar again. And as beautiful as her reflection was, she had nothing on Lexi.

      She didn’t have Lexi’s heart. Or Lexi’s soul. She didn’t have any of the compassion or humility that Lexi showed. She was so self-centred. Iain couldn’t bear to in her company a second longer.

      He watched as Lexi came out of the ladies and gave her a wave. He didn’t want her to come over here. To listen to the indifference of her parents. He gave them a quick glance. ‘I just want you to know that I’m proud of Lexi, even if you aren’t.’

      But no matter what he thought, Lexi was on her way over, with a tilt to her chin that proved she was ready.

      She walked over, sliding her hand into his and smiling as he gave it a squeeze. She angled her cheek as her father gave her a kiss. ‘Congratulations on your nomination, Lexi.’ His eyes shot to Iain. ‘You know that we are proud of you.’ Her mother hadn’t moved from the bar, almost as if she was waiting for her cue.

      And there it was. ‘Lexi, darling, you look wonderful!’ She stepped over from the bar with her arms in the air, her blue sheath-style dress barely allowing her to move. Her arms closed around her daughter’s neck just as there was the flash of a camera.

      Iain cringed. It was obvious she’d orchestrated the whole thing. Lexi was spun around and positioned between her parents just as one of the photographers from a national magazine appeared. ‘Oh, perfect!’ the photographer shouted. ‘I don’t know who is more beautiful, mother or daughter!’

      It was pretty obvious to Iain, but he waited a few moments as the photographer positioned them all exactly as he wanted them and snapped away. Lexi’s mother spent most of the time throwing back her head and laughing—obviously the way she wanted to be captured on film. When the photographer nodded that he was finished, Lexi slid out from under her parents’ grasp and took a few steps back to Iain.

      He bent to give her a kiss. Raspberries. She tasted of raspberries. ‘Let’s go and mingle,’ he said to her, guiding her away from her parents. She didn’t even glance in their direction. They’d moved on to speak to another TV personality with barely a few words to their daughter. And he could tell from the tension in her body and the sheen in her eyes that she hadn’t quite collected herself yet.

      He glanced at his watch and scoped out the bar on the other side of the room. ‘How about a little cocktail before they announce the awards?’

      She jerked to attention. ‘Is it that time already?’ She looked stunned, almost as if she’d forgotten why she was there. He loved that about her.

      They made their way to the bar and Iain grabbed the cocktail menu. ‘What’s your favourite? Vodka? Rum? Whisky?’

      She wrinkled her nose. ‘Whisky cocktail? Yuck.’ Her eyes ran down the menu. ‘I’ll have a raspberry daiquiri.’

      He smiled. ‘I should have guessed. You taste of raspberries already.’

      She smiled and ran her tongue along her lips. Boy, just that tiny action could drive him crazy. He gave their order at the bar and waited while the bartender mixed the frozen cocktails. Then they stood quietly for the next half-hour, his arm around her waist as they drank their cocktails.

      Then the lights in the room dimmed and the compère appeared on the stage, giving a short presentation about the awards and past recipients. The PR award was one of the first to be announced. One by one the nominees appeared on screen, along with a presentation about their work. Then Lexi’s face appeared on the screen ahead of them.

      She flinched. ‘Oh, no. I don’t like my face in high definition.’ She burrowed her face into his shoulder. ‘It shows all the blemishes.’

      Iain took a deep breath. There it was again. The fact that Lexi didn’t see what he did. On the screen ahead of him he saw a beautiful fresh-faced woman. Long eyelashes around clear blue eyes, luscious pink lips and long blonde curls. She could out-supermodel her mother any day of the week.

      He slipped his finger underneath her chin and tilted her head up towards his. ‘Trust me, Lexi, there are no blemishes.’ He kissed her again, tasting the raspberries still on her lips and pulling her closer to him.

      Clapping broke out around them and they both broke apart.

      ‘Is it over?’ Lexi asked, her hands pressed against his chest. She started to clap, even though he knew neither of them had heard the announcement of the winner. A face flashed up on the screen of one of the male nominees who worked for a newly opened fashion chain. They watched as he walked up on stage in his sharp suit and gave his acceptance speech.

      Iain squeezed Lexi around her waist, his fingers catching the chiffon material and silver sequins beneath his hands. ‘You were robbed,’ he whispered in her ear.

      She shook her head firmly. ‘No, I wasn’t. He’s done a good job. He deserves it.’ She kept clapping until he left the stage. ‘I feel lucky to be nominated. I never thought I was going to win anyway, so I’m not disappointed.’

      He could tell she meant it. Her generous spirit was still evident, showing grace in defeat. ‘Well, I’m disappointed for you. I thought you deserved to win.’

      She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. ‘Thank you, Iain. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all night.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘What do you say we get out of here?’

      She had that gleam in her eyes. The ones that could send a sweep of sensation down to his toes, igniting all the parts of his body it needed to.

      ‘Let’s go now.’ Even he could recognise how husky his voice sounded. He only had one thing on his mind.

      ‘Give me five minutes to visit the ladies before we go.’ And before he could even answer she’d swept away and ducked into the nearest ladies room. All he could see was the flutter of her pale pink dress around her legs.

      It was more than he needed.

       CHAPTER TWELVE

      LEXI STOOD IN front of the mirror and re-applied her rose-coloured lipstick. Her face was flushed. But it was excitement. Excitement over what would happen next with Iain.

      He’d been fabulous with her tonight. Supporting her with her parents and keeping her close during the award announcements. But she wasn’t disappointed at all about not winning.

      Truth was, she already felt as if she’d won because