Fauxmance (Showmance #2)(8)

I made my way backstage and found her swarmed by people congratulating and showering her with praise. I hung back to wait until she was done, swiping a glass of champagne from a table of refreshments.

“So, what did you think?” came a voice from over my shoulder.

I turned, and Julian Fairchild stood a mere foot away. He’d changed back into his own clothes, which, no offence to Suze, suited him much better. His dark grey shirt highlighted the colour of his hazel eyes, while his slacks hugged his hips perfectly. He wasn’t overly muscular. In fact, there was something about him that was quite feminine. He reminded me of Louis from the Anne Rice vampire novels. Well, a modern version at least.

He had a sexy, masculine aura, but he was too beautiful to be described as manly.

Androgynous was the word.

I swallowed a gulp of champagne for courage, then replied, “I’m no fashion expert, but I thought you all looked great.”

Julian moved closer until we stood shoulder to shoulder. “I hope I lived up to Suzanna’s expectations. I’ve never done a catwalk before.”

“You seemed fine to me,” I said, my voice neutral. I couldn’t seem to muster any warmth or flirtation, such was his effect on me.

I wasn’t looking at him, instead keeping my eyes trained on Suze and her bevvy of admirers, but I could hear the humour in his tone when he replied, “Just fine? You really know how to boost a man’s confidence.”

I flicked my eyes to him briefly, words coming out before I could think to censor them. “Surely, your confidence doesn’t need boosting.”

“It does when the lady I’m trying to chat up is as disinterested as you are,” he said with a wry smile.

I frowned. He was trying to chat me up? Me? I almost forgot I was Elodie tonight, not Ellen. Of course, he was trying to chat me up. My dress left very little to the imagination.

Okay, this was my chance to flirt with a real live human. Don’t screw it up, Ellen.

I mean, Elodie.

Damn, this was confusing.

I mustered a smile in return, a real one. “Who says I’m disinterested?”

Julian’s laugh was just as attractive as the rest of him. “Oh, you’re not?”

“I asked my question first.” I tried to keep my voice sweet and flirtatious, lighthearted. That’s what Elodie would do.

He pursed his lips, considering me. I hoped my layers of makeup kept my rosy cheeks from view. “Hmm, your body language for a start. It screams ‘leave me alone’. Then there’s your tone of voice, your facial expressions. They all tell a story.”

The way he spoke intrigued me. There was something different about him, something unlike most men. I’d grown up with two brothers and a widowed father, so I knew what I was talking about. Julian paid a lot more attention than the average male.

When I lived at home, I could’ve walked into a room with blue hair and green skin and my brothers wouldn’t have batted an eyelid.

“Am I so transparent?” I asked, because I wanted to hear more. He ensnared me.

Julian’s gaze wandered from the top of my forehead, lingering on my eyes and nose, then my mouth. “I wouldn’t say that.”

Heat filled me from the way he took me in so completely. This man. This stranger. He was unlike anyone I’d ever met.

Or maybe it was all down to Elodie. She attracted men in a way the real me never could. Sure, I could stand to wear more makeup, dress a little sexier, but there was something about a disguise that felt so freeing.

“Elodie! There you are!” Suze approached arm in arm with her husband, smiling widely. “I wanted to introduce you to my Kenneth. I can’t believe you two haven’t met yet.”

I felt Julian’s keen attention as I stepped forward and shook hands with Kenneth. “It’s great to meet you.”

“You too,” he replied. “Suze has told me so much about you, and I see she wasn’t lying. You’re just as gorgeous as she described.”

“Oh, I like you already,” I chirped, going into full Elodie mode. Usually, I was a pro at becoming her, but Julian somehow managed to break past the mask. He was a chink in my armour.

“We’re having a few people back to our place, if you’d like to come,” Suze went on then glanced at Julian. A small smirk graced her lips as she took in the two of us. I knew what she was thinking. Typical Elodie snagging the most attractive man in the room. She had no idea how befuddled I was on the inside. “You and David are welcome to join us, too, Julian.”

“We wouldn’t miss it,” he replied graciously.

“Great. Well, we’ll grab a couple of cabs in a little while, but for now, enjoy the champers,” Suze winked as she and Kenneth went to do the rest of their rounds.

A moment of silence fell between Julian and me. I took a sip and looked around the room, at a loss for what to say.

“You’ve never met her husband before?” he asked curiously.

“No, this is the first time.”

“How long have you two been friends?”

I shrugged and wondered why he was asking so many questions. “A couple of months.”

“That’s surprising.”

“It is?”

“You seem like you’ve known each other all your lives.”

“When we met it was like kismet, we just clicked,” I replied.