Designer Knockoff Read Online Free Page A

makeover, a great new haircut, a dress you couldn’t possibly wear to the office? Fine for other people, people who don’t have Serious Jobs. But when you need a new look, there’s always your impressive collection of Serious Spectacles, including horn-rims, wire frames, aviators, frameless frames, and those little tiny frames that make you look like Ben Franklin’s bookkeeper.
    • Hair can be sporty, seductive, creative, carefree, or Serious. Like yours. “Hair? What’s wrong with my hair? I don’t have time to fuss with my hair. I’m late, I have a meeting, I have Serious Work to do!”
    Think about it, Oh ye who are Prematurely Serious. There must be some way to fit into Washington, D.C., without blending into its bland wallpaper. When a thousand identical khaki trench coats march down K Street, it looks like some kind of conspiracy, a convention of federal agents, a conference of the Brotherhood (or Sisterhood) of the Serious. But, hear me, Oh Serious ones, you don’t have to be part of the conspiracy of the dull and drab. There is help for the Prematurely Serious, even here in our Nation’s Capital. Stick with me, and help is on the way.

Chapter 2

    Lacey was surprised to find herself seated at Hugh Bentley’s side at lunch at SeaWorthy, the exclusive new seafood restaurant on K Street, but she didn’t question her good fortune. Hugh had insisted on sweeping her up in the Bentley entourage, ostensibly to discuss her vintage Bentley suit, and Lacey was perfectly wiling to let herself be flattered by the old rake.
    The Bentley clan was indulging in early cocktails, martinis all around, while Lacey, with her iced tea, enjoyed the gleaming hardwood floors, the polished paneling, and the red leather booths of the elegant restaurant. Background music played swing. The place was packed with lobbyists and lawyers and the occasional deep-pocketed tourist. The Bentleys occupied a secluded corner beneath a stuffed swordfish, and Belinda and Marilyn were discussing the shopping expedition they planned for that afternoon as eagerly as if they were seventeen, not seventyish.
    Aaron and Cordelia arrived late from their hotel. She had insisted on changing into a sleek, bare, sleeveless black dress and sky-high heels. She made it clear she had given her all by wearing that itchy WAC uniform. Apparently posing stark naked is all in a day’s work for Cordelia, Lacey thought, but wearing wool is above and beyond the call of duty.
    “But you were so fetching, Cordelia. It was a perfect performance,” Hugh said. “And it impressed the committee. Far more than I ever could have.”
    “Not to mention the cameras. Remind me to thank your parents for those perfect cheekbones,” Aaron added, stroking her face before introducing Cordelia to Lacey. “She’s a reporter with The Eye Street Observer. Isn’t that a smashing suit? Dad says it’s an original Bentley from the first collection.”
    “You’re not from The Washington Post?” Cordelia asked Lacey, obviously disappointed.
    “I’m sure she’s from a much more fair and balanced newspaper,” Aaron said. “Isn’t that right, Ms. Smithsonian?”
    Another member of the clan joined the table. Jeffrey Bentley Holmes, Belinda’s son, who designed the stores for the family firm, was another late arrival. He hadn’t attended the hearing, being occupied with the museum opening. “Sorry, politics doesn’t interest me,” he said by way of excuse. “I’d rather hit myself in the head with a hammer.”
    He smiled winningly at Lacey. “Is this seat taken?” Jeffrey had golden-blond hair and was decidedly not Lacey’s type. He was too perfect, he was too wealthy, he was too smooth, and positively too attractive. He could have been a Bentley model himself, with his even features and strong square jaw. He had an easy elegance, even though he was the most casual of the Bentleys, wearing a linen shirt and slacks and sports jacket. Lacey immediately marked him as the type who