by Claire Adams
I laughed, “And did you believe him?”
“No way. I thought he was just a creep, and I almost sprayed him with mace,” she laughed. “I guess it was a good thing, considering he helped my career get going. Then it kind of stopped for a while.”
“Why is that?”
“I got pregnant with my son.” Cat’s smile made it obvious that her son was important to her, and she didn’t regret his impact on her career.
The revelation that she had a kid surprised me. A lot of models her age didn’t want to risk their bodies by having children. It fascinated me.
“How old is he?” I asked.
“Five.”
“Five?” I didn’t bother to hide the surprise in my voice. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“Damn. You look a lot younger than that.” The words were out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying.
Daniella smirked, and Cat blushed.
“Well, I’m a model, so I guess that’s not that surprising.”
My gaze dropped to her hand. She had a kid. Did that mean she had a man? I didn’t see a ring, nor even a ring-line.
“Well, your husband is a very lucky man,” I said.
Daniella winced, and Cat’s expression darkened. Shit. I’d obviously stepped in it.
“He passed away a few years back,” Cat said softly.
Yeah, talk about stepping in it. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
A soft smile appeared on Cat’s face. “It’s okay. It’s been a long time now. You never really get over something like that, but I’ve accepted it.”
“Okay, um, well, I’m sorry anyway.” Standing, I tried to extricate myself from the awkward situation. “Cat, it was really nice meeting you, and we’re glad to have you on board. If you’ll excuse me, I have some things to take care of.”
She offered me a nod, and I rushed off toward the hallway. I glanced over my shoulder at the table one last time before leaving. Daniella was patting Cat’s hand, and they seemed to be chatting in a friendly manner.
Good. Maybe my sister could smooth things over for me. Plus, they seemed to be hitting it off, which was also great to see.
For all that Daniella complained about me never taking time off for myself, she’d been just as devoted to this company, and she didn’t have a lot of time to make and keep friends. It’d be nice if she could pick up a new friend.
Then again, I didn’t know if I wanted my sister hanging out with a woman like Cat.
My embarrassment kept my body from reacting for once as I made my way down the hall to the elevator.
Damn. I wasn’t exactly a smooth operator, but it was pretty rare for me to stick my foot in my mouth like that. Maybe it was a good thing. Maybe it’d keep things professional between us rather than awkward.
At least I’d convinced myself of that by the time I was sitting in my office chair. Just when a hint of a thought of that long blond hair and those gray eyes threatened to sneak back into my head, my office phone rang.
“Yes?” I answered.
“The production company finally called back. Should I put them through?” my secretary answered.
“Yeah. Right away.”
I grinned to myself. I’d been working on this deal for a few months now. They were filming Thunderstruck V in Denver, and there were several big-time stunt sequences featuring motorcycles. We’d been working the supply and customization angles, but it looked like the studio was ready to ink a deal with us for a small number of identical stunt bikes.
The actual price of the bikes wouldn’t amount to much for our bottom line, but the exposure would be valuable. If we could get a good reputation with the movie industry, this could end up being a whole new revenue stream, not to mention really adding to the cool factor of our bikes.
As a biker, I knew that in the end, the bikes had to be badass. So I made sure that anyone who actually rode our bikes would never want to ride another motorcycle again, but as a businessman, I also understood that just being a quality product wasn’t enough. You needed to reel people in by whatever means you could.
“I hope you can see me up there in Heaven, Dad,” I murmured. “I hope you can see I’m taking good care of your company.”
Chapter Six
Catherine
When Sunday night rolled around, the reality of the modeling gig came crashing down on me. Starting on Monday, I’d be super-busy for a few weeks, and although I was doing it for Jack, it’d be hard for him to understand why Mommy wouldn’t have time for him.
So I wanted to have a special day with him, just Mommy and Jack together for a little lunch and a trip to the toy store.
We’d parked and made our way to the sidewalk when Jack’s eyes widened. He pulled away from my hand, rushing away.
“Jack,” I called, running after him, as my heart rate kicked up. He knew better than to run off. I didn’t know what had gotten into him.
My son halted abruptly, so fast I almost ran right into him. I took a deep breath trying to calm down, and only then did I see why he’d run off so quickly.
A row of motorcycle parking spots sat next to the sidewalk. Half were filled with Harleys. A few Strokers and Hondas stood next to them.
It had to be motorcycles.
“Look, Mommy,” Jack said, pointing. “Real motorcycles. So cool.” He stepped forward and reached out to touch one of the Strokers.
“No,” I snapped, a little too harshly.
Jack jerked his hand back and stuck his lip out. I didn’t mean to hurt my son’s feelings on our special day out.
I cleared my throat, feeling terrible. “Honey, you shouldn’t touch other people’s things. Now come on. Let’s go get some ice cream.”
Grabbing his hand, I started to pull him down the sidewalk toward an ice cream parlor.
“Excuse me,” said a gravelly voice.
I stopped and looked to my side. A huge bear of a man in a leather jacket, jeans, and chaps stood on a nearby patio for a sports bar.
Of course. Where there were bikes, there’d be bikers.
“Yes?” I said, my heart thumping even more.
“It’s okay if he looks,” the man said with a smile. He nodded toward the patio.
I barely held back my grimace. Six bikers sat around two tables. What was this, a biker convention?
“Those are our bikes, and they are nice ones,” he said. “So of course he likes them. We could even show him how they sound if he wants.”
I swallowed. “It’s okay. We have to meet someone anyway. Thanks for the offer though.” I tugged on Jack’s hand and hurried away from the friendly biker.
The last thing I needed was anyone convincing my son that bikes and biker culture were cool. It was bad enough that he played with motorcycle toys. I wouldn’t let him grow up and start riding the things that killed his father.
Jack didn’t know much about how his father died, only that he had passed away, and I didn’t see the point of going into details. It’s not like I was hiding it from him, but it was enough that he didn’t have a father and understood that he was never coming back.
I let out a long sigh. The whole point of the day was supposed to be having a good time with my son, but now my entire mood had been soured because of the stupid motorcycles.
“Are you sick, Mommy?” Jack asked.
I forced a smile on my face. “I’m fine, sweetie. Just starving for some ice cream. How about you?”
He pulled his hand out of mine to clap both of his together. “Yay. I want some rocky road. Do you think they have some?”
“Sweetie, we order rocky road every time we come. I’m sure they have it.”
By the time we reached the ice cream parlor, my good mood had returned. The door opened to tinkling bells, and just like that, my good mood vanished like a drop of water in the middle of a desert.
Daniella sat in the corner. Her presence didn’t bother me. I actually liked her, and I could eas
ily see hanging out with her. The problem was the man sitting next to her in all his tattooed glory. Drew.
At work, even though he rolled up his sleeves, he was still wearing a button-up shirt. Here, though, he had on a short-sleeved T-shirt, which revealed even more tattoos on his arm. A leather jacket hung over the back of his chair.
I barely stopped myself from cussing and did my best to avoid looking that way. If our eyes didn’t meet, maybe they wouldn’t recognize or call out to me.
“Come on, Jack,” I said quietly. “Why don’t we go find a seat, and then—”
“Cat,” Daniella shouted. She waved her arms, and I sighed. “Over here, Cat!”
There was no escape now. I put on my best smile and led my son over to Drew and Daniella.
“Funny seeing you here,” Daniella said. She beamed a smile at my son. “And this must be little Jack.”
Jack nodded. “I’m Jack, but I’m not little.”
She ruffled his hair. “Sorry, I stand corrected. I bet you take great care of your mom.”
He bobbed his head. “I sure do.” He hopped into a chair beside her like he’d known her for years. He pointed at Drew’s arm. “You have a lot of tattoos. Are you a bank robber?”
I groaned, and my cheeks heated. “Jack—”
Drew laughed and shook his head. “No, I’m not a bank robber. These are just tattoos I got to represent important things in my life.”
“They are cool,” Jack said.
“I’m glad you think so.” He winked at me. “And don’t worry about me being a bank robber. It’d be too much of a pay cut.”
Daniella rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, that’s one reason not to go into a life of crime.”
I accepted that I wasn’t going to escape, but now I had a big choice to make. If I sat across from Drew, I’d be staring at those muscled arms and those eyes that drew me in. I resisted the urge to lick my lips just thinking about it.
The problem was if I sat down next to him, then his scent and just his male power might be overwhelming to me. I didn’t know how to explain it, let alone deal with it. I couldn’t help but let my gaze drift to his crotch. I jerked my eyes up.
No, no, no. I couldn’t let myself go there. Talk about a rock and a hard place.
Something in those dark eyes of his looked way too hungry. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. Drew ran a motorcycle company and probably dated models and actresses. He had chatted with two other beautiful women for just as long as he’d seen me on Wednesday.
“Going to join us?” Drew said, a little grin on his face.
My knees went weak, and I plopped myself into a chair next to Daniella and across from Drew.
He nodded past me, presumably to an employee. I wondered what it was about, but it was taking all my concentration to not drool over being just a few feet from those corded muscles, so I didn’t bother trying to ask him.
“I won’t bore you by talking about work,” Daniella said. “Even though we were talking about starting the photo shoot tomorrow.”
Even though she specifically said she wasn’t going to talk about work, she still fell into a lengthy discussion about how great everything was going to be, how helpful the ad campaign would be to the company, and a bunch of other stuff. She was talking a mile a minute, and I couldn’t even begin to keep up. I was exhausted just listening.
All of a sudden, one of the employees dropped a large bowl of rocky road in front of me and another large bowl in front of Jack. The employee placed a large plastic spoon next to both bowls.
I blinked then looked over at the employee, but he was already behind the counter, his back turned.
“We didn’t even order,” I said.
Jack started gulping down ice cream without so much as a thank you. My confusion pushed away my concern over manners.
“Our aunt owns this place,” Drew said, nodding toward Daniella. “Earlier an employee gave me a look, and I knew he wanted to know if he should just bring out some free ice cream since you were with me.”
“But how did they know what we want?”
“I’m guessing you probably just come here a lot.”
I thought about that and gave a shallow nod. He was right about that.
“Thank you,” I managed to get out.
Something about Drew’s presumption rubbed me the wrong way, but I wasn’t about to make a scene complaining about free ice cream to the man who’d just hired me for a high-paying modeling gig.
“You’ll have to let me pay you back,” I said.
“No, no,” Drew said. “It’s not even me. It’s my aunt, and she’d be insulted if you insisted on paying.” He grinned. “Not saying you’ll always get free ice cream, though.”
I looked down at my ice cream and shrugged. I’d take what was offered, and maybe digging into the sweet treat would at least get my mind off the fact I was sitting so close to Drew.
Jack and I ate in near silence while Drew and Daniella chatted. Well, mostly Daniella. She’d stopped talking about the photo shoot and moved on to some other things about the company, something to do with parts. I didn’t care or pay that much attention to it. It was motorcycle talk after all.
My plan to avoid Drew’s hot gaze by eating ice cream went very well, right up until I ran out. I almost thought about asking for more, but I just wasn’t that hungry.
“I saw motorcycles earlier,” Jack said.
“Oh? Would you like to see an awesome motorcycle?” Drew said.
Jack nodded eagerly.
My stomach knotted. I wanted to take my son and run back to the car, but there was no way I could storm out of there without risking the job.
“Come on,” Drew said with a smile.
We all stood and trailed after him. I took a few deep breaths and hoped no one noticed how nervous I was. A quick walk took us into the parking lot to a fancy maroon touring bike. A Stroker obviously, but I did amuse myself with the thought that Drew might drive a Harley or some other model.
“I want to get on it,” Jack said.
“Sure, I don’t min—” Drew began.
“No,” I said.
Jack and Drew both looked at me.
“He’s too little, and after that tour on Wednesday and knowing how much one of these things costs, I can’t take even the smallest chance that he might damage it.”
Drew furrowed his brow and nodded, though I could see the confusion in his eyes.
I hated lying to anyone, let alone my employer. I just couldn’t stand the idea of my son on top of one of those death machines, but I wasn’t about to tell the owner of the company that.
“I really want to thank you for the ice cream,” I said. I smiled at Daniella. “And it was nice to see you again. But we should be getting home.”
Daniella smiled.
Drew didn’t smile. Instead, he stared, as if searching. Something about his stare pinned me in place. It was like he could undo me with a look.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. “It’s going to be an interesting two weeks.”
A promise lay in his voice, but a promise of what?
I grabbed Jack’s hand, turned around, and swallowed. “See you tomorrow.”
It wasn’t until we got to my car that Jack laid down a little reminder of the point of our day.
“What about the toy store?” Jack said.
I grimaced, feeling sick. “Oh, buddy, we’ll have to come back a different day. Mommy isn’t feeling well.”
I’d screwed up. This was supposed to be a special day between Jack and his Mommy, not a day for me to go running away because I was too attracted to my boss.
Chapter Seven
Drew
I stood at the edge of the assembly floor, an amused smirk on my face.
My company built motorcycles and sold them. That’s how we made money, but now most of the production in the facility was shut down except for the specialists working on the stunt bikes. So it was damn funny that everyone seemed more excited and
full of energy than I’d seen them in the last year.
We would have had the guys not working on products stay at home, but the union insisted that even if the company paid them, they still had to do their hours. I think they thought I was trying some sort of scam to lay people off, but mostly, we didn’t want too many people there with nothing to do.
Instead, they’d been told to focus on cleaning, inspection, and maintenance of equipment. That was something that needed to be done anyway.
Still, a lot of people circled the area where the photographer, Simon, and his assistant photographers set up their lights. No one cared about the photographer. They all just wanted to see the models.
All those employees certainly weren’t working on cleaning, inspection, or maintenance. Well, I guess they wanted to clean, inspect, and maintain some hot models.
I honestly didn’t really give a shit about them sitting around gawking. Since I was more than willing to pay them to sit at home and collect a check, it didn’t really matter if they sat around and stared at sexy women. I figured they’d at least get a little work done in the downtime. At least I hoped so.
My amusement turned to annoyance as I thought about the whole thing.
Damn it. Why had I agreed this? For the next two weeks, production would be ground to a halt, and I’d have models running all over with my employees distracted. It’d be one thing if they were doing inspections and maintenance with their full attention, but half-ass focus could lead to people missing problems, which could cost the company money down the line, or even create safety issues.
The last thing this place needed was OSHA crawling up our ass.
I ran a hand through my hair. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Yeah, we needed the new advertising campaign for our summer releases, but we should have put together a plan that didn’t involve models taking over the assembly floor.
We could have had all our bikes in a better location. Some park or crap like that.
The PR department and Daniella had made a good pitch about how this would really sell authenticity and all that, but now that it was here and staring me in the face, I couldn’t help but get irritated.
