“Another divorce and a grubby scandal as well. They’ll dance on the tiger shark’s shame.”
A grin slowly curled around his lips. “You’re forgetting one thing right now—today, you are golden. You have the exclusive of the decade. Style is selling out in stands all over the world. The media are too busy talking about Duchamp’s crazy rugby player and her brilliant new collection to worry about your ex, even if it all came out today.”
He grinned, and Elena tried to smile.
“I suppose.” But she did feel better. He had a point. Style had been flying off shelves. The issue had already sold out in France.
Perry chuckled. “Hey, want me to tell you all the colours Emmanuelle’s face changed when she saw our story? My brother-in-law knows the front security guard at CQ, and he says she stopped dead, hissed at the cover, then …”
Elena’s phone beeped, and she picked it up, listening to Perry with a half smile. Her mood was rapidly improving. She glanced at her phone screen. The name Madeleine greeted her. Tapping the text message, Elena stared at what appeared. She read with growing astonishment. And then it all became clear. She smirked.
“Who is putting such an evil smile on your face?” Perry paused mid dramatic anecdote and leaned forward, craning his neck to see the screen.
Elena spun the phone around to show him a picture of the mid-city, Pitt Street billboard and a text message below it. OMFG JESUS H CHRIST ARE U FUKNG KIDDING ME OH LORD!
“I believe my former assistant intended this for one of her earthier friends,” Elena said with a drawl. “Quite possibly you, given her uncensored venting.”
Perry snorted. “Ha! Yes, I think you’re right.” He wiggled his fingers. “Want me to reply?”
“No, no.” She waved him away. “I’ll take care of it. Now, make yourself useful and get me some of the proofs from the Morrison shoot that do not look like rainbows have exploded all over lime chiffon. I don’t care what you say, rainbows are not the next big thing.”
Perry grinned. “Sure, boss.” He gave her a warm look, far warmer than she probably deserved, and left.
She watched him go, a fondness welling in her chest for her best friend.
Elena glanced back to that all-caps message. After a moment’s delicious anticipation, she hit Reply, unable to contain her amusement.
CHAPTER 25
Monkey Business
The name Elena was staring back at Maddie. She was sure she’d sent that message to Perry. Well, sort of sure. Okay, not sure. They were next to each other in her Bartell Corp group contacts—Bartell, Marks, Simmons. She could have hit the wrong name.
With shaking fingers, Maddie clicked the text message.
I’m not quite sure why you are invoking deities or sending me profanities. Should world exclusives not be promoted? E
Oh crap! She stared at Elena’s message. Actually, it was kind of weird to get it at all. Didn’t Elena famously ignore everything she thought was beneath her? She wrote back.
Sorry. Just overwhelmed. Meant to Send that to Perry. Not expecting to see my happy snap 2 storeys high.
She debated whether to add a smiley emoticon before finally leaving it off. She held her breath.
Her phone beeped a few minutes later.
Only two? Well you mustn’t have heard about the big one in Times Square. E
Maddie’s mouth dropped open. Holy mother of… And, okay, this time she could definitely see Elena’s smirk in that message. No doubt about it. She was amusing the hell out of her ex-boss.
She grinned as she typed back.
You know how to give a girl a heart attack, don’t you? This might be all in a day’s work for you, but I’m a puddle.
She hit send before she could rethink it. Her phone remained unlit just long enough for her to wonder if she’d been overfamiliar and maybe even angered her. Then it beeped.
Well it’s a good thing I fired you then. Puddles are slip hazards. I can’t have my employees injured. Will you be at the Véronique show this evening? E
Maddie blinked. Had Elena just cracked a joke and expressed an interest in seeing her tonight? She felt like doing cartwheels.
Yep. Want to meet her?
She typed that back, fingers a blur, before she’d engaged her brain. Seconds later, she mentally slapped herself. Wanting to be useful to Elena was obviously a habit that was proving difficult to break.
Sure, Véronique might have warmed up to her, but Maddie knew the shy designer hated strangers in general and flower-sending cafards named Elena Bartell in particular. She prayed Elena would mention another engagement she had to rush off to or maybe a sudden lack of interest in the world’s most elusive designer.
Yeah right. God. Who am I kidding?
Seconds later, her phone lit up.
Certainly. Until tonight. E
Oh man. She bit her lip. Maybe she could throw herself on Véronique’s mercy? No. Okay, maybe if she worked hard all afternoon, helping the Duchamp team set up for tonight, they’d take pity on her hormone-stunted intellect? Yeah, okay. Argh. Not likely. She sighed.
Maddie resumed trudging towards Hyde Park and looked up. The Véronique Duchamp tent was enormous. A zoo vehicle was parked beside it. Odd.
Maddie headed past it and found the front flap. A security guard checked her name on a clipboard and waved her through.
Maddie’s eyes grew wide when she saw all the preparations underway. It looked like a circus tent. A really trippy, fashionable, highbrow circus tent.
“Madeleeeiiinnneee!” Natalii cried out the moment she saw her, causing the heads of carpenters, set designers, and a painter to snap around. The young Frenchwoman, dressed in splotched, torn jeans and a white T-shirt, rushed up and gave her a flying hug. “You came! And only seven hours early!” She kissed her on each cheek. “Good. Maman will want to see you at once. Come with me.”
Natalii dragged her into a rear, private area, which had been adorned with a gorgeous array of red velvet chairs and had enormous sketches and illustrations stuck to all the makeshift walls. Maddie recognised them as being the designer’s dresses for the show.
“Non, non, non!” Maddie heard as she entered. “The red gown must come before any white. Are you an imbecile? And where are the models with the breasts? Hm? Why is it you send me the skin and bone children?”
Véronique’s arms were flung in the air, railing at the same man Maddie had seen in the airport footage pulling the designer’s bags. He ignored her ranting as he jotted down notes. Véronique had an unlit cigarette hanging out of her mouth, stuck to her bright-red, glossy lips, and seemed to have forgotten it was there. Her arms were ringed by a riot of bangles, and she wore a silver jumpsuit studded with coloured glass, which flashed under the light as she moved. Véronique spun around at Maddie’s arrival, and her face warmed.
“Ma chérie!” She raced over and attempted to kiss her on each cheek but became flummoxed by the cigarette in the way. She spat it out. “Filthy habit!” She smiled. “Madeleine, I loved this story you write. Already, I have so many compliments. From all over.” She waved at the entrance, as if signifying the world.
Maddie relaxed at last. “Did Perry send you both a complete set of the photos? He said he would.”
“Oui.” She stopped still and gave Maddie a thoughtful look. Her eyes narrowed. “Hmm.”
She pointed to Maddie and glared at the implacable assistant. “See? It is not so impossible? Look! Skin and bones and flesh and so joli. Beautiful. Now go! Find me this. Exactly this.” She gave Maddie’s arm a light slap.
“So hard,” Véronique said under her breath. “I try to design the dresses women want to wear. Women who want to look gorgeous. And we all have the breasts and the hips. These models? Non. Flat. Children who look like my ironing board. I need shape! Especially for dresses I have that need curves. I had the perfect model for these styles, and what has happened? Anastazie tripped on stairs on her way here. Now…” she snapped her fingers, “…like that, she is in the hospital. To get a replacement for her, you would think I ask Pascal for a field full of camels. Although that he probably could get.” She scowled for a moment, then brightened. “Now then—you are here early? What occasion is this? You missed us?” She looked hopeful.
Maddie smiled at her enthusiasm. “Yep. And I thought maybe you need some help? I mean I’m sort of between jobs now, since Elena fired me, so…”
