by Tricia Saxby
She remembered the catcalls and whistles and her skin being on fire from embarrassment. Where had he gone? Why had he left her alone? Why had his friends thought it was funny to embarrass her? Had this been a common occurrence? Had he brought so many women back to his dorm room that they were the butt of jokes? As the days had turned into weeks, with no contact from Leo at all, she’d felt used and dirty. Memories of her high-school bullying days had returned with a vengeance. Her newly found self-confidence had plummeted to an all-time low.
She’d never really know until she asked him. The real question was whether she wanted to know the answers to her questions. Was it worth any heartache she might revive? She wanted to believe he’d changed, but back then he’d done or said anything to get what he wanted. How was now any different?
Karen’s cell phone buzzed in her back pocket. It was Natasha. With a sigh, she answered.
“Hello, Ms. Vale.”
“How are things going over there?”
“Running smoothly.”
“No disasters? All the material worked?”
“Well, the nude suit wouldn’t work with the corset. So I made some alterations to the suit, and now it closes more naturally so the models don’t look stuffed inside.”
“You made alterations without asking me first?”
Karen’s heartbeat roared in her ears. “Well, we were tight on time and the models were complaining about not being able to breathe—”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about any of that. You get those corsets on those girls now and reshoot everything. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” she mumbled over the beep that told her she’d been hung up on. Natasha’s screams echoed in her head as she gathered everyone and let them know their day had been extended for the reshoot. By way of an explanation, she sacrificed her feel-good day and took the blame.
Well, she had two ways to take care of this: be as grumpy as the models and crew, which would most likely drag out the reshoot, or make it fun—be anti-Natasha. She knew she wasn’t the most senior person there, and therefore had no authority whatsoever, but her boss had told her to get it done, and that’s what she was going to do. But she was going to do it her way. Damn the consequences.
Isn’t that what keeps getting you in trouble? You don’t think things through…
Clapping her hands, she got everyone’s attention.
“Okay, people. I know it’s late, but we need to reshoot the nude suit. Ms. Vale has asked me to get this done, and I hope we can make it fun.”
A few rumbles from the crowd didn’t deter her. “Yes, fun. We’ll turn it into a game. A competition. Instead of doing only one shoot and having everyone else stand around, let’s break into groups and get everyone doing it.” She spotted the two assistant photographers gathered on one of the stages. “Pierre, Marc—take a model each and assemble a team. We have three corsets and nude suits. Change your backdrops and props. Be creative. Use your team. Get suggestions from everyone.”
The rumbles turned into an excited buzz as people rushed around in different directions, gathering props and setting up new sets.
“Let’s get this done fast—but right. Who can be done in two hours?”
People scurried, and soon team leaders emerged in each group and models were being squished back into the corsets.
“Ms. Allen?”
“Yes, Yvette?” She turned to the pretty redhead who had worn the corset earlier.
“I am not happy about this. I want to be able to breathe.”
There had to be something she could do. A way for Natasha to see the ribbing of the corset under the nude suit while keeping the models from suffocating.
Taking the corset off the hanger, she examined the material closely. She pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket, searched the Internet for corset hacks, and hit the jackpot.
“Ms. Allen? Where are you going?”
“I need scissors.” Karen took off, corset in hand, to find the seamstress. She wasn’t at her station, which gave Karen the perfect opportunity to cut without being reamed out. Cutting two inches off the top of the corset gave leeway for breathing without interrupting the shape, which was more important than tightness—to a point, of course. If this worked for Yvette, it would work for the other two models, who she could see out of the corner of her eye were still trying to get into the corsets.
“Yvette, here. Try this on.”
“Ms. Vale will have your hide for this,” Yvette whispered as she took the shortened material and disappeared behind the change curtain.
Fear took hold at that thought. Would Natasha really freak out if she made this corset issue work? Well, she had gotten upset about her other idea. She was stepping on her boss’s toes—big time. But she’d make her understand, even if that meant more menial jobs. Hell, she’d even shine her shoes. That was how much the internship meant to her…and to Anna. She couldn’t let her down. After all, it had been Anna and Jace who’d lit the spark under her low self-confidence and turned it into a flame of positive energy when she’d been hiding behind business school because she’d always thought herself less talented than Anna, who designed her own clothes.
Karen, though—she liked to fix the designs. Change and tweak them. Add to them. Put her mark on them. She’d even been fiddling with a design that, when she was famous, would be how people would recognize her. That thought made her smile.
»»•««
Her smile lit up the room and was contagious. Who knew she’d have such a commanding way about her? This was the old Karen he remembered. The woman he’d been getting to know again was meek and timid. Eager to please. He hadn’t liked it.
“Hey.”
She turned to face him, her smile still big and bright. “Hey. How’s it going over there?”
The power behind that smile warmed him to his toes.
“Well, we’re still trying to get Gabby into the corset. The team is running out of ideas and getting disgruntled.”
“Yvette. Did it work?”
Yvette stepped from behind the curtain and smiled. “Genius.”
Karen did a happy dance and Leo laughed. It did look good.
“I cut two inches off the top.”
Was she insane? “Karen—”
Karen shook her head. “I know, I know. I messed with another of Ms. Vale’s ideas, but the corsets aren’t her design. She bought them off eBay.”
“That’s not the point.”
“The point is that I make this idea of hers work. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
“Yes, I get that, but—”
“But what? Why should all these people suffer because she’s a tyrant and likes to make everyone’s life miserable? She makes mine miserable more times in a day than I can count. The least I can do is make it less hurtful.”
“Or are you purposefully trying to make everyone hate her and make you out to be a hero?”
Karen stared back at him, her eyes big and her face an empty mask. “She’s done a fine job of that all on her own.” Her voice came out as a whisper, her anger barely in check.
As she took off across the room, Leo wanted to go after her, but instead he picked up his camera and headed back to where his team now had Gabby in her corset with the nude one-piece bathing suit over top. It was a unique idea, but not fully developed. Lace would have been a nice touch.
And what had he been thinking, berating Karen like that? When she was standing up to the woman who treated her like crap every day. Karen was flourishing in this environment—calling the shots, problem solving—and he had gone and stomped all over that with his words of discouragement. He had meant well. He didn’t want her to get into trouble again.
His cell phone revved like a Mustang. It was his brother, Luke.
“Hey, Luke. What’s going on?”
“Nice to hear from you too.” Leo rolled his eyes and waited for him to continue. “Mom needs you to hit up a winery in the Hudson Valley. It’s for sale,
and she needs to know if it’s a possible asset.”
“In other words, she wants me to snoop around.”
“Can’t get anything past you.”
Leo switched his phone to the other ear. “What about Dad?”
Luke let out a long sigh. “He doesn’t want to cause any waves, so he’s humoring her.”
“Sounds normal.” Their parents had an unorthodox relationship. During their marriage, bitterness and regret had filled their home, but once they’d divorced, they’d gotten along surprisingly well, and the winery business they’d started when Luke was born had blossomed into an international success. Leo had learned from that. As far as he was concerned, why suffer the heartache of marriage when you could be happy as friends with benefits? It had worked for him so far.
“Well, I’m busy doing a job right now. Why can’t you go?”
Luke chuckled. “What job? We all know you’re in New York for the eye candy.”
“Who isn’t? I got hired for my photography skills. I’m on set right now doing a shoot for an old friend, a side job during Fashion Week.”
Dead silence on the other end. “Really?”
Oh, for goodness sake. Was he really the guy who played so hard even his own family didn’t take him seriously? “Natasha Vale, head designer at Vale Designs. Look her up.”
“And this photography job, is it consuming all of your time right now?”
Leo rubbed his throbbing temple. “I’m taking it day by day, but I’m going to say yes.”
“Okay, I’ll let Mom know you can’t get away. She’ll want to talk to you.”
Of course she will. “Why can’t you go?”
“I’m in California right now overseeing things here while Mom and Dad are at their annual meetings in France.”
Each of them in a different part of the world. He really was the only one who could do this. But he wanted nothing to do with the family business, and he never missed a chance to tell them.
“I’ll talk to you later, big brother. Let me know how it goes.”
“Don’t work too hard.” Luke got in the last jibe before hanging up.
Well, his life sure wasn’t all play now. That had all changed when he’d arrived in New York two days earlier and pulled Karen out of harm’s way.
She’d changed a lot, and he of all people appreciated what time did to a person. It could wring you out like a load of laundry, leaving you dizzy and unable to figure out which was the right way up. That was how the last ten years have been for him—ever since his sister Emily had died. A decade of pain and guilt. He almost couldn’t remember how it felt to be happy, excited, in love.
Karen had tried to fill that void in his heart when they’d been together during their college years, but he’d run. Away from her innocent, prying questions. Away from her love and kindness. He didn’t deserve to be happy after what he’d done. He wore his guilty conscience like a cloak, even after all this time. If anything, it weighed more than ever before.
“Mr. St. Clare?” The young girl with the ponytail and glasses tapped him on the shoulder.
“Yes?”
“We’re ready if you are.”
“That was quick.”
“It’s a race. We want to win.”
Leo nodded his agreement. Yes, he wanted to win too, and not only this reshoot. He wanted to win a chance to see Karen’s smile again…a smile that felt like a ray of brilliant sunshine after a very long, dark night.
“Where is Ms. Allen?” he asked as he changed his lens and motioned for his model to take a seat on the beach chair.
“She’s with wardrobe. The third team had a bit of trouble with the corset cuts.”
Guess he’d have to wait for that smile. “Let’s do this.”
His team cheered, and he went to work.
»»•««
Karen watched how smoothly Leo’s team transitioned from one pose to the next. He barely spoke but used hand signals and nodded his head when he needed something moved or adjusted. He was a joy to watch, almost hypnotizing.
A cheer from the opposite corner drew her attention away. She headed over to find the team cheering on the model as she tried some risqué poses. Karen shook her head and smiled. That’s what happened when an all-male team worked with a female model.
“Behave,” she warned, and moved on. The final team was wrapping up.
“Excellent job, you guys,” she called out then headed back to wardrobe. As she started to hang up some of the set pieces, her phone rang. It was Ms. Vale. Checking up on her, no doubt. She knew she should answer it, but she stared at her phone as the screen lit up with firework bursts of orange, yellow, and green, the screen saver she’d picked for her boss.
“You gonna answer that?”
Leo looked fabulous standing there like a sexy rock star with his camera around his neck. His blond hair was messy from a hard day’s work, and his golden eyes glowed mischievously. She almost forgot about the ringing phone in her hand.
“What? Oh, no. It’s not important.” She quickly pressed the button to ignore the call. “Are you all done?”
“We are.” Cheers went up around them. “And it sounds like everyone else is too.”
“I knew we could do it.”
“I did too.”
Karen smiled and tucked her phone back in her pocket. “It was a good day.”
Leo reached out and grabbed her hand. “You did an amazing job today.”
Karen froze as liquid warmth traveled up her arm from his touch. “Thank you.”
“Are we actually getting along?” Leo asked.
His smile made her weak in the knees. “I think we are.”
“Hmm…”
“Ms. Allen! We did it. And just under two hours.”
Karen turned from Leo reluctantly. “Yes, we did it!” she shouted, and everyone cheered.
They cleaned up, and then Karen ordered pizza for everyone. Leo found them a spot on a bench to enjoy their meal.
“Here.” He pulled two beers from behind his back and passed her one. “I confiscated these from one of the coolers.”
Karen took the bottle he offered, twisted off the cap, and drank deep and long. The ice-cold beer went down like water and hit the spot.
“Thank you. I needed that.”
They ate their pizza in silence. Karen watched how the others interacted and envied the easy comradeship.
“I watched you today.”
Leo took a pull of his beer then placed it down beside him. “And?”
“You’re good at taking pictures and leading a team. Really good.”
“Thanks.”
“Welcome.”
Silence stretched between them again. “I watched you too.”
“You did?” She wiped some sauce off her lips.
“You were in your element. You owned this assignment. I hope Natasha sees the good you’ve done today.”
“Oh, she’ll see it, but she won’t acknowledge it.”
“I don’t think—”
“I know so. Been there, done that.”
“Perhaps. But Natasha might see this as a stepping stone for you and she may loosen the reins a bit.”
“I don’t think so.”
Leo took a bite of his pizza and chewed slowly. “You are so pessimistic. What happened to the positive attitude and vibe you instilled in the teams today?”
“I want to know that when I get to the office tomorrow morning, I’ll still have a job.”
“Everyone here will vouch for you.”
“Maybe. But all the senior staff left as soon as I split the teams up. I’m quite sure they ran back to Ms. Vale and tattled on me. That’s why she called me earlier, and I…”
Leo’s eyebrows arched in surprised. “That’s who you hung up on, isn’t it? I knew something was up.”
“I’m not sorry for what I did.” She placed her unfinished pizza on the napkin and stood.
“For hanging up on your boss? Or—”
“No.”
“Or the very successful day?”
“Both.”
“Good for you.”
Karen faced him and let out a weary sigh. “You’re being sarcastic, aren’t you?”
He stood and took her hands. Her knees went wobbly, and her smile matched. She’d soon be putty in his hands if he didn’t stop staring at her like he wanted to devour her whole.
“You should be proud of the work you did today. I know the shots are going to turn out great, and you’ve earned trust and respect from these people. They will want to work with you again.”
Oh, how she hoped so. But even though she’d only been there for a few months, she’d seen—hell, she’d experienced first-hand—the backstabbing that took place in the fashion world to reach the top. And if the person at the top didn’t want you to succeed…you didn’t.
“I’ve got to get things packed up and into the closets. I’ve got another couple of hours of work ahead of me yet.” Karen pulled her hands out of Leo’s grasp and stepped back.
“Get the assistants to do it.”
“They’ll be helping.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
Karen tilted her head and smiled. “Well, since you offered, an extra pair of hands is always needed to make the work go faster.”
Let’s see what he does with that. When he said nothing, her heart sank. Oh, right. Mr. Leo St. Clare didn’t do anything as menial as cleaning up—in other words, all talk, no action. How disappointing. Karen walked away, a dull ache forming in the pit of her stomach.
»»•««
He was speechless. The way Karen stood with her head tilted to the side and a sheepish grin on her face, he was thrown back to the night they’d made love. They’d lain there for hours talking about all kinds of silly things. His heart had been hers if she’d wanted it. He’d never been so smitten with anyone. Love, no. That emotion hadn’t belonged in his heart anymore, but she’d somehow cracked through the hard shell he’d surrounded himself with. And, to be honest, was quite content to hide behind. He’d never wanted to stay and chat with a girl afterward. All of it had been quite new and weird, but he’d liked it. He’d liked her.
Then the questions had gotten a bit too personal…
“Karen, wait.” He caught up to her and grabbed her elbow. “I’ll help.”