ModelLove (13 page)

Ian climbed out of the black limousine, smoothing his new
trench coat with one hand, holding his phone to his ear with the other. He
glanced up at the elegant exterior of the restaurant, but didn’t fully notice
it since his attention was on Temaru.

“It’s ridiculous, I know,” Temaru said. “You’re in Chicago,
but I can’t help it that I keep looking for you, as if you’re going to come
walking up the dock or into the shop or into my bedroom. I don’t know how you
can feel so close and so far away at the same time.”

“It’s the same for me and I think that’s even more crazy.
You’ve never been here, we don’t have any memories here, but I keep thinking
any minute you’re going to knock on the door.”

“I don’t think it’s crazy.” Temaru laughed softly. “But with
what I just said, I’m not the best judge.”

Ian smiled. He knew Temaru couldn’t see him, but he hoped
the warmth came through in his voice. “I think it just shows how much we miss
each other.”

“Yes, it does.”

Ian closed his eyes in a long blink. Now he was the one who
heard warmth in Temaru’s voice.

Temaru asked, “Now that you have a better idea of what you
need to get in order, when will you be back?”

“I’m going to work on getting a flight next weekend.”

“Really?”

In the one word, Ian heard so much excitement and hope from
Temaru. “Yeah. I’m going to have all my furniture hauled away to charity and
pack up only the things I need or that are most important to me. And that won’t
take long. I want to visit my mom and grandparents, finalize my new contract
with Mitch and do the shoot with Rodney for my new portfolio. All that I’ll get
done this weekend and next week and then I’ll be on my way back to you.”

“You don’t know how happy I am to hear that.”

“I think I do, if you’re even a fraction as happy about it
as I am.”

“I’m much more than that. I can’t wait to see you and kiss
you and touch you and lick you, suck you…”

Ian interrupted with soft chuckling. “Don’t you start the
sexy talk now. I’m standing outside the restaurant getting ready to go in. You
keep that up and everyone will be waiting on me because I’ll have to go into
the restroom to take care of things.”

“I suppose I’ll stop, then. Will you call me when you get
home and tell me how things went?”

“Absolutely. And if you’re not out with customers, we can
pick up where you left off.”

“It’s a date.”

A bright smile shone over Ian’s lips with Temaru’s words,
the statement reminding him of when they first met. “Yeah, it is.”

“I’ll let you get in to everyone.
Bonne chance
!”

“Thanks. I’ll need all the good luck I can get. Have a good
day and be careful on your dives.”

“I will. I love you.”

“I love you too. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“All right. Bye.”

Ian listened to the phone disconnect and sighed. Talking to
Temaru comforted him. It also made him ache with wanting to be with him. He
glanced up at the restaurant again. If he was going to ease the latter
permanently, he needed to have a good meeting. And since he was already five
minutes late, he’d better get his ass in the door.

He walked into the restaurant, the lighting low to create a
warm atmosphere. The seats were plush leather, the décor a blend of trendy and
classic Japanese elegance. He slid out of his coat, handing it off to be hung,
and threw a quick glance down at his clothes.

When he was shopping, he’d decided to go with casual
sophistication—a black suit jacket, black pants and a steel-gray silk shirt to
bring out his eyes. The staff at Nordstrom had been exceptional in helping him,
a couple of them even recognized him from his modeling. When he told them his
situation of having the last-minute meeting with Sergio Fabbri, they went so
far as to find a seamstress for him to hem his pants on the spot. It seemed
they all recognized Sergio’s name, making him realize how out of touch he was
with the fashion world. He was grateful for their help and hoped it would pay
off.

The hostess stepped toward him. “How may I help you, sir?”

“I’m meeting a party here. It should be under Bennett.”

“Yes, the other members have arrived. I’ll show you to
them.”

Ian followed the hostess, spying Mitch and Rodney sitting at
a table, laughing with another man. He focused on the other, who he knew had to
be Sergio Fabbri. The guy was a lot younger than he was expecting, couldn’t be
past his late twenties. Sergio was small, delicately built with soft, pretty
features. His dark-brown hair with an auburn tint was combed back and lightly
gelled. With a glass of wine raised to his lips, Sergio glanced toward him and
froze, his dark-brown eyes widening.

Catching the shift in Sergio’s demeanor, Mitch and Rodney
also looked toward him. Ian noted Mitch giving him a quick once-over, assessing
his outfit, then a large smile sprang to Mitch’s lips.

Mitch stood up, holding his arms out to him. “Hey, we were
starting to worry about you.”

Ian embraced Mitch. “Sorry, I was here on time, but I was on
an important call.”

Rodney stepped forward to take Mitch’s place in Ian’s arms.
“I’ll bet I know who that call was with.”

“I’m sure you do.” Ian released Rodney and turned toward
Sergio.

Sergio slowly got to his feet, his gaze fixed on Ian. He
moved in front of him and offered his hand. Ian took it and also saw Sergio
lean toward him, wanting to kiss his cheek. He bent to accommodate him and
returned a quick kiss.

Sergio laid his other hand over Ian’s so he held it in both.
He spoke, his voice colored with an Italian accent. “I can’t tell you what an
honor it is to meet you. I’ve admired your work for so very long.”

Ian presented him with his most camera-perfect smile. “Thank
you. I appreciate that.”

Sergio stared at him, seeming struck speechless.

Mitch loudly cleared his throat. “Well, I don’t know about
you guys, but I’m starving. And I think that’s our server coming back to take
our orders. We should figure out what we want to eat.”

Sergio blinked and shot Mitch a glance. He let out a few
embarrassed laughs. “Of course.”

As everyone took their seats, Mitch lifted the bottle of
wine from the table and stretched to pour Ian a glass.

Ian stopped him by covering his glass with his hand.
“Thanks, but I’m just drinking water.”

Rodney gave him a disapproving look. “You’re not dieting,
are you?”

“I wouldn’t call it dieting as much as trying to make some
lifestyle changes. I’m cutting alcohol unless it’s the occasional beer on the
beach.”

Rodney nodded. “In that case, I approve.”

Ian grinned at him. “So long as I have your approval, that’s
all that matters.”

Rodney winked at him over his raised wineglass.

The waiter stepped up to take their orders. After he left,
Sergio turned to Ian. “I apologize for staring at you earlier, but I have to
say, meeting you is like a dream come true for me.”

Ian inclined his head in thanks. “That’s very kind of you.”

“It’s more than kindness. I truly mean it.”

Ian took his turn to stare at Sergio. He glanced to Mitch
and Rodney, seeing them sharing a look before he caught Mitch’s eye. Mitch
shrugged slightly, silently telling him to roll with what Sergio was saying.

Ian looked to Sergio once more. “And again, it’s nice of you
to say that.”

Sergio reclined back in his chair, his gaze riveted on Ian.
“I think I’m going to end up embarrassing myself even more tonight. I’ve
wondered for so long what I would say to you if I ever got a chance to meet you
and now, all I want to do is babble like a fool.” He sat forward again, folding
his arms on the tabletop and leaning toward Ian. “You are my inspiration.”

Ian focused on Sergio’s eyes. The guy didn’t seem psycho.
Maybe a little obsessed and intense, but not dangerous. Probably.

Mitch broke the moment by speaking up. “I’m sure he is.
Ian’s talent and looks have inspired many, including Rodney here. Roddie often
calls him his muse.”

Sergio flicked a glance toward them, then back to Ian. “And
so do I. Do you know, from the first time I saw you in an editorial for Calvin
Klein eight years ago, I’ve followed your career? In my office, I have
printouts of editorials you’ve done, shots of shows you’ve walked. When I was
living in just my small loft in Milan, sketching, sewing, cutting, dreaming…you
were a part of those dreams. I could see you so clearly in my mind, walking in
the clothes I designed.

“When you stopped modeling as I was starting to get
attention for my work, I was heartbroken. I even tried to find you, but no one
knew where you went. I contacted the Kallos Agency and I was told you were no
longer under contract and they wouldn’t give out your information. I thought
the dreams I had were forever going to be just that—dreams. And then today, as
I walked into Mitch’s office and greeted him, I happened to glance down at his
desk and what did I see? You. In one of the most sensually stunning photos I’ve
ever seen. I nearly fainted.”

Mitch nodded in agreement, looking at Ian. “It’s true. He
had to put a hand on my desk for support.”

Ian slowly brought his gaze to Mitch, trying his best to
keep his patience. “And which of the
private
shots was it?”

Mitch picked up an envelope from the chair beside him and
held it out to him. “The top one.”

Ian took the envelope and opened it, removing the pictures.
The top one was a shot of him lying on his back in the sand, pulling his
swimsuit down, his thumb hooked over the top. He remembered it was one of the
shots where Rodney had used Temaru to be his inspiration. Looking at it, even
he had to admit he looked good, but it was because he remembered who brought it
out of him.

He flipped through the photos until he came to one of him
and Temaru, holding each other, their lips pressed together in a passionate
kiss. As he looked at it, everything around him faded until he could almost
hear the ocean waves washing up on the white sands. His lips tingled with the
memory of Temaru’s kiss, his body yearned to feel Temaru against him.

Sergio’s soft voice broke through Ian’s fantasy.

“Your lover, he’s very handsome.”

Ian took a deep breath, fully coming back to the moment. He
slid the photos back into the envelope and set it on the table beside his
plate. “Yes, he is.”

“I can see you’re upset that I saw the photos.”

“A little, but not at you. You didn’t know these were meant
to be kept private.” He shot Mitch a quick glare.

Sergio slid a hand across the table toward Ian, but stopped
short of touching him. “Don’t be angry with him. I came by his office
unannounced and I’m the one who grabbed the photos from his desk. He
did
try to take them away.”

“I did,” Mitch said. “But he’s damn quick. He dodged me as I
reached for them.”

Sergio laughed. “It’s true. I twisted away to look through
them all. I’ll admit, even though I needed some support when I first saw it was
you, when I came to the pictures of you and your lover, I had to sit down.
There aren’t words for how beautiful you two are together.”

“Thank you.” Ian looked directly into Sergio’s eyes. “And
now that you’ve seen us together, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that if
you’re considering me for a job, I’m not interested in anything that requires
all my clothes on the floor.”

Ian didn’t need to look at Mitch to feel his eyes burning
him. He did glance at Rodney, who smirked as he took another sip of wine.

Sergio slowly drew his hand back. He lowered his gaze, but
Ian saw he was smiling.

Sergio looked up at him again. “I think, perhaps, I didn’t
express myself well. When I said you inspire me, you’re my muse, I meant just
that. In my mind, you’re the ideal man. And I’d like to keep you that way. I’d
be afraid if we experienced each other in…
other
ways, it would take the
magic, the mystery and the allure of you from me.”

A teasing smirk touched Ian’s lips. “So you’re saying you
don’t want to run the risk of me blowing being the ideal man because I might be
bad in bed?”

Sergio laughed again and lifted his hands, waving them in
protest. “That’s not what I meant at all. I only meant, if I knew you in that
way, you’d become real to me. Does that make sense?”

“I think I get what you’re saying. I don’t want to say you
want to keep me on a pedestal, but in a way, that’s what you’re getting at,
right?”

“Exactly! For me personally, I need to keep that distance,
to have you unattainable. I want to admire you, fawn over you, but I don’t want
to try to own you as mine.” Sergio sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know
which sounds more insane when I put it like that.”

Ian reached across the table and took Sergio’s hand. Sergio
snapped his head up, looking at him in surprise.

“It doesn’t sound insane. You sound like an artist. And one
who puts his work before anything else, like all great artists do.”

Sergio turned his hand under Ian’s to hold it. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Ian’s smile took on a more playful edge.
“Besides, as I’ve learned over the years, a lot of artists, no matter what
their craft is, tend to be on the eccentric side.” His threw a quick glance at
Rodney.

Rodney pointed at him. “I don’t know why you’re looking at
me.”

Sergio squeezed Ian’s hand to get his attention. “So, things
are clear between us now?”

Ian nodded and sat back. “Perfectly. And I’m glad they are.
With looking to come back, one of the things I know I’ll have to overcome is my
past reputation. I’m not the same person I was and I don’t plan on ever going
back to being that way again.”

Sergio interlocked his fingers, resting his chin on them
with his elbows propped on the table. “I’m very happy to hear that. I do know
the reputation you had and it’s good you’re leaving it behind.” Another sigh
left him, more dreamy than before. “The maturity you have now adds so much more
to you.”