by Penelope Sky
So I kept my head high and moved on.
I went to work the next day, stepping inside the historical building that looked more like an art gallery than an office. In New York, all the skyscrapers looked the same. Some were more unique than others because of their height, but they were just a sea of windows that reflected the sun as it passed in the sky.
I went the extra mile to make myself look amazing all the time, but I missed the days when putting on a bit of mascara and lipstick was good enough. Jeans and a t-shirt were perfectly acceptable. But now I had to spend an hour just doing my hair, and my makeup required layer after layer of texture and color. When I walked out the door, I was ready for a photoshoot.
I walked down the hall and approached Conway’s studio. Anytime I knocked, he was busy working on something and barely gave me the time of day, so I didn’t bother knocking this time.
Conway stood in front of his mannequin, but today, he wasn’t in a suit and tie. He was in dark jeans that hung low on his hips and a black t-shirt that hugged his biceps perfectly. His back was turned to me, so I could see the way the fabric stretched across his shoulder blades. This clothing was a lot more revealing than his suit, so I could see the way his wide chest slimmed to his narrow hips. His triceps were distinct and separate from his biceps. His forearms were even more chiseled than I realized. And the dark color of his shirt matched his tone perfectly, from his irritable personality to the short, dark hair on his head.
With arms crossed over his chest, he stared at the silver babydoll top hanging on the mannequin. Flawless diamonds reflected the art lights from the walls. Without seeing the price tag, I could only guess how expensive something like that would be.
Like, as expensive as my mother’s repossessed house.
“It’s stunning.” Any woman would feel beautiful wearing something that gorgeous.
Conway slowly turned around and regarded me, this time without an ounce of irritability. He always seemed to be pissed off about something, disappointed when things weren’t meticulously perfect. But he was in a better mood. Or maybe my compliment meant something to him. “I think it’ll look even more beautiful on you.” He snapped his fingers and directed me to the spot beside the mannequin.
Instantly, my eyes narrowed in offense. “Conway, I’m grateful to be here, but I won’t let you treat me like a dog. Enough with the snapping.” I snapped my fingers back at him to reinforce how annoying it was.
He didn’t adopt a cold expression. His green eyes seemed almost amused. This time, he extended his arm to indicate where he wanted me to stand.
It was much better than that snapping bullshit.
I stripped away my clothes because I knew he wanted me to try it on. I folded my clothes and set them in a pile on the chair but kept my underwear on.
“Lose the undergarments.”
“Then turn around.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “I see women naked on a daily basis.”
“Well, you won’t see me naked on a daily basis.”
He chuckled even though I was being dead serious. Or maybe that was why he thought it was funny. He stepped away and turned his back to me.
His ass looked so tight in those jeans.
I peeled my undergarments away and then slipped the baby doll dress over my head. The halter top was a single band, so I didn’t need to tie it into place. It fell over my body, the material so light it didn’t seem like I was wearing anything at all.
I pulled the thong on next, suddenly covered in nothing but diamonds. I was wearing a fortune. Anyone would rip it off my back because it was so valuable.
“Finished?” He stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his posture perfect even when he was dressed casually. The definition of his physique was noticeable through his clothes, the tightness of his muscles, and the way his body fell into place.
I adjusted my hair around my shoulders, fixing myself up before he finally saw me. “Yeah.”
He turned around, and his eyes lightened with obvious approval. He slowly walked toward me as he examined me from head to toe, seeing the way the fabric contrasted against my tanned skin. His hand covered his chin, his thoughts lost in the lingerie. His shirt hugged his chest the way it hugged his back, hinting at the beauty underneath his cotton fabric. Black was a perfect color on him, matching his rough exterior and complimenting his skin tone.
He stepped closer to me, his hands close enough to touch me. He stared at my chest and studied the way the garment fell over my body. Then he reached out and touched the strap on my left shoulder. He rubbed his thumb against the soft material then felt my bare skin.
I immediately stopped breathing, immobile the second he touched me. The smell of his soap entered my nose, and I wondered how he smelled when he was slick with sweat after an intense workout. I felt the calluses on his fingertips when he touched me, but I liked the roughness. It reminded me of a sheet of sandpaper, rigid and hard, but enjoyable at the same time.
His hands started at both shoulders and then slowly slid down, moving over my slender arms and all the way down to my elbows. He wasn’t touching the lingerie at all, but studying my body with his hands as a measurement. He didn’t look into my eyes because he was concentrating on my body, seeing the way the lingerie moved against me as he touched me. “Take a deep breath for me.”
I obeyed, sucking the air into my lungs. My chest expanded.
He watched it rise as he held my hands in his. He massaged my forearms then the palms of my hands.
A man’s touch had never felt so good.
His hands moved to my chest next. He didn’t ask permission before he placed both palms above my tits, feeling my body in a way that was so intimate I forgot to breathe again. “Breathe.”
I knew he noticed my reactions to him. I just hoped he didn’t understand what they meant. I took another deep breath, feeling the weight of his hands press against me. His fingertips dug into me slightly when my chest rose.
His palms migrated down, skipping over my tits and reaching my stomach. His fingertips hugged my waist, feeling the way it curved inward after my rib cage. His thumbs dug into me a little harder as they slid to my hips.
Then Conway moved to his knees in front of me and explored me from the waist down.
Now I couldn’t breathe at all.
He gripped my thighs then slowly dragged his fingers down, touching me like a man caressed his lover. His fingertips grazed my knees and moved all the way down to my ankles. His eyes worshiped me with the same intensity.
My lungs ached when they couldn’t hold in the air any longer. I released my breath and breathed harder, unable to hide my reaction anymore.
Conway rose to his feet again, moving slowly as his fingertips trailed over my skin. He moved over the fabric of my thong and lifted my dress slightly on the way up. When he was at his full height, he was much closer to me than he had been a second ago. Now his face was practically pressed against mine. His warm breaths gently blanketed my face. His hands moved to my hips, his fingertips digging into me again. “Turn around.” The deep baritone of his voice washed over me, enticing my nerves and making me shudder in weakness. The room was so silent that his quiet words felt explosive in my ears.
I didn’t think twice before I obeyed him. I faced the other way, seeing him stand behind me in the reflection in the mirror. His hand snaked up the back of my neck until he dug under the fall of my hair. Then he moved it to the side, exposing my neck. His eyes drank in my flesh as he gripped my hips. He pulled me into him slightly, pressing his chest into my back.
That’s when I felt it. The distinct outline of his enormous cock through his jeans. He was long, thick, and nearly throbbing.
I didn’t want my cheeks to flush with color, but I knew there was no stopping it.
Conway didn’t look at my expression in the mirror. His eyes were focused on me right in front of him. He craned his neck down and pressed a kiss to the back of my neck.
His lips were so hot,
I felt myself melt.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling my body tense in a sensual reaction. Without my even realizing it, a quiet moan escaped my lips. I liked his touch, loved the way his soft lips caught against my skin slightly. Some of his breath washed over me at the same time, the heat making me burn from the inside out.
He pressed his forehead against the back of my head. “So fucking beautiful.” His words rolled over me like a physical touch. His hands gripped my hips again, and he pressed a kiss to my shoulder.
I didn’t stop him. I just let it happen. I closed my eyes and leaned back into him, letting him kiss me with his pretty mouth and touch me with his manly hands. I wasn’t here to be one of the models he took to the bed in the corner. I just needed money until something more appropriate came along. I didn’t need to know Conway better to understand he was a playboy. He told me he’d never had a girlfriend, so he fucked women then moved on to the next one. I didn’t want to be just some random woman.
He kissed my neck next, his hands pulling me harder into him.
It would be so easy to let this happen. I wanted to turn around and get that mouth on mine. I wanted to explore his hard body that I’d been staring at all day. A part of me wanted to be another meaningless fling.
But then the door opened.
Lacey Lockwood stepped inside, furious before she even laid eyes on us. Her hair was styled for the runway, and smoky eye makeup was painted across her lids. In sparkling heels and a skintight black dress, she looked every bit of the model that she was.
Conway stopped kissing me, but he kept his hands on my hips.
It took Lacey less than two seconds to deduce what was going on. “She’s wearing the Queen of Diamonds?”
Conway dropped his hands from my waist and walked around me. “Yes.”
If she stomped her foot, she would look like a child on the playground. She had such a beautiful face that it looked wrong to see her so angry. She set one hand on her hip as her nostrils flared. “I thought I was the one doing the finale for the show on Saturday.”
Conway didn’t rise to her anger. “I never said you were.”
Her eyes doubled in size. “She has no idea what she’s doing.”
“And you have no idea what you’re doing,” he said coldly. “You just marched into your boss’s office to tell him how to do his job.”
I stood directly next to the confrontation, and I wished I could slip away and disappear. The angrier Lacey became, the worse it would be for me. Once Conway wasn’t around, she would trash me to all the others girls, and they would make me pay for what I did.
“I tell you how to do your job.” Conway was an irritable man, but he managed to keep the conversation somewhat civil by not raising his voice. With his kind of power, he didn’t have to. “You’re in the second act. Now get out of my office.”
Instead of leaving, Lacey looked at me like I was a disgusting bug she found in the basement. “Why are you so fascinated with her? She auditioned in jeans and a t-shirt. Jeans!”
“And she was still the best model there,” Conway countered. “What does that say about you? She can be beautiful without taking her clothes off. That’s what modeling is about. Get out. I won’t ask you again.”
Lacey’s jaw fell open, shocked that Conway would tell her off like that.
I was shocked too. Lacey was one of the biggest faces of his company. Whenever they interviewed her, she gushed about how wonderful Conway was. She was the biggest ass-kisser on the planet.
She stormed out again, her thick hair shaking from left to right as she made her exit. She slammed the door behind her, but she was too weak to cause any real damage. Her heels echoed on the hardwood floor, and the sound disappeared when she was finally at the end of the hallway.
I was relieved the confrontation was over, but I suspected it was only the beginning of much worse things. “Maybe you should use her. She has a lot more experience than I do.”
“Don’t want her.” He opened a black box on his desk and pulled out a diamond necklace. “I want you.” He placed it around my neck, his fingers grazing against my collarbone as he hooked the necklace around my throat. “She’ll get over it. Just ignore her.”
“It’s hard to ignore someone when they hate you.”
“I do it all the time.” He stepped back to admire me, and he acted like he hadn’t just kissed my body in vulnerable places. Maybe that was something he did with everyone, so it wasn’t meaningful at all.
“No one hates you. They all love you.”
“But they don’t really know me. They just know about my money. Lacey has been kissing my ass since the first day she got here. She doesn’t want me for me. She only wants me for the things I can do for her—and I don’t owe her a damn thing.”
“I still don’t want to cause trouble…put me in the second act. For a woman like Lacey, this is a career. For me, I just need the money. It means a lot more to her, and we both know she’s gorgeous.”
His fingertips moved up my neck until he gently gripped my chin. He forced my gaze directly on his. “She’s nothing compared to you, Ten. You have something she doesn’t. All the models here know it—and they’re threatened by you. As they should be. I’m putting you in my grand finale because it’s where you belong.” His fingers slowly slid down my neck and to my collarbone. “I won’t change my mind.”
9
Conway
My sister never called me that week, so I called her.
“Hey, Con.” She sounded rushed, like she was walking out the front door. “What’s up?”
“What are you doing tonight?” Anastasia was staying at my house for the next few weeks, so I wasn’t eager to be at my place in Milan. She was a nice girl, but I didn’t want to make small talk with her. I couldn’t put her up in an apartment or let her occupy my place while I stayed at my villa in Verona because she shouldn’t be alone, not after what she’d been through.
But I didn’t want to see her either.
“Why does every conversation we have feel like an interrogation?”
“I’m just making conversation.” I walked from my studio toward my place a few blocks away, but I was moving as slowly as possible.
“No, you aren’t.”
“Why won’t you just answer the question?”
“Because I don’t have to.”
“Maybe I want to hang out with you,” I teased.
“Yeah right,” she said. “Never in a million years.”
“I don’t know about that…” I actually liked my sister a lot. She was a bit sassy, but I’d rather have a sister with an attitude than one who was just stupid. “So, what are you doing?”
“You’re the richest man in Italy, and you wonder what I’m doing?”
“The more you don’t answer the question, the more concerned I am.”
She sighed into the phone. “Fine. I have a date.”
I stopped in my tracks on the sidewalk, turning into a protective psychopath quicker than the snap of a finger. “He’s not picking you up, right?”
“No. You and Dad taught me well.”
“How do you know him?”
“School.”
“Is he a student?”
“Yes.”
“What’s his name?” I demanded. “Full name.”
“Get over yourself, Conway. I’m hanging up now.”
I’d seen enough terrifying shit to know that any guy was a threat. It could all be staged so they could take her when her guard was down. I’d seen naked women stand on a stage while a bunch of bastards bid on their freedom. They took them back to their mansions and did unspeakable things. I would never let that happen to my only sister. “Where are you going?”
“Goodbye, Conway.” She hung up.
I growled and then called one of my guys. I had her phone traced, and the GPS coordinates were sent directly to my phone. It was a huge breach of privacy, but I didn’t give a damn. She was twenty-one years old and smart, but ju
st a single mistake could change her life forever.
I followed the signal to a small café next to the road. It had a patio outside, tables with umbrellas to block out the summer heat. A fountain was in the center, falling water mixing with the Italian music that played in the background.
A man rose from his chair to greet her. He kissed her on the cheek.
Alright, I was liking this guy a little more.
He pulled out the chair for her next and then sat across from her.
I stood across the street and watched their date from an alleyway. There was lots of smiling and lots of talking, so it seemed to be going well. He didn’t try to show affection during the date by touching her hand or leg under the table. He wore a collared shirt with jeans. He looked young, like a young man in his university years.
When the bill arrived, he paid for it.
Good.
They left the restaurant together and walked up the street, probably heading back to her place.
I lingered behind, staying a good distance away.
Halfway there, he grabbed her hand and held it.
He walked her to her door, and they exchanged a few words before he kissed her goodnight.
I looked away so I wouldn’t have to see it.
And then he left.
She went inside, and he headed back toward the restaurant.
Maybe I overreacted a little bit.
I headed back toward my place, walking a few blocks toward the western part of town.
My phone rang, and her name appeared on the screen.
I answered. “Changed your mind about hanging out?”
“Conway, watch me again, and see what happens.”
Click.
* * *
Anastasia spent her time watching TV and eating whatever was in the kitchen. She didn’t try to make conversation with me after I’d become unresponsive to most things she said. I spent the majority of my time in my office, sketching out all the ideas that were coming to mind.
Ever since Ten walked into my life, I’d been nothing but inspired.
When I felt her body in my hands, my lips ached to worship her. I wanted to taste her, to taste her perfume instead of just smelling it. I wanted to press my hard dick against her ass so she would know how much she turned me on.
