“So, he’s going to do the hard work so you can run around playing with shapes?” Bill asked with a straight face. Jenna laughed and stuck her tongue out at him.
“That would work, wouldn’t it? Erika could help design—she’s good. We are both crap with the business end of things, though,” Jenna said seriously.
“Your wine bar does okay,” Josh commented.
“I pay good money for the books to be in good shape. I waste good money, actually, if I am being honest. If I had a better handle on that stuff, I would do more myself.”
“It is certainly a possibility.” Josh thought it over. “Although I don’t want to give up the woods for the city.”
“I can design anywhere. A home office is fine by me, but I’ll need somewhere centrally located to meet clients.”
“Don’t bother arguing, Josh.” Bill laughed as the check came. “She’ll talk herself hoarse to get what she wants. When she was ten years old she would come into the library, pour herself some ‘scotch’—out of the ‘special’ bottle, which was apple cider—and chat to me about the latest thing she wanted. It wasn’t often she didn’t talk me around.”
“You never gave me what I wanted!” Jenna said in indignation.
“Well, the pony wasn’t my idea.”
Jenna’s smile was small and childlike as she looked up at her dad through her lashes. It was the cutest thing Josh had ever seen this feminine hard-ass do. It endeared her to him, this full picture of who she was. Even as he thought it, though, she sobered. “We aren’t okay, you and I. We have a long road to go. But Mom loved you, and I loved Mom, so I will try.”
Bill sobered too. “That is all I can ask for. Please note, I still work a lot. I don’t have a lot of time. Don’t expect Mr. Cleaver.”
Jenna snorted and got up to leave. “Right, like I could handle a man like that.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The next day Jenna didn’t know what to think about her life. Connecting with her father had been strange. It had felt as if a circuit had closed and all systems were now operating smoother. It was a link to her past, to more memories of her mother, of the good parts of her childhood. She could never fully forgive him, but she could try to build a new relationship with him. She could build a bridge, perhaps a shaky one, but she could see where it led. The second he turned into the man she remembered, she would cut him loose.
Josh had been worrying about the hot dog vendor all day. He found a window to watch the guy; he had Jax doing errands to see if the guy paid attention, and when it was time to go to the photo shoot, Josh, Jax, and Don all came to get her.
“Oh look, I have an entourage,” Jenna said as Josh beckoned.
“These yokels are amateurs,” Don snarled.
“Isn’t that redundant? Yokel and amateur?” Jenna mused as she shut everything down.
Crissy chose that moment to bustle in. “Jenna, I have the copies you needed. Erika had me make some, too, and file. I am ready for the list you have for me?”
Crissy was damned efficient. She didn’t know what the hell she was doing and still managed to get it done faster than Monica had. Erika and Mike loved her, and Don constantly had his eye on her. She would end up working for Don in some capacity—Don wasn’t the kind of guy to let good talent slip away—and probably end up with a business degree instead of a law degree. Don had a way of talking people into things. It helped that he had already raised her salary.
Bill Anderson had an eye for talent. Jenna knew perfectly well he had only let her steal Crissy because he was trying to mend bridges. She’d take it.
The four of them hit the lobby without so much as a peep. As soon as they were outside, Don started laughing, and then shouldered Jax. “I’m hungry. C’mon, I’ll treat you to a beef frank.”
As they trucked closer to the vendor, the itch erupted between Jenna’s shoulder blades. She clutched Josh’s arm. He looked down on her with furrowed brow but kept moving until she finally let go and stopped.
“C’mon, Jenna. I’m here with you. You’ll be fine,” he said quietly.
She knew it was the vendor. Knew it. Just like she had known that Josh had been in the shadows in the woods. She just did. Unlike Josh, she wasn’t anxious to get up close and personal to dangerous things.
“What’s the matter, Jenna? Not hungry?” Don called. “Kid doesn’t eat,” she heard him say to Jax.
The hot dog vendor glanced over and met her eyes. Slicked-back hair and ruddy-faced, he was sleaze in an apron. The way he stood and the twitch of his fingers said he wasn’t legit, and he wasn’t straight. She bet he didn’t have an addiction like the gunman in the woods, but he was bent on something, and his eyes held intent. He either wanted something from her, or she had a part in his job.
“Gross, Don. I don’t eat processed meats.” Jenna looked away with clenched teeth, trying not to show her suspicion. Josh walked away with her, hand on her back. A second later they were joined by Don and Jax again, hot dogs half eaten.
“Shall we?” Don asked. “So, what team are you boys into?”
“Baseball or football? Be specific,” Jax said, finishing his dog. “Those dogs aren’t bad.”
They turned the corner and Don stopped them with a hand. “The gun is in the third cubby on the end. Where he stores his buns. Probably in the middle of the heap so he can get it if he needs it, but not so it’s directly visible. Definitely your guy, though. He had eyes only for Jenna. Not the cream of the crop and not real bright. At least we know it ain’t all that personal.”
“How do you know all this?” Jax asked, mystified.
“Hot dog vendor ain’t real original.” Don cocked his head at Josh. “What turned you on to it?”
“Jenna,” Josh said. “She’s got this weird sixth sense. She pointed to him last night. What’s the plan?”
Don took out his phone. “Easy: call the cops. If he’s smart, he’ll play dumb. They can’t search him. But that guy is far from smart. He’ll probably run. If he does, he has warrants, and they’ll chase him. Either way, he’s out of your hair. Good spot, Jenna girl. Cliché, Rover, off you go. I’ll stay here and wait for the cops.”
“Who’s watching Erika?” Jenna asked as they jumped in a cab.
“She’s inside. She won’t leave until we get back. She’ll be a’right,” Jax answered.
After a pause, Jax asked, “What’s with that guy sometimes sounding like an executive, and sometimes sounding like an undereducated idiot?”
“Don, you mean?” Jenna asked. After Jax nodded, Jenna continued, “He grew up poor. He makes an effort to talk properly, but when he gets…familiar, he slips.”
“Weird. Don’t trust that guy,” Jax muttered.
Jenna ignored him as they made it to the familiar building and the familiar assistants. Then came the familiar look of abject fear and uncomfortable squirming from Josh as Ralph, the photographer, slinked up to them from the food table with a stained yellow T-shirt that said MY BOYS CAN SWIM below the image of three sperm. He held an éclair with cream discharging on his hand.
“Oh, hello,” he said, taking a big bite of the éclair and eating with his mouth open, the cream oozing across his teeth and tongue. “What have we here? Two large men, I see. Heavily muscled. Uh huh. One pretty lady. All slightly older. Needing directions to their collective youth, possibly?”
“Here for an appointment,” Jenna drawled.
If Ralph heard her, he gave no sign. He was all about Josh.
He stepped closer to Josh slowly, invading his personal space. His feet stopped a foot from Josh’s, the top of his head lining up with Josh’s neck. Josh held his ground, clearly determined not to show fear, arms at his sides with muscles taut. His control was firmly in check, but his eyes were minefields.
Ralph looked up into Josh’s face and a slow smile worked its way up his cream-stained mouth. “Ah yes, I remember you.” He took another cream-filled bite.
Ralph didn’t seem gay, but Jenna had the feeling he w
as an expert at discovering what made people tick. Or in this case, what made them squirm. Jenna bet Ralph had been looking forward to this appointment. Looking forward to taking a crack at Josh.
Here we go.
Ralph stared up into Josh’s eyes for a moment more, apparently not noticing or caring about the death threat that looked back, then let his gaze roam. From his intimate vantage point, he looked at Josh’s large expanse of shoulders, turning his head from one side to the other in mental measurement. He looked over pecs, leaning closer, examined his abs by crouching down, and then straightened.
Josh relaxed a fraction, probably thinking Ralph was nearly done. Instead, Ralph leaned closer again…and looked down.
It was as if Ralph was trying to see Josh’s body as Josh saw it, but with Jenna’s eyes. Josh flinched as if he’d been slapped, his body going completely taut.
Jenna snickered. She’d forgotten how freaking weird this photographer was. And how fun it was to watch Josh freak out.
“Big feet,” Ralph said, looking up at Josh again with a knowing smile. Josh stared straight ahead, apparently deciding to ignore all further interaction with the loony tune in his personal space.
Ralph stepped back and hit Jenna with that smile. “Goodie, I get to photograph the pair. How exciting.” His smile withered as his brain skittered off in another direction. “I heard about the groundbreaking. Would have liked to see that. It would’ve given me some great ideas for angle.”
It was Jenna’s turn to fall under that watery brown scrutiny. As Ralph looked her over, she glanced around at their surroundings. It was the same as before, with lights and cords everywhere, a table set up with food, mostly picked over by the half-crazy, though genius, photographer, cameras and equipment on a stand, and a large area in front of a white screen with props. She saw a model of the building, a giant, white square block, and some other things she hoped weren’t all for them. Josh would run screaming for the door if too much was thrown at him. Jenna could tell he was already contemplating a hasty exit.
“Boring you, am I?” Ralph asked from directly behind her now. He stepped around her and looked into her eyes. “Hmmm, lovely eyes. Yes, the pair of you have them. Tiger eyes for the man, dolphin— No, what am I thinking? Hmmm. You’ve gained weight, I see.”
Jenna held her breath. She saw Josh shift position. So did Ralph.
“Oh, exactly. Yes!” Ralph stepped behind Jenna again.
Josh was no longer looking at the far wall. Minefield triggered, he was now looking just over her right shoulder where Ralph stood.
“That is what I remember! The reason I wanted you back—yes-oh-yes. Danger, attraction, desire. Yeesss, flowing bodies, the predator, the protector, the protected. Hmmm. Let’s play around with that.”
Ralph, having found his inspiration, started to move toward his equipment. Suddenly, as an afterthought, he caught sight of Jax.
He stopped abruptly, his brow furrowing in confusion, an oddly human trait for once. He silently turned and stared at Jax.
The room hushed as Jax stared back.
Ralph tilted his head as he continued to stare at Jax.
Jax leaned forward with a dumbfounded expression while continuing to stare back.
Neither knew what to make of the other, but Jax wasn’t having the same reaction to all this as Josh. Jax was treating the whole situation like one big joke. With a smile half formed, he was waiting for the punch line.
Ralph turned his body back toward his equipment, now sideways to Jax, but kept his head facing Jax. It was Jax’s turn to tilt his head, the smile playing peekaboo on his lips.
“What the…?” Jax breathed. Confusion replaced the smile.
“Who are you?” Ralph finally asked, not moving anything but his mouth. He sounded like the caterpillar in the cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland.
“I came with them.” Jax gestured toward Josh.
Ralph took a side step in Jax’s direction. “You’re fat.”
Jax took a step backward. “That’s not very nice.”
“But you have something.” Sidestep. “More danger? Hmmm. Action. Action? Hmmm.” Sidestep.
Jax back-pedaled. It was Josh’s turn to let a smile bud.
Ralph took another sidestep, then one more until he was a foot away, peering at Jax over his shoulder. “You have a look. Rugged. Not handsome, exactly. Striking. Interesting. You draw the eye. Likeable.”
Everyone jumped. Jenna was even caught up with it, riveted to Jax and Josh’s uncomfortable stances.
“But what can I do with you?” Ralph asked softly.
“I’m not here for that. I’m just watching.” Jax stepped away again. He apparently didn’t have the same hang-ups that Josh did.
“Nude. You would be more comfortable nude.” Ralph bent at the waist with his arms crossed, surveying Jax while looking up at him. The result was a contorted photographer.
“Mental case,” Jax muttered to himself. Josh snickered.
He was also good, Jenna would give him that. Jax was probably always more comfortable nude.
“Get to makeup, all of you. Where are my assistants?” Ralph roared. That brought his fearless helpers and their twittering.
Ralph stepped in front of Jenna. “Slinky, glittery, show off her figure.” In front of Josh he said, “Think Bond.” In front of Jax he said, “Nude.”
Jax was minus a smile. “I am not stripping all my clothes for you, man. You’ve lost your marbles.”
Ralph leered at Jax. “Flashing eyes. Oh, look how dark they get when he’s angry. I bet they get that dark when he’s aroused, too. Hmmm. Black suit. Black on black. Bring out those peepers.”
As Jenna led Josh and Jax away, they heard Ralph singing, “Jeepers, creepers, I just love them peepers…”
“That guy is out of his fucking mind,” Jax said as he looked back.
“He is a bit odd, but he does good work or he wouldn’t be in demand,” Jenna commented as they walked into the makeup room.
“Oh, he is the best,” their blond makeup clone twittered. “He works whenever he wants, with whomever he wants. No one says ‘no’ to him because they always come out looking fabulous.”
“I’m with you, Jax. Guy’s fucking nuts,” Josh said in a growl.
After they had makeup, clothes, and about all they could stand of the twittering assistants, they returned to the photo set. Ralph had an array of cameras set up and the white block in the middle of empty space.
“Okay, tiger eyes, on the right.” Ralph gestured. “Nighthawk, left. Make a sorta…” He threw his hands up and waved them around. Not even Jenna had a clue as to what he was trying to say. A clone danced in and positioned Jax leaning against the cube in a lackadaisical pose. “Okay, girl in the middle. Let’s see what we’ve got.”
Turned out, they didn’t have much. They started a marathon of pose changes. Standing, sitting, kneeling—nothing was quite right. Finally Jax was kicked out of the shot.
“Now,” Ralph said in an extended release of breath. “Male, show danger. Female, drape over his body. Make love to him. Want him. Feel him.” After a beat, Ralph took the camera away and scrutinized Josh. He put the camera back to his eyes and said in a voice that was more Hannibal Lecter than Gollum, “Jenna-dumpling, you are looking a little plump these days. Are you putting on the pounds?”
Jenna knew it was a ploy, but it still stung. She pushed it away, re-centering herself. She’d heard worse so a photographer could get what he wanted.
Ralph sucked in a long, hissing breath and the camera lit up the room. Josh must have reacted as he was meant to.
In answer to her thought, she felt his arm come around her protectively. “Look at me, Jenna.”
She looked up and met his sunburst eyes, his long black lashes making a beautiful tableau. “Say the word and we’re out of here.”
“Look at the camera,” Ralph shouted in a manic fit, and then took a step back as Josh looked at him instead.
Jenna didn’t waste
it. She gave Ralph what he was after, within the wrap of Josh’s arm. She draped and bent, going slinky, then flirty, then hard, then sexy. She tried to keep her wits, and not get wrapped up in Josh’s scent, or be carried away by the feel of his body, or go too far into Ralph’s fantasy land. She did try.
Ralph knew how to goad Josh now, though, knew how to bring out that protective quality, and whenever he did, Josh radiated safety to Jenna as he exuded malice around him. Jenna reveled in it, feeling the energy, the passion, the heat.
Much to Josh’s dismay, so did Ralph.
Finally, when Jenna was almost panting with pent-up sexual desire, Josh nearly panting with the desire to rip off Ralph’s head, and Ralph literally panting with exuberance, he brought the camera down and stared at them with a smile. “Good! Very good! It would have helped if he’d had some experience. Any experience. But we got it! I knew we could.”
“You got a death wish, man,” Jax said from the side, lounging against a post.
As before, Ralph looked at him and remembered who he was and why he was there, and then stared. Again. His head tilting in analysis.
Something about Jax obviously drew him, but, unlike Josh, he was hard-pressed to figure out what.
A half-hour later Ralph was ranting, pacing, and throwing food at the assistants. He’d tried everything to goad Jax. Commenting on his looks, his weight, trying to seduce him, trying to get him angry. Nothing seemed to work. There was something there, but apparently without nudity involved, Ralph wasn’t finding it.
Jax, however, did find it. It being the punch line. He was laughing hysterically, wiping his eyes and clutching his stomach. The madder Ralph got, the harder Jax laughed. Insults and seductions alike were received as jokes. Anger caused guffaws.
It wasn’t until Josh lost his patience and broke up the party that Ralph finally found what he wanted, purely by accident. All it took was Josh mentioning Jenna’s trip into the ghetto that night and the time they would all leave. Suddenly, all humor dropped, Jax was in work mode, giving Josh his undivided attention.
Unexpected Guardian (Skyline Trilogy Book 3) Page 20
