“I could use you on a regular basis. I’ve been in a dry streak,” one of the other models added.
“Me, too. Guys are such jerks. They just want sex.”
“Don’t they all?” Elga said.
“Now wardrobe. I’ve put aside five dresses and your names on doors to the dressing stations. You’ll each wear these dresses for two hours and then come back here, have a twenty-minute break, and then wear another dress. Then for the last hour you will return and the lingerie you each will be wearing will be hung up behind your curtain,” Elga told them.
“Excuse me, did you say lingerie?” Rose asked.
“Yes, but I can assure you, Rose, that it isn’t anything trashy. On the contrary, all of the items are from Europe, and the Italian designer who created each outfit is a personal friend of Mr. Lenotz. Every jewel on the lingerie is real, and I can assure you that you will love wearing a million dollars in authentic jewels.”
“A million dollars?” one of the other women stated aloud and they all gasped and looked excited. Rose felt sick.
“I don’t know about this,” Rose said.
“Relax, you will love what Mulgoff picked out for you,” she said, but Rose didn’t like the way she said that. Hell, part of Rose felt that maybe Mulgoff was hitting on her. Shit.
As they entered the room with the portable changing stations each one had an assistant to help them get dressed. Daisy was there to help Rose.
“You are very lucky indeed. Elga has chosen the best and most expensive designer gowns for you to wear. Your body is exceptional and it will look stunning on you,” Daisy said and opened the curtain. Rose had never seen anything like it. Sheer and silk, low cut in the front and the back, plus a long slit up the thigh to nearly her hip, there was no room for undergarments.
“Jesus,” she whispered but when she felt the material she couldn’t get over it.
“A five-thousand-dollar dress, love. Let’s get you in it.”
“I think it may be a size too small.”
“Nope, done so that your large breasts hold the top up perfectly and the jewels fall between the cleavage. Very sexy, and appealing to the eyes. The buyers will be fighting over you.”
“I’m not for sale though.”
“Of course not, but they see the whole package and they want to recreate it with their own women. Just be polite no matter what, and if by chance any of the men get fresh, wave over one of the guards. Not the hotel security though. They’re there for other reasons.”
“Okay,” she said and slipped on the very sexy dress. The material was incredible. Like nothing she had ever seen or felt before. It clung to her curves, and as she got it into position and adjusted her breasts, smoothed her hands down the incredible green color, she turned to look into the mirror.
Oh my God.
* * * *
“How is it going?” Slade asked Rylan through the earpiece.
Rylan looked around at the suite. The place was huge. Wealthy businessmen and a handful of women gathered around the place, spread out, picking from the buffet of outlandish finger foods, expensive caviar, and other delicacies from foreign lands. They reeked of money. Every single one of them.
He brought his wrist to his mouth. “I can’t believe I’m stuck in here. Seriously, I think this is ridiculous,” he said as one of the hosts announced that the first collection of jewelry would be coming out and be presented by models. He listened to her speak.
“We ask that you do not touch any of the items, or the women,” she said and chuckled. The men did, too. “Though I am certain you will be tempted by both. Anyone interested in a certain piece needs to claim it immediately. We have several personnel who can assist you with your purchases. Let’s enjoy the next several hours, and happy shopping, friends,” she said.
“Several hours. Great. You owe me big time, Slade,” Rylan said into his mic.
He kept eyes around the room, taking in each individual and sizing them up. All but four he knew of or heard of. One man from Arabia stood out with his boisterous laugh, large belly, and massive diamonds on several rings he wore. One of the rings alone could probably buy a house. Rylan and his brothers had a lot of money, but they weren’t ostentatious. At least not so much. They each had their cars, their toys, their collections, but they were still soldiers who had seen the worst of the world, the suffering of children, too poor, too weak to defend themselves and survive in a world, in a country of corruption and lack of morals.
“Ahhh!” The crowd erupted as a series of models entered the room, each one very attractive, wearing different types of jewelry. They moved around the crowd, pausing for people to check out the merchandise. He checked each one out as they came closer. He saw the Egyptian guy and an Arabic man named Zurka wave one of the women over. As she approached he placed his hand on her hip. The pervert pretended to look at the jewelry and then, as if he was not happy with it or the model, he waved her on.
“Oh!”
His attention, just like the rest of the crowd, was drawn to another model making her way slowly into the room. He couldn’t see her, she immediately snagged the attention of some people closer to where the models emerged. He saw the back of her, part of a green dress that dipped nearly to her ass, jewelry hanging down her back. He could see the sheer sides of the dress, brown hair pulled up into an intricate design, and when she turned, he reacted. His lips parted, his eyes widened, his cock hardened. Holy shit, who is she?
“How’s it going?” Slade chose that moment to ask.
He couldn’t speak. Couldn’t say a word as he watched her, those gorgeous green eyes so bold and sexy, and holy fuck, her body was outstanding. Full large breasts, deep cleavage that was adorned with a somewhat modest set of long gold, thin chains with diamonds accenting here and there. Matching earrings that hung long nearly to her bare ass. He didn’t think. He raised his wrist and took several shots of her with his camera. He loved this high-tech stuff.
“Rylan? Are you there? Is everything okay?” his brother asked through the earpiece. Rylan hit the button, instantly sending the pictures to his brother. A few seconds passed, his eyes never leaving the woman.
He heard the long whistle in his ear and then an exhale.
“Holy fuck, that’s Rose, Pina’s friend, the artist.”
Rylan squinted and thought about who she was. He had never met her, but his brothers had spoken about her. They had teased Mercury about buying one of her paintings in a silent auction. What the fuck was she doing here modeling jewelry for Mulgoff Lenotz?
“What the fuck is she doing there modeling jewelry for Mulgoff Lenotz?” Slade asked.
“Don’t know. Ask Mercury,” he said into the mic and then stood at attention, placing one hand over his other wrist and watching closely. The closer she got the more beautiful she looked. When the Egyptian actually stood up as if pissed that she was taking so long to come closer to him, Rylan felt on edge.
“Mulgoff, I want to see her,” he demanded to Mulgoff, who chuckled and gave the Egyptian a slap on the shoulder.
“Be patient, my friend. I know she is quite beautiful, but remember, it’s the jewelry for sale, not the woman.”
Rylan’s gut clenched. As a soldier who worked different types of missions over his career and even after, he knew of some sick individuals who would do just that. Buy women like they were objects, material things. As Rose walked closer, another man stopped her, said hello and then looked at the jewelry but it seemed like he was really checking out her breasts. Rylan bit the inside of his cheek. Why would any woman want to be on display like that? Maybe she liked the attention. Maybe she was after men with money? Most women he and his brothers met were women like that. He suddenly was pissed off, and in that moment as she got closer and was heading toward the Egyptian, he locked gazes with her.
* * * *
Rose was shaking, but trying not to show her inexperience with this. She couldn’t believe the dress she was wearing. Never in her wildest dreams would she imagine wearing anything s
o sexy, never mind so expensive. She should try to enjoy the opportunity but the way these men looked at her body more than the jewelry put her on edge. If Mulgoff turned out to be some criminal dude who pretended to sell jewelry to sell women to foreign Arab guys with big fat wallets, she was going to go psycho on someone. She may be thin, and not very strong physically, but she’d do some serious damage with a lamp or one of those marble table statues, if she could pick it up. Jesus, I’m so damn nervous. When she headed further toward the men near the couch who stood up waiting for her, looking impatient along with Mulgoff who was smiling, she looked to the right and nearly lost her footing.
Holy hotness. My God, is he security? Oh shit, is he one of Mercury’s brothers?
The man’s expression was fierce as he ate her up with his eyes and it immediately did something to her. She felt flushed, her breasts swelled, her pussy throbbed. He was fucking gorgeous and lethal at the same time. Her mind yelled look away and run, but her body chimed in “take me.” She literally stopped walking and his expression softened.
“Rose, come on over here, sweetie. There are men who are dying to meet you,” Mulgoff stated, waving her over. She saw the guard squint and then glare toward Mulgoff, but she swallowed hard and turned to head toward them.
The Egyptian guy, an Arab guy, and two American men, plus Mulgoff surrounded her. It was beyond unnerving. It was weird.
“She is incredible, Mulgoff. One of your bed mates?” the Egyptian asked and reached out to touch her earrings as he locked gazes with her, licked his lips, and stared down into her eyes. His fingers grazed her skin and she stepped back.
“Please do not touch the merchandise, sir,” she whispered. He narrowed his eyes at her and then quickly smirked.
“So, what do you think?” Mulgoff asked and sipped at a glass of cognac. She noticed the bottles of liquor were of extraordinary pricing. Bottles well over five hundred apiece. These people were filthy rich. She should have negotiated the fifty an hour. They could easily pay more. You live and you learn.
“You make it so difficult, Mulgoff. With a model as perfect and gorgeous as this one, I’ll be digging deep into my wallet today,” the Egyptian man said and waved a hand in front of her from earrings to necklace. “I’ll take it all,” he said and Mulgoff smiled.
“Very good. Let Monique show you to the back where you can pay for your purchase and watch the items be removed from the model and placed into a secure holding box until you are ready to leave,” Mulgoff said to him.
The Egyptian nodded but kept his eyes on Rose, making her feel completely uncomfortable. He winked. “Shall we, Rose?” he said and offered his arm. She glanced at Mulgoff, who nodded for her to accept the escort and she hesitated and then held on to the man’s arm as they followed Monique out of the room.
* * * *
Rylan waited impatiently as Rose came out in a different dress, a copper color that accentuated every curve once again. She was adorned in chocolate diamonds and champagne diamonds and once again the Egyptian hurried to get her near him where he inspected the jewelry closely, caressed her arm as he did so, and even across her hip as he spoke to Mulgoff and discussed things. The sneaky fuck was pissing Rylan off big time, especially as he noticed Rose inconspicuously push his hand off her hip or shift feet and turn slightly to get his hand to stop caressing her skin. It was obvious she didn’t like this, especially as she turned to leave the room with the Egyptian, she took his arm, rolled her eyes, stuck out her tongue, and then locked gazes with Rylan, not knowing he was watching her. Her gorgeous green eyes widened and her cheeks blushed and Rylan winked. She was adorable.
“Jesus, what the fuck are they going to have her wear next, Mercury, Falco, and Rome want to know,” Slade said to him through the earpiece after he snapped more pictures and sent them. He couldn’t believe his brothers were looking at Rose’s pictures and getting all intense like he was and they weren’t even here. He wondered why Mercury and Falco hadn’t hit on Rose when they met her at the gala event but instead silently purchased one of her paintings. He knew the answer. None of them dated or got involved with women for anything more than necessity.
They lived hard lives. Survived heavy shit before even making it into this crude, dangerous business they were in. Having a woman, especially one they could care for, would be dangerous and stupid. Especially now in the midst of someone trying to sabotage them.
As he exhaled he saw the other models emerge in lingerie. All very short sexy things that barely covered much. His throat felt instantly dry as he wondered what Rose would be wearing.
“Oh God,” he whispered and snapped pictures, way more than necessary, sending them to his brother.
He heard Slade exhale. “Holy fuck, she looks like an angel.”
The crowd responded verbally with oohs and ahhs as Rose emerged in a flowing white silk negligée that hugged her body snugly and went to her feet. The spaghetti straps and bodice were adorned with diamonds and red sapphires, the overlay had the diamonds and red sapphires scattered like droplets here and there with delicacy and precision. Rose’s eyes stood out but her lips were glossed naturally, adding to the appeal of the presentation of the jewels.
“Mine. I call it before he gets a chance to,” some businessman said, rubbing his hands and smiling wide.
“That’s not right. We didn’t even get a chance to see,” the Egyptian yelled out.
“There are other items on display in the side room. You have made many beautiful purchases today already,” Mulgoff said and then smiled at Rose.
“She is gorgeous and presents my jewelry line well. Shall we go into the back, Howard, and complete your purchase?”
Rose looked stunned but Mulgoff took her hand and the Egyptian and Arab complained about not getting close to the model again. As he carried on he waved over another man, whispered to him, and said something about finding out about Rose. Rylan didn’t like it and his gut instinct put him on guard even further. He would personally make sure that Rose didn’t have company waiting for her at the end of this party.
* * * *
“You were all fantastic. Thank you so much. We’ll be calling in about a week in regards to the next event,” Mulgoff said and each of the girls received an envelope with their pay.
Rose was grabbing her purse when Monique came in.
“Rose, could you stay a moment? Mulgoff wants to talk to you,” she said.
Rose didn’t know why and she felt so nervous. Maybe she didn’t do such a professional job but it was the first time she ever did anything like this. As she did it she kept thinking about painting and how badly she would love to be painting full time and making money from that. It just wasn’t the case.
“Rose, come have a seat,” he said to her and motioned with his hand for her to sit beside him on the couch. He looked at her and smiled.
“You did amazing. I mean, beyond expectations. I had a feeling you would be sensational. You’re a natural where the others have been doing this and it has become routine. And as beautiful as they are, they’re missing something. I never could put my finger on it, but today it came to me. It’s in your eyes, your personality. You’re a hard worker, and give a hundred percent.”
“Thank you. I was very nervous.”
“It didn’t show.”
“I thought it did.”
“Did you not like it?”
“It was a little weird having men staring at jewelry I was wearing.”
“They were also looking at your beauty, your perfection. Years ago I came up with this idea about showcasing my collections on models instead of on velvet. I mean the jewels of the finest quality money can buy, but with price tags well into the millions, my customers deserve better than velvet and display cases.”
“The jewelry was all gorgeous and the dresses—My God, I’ve never even seen anything like them.”
He smiled. “That’s because they were all custom made. I have designers who design dresses, negligees, everyday clothing to coordinat
e with the jewelry line so buyers can truly envision the jewels on the women they buy them for. I have a men’s line as well, male models included.”
“That’s impressive. I truly appreciate the opportunity to work for you. I should probably get going. You must be exhausted,” she said and he smiled.
“Before you go, I would like to offer you another opportunity. You mentioned being an artist. I’d like you to gather about five of your best pieces and bring them with you Friday night to the LaTargere. I’m showcasing a very exquisite piece of jewelry and would like you to wear it for the evening. It would be similar to tonight’s event but on a much larger scale. There will be jewelers, artisans, collectors, and business people from all over the place.”
“Why do you want me to bring my paintings?”
“I have a feeling that your hidden talent may be in need of exposure. You have an eye for beauty, as do I. Monique will give you the address of the boutique where she’ll have your gown, and will have Daisy do makeup and hair. Bring the paintings there and one of my people will get those to me. Make sure they are signed,” he said and winked.
She stood up.
“Are you sure that you don’t want to use one of the more experienced models for this event?” she asked.
“The pay is five thousand for the night. I am certain you will be a better model, a more talkative and social promoter, too.”
“Five thousand dollars? Just to model a piece of jewelry and nothing more?” she asked.
He chuckled and placed his hand on her shoulder as he stood up next to her.
“Just modeling. Not to frighten you, but the piece you will be wearing is worth five million dollars.”
She felt lightheaded and he slid his arm to her hip, chuckling.
“You’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be a nervous wreck someone might rip it off my neck.”
“Not going to happen. The coordinator hired the best security company in the business. You’ll be safe, and I will most likely be by your side for most of the evening to ensure it and your safety. Now go rest up and gather those paintings. Oh, and I put a little extra in the envelope for your pay. You did fantastic.”
A Shot of Love Potion [Love on the Rocks 5] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 4