Maybe he had a point—talking to Leila did sound pointless. She seemed determined to see things her way. Mind you, so did Joe—he seemed unable to see that his behaviour, whilst not right, had been motivated by grief.
‘Fair enough. But why me? There must be women queuing up to go with you—especially to the wedding of the decade. You could take anyone.’
‘I don’t want to take anyone—I want to take you.’
Her heart skipped a beat. ‘Why?’
‘Because I don’t exactly have a list of women I can ask to pose as my girlfriend. And if I hire someone I risk them going to the press—this wedding is big news. I trust you not to do that.’
There was a daft, puppy dog aspect of her that pricked up its ears at any approval. Gave his words a significance they didn’t have. The man was her boss and he had the power to make or break Langley. To give him credit, she knew he wouldn’t use that to sway her decision—but there was every chance he’d sack her if she ran round betraying him to the press. Hell, she wouldn’t blame him.
‘Imogen? Yay or nay?’
Think, Imo.
It was a stupid idea for so very many reasons. Such as … ‘What about Paris?’
His face shuttered: features immobile, eyes hard. ‘What about Paris?’
‘Won’t it be … awkward?’
‘Nope. The past few days have been fine, haven’t they?’
Only because they’d become so immersed in work that somehow the awkwardness, the anger and the coldness of the morning after had thawed. Even then ‘fine’ was probably an exaggeration. Because to her own irritation, her own self-contempt, despite her absorption in work desire had strummed, flared, clenched at her tummy muscles with each accidental brush of his hand.
She had managed to keep her cool, not betrayed that desire by so much as a glance, but even so three days and nights in Joe’s company would be akin to taking up fire-eating as a new career without any training. It wasn’t just stupid—it was crazy.
‘Yes. But you’re proposing we act as a couple at a wedding. It’s a bit different from working together in a boardroom.’
‘It won’t be a problem.’
As if just because he said so it would be so.
‘I’ve never broken my One Night Only rule and I have no intention of starting now. You were pretty clear that you didn’t want a repeat performance either. We agreed one night; we’ve had one night. I can’t see an issue.’
Yet for a fraction of a second his gaze skittered away as he rubbed his neck—and there was the hint of a tic pulsing in his cheek.
Curiosity rippled inside her, along with a thread of sympathy. ‘Is your rule because of what happened with Leila?’
Joe snorted. ‘Spare me, Imogen. My relationship decisions have nothing to do with Leila or our split. One-night stands suit me because my priority is my sisters. The last thing they need is me introducing anyone into our circle who may not remain in it. But celibacy isn’t my chosen option. Equally I have no desire to hurt anyone. One night means there’s no time for hopes to be raised or for a relationship to be a possibility.’
‘Oh.’ That all made perfect sense, and yet … ‘How old are your sisters now?’
‘Eighteen.’
His face softened and his lips tilted up into a smile of affectionate pride that touched her.
‘They are off travelling for a year. Holly has a place lined up at uni and Tammy want
s to get straight into the job market. She’s already landed a job in television—’ He broke off and shook his head. ‘Sorry—you don’t want to hear about the girls.’
‘Actually, I do,’ Imogen said. ‘It sounds like you’ve done a marvellous job, and it’s wonderful that you’ve encouraged them to follow their dreams.’
Live the dream.
Moving on fast … ‘But now they’re eighteen they won’t be so affected by you having a relationship longer than a night with someone.’
‘I know that. But now it’s about what I want—and I don’t want the hassle or the commitment of a relationship. I love my sisters, and I’ll always be there for them, but right now I’m going to kick back and see what it’s like to be not just fancy-free but footloose as well.’