“We’ve known each other for long enough, so I don’t get why you’re so surprised about discovering my boobs now.”
He ran a hand over his dark scalp. “True. They’re just…inconvenient. Still, I am a genius. If all else fails—boob tape.”
Maddie screwed up her face. “Perry, I am not getting strapped down for a publisher’s ball. It’s not the Oscars.”
Perry glanced at his black Cartier watch. “We only have five more hours to Cinderella you, so you will be taped if I say you will.”
“But…”
“No. And stop looking like I stomped on your kitten. By the time I’ve finished, you will be a feast for the eyes.” Perry glanced around, snapping his fingers. “We need cleavage. Oh, what am I thinking? The Alberta Ferretti, of course. The things she does with chiffon and silk! Divine.”
He strode off to several racks of dresses. “So,” Perry called out from between the designer garments, “how is the life of the famous treating you?”
“Good. I get a lot more people wanting me to freelance for them. I’m doing a story for Vanity Fair next.”
He gave a low whistle. “Ooh. Fabulous.”
“Well, yeah.” Maddie smiled to herself. “I was pretty excited when they—”
“Not that, this !”
He emerged like a proud father from The Lion King, holding aloft ivory, diaphanous material.
It appeared far too see-through to cover Maddie’s dignity. “Uh-um… I don’t think…”
“No objections, it’s perfect.” Perry gave the hanger a waggle. The dress seemed to float in the air instead of jiggle. “It was on her short list of dresses for you to consider for tonight.”
Maddie cocked her head. “And just how long was Elena’s short list?”
“Oh,” he waved his hand, “thirty. She narrowed it down to a dozen. Give or take.”
He held the dress up in front of Maddie’s chest and nodded. “Right, underwear off.” He tossed her a nude thong on a hanger. “This on. So you don’t frighten the skittish horses.”
“Perry! I’ll get arrested!”
“Just try it…trust me. Now scoot.” He pushed her inside the changing cubicle in front of them and closed the curtain. His footsteps retreated. “Heels,” he muttered to himself. His voice got farther away. “Tall but not too tall, given you have the grace of a lumberjack.”
“Hey! I modelled at Australian Fashion Week, I can’t be too much of a disaster!” Maddie joked, as she shimmied out of her underwear. She slid on the thong. Ew. She shifted it about a little. Not much better. Thongs were devil spawn.
“One swallow doth not a summer make,” Perry retorted. “Oh! Choos pour vous.”
A minute later, a pair of sleek, Jimmy Choo heels appeared in the gap under the curtain, just as Maddie pulled on her dress. “Ooh!” The shoes were gorgeous. And, mercifully, not too high.
“I know,” Perry said with far too much smugness from the other side. “You may now worship my greatness.”
Maddie, however, was staring at her reflection. The dress redefined the word risqué. She stared some more.
“Come on, aren’t you ready yet?”
Maddie stepped into the heels, and the complete effect was instant. She gasped.
In response, the curtain snapped open. “Oh my.” Perry’s gaze roamed her form. “Yes.” He tugged the dress at the back of her neck, fiddling with the fastening. “Well, I’ve always said it—Elena has an eye for this. She knew it was made for you.”
Maddie scrutinised her reflection, trying to see it the way Elena would. The front of the pale ankle-length dress was made up of crushed, sheer material, gathered in two, wide strips, forming a deep vee over her breasts, ancient Greek goddess style. Mercifully, the material’s many layers hid her nipples. Tiny gold-threaded beading circled and cinched her waist like the finest of belts. The back was cut low to the waist. Only one layer of translucent gauze floated over her legs. This highlighted the length of her legs and created a filmy effect when she moved.
“I don’t know, Perry.” Doubt coursed through her. “I feel more uncovered than covered. I’m one stiff breeze away from badly oversharing.”
Perry cocked an eyebrow. “Perhaps. But tell me you don’t feel breathtaking even so.”
Maddie’s gaze slid back over her reflection. “It’s not that. This isn’t me. It’s too…too.” Glamorous. Otherworldly. Meant for a supermodel. “I’m just a kid from outer Sydney.”
“Are you, though? Just a kid from outer Sydney? Shall we review what you have accomplished of late? Tonight is your first outing among the who’s who of publishing since your world exclusive. It’s called the Legends ball for a reason. Now, you could just find something average and hide against the wall, or you could stand up and be counted and arrive. You could look them all in the eye and make them remember who you are. Be unforgettable. This is your moment, Maddie; you don’t get it twice. So knock ’em all over.”
Maddie exhaled. Well, when he puts it like that.
Their eyes met in the mirror. He leaned forward and, eyes twinkling, whispered in her ear. “And she’ll love it.”
* * *
Maddie hadn’t meant to be fashionably late. There’d been a mix-up with the cars, and then the new one had a flat. She’d already texted Elena to explain the delay and told her not to wait for her, in case she had thought it her duty to do so. The lack of reply just made her more anxious.
She stepped out of the car, adjusting herself as subtly as she could manage, and prayed every piece of pasty and double-sided tape kept doing its job. She did her best to sweep up the steps, remembering the lessons Natalii had taught her on how to walk in couture and heels.
The photographers waiting at the door went insane.
“Ooh!”
“Hey, love, look left!”
