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“He was helping me move and opened my bedside drawer.”
My memory returns to Gabriel’s flushed cheeks and his inability to look me in the eye as he left the room.
“Maybe he’ll volunteer, save on batteries,” Stella says, when she’s finally caught her breath.
“Boss,” I say again for the umpteenth time.
“Yes, but you can’t tell me he won’t be lying in bed thinking about you using it,” Stella says, waggling her eyebrows at me.
I groan, wondering what possessed me to tell them, so I try another distraction.
“This afternoon, Gabriel has arranged for me to see his personal shopper. My suits were ruined in the flood.”
Once again, my friends share that look, but this time, I’m thankful they hold their tongues.
“How the other half live,” Stella sighs. “I’d love a personal shopper.”
Unlike Nat and me, Stella hates shopping, so I can understand the draw.
“I’ll let you know whether it lives up to the hype,” I tell them.
We spend the rest of our lunch break talking about our next girls get together. It was supposed to be at mine, but Stella agrees to host, although I tell her I’ll provide the food and drinks.
We finish lunch, and I head off to meet up with Gabriel’s personal shopper. I’m greeted by Mario, who leads me to a private room equipped with the comfiest-looking sofas, racks of clothing items, and a changing area. Natural daylight floods the room from the high, discrete windows. Once he gets me settled, he introduces me to Chloe, who will be my stylist for the afternoon.
“Mr Frazer mentioned that you require work suits. That yours were unfortunately damaged in a flood?” she asks, sounding confused.
“Malfunctioning sprinkler system,” I say, taking a sip of the wine Chloe has just presented me with.
“Wow, okay. Not a problem,” she says, smiling warmly. “Mr Frazer has told me to put everything on his account.”
“Er...no...that’s okay. I can pay for my own clothes,” I say.
Gabriel definitely won’t be paying for my wardrobe expenses.
“Apparently, he is, and I don’t argue with him. He also instructed me to tell you, you aren’t allowed to argue either.”
I raise my eyebrows at her, and she laughs.
“I know, but who am I to argue? I work on commission and do as I’m told,” she says with a wink, and I realise I’m going to be in for a fun afternoon.
“I’ll take the argument home with me,” I say.
“Let’s get started,” Chloe says, wheeling out a clothes rack full of the most beautiful business suits I’ve ever seen.
“I...” I go to say. There’s no way I can afford one of these, let alone the five I need to replace.
“Oh, I should mention, Mr Frazer had me remove all the price tags. You are to have what you need.”
When I go to open my mouth, she holds up her hand. “I’ve been styling Mr Frazer for five years. I do as he asks,” Chloe says.
“Well, I’ve worked for him for eight.” I grin back at her. “And you have impeccable taste.” My final statement earns me another grin. “Let’s do this. I’m too tired to argue.”
The next couple of hours fly by, and I realise I like Chloe a lot. She’s funny and smart. She has a first-class honours degree in fashion. She designs and sells her own brand online, which I promise to look up later. One day she hopes to set up her own clothing line.
“You’re all done,” she says, marking up the last of the suits, blouses, and shoes. “I’ll have the altered suits delivered to Mr Frazer’s apartment by lunchtime tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Chloe. This afternoon has been an experience.”
