Model Marine

by Candace Havens

  “Group hug,” Anne Marie ordered. Hannah and the others complied.

  “Tonight wouldn’t have happened without you guys,” Hannah stated matter-of-factly.

  “Phfft,” Jesse said. “You have more talent than the majority of designers at Fashion Week combined. You would have succeeded no matter what.”

  She kissed his cheek. “No, I wouldn’t have. You guys kept me sane. Each of you is so important I can’t even—” Emotion clogged her throat so she cleared it.

  “If you cry, I will hit you,” Anne Marie warned. She was a tough one. Dressed in her requisite fishnets, black mini and vintage rocker T-shirt, she knew her friend would follow through with the threat.

  “No tears. Just gratitude for some really great friends.”

  Someone moved just outside the circle and she saw the handsome marine who had saved her show.

  “Hey!” She waved to Will.

  He nodded.

  “I promised to take him to dinner so I’ll see you guys later. Thank you again.”

  “Wait,” Anne Marie yelled. “Don’t forget you have Leland’s party at seven. He’s throwing it for you, so you have to be there. We’ll get everything packed and meet at Leland’s.”

  Hannah had forgotten. She glanced at Will and then at Anne Marie. She didn’t want to disappoint Will, but she owed Leland so much. It would be selfish to bail on a party in her honor. “I’ll be there.”

  Will waited for her near the entrance.

  “I thought you would have given up on me, but I’m glad you didn’t.” She suddenly felt shy. After seeing him without a shirt, she’d wanted him in the most carnal of ways. But she also had an enormous respect for him. What he had done for her couldn’t have been easy for him or his friend.

  And they had saved her show. Will and Rafe were two of the biggest reasons people were excited about her clothes.

  Who could blame them?

  Captain Will Hughes was walking sex. That seriously hot uniform he wore hid the rippling muscles, but she’d seen the goods and she couldn’t stop thinking about them. Hannah clasped her hands behind her back so she wouldn’t touch him again.

  “You asked me to wait, and I’m good at taking orders.”

  She smiled at that. “I would have thought a captain was used to giving them.”

  “I do my fair share of that, too, but I’m a marine and there is always someone barking orders somewhere higher up.”

  Feeling lucky that she didn’t have to deal with anyone, except an occasionally cranky Anne Marie, she patted his arm. She hoped the contact would calm her nerves. No dice.

  “Congratulations. From what I understand you had a great night. I don’t know much about fashion, but those reporters seemed to like what you did.”

  Uncomfortable with the praise from him, Hannah bent her head and stared at her toes. “They liked you and your friend, Rafe. You guys sold the show. Where is he?” She glanced around.

  Will motioned with his thumb toward the entrance. “He left about fifteen minutes ago with one of the models.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. All the girls were talking about you guys. I really can’t thank you enough.”

  “It’s not a big deal. So are you ready to go?”

  Hannah scrunched her face. “I am, but there’s one thing I have to do. I forgot my friend Leland is throwing a big party in my honor. We don’t have to stay long, but I must make an appearance. He’s invited a lot of industry peeps and—”

  Will grinned. “I get it. Do you want to take a rain check on the dinner?”

  “No. That is, if you don’t. I’d really like you to be my, uh…” She couldn’t get the words out.

  “Date?” His face was a mask and she had no idea what he was thinking.

  She nodded.

  “I’d be honored. But won’t your friend—” he pointed toward Jesse “—mind? You guys seem close.”

  “Jesse?” She coughed back the laughter. “Uh, no. He works for me. We call him the intern, but as you can see he’s not very internish looking. He’s been helping me with fabrics and pattern-making. Genius, that guy. But not interested in me in the least. And I have nothing but sisterly feelings for him. I think he might have something for my friend Anne Marie, but they’re both so busy neither of them have noticed yet. Look at me, Miss Gossip. Sorry. The answer is no. I am thoroughly unattached.”

  He smiled the warmest smile she’d ever seen.

  Without thinking she threw herself at him and kissed his cheek. “Oh, sorry. It’s just you look so sweet. I’m, uh, overexcited tonight.”

  “Don’t apologize. Trust me.” His husky voice deepened.

  The heat of his words spread through her like a match to tinder.

  “In casual circumstances I’d rather not wear my uniform. Do I have time to go back to my hotel and change?”

  Her first instinct was to offer him something from her collection but she remembered how tight the shirts were. If he went to Leland’s party with his chest bared the females and males would maul him before he could get through the door. Her heart did double-time as she remembered how he looked strutting down the runway with his tough-guy ’tude.

  “Sure.”

  “Let’s get out of here and grab a taxi.”

  IN GREENWICH VILLAGE, the festivities were in full swing. When they entered Leland’s penthouse everyone yelled, “We love you, Hannah.”

  Her hand flew to her chest and her eyes burned with tears. But she refused to let them fall because she was so happy so many of her friends were there. She grabbed Will’s hand and pulled him into the throng.

  “Darling girl, you were fabulous tonight. And your Adonis was the perfect touch,” Leland said as he air-kissed both of her cheeks.

  “Thank you for this.”

  “Who would have thought that frizzy-haired girl who begged to work as a seamstress would turn out to be the It Girl of the fashion world?”

  She smiled. “You did. From that first day you seemed to see something in me that even I didn’t know I had.”

  He chucked her under the chin. “Talent, love. It was oozing out of every pore. Now introduce me to the Adonis.”

  Will stuck out his hand. “I’m Will. It’s nice to meet you. So you gave Hannah her first big break?”

  “I did indeed. And how did you two meet?” Leland was a lot of things, but he was never subtle.

  “Uh…” Hannah stammered. Her first instinct was to lie because she didn’t want to embarrass Will. But her brain stalled.

  “She kidnapped me off the street and made me do her bidding,” Will interjected.

  Leland guffawed. “That sounds like my Hannah. When she finds what she wants, she’s like a little terrier. She never lets go. It’s nice to meet you, Will. I hope you enjoy the party, you two. Simply everyone is here.”

  They spent the next half hour greeting the guests—a delicious selection of Manhattan’s weird and wonderful. Will hadn’t even flinched when Brandy, who was really cross-dressing Randy, fingered the collar of his button-down shirt. She couldn’t blame Randy. More than once she found herself brushing up against Will just to feel those hard muscles underneath.

  They finally made it over to Anne Marie and the gang. “I wanted to officially introduce you to the people who are really responsible for the great show tonight. This is Anne Marie, our assistant director of design. She keeps me on track and pretty much runs the business side of things.”

  “Pretty much?” Anne Marie snorted.

  “True. She runs the business.”

  Hannah pointed to her other favorite person in the world. “Kayleigh handles all the press, along with Anne Marie. She’s a publicist who does a million other things, as well. She was the stage manager giving the orders tonight.”

  “My bark is worse than my bite.” Kayleigh winked.

  “Ha! Don’t scare poor Will away,” Hannah playfully admonished.

  “The captain doesn’t look like he scares easily,” Kayleigh said suggestively.

>   Will shook his head.

  Hannah chose to ignore the flirting. She knew Kayleigh was just giving her a hard time.

  “And this guy is Jesse.” Her friend stuck out his hand to shake Will’s. “He answered the ad for an intern eight months ago, and none of us are sure how we lived without him before that. He has forgotten more about fabrics and textiles than I will ever know. And he’s a mean pattern maker. I’ve never met anyone better.”

  “She likes to make us sound good,” Jesse countered. “And the reason we’re all here is because she’s got an imagination bar none, and she is a design genius.”

  Hannah made an unladylike noise. “That is so not true. Now who’s being over the top? Trust me, none of this would work without the whole gang. I can be a tyrant at times, but they put up with me.”

  She noticed no one came to her defense about the tyrant remark. They obviously hadn’t forgotten her numerous breakdowns over the past few weeks. She tried not to let the pressure get to her, but she didn’t always succeed.

  “It’s great to meet you,” Will said to her team. “I don’t know much about this world. In truth, I don’t know anything, but I’ve been listening in on conversations all night. Everyone seems excited about the show.”

  “Thanks,” the three said in unison.

  “You better get back out there and circulate. Your fans await,” Anne Marie encouraged her.

  “Hannnaaah.” Larisa Malone always elongated her name. The shrill voice sent a painful sting through Hannah’s chest. Dressed in leather from head to toe, false eyelashes and garish red lipstick, the other woman looked more like a drag queen than Randy did. “You are quite the surprise, aren’t you? How does it feel?” The words might sound like a compliment but the tone was vicious.

  Hannah poked Anne Marie when she noticed a sneer on the woman’s face.

  “Oh, Larisa, tomorrow morning they’ll be on to someone else. Are you ready for your show on Thursday?”

  “Of course. I have quite a few surprises up my sleeves.”

  She glanced over Hannah’s shoulder and waved. “Oh, my, that’s Justin T. I was so surprised to see him at your little show. He usually only makes an appearance for the great designers. I must tell him how delicious he was in that last movie he made.”

  “That one is a piece of work.” Will scratched his head as Larisa left. “She reminds me of the women who play bridge with my mother. None of them ever has a kind word about another person and they also have sticks up their— Oh, sorry.”

  Hannah smiled. “Oh, don’t be. You have her pegged. And as a result, you’re my new hero.”

  Before Will could answer, Christopher Kline appeared. “Doll, great show.” He was Leland’s lover and one of the most influential chefs in New York City. Every restaurant he owned turned to gold.

  She hugged him. “Thank you.”

  He glanced up at Will and gave him a once-over. “Leland didn’t lie. You did find yourself a real man.”

  She teased him back. “Behave.”

  He waggled his eyebrows. “That is not how I roll, Hannah, love. Oh, and did you hear the gossip from the Hags in the corner? Such jealousy about you, the hate spews like a river of lies. That means you are on top, my sweet. Leland says you killed, so watch out for the claws.”

  Hannah peered over his shoulder. The Hags, as everyone called them, were three women who had tried to design their own lines, only to fall flat on their faces. So instead of going back to the drawing board, they became online fashion critics. Their site didn’t have a single nice review but they had a huge following. Unfortunately, people seemed to eat up their wickedness. They wore too much makeup and their clothes were meant for women twenty years their junior. Hence, their name.

  “I guess it would be too much to hope they’d give me a pass.”

  “My darling Hannah, sometimes your naïveté brings such a lightness to my cold, dead heart. Don’t worry. You know how it works. The more they hate you, the more everyone else will love you.”

  “I suppose,” she grumbled.

  “Now you two run off and get some food. Leave those sorry wannabes to me. I have a bit of juicy gossip that might just lead them off your scent.”

  Before he left, he blew her a kiss and nodded to Will.

  Will guided her to the dining area that had been set up banquet style. “I didn’t realize the fashion business was so cutthroat,” he said.

  “It’s the worst, really. I’m lucky Leland invited a lot of my friends, too, who are really sweet. But he has to include some of the others because to snub them is a big faux pas.”

  “I always feel sorry for people like those women and the one who came up to you before. They obviously have no self-esteem if they have to beat up on others to make themselves feel better. They are no better than the bullies on the playground.”

  She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek again. “You really are my hero.”

  “Let’s go eat,” he said, changing the subject. He seemed to be uncomfortable whenever she tried to compliment him. “I don’t know about you, but that modeling is hard work.”

  They stood in front of the food table and she was surprised when Will ate a big plate of sushi.

  He caught her watching him.

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry. I seem to have all these misconceptions about marines. I assumed you were more of a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve been stationed all over the world, and I’ve learned to eat whatever is available. And honestly, most anything is better than what you get in the mess hall. Or my mom’s cooking. I love her, but she has never belonged in a kitchen. As for the meat and potatoes, I never turn down a good steak.”

  “Well, I’m one of those crazies who is allergic to wheat, white rice, shellfish and dairy,” Hannah admitted. She loved food, but had learned long ago that her body had specific needs. Her allergic reactions varied from rashes to her throat swelling so badly she couldn’t breathe. “So I eat a lot of protein and vegetables and fruit. None of which are here.” The table was laden with sushi, dim sum and all types of puff pastries filled with a variety of meats and shrimp.

  Will put his chopsticks down. “Do you want to get out of here and find something else to eat? Is that okay, since it’s your party?”

  She was starving and alone time with Will didn’t seem like such a bad idea. The crazy day and several nights of no sleep sent her into zombie mode. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold up the pretense. “The bathroom is near the entrance—if anyone asks, that’s where we are headed.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He covered her hand in his and pulled her through the crowd.

  A few seconds later they were out in the hallway with hopefully no one the wiser. “That was much easier than I thought it would be.” Hannah’s shoulders dropped about an inch.

  Will laughed. “I caught a few people staring and whispering. They’re probably thinking the worst.”

  Hannah grabbed a clip from her purse and put her hair back up in a loose ponytail. She was already more relaxed now that she didn’t have to impress the denizens of the fashion world. “My guess is they’re jealous. How would you feel about a steak?”

  “Like I said, I never turn one down.”

  AFTER THEIR MEAL at the steak house, Will escorted Hannah to her studio. It was only a few blocks away and she wanted to walk off the calories she’d eaten. As far as he could see, her body was perfect. Every time she brushed against him at the party he had to control his libido.

  She’d warned him, been so worried about how he would view her friends. They were definitely eccentric, but many of them were good people. Will’s instincts when it came to judging people had never steered him wrong. Besides, she should hang out with a group of marines on a Friday night. That was some weirdness.

  “You suddenly seem really far away,” Hannah said.

  He squeezed her hand. “I’m right here.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll ever be ab
le to thank you for everything you’ve done today.”

  “Hannah, I told you earlier. I was happy to help. And tonight, well, I’ve had a great time.”

  “Me, too.” She smiled up at him sweetly.

  That grin was a like a light directed straight to his blackened soul. There were times the past two years when he wondered if he would ever feel joy again. Throughout dinner he found himself relaxing and even laughing at times. Hannah did that to him and he feared he could become addicted to her quite easily.

  She stopped in front of a five-story building. “This is me. It’s been a long day, but I was wondering if you would come upstairs. There’s something I want to give you.”

  He paused as he tried to figure out what she meant.

  “Uh, that sounded so lurid. I promise I have no—uh, you know, on your body…uh. Yeah. Do you want to come up?”

  “Sure. It’s hard to say no to an invitation like that.” Though Will had to admit, he wished she did have designs on his body. At the very least he wanted to deeply explore the kiss they shared earlier in the night.

  Inside the building he was surprised to see her name across a door on the first floor, but she led him to a freight elevator.

  “That’s my studio. I rent out the rest of the floors as loft spaces. We have a cool view of the Hudson on the back side of the building.”

  “You own the building?”

  She smiled. “I inherited it from my grandmother, along with an apartment on the Upper West Side. I sublet that one, too. I like being close to work because I never know when a creative binge is going to happen so I moved into the penthouse here. Plus, I’m not really a west-sider. My parents are, but not me.”

  Will knew enough about Manhattan real estate to understand that was a pricey neighborhood. She must have come from a wealthy family.

  “Were they at your show tonight?”

  “Who?” The elevator opened and they entered her apartment. Everything was white and she hadn’t lied about the view. The lights flickered across the river.

  “Your parents. Were they at your event this afternoon?”

  She laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “My parents are mortified by my choice of profession.”