Try Me On for Size (11 page)

“Good. He wouldn’t come out, though. Got those wide football player shoulders. I pushed forever and she had to give me an episiotomy.”

“Do I want to know what that is?”

“The doctor gave me a little snip in the vagina.”

“Yeah. I did not want to know that. But Baby Nico is okay?”

“Yep. Healthy as can be.” She looked down. “He’s really going to town here. I’m starving, too. Who wants to get me something to eat?”

“I’ll go, sweetheart,” their father said, leaning down to kiss Riley’s forehead.

“I could use a little something, too,” Mom chimed. “Mia, you coming?”

“No. I’m good.”

Their parents left and Mia pulled a chair over to the bed. “So how does Nico feel about having a junior? Is he excited to have his boy?”

“Yeah. He’s already planning on taking him to his first baseball game.”

Mia looked around the quiet room. “Where is he, anyway?”

“He had to return a call. One of the assistant managers at the dealership. His phone rang right while I was pushing. The baby’s head was hanging out of my hoo-hah. But when you have as many responsibilities as he does, you’re never off the clock.”

“Oh. That stinks.”

“Yeah, it does. Instead of him being here and sharing these first precious moments of his son’s life, he’s off dealing with work.” Riley looked down at the baby. He’d apparently fallen asleep, so she tucked her breast back in. “If there had been someone else to take the call, someone who was just snoozing in the waiting room, he could be here right now.”

Was Riley seriously putting a guilt trip on her? “I’m sorry he had to leave. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

“I hope so. But what am I gonna do when I go home? How will I handle two kids? Gianna’s still in diapers and needs constant attention. Nursing the baby is almost a full-time job. How am I gonna do it all on my own?”

Um, shoulda thought about that before getting pregnant again so soon. “I can help. I’ll come over whenever I can.”

“It’s not the same. My kids need their father.”

“Riley, what do you want me to say?”

“Tell me you’ll take Daddy’s job offer. It would make my life so much easier.”

“I can’t. And I don’t want to.”

Tears welled in Riley’s eyes. “You can be so selfish sometimes.”

“I’m not selfish. I have a career, a shop I helped build, and I need to do everything I can to save it. Please try and understand.”

“I do understand. You’re a clueless single woman who can’t possibly know what it’s like to be a mother.”

“I may not have a child of my own, but I’m not clueless. I’ve watched Bryn struggle for the last two years. Try being a mother whose husband died.”

“Some days I do feel like my husband has died and left me.”

Mia had done all she could to stay calm, but her sister had crossed a line. “Don’t you dare compare Nico being at work to what Bryn went through.”

“Why is everything always about Bryn? I bet if she were asking you to take the job, you’d jump right on it. ’Cause that’s what this whole thing is really about. You won’t leave her to run the shop alone. You’re choosing your friend over your flesh and blood. You’ve always done that and I’ve hated you for it.”

Rage bubbled from Mia’s pores. How dare she? Mia wanted to spew her anger at Riley. Tell her how mean and selfish she was being. How bratty. To be so crass as to compare her life to Bryn’s? Mia truly wanted to scream at her little sister, put her in her place, make her understand that her life in no way compared to the devastation Bryn had experienced.

But she couldn’t scream at a woman who’d just gone through labor and delivery. Instead she stood and walked out of the room. It wasn’t until she reached her car that she let tears flood her eyes.

CHAPTER
Twelve

W
ork was
a good way to make Mia forget about the horrible things her sister had said. They’d hired a photographer to take promotional photos of the guys in the shop and also with a few different backgrounds. It was supposed to be Bryn’s job to direct the photo shoot, but a bout of stomach flu had hit her house. With two puking kids and her stomach starting to feel a little queasy, she’d decided to hole up inside her house until all germs were gone.

So, even though it was supposed to be Mia’s day off, she really didn’t mind. A busy mind didn’t obsess over every word she’d said to Riley the day before and wonder if any of them had been out of line.

And currently, her still-pissed-off brain told her no. All words had been justified.

Oliver arrived first and was immediately taken into hair and makeup. They’d hired a friend, one who worked cheaply, to make sure the guys looked droolworthy for the shoot. Logan showed up looking great, fresh from a haircut.

“Nice hair. Now go to the makeup station.”

The photographer, another friend, came over to Mia. “Bryn and I already talked about the shots. Are we still going with what we planned?”

“Yes. Whatever you guys came up with, we’ll stick with it.”

“Good.”

The guys came out, wearing only jeans. Wow. Not even an underwear band. The waist of the jeans hung just right on Oliver, low enough to give a little peek of what was in there. The photographer snapped away. Logan was a natural, posing and smiling, a few serious expressions, then seductive ones. Oliver looked a little shell-shocked.

“What’s wrong with this guy?” the photographer whispered to Mia.

“He’s not a professional model, so he’s new to this.”

“That explains it. But with that face and abs, who gives a shit if he has zero experience?”

Mia just smiled. It wasn’t really his face that had gotten him the job.

“Okay, next scene,” the photographer yelled.

Logan depantsed, with nothing underneath.

“What are you doing?”

“They told me the second shots would be naked shots.”

Mia turned to the photographer. “Did Bryn approve this?”

“She was very adamant about it, actually.”

“Okay then. Pants off.” She looked up and Oliver caught her gaze, staring into her eyes as he unbuttoned and edged his jeans down.

“Oh. My. God.” The photographer fanned herself. “He so totally wants you.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem. He doesn’t get that bosses and employees can’t date.”

No dating. No sex. Especially the sex. No hot, mind-blowing sex allowed.

“If I had an employee who looked like that, the rules would be out the window.”

That didn’t work in her world. She needed definitive boundaries. Especially with a man who could potentially make her forget everything important in her life.

“Okay guys,” the photographer yelled and gave directions for poses. For the final naked shot, the guys covered their penises with their hands. Very sexy and provocative. She tipped the camera screen to Mia, Oliver’s body looking perfect. “How can you not wanna take that home?”

It wasn’t a matter of not wanting to.

The guys slipped into tiny hot pink briefs for the last few shots. Oliver’s said Classy across the butt, and Logan’s Sassy. They posed individually and then a few shots together. She could hear them mumbling to each other between camera clicks.

Oh geez. What were they doing now?

“We’re done!” called the photographer.

“Trust me, I don’t want any part of your ridiculous reality show,” Oliver said.

“You’re just jealous. When it helps me win, you’ll be crying as you hand over my thousand bucks.”

“Whoa, wait a minute.” Mia interrupted. “You wagered a thousand dollars on this?”

Oliver shook his head. “Whoever sells the most in the first month owes the other.”

“You guys are unbelievable. As your boss, I almost want to nix this idea, but if it helps you promote yourselves better and sell more toys, I’ll support it.”

“Game on, bro!” Logan laughed and grabbed his jeans, heading in back to dress.

Mia turned to Oliver. “You can get dressed now.”

“You didn’t call last night. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Baby Nico was born healthy and happy.”

“Good.” He reached his hand toward her waist and she stepped back. “What’s wrong?”

“You can’t do that.”

A gleaming smile stretched across his face. “Okay. I get it. No PDA at work. How about we reschedule our dinner for tonight?”

“I can’t.”

“There shouldn’t be another baby being born, right?”

“No. I just can’t. We can’t. This has to stop.”

“Why?”

“I told you. I’m your boss, you’re my employee. It’s not right. Plus, I have a lot going on right now and I need to focus on the shop. I can’t get caught up in some fling. And even if I could, I don’t want to.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. We’re good together.”

“It doesn’t matter. This is my decision and I need you to respect it.”

“Fine. Whatever you say,
boss
.” He walked away, leaving her to watch his fine muscled behind.

“God, you are so lucky. I need a man like that.” The photographer was back at Mia’s side. “After these toys come in, I am so buying an Oliver. Maybe two, a vibrating and a nonvibrating. I’ll have a nice photo in my head to imagine while I’m using him.” She laughed and walked away.

A weird feeling flourished in Mia’s gut. Her heartbeat quickened and she had a sudden urge to walk up to the woman and yank her hair out. Jealousy? No. Mia Montanari didn’t get jealous. But the thought of this woman using Oliver’s replica to pleasure herself, imagining his face as she did it, made her feel like vomiting.

She had to get over this feeling, and quick.

FUCK! OLIVER
was using the expletive a bit more than normal lately. Mia and her No Dating the Employees policy. It was a stupid excuse she was using. Probably to punish him for the lies. He’d apologized and thought they’d moved on, especially after the most recent bathroom scene. But no, more punishment.

Maybe he deserved it. There was still so much about his life that she didn’t know, and he was a jackass for keeping it hidden. Holy hell if she ever found out. If he thought life was complicated before meeting Mia, it sure as shit hadn’t lessened. He needed to fix it all, and fast. Somehow he’d find a way to make everyone happy. But in the meantime, he was stuck.

Oliver walked into the condo, slamming the door, keys crashing onto the foyer table. He threw his coat on the floor, kicked his shoes into the corner.

“Oh, Ollie, you’re home.” Alexiana came into the living room, just a towel wrapped around her, face flushed.

“What’s with the towel?” It had been a long time since he’d seen her sans makeup, let alone naked.

“I just finished my yoga. I was about to get in the shower.”

“Okay.” He flipped through the mail.

“Wanna join me?”

He looked to her, brow furrowed. They hadn’t had sex in months, and the last time, when she’d supposedly gotten pregnant, had been after a night of drinking with some childhood friends who’d come home for a visit. Alexiana wasn’t a fan of sex. Even when they had it, it was plain missionary—no funny business. Well, except for that drunken night. With her inhibitions down, they’d done a lot of fun stuff. If only she’d let her guard down more, maybe they could have stood a minuscule chance.

No, that was a lie. Because somehow, he still would have met Mia and he’d have known right away that she was meant for him. He knew that more than anything else in his life right now. He just needed to make her believe it, too.

“No. I’m gonna go make a sandwich.”

“Oh. Um . . . okay then.” She backed away. Why was she being so weird?

The shower started and Oliver headed toward the kitchen. Being a model made him hungry. Which seemed like an ironic statement if he’d ever heard one. As he rummaged through the refrigerator, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

He turned and found a young guy, white linen pants and a tank top, heading toward the door. “Hey. Who are you?”

He stopped and faced him. “I’m Chris. Alexiana’s yoga instructor.”

“You do house calls?”

“Yeah. One-on-one sessions in the privacy of your own home.”

“Oh. Okay. Um, thanks. Did she pay you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Great. Have a nice day.” Oliver opened the door for him.

He headed to the bathroom and walked in, room filled with steam. “You do yoga at home? I thought you went to some fancy studio.”

“Why are you in here? Don’t you know it’s completely rude to barge in on someone when they’re in the shower?”

Two minutes ago she’d invited him in the shower with her, and now he couldn’t even be in the room with her? “We’re engaged. That rule doesn’t apply. So why was he here?”

“I switched to private sessions. You know how I am. I can’t be seen in public all sweaty after a yoga class. Eww, gross. Anyway, I mailed the wedding invitations today. Isn’t that exciting?”

“No. Why did you mail them already?” Holy shit. He was supposed to have this taken care of, their relationship ended, before she mailed them. He thought for sure he’d still have time.

“Because we need to know how many people are coming. I have to give a head count two weeks before the wedding.”

“Then why mail them over two months early?”

“You know how people are. It takes them forever to mail back the responses.”

Fuck. This made everything harder. Everyone would know about the wedding, and the eventual cancellation. So much for saving his mother some embarrassment and stress.

CHAPTER
Thirteen

I
’ve got
the pictures,” Mia said as she came into the shop. It had been almost a week since the photo shoot. She’d been waiting for the disc from the photographer, but also for Bryn to get over her virus.

“Ooh! Lemme see!”

Mia slipped the disc into the computer and the women gathered around the screen. The first image was a close-up of Oliver’s face. Mia’s stomach flip-flopped and a tingle flittered through her body and rested in her southern region. She could still feel his hands scorching her skin, his tongue flicking her nipples. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to calm her psychotically beating heart. Bad Mia! No more X-rated thoughts of employees!

“Yumm-o. Me likey.” Bryn’s voice pulled her out of Oliverland as she scrolled through the photos one by one.

“These are really nice,” Penny said. “They’re going to work great with what I have planned for promo.”

“Good. There’s a couple that might be good for the packaging.” Mia pointed to the screen, one of the shots of Logan completely naked. “The text can cover his parts, so he will look completely naked on the box without actually showing the goods.”

“I like that. And these ones in the hot pink undies,” Bryn said and giggled. “I can already picture the banner for the shop. So glad I thought of them.”

“It was hell getting them to pose in a photo together, though.”

“Men and their egos.” Bryn shook her head. “But we’re gonna milk it for all it’s worth. I heard about this thousand-dollar bet they have going. That should make things interesting.”

“We need to talk about this party,” Penny said and pulled out her notepad, covered with scribbles. “I have some ideas, but I need to know what kind of budget we’re working with.”

“Well, there’s not much,” Bryn answered. “I took out the last and final loan I could get. Most went toward the product, but I have about five hundred left. That’s gotta cover promo materials and the party.”

“Oh. I was hoping for that much just for banners and postcards and such.”

“Not happening. I can probably give you half.”

“Okay. I’ll have to scale back the number of posters and make them smaller. Maybe we’ll skip the postcards, too. I have to do the guys’ head shots, though. They need something to autograph during the party.”

“How about we do postcards for that instead of full eight-by-ten glossies?”

“That could work.”

“What else do we need for the party?” Mia asked.

Penny scanned her sheet. “Food, obviously. Drinks. I’d originally planned on champagne or wine, but we’ll have to forget that.”

“Let me check with the bakery down the street. Maybe they can give us a deal on mini cupcakes or something. I don’t want to go crazy.”

The wheels in Bryn’s head were obviously turning. “I can so see hot pink icing with candy penises on top. We can buy candy penises, right?”

“Uh, yeah. I think so.”

“Great. I think that’s all we need. They’ll be here to see the men, and women don’t eat in front of hot guys.”

Bryn had a point.

As the women scrolled through the photos again, writing down the numbers of the ones they liked for promo items, Grant walked in, box in hand.

“Good-bye. Good luck. Good riddance.” He started toward the door.

“Grant, wait,” Bryn raced over to him. “What are you doing?”

“I’m done.”

“Come on. You can’t just walk out on us.”

“I can. I refuse to continue working for people who don’t take me seriously and don’t approach their business professionally. I’m done being your entertainment and on the receiving end of your insults.”

Mia jumped from her seat, panic filling her. “You know we were just joking with you. Like a little brother. Please stay. We need you.”

“You don’t need me, you need a shrink.”

Mia’s jaw dropped.

“Hey. You can’t talk to her like that. Get out.”

“My pleasure.”

The women watched him leave, silent, until Bryn pointed out the obvious.

“Well, he was a stick-in-the-mud anyway. That guy needs a good fuck.”

“I agree, but what are we going to do? Who’s going to take care of the financial stuff? Oh, God! What about payroll? I don’t know how to work that new software. Do you?”

“Relax. We’ll figure it out. We used to do it ourselves once upon a time. We’ll go back to the old program if we have to. And besides, think of the money we’ll save having one less check to pay out.”

That would be nice.

“I’m sure we can look for someone part time and pay them less. It will all be fine.”

Good thing one of them could stay positive.

HER FIRST
day off in over a week, Mia slept until almost noon. The sunny Sunday afternoon begged to be taken advantage of. She threw on a T-shirt and a pair of yoga pants, not that she had ever done yoga, and her sneakers. She headed to Delaware Park, the biggest in Newford, for a few laps on the path encircling it.

Mia had always loved to run. She’d even done track her senior year of high school. She tried to keep to a routine, but in reality her motivation came in spurts. A few months on, a few months of slacking off. But now that the weather was consistently warm, it was time to get back to it. It had always cleared her mind, helped her focus. And she could definitely use some focus now.

After a few calf stretches, she started a slow jog, weaving in and out of dog walkers and stroller pushers. By the end of the first lap she had graduated to sprinting. She found her stride, zooming around the path, blocking out all sounds, all faces.

“Mia!” A screech in her ear followed by a hand on her arm.

The jolt of it made her wobble a bit, her left foot catching on her right.
Oh shit! I’m going down!

He caught her before she face-planted.

“You okay?” Oliver asked, once she was in his arms, stable, still upright, somewhat.

“Uh, yeah. What did you do that for?” She wiggled free of his embrace, needing to distance herself from his skin, the musky smell of him. Did all men smell this good when they sweat?

“I started calling your name a few minutes ago. Took me a couple to catch up to you. You run here often?”

Was this the new pick-up spot? Instead of a bar, it’s the park? “Sometimes.”

“I come every day. During the week before work, but on the weekends, it’s later.”

That explained the boulders for butt cheeks.

“You wanna run together?” he asked.

Probably wasn’t a great idea. But it was just running. An employer and employee could run together, right? “Sure.”

They took off, Oliver keeping pace with Mia. If he ran every day, he could probably run the park twice in the amount of time it took her to circle it once.

“You don’t have to stay with me, you know.”

“I want to.”

The sun glinted off the sweat moistening his upper lip. Since when was sweat sexy?
Eyes on the path, not on Oliver.

“You ever go to the art festival in the park?” he asked.

“A few times. I love it, but no one ever wants to go with me. It’s hard for Bryn to bring the kids to something like that, and to my family, ‘art’ means the graffiti on the highway overpass. It’s just another thing I was into and no one else. Not in my uncultured little hometown.”

“Well, you know me now.”

“Office troll by day, art fan by night?”

“Something like that. I used to sketch but gave it up when I had to get serious and study harder. Can’t get your MBA by drawing during your free time.”

“If you enjoy something, you need to make time for it. Especially now, with your career set and all.”

“But I just started a new career. Office troll slash erotic model. I have to say, I have been quite inspired lately. Must be the new job. Or maybe the new people I’ve met.”

“You gotta be talking about Logan.”

They kept on running, but Oliver had turned his head to her, his smile wide. “Yeah, his puka shell necklace really turns me on.”

Mia burst out in a fit of laughter so hard she could barely breathe, and she slowed to a trot. Oliver was next to her, his laughter mirroring hers. He stopped running, doubling over, hands rested on his knees.

“I hate those things,” Mia told him when she managed to recover her breath.

“Can I tell you a secret?” he said, calmed once again. “I went to Cancún for spring break my freshman year of college. Had to have one.”

“You did not!” More giggles.

“The ladies really liked it.”

“Oh, it hurts. My stomach is going to explode.” She breathed deep, trying to control herself.

“Come on. Let’s get some ice cream.”

“Doesn’t that cancel out the run we just took?”

“I guess. But it’s so good. My treat.”

After selecting their frozen concoctions from the cart nearby, they sat on a bench.

“So, an MBA? Parents must be proud.”

“I guess. My father didn’t really give me a choice. It was either that or be the family pariah. He didn’t like the idea of an underachiever for a son, hence the insistence I give up my art classes.”

Huh. Sounded a lot like the Great Antonio Montanari.

“I hear ya. My father has a low tolerance for things he feels are worthless. He hopes my business fails. He thinks I’ll have no choice but to work for him. I’d rather flip hamburgers than sell cars.”

“Wait. Are you one of
the
Montanaris? The ‘Make It Rain’ people?”

She closed her eyes. “Yes.” Before opening them, she heard the snicker. “Try growing up with that.”

“You win. You had the worse childhood.”

“Thanks for the recognition,” Mia said. “But it sounds like we both had it pretty rough.”

“Us damaged kids gotta stick together.”

The thought of that tickled her insides. And her other parts, too.

MIA SAT
at her desk, daydreaming. Her brain kept showing her snippets of her afternoon with Oliver. After the ice cream, they’d made one more lap around the park to work off some of the calories they’d ingested, laughing some more, mostly at Logan’s expense. It had been a long time since Mia had hung out with a guy like that. It felt nice.

He’d invited her to dinner, but she’d declined. No point ruining what they’d shared. It had been a lovely afternoon, two friends/coworkers hanging out. Nothing sexual. Completely appropriate behavior for a boss and her employee.

She’d just ignore the fact that she’d gone home and spent far too long in a steamy bath with the mental image of Oliver’s naked body and the waterproof vibrator she’d taken home from the shop without anyone knowing. She may not be able to date him, and had given up on dating in general, but Bryn had definitely made a good point back in the beginning of this whole venture. Mia was a prime example of a woman who did not want a man in her life, but still desired a certain part of his anatomy.

Penny danced into the shop at noon. “I can’t wait for you to see the promo stuff! I picked it up this morning!”

She hoisted the box onto the front counter and yanked out the postcards.

“Oh, these are nice,” Mia exclaimed. “I love the black-and-white ones.”

“I know. I went with a couple different designs, a black and white and color for each guy. One close-up, and one full body.”

“How many do we have?”

“Only fifty of each pose.”

“If we have two hundred women through here on party day, I’ll be ecstatic.”

“I think we’ll have to monitor these babies though. I can see each customer taking one of each.”

“Good point. What else you got?”

Penny pulled out the first banner, an almost life-size photo of Oliver.

Oh my. “That’s . . . um . . . good.”

Mia noticed Penny’s sideways glance. “It’s a whole lot better than good.”

Mia agreed wholeheartedly, but needed to keep her lust under control. “Well, let’s get these up on the wall.”

Penny got to work, hanging a vertical banner on the wall, and a horizontal from the front counter. The door opened and Bryn walked into the shop.

“Holy shit, those men are hot.”

“I know, right?” Penny said, unrolling another poster.

“Miss Mia did a fine job of finding us some sweet pieces of man candy.”

The front door opened and a customer entered, a semiregular who came every few months for a bra fitting and a couple of new items.

“Oh. What have you got going on here?” the middle-aged woman asked.

“We’re branching out,” Bryn said.

This was it. The moment of truth. This would be the first time they shared their crazy idea with a customer, someone who would either cheer them on and support their endeavor, or run for the hills. And Bryn was the one to break the news. She had a way with the ladies who came into the shop.

“We’ve got lots of sexy stuff going on, including some new spokesmodels. Aren’t they beautiful?”

“They are. But what do handsome men have to do with a lingerie store?”

“Well, we’re branching out, hoping to accommodate some of our customers’ other needs. We’re now carrying a line of adult toys,” Bryn said, motioning to the display. “And we’ve even designed our own custom toys, modeled after these amazingly gorgeous men.”

The woman’s eyes widened. The moment of truth. “That’s . . . interesting.”

Was that a good or bad “interesting”?

The woman looked to one poster, spouting details about the release party and meet and greet. “So, they’ll be here? The men? Posing for photos and selling their, um, toys?”

“Yep.”

Mia, Bryn, and Penny waited for a reply. Mia’s heart raced and she was pretty sure she could hear Bryn’s, too. Would the woman love it, hate it, run screaming from the shop?

“I’ll have to mark that date on my calendar.”

Mia tried not to look as relieved as she felt.

“Great!” Bryn said. “So are you here for a bra fitting?”

When Bryn had disappeared into the fitting room with the woman, Penny let loose a sigh. “Oh my God. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack.”

“Me, too. So far so good, though.”

“Good afternoon, ladies.” The door chimed as the mailman stepped into the shop. “Whoa. What’s going on in here?”

“Big things coming,” Mia said, and Penny snorted.