Page 46 of Billion-Dollar Baby Shock

Tara couldn’t hide the lingering disappointment.‘I’m sure it’s amazing but I’m afraid I couldn’t get near her.It was too packed and everyone was so tall.The guards were moving people along and by the time I went past, all I caught was a tiny glimpse.I didn’t realise how small the canvas was.’

And then, afraid she must sound unbearably ungrateful, she said, ‘But just to be near it was amazing.And I saw a lot of other exhibits.Maybe I’ll go back when it’s less busy.’

Dion looked at her for a moment and then his attention was taken by the person on his left again.He apologised before turning away.The person on Tara’s right touchedher arm lightly and she turned to them, smiling, grateful for the distraction.So what if she’d wished Dion had been with her earlier?This trip to Paris wasn’t a date trip.

CHAPTER NINE

‘Ready to go?’ Dion asked, a couple of hours later.

Tara nodded.After the dinner there had been a lavish and eye-wateringly extravagant auction, with all proceeds going to the different charities.There’d even been a date auctioned with a well-known Hollywood star who had appeared on the podium.

Now, Tara’s feet were screaming at her.But she forced herself to say, ‘You don’t have to stay and network?’

Dion shook his head.‘All networked out.’

Tara couldn’t help feeling relieved.And then Dion said, ‘There’s somewhere else we have to go.’

She hoped the disappointment she felt didn’t show.‘Oh?Okay, great.’

Dion chuckled.‘Don’t worry, it’s not a social event.’

Tara winced.‘Sorry, was it that obvious?I mean, this was lovely and amazing but—’

‘After the initial sheen wears off and everyone has got whatever they wanted out of whoever they wanted it from, it’s tedious and boring.’

She shook her head.‘So cynical.Why do you come, then?’

He shrugged.‘Because it’s good to be seen and there are always networking opportunities.’

Tara mimed yawning and rolled her eyes.

They were outside now and the car pulled up.The driver hopped out and opened the door for Tara.She got in with a little sigh of relief and slipped off her shoes, wriggling her toes.

Dion got in on the other side and gave instructions to the driver in French and saw Tara’s bare feet.She winced again.‘Sorry, I’m not used to wearing high heels.’

Dion reached down and grasped her feet and pulled them up onto his lap and started massaging them.Tara’s pulse-rate tripled in seconds and her skin flushed all over.And then she groaned out loud when his big hands and long fingers expertly massaged the aching balls of her feet.She could be very grateful now for the pedicure she’d received earlier from the beautician and her team that had appeared with the stylist.

‘Thank you for earlier, by the way.’

‘For what?’

Tara indicated to the dress.‘This, and the team… I’ve never had any beauty treatments before.My brothers and sisters used to buy me vouchers for a place but the vouchers always ran out before I could use them.’

The car was pulling up outside a department store and Dion asked Tara what her shoe size was.Bemused, she told him and the driver got out of the car and disappeared into the store.He came back out minutes later with a couple of bags and got back into the car.

Nothing else was said, and Tara was finding it hard to focus anyway, while Dion’s hands were on her feet.One hand was creeping up to circle her calf, and behind her knee.

Little fires were racing across her skin now.Shecouldn’t look away from his dark golden gaze, as that hand crept higher, above her knee, to her thigh.Tacitly, she parted her legs and Dion’s fingers traced patterns on the delicate skin of her inner thigh, almost within touching distance of—

‘Nous sommes arrivées,Monsieur Dimitriou.’

Tara looked out of the window and frowned.The car had pulled in at the side of the road.Dion’s hand left its provocative place on her inner thigh.Tara could see the shining illuminated glass pyramids in the square outside the Louvre.She’d been here hours ago.

She sat up, vaguely aware of Dion pulling her dress back down and getting out of the car.He came around to her side and opened the door.He was standing in front of her, holding out two pairs of sneakers fresh from boxes.That was what the driver had been doing.

One of the pairs was white and gold.She looked at the driver, who blushed and said, ‘I have daughters.I know how important it is to…how do you say…go together?’

Tara was beyond touched by Dion’s instruction to the driver and the driver’s gesture.She nodded and pointed at the pair with gold stripes.‘They’re perfect.’She felt ridiculously emotional as Dion bent down and put the shoes on her feet, and laced them up, as if she were a child.Or Cinderella.