Dressed to Kill (COBRA Securities Book 22)

by Velvet Vaughn

  “I’m excited,” Cassidy enthused. “It sounds like fun.”

  After she disconnected, Gage reached for his phone, but she jerked it from his reach. One of his eyebrows quirked, and the move was so damn sexy she wanted to attack him again.

  “Don’t you want me to contact Harlow?”

  “Oh, right.”

  After she handed the phone back to him, he retraced his steps to the window. She needed to either shower or head back to her office to email contracts to their replacement guests, but she was mesmerized by his profile.

  As if he felt the weight of her stare, he turned to her. She didn’t look away. Neither did he. Finally, a smile broke along his face, and he walked toward her. “Harlow’s available, too.”

  She reached for the phone, fighting an unexpected rush of tears. This man had stepped into her life and solved her problems in one fell swoop.

  After she spoke to the woman whose family was as close to royalty as it got in the United States, she marveled again at how he secured the commitments so quickly and easily. “Are you going to explain to me how you know so many celebrities?”

  “They’re married to coworkers.”

  “Really?” It was ridiculous how relieved she felt at that simple sentence. From what she knew of him, he was the complete package and could’ve easily dated each woman.

  “Jade is married to one of my bosses, Logan Bradley. Layla is married to Luke Colton, my other boss. Cassidy wed Mason Rossi, and Harlow tied the knot with Sawyer Oldham.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed.”

  “When Stella told you there was a problem earlier, you said ‘what now.’ Have you had other issues?”

  “Little things like half the rooms we booked were canceled, but the hotel made good on the contract. One of the cameramen had his equipment stolen. And unfortunately, some accessories were lost in the mail.”

  “It sounds like someone is trying to sabotage your show from the inside.”

  “Yeah.” And the thought made her sick. It had to be someone involved with the production. Someone she knew. How else would they know how to get in touch with the special guests?

  “Can you think of anyone who might want to cause problems?”

  The first names that popped into her head were Austin and Abilene. They would do anything to destroy her and Ginny. “My half-siblings.”

  “Ginny mentioned them. Abilene and Austin. I’ll look into them.”

  “If she told you about them, then she must have explained our…unique situation.” Understatement. Her family was unconventional, to say the least, but she wouldn’t trade Ginny for the world. She was so fortunate to call her mom.

  Brooklyn would’ve loved to know her birth mother, but she’d died giving her life. Ginny had always made sure she knew about her and her accomplishments. She’d lived an exciting life before she met Charleston Fontana.

  “She told me you are half-sisters and that you have another half-sister, Cheyenne. Do you think she could be involved?”

  “Absolutely not.” Her response was instant. She wasn’t especially close to Cheyenne, but they loved each other. “She’s a respected doctor and mother of two. We’ve never had any kind of rivalry. She’d have nothing to gain by destroying me.”

  “Anyone else you can think of?”

  “I recently lost two assistants. I had to fire one, and the other quit.”

  “What are their names?”

  “Joanna Greer and Ruth Long. Joanna was caught stealing clothes and accessories for the show. Ruth quit because she didn’t get the assignment she wanted. Other than that, the modeling world is a cut-throat business. Maybe one of my competitors doesn’t want to see me succeed.” A lightbulb went off in her brain. “Carol Graves. I can’t believe I didn’t think of her sooner,” she muttered.

  “Who’s she?”

  “Another supermodel. She’s always been standoffish with me. She’s been in the business longer, and she sees any younger model as a threat. She tried to get me kicked off runway shows in the past. When my television show was announced, she threatened to sue me. She insisted she had the original idea to create a program to mentor potential models. She didn’t have any documentation to back up her claim, and we never spoke, so she couldn’t have told me about her idea. There was no case.”

  “That’s definitely a motive.”

  And Carol was vindictive enough to go through with it. She glanced at her watch and stood. “I have to shower and change for the meeting tonight. It’s casual, so you don’t need to dress up.”

  They took the elevator to the second floor. “Ginny showed you your room?”

  He held the door open for her as they stepped out. “Yes.”

  “Okay, well, I’ll see you soon.”

  She disappeared into her room and stripped to shower, wishing Gage would join her under the hot spray of water.

  Chapter Five

  Gage adjusted his tie in the mirror, lamenting the fact that he was wearing a suit. Brooklyn said the meeting was casual, but this would be his debut in her world. He wanted to make a good first impression as the new boyfriend of Brooklyn Fontana. He’d be under a microscope, his picture filling the pages of gossip magazines and supermarket tabloids.

  The black Ermenegildo Zegna suit paired well with a royal blue shirt and gray tie. He’d trade the Tom Ford leather oxfords for running shoes in a heartbeat, but they matched the suit. He was freshly shaved and about as polished as possible, including a light spritz of Melody Colton’s new scent for men from her Harmony! line. Gage had made the mistake of telling her he never wore cologne. When she heard about his assignment in the world of high fashion, she insisted he take the bottle. He had to admit that he didn’t hate it. It reminded him of the ocean.

  After securing his Sig Sauer in an ankle holster, he was ready to go. Brooklyn’s door was closed, so he headed to the lower level. Ginny was in the kitchen when he stepped off the elevator.

  “My goodness, you clean up well,” she said approvingly.

  “Thanks. You look beautiful, Ms. Hurst.” She wore a purple pantsuit. Eggplant, he supposed the color was called.

  She smiled at his comment. “None of the formality. It’s Ginny.” She looked over his shoulder as the door opened behind him. “Here comes Irene. I’ll introduce you.”

  He turned to see a woman with thick brown hair fastened into a braid wearing a khaki-colored uniform. She was late twenties or mid-thirties, he’d guess. She looked up in surprise as she entered.

  “Oh, Ms. Hurst. I thought you would be gone.”

  “We will be soon. Irene, I want to introduce you to Brooklyn’s boyfriend, Gage Monahan. He’ll be staying with us for a few days.”

  Gage shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You, too, Mr. Monahan. Please let me know of any food or drinks I can stock in the kitchen for you. We leave a list on the pantry door.” She showed him where it was located. “I make trips to the grocery often.”

  “Thanks. I will.”

  Irene hurried off to clean when Ginny’s phone dinged. She frowned as she read the message. Grabbing her purse, she said, “I have to take care of something at the office. Can you let Brooklyn know I’ll meet you there?”

  “Sure.”

  As soon as she left, the elevator doors slid open, and Brooklyn appeared. He wasn’t prepared for the impact of Supermodel Brooklyn. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear someone sucked all the oxygen from the penthouse. She looked stunning in a gauzy blue dress that accentuated her light eyes. Her bounty of golden hair cascaded in soft waves over her shoulders and down her back. Her makeup emphasized her features, and the scent of gardenias washed over him, reminding him of sunshine and happiness. He wanted to drink her in. “Wow, you look amazing,” he murmured in a colossal understatement.

  “So do you.” Her eyes traveled down his body. “Armani?”

  “Zegna.”

  “If his people see you in that, they’ll be calling you to walk the runway.”

&n
bsp; He chuckled. Like that would ever happen. “Your dress is beautiful.”

  A blush crept into her cheeks. “Thanks. It’s one of my designs.”

  He knew next to nothing about fashion, but even he could tell it was incredible. She’d be very successful.

  “Are you ready?” He held his arm out, and she clutched it.

  She gave him a quick rundown of what would happen. “The meeting will last about an hour, I hope. Maybe longer, depending on how many questions people have. Dinner will be served after.”

  “I won’t get in the way,” he assured her as the elevator descended. “I’ll stand back and observe, so don’t feel as if you need to include me or entertain me. I’ll be fine.”

  #

  Gage might be fine—and he was in the handsome sense—but Brooklyn was having a hard time concentrating. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator and spotted him, she felt as if someone had zapped her with an electric cattle prod. She hadn’t been kidding about him walking a runway. He was more magnificent than any man she’d ever seen, and he’d sell clothes with his sexy confidence and fit body. Designers would clamor for him to model their threads. Heck, she might even dabble in men’s designs if she could talk him into being her muse.

  His suit had to have been tailored to fit over his impressive muscles. She almost swooned when she caught the scent of his cologne. It was masculine and sensual. All she wanted to do was forget the meeting and drag him back to her room.

  She couldn’t wait to walk into the banquet hall and show him off. Then it hit her that they were playing parts. They weren’t a genuine couple. Once the threat was over—if there were one—he’d go back to his life and she hers. The thought depressed her. She’d known him for all of five hours, and already he’d become important to her. How was that possible?

  She wondered if he had a girlfriend back home. She knew he wasn’t married—or she assumed he wasn’t to be playing the part of her boyfriend. Their relationship wouldn’t be kept a secret. Once the media latched onto a new love match, they’d be bombarded with photo and interview requests. His past would be picked apart in the most intrusive ways. A man like him would have at least one woman waiting—unless he was a workaholic like her.

  Several people were chatting in groups when they entered the ballroom. She spotted her creative director and best friend, Jackson Joiner, and his bleached blond hair as he spoke with Uriah Sandoval, one of the producers. Jax excused himself and headed her way with his brows narrowed in question. Seeing her with a man was a novelty, she supposed—not counting Cash.

  He kissed both of her cheeks and hugged her. “It’s good to see you, Brookie.”

  “You, too, Jax. Thank you for taking this journey with me.”

  “Are you kidding? There’s no place I’d rather be.” He turned to Gage. “And who’s this?”

  She hated lying to him. He knew her well enough to know when she wasn’t truthful. All it took was one look at Gage’s face, and the words spilled easily from her lips. “This is Gage Monahan, my new boyfriend.” It was frightening how much she wanted the words to be true.

  Gage extended a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Jax finally managed to unhinge his jaw and return the greeting. “When did this happen? I just spoke to you on Saturday.”

  She opened her mouth to spout the story they’d worked out, but Gage beat her to it. He knew she was uncomfortable lying to Jax, so he handled it.

  “We met a few years back when Brooklyn was on a shoot in San Diego, and I was stationed at Coronado Island.”

  “You’re in the military then?”

  “I was, yes.”

  “What branch?”

  “Navy. I was a SEAL.”

  Jax’s brows raised. “Impressive. How come I haven’t heard of you before?”

  Again, she started to answer, but Gage replied, “We were both busy with our careers, but we kept in touch. We reconnected when I left the Navy.”

  “Interesting. If you’ll excuse us, Mr. Monahan.” Jax started towing her away. She shot Gage a what can you do look and hurried to keep up with his fast pace.

  She dug in her heels. “Stop, Jax. What’s going on?”

  He spun around and faced her. “I know every single thing about you, Brooklyn Freja Fontana, including that time you and Chantal Ellis shared a steamy kiss.”

  “For the love of…it wasn’t steamy. It was for a fashion show. Yohan insisted on it, and you know it.”

  “Still. You kissed a girl and told me about it. I’m pretty sure if you kissed a specimen as fine as that one,” he indicated to Gage with a tilt of his head, “you’d have been waxing poetic for years after.”

  Well, he had her there. “The feelings were so strong, but we both knew nothing could come of it since our careers were our priority. I tried to forget about him. If I would’ve told you, it would’ve made it real, and I desperately needed it not to be so I wouldn’t be heartbroken.” Damn, that sounded like a genuine excuse.

  He studied her, looking for signs of sincerity. She stared back. Part of what she said was genuine. Her feelings for him were strong after knowing him for a few scant hours. Certainly not love, but something was simmering between them, at least on her part.

  She must be a better actress than she thought because he said, “All right. I’ll forgive you. Your dress is spectacular, BTW.”

  “Thanks.” They chatted for a few minutes. She was about to head back to Gage, but her mom had arrived and was currently parading him around the room looking like a very satisfied cougar. Go, Mom.

  Before she could catch up with them, someone called her name, and soon a swarm of people surrounded her.

  #

  Gage stood back while Brooklyn moved through the crowd. He observed the individuals with whom she interacted. It was apparent she was well-liked. Everyone clamored for her attention. She greeted each person with a smile that never wavered.

  Ginny had introduced him to several people in the room when she arrived. He’d committed as many of the names to his memory as he could, but there were so many. He’d read the files for the people associated with Brooklyn, so meeting bleached blond, openly gay Jackson Joiner wasn’t a shock. He and Brooklyn were very close and had been for years. The feelings that came over him when Brooklyn talked about him were a surprise, though.

  And what was that when they touched? It was like he’d clutched a live wire. But that paled in comparison to when his lips covered hers. He had to be very careful here. The worst thing he could do was develop feelings for the comely supermodel. Not only was she supremely out of his league, but he was on the job.

  His first two assignments with COBRA Securities, though successful, didn’t go off without a hitch. He’d been shot several times rescuing a kidnapped child on his first one. Thankfully, the kevlar vest saved his life, and the girl hadn’t been injured. He’d captured a man trying to kill a person in the hospital on his last case, but he’d been caught up in a bomb blast and suffered mild injuries. Gage wanted this one to go smoothly, and falling for his client was number one on his do not do list.

  It was a little disconcerting to see the room fill with so many people. Over one hundred individuals had a part in the show’s production, probably more at the network, though many wouldn’t be making the trip to Fontana Island. It made him uneasy relying on another company for security. If COBRA Securities had been in charge, he wouldn’t have worried at all.

  His gaze tracked Brooklyn as she made it to the stage in the front of the room. He still couldn’t get over how incredible she was in person. He knew she had flaws—everyone did—but he’d yet to find hers.

  While the people took seats in folding chairs, he stood back against the wall to observe. Could one of the individuals in the room be responsible for lacing the dress with poison and causing problems with the show?

  “She’s a natural with people.”

  He turned to see Jackson Joiner sidle up next to him. “She is.”

  “Despite the
fame, she’s the most genuine, down-to-earth, decent person I’ve ever met.”

  He didn’t know her at all, but he got the same vibe. “She is.”

  “She has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. She doesn’t like to publicize her charitable works, but she donates time and money to many causes. If someone were to do anything to damage her spirit, there would be hell to pay.”

  He tore his eyes away from Brooklyn and focused on Jax. He wasn’t making idle conversation. He was issuing a threat. Gage could appreciate his protectiveness, but it wasn’t necessary. He had no intention of doing anything to harm Brooklyn. The opposite, actually. He would do everything in his power to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Still, Jax thought they were dating. And he had to give the guy credit. Jax wasn’t intimidated by him.

  “You may have seven or eight inches and a good sixty pounds of muscle on me, but I’m scrappy, and I don’t fight fair.”

  A smile broke across Gage’s face. He liked the guy. “Noted. But you don’t have to worry. I don’t plan on hurting her.”

  “Good.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, mirroring Gage’s pose. “I can’t believe she never mentioned you to me—darn it. She’s motioning for me. We’ll chat later.”

  Brooklyn moved to the podium as people found seats. She thanked everyone for coming and then introduced the staff involved in the production, asking them to stand when she called their names. She went over the schedule for the next three weeks, which would be daunting. They were selecting the ten finalists this week. The following two weeks would be spent taping the show on Fontana Island and then back in New York. Brooklyn’s debut fashion show ended the whirlwind events.

  She opened it up to questions, and there were several. Gage’s cell vibrated in his pocket. He removed it to find a text from Kaiya and Ryan. They’d taken pictures and included a report on Fontana Island.