Model Attraction

by Sharon C. Cooper

Yes! Janna tried to keep from doing a happy dance in the semicrowded bakery. Instead, she retrieved her latte from Iona and bade her farewell before heading toward the entrance. She had identified several people to pitch an idea she had to start a nonprofit for teens aging out of foster care to adulthood. Unlike her, many foster children didn’t have a loving family to depend on once they turned eighteen. For those individuals, she wanted them to have a safe place to stay that would not only provide a roof over their heads, but also an environment that would support them as they transitioned into adulthood. This cause was very personal to her and she couldn’t wait to speak with Mr. Dresden.

  Juggling her boxed cupcake and her drink, Janna wove through the small crowd in order to get to the door.

  “Nelson, thank you so much for making this happen.”

  “My pleasure, doll. There is one catch, though.”

  Distracted and tuning out her manager, Janna slowed to reposition her cell, holding it to her ear with her shoulder. She pushed against the door, but someone yanked it open at the same time.

  “Oh, crap!” Her cell phone slipped from her ear and her drink went flying when she lost her balance. Her baseball cap and sunglasses—gone. Trying to catch the cupcake box, she would have fallen face-first had it not been for the strong hands gripping her arm.

  Face-to-face with the front of a man’s suit jacket, she realized where her latte had landed.

  “Oh, no, no, no.” She wiped her hands feverishly down the guy’s jacket until he took a step back out of her reach. Janna pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and stood upright.

  “I’m so sor...” Her words lodged in her throat and her breath caught when she met the gaze of the fine specimen standing before her. It couldn’t be. “Au-Austin?”

  At five-eleven, wearing three-inch wedge heels, she was taller than most women, but he still towered over her by at least three or four inches. Prior to seeing him from a distance six months earlier, she hadn’t seen Austin Reynolds in almost ten years. Not since she had left Edison, New Jersey, to pursue a modeling career in Milan. They had both been so young then, but a quick perusal of the guy standing before her showed that he had grown into an extremely handsome man.

  Tall, with dark eyes and chiseled features, he had a wide chest and broad shoulders, and he knew how to dress. Austin was clothed in what felt like virgin wool twill, and the jacket, tapered to enhance his athletic build, had high peaked lapels and a single-button closure. The expensive garment looked as if it had been made specifically for him. And she’d bet her last check that it was Armani. If she didn’t know anything else, she knew her materials and designers.

  “Janna,” he finally said.

  Her eyes met his, and chill bumps scurried up her bare arms at the coldness behind the one word. Not even the deep, raspy voice that she’d once loved could hide the fact that he was less than thrilled to see her. But who could blame him? One of the decisions she had regretted most in her life was the way she’d left him behind. And by the glare in his intense brown eyes, he hadn’t forgiven or forgotten.

  Chapter 2

  Austin’s heart slammed against his chest. Janna. Seeing her standing in front of him didn’t seem real. The moment reminded him of six months ago when he had caught a glimpse of her at the grand opening of a new medical complex there in Atlanta. He’d been caught off guard then, too.

  Judging by her wide eyes and her mouth hanging open, she was just as shocked. She wore that same sweet, girl-next-door expression on her face that he had fallen in love with years ago. Her big, innocent eyes were free of the major makeup he’d seen in many of her photos, and her cinnamon-brown complexion was as vibrant as her personality. Assuming she was still the free-spirited, fun-loving person she once was. And those lips. Lips that used to be so soft that he looked forward to kissing her so that he could taste the strawberry lip gloss she’d always worn when she was in high school.

  As she stood there, accepting his perusal, her features softened even more. Her long, thick hair with auburn highlights flowed in waves over her shoulders, a few strands flying into her face. His gaze went lower, to her perky breasts hiding behind a pink tank top, and even lower, to her tiny waist that flared out slightly into curvaceous hips. The jeans that hugged her body like a second skin stopped at her ankles, forcing attention to her sexy high heels, showing off pretty feet with painted toenails.

  His shaft twitched at the once-over and he cursed under his breath. Damn his body for responding. He didn’t want to like what he saw. He didn’t want to be attracted to her.

  Austin tried to look away, but he couldn’t. Gone was the tall, skinny girl who used to wear ponytails on top of her head and get into all types of mischief. Instead before him was an incredibly sexy woman with curves in all the right places.

  Anger bounced around in his gut. How could he still be attracted to her after the way she had disappeared from his life?

  Besides saying her name a moment ago, no other words formed, especially since he was fighting against some type of magnetic pull. A pull that he’d only ever experienced with her. A pull that made him want to move closer and wrap her in his arms. A pull that could almost make him forget the hell he went through when she left him.

  His gaze went to her mouth again. Were her lips as soft and sweet as they once were?

  “It’s nice seeing you again, Austin.”

  It was as if someone poured a bucket of ice water over his head. Tension gripped his body and his heart rate picked up.

  “I wish I could say the same.”

  She flinched, and he immediately regretted his words. He could be angry without being a jerk.

  “I’m sorry about your jacket.” Her apology snagged his attention when she nodded toward the huge wet spot on his suit coat, tie and dress shirt. “I feel awful.”

  You should was what he wanted to say, but he remained silent. Cell phones might be one of the greatest inventions, but there were times when he hated them. Had she not been talking into the device, maybe she would have been paying attention to what she was doing.

  He snatched his pocket square and cringed as he cleaned up the mess the best he could, glad he didn’t have any more meetings for the rest of the day.

  His attention returned to Janna when she quickly picked up her cell phone, hat and sunglasses strewn on the ground around them. Normally a gentleman, Austin was still in too much shock and hadn’t even thought to retrieve her items and hand them to her.

  Once his mind cleared, he bent down and picked up the cup that once held her drink, and tossed it in a nearby trash can.

  “I’ll be happy to take care of your dry cleaning. We can exchange contact info—”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Unwelcome memories invaded his mind, like how perfect she’d felt in his arms the last time he had held her. That was the night before he and his family had left on vacation, days after his high school graduation. And he would never forget how soft her lips were the last time he had kissed her. Who knew that would be their last time together? Had he known that night that Janna wouldn’t be waiting for him upon his return, he wouldn’t have gone on the cruise. They would have been married with children by now. Instead, she had left him. She had taken not only a part of his heart back then, but also some of his joy.

  Austin had operated on autopilot to get through that summer. It wasn’t until his parents had decided to relocate him and his brother to Atlanta that he’d finally started to move on. He’d poured himself into his schoolwork at Morehouse, where he’d double majored in business administration and finance, then had obtained his MBA. For years, he still hadn’t been able to get Janna completely out of his system. Each time he saw her angelic face or that enticing body on the cover of a magazine or on a billboard, he grew angrier, throwing himself into his work. If he were honest with himself, he would have to admit that it was pro
bably because of her that he drove himself to become a multimillionaire at such a young age.

  He turned to leave, anxious to get away from her.

  “Austin,” Janna called out just before he walked into the bakery. “Can we talk? Maybe over a cup of coffee or—”

  “I don’t drink coffee. Besides, we have nothing to talk about.” He stepped into the establishment, trying like hell not to look back.

  There was a time when she could have asked anything of him and he would have done it. But he had moved on. Or at least he had tried.

  * * *

  Janna stared out the passenger window in the back of the town car as her driver headed to the hotel, her heart heavier than it had felt in years. Austin Reynolds. The man she had loved since she was sixteen. The man she had never stopped loving. It wasn’t the reunion she would have preferred, but to see him again stirred memories that she thought were buried and feelings she thought long gone.

  She laid her head against the backseat and closed her eyes. Austin’s image immediately appeared. Smooth skin the color of toasted almonds, with intense eyes that seemed to look right through her. At first he’d seemed shocked to see her, but then his eyes had softened the way they used to whenever he looked at her. His slow gaze had traveled down the length of her body, as intimate as a lover’s caress. But within minutes those soft eyes had turned hard.

  She hadn’t noticed a wedding ring, but that didn’t mean anything these days. Some men didn’t wear them, but knowing Austin, there was no way he wouldn’t wear one if he were married. When they were dating, he’d often talked about marriage and looked forward to being a husband.

  A shiver coursed through her as she recalled how his eyes had darkened like a storm brewing. She almost hadn’t recognized him. She had always seen him as a gentle giant, one of the nicest people she’d ever known, but what had she expected? Despite the fact that she hadn’t forgotten him, of course he wouldn’t be happy to see her again.

  “Ms. Morgan?”

  Janna’s eyes popped open and she sat up at the sound of the driver’s voice.

  “Yes?”

  “We’re about fifteen minutes from your hotel. Is there any other stop that you would like to make before we arrive?”

  “No. Thank you, Edward.”

  She returned her attention to the downtown traffic and barely noticed the people on the sidewalks hurrying to their destinations. All she could think about was Austin. She felt awful about ruining his suit, but she couldn’t believe how cold he’d been. And it had nothing to do with the mess on his jacket. He was definitely different from the young man she had fallen in love with years ago. There was a time when he had made her feel cherished and loved. At least, until she had decided to pursue the career she had once only dreamed of having, discarding the plans that she and Austin had made for their future.

  Janna sighed. In hindsight, she wished she had handled things differently back then. She shouldn’t have left town without talking with Austin first, especially since they had plans to marry after high school, but everything happened so fast. Getting contacted by one of the top modeling agencies in the world had caught her totally off guard, but accepting the offer was a no-brainer. Modeling was a dream come true, and she couldn’t pass up the opportunity. She hated the way she had to leave, and knew she should have tried harder to contact him once she arrived in Milan.

  Her cell phone rang, pulling her out of her thoughts. She had dropped it into her handbag without checking to see if it still worked.

  “Hello,” she answered after seeing her manager’s name on the screen.

  “Janna, what happened? One minute we were talking and the next the phone went dead. I’ve been calling ever since. Are you okay?”

  “Nelson, I’m fine. I’m sorry I didn’t call you right back. I ran into an old friend.” Actually, Austin had been much more than a friend. He was the man she’d planned to marry and spend the rest of her life with.

  “That’s all right. I just wanted to finish telling you about Blake Dresden.”

  “I’m so glad he’s willing to meet with me.” Her plans for Precious Home, her nonprofit, weren’t totally fleshed out, but she hoped to at least share with Dresden what she had in mind so far.

  “Well, before you get too excited, there’s more.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s very interested in hearing your ideas and was glad you sought him out. He’d like for you...”

  Janna’s mind drifted to Austin again. She might not have done much to contact him after she had left the country, but that was going to change. Now that she had run into him, she was determined to get him to give her a chance to explain her actions. Besides, she was curious. What had he made of himself? Was he married? Did he have children? A lump formed in her chest at the last couple of thoughts.

  “...maybe at his place Friday night.” Nelson’s words drifted into her subconscious.

  “Hold up, wait. What?” Janna said, tuning back in to the conversation. “What did you say?”

  “I said he wants you to meet his son, who is a huge fan of yours. Junior is also a businessman and might be interested in investing. But I have to admit, I think Blake Sr.’s desire for you to meet his son might not have anything to do with your business idea, but be more of a matchmaking idea.”

  Janna was so tired of people trying to set her up with their sons or grandsons.

  “So if I say I’m only interested in meeting with Blake Sr. and not his son, I might be shooting myself in the foot.”

  “I think that’s safe to say.”

  Janna thought about her plans, which were still a little rough. What she knew for sure, though, was that she only wanted to share her ideas with people who were genuinely interested.

  “You know what, Nelson? Why don’t we hold off on setting up anything with Mr. Dresden?” She discussed a few more items with her manager before disconnecting.

  Janna placed her cell phone back in her purse just as the driver pulled up to the hotel. She could easily get her sisters and their millionaire husbands involved, but this was a project close to her heart. She wanted to find funding on her own instead of getting them to come to the rescue. She had to show them that she could create a solid business plan and raise the initial funds herself.

  For as long as Janna could remember, her sisters had been overachievers. Iris, a defense attorney, and Macy, a pediatrician, had chosen careers that helped others and, in many instances, saved lives. Though she had never said anything to either of them, she envied their selflessness and the way they poured themselves into helping other people. Unlike them, Janna had chosen a profession that was more about her, doing something she enjoyed that didn’t really benefit others. Considering how blessed she had been, it was way past time that she gave back in a big way and did something to help those less fortunate. Besides, she wanted to make a difference in someone’s life.

  She couldn’t wait to get her nonprofit up and running. Just thinking about the young people she would be able to help filled a void in her life that no amount of money could.

  * * *

  Forty-five minutes later, Austin pulled onto his parents’ estate in Johns Creek and followed the long circular drive to their front door. His parents had purchased the house, which his mother considered her dream home, three years after moving to Atlanta, once their business started making a profit.

  Austin parked his vehicle, still finding it hard to believe that he’d seen Janna. The whole experience seemed so surreal. How many times had he thought about her? Dreamed about her?

  He exited the car, grabbing the cake his mother had asked him to pick up. He used his key to let himself in, still trying to shake his encounter with Janna.

  “Hello,” he called out and headed to the kitchen, where he was sure he’d find his mother; it was her favorite pa
rt of the five-thousand-square-foot house.

  “Hi, son.” Sheila looked up from pulling a roasted chicken out of the oven. “What happened to you?” She nodded toward the stain on the front of his shirt.

  Janna Morgan is what happened was what he wanted to say, but instead he replied, “I had a little accident at the bakery.”

  His family knew Janna as his high school sweetheart. When they found out that things had ended between them, his mother had been the only one who pressed him for details. She was concerned about how withdrawn he’d become. Months later, when they saw Janna on the cover of Vogue, they’d put together bits and pieces about their breakup, no one knowing just how devastated he’d been. It wasn’t until years later that he had told his older brother the whole story about how she had left, disregarding their plans in favor of her career.

  “Oh, this is absolutely beautiful.” His mother gushed over the cake that he set on the center island in her state-of-the-art kitchen. A cook’s dream space, the room consisted of top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances, marble countertops and every cooking gadget imaginable.

  Austin went to the refrigerator for a bottle of water.

  “Don’t even think about going in there without washing your hands.”

  Austin shook his head. How often had he and his brother heard those words growing up?

  As he washed his hands in the sink, his mind drifted back to Janna. Long hair that he wanted to run his fingers through, seductive eyes, high cheekbones and lips that were made for kissing were at the forefront of his mind. Seeing her gorgeous face and enticing body on the covers of numerous magazines hadn’t done her justice. The woman was absolutely breathtaking. He still wondered how he’d been able to walk away from her this afternoon. Then again, he knew how. All he had to do was think about how she had tossed his love away and crushed his heart.

  His high school sweetheart, she was the woman he had planned to spend the rest of his life with. Once he became a senior—a year ahead of her—they’d created a five-year plan. It included them getting married once he graduated from college and started his career. He would work while she finished her degree in fashion. Their plan had been solid, or so he’d thought.