Fumbled (The Girls of Beachmont #1)

by T. K. Rapp

  I began laughing, but she gave me a narrowed glance and I realized that she was being honest.

  “Wilson and JT joined the team together, so I’ve known him a while. I’ve seen how desperate these women are to get a piece of him. It’s crazy.”

  “But we really haven’t told people that we’re together—my decision, not his—so my being there wouldn’t really serve a purpose anyway.”

  “Trust me when I tell you, you want to be there. If for no other reason than to see for yourself what comes his way when he’s out there.”

  I took a big sip of my wine and tried to hide the panic and fear that I was certain she could see in my eyes. This was what I’d been afraid of all along. How was I supposed to compete with these women who threw themselves at Tabor?

  Dee placed her hand over mine and patted it gently. When I looked at her, she was giving me a defeated smile, and I knew that it was something she knew all too well.

  “This is the life we are exposed to, Dani. If you want to be with these men, it goes with the territory. But JT is worth the trouble. He’s one of the good ones,” she said.

  I looked over my shoulder and saw him inside talking with his buddies. Tabor’s smile was wide when he saw me and lifted his head to check on me, and I simply waved.

  “Yeah, he is,” I agreed when I looked at Dee. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

  “We look out for our own,” she said. “And if JT says you’re good people, that’s enough for us.”

  “How do you do it?” I asked. “The whole…sports thing and being apart?”

  “You get used to it. You talk every day, and if you’re able, you go to the away games. Training camp starts this week and it’s going to be madness.”

  “How long does it last?”

  “About a month. A month of them running their asses off, working out, and then calling you and complaining,” she laughed.

  “Ever since we started dating, I’ve gotten used to seeing him almost every day.”

  “It’s not so bad…you’ll see,” she said evenly.

  I nodded, but inside it was nerve-wracking.

  We spent about four hours with his friends, and they were great. Wilson and Dee were adorable together and made me laugh so much. The other women turned out to be very down to earth, unlike my initial impression. The entire weekend had been spent with Tabor’s friends and family, and I felt like I was exactly where I belonged.

  By the time we got back to my place, I was exhausted. Tabor unlocked the door with the key I gave him and I started to walk up to my room when he reached for my hand and turned me to face him.

  “I didn’t think it was possible.”

  “What’s that?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  He kissed me and then stared into my eyes. “That I could love you more than I already did.”

  I pushed onto my toes and kissed him back, because it was the only thing I could think to do. I fell for him more every time we were together, and knowing he felt the same was the perfect end to a perfect day.

  C h a p t e r 19

  T A B O R

  “How do these things work?” Dani asked as she turned the page in the magazine she was reading.

  “How does what work?”

  “The shoot. Do they put makeup on you? What is it you’re advertising?”

  “This is for a menswear company. I’ve only done shoes and sports drinks, so this one’s new to me.”

  When we had left Wilson’s house, I’d asked Dani to reconsider going to the photo shoot with me and I was happy when she consented. I was a football player, not a model, so I always felt stupid doing those things. The first photographer I’d worked with had kept trying to get me to give him a certain smile when I sipped the god-awful drink I was endorsing. Not only did it taste like shit, I was forced to pretend I liked it. When he showed me the proofs, it was a little embarrassing to see the pained look on my face. Luckily, he was able to make one of them work and I vowed never to sign on to endorse something I didn’t actually like.

  A few months ago, my agent was contacted by Radical Generation to model their line of casual and dress wear. After I was signed by the team, my mom and Abbi took me shopping so I’d look the part. My sister heard of Radical Generation because it had become popular on college campuses. The owner, Damian, started the company from his home in Chicago, and within a year it exploded into stores across the country.

  “Is this it?” Dani asked as I pulled into a parking lot. It was a nondescript brick building with several cars in front of it.

  “Probably,” I said, turning off the engine. “Let’s go find out.”

  She set the magazine aside and stepped out of the car. Dani had insisted on taking her car when I told her the majority of the shoot would take place on the beach. She said that her Bel Air loved the beach.

  We grabbed our things from the trunk and walked into the office, which looked nothing like I expected.

  Stained concrete floors were set against red brick walls with contemporary lights hanging over the front desk. A woman wearing her hair in a high ponytail greeted us and said that Damian would be with us soon. Dani walked to the waiting area and I sat down next to her as she took it all in.

  “This place is pretty cool,” she said, still looking around.

  “I’ve never been here before,” I admitted. “My agent did the talking with the owner, so it’s a first for me, too.”

  “Are you nervous?” she asked.

  I scoffed and shook my head. “Yes.”

  Dani’s laugh made me smile and I was glad that she had agreed to accompany me. My hope was that she’d see how the things go and be at ease with them in the future if they came up.

  “JT,” a short, thin man with blond hair said as he walked toward me. “Damian Salinger, nice to meet you.”

  “You, too,” I said, shaking his hand. He looked at Dani and I noticed his smile grow. “This is my…”

  “Assistant. Danielle,” she interrupted, shaking his hand.

  “I didn’t realize you were bringing an assistant. Nice to meet you, Danielle,” he said, holding her hand longer than I liked.

  “So what’s the plan?” I interjected, breaking the connection for them.

  “Martin should be here soon, and then we’ll get you into makeup while I go over the set with the director,” Damian said.

  “I thought this was taking place on the beach,” Dani said.

  “It will, Danielle. But we have some things to take care of before we get started,” he said. “Would you like to see what the models will be wearing today?”

  I started to object because she was there for me—with me. She had no idea how much I hated these things, but before I could say anything, she spoke up.

  “Actually, I’m working,” she said, stepping closer to me.

  Damian opened his mouth to speak, but the front door opened and a tall heavy-set man in all black stepped through with two petite women following behind. He walked over to Damian, shaking his hand, and exchanged pleasantries while Dani and I looked on. She turned to me and raised a brow, questioning who it was, and I shrugged. Of course I assumed it was the photographer, but I couldn’t be sure.

  “JT, why don’t you go with Martin so he can tell you what we’re looking for, and I’ll show Danielle around.”

  “I…” Dani said.

  “Don’t worry, your boss can give you a few minutes alone. He’s got some things to take care of,” Damian said.

  I hated him.

  He had his hand on my girlfriend’s back and I wanted to tackle him like the opponent he was.

  ***

  D A N I

  I squirmed slightly so his hand fell away from my body. This Damian guy seemed to think that personal boundaries didn’t apply to him, and it made me despise him instantly. When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw Tabor looking murderous and I wished I could ease his nerves.

  “So tell me, Danielle, how did you meet your boss?” Damian asked as he
led me toward a narrow corridor.

  “Lucky coincidence,” I said, not wanting to share the details of how we met.

  “Well, I’m always looking for a good assistant.” He smirked, causing my stomach to churn. “If it doesn’t work out with Hunter, give me a call.”

  “Thanks,” I said cautiously. This guy was sending my creep-o-meter off the charts, and I was beyond grateful when the receptionist found us and said that Martin needed to speak with Damian.

  “We’ll be right there,” Damian said, dismissing her and leaving us alone once again before turning to me. “Are you free tonight?”

  “I’m afraid not, Mr. Salinger,” I said, pleased with myself that I didn’t apologize. “I’m actually seeing someone.”

  “That’s too bad,” he said as he looked me up and down.

  I cringed under his obvious perusal, and if he noticed, he didn’t seem to care.

  Damian began walking to the front and I shivered openly, as if I had bugs crawling on me. He was so gross and I wondered how many others he made to feel like they were in need of a scalding shower.

  “That was cute,” Tabor smirked when I turned around.

  “What?” I asked, laughing.

  “That little dance you just did. Do it again,” he teased as he walked closer.

  I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head against his chest, listening to his heart beating beneath his shirt. His hand rubbed soothingly up and down my back and I felt my body relax. When I stepped away, he was looking down at me adoringly.

  “Assistant, huh?” he asked.

  “I panicked…I didn’t know what to say.”

  “I’m just giving you a hard time.” He kissed my forehead and put his hand on my back. “Let’s go see what’s going on.”

  ***

  T A B O R

  “JT,” Damian said as we rounded the corner. “Just in time. I’d like for you to meet Candayce Evans, your co-star for the day.”

  Dani’s mouth fell open, but she snapped her jaw shut and smiled. I took a step forward and introduced myself to the woman I’d seen on countless magazine covers. She was beautiful, and the way she carried herself, she knew it.

  “Candayce, it’s nice to meet you. This is my assistant, Danielle,” I said, choking on the title.

  “Hi Danielle,” Candayce said, but didn’t look at Dani when addressing her. “So JT, are you ready for this?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said, and it was the truth. I didn’t like people fussing over me and this was in the top five of what I hated about my status.

  “I’ll go easy on you,” she cooed, and I noticed Dani’s fist clench and release.

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine.” I smiled.

  “Candayce, why don’t I show you to makeup,” Damian said, stepping in front of me, no doubt wanting her attention for himself. He could have it, for all I cared; as long as his focus was off Dani, that’s all that mattered to me.

  “Shall we?” Candayce asked me over her shoulder.

  I looked at Dani, who had a fake smile plastered on her face, and cleared my throat.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said, looking up at me, giving me the smile I knew to be just for me. “See you in a few?”

  “Okay,” I said, reluctant to follow.

  Candayce sat in a chair like the professional she was and relaxed as the people began working on her hair and makeup. We sat in silence as the experts worked and I was thankful for their distraction. My senses were on alert for anything Dani-related, and I wished that she was by my side.

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but I heard some shuffling and hushed whispers, and when I looked over, Candayce was gone.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  “It’s fine,” Martin said dismissively. “Just relax and let us take care of everything else.”

  ***

  D A N I

  I was flipping through a magazine when the commotion started. First it was the woman I had seen earlier standing next to Candayce talking urgently on her phone. She jumped out of her seat and ran to the back, and moments later when she returned, Candayce was following behind her and her red eyes and nose gave away her distress.

  I had no idea what was going on, but the way everyone was running around frantically, it wasn’t good for the shoot.

  “What in the hell are we gonna do now?” Damian demanded of the photographer.

  “Her mother is in the hospital, she needed to go. But in the meantime we can always just shoot Hunter and then add Candayce in later,” Martin said calmly. “I do it all the time.”

  “No. Fix this. Now.”

  “What am I supposed to do, just pick someone up off the street? I’d probably be arrested for solicitation and I don’t even date women,” he argued and I laughed.

  “What?” Damian scolded but softened when he realized I was the one laughing.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, looking at Martin, who smiled back. “That was funny.”

  “Danielle, now is not the time for laughing. I have a major campaign I’m about to spend a lot of money on, and now I have no model to pair with your boss.”

  “What about her?” Martin asked.

  I looked around and realized he was talking about me. Damian sized me up and down again, but that time I didn’t feel as disgusted.

  “How tall are you?” Damian demanded.

  “What? Why?” I asked defensively.

  “How tall?”

  “Five seven,” I answered.

  Damian turned to Martin, who nodded, some unspoken discussion between them.

  “Danielle, I need you to fill in for Candayce. Can you do that?”

  “Mr. Salinger, I’m a teach—assistant,” I answered as explanation. “Thank you, but no.”

  “Danielle,” Martin said, drawing my attention to him. “If we don’t get this done today, we have to push the entire shoot back and there’s a strong likelihood that your boss will be unavailable. Would you please help us?”

  I was uncomfortable with the request, but I could tell he was being sincere.

  Deny the request and leave Tabor without the endorsement he seems excited about?

  Accept the request and help out your boyfriend?

  “Danielle, we really need answer,” Damian said, less forcefully than before. “It would mean a lot.”

  “Okay…I’ll do it.”

  Damian’s smile was victorious and Martin clasped his hands together and looked up to the ceiling before grabbing my hand and dragging me to the back.

  Tabor was still in the chair when he saw my reflection in the mirror. Before he could speak, Martin introduced me.

  “JT, I’d like for you to meet your partner for the day, Danielle.”

  Tabor’s smile crept slowly onto his face as I took a seat in the chair next to him. A woman walked over and began brushing and styling my hair while I sat helpless.

  “This is going to be fun.” Tabor smirked.

  ***

  T A B O R

  We were driven to a remote part of the beach the set director had located, near an old pier. Dani was modeling the first of five outfits she needed to wear. Damian had Gertie, one of his designers, come with us to make any last-minute adjustments to the wardrobe because everything had been made to fit Candayce’s taller stature.

  “Okay, so here’s how this is going to go,” Martin said, moving me against one of the pilings. “JT, you lean against this and Danielle, I’m going to have you stand against him with your hand on his chest.”

  He positioned me and moved me around as if I were a mannequin and did the same to Dani. Once we were in position, one of Martin’s assistants walked over and moved Dani’s hair out of her face before stepping away.

  The two of us stood there and I looked down at her. She looked beautiful. But Dani was always beautiful to me, even when her hair was undone and she was wearing messy clothes. Martin stepped behind the camera and told us that he was going to take some test shots and then we’d
be set.

  Since we had a moment to ourselves, I placed my hand on Dani’s hip and looked into her eyes. She looked uncomfortable with the attention being given her, but I loved that she was with me.

  “You look beautiful,” I said, smiling down at her.

  She tilted her chin up and smiled shyly, shaking her head. “I look like myself…only a little too fake.”

  “It’s all for the camera,” I said. “I think they should’ve left you as you were, but you’re always sexy to me.”

  Dani playfully hit my chest and dropped her forehead against her hand with a forced laugh. I cleared my throat and she looked up at me again. She crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue and I huffed a laugh.

  “See? Still sexy,” I said. “It sucks that I have to leave this weekend, for camp.”

  “Are you gonna miss me?” she fished and I laughed.

  “Question is, are you going to miss me?”

  When her mouth opened to speak, she was cut off by Martin walking up again.

  “Okay, let’s get you two into another outfit,” he said.

  “But we didn’t pose yet,” Dani said.

  “I got what I needed while you two were waiting. Very natural,” he said. “You two have great chemistry.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  ***

  D A N I

  “One second while I pin the dress back here,” Gertie said as she pulled and tugged.

  We were standing inside of a pop-up tent so I could dress and undress easily. Gertie commented that she liked working with real women, and hated stick figures. She flinched when the words came out, but I thanked her because I considered it a compliment.

  “Okay, we’re all set. Let’s get you out there to that gorgeous partner of yours.” She smiled.

  We walked out and I saw Tabor sitting on a blanket next to the shoreline. Martin and his assistant were in the middle of posing him when he spotted us.

  “You look stunning,” Damian said as I walked past. But I ignored him because my eyes were glued to my boyfriend, who was watching me with hungry eyes.