You are seriously hot.’
‘I’ve lost a few pounds.’ Gabby turns to look at her side view in the closet mirror. ‘I kind of needed these trousers because the ones I have are swimming on me.’
‘I can see,’ Elliott says approvingly. ‘Not that you needed to lose anything, but it suits you. How much have you lost?’
‘About six pounds,’ Gabby says. ‘I wasn’t even trying. I just haven’t been hungry.’
Elliott looks down at his own stomach; he is more cuddly than ever before. ‘I wish I knew what that felt like,’ he says. ‘Oh well. At least there’s more of me to love.’
Gabby, looking at him, feels a surge of love. ‘The more of you to love, the better.’ She leans down and kisses him before sitting on his lap and sliding her arms up round his neck. ‘Anyway, you’re still as gorgeous as the day we met.’
He laughs. ‘Liar.’
‘Oh! Guess what!’ She stands up and starts to undress, carefully folding the scarf. ‘You know that Fourforesight website I joined?’
‘No.’
‘It’s another social media thing.’
‘I know that, but I didn’t know you joined it.’ Elliott shakes his head. ‘Isn’t that like a Facebook for hipsters? You and the girls with all this stuff – I don’t know how you find the time. What was your last obsession? Pinterest?’
‘Yes. Over it. This one’s the new one, and they contacted me and asked if I wanted to take part in a study, a focus group. Isn’t that exciting! The guy who started it is flying around meeting people and talking to them about the website and what changes they’d like to see!’
‘Okay,’ Elliott says, and shrugs. ‘If you say it’s exciting then I’m excited for you.’
‘Well, I am excited. I feel like I could be part of a huge change. So it’s Wednesday night. I have to go to some hotel in Stamford.’
‘Sounds great. Just make sure you wear some of these new clothes – you want them to think you’re a hot mommy, right?’
‘You’d better believe it.’ Gabby’s smile is large as she turns to slide the scarf onto a shelf.
Chapter Ten
As Gabby walks through the lobby of the hotel she is conscious that each of the three men sitting or standing around by the front door is following her with his eyes. She isn’t so much walking, as sailing, an assured smile on her face as she takes long strides, her new boots click-clacking on the marble floor, her hips swaying, her hair, styled into soft sexy waves instead of the more usual unruly curls, bouncing gently on her shoulders.
She has a quality tonight that is more than mere beauty. It is clear to anyone watching that this is a woman well aware of how powerful, sexy, gorgeous she is, who exudes confidence from every pore, and it is this that makes her so compelling.
Gabby walks through to the bar, and stands for a few seconds in the doorway, squinting slightly as she looks around for Matt. She has made sure to be fifteen minutes late, so she won’t be the first one here.
And there he is. At one end of the bar. Her heart jumps into her mouth at the exact moment he turns and sees her. As his face lights up, Gabby falters suddenly.
Oh
God
, she thinks. Look how …
gorgeous
he is. Whatam I
doing
here? What the
hell
am I doing here? I need to leave.
But she doesn’t. She walks towards him, the smile on her face matching the smile on his, and they stand for a second or two, grinning at each other, before he extends his arms and wraps them round Gabby, who closes her eyes as he holds her tightly.
This is fine, she thinks. I can do this. We are friends. I’m just going to be chatty and friendly while still retaining my distance. I’m the one in control here and I will not let this stray into territory that might be dangerous.
They sit down at the bar, Matt swivelling his stool so he is facing her, and they look at each other and both start to laugh, Gabby shaking her head and looking away.
‘I don’t know why I’m laughing,’ Matt splutters.
‘I
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