The stylist had dressed her in a dusky pink silk gown which covered her toned body to just above the knee. Without his usual nonchalance, he stood frozen as her long legs brought her towards him. As he watched her approach, he decided it wasn’t confidence in her stride but something more unassuming. Most models entered the room with a diva attitude. She, on the other hand, carried herself with a different air, one he couldn’t put his finger on. Mitch knew he was staring yet could not drag his eyes from her face.
When she got closer he noticed her high cheekbones, silky olive skin and eyes that almost glowed. As he tried to determine the color, blue or green, she stopped in front of him and stuck out her hand.
* * *
Once Adele and Jade had completed her transformation, Isabelle headed out to the set to locate the notorious Mitchell. She discovered, to her complete surprise, a boyishly handsome man who appeared a little taller than her. His blond straight hair fell over one eye as he checked light with his meter. In an instant she was reminded of Leonard DiCaprio in ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
Isabelle took the opportunity to study him for a moment before he looked up. She couldn’t help but notice his wiry yet broad shouldered physique and smooth strong looking hands and arms. He was awfully cute and she realized Adele’s rundown hadn’t done him justice.
His eyes lifted to meet hers and they were the color of the sky on a clear warm day. Her pulse quickened and her instant physical reaction to him surprised her. As she watched him watching her approach, she couldn’t determine the look in his eyes. Hoping her reaction to him didn’t show in her expression, she stuck out her hand by way of introduction.
“Hi, I’m Isabelle Winters. You must be Mitchell.”
* * *
Her soft, melodic voice caused Mitch’s heart to leap and then pound like a jackhammer. He stood rooted to the spot for endless seconds, staring. Say something, do something, he urged himself. With miniscule control over his flooded senses, he planted what he hoped to be a laid-back smile on his face.
“Please call me Mitch. It’s nice to meet you, Isabelle.”
“Are you ready to start?” she asked in a cool tone which took him aback. What was that about?
“Um, yeah.”
All of a sudden he felt out of his element and all words became lost in his mind or wouldn’t reach his dry mouth. This newfound reaction surprised him and only served to make forming words even more difficult. Somehow, he forced his tongue-tied mouth to continue.
“I thought maybe we could start with you on the seat.”
He gestured before turning, with reluctance, from her towards his camera. He wanted to take in more of her, to find out why she looked at him now as though he had a contagious disease.
Turning away from him, he watched her walk over to the seat, lie down on her side and rest her head on outstretched arms. The sultry expression she aimed straight down the camera made his heart lurch again. Not only did she know what to do without direction, nailing the brief, she also stole his breath. For the first time since he was a teenager, his palms grew sweaty and instant desire teemed through his veins. The usual lust prevalent around other models disappeared in her presence. Instead, it became replaced with a nervous, unable to string thoughts together, infatuation.
“That’s perfect,” he managed to mumble out before beginning to shoot.
Looking at her through the lens, he determined her eyes to be green, the color of the sea on a stormy day. He felt as though they penetrated his soul and evaluated what they found inside. He directed her though several different poses and each time she knew exactly what he wanted, as though she possessed the same thoughts. To say he was somewhat impressed was an understatement.
“I think we got it,” he said after snapping the final shot. He walked over to her as she stood up. “You have captured the brief perfectly.”
A silly school boy giggle erupted in his head. His natural flirtatious manner hid behind this professional, eager to be serious Mitchell, which had taken control of his mind. The first time he wanted his charm to be at play, it ran scurrying under a rock.
“Thanks,” she said. “You’re really easy to work with too.”
“Thanks,” he mumbled. Sudden shyness now slid itself onto the list of unusual reactions.
“I guess I’d better go change. Thanks again, Mitch.”
‘What is the matter with you?’ he yelled in his mind. ‘Ask her out. Don’t let her get away!’ His mouth wouldn’t co-operate.
Instead, he watched her sleek legs as she returned to the back rooms to change. The effect she had on his senses astounded him. A woman had never had this effect on him before. For the first time, for as long as he could remember, he didn’t want to sleep with her, he wanted to know all about her. Her beauty and almost ethereal poise had stupefied him.
When she re-emerged in running gear, with a fresh clean face and her hair tied back, he attempted to work up some courage to approach her. A quick study told him she looked much better this way.
Somehow he convinced his legs to move and he closed the distance in several quick strides. Now he needed to urge his mouth to speak.
“Um, I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tonight.” The trepidation in his voice surprised him. Today was full of surprises.
“I’m busy.” Her face gave little indication of her thoughts. It was a blank canvas.
“Maybe another night then?”
“I don’t think so.” Her tone sounded cool again and he wondered why. Perhaps it was his inept attempt at charm.
“Why?”
“I’ve heard about your reputation and I have no inclination to be one of your statistics.”
“I’m not that bad,” he said, knowing that perhaps he could be and cursed himself. “I think you’re amazing and want to find out more about you.” Great: now his mouth worked like a flowing river. He groaned internally at the overeager boy sprouting words that didn’t go with Mitch the man. He gave her what he knew to be his ‘winning’ smile but this merely caused her to frown.
“Sure you do. I’ve heard all the lines before and they aren’t going to work. I’m not just some dumb model that will jump into bed with anyone who asks.”
Her reaction caused him to smirk. Not only was it endearing, it was new.
“I don’t recall asking you to bed. I asked you to dinner. You are ... intriguing.”
“Yeah, sure. My answer still stands.”
She turned and walked out of the studio before he could respond.
“Damn it,” he mumbled to himself. He’d screwed that up royally.
Disappointed caused him to frown. The first time he’d felt a spark, a real spark, not lust. His extracurricular activities had come back around to bite him. Isabelle had affected him in a way he couldn’t fathom and he had no idea what to do with the kaleidoscope of emotions swirling through his veins. When he’d said he wanted to know more about her, he’d meant it. For the first time - it seemed it had become a day for firsts - he felt an urgent need to talk with her, to learn more about her instead of just ravishing her. It’s not that he didn’t find this idea appealing, but this time it felt different.
While packing away his equipment, Mitch decided it was time to stop sleeping around. The thought had already occurred to him, but now there seemed even more reason to. Somehow, he would find a way to see her again and next time he wouldn’t let her get away.
Chapter Four
Confusion or Clarity
His empty apartment held little appeal again, so instead of going home, Mitch decided he needed something to occupy his mind. It was Friday night and usually he would be heading out with one of the girls he frequently hooked up with. Tonight the interest wasn’t there. Only one girl filled his head and she had refused him. Something about her made her different. She wasn’t just a model. The usual dog-eat-dog ambition of other models wasn’t there with her. He concluded she did it for the money. There was a reason she chose this profession, it didn’
t choose her.
Most models strived to be the best, the money a bonus. She had been professional and easy to work with, whereas most other models tended to have a princess complex. How was he going to convince her that he wasn’t, underneath it all, a creep? All of a sudden the coin landed on heads. He wanted to share his life with someone and wanted to find out if it was with her. It sounded crazy in his head. After one meeting it was a ridiculous notion. What had gotten into him? Surely he couldn’t determine all these things after one meeting? Nonetheless, he somehow wanted it all the same.
This new strong fascination wasn’t a passing fancy. It was definitely time to abstain. The way to impress Isabelle would be to prove his worth. To ease his restless mind he drove towards his brother’s house hoping to score a free dinner and a second opinion.
When he pulled up at Jared and Charlotte’s large spacious house he felt the usual comforting vibe. The door was answered by Charlotte.
“Hey, Mitch, what are you doing here?” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm and pulling him inside. “Jared will be glad you’re here. We haven’t seen you for a while.”
“Yeah, I know.” Somehow the pretty strawberry blonde always managed to make him feel sheepish, like a chastised schoolboy. For once he didn’t mind so much and thought perhaps there could be truth to her words. Between work and his love life he had little time for much else. This was all about to change.
“Do you want to stay for dinner?’
“That’s the plan.” He grinned.
“Ah, so you did have an ulterior motive for dropping by.” Her wide smile, followed by a deep chuckle, was contagious, and he found himself relaxing.
Charlotte strolled down the long hallway leading into the dining room and kitchen where Jared was in his element cooking dinner.
“Mitch, what are you doing here? It’s Friday night. No date? This must be a first.”
Charlotte chuckled again. It seemed his brother wanted to get his own back for the ribbing Mitch habitually gave him.
“Not tonight. I’ve decided to give it a rest.”
Jared ceased his chopping and glanced at Mitch with raised eyebrows before returning to the task.
“What’s her name?” Charlotte asked, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of something of new love.
“What makes you think it’s about someone else? Maybe I’ve decided it’s not for me anymore.”
“It’s usually about a girl, that’s why.”
“Alright, you got me. Her name’s Isabelle and I met her today. I know nothing about her but I have this overwhelming need to find out.”
“That’s how I felt about my girl,” Jared said with a grin.
Ignoring her fiancé for the chance at gossip, Charlotte continued her usual line of unwavering questions. “Where did you meet her?”
“At a shoot. She was the model.’
“Another model, Mitchell?” Jared said, not hiding his skepticism.
“She’s not like the others. At least, I don’t think so anyway. She wouldn’t go out with me because of my reputation. There is something about her... and I want to know what it is. I’ve never had that urge before.”
“Sounds like love at first sight to me.” Charlotte sighed and a dreamy expression filled her face. A perpetual matchmaker, she never turned away from a hint of romance.
“I wouldn’t go that far, Charlotte. I don’t believe in all that. There is definitely desire though, but of a different kind.”
Knowing Charlotte would be far from finished with her inquisition, he sat on one of the stools which lined the bench. Jared placed a beer in front of him and Mitch took a long swig to avoid Charlotte’s scrutinizing gaze.
“I wasn’t sure it was possible either, until I couldn’t get this big lug out of my mind,” Charlotte said.
“Thanks, honey,” Jared said drolly.
“I have to convince her to go out with me first.”
“You’ll just have to prove to her that you have reformed. Show her your intentions,” Jared said.
Mitch grinned. He could always rely on his serious brother to pinpoint the solution, although this conclusion had already come to him. “That’s the plan. No more casual sex for me. I’m turning into you.”
“Very funny, Mitch. Look where it got me.” He smiled at Charlotte again, his feelings for her unmistakable. Their open displays of affection and declarations generally caused him to roll his eyes, but today he wanted to know how it felt to be them. This surprised him most of all.
“I hope it does the same for me.” They both stared at him, saying nothing, their surprise evident by their expressions. “Pick your jaws up off the floor. It’s not that surprising.”
“I just never thought I’d see the day that you became serious.” Charlotte’s tone although mocking - she’d been on the receiving end of his jokes on more than one occasion too - held some truth to it.
“OK you two, I get the message. This isn’t like me but I think you’ve picked apart my character long enough. Can we talk about something else now?”
* * *
After storming out on the ‘charming’ Mitchell, Isabelle couldn’t help but notice the impact he’d had on her. When she’d first set eyes on him, her heart thumped like a teenager meeting her favorite movie star. The rumors were true. He was sexy, there was no doubt about that, but he was inappropriate for her life. He was a player. Everyone in the industry knew this. The last thing both she and Jesse needed in their lives was a man like that. Yet, try as she might, she could not deny the electricity that sizzled in the air between them.
His eyes haunted her as she jogged around the park. His boyish grin was charming but she refused to be another notch on his bedpost, regardless of her attraction. Her jumbled thoughts swirled around her mind as she ran out her frustrations. Her energy ran out much quicker than her thoughts faded so she decided to go home.
Jesse and Carol were eating dinner when she arrived and Isabelle discovered she’d been jogging much longer than usual. Her limbs were protesting against their abuse which reminded her why she had run so hard in the first place. Mitchell Montgomery. What the hell was happening to her? And why couldn’t she get the creep to leave her mind?
“How was work today?” Carol asked as Isabelle rushed past towards the bathroom.
“Interesting. I’ll fill you in after I’ve had a quick shower.”
While Isabelle washed her hair, her thoughts drifted again. Stop it, Isabelle. Why was she even thinking about him? Again! There was no denying he set her soul alight from the first moment she saw him. But there would be no way in the world she could entertain these thoughts. She had to think of Jesse. She had to think of herself. What type of mother would she be if were to jump into bed with a known womanizer? The thought of it appealed to her more than she cared to admit. It had been a long time between drinks. Isabelle couldn’t fool herself into thinking she didn’t miss sex but she had to be responsible. Shaking her head with a fierce determination, she attempted to shrug off her desire. Why was she even considering it? What was she thinking? Men like that disgusted her. Yet she couldn’t shake him from her mind. An emotion she could only guess to be desire spread prickles of warmth over her skin. Confusion and annoyance at herself for even thinking about the man forced her to dispel lustful thoughts.
With another firm shake of her head she got out of the shower and dressed quickly, anxious to spend some time with her family. She hoped this would push all ludicrous musings aside.
Chapter Five
Reform
Over the following two weeks Mitch took every job on offer in the hope of seeing Isabelle again, without any luck. The only women he seemed to be photographing were models he’d slept with before who hinted at a repeat performance. Mitch politely refused. Nothing was going to jeopardize any type of relationship or chance of one with Isabelle. Now he’d made the decision to abstain, Mitch felt a new energy and contentment which surprised him. He was ready to give away his old life but now he had further
motivation. If only he could see that motivation again.
He’d heard whispers of gossip about his sudden lack of interest in playing around. Mitch hoped the story had reached Isabelle’s ears too. Though he needed no reminder of her, their billboard had gone up down the street from his apartment. Every day her beautiful face stared down at him, ensuring he wanted to see her more.
Now that he had free nights, he’d taken the opportunity to develop and frame more of his favorite photographs. His true, lifelong ambition was to find a gallery to exhibit his artistic work. Photographing models was not something he wanted to do forever. So the time had come to find a gallery to display his work. Mitch made two copies of each print, one for framing and one for the portfolio to promote his pieces. He’d compiled a list of galleries and planned to visit them on a free day the following week. If he could sell some of the pieces, he might be able to give away the modeling shoots. The sooner he moved away from temptation, the better - once he’d seen Isabelle again, that was.
Mitch had also been taking the advantage of his extra free time to catch up with his family, particularly his niece and nephew, Mabel and Tommy. Spending afternoons at the park or zoo with them always brought him happiness. It also reminded him what little he had achieved with his life. Sure, he’d seen the world working as a freelance photographer for newspapers and magazines, but the things he’d seen and achieved were hardly worth the effort. The only good thing to come out of the despair he’d seen: purchasing his apartment and the fantastic landscape shots he’d captured. Mitch found himself evaluating every aspect of his life and he didn’t like what he saw. Though, try as he might, he found no matter what he did to distract himself, his mind unrelenting kept drifted back to the stunning girl with black hair and blue green eyes.
Womanizer (Spoilt) Page 2
