He’d not changed, but only removed his jacket. His light blue shirt, fit to perfection, had not one wrinkle in it. He was definitely among a certain type of people. The beautiful untouchable ones.
Two women and three men in the room all looked to have stepped out of a fashion magazine.
These were definitely David’s people.
“Genise, come darling. I’d like to introduce you to everyone.” He held his hand out to her and she took it. The firm hold helped her nerves settle some. Hopefully, the others would chalk up her nervousness to her not being used to his lifestyle and not that she barely knew the man.
Two of the visitors, a thin, blonde man and an equally lithe, red-haired woman were models. And definitely vampires. The other two men in the room were the redhead’s agent and her boyfriend.
The last woman she was introduced to was Margo Paltrow, David’s agent. The woman she’d only spoken to on the phone. Margo was tall and stunning. Her chestnut brown hair was swept into a chic French twist. She wore a riot-red, perfectly fitting suit, black turtleneck and matching red heels. Genise sensed that although the woman was not a witch or such, she was something…probably just an evil human.
While everyone returned to their conversation, Margo’s shrewd gaze scanned Genise from head to feet and back. The woman had sent her specific details for which clothing she was to wear to ensure she fit in to David’s world.
Jeans were not mentioned once and here she stood at her first meeting instantly realizing her mistake when Margo lifted a perfectly shaped brow as her gaze skimmed over Genise.
Unlike Margo, the other people didn’t seem to notice her wardrobe faux pas. Instead, once introduced, they returned to the topic they’d been discussing prior to her entrance unfazed.
“Would you like a drink?” David maneuvered her to the table. “Have bread and cheese. You have not eaten in hours.”
“I couldn’t possibly right now,” she admitted. The jeans were bad enough, throwing up in front of everyone would be unforgiveable. “I shouldn’t have worn jeans. Your agent is going to ream me.”
Head cocked to one side, his gaze scanned her, lingering on her bum. “You look perfectly lovely. Leave her to me,” David answered easily and pressed his lips to her temple. “Relax, they won’t eat you. These are the easy ones.”
Amazingly, the next several hours went amazingly well. Running out of tricks to disguise her yawns, Genise walked to the balcony with the pretext of refilling her wine glass.
“See that you adhere to the rules for the rest of the time you remain with David. You can save those…pants for when you return to New York.” Margo had materialized beside her. The woman’s tone was soft so only she could hear it. “I’ve arranged a hair appointment for you in the morning. I’ll add a manicure and pedicure, stick to a more neutral shade of polish.” She turned and glided back to the other guests who seemed to be leaving.
Genise waved from the balcony when they moved to the door.
Unfortunately, Margo remained behind. Her hand on David’s forearm as they bid the visitors goodbye, they made an attractive couple. Idly, Genise wondered if they’d been intimate. They seemed very comfortable with each other. When they moved to the couch and continued to talk, it was as if they were the only two people in the room.
“I’m going to take a shower and lie down,” Genise told them, not meeting Margo’s gaze. “Good night.”
“Sleep well,” Margo replied, with a sharp gleam in her narrowed eyes. “See that you get plenty of rest. You need to look fresh tomorrow for the paparazzi.”
I don’t like her, Genise texted Sally from the privacy of the bathroom. Wrapped in a plush towel, she sat on a small bench in the expansive room. Sally, being the perfect best friend, quipped back with the proper, “sounds like Satan’s other sister!” comments.
In pajama shorts and a tank top, she laved on perfumed lotion over every inch of skin and slid between the exquisite sheets.
Genise fell asleep to the soft sound of David and Margo’s conversation combined with the hum of Milan traffic outside.
* * *
At a soft snore, her eyes flew open. Genise blinked into the darkness. It was still night. The only light in the room came from the luminescent clock on the nightstand and the city lights. She squinted at the clock on the nightstand. Two o’clock in the morning. Much too early to get up.
Once again, breathing sounded.
David lay beside her. She’d not woken when he came to bed. Although she was exhausted, it should have woken her right up. It’s not every night the highest paid male model in the world slips in between the sheets with you.
Very slowly, so not to wake him, she shifted to her elbow.
The moonlight streamed through the sheer curtains settling like a soft spotlight over the bed.
David Wolfe slept on his back, with one arm over his head and the other across his stomach. Against the stark white of the sheets, he looked tan and irresistible. His plush lips were slightly parted, his face softly relaxed. She studied every feature already committed to memory prior to meeting him. Even his nose, perfectly aligned, looked to be sculpted by Michelangelo himself.
She wondered absently what he wore. He was obviously shirtless as the blankets were pulled low across his chest. She could not tell what else he wore. Genise let out a long breath and mouthed “wow” into the darkness. Then ever so slowly, she lowered her head to the pillow so she could continue to see him.
Watching his chest rise and fall with each breath, she was lulled back to sleep.
Chapter Four
“Genise.” A husky, deep voice permeated through the clouds of sleep and Genise snuggled closer to the warm body next to hers.
“Mmm?”
His hand slid down her arm and back up leaving a trail of heat. She was instantly awake. In her sleep, she’d plastered herself against David. Now she was fully aware of what little he wore. Boxers or something of the sort, nothing else.
Too mortified to move, she pretended to be half-asleep and let out a long breath.
“This is dangerous.” David didn’t move away, either. Instead, his hand continued its descent to her hip. “Tempting me, Genise?”
She opened her eyes to find he studied her face. “Sorry.” Genise moved away and turned her face into the pillow. “I didn’t realize I’d moved over,” she mumbled into the fabric.
“You were fast asleep.” He turned to face her. “It was nice to wake up with your head on my shoulder.”
If only she’d woken up first. She’d fully remember the feel of his body against hers. Now her plan to feel him up while he slept would have to wait another day. Damn.
“Come here. Why did you move away?” With rumpled hair and half-closed eyes, he reminded her of the ultimate Prince Charming. Impossible to resist.
She slid closer and he pulled her against him. “That’s better now, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” No need to lie. “Much better.”
“Are you ready for the day?” he asked as his hand, once again, skimmed over her skin. Every single molecule in her body went on high alert and Genise inhaled sharply.
“I’m not sure. A bit nervous.” Seriously, did the man plan to hold a conversation right now? Of course, their agreement did not include sex. As a matter of fact, it was very specifically indicated in the contract that she was not to engage with the super model in an intimate manner. How they were expected to sleep in the same bed and not, was puzzling. To her at least. He seemed perfectly at ease.
“Although I am used to it, there are times it all still affects me. So I understand.” He spoke in the lazy language of someone at ease with the other in bed. How often, she wondered, did he have women hired to do what she did right now?
Did he have an erection? Most men woke up with one. Would he rebuff any advances by her? Why were they having some sort of business meeting while half-naked in bed? He’d asked something and she’d been too absorbed in dirty thoughts to hear. “Oh goodness.”
>
She’d not meant to speak out loud.
David placed his fingers under her chin and lifted her face. “What?”
“Nothing. Just wondering what I’m supposed to wear today,” she lied. He was gay. That had to be it. The part of her heart that had loved him from afar for so long broke. Yet, it would certainly explain why he did not try anything.
She left her musings to focus on his words. He’d continued the conversation… “so it’s refreshing to be with someone that doesn’t give a fig about designers and such.”
The soft, English accent combined with the huskiness of just waking, was oh so sexy.
“David?”
“Yes?”
“Are you gay?”
There was a moment of silence, then a chuckle. “No. I suppose you ask because I’m not trying to have sex with you.”
Crap. Now she wanted to pull the blankets over her head and hide. “Of course not. I just wanted to ask in case…in case a male friend wanted to spend time with you. I could make myself scarce.”
He pursed his lips in thought. “If I were gay, I would not hide it. The reason you were hired is because my agent doesn’t think it does my reputation good to not have a girlfriend for so long.”
“How long?”
His shrug was accompanied with a sigh. “Two, actually three, years now, I suppose.”
“That’s a long time. Why? You can have any woman you want.”
A shuttered expression came across his features. “Can I kiss you?”
The diverting of her question was not missed, but his question took her aback. Genise smiled. “You’ve already kissed me plenty of times.”
“No, I haven’t.”
When his lips took hers with hard urgency, she learned he’d spoken the truth. The soft pecks for the public were nothing like this. His mouth tasted, took and ravished. There was no mistaking how much he desired her at the moment. The press of his hardness against her leg was a question he did not have to ask twice.
She pushed her hips forward to mash up against him and Genise almost cried out at the wonderful feel of his solid body. “Oh, God.”
He pulled back and the corner of his lips curved. “Would you allow me to…?”
The ringing of her phone was like a wet, cold splash of water. They sprang away from each other as if shocked they’d been on the brink of making love. Genise reacted first by rolling to the phone and picking it up. It was her damned alarm. “It’s six o’clock,” she said stating the obvious.
David was already standing by the bed, his erection straining against the thin fabric of his briefs. “Yes…I’ll take a quick shower and get dressed.” He turned and dug through his clothes, which had been unpacked while she slept by the looks of it. With what looked to be a pair of pants and underwear, he dashed into the bathroom and closed the door firmly behind him.
“Well that went horribly.” Genise fell back onto the pillows and pushed the heels of her hands into her eyes. “Shit.”
It would probably look bad if he came back in and she was humping the pillow to take the edge off, she mused.
* * *
Four hours later, Genise could barely keep her eyes open in the salon. She’d been waxed, spray tanned, combed, blown out and now technicians worked on her feet and fingernails.
Margo strode in, her sharp eyes honing in on her. “There you are. I was afraid I’d miss you. You didn’t answer your cell phone.”
She lifted Genise’s brand new, slick Prada bag that was set out for her that morning. “I assume it’s in here. You should keep it with you…always.” She emphasized the last word before sinking into a chair next to hers. “Now, I need to go over today’s schedule. There’s been a change. David is walking a runway at two. You will be on the sidelines. You will not see anything, notice anyone, nor will you allow any person to distract your attention from him when he walks. I cannot emphasize how important it is that you keep every single ounce of your focus on him.”
Genise took the purse from Margo and pulled out the cell phone. Three missed calls. Two from Margo and one from Sally. Annoyance at the woman’s constant scrutiny had to be pushed back. “I expected to be picked up and taken back to the hotel to meet you and David there.”
Something in the way Margo studied her made Genise stop talking. As if she sized her up, each inch of her scrutinized. “The driver is outside. I will pick up David myself. We have some work to take care of.” She strolled toward without waiting for Genise’s acknowledgement.
The woman was all business and from her demeanor, very sure of herself. Yet something about her made Genise pause. There was a proprietary air when Margo spoke of David. Why didn’t the woman just date him herself? It was the obvious solution to his “lack of dating” problem.
Perhaps Margo was already in a relationship. It could be she was doing her job and was protective of the model not than the man.
Genise narrowed her eyes at the woman’s back. Why was Margo so hateful? The woman lifted her cell phone up to her ear and instead of opening the door waved the driver over to open it for her.
Entitled much? Genise looked to the rug and the edge of it flipped up. Before she could correct what she’d done, Margo tripped and just as the driver opened the door, the woman let out a shrill scream and fell onto the sidewalk, landing in quite and unladylike position, her ass up in the air.
Okay that wasn’t nice of her, but Genise couldn’t help but smile as one of the salon workers raced to help a disheveled Margo to her feet.
So maybe Margo was a witch…no…She was a total bitch. But that had been uncalled for. Genise giggled only to stop when the manicurist gave her a quizzical look.
An hour later, when she walked in, the hotel suites had been tidied. Pristine and fresh, once again classical music flowed through the space adding to the ambience of elegance and exclusivity.
Genise glanced at a new spray of flowers of every color on a side table as she cut through toward the bedroom. The bed was made, every pillow back in place, her nightclothes neatly folded and placed on top of the comforter. Instantly, what had occurred between she and David returned forefront in her memory. Tonight, they’d lie there again, next to each other.
When a car horn sounded outside, it brought her back to the present. There was no time to waste musing, so she hurried to dress.
The driver waited outside the building and, for some reason, it made her want to hurry.
As directed by Margo, she opened the wardrobe to find it full of clothes. On one side, there was a lineup of dark suites and pressed shirts. Most of the shirts white. On the other side, dresses in an astonishing array of colors.
As she’d been ordered, Genise pulled a pale pink dress and placed it across the bed. She undressed and carefully pulled it over her head. It fell just above the knee and when she spun to study the reflection in a full-length mirror, the flirty creation moved in sync with her.
She adjusted the satin straps and matching sash that gave the dress a flattering empire waist. Obviously, whoever the wardrobe stylist was, knew exactly what flattered a plus size woman.
Fishing out a pair of perfectly matching Jimmy Choos, she could barely breathe when sliding her newly pedicured feet into the strappy sandals. She’d been told all of the clothing and accessories were hers to keep. That made her smile in spite of knowing Margo would be watching her like a hawk the entire day.
Finally, Genise donned her own pearl earrings and thin bangles on her wrists just as the front door opened. No doubt, the hotel brought another cheese and bread spread to sit uneaten. In spite of her stomach rumbling, she ignored the hunger pang and placed lipstick, compact, hotel key and driver’s license in a pearl white, Jimmy Choo clutch.
“You look beautiful.” David watched her from the doorway. “Breathtaking.”
Her heart fell to her stomach, immediately setting the never-ending supply of butterflies free. “Thank you,” Genise replied, meeting his gaze. “I thought we’d be meeting at the event. Margo sa
id you’d meet me there.”
“I told her it’s best to make our first appearance here in Milan together.” He looked to her pajamas on the bed, but said nothing more.
Dressed in sleek black trousers, a crew neck shirt and sporting a gray jacket with a barely detectable cross-lined pattern, he managed to look both casual and dressed up. His lips quivered at her study.
Genise cleared her throat. “Do you think I’m dressed appropriately? You always look so put together.”
“You look perfect.”
His soft word made her knees weaken, but she managed to keep a soft smile.
“I’m ready then.” With unsteady steps, she closed the distance between them.
They rode down in the elevator, standing beside each other without a word. The silence should have helped her pull the nerves under control, but instead she wondered what would happen next.
No matter that hundreds of questions tumbled in her brain. She couldn’t stop thinking that after today her life would be changed forever. She and David were probably already gossip fodder since leaving New York and now, once they were photographed yet again, news would explode of David Wolfe and his new girlfriend.
God she should have told her parents.
The carefree marketing and advertising woman would be on every fashion magazine and gossip website, forever to be known as “David Wolfe’s girlfriend”. Or to be more exact, “David Wolfe’s plus-sized-girlfriend”.
Thankfully, as partner in Blake & Snow, the company she’d started with Sally would get tons of free publicity. Yes, she’d convinced herself part of the reason she’d accepted the job was because of her company. But in all honesty, she wanted to meet David, get to know him. She slid a glance out of the corner of her eye to the tall, proud man. He had to know this, too. How did he feel about her using him in such a manner?
He took her hand, obviously mistaking her sigh for nerves. “It will be fine, just relax and follow my lead. The photogs are mostly harmless.”
Magic and Mayhem: London Howl (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Southern Shift Book 3) Page 3
