Bought: One Bride(15)

Richard hadn't exaggerated when he'd said Mrs Diamond was lovely. She  was. A natural blonde, if Holly was any guess, her fine creamy blonde  hair was styled into soft waves that framed a face that almost defied  description. An angel's face. Delicate features. Huge green eyes. A soft  mouth. And skin that was as fair and silky smooth as the rest of her.

Her dress was not the dress of an angel, however. Made in  champagne-coloured satin, it was long and slinky, with spaghetti straps  and a neckline that might have looked tacky if she hadn't had small,  firm breasts. Her nipples were prominent, however. Round and hard. Like  pebbles.

Age-wise, she was possibly around thirty. From a distance she looked  younger, but up close Holly could see life's experience in and around  her eyes.

"Hi there," Alanna said. "I'm so glad I caught you in here by yourself. I  wanted to speak to you about something and I couldn't in front of the  others. Reece would have killed me. Richard, too, I imagine."

"Oh?" Holly was at a loss.

"Reece told me a few weeks back that he'd put Richard in contact with  the Wives Wanted agency and … well … you see, you might not know this, but I  was one of Natalie's girls too, and …  Oh, dear! I can see by the look on  your face that you're embarrassed that I've brought this up. You're  right. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

Holly wasn't embarrassed so much as stunned. Richard had been seeking  the services of Wives Wanted? Her Richard, the one who'd just been  making love to her in the car? The same Richard whose mother had  proclaimed had never even looked at another woman since his wife died?

Holly couldn't think straight for a moment. If Richard was on the  lookout for a wife of convenience, then what was she? A potential  candidate, or a sexual stopgap to tide him over till he found the right  woman to marry?

She opened her mouth to indignantly deny that she was one of Natalie's  girls, whoever Natalie was. But at the last second, Holly bit her  tongue. Whatever Richard's agenda was where she was concerned, he  obviously wasn't going to tell her the truth.

His mother sure didn't know her precious son as well as she thought she did.

Holly had to find out what was going on here.

"Please don't apologise," she said. "The thing is, I'm not … um … one of  Natalie's girls. I do know about the Wives Wanted agency, though," she  added swiftly. "Richard told me about it the other day. And, yes, he did  mention that was how you and your husband got together."

"Oh, dear, now I feel even worse. I wish Richard had told Reece all  this. But you know men. They just don't communicate the way we women  do," she added with an exasperated shrug of her slender shoulders. "So  how did you and Richard meet?"

"I was delivering some flowers to his mother's house last weekend. He  happened to be home on a visit. Mrs Crawford was out and Richard  answered the door. I'm the local florist."

"Oh, how romantic! There again, Reece says Richard's always been a  romantic. He wasn't at all convinced that Wives Wanted was the right way  for Richard to find a wife, but Richard was adamant at the time. Of  course, after what happened to Joanna, you could understand why he might  not want to fall madly in love again. Oh, Lord, there I go again! You  do know his first wife was killed in a car accident, don't you?"

"Yes. I did the flowers at her funeral, actually. I've known Richard's  mother for years. I just didn't meet Richard himself till the other  day."

"Phew! Thank God I didn't put my foot in my mouth twice in five minutes.  So tell me, what do you think of Richard? I can see he's very taken  with you."                       
       
           



       

"We've only been out once together before tonight," Holly said. "For  dinner last Saturday night. But what I know, I like. Still, I would  never consider marrying any man I didn't love. Or who wasn't madly in  love with me."

"Yes, well, we women all think that at some time in our lives," Alanna  remarked ruefully. "Sometimes it's better to settle for something  less … intense. Something less dangerous."

Holly blinked. "Dangerous? What do you mean by dangerous?"

"Men who are madly in love can become very jealous, and irrational. Even  violent. I prefer a less volatile relationship, especially in a  marriage. Reece and I have a wonderful understanding of each other's  needs. He gives me what I want and I give him what he wants. We're a  darned good team, even if I say so myself."

She looked Holly up and down with thoughtful eyes. "You're a very  attractive girl, but a few years younger than most of the women at Wives  Wanted. When you get older, you might think differently. But if you  want my advice, you could do a lot worse than to marry Richard. He's a  good man."

"He hasn't asked me to marry him. I'm not sure he ever will."

"Oh, I think he will."

Holly didn't know whether to feel flattered, or furious.

"If he does, then I'll be saying no," she said firmly, and told herself  she meant it. "Especially if he's still in love with his wife. Which his  mother warned me is the case."

"Does that bother you?"

"Yes, it does."

"In that case, definitely don't marry him," Alanna said with a hint of  coldness in her voice. "Jealousy is a curse. Now, I must get back to my  guests. I'll just make sure I'm still decent first."

When she turned around to check the back of her dress in the long mirror  hanging on the powder-room door, Holly's eyes widened. She'd thought  her own dress was borderline in modesty but the back of Alanna's  dress-which she hadn't seen earlier-left absolutely nothing to the  imagination.

Mainly because there was no back. The only thing stopping the entire  creation from sliding off her slender curves were the spaghetti straps  that crossed at her shoulder blades and attached at the sides just above  her waist.

What had Holly really staring, however, was how low the dress was cut at  the back, plus the way it clung to Alanna's well-toned buttocks. No way  could she be wearing any underwear at all!

"Reece likes me to dress sexily, but I think he's gone a bit too far  this time," Alanna remarked as she tried to hitch the dress higher, all  to no avail. "I'm going to start choosing my own evening gowns in  future. Are you finished in here, Holly? If so, we can go back together.  But not a word about this conversation to the men."

"Absolutely not," Holly agreed.

But Alanna had given her plenty to think about.

She still wasn't convinced Richard ever intended asking her to marry  him. It seemed more likely he just wanted some sex from her. Surely, he  would marry someone more like his wife. Someone older and more  sophisticated and better educated. Someone from this Wives Wanted  agency.

And if you're wrong, Holly? What if he is targeting you as the next Mrs Richard Crawford?

A tiny shiver rippled down her spine by this thought. So much for her  declaration that she wouldn't marry a man who wasn't madly in love with  her!

Still, Alanna's marriage to Reece seemed to be successful, she reasoned.  Maybe a loveless marriage could work. Provided the sex side of things  was all right.

No doubt Alanna didn't mind sleeping with her very handsome husband.

But for how long? Yes, how long before Alanna began to feel as if she  was just being used, till she realised that her role in her husband's  life was little more than that of a trophy wife?

Was that what Richard wanted of her?

Holly wished she felt more repulsed by the idea of being Richard's  trophy wife. She'd talked holier than thou to Alanna, but would she  really say no to marriage, if he ever asked her?

Holly was quite grateful to return to the party with her hostess by her  side. With all these thoughts tumbling through her head, she needed  someone with her as a buffer. She didn't want to say anything to Richard  to spoil their night together and she was afraid she might do that. Her  temper was already simmering at his not being open and honest with her.

Logic came to her rescue before her resentment could boil over. Why  would Richard have told her about his being a client of Wives Wanted? A  man of his personality and pride would keep such a thing a secret.                       
       
           



       

But what on earth was the attraction of a matchmaking service with these two men? They could have their pick of women. Surely.

Holly could only conclude that neither of them wanted love, or romance.  They just wanted a beautiful woman to share their lives, and their beds.  Not such a terrible crime, she supposed. But rather cold-blooded.

She shivered again.