All Fired Up

by Kristen Painter

  “Who is his agent? Ve vill call and book him immediately. Dieter and I agree. He is perfect. Ve vant him. Exclusively.”

  Her uncle didn’t miss a beat. “I’m his agent. I discovered him, so I’m representing him. I’ll have a contract faxed to you in the morning. If you agree to the terms, we can start shooting first thing tomorrow.”

  “Wait just a minute…” Calleigh put her hands out.

  Alrik bent to whisper in her ear. “They are talking about me but I do not understand what they mean.”

  “They want you to represent whatever product they’re selling,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “They like the way you look.” She couldn’t fault them there. She snapped her fingers to get her uncle’s attention. “Can I speak to you? Alone?”

  “Just a moment, gentlemen. Leona, make sure we have the fax number at their hotel.” Seamus walked over to Calleigh and Alrik. “What is it, love?”

  “You can’t do this. Alrik isn’t a model.”

  Seamus held his palms up. “Neither was Badu until I introduced her to Valentino. Besides, it’s his decision. What do you think, lad? Want to give it a go?”

  Alrik wrinkled his brow. “Why would I do this?”

  Seamus laughed. “Same reason they all do. For the payola.”

  “The payola? What does this mean?”

  “The cash, lad. I can get you a minimum of five large a day out of these gents, especially for an exclusive deal. Maybe more. But better than that, I can make you a star.” Seamus winked at Calleigh again but she shook her head.

  “I don’t find you amusing,” she muttered at her uncle.

  “Let me speak with Calleigh,” Alrik said.

  Seamus nodded and went back to entertain the Germans.

  Alrik rubbed his temples and spoke softly. “What does this mean, five large?”

  “I think he means five thousand dollars. Or five figures. I’m not totally hip to Seamus’s lingo.”

  “That is a goodly sum, is it not?”

  “For a day’s work? It doesn’t suck.” Calleigh had to admit that much.

  Alrik exhaled. “Then I will do it.”

  “Are you sure?” She wrinkled her forehead. “You don’t even know what they want you to sell.”

  “I do not care. I wish to earn my own way.”

  “You’re positive you want to do this?” This really didn’t seem like a good idea but she wanted him to make the decision.

  “Aye.” He crossed his arms.

  “Okay, if you’re sure.” She shrugged and nodded at her uncle.

  Seamus grinned. “Leona, get a contract together please.”

  He gestured toward Alrik with an open palm. “Gentlemen, let me introduce you to my newest find, Alrik…”

  Seamus raised his eyebrows at Calleigh.

  She sighed. “Gunn.”

  “And this is Mr. Gunn’s…assistant, Calleigh.” Seamus shot her a very amused look as he made his way over to them.

  Assistant?

  The Germans followed behind and shook Alrik’s hand. “Very goot!”

  “I’ll speak with you gents tomorrow. Auf wiedersehen and danke!” He waved as the pair left then turned to his niece. “Calleigh, me love, I see big things in your boyfriend’s future.”

  “He isn’t my boyfriend,” she corrected him, “And I am not his assistant.”

  “Whatever you say, lovey. Alrik, nice to see you again, lad.” He clapped the Viking on the back. “Ever done any modeling before?”

  “Nay.”

  “Well, ye don’t strike me as the shy type, so I think you’ll do okay. Let’s take a few shots, see what the camera thinks.” Seamus jerked his thumb toward the coat rack. “Ditch the jacket.”

  Alrik shed his coat as Seamus walked back into the studio and picked up a camera from the table. “Come over here, against this backdrop. Leona love, lights and a little Metallica please.”

  The camera’s clicking disappeared in the opening riff of “Enter Sandman”.

  Calleigh raised her voice. “Uncle Seamus?”

  “Yes, love?” He directed Alrik, pointing for him to turn. “This way, toward me. That’s it. Give me mad but make it smolder. Excellent!”

  She tapped her foot. “What exactly will he be modeling?”

  Seamus stopped clicking. “Take yer shirt off, lad. Give us a peek at what we’re workin’ with.”

  He lowered his camera and looked at Calleigh. “Just the hottest new line of men’s underwear. Yer boyfriend’s going be a very wanted man when I get done shootin’ this campaign.”

  The cold fingers of déjà vu tickled her belly. She took a step toward her uncle. “This wouldn’t be for the Uber Homme brand, would it?”

  “Been shoppin’ for men’s underwear lately, have ye?”

  “Yes. No! That’s not what I meant.” This was too weird. Uber Homme. Just like the billboard she’d seen in the three days she’d been married to Brad. Except the billboard hadn’t been Alrik. “Do you know a model named Paulo?”

  “Prima donna Paulo? What about him?”

  “Nothing. Never mind.” So he knew the other model. Would Paulo have gotten this job if not for Alrik?

  Seamus turned back to Alrik. “Merciful Joseph, lad. What happened to ye?” Mouth gaping, he stared at the Viking’s chest.

  In front of the stark white backdrop and the bright lights, Alrik’s scars seemed to glow. “Jealous lover.”

  Seamus paled. “Jealous? By the looks of ye, I’d say she was more than jealous.”

  “Is that going to be a problem?” Calleigh asked. She ached for her Viking. He didn’t deserve those scars.

  Seamus wiped a hand over his forehead. “I don’t think so. There isn’t much that good makeup and computers can’t fix these days. ‘Course, it does give him a very unique look.” Her uncle shrugged before lifting his camera to shoot some more pictures.

  “Don’t you think you should explain the product to him, Uncle Seamus?” Calleigh tapped her foot a little harder on the wood floor.

  He paused again, glanced at her then back at Alrik. “Lad, I’m gonna need to take pictures of you in yer skivvies. Got a problem with that?”

  “Skivvies?” Alrik looked to Calleigh for an explanation.

  “In your underwear. That’s what those men want you to sell. Men’s underwear.” Calleigh crossed her arms, waiting for his response.

  Alrik thought for a moment, then stripped off his jeans. “Like this?”

  Seamus’s brows shot up. “Maybe I should call Calvin Klein’s office. The phrase ‘bidding war’ suddenly comes to mind.”

  He glanced back at Calleigh. “Well done, lass. Well done. I din’t know ye had it in ye.”

  “Uncle Seamus!” Calleigh snapped but she smiled anyway. Alrik really was quite an impressive example of what a Y chromosome could do.

  An hour later, Seamus laid contact sheets out on his desk. He stood back to survey his work. “The camera loves ye, lad. Look at these. I could have every menswear label from here to Paris beggin’ for ye if I sent these around. You’re a bit more muscled than the rest of the lot out there but ye wear it well. And yer eyes.”

  He blew out a breath and tapped one of the close-ups. “Saints, yer eyes are haunting.”

  “Is that good?” Alrik asked.

  “Very good.” Seamus nodded.

  Calleigh agreed. Alrik was as hot in pictures as he was in person. And he was going home with her. Life was good.

  Seamus shuffled the sheets back together and addressed Alrik. “Enough for today. Get out of here and get some beauty sleep. Write down yer number so I can call after I get the signed contract back from Dieter and Helmut. Although that’s just a formality at this point. They’ll sign. Plan on being here by 7 a.m. I like to work with the morning light. Don’t eat anything tomorrow morning, either. Keep those abs nice and tight.”

  She interjected before Alrik could announce he had no phone number, or worse, that he was staying at her house. “Just
call my cell. We’ll be in the city anyway, I planned on taking him to the museums.” Just now I planned it, to hide the fact that he’s sleeping in my guest room.

  Seamus grinned wickedly. “You planned on being in the city at 7 a.m.? Or is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “Just call my cell and stop asking so many questions or I won’t let him do this shoot.”

  A deep laugh rumbled from her uncle’s chest. “You won’t let him? Who are you and what have you done with my meek little niece?”

  “Very funny.” She scowled at his assessment. Calleigh the mouse was gone.

  “Fine, I’ll call yer cell phone. Wait, won’t you be at work tomorrow?” Seamus looked at his watch. “Shouldn’t you be at work right now?”

  “I would be, if my ex-boss could keep his hands to himself.” She grimaced.

  “Och, love. Pity. Ye really should go back to teachin’ dance.”

  “You know how I feel about that. It’s not open for discussion.” She kissed his cheek and picked up her box of belongings from Leona’s desk. “See you tomorrow.”

  Seamus clapped Alrik on the shoulder and smiled at Calleigh. “Take care of this lad, lovey. I’m about to make him very popular.”

  She smiled half-heartedly as she and Alrik walked to the elevator. She pressed the down arrow. What would Seamus do when his newest star ceased to exist? Would the pictures of him disappear as well?

  Alrik took the box from her as the doors opened and they got on. When the elevator began to move, she realized she’d been so lost in thought, she hadn’t noticed Alrik press the button. He was a quick study, even if he had pressed the wrong one. She punched the button for the lobby as the doors opened onto the third floor.

  “Not yet.” She put her hand out keep him from getting off.

  Holding the box on his hip, Alrik took her hand in his free one and pulled her closer. “I will pay you back the money you have spent on me.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Or you could pay me back in kisses.

  “I insist.” He dropped her hand and traced the line of her jaw with one rough fingertip. “I have no use for money from this time.”

  “I guess you’re right. In that case, okay.” She was starting to crave his touch. Even the gentle caress against her skin felt like heaven.

  “Thank you.” He leaned back against the elevator wall.

  She leaned next to him. He was so beautiful. She’d just about gotten used to the way women’s heads swiveled after him when he walked by. Even Brad in his Armani suits had never gotten the kind of reaction Alrik did. Now, the whole world was going to see him in his underwear. She wound a strand of hair around one finger. The idea didn’t sit well with her. He was her Phoenix. Her Viking. Hers.

  “Are you coming?”

  “What?” She blinked. The elevator doors had opened again and he waited between them, keeping the doors from closing with his body.

  “Oh, yeah, sorry.” She pushed off the wall. “I was daydreaming.”

  “Thinking of your next change?” he asked.

  “No. I was thinking about you doing this advertisement for my uncle.” She brushed past him on her way out, enjoying the brief contact.

  “You were picturing me in my underwear?” He grinned as they exited the building.

  Yes. “No! That’s not what I meant. Are you sure you should be doing this? This won’t get you into trouble, will it?” She could see the subway stop ahead.

  “Nay. The restrictions placed on us concern our behavior with our charges and little else. I am glad to do it. Repaying you pleases me.” He slipped his hand onto the small of her back, never breaking stride beside her.

  She handed him a token as they descended into the station. “If you’re sure. You do realize a lot of people are going to see you in your underwear.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” He followed her through the turnstile.

  “Not the way you look,” she murmured. The male citizens of Manhattan were about to be compared to an impossible standard.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  He grinned and she got the impression he knew what she’d said.

  They found two seats on the next train and settled in. At the next stop, a black man in a long tweed coat got on. Strands of gray streaked his beard. Cracked black Ray-Bans hid his eyes. A stout orange tabby with one ragged ear perched on his shoulders. Both man and cat looked like they could use a shower.

  Calleigh groaned. This guy was becoming a regular on this route. She fished in her purse for a pre-emptive dollar.

  The man lifted a battered saxophone hanging from a cord around his neck. “Ladies and gentlemen, Dizzy and I would be happy to play a tune or two for you in exchange for your spare change. However, you would probably be just as happy for us not to play, since neither one of us really knows how. We’ll gladly take your dollars for that, too.”

  He blew into the saxophone to demonstrate. A horrible squealing erupted from the instrument and Dizzy yowled, his ears flattening. Alrik jerked in his seat.

  The man took his hat off and began walking up the aisle. Passengers relinquished change and singles as he went by.

  Alrik leaned over. “I do not understand. You are giving this man money not to play music?”

  Calleigh nodded. “You understand perfectly. We’re giving him hush money. Trust me, it’s worth it. His rendition of ‘Blue Moon’ once shattered a man’s glasses.”

  “This is a crazy time you live in.” Alrik shook his head and watched the panhandling duo pass through to the next car. “People will pay to take pictures of me in my underwear and this man gets paid not to play his instrument. What else can one do for money here?”

  “I wouldn’t know where to start.” She grabbed his hand and stood. “Come on, this is our transfer.”

  By the time they arrived at the brownstone, Calleigh had listed and explained just about every job she could think of, from window washer to politician. Alrik nodded, his brows knit, as he took it all in.

  He asked her to light the fire when they went inside. After that, he stayed quiet for a while, just staring into the flickering flames. She changed out of her suit then curled up on the couch with a magazine. Snickers crawled onto her lap, batting at the drawstring on her hoodie.

  After staring at the same page for the last ten minutes, she couldn’t take it anymore. “What are you thinking about? You’ve barely said two words in the last hour.”

  “I am just thinking.” His gaze stayed fixed on the flames.

  She put her magazine down. “About what?”

  He glanced at her. There was a deep sadness in his eyes. “My family. I miss them. My desire to avenge their deaths grows stronger.”

  She sighed wistfully and nodded. “I know how you feel, sort of. My mom and dad are both gone. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of them.”

  “What happened to them?”

  “My father had a heart attack. His heart just stopped working one day and he was gone. No chance for one last ‘I love you’, no final goodbye.” She twisted her fingers together. “My mother died of cancer. It was long and slow and the most wretchedly awful thing you could ever imagine. Every day was goodbye. I held her hand when…when she died.” She exhaled a deep shuddering breath. “Her skin was like paper.”

  Alrik leaned back. “What is cancer?”

  “A horrible disease with no cure.” She blinked the memories away and rubbed her eyes. “They left me alone before I was ready.”

  “But you still have your uncles and your aunt and cousins.”

  “I know. It isn’t the same, though.”

  “Maybe you would feel differently if you had a family of your own.” He shifted in the chair, watching her with an intensity that unsettled her.

  “What do you mean?” Where was he going with this?

  “A husband and babes to look after.”

  “Hmmph. You’re one of those barefoot and pregnant guys aren’t you? I should have figured.” />
  He snuck a look at his feet. “I cannot believe men will bear children in this time or any other. What does that saying mean?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Forget it. I’m going to fix dinner.”

  The cabinets were pitifully empty. The best she could do was spaghetti with marinara. She rummaged in the freezer. Not a frozen meatball in sight. Behind a package of something unidentifiable, she found a bundle wrapped in butcher’s paper. The sausages were frozen rock solid, but a few minutes on defrost and they’d be sliceable. She shut the freezer door and screamed.

  Alrik stood on the other side.

  “Don’t do that! You scared the daylights out of me. I didn’t even hear you come in.” She pushed the hair out of her eyes. “How did you get past me?”

  He ignored her question and leaned against the fridge. “I do not wish to end this discussion. Tell me the meaning of men bearing children.”

  She put the sausages in the microwave to defrost, then filled a big pot with water. “I didn’t mean men have babies. I was referring to your attitude that a woman’s place is barefoot and pregnant. As if that would make me happy.”

  “I did not say that.” He tipped his head.

  “You implied it.” She lifted the pot out of the sink and onto the stove.

  “I did not.” He pushed off the fridge. “You misunderstood my words.”

  After cranking on the burner, she tossed a palmful of salt into the water, then turned to face him with one hand on her hip. “So what did you mean when you told me I needed a husband and ‘babes’ to look after?”

  “Just that having someone else to love and be loved by would help you miss your parents less.”

  “Oh.” How many times had she imagined the pitter-patter of little feet in these halls? When she and Brad had been engaged, she’d dreamed of filling this house with children. So much for that. She nodded at him. “Wouldn’t a family make you feel better too?”

  He shook his head. “As a Phoenix, it is not possible. Nor do I desire another wife. One was enough.”

  “In your case, one was more than enough.” She smiled softly, the memory of what he’d told her still heavy on her heart.

  Arms crossed over his chest, he nodded but his smile didn’t match hers. “That it was.”

  A vague sense of disappointment washed through her. The microwave beeped. She was glad for the distraction. Why should it matter if he didn’t want to get married again? All he wanted was vengeance for his family. Part of her understood that very well but there was no vengeance to be had against cancer and heart disease.