New Beginnings (79 page)

“I’m not into her.”

“You’re sure?”

My lips curved into a smile as I revelled in her jealousy.
Good.
That meant we were making progress. “I’m sure.”

She sighed, sounding almost… relieved? “I’m sorry I went off on you like that. I’m a little embarrassed. You’re my boss and—”

“I told you before, when we communicate, it has nothing to do with work. I don’t even want that to be a consideration. Whatever happens between us, you’re good at what you do. In spite of what you seem to think, your job isn’t in jeopardy if you reject me.” I didn’t want to be with a woman who feared me. I wanted to be with someone who desired me as much as I desired her.

“Thank you for saying that. I really need this job.” She hesitated as though she was considering how much she should share. “You know Drew is going back to school, and well… we need to pay the bills.”

I clenched my teeth while snapping the pencil in my hand in two. If I could have extricated him from her life, I would have, but she had to leave him and come to me of her own free will. “Understood.”

“Well, I should go. I have that meeting with Bernie. I’m sorry about the text. I was way out of line.”

“I was out of line too.” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d apologized to anyone for anything. “If I made you feel cheap, proposing to pay for a nicer apartment. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the offer. It was very generous, but—”

“You’re not ready.”

She would let me take care of her one day. My lifestyle, the things I could offer her, were too tempting for anyone to resist, especially when the material goods were attached to a thorough and attentive lover determined to fulfill her every fantasy—in and out of the bedroom.

“I’m just not like that. I believe in paying my own way. I’m not interested in having a man, or anyone, take care of me. I can take care of myself just fine.”

I loved that she was so sincere, but she had no idea what she was passing up. Life as she knew it would never be the same once she experienced my world. The fact that she seemed averse to accepting the things I offered only intensified my attraction to her. “And that’s why I intend to give you the world—because you don’t expect anything from me.”

“The world?” She laughed. “That’s a tall order.”

“There is nothing in the world you could ever want that I couldn’t give you.” I let the power of those words sink in, knowing they would be overwhelming to most people. “Nothing.”

“Why me?” she whispered. “You could have anyone. Why are you so interested in me?”

“You’re a goddess.”

As soon as I’d seen her picture, I had been mesmerized by her physical beauty. It was natural, God-given perfection that no surgeon’s scalpel could rival. But once I’d come to know the heart of the woman beneath the perfect veil, I realized she was made for me and only me. I came from an old-fashioned family whose ties were bound by arranged marriages, but I’d always known that when the time came, I would hand-pick my life partner. Now that I’d found her, I would never let her go. I’d purposely delayed meeting her because I needed to be certain of how I felt about her. I didn’t want to be blinded by her beauty. But I was sure she was the one, and it was time to make her mine—officially.

“We’ll meet this weekend,” I declared.

“We will?” She sounded breathless. “When? Where?”

“The launch party for the new fall line. You’ll be there, as will I.”

“Oh, I…”

I knew she was thinking about the fact that she would be working at the party, walking down the runway wearing lingerie, bared for the large crowd to admire. But I would choose her attire personally. I didn’t want other men lusting after her, admiring her body and thinking sexual thoughts about the woman who was, for all intents and purposes, already mine.

“You have nothing to worry about,” I said quietly. “I’ll take care of everything.”

“Deacon, I…” She laughed lightly. “I’m nervous about meeting you. We’ve been emailing and texting for so long I feel like I know you, yet I’ve never laid eyes on you.”

“You’ve seen pictures, yes?”

“Of course.”

“Then we’re even.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“You may.” I was hesitant about revealing too much. I guarded my privacy, but there was nothing she could ask I wouldn’t try to answer. I wanted her to trust me completely, and that meant full disclosure… or almost-f disclosure. There were certain secrets I hoped I would never have to reveal.

“How did you know about that guy in the café today?”

“I hired a bodyguard to keep an eye on you. He told me.” When she gasped, I said, “I heard about what happened when you were leaving work a couple of months ago. The security guard said he saw some guy try to jump you in the parking lot. I was mad as hell when he told me he’d scared the guy off. I wanted the police to question him.”

When the silence stretched on, I said, “The next day, I hired Nate to watch you. I couldn’t rest unless I knew you were safe. I didn’t know whether it was random or if that guy had targeted you.” When she didn’t respond, I asked, “Why didn’t you tell me about it yourself? I’d like to think we were friends by then.”

“I didn’t want to make a big deal of it or seem paranoid. Sure, he scared me, but he didn’t actually hurt me.”

“That’s not the point. He could have. You should know you can always come to me when you need help.”

“I didn’t tell you because I felt stupid. I should have known someone was following me,” she said.

“These people are often stealthy,
theia
. You don’t see them until it’s too late.” The thought of anyone hurting her made me feel weak, and I despised weakness. “Now that you’re in my catalogues, on my website, appearing at our fashion shows as one of our regular models, you’re a target. Men fantasize about being with women like you. Most often it’s harmless, but I’m not willing to take any chances with your safety.”

“Some of the other models have told me stories about men stalking them.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. No one will hurt or scare you. If you receive any digital correspondence—texts, email, even social media messages—that make you feel uncomfortable, tell me. I’ll take care of it.”

“Knowing you’re looking out for me makes me feel better. Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure.” And my job. “Good luck with your meeting. Let me know how it goes.”

“One more thing?” she asked, sounding tentative.

I smiled. “Yes?”

“You keep calling me theia but won’t tell me what it means. Will you now?”

My smile broadened. I often threw the odd Greek word into our texts when I needed to communicate things I knew she wasn’t ready to hear yet. “You haven’t googled it yet?”

“No, I want you to tell me.”

“I will. Soon. Good-bye, Mia.”

She sighed. “Good-bye, Deacon.”

***

With the launch party at the forefront of my mind, I made my way downstairs to wardrobe. Half a dozen women turned, gaping at me. I rarely made personal selections for my models, but I didn’t think my presence warranted such stunned silence.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” I said, trying to hide my amusement.

“Hello, Mr. Starkis,” one of the women stammered. “How can we help you?”

“I’m here about the fashion show this weekend.”

She gestured toward several hanging racks. “Everything’s taken care of, sir. You’re welcome to have a look at the samples. They’re right over there.”

“I’d like to see what Mia Barnes will be wearing.”

Two women exchanged curious glances before one said, “Of course, Mr. Starkis. I’ll get those selections right away.”

I barely noticed the gorgeous models milling about half-naked, being fitted for the upcoming show. Many were trying to get my attention, smiling or giving me sultry looks as they met my eyes in the full-length mirror. They had been hand-selected for their talent and beauty, but none were Mia, therefore none held my attention for long.

“Here they are,” the harried, middle-aged woman with the blond bob and pixie skirt said. “I think these will look fabulous on Mia.” She laughed. “I’ve worked in this business a long time, and I can tell you it’s rare to find a model who looks amazing in everything she tries on. Most have some flaw they wish to hide, but not our Mia.”

I smiled tightly.
Our
Mia? Wrong. She was
my
Mia. “I’m sure you’re right, but that one won’t work,” I said, pointing at the lavender silk bra and matching panties on the white satin hanger. “Next.”

Looking stricken, the woman said, “But—”

“It’s lovely…?”

“Barbara.”

“It’s lovely, Barbara. Just not what I have in mind for Mia. May I see the next one?”

She held up a black lace bustier with a matching thong, looking apprehensive. She had every reason to be nervous. The only time I expected to see Mia parading around wearing that was when she was modeling it for me.

“I want her to model the bridal collection.” I knew that was sexy yet demure.

“The bridal collection?” Barbara seemed stunned by my request.

“Is there a problem?”

“Um, no, but with Eleni’s darker coloring, I thought she would be perfect for the bridal collection.”

“You thought wrong,” I said, pinning her with a stare that brooked no argument. “Switch them. Eleni can wear these.” I gestured toward the pieces Mia had been slotted to wear. “Mia will model the bridal collection.”

“Of course, Mr. Starkis. Anything you say, sir.”

Mia

Feeling a little unsettled after my meeting with Bernie, I went home. I had to go back to the Alabaster’s headquarters later for my final fitting before the fashion show.

As usual, Drew was lounging on the couch, his hand stuck in a half-empty bag of potato chips with his eyes glued to his laptop screen. As soon as he spotted me, he slammed the laptop shut, knocking all the chips onto the carpet I’d vacuumed last night. “Son of a bitch!” He jumped up, crunching the chips under his feet. “Why didn’t you text me to let me know you were on your way?”

“I didn’t realize I had to announce my arrival.” I tossed my purse onto the stool at the breakfast bar.
Nice to see you too, lover.
“You’d better get the vacuum out before Rosie comes in here and polishes those off.”

“That’s all that little bitch is good for,” he muttered. “A canine waste disposal.”

I felt my anger rising. My older brother had given Rosie to me when he enrolled in the service four years ago. I hated thinking about him being out there, on the front lines and risking his life, but Chad had promised that whenever I got scared or missed him, Rosie would be there to keep me company. My brother had always been my rock, and even with thousands of miles between us, he still was one of my main sources of support.

Trying to ignore Drew’s fit, I snagged a bottled water from the fridge and sat down to check my messages. My heartbeat kicked up a notch when I saw a text from Deacon.
How was your meeting with Bernie?

In spite of the fact that he ran a multi-billion dollar company, he still made time to check in with me countless times a day. My so-called boyfriend, who was supposed to be out looking for a job since school was out for the summer, barely acknowledged my presence. Nice. Real nice.

It was kind of weird.

He responded right away.
How so?

We’d been talking about a lot of other opportunities lately, but now he wants to abandon all other prospects. He says he has faith Alabaster’s will become a permanent gig.

Is that a problem?

Don’t like to have all my eggs in one basket, boss.

Smart girl, but you don’t have anything to worry about. You’re future with A’s is a sure thing.

I loved getting reassurance from the head honcho himself, but I couldn’t help feeling guilty about using my friendship with Deacon to secure my future. I wasn’t naïve. I knew the modeling business was cutthroat and I had to take a hand up whenever I could get one, but…

You still there?

Yeah. Gotta go though. Drew’s home.

Ugh. Call me later?

I smiled.
Sure.
It’ll be much later though. I have to stop by A’s for a fitting.

Okay. Have fun.

I tried to quash my disappointment that he hadn’t suggested we meet for coffee or something after my appointment. Then I reprimanded myself for being silly. He was a busy man. He couldn’t drop everything to accommodate my schedule.

I slipped my phone back into my purse and frowned when I noticed Drew had turned on the TV instead of cleaning up the mess he’d made. “Aren’t you going to get the vacuum?”

“Would you mind grabbing it, babe? I forgot there was a game on this afternoon.” He pointed at the baseball game filling the 50-inch flat screen he’d insisted on buying with the birthday money my parents had given me.

“How did the job hunt go today?” As though I didn’t know. He was wearing the same drawstring sweatpants and black T-shirt he’d been wearing when I left the apartment that morning.

“I’m checking out some prospects,” he muttered. “Hey, can you grab me the peanuts?”

I took a deep breath before reaching into the cupboard for the bag of nuts. Maybe I was a little nuts for putting up with his shit. It could have been the time I’d spent chatting with Deacon, but it was becoming painfully obvious that my lazy-ass boyfriend took me for granted, and I was sick of it. As I walked past him, I threw the large bag of nuts at his chest, which hit him in the stomach.

“Hey, what’d you do that for?” he cried.

“Oh, just shut up and eat your nuts,” I muttered.

I opened the master bedroom door only to find Rosie locked inside. That bastard kept my dog locked in one room all day just so he wouldn’t have to deal with her? With Rosie tucked under my arm, I stormed back into the living room.

“Why was she in the bedroom?”

Without taking his eyes off the screen, he said, “She likes to sleep under the bed.”