by Sierra Riley
“I know, I know. I’ll take a couple aspirin and Gatorade in the morning if I’m out late,” Gabriel groaned, pushing himself theatrically to his feet.
Julius eyed him for a moment but then let it go, nodding sharply. “Come on, this way. The producer’s losing his shit that you were late.”
“Five minutes. I’m sorry. I got lost,” Gabriel lied.
Four forty-five a.m. had been five minutes too early for him to peel himself out of bed that morning, and he’d needed to take an extra-long shower. He’d trotted—hell though it had been—down the street from his hotel to the stage door.
And thankfully, it had been too early for even the dedicated paparazzi. Tomorrow, though, they’d be waiting any hour of the night.
His name was spread all across the internet now. If his parents Googled him, they’d see that he’d made something of himself… for now.
He couldn’t fuck it up.
“Hey, man. You were fucked up last night,” Paulo greeted. He was in a little black classic vest, they called it over here, and was waiting for the tailor by his feet to finish working on the hems around his ankles.
“Oh, I know,” Gabriel groaned. “Or I don’t know, but I can infer.”
“You blacked out? You were a riot, though,” Paulo assured him with a laugh. “And you went home alone, in case you were worried.”
That didn’t surprise Gabriel, for some reason. Despite all the models and editors and interns throwing themselves at him, he hadn’t taken up a single one of them.
Except Briar.
That was different. He’d known him before his fame.
Everyone else probably wanted to use his talent or fame, and he was sick to death of being used by assholes who wanted to build their own name on his back. Or his money.
But he did take a sick sense of pleasure learning that Jordan had been rejected from tonight’s show. He’d tried to get work in London, too, apparently, and had been pretty soundly ignored. Gabe didn’t know why, because nobody would talk to him about it.
“We’re going out tonight after the magazine shoot.”
“Christ, that’s tonight.” Gabriel groaned, stepping into the jeans that were handed over. God, they weren’t even that fashionable, and he eyed them twice. The shirt saved the outfit, though. When he buttoned it up, someone interrupted him to strategically unbutton buttons, so he let them do their work.
“Yeah, for all three of us. We’re gonna need a lot to drink after that,” Paulo snorted. “You hear the photographer?”
“No.” Gabriel had an awful feeling he knew.
“Hayes.”
“Ohhhh, shit,” Gabriel groaned. “Julius. Julius!” he yelled when Julius didn’t answer.
After a minute, Julius appeared backstage. “What’s the matter?”
“Hayes? You didn’t fuckin’ tell me why?”
Julius winced. “I didn’t want to put you off. Look, he’ll work with you if you’re—”
“Willing to let him take ugly-ass photos? No, thanks.”
“I’ll be there the whole time,” Julius promised. “For all three of you. And everything has to be approved by us, too. We’re looking out for you, Gabe. Your career’s in our hands.”
Gabriel eyed Julius but went silent to let Fabio talk to his stylist person about the necklace he wanted Gabe wearing.
Hopefully the asshole knew how to respect him now. Now he was a big enough name that he couldn’t be ignored.
A production assistant popped her head into the room to tell them they had ten minutes before they had to be ready to walk on.
Paulo pursed his lips and cast a can you believe it? look at Gabriel once Julius stepped out of the room again.
Gabriel snorted and shook his head. “Where’s the party?”
“Out somewhere. We’ll change and meet in my room after we get back from the shoot.” Paulo held still to let them put a bracelet on him, then turned it over for a closer look.
That sounded awesome. Gabriel could get a new Instagram profile pic tonight, and maybe a few more drinks into him to chase off the last of this hangover.
22
Briar
“Thank you for flying with us today, sir.”
Briar nodded sharply to the flight attendant as he shouldered his laptop bag and stepped off the plane. He was lost in his thoughts, his cellphone already buzzing from missed calls and text messages.
He’d carefully scheduled these few days in Milan, but he still hadn’t heard back from Gabriel. Then again, Gabe was probably so busy that he didn’t even know his own plans a day in advance. That tended to happen by the end of a fashion week. And from what Julius had told him, the pressure was really on now.
The man here to pick Briar up was holding a sign that misspelled his last name—Feilds, not Fields. Briar just smiled. It was kind of nice not to be recognized.
He introduced himself to the driver, then followed him to the car and spent the first few minutes of the drive catching up. He had a couple of voicemails from the office, friends, potential business contacts, and some updates from Julius.
It sounded like the shows had gone incredibly well that afternoon, and despite being in rough shape that morning, all three of their guys had pulled through for Fabio and Declan’s sneak preview show. The public show was tomorrow, and tonight was a magazine shoot.
With Hayes, of course.
Briar winced as he scanned Julius’s email. Apparently, Gabe hadn’t taken the news well. He also hadn’t walked out after the show, so he wasn’t that pissed off, but still…
Lost in thought, he barely noticed when they pulled up in front of the hotel except that the driver started to climb out.
Briar grabbed his carry-on and slid out of the passenger seat with a nod of thanks. “Have a good day.”
Check-in was painless. Once he learned his room number, he scanned the email from Julius.
All three of the models and Julius had a block of rooms one floor below him. Briar hummed under his breath, his gaze on Gabe’s room number before he closed the email.
He sent a quick text to Julius.
You guys already at the studio?
After a quick shower, shave, and freshen-up, he had his answer.
We’re here. Studio 1&2. Boy it’s fun. Come reign in Gabe’s attitude however you did it the 1st time pls.
Briar laughed under his breath. He’d happily rein in or reign over Gabriel any day. But he didn’t think his new faces agent wanted him to fix the problem the exact same way as last time, around one of the top photographers shooting for one of the most important magazines in the world.
He called the front desk to get a taxi, then touched up his hair a little more and straightened his tie. He refused to think that he was taking extra care now that he was seeing Gabriel again.
When he climbed in, he gave the driver the studio address and watched the streets of Milan pass by. The photos he’d seen on Gabe’s Instagram feed made it look like he’d gotten out a few times to explore, at least.
Why did that make him feel a little jealous? He’d been to Milan so often it was nearly boring. But this was Gabe’s first trip, and he seemed to be making the most of it—the photos of drinks, Milan alleys late in the evening, and the usual tourist landmarks.
He thanked the driver and handed over his crisp Euro notes, then walked through the open double doors into the courtyard that housed the studio.
The moment he walked through the ivy-framed glass doors, the receptionist stood up to welcome him. He recognized Lily by now and offered her a bright smile as he glanced around the steel-toned reception.
Briar nodded in greeting.
“Welcome! Thank you for coming. Julius said to send you through whenever you got here.”
Briar nodded sharply and leaned in to kiss her cheeks. “How has it been going? Anything interesting in the studios today?”
“A little student project in set three. They’ve had a parade of models. I think they’re splitting the fee a bunch
of ways.”
Gabriel chuckled. “Thanks for the heads-up. Maybe I’ll have a peek in on them.”
“They might have a heart attack,” Lily warned with a playful laugh. “The photographer nearly passed out when he saw your Gabriel walking down the hall.”
My Gabriel.
Briar grinned again and nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Lily.”
He cracked the door at the end of the hall and peeked in, then slipped into the bright studio and glanced around.
God, it was set up lavishly. They’d brought in a classy living room set complete with fake fireplace, walls, and wood floor. The intense studio lights were dimmed and muted for a sensual air, and Gabriel lounged along the couch with his shirt open and his chin delicately propped on his fist.
On one arm of the sofa, Jon perched, while Paulo sprawled on the floor near the end of the sofa with his legs open, but neither of them caught Briar’s eye.
Lights and shadows danced along Gabriel’s chest, highlighting the outline of those gorgeous pecs and abs.
He must have been eating lightly again that week. His body fat was ridiculously low. Briar rubbed his chin, trying to push away the concern. Cutting his meals hadn’t killed him back in the day, either.
He couldn’t treat Gabriel yet, either. He still had tomorrow to get through.
“No, I’m not going to open my mouth. Perv,” Gabriel scoffed.
“What if I ask very nicely?” Briar drawled. Jon nearly fell off the arm of the sofa from surprise.
Gabriel pushed himself up on the couch by a hand, a smile lingering around his lips. The flashes went off, startling even Briar.
“Fuck, I wasn’t ready,” Gabriel complained to Hayes, but he laughed anyway.
“That’s the point,” Briar winked. “If you lot aren’t behaving…”
“Oh, like we’re naughty kids at school,” Jon joined in, laughing. “Hey.”
Briar smirked. “Nah, you’re all too sexy for that.” He came up behind Hayes and clapped his back. “How’s it going?”
“Can’t complain. Got a few serviceable shots so far,” Hayes said, but his voice sounded a little more long-suffering than his words let on.
Briar moved past him, wandering the edge of the set with his hands tucked in his pockets. “Don’t let me disturb you. Everyone probably wants to get home to bed.”
“Or get out on the town,” Paulo spoke up and Jon laughed while Gabriel smiled briefly. When they shifted to look at the camera again, there was a little less tension in the room.
Briar leaned back against the wall and folded his arms to stay out of the way as Hayes directed their gazes different ways and asked them to shift into different positions around the couch.
Then, Hayes approached Gabriel, but just before he reached him, he paused. “I want your arm further back.” Then, Gabriel shifted it and Hayes nodded. “Like that.”
Good. He learned his lesson. Briar didn’t really want to have to yell at Hayes himself.
Finally, after umpteen more photos, Hayes dismissed them all. “I’ve got what I need.” Briar glanced across the room at the guy from the magazine. It was a new guy—Pierre or something, he didn’t really know him. Pierre was nodding, too.
“Boy. I missed it all,” Briar shook his head, approaching Julius as the three men helped each other to their feet and disappeared to the changing room, hands on each other’s shoulders and arms as they laughed quietly amongst themselves.
He remembered that camaraderie, especially of dealing with an annoying photographer who took more than he really needed and bossed everyone around.
“Yeah, especially the fireworks,” Julius murmured under his breath.
Briar leaned in. “From Gabe?”
“They had at it for a minute. Then he told Hayes to fuck off and let him do his job instead of doing both their jobs, unless he wanted to take self-portraits.”
Briar choked for a moment on his laugh. He didn’t necessarily want his top star to be antagonizing photographers, but holy shit, that was kind of funny. He glanced across at Hayes, who was fidgeting with his laptop and camera as he transferred photos.
“They get all the outfits in, too?”
“Yeah, they all worked fast. I thought we’d be here all night.”
It was only nine, and Briar was so thankful for that.
All three of the models emerged at the same time, laughing over something they’d been discussing, and approached Julius and Briar.
“So we’re done for the night? No more jobs? Crazy midnight shows?” Paulo asked, grinning.
They’re definitely going out. Those tight t-shirts, collared shirts, slinky sweaters, neat jeans and trousers…
Briar licked his lips, trying not to stare at the three of them, but especially Gabe.
“Done,” Julius told him, then eyed the three of them. “You’re going to go get into trouble, aren’t you? Come on, there’s a taxi waiting. Briar, do you want to get your own or come with us? There’s more than enough room.”
Oh, what the hell. Briar laughed and shrugged. “I’ll come.”
The five of them headed through the hallways, waving a quick goodbye to Lily and the studio manager.
As soon as they reached the courtyard, a slender young guy in a plaid shirt and cool ripped jeans froze, raising a hand in a slight, uncertain wave. He had a hand wrapped tightly around the strap of his camera, which looked like a pretty cheap Canon and external flash.
This was definitely the student Lily had told Briar about.
Paulo snorted, but Jon waved him off and walked toward the guy, his hands in his pockets. “What’s up?” Jon asked.
He froze and swallowed, clearly trying his absolute hardest to be cool. “N-not much. I hope this isn’t weird…”
“Nah. You a photographer?”
“Yes!” the student almost burst out with, his cheeks turning red. “Well, aspiring. You know.”
Jon nodded. “Good for you. You got any big shows under your belt yet?”
“A pretty big museum got me to do one before school. I’m working on another for the school, and then… well, I’ll take it from there.”
“Oh, so a natural talent. Great job.” That was Paulo, taking an interest now. Gabriel still hung back a pace or two beside Julius, his expression openly guarded.
Briar smiled. “You wanted a photo or something?”
“W-well, yeah, actually, if… if you wouldn’t mind. I mean, I know it’s asking a lot, shit, I’m sorry, I just…”
Paulo laughed. “No, you can have a photo. Come on, Gabe.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes quietly and elbowed Paulo, but looked around until he spotted a table and chairs. He went to slouch in one of the chairs, his elbow on the table and a finger on his jawline near his chin.
Paulo perched on the table beside him, while Jon crouched beside them. It looked perfectly staged, like they’d rehearsed this group shot idea somewhere before.
The student carefully adjusted his camera and took a couple photos while Briar and Julius stood back.
“Th-thanks a lot, guys,” the young guy laughed sheepishly, approaching to get a solo shot of each of them, too. “That’s great—thanks, Paulo. And Jon. And…”
Gabriel’s reluctance had passed. He was giving him—the camera, rather—the full Gabriel stare, lips slightly parted, head slightly to one side.
If this kid was any good at all, that was going to be a damn good shot.
“Thanks, Gabriel,” the guy nearly whispered.
“What’s your name? You got a card?” The second Julius asked, the guy was giving him a business card, and Briar grinned.
“Send us an email and we’ll talk sometime,” Briar tossed out there. He cast a quick smile at Jon, glad he’d warmed up and gotten everyone to give the kid something to remember. “What’s your name?”
“Kyler.”
“Nice name. Kyler,” Briar rolled it off his tongue, then reached out to shake hands. “Have a good night. Get in touch.”
“I will,” Kyler promised, grinning at him as he clutched his camera like he’d never held something more precious.
He probably hadn’t. Three of their top-billed models in one shot, and a few solo shots to boot? It was impressive that Kyler wasn’t shaking like a leaf.
“There’s our taxi,” Julius pointed out and waved while the guys peeled themselves off the table and chairs and loped off for the car.
Briar smiled when he’d settled in the first bench seat beside Julius.
The models had chosen the row at the back and were sprawled, all arms and legs. Jon’s arm was stretched along the back of the seat behind everyone, while Paulo kept picking at a stray tuft of Gabriel’s hair that didn’t want to lie flat until Gabriel tried to pinch him back.
God, they were a handful, but this was innocent fun compared to what he knew was coming later.
He worried for Gabriel.
“Can we have a word with you in the hotel?” Julius addressed Gabriel, and there was no doubt which of them he was looking at.
“Oooh,” Paulo and Jon chimed in, just to be annoying, and Briar cast them a quick glance but paid no real attention.
Gabriel shrugged loosely and nodded.
Sigh. He wants to have that talk. Briar changed the subject by glancing at Jon. “Glad you talked to that kid. He seems pretty cool.”
“Hope he’s a decent photographer.”
“He’ll look back someday and wish he’d done something technical a little better,” Gabriel laughed. “Hopefully he’s not bad.”
“He wouldn’t be if he hired a studio here,” Briar told them. “That shit’s expensive.”
“True,” Jon hummed, then elbowed Gabriel. “God, you didn’t hold back. He’s gonna be crushing on you forever.”
“I recognized his profile photo, I think. He’s one of my followers.”
“Dude, you have like, thousands.”
“He commented yesterday on my photo of the airport, welcoming me to Milan. It stuck in my mind,” Gabriel shrugged. “Most people are like, come meet me! but he was just cool. Or trying to be.”
