tonight, Carly ?’ Madeline pressed.
‘Who said anything about a dress?’
‘You surely can’t be thinking of turning up in trousers?’ Madeline looked fit to faint.
‘Now, Madeline, you know that everything about the Christmas party is supposed to be a surprise.’
‘A surprise, not a shock,’ Madeline pointed out, taking another monster bite from her doughnut. ‘But if you should need any help…’
And see you coming? I’ll run a mile, Carly thought, smiling sweetly as she pressed the elevator call button. She had enough trouble on her hands as it was.
‘Only I saw this dress, and it’s just you—’
Carly breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator doors closed right on cue.
Carly smiled with satisfaction. She was ready. She had arranged for everything to be delivered at least two hours before it would be needed for the party, and so far her plan was running like clockwork. Everyone else had gone home at lunchtime to prepare. She hadn’t managed to see Lorenzo, which she told herself was a good thing as she plonked the brief down on his desk. Actually, it was; she was anxious enough. She had warned the security guard at Reception that no one, apart from her suppliers, was to come anywhere near the main hall. If she was going down, she was going down with the most spectacular bang.
How could you go without food for a whole day and still not lose weight? Having raced back to the flat, Carly was now struggling with the skirt she had planned to wear for the party—black lace over a flesh- coloured skirt. If you didn’t look too closely, it gave the illusion of lace over naked skin—though whatever had possessed her to imagine anyone would want to see her naked flesh escaped her now. Tugging it off, she discarded it on top of the ever-growing clothes mountain at the foot of her bed.
She was getting desperate, but then she noticed the snow drifting past the window. Snow was good news, because snow made it possible to pile on layers which, hopefully, would conceal everything underneath. Plus, if she transformed herself into something shapeless and sexless, no one would care how much she ate. Brilliant. When she wasn’t handing out food she could be eating it.
There was a far bigger turnout than Carly had expected, and everyone was in party mood, including Madeline.
‘ Carly , you’re a star!’ Madeline enthused, managing at the same time to frown with incredulity that Carly could have achieved something so enjoyable. ‘Everyone’s saying that no one but you would have had the nerve to put on a Northern night.’
‘Really?’ Was that good, or bad? Carly wondered. And where was Lorenzo? She gazed around nervously. The sooner they could have their confrontation and get it over with, the better. She knew she was finished. She just didn’t know the mode of execution Lorenzo would choose to despatch her with yet.
‘I can see now why you didn’t need my fashion advice,’ Madeline commented with a critical gaze. ‘How clever of you to get that grunge outfit exactly right.’
‘Thank you,’ Carly said, trying not to chip her teeth in the process of grinding her jaw into the approximation of a smile.
‘I’m having such fun,’ Madeline confided. ‘Beer and skittles! Who’d have thought you could come up with such an original idea?’
‘Have you seen Lorenzo?’
‘Oh…’ Madeline’s face took on a concerned look. ‘Did I forget to say? He asked to see you in his office the moment you showed your face…’
The moment she showed her face? This was bad. ‘So he’s here?’ It was too late to hide her feelings from Madeline. Her guard was down, and everything she felt about him, all the longing and apprehension, was on her face for everyone to see.
‘He’s been here for some time…monitoring the situation,’ Madeline said ominously. ‘There’s nothing for you to worry about.
‘Who said anything about a dress?’
‘You surely can’t be thinking of turning up in trousers?’ Madeline looked fit to faint.
‘Now, Madeline, you know that everything about the Christmas party is supposed to be a surprise.’
‘A surprise, not a shock,’ Madeline pointed out, taking another monster bite from her doughnut. ‘But if you should need any help…’
And see you coming? I’ll run a mile, Carly thought, smiling sweetly as she pressed the elevator call button. She had enough trouble on her hands as it was.
‘Only I saw this dress, and it’s just you—’
Carly breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator doors closed right on cue.
Carly smiled with satisfaction. She was ready. She had arranged for everything to be delivered at least two hours before it would be needed for the party, and so far her plan was running like clockwork. Everyone else had gone home at lunchtime to prepare. She hadn’t managed to see Lorenzo, which she told herself was a good thing as she plonked the brief down on his desk. Actually, it was; she was anxious enough. She had warned the security guard at Reception that no one, apart from her suppliers, was to come anywhere near the main hall. If she was going down, she was going down with the most spectacular bang.
How could you go without food for a whole day and still not lose weight? Having raced back to the flat, Carly was now struggling with the skirt she had planned to wear for the party—black lace over a flesh- coloured skirt. If you didn’t look too closely, it gave the illusion of lace over naked skin—though whatever had possessed her to imagine anyone would want to see her naked flesh escaped her now. Tugging it off, she discarded it on top of the ever-growing clothes mountain at the foot of her bed.
She was getting desperate, but then she noticed the snow drifting past the window. Snow was good news, because snow made it possible to pile on layers which, hopefully, would conceal everything underneath. Plus, if she transformed herself into something shapeless and sexless, no one would care how much she ate. Brilliant. When she wasn’t handing out food she could be eating it.
There was a far bigger turnout than Carly had expected, and everyone was in party mood, including Madeline.
‘ Carly , you’re a star!’ Madeline enthused, managing at the same time to frown with incredulity that Carly could have achieved something so enjoyable. ‘Everyone’s saying that no one but you would have had the nerve to put on a Northern night.’
‘Really?’ Was that good, or bad? Carly wondered. And where was Lorenzo? She gazed around nervously. The sooner they could have their confrontation and get it over with, the better. She knew she was finished. She just didn’t know the mode of execution Lorenzo would choose to despatch her with yet.
‘I can see now why you didn’t need my fashion advice,’ Madeline commented with a critical gaze. ‘How clever of you to get that grunge outfit exactly right.’
‘Thank you,’ Carly said, trying not to chip her teeth in the process of grinding her jaw into the approximation of a smile.
‘I’m having such fun,’ Madeline confided. ‘Beer and skittles! Who’d have thought you could come up with such an original idea?’
‘Have you seen Lorenzo?’
‘Oh…’ Madeline’s face took on a concerned look. ‘Did I forget to say? He asked to see you in his office the moment you showed your face…’
The moment she showed her face? This was bad. ‘So he’s here?’ It was too late to hide her feelings from Madeline. Her guard was down, and everything she felt about him, all the longing and apprehension, was on her face for everyone to see.
‘He’s been here for some time…monitoring the situation,’ Madeline said ominously. ‘There’s nothing for you to worry about.
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