“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m dropping something off for Kirin, and since you’re here I thought I’d bring it in.”
The woman shrugged and kept on taking newspaper out of a cardboard box. “Well, it’s nice to see you, Sugar. I’m Kirin’s momma, Candice. But you can call me Candi. Are you a friend of hers? I forgot my key but luckily I remembered she keeps one under the toad on her front step.” She cooed to Dudley, and he waddled over to have his ears rubbed.
Blake looked over to the spot where he’d dragged Kirin into his arms last night. “Something like that. More of a business acquaintance.”
She pulled a porcelain figure of what looked like Prince Charles out of the box and placed it carefully with the rest of Kirin’s salt and pepper collection. “I got these two beauties from the thrift store near where I do my painting. Aren’t they darling? I was hoping Kirin would be here so I could give them to her in person but looks like she’s out.”
“They are something,” he said. “I’m Blake Matthews.”
“Oh, are you the guy giving her the makeover?” Her eyes rounded, and she pursed her coral pink lips together. “She’s told me all about what you’re doing, and all I can say is how sorry I am that you’re the one who drew the short straw.”
He drew closer. “Why’s that?”
“Because I don’t like your chances. Kirin’s a sweetheart, but she’s a controlling sweetheart.” She drew a Princess Diana shaker from the other box and set it beside Charles and gave it a pat. It was then he noticed her fingernails. They were so long they almost curved, and they were painted brilliant red.
“She’s never had much of an in how she presents herself.” She began to remove the white sweater. “Never interested in clothes or make-up. I’m going to make a pot of tea. Do you want a cup? We can wait for Kirin. I want to see her face when I show her the new shakers.”
“No thanks to the tea.” Blake watched her move toward the kitchen. “And Kirin might be a while, she’s doing some media training today.”
Now the sweater was gone, he saw she had paired a corset thing with purple velvet and dark green ribbons with the black jeans. It wouldn’t have looked out of place on an alternative type of kid in college, but on Candi it looked odd.
Maybe Kirin’s resistance to wearing something “sexier” came in part from her mom’s dress sense. Kirin had mentioned something about hating the way her mom was treated in her waitressing job.
“So you think what we’re doing with Kirin’s look is working?” He leaned against the counter.
“I’m surprised you’ve managed to get her to do anything at all. She can be one stubborn woman, my Kirin, and although it’s helped her success, it’s also helped get her in a whole lotta trouble.”
He leaned closer. “What do you mean?”
Candi put the kettle on the stove. “Kirin’s never learned how to use her feminine wiles to get what she wants. She’s too practical, too much like a man in the way she approaches things. I’ve always told her that her life could be a hell of a lot easier if she’d learn how to be softer. She tried on a pink top you’d given her the other day, and she looked stunning.”
“She hated that top.” He grinned, remembering the fight they’d had about whether it suited her or not.
“You must’ve persuaded her to wear it, though. I hope she listens to you more often, or she’s gonna lose everything she worked for. Not having a man has created all this furor for her. While she had Joe, she was looked after and protected. Now she’s all out on a limb for people to take potshots at her. Like that guy with the sex tape. Kirin wouldn’t know what a sex tape was, let alone what to do on one. I hope she’s paid you some attention while you’ve been looking after her.”
She threw him a pointed look, and he cleared his throat. “I think Kirin’s doing just fine without a man. She’s confident. She knows exactly what she wants.”
“And she’s desperately unhappy. Don’t let that control freak persona fool you, Blake. Kirin can’t operate properly without a commanding man around.” She winked. “Maybe you can help her.”
He suppressed his shock. “That’s not the sort of relationship we have. As soon as our project’s over we’ll be going our separate ways.”
Candi tilted her head and smiled. “That’s what you say now, but wait until she’s laid one of her guilt trips on you. Then we’ll see who’s the one in control.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Kirin has a particular talent for making people feel as though they’ve screwed things up for her. Oh, I know she loves me and we have a laugh together, but she blames me for some of the hang-ups she’s had in her life. And she blamed Joe, too. You need to watch her.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Hmm, maybe you will be.” Candi seemed to re-evaluate him. “Maybe you can hold a mirror up so she can see that it’s not always others who she needs to blame. If you can do that and change the way she presents herself, you’ll be worth all the money she’s paying you.”
Kirin: Okay, girls I need your advice on what to do about Doomed Blake.
Gwin: Of course. Is BB being too bossy? Telling you what side to butter your toast on.
Kirin: If it were only that simple…
Ellie: We’re always here for you K. What’s been happening?
Kirin stared at the computer screen. Should she really open up to them about her deepest, most conflicted thoughts? It would do damage to both her and Blake if her real feelings were made public. And yet, Ellie and Gwin didn’t know who she was. They must have guessed she was hiding something when she’d only given them an initial. But they’d been nothing but supportive until now.
To them, she was together and normal.
Kirin: I think I should fire Blake.
Gwin: Because . . . ? You said that one of your goals was NOT to fire the next image consultant. What’s going wrong with him?
Kirin: I did say that, didn’t I? Well, it’s not so much that he’s doing anything wrong. In fact, he seems to have put his whole life on hold to sort me out.
Ellie: Has BB been too blunt? Telling you to change things about yourself that you don’t agree with? I’d have a hard time with a guy telling me to change anything about myself, but I know you need his help for your business.
Kirin: No, not too blunt. He says he believes there’s a sexy, hidden part of me that we can uncover. But the trouble is, the sexy secret part thinks he’s hot and desirable and I find I can’t concentrate on anything when he’s around.
Gwin: And that’s not good because of the allegations against you?
Kirin: Exactly. Giving in to those feelings would be like dropping dynamite on a campfire. Do you think I should fire him?
Ellie: Well, you are consenting adults. It’s not like you’d really be breaking any rules if something happened between you. You 're not in a power situation and he’s not really an employee.
Kirin: That’s true.
Gwin: And I’m going to go out on a limb and say I’ve noticed a difference in you since he’s been around. I know we’ve only chatted a few times, but there’s been a lightness in you since you’ve been working with BB.
Ellie: And isn’t part of this whole deal with him about finding the real you? Maybe getting hawt and heavy with BB will help that process.
Kirin: The logical and controlled part of myself says to run as far away from this as possible, but the tiny little part that I can feel unfurling inside myself says that spending time with him is doing me good.
Gwin: One important consideration is—do you trust him? It sounds to me like a lot of the men in your life haven’t been trustworthy.
Kirin: That’s part of why I’m hesitating. I clearly haven’t had a good radar for deceitful guys in the past, so why should I trust Blake, or trust my belief in him now.
Ellie: That is a big consideration.
Gwin: Has he told you much about himself?
Kirin: Not really. He always wants to be fo
cused on me which is nice, but maybe I do need to find out a bit more about him.
Gwin: That would be the litmus test for me. If he can be open about who he is and you feel you can trust him then why not stay working together?
They carried on chatting about the challenges Ellie was facing in her project and the exciting plans Gwin had for her move to the city, and all the while a peaceful calm came over Kirin. Blake was good for her. They were making progress, and she was starting to feel so differently about herself. Now she just needed him to open up a little more and then she’d be truly happy about where this time with him was heading.
7
Blake let himself into his apartment building the next afternoon and took the elevator to the penthouse suite.
There was a lightness in his gut that could’ve been from only having had a protein shake today, but it was probably more about the anticipation of seeing Kirin again. Despite it being almost forty-eight hours since they were together, he could still taste the sweet heat of her mouth on his, feel her lush curves beneath his fingers.
Although she’d rejected finding her sensual side through making love with him for now, it wouldn’t be the last time she’d be in his arms. He’d seen a different side of Kirin lately, a softer, more vulnerable side, and he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She’d been through so much, and yet she still held on to what she believed in.
It was strange to think of her in his living room when they’d never been here together. She’d sent a text thanking him for the outfits last night. As she hadn’t mentioned her mother, he presumed she hadn’t caught up with Candi about their unexpected meeting.
When he stepped from the elevator, the photographer was picking up the last of his equipment.
“Thanks, Alex,” he said with a nod. “I owe you.”
“No problem. After you got me that job with Time, I’m in your debt for life.” He dropped his voice. “Although if I’m going to go to the ends of the Earth for you it’d be good if you found someone less difficult to photograph.” Alex nodded in the direction of Kirin who was loudly opening and shutting cupboards in the kitchen.
“Difficult?” Blake asked.
“Difficult I can cope with.” Alex slung a bag over his shoulder. “Uncomfortable in front of the camera and with severe confidence issues. I’ll be lucky if I have ten decent shots.” He patted his camera case and headed toward the elevator. “Good luck. I get the feeling she’s hungry and might devour the first moving thing she sees.”
Blake shrugged out of his jacket, threw it on the couch, and strolled into the kitchen. “How’d it go?”
Dressed in an aqua sheath top and skirt which hugged every delicious curve of her, Kirin’s new, lighter blond hair curled around her face and made her eyes shine. A strand of creamy pearls lay at her throat, and she fingered them as she spoke. “It was a long day. Harder than I imagined it would be. I thought I’d learned enough from you in the last few days, but I’m not sure I got it right.” Anxious eyes held his.
Trying to distract himself from the tantalizing shape of her, he moved to the refrigerator, opened it, and peered in. “Trust me. You got it very right. I’d have been here if I could, but I got caught up talking with some studio execs about a new TV show that I think you’ll be pleased with.” Instead of the regular sight of protein bars and beer in the fridge, it was filled with green stuff and various colorful jars. “Oh, and I met your mother.”
“My mother?” He turned back to see her face drop.
“I dropped by to leave the outfits at your house yesterday, and she was there. She’s not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“Someone a lot more . . . conservative.”
“You mean someone dressed more like a Sunday school teacher than one on the hunt.”
He didn’t reply until she looked at him again. “That’s not what I meant.”
“It’s what most people think. They always have.” There was a hard edge to her voice that he hadn’t heard before, and he felt the pain of the relationship with her mom as his own.
“You don’t like the way your mom dresses?”
“No, I don’t, and I’m betting you don’t either.”
He shrugged. “It’s not a very sophisticated look, but she seems to be having fun with it.”
Kirin sighed. “She’s not having fun, she’s using it to try and snare herself another man. My mother’s never been happy on her own. She thinks a woman without a man is a failure, that she needs protection and to be told what to do.” She opened, then closed a cupboard. “The only attention she’s ever valued was from men who wanted her to look more like a hooker than a waitress or a mother.”
Blake nodded. Another little piece to the puzzle that was Kirin Hart slotted in to place. Her mother had used a sexy image to attract men, and Kirin had railed against it.
Given the look on her face and the way she was opening and shutting cupboard doors, he figured it was a good place to end the subject. “So, you found today difficult?”
“I did, but I guess it’ll get easier,” she said. “It’s not so simple trying to work out which necklace goes with which dress. Whether to look sultry or sassy. Or even how to stand in the photos.” She lifted an eyebrow. “I have a whole new level of respect for you.”
“I’m sure you did a great job.” He pulled out a beer and twisted the cap. “But I think you gave Alex a run for his money.”
She sighed. “I did take my frustrations out on him a little. I’ll apologize. He was fantastic and taught me a lot, too.”
He nodded to the bottle. “You want a drink?”
“No, thanks.” She looked around the kitchen and grinned. “I’m going to make pie.”
“Pie? Now? I don’t even know if that oven works.”
She laughed, and he remembered her breath on his face, the way her lips had parted as he’d drawn her to him. There was no way he could carry on working this closely without making that happen again, and he would, at the first opportunity. He wanted to get as close to Kirin as any person could, but a flame of guilt licked at him. He still hadn’t told her about the stakes involved in her makeover, or what they could lose if it didn’t work out—for the company or between them.
“I’ve been standing in front of a camera for four hours, and I’m starving. I feel like pie.”
“I’ll find a deli and buy you one.”
She threw him a disbelieving look and opened another cupboard. “Commercially made pies are mostly fillers. Very little substance and rendered fat in the pastry. I’m making a spinach and cheese pie from scratch. I told Alex I needed a lunch break and went out and bought all the ingredients, but I just assumed there’d be a pie plate to cook it in.”
He took a swig from the bottle. “Can I watch?”
She turned to face him and chuckled. “Of course you can. Once I’ve changed out of this dress. I’m exhausted from holding my back straight and my tummy in. When I first heard about your job, I imagined lots of swanning about, but I can see how hard you must’ve worked as a model, and now.”
He swallowed a mouthful of beer and noted her gaze moving to his throat. “I wish everyone had that insight.”
“What do you mean?”
He frowned, the familiar dark cloud descending as he thought about the way his family reacted to his choice of profession.
“My family,” he said. “They still believe I spend my days lounging in a director’s chair telling people what shade of eye shadow to wear.”
She looked puzzled. “They don’t value what you do?”
He snorted. “Not many people do. In fact, you’re the first person in a long time who’s said anything positive. Not that it really matters to me, but I know the hard work people have to put in to change themselves and their image. I wouldn’t be doing any of this if I didn’t believe there was some worth both on a business level and a personal level. I wish more people were like you and could understand that there’s a whole balance that needs
to come into play.” She nodded slowly, and it spurred him on. She did understand him. Unlike anyone else he could think of, she cared about what he did. Even though she’d questioned him and his motives in the beginning, she’d put her trust in him and it made his chest swell. He raised his arms wide. “Look at what you’ve achieved, look how hard you’ve worked to get such incredible results in such a short time. How could anyone not think that what you’ve done today is a great thing?”
“I guess, I didn’t get it in the beginning,” she said, “but I’ve definitely seen how hard you work, and I feel like we’re really starting to get results.”
Results? She looked incredible, sounded incredible, and he couldn’t hide how good that felt. Not for his own pride, but for the way she was beginning to feel about herself. Right in this second, seeing Kirin Hart blossom from the inside was gold. “I’ve given up trying to justify what I do to my family, but hearing it from you means more than you’ll know.”
Kirin stood staring at the man in front of her who was suddenly filled with so much passion and so much fire she thought he might catch alight.
If she’d been attracted to him when he was all sexy-cool and aloof, now she could hardly think straight. It was as if he’d been bottling himself since they’d met. And now she was seeing a tiny part of the real Blake. It was mesmerizing. And she wanted more.
She placed the tray on the counter. “I love that you’re so passionate about what you do, now that I understand it. Not only does it make me feel as though I’m in really good hands, but it makes me realize how much this means to you on a deeper level. In fact…” She clasped her hands together. “I’ve been thinking about how much progress you and I have made and what we need to do to take my confidence to the next step.”
“What does that mean?” he said with a grin.
Bad Reputations: A steamy, celebrity romance (The Breaking Through Series Book 1) Page 10
