Twist of Fate

by Faver, JD

  “But you have.” Mel interlaced her fingers with his. “I fell in love with you. You’re in my thoughts all the time. I can’t go for long without being with you.” She shrugged. “No more independent career girl.”

  Helmut laughed. “Loving you has changed me as well. I wake up with you in my head even when you are not in my arms. No matter what I am doing, you are in my thoughts and in my heart.”

  Her eyes filled with tears and she blinked them away. “So, where does that leave us?”

  “We are friends. We are lovers.”

  “I think we’re more than that. We may be miles apart on a lot of things, but we’re soul mates, Helmut. Maybe we’ll be able to stay together and be happy if we each do our own thing. We can still spend as much time together as possible.” She shook her head. “That sounds crazy, even to me.”

  Helmut tried to ignore the sadness spreading through his chest. “We will try to love and respect each other and be together when we can.”

  She nodded. “Also, we’ll be together in The City or on location when I’m taking your photographs for the client’s ad campaigns.”

  “And when you come to stay with me at the farm.”

  She stopped walking and dug her toes into the soft white sand. “We’d better get back to the hotel. I’m glad we got to talk. No matter what, you need to remember that I love you.”

  He smiled, glad to hear her say it again. “I love you more.”

  #

  Back at the hotel, Helmut cringed when he recognized Alain pacing back and forth in front of the reception desk.

  When Alain espied Mel and Helmut, he threw his hands in the air. “Finally! I was about to send out the search party.”

  Helmut felt his jaw tighten as he glowered at Alain.

  Mel laughed. “Don’t get your panties in a wad, Alain. What’s the hurry? We have all week.”

  Alain gestured to the beautiful setting. “Look at the light. It’s perfect.”

  “It’s always perfect here, silly man,” Mel chided. “Who did you bring for the shoot?”

  Alain grinned mischievously. “All the usual suspects and some of our old favorites.”

  Mel grimaced. “Please tell me you didn’t bring Layla.”

  Alain nodded. “She’s clean and sober. Fresh out of rehab and hungry for action. She practically begged me to book her for this shoot.”

  Helmut watched the unspoken communication between the two. Clearly, this Layla person was not Mel’s choice.

  Alain wrapped an arm around Mel’s shoulders and gave her a hug. “Don’t worry. She’ll be on her best behavior. I guarantee it.”

  Mel frowned at him. “Hah! Layla doesn’t have any best behavior.”

  #

  Mel’s heart sank at the mention of the name Layla. Too well she remembered the last time they had tangled.

  Helmut gazed at her with his all-knowing expression. He could tell she was upset and she didn’t want to give him any reason not to work with Layla. Helmut’s face betrayed every emotion he was feeling and if he held any negative feelings toward Layla, they would show in his photos.

  Mel heaved a sigh. She had hoped to slip away for a surreptitious shopping expedition wherein she might purchase an early pregnancy test without alerting Helmut.

  Helmut looked fierce, as though he would protect her from this Layla person. But he hadn’t met her and didn’t understand the connection between them.

  Mel forced a smile on her face. “Excuse us, Alain. We were just going up to our suite. We’ll meet you on the patio in an hour.” She groped for Helmut’s hand and practically dragged him from the lobby.

  In the elevator, she snuggled close to him, pressing her face against his torso.

  “Who is this Layla? Is she not a good person.”

  The Devil’s Spawn? Seed of Satan? No, she couldn’t spread her bias to Helmut. Mel forced a laugh. “She’s just one more crazy model. In and out of rehab. Glad she’s clean and sober, for the moment.”

  “That does not sound good,” He said, his deep voice reverberating in his chest.

  She sighed. “Maybe she can stay straight long enough to get through the shoot.”

  “I hope so,” he said.

  They changed clothes in the suite and Mel lifted her camera case to her shoulder, but Helmut reached around her and boosted it from her grip.

  Mel gasped. “I can carry my own cameras!”

  “Not while I am with you.” He chortled.

  She shrugged. “Thanks. I’m getting used to the way you take care of me.”

  A wide grin spread across his face. “I will always take care of you, Mel, if you will only let me.”

  #

  When the elevator doors opened in the lobby, Helmut felt Mel’s entire body tense.

  A tall slinky woman pounced on her the moment she stepped from the elevator. “Mel! My absolute most favorite photographer in the whole wide world!” The woman wrapped long, willowy arms around Mel and gave her a squeeze.

  Mel had the look of a wild animal caught in a trap. She cleared her throat. “Layla. How...rested you look.”

  Layla’s long, straight brown hair was artfully highlighted with several shades of blonde and her wide golden-brown eyes looked like liquid amber. She giggled. “Yeah, well I got plenty of rest. But I’m all better now. No coke. No weed. No booze. What you see is all Layla.”

  “Congratulations.” Mel tried to take a step around her, but Layla stopped her.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me?” She gazed up at Helmut and moistened her lips.

  Mel’s lips curled into a less than genuine smile. She gripped Helmut’s hand and spoke with exquisite articulation. “You know who this is, Layla. Helmut is very well known by now and I’m sure you did your research before approaching Alain to come on this shoot.” She glanced up at him and sighed. “Helmut Engle, this is Layla Almaraz. You’ll be working with her this week.” She swept Layla with a stern gaze. “Along with many other younger, fresher models.”

  Helmut held out a hand to Layla, which she ignored and pushed herself in close to embrace him.

  “Oh, I just know that we’ll get along famously. Don’t we look good together?” She slipped an arm around Helmut’s waist and struck a pose as she gazed ingenuously at Mel.

  Mel nodded. A muscle in her jaw twitched. “Let’s get going. Alain is waiting on the patio.”

  Helmut put his hand on Mel’s shoulder and drew her closer. He gazed into her eyes, trying to fathom the conflict between the two women.

  Under his hand, he felt Mel lose a little of the tension in her shoulders. She nodded and started across the lobby with Helmut maintaining his grasp on her.

  Layla threaded her hand through his other arm, the one that held the camera bag and fell into step with them. She babbled incessantly as they made their way out onto the patio.

  Helmut found it was unnecessary to respond or even acknowledge Layla’s prating.

  Alain had taken over the wide veranda overlooking the bay. The warm terra-cotta colored balustrades made a striking contrast to the lush greenery and cool blue of the sea beyond.

  Muriel waved at him and pointed to a portable dressing room she had set up for him.

  He tried to relax the churning in his gut. He’d hoped that this process would become easier and less disconcerting as time went by. It wasn’t working out that way.

  Bruno and Alistair waved gleefully.

  Helmut sighed. He’d never imagined in his wildest dreams that he would have a hair stylist and make-up artist, much less someone to help him get dressed. What kind of degenerate life had he fallen into?

  Janissa appeared at his side and removed the camera bag from his grasp, and in so doing, dislodged Layla from his side. The two women glared at one another as two strange cats might at first encounter.

  Helmut envisioned their hair standing up and almost heard the sound of hissing. He used the opportunity to wrap both arms around Mel and whisper in her ear. “I love you.”

&n
bsp; She leaned back against him and lifted her lips for a kiss. “Love you too.”

  When Helmut looked around he saw Layla staring at them with an odd expression on her face. Her lips tightened and the friendly expression in her eyes turned to pure malice.

  They got through the day’s shoot and made it back to the suite. Helmut took a shower with Mel and tried to gauge her mood. She had been tense throughout the shooting. He’d read it in the way she held her mouth and shoulders.

  He could tell that Janissa sensed it too. She was extra efficient, almost anticipating anything Mel might need.

  Alain remained oblivious to everything except the models and his garments hanging on their bodies.

  Whenever Layla had been in a shot with Helmut, she’d managed to brush her lithe, sensuous body against him. Helmut had experienced this kind of body language when he’d been in athletics. It was the way a certain kind of female announced that she was interested in him. In the past, he might have responded, but that was before Mel had come into his life. He was committed to her and had no interest in other women, even one as luscious as Layla Almaraz.

  Mel was aware of Layla’s posturing.

  On the one hand, it had fed his ego to see little flashes of jealousy play across Mel’s face. On the other hand, he hadn’t wished to cause her any distress. The moment any of his shots with Layla came to an end, he’d separated himself from her by rushing to the dressing room or by standing near Mel.

  But tonight Mel seemed distant, her thoughts taking her to a place where he wasn’t included. He wrapped one of the large bath towels around her and drew her near.

  “Are you as unhappy as you appear?”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for my black mood to spill out onto you. We’re done for the day so we can have some fun. What would you like to do?”

  He squeezed her tighter. “I am doing it. As long as we are together, I am happy.”

  She gazed up into his eyes and breathed out a sigh. “Me too.”

  He brushed a kiss against her forehead. “Did you tell me that we could have a meal sent to this suite?”

  She nodded. “There’s a menu on the desk. Order anything you want.” Her arms crept around his torso. “Thanks, Helmut.”

  He gave her a quizzical look.

  “For knowing that I needed some quiet time.” Her eyes sparkled like faceted emeralds.

  He cleared his throat. “Perhaps I need some quiet time with you.”

  The look she gave him let him know that their quiet time would rapidly dissolve into intimacy. He grinned and ruffled her hair. The things he had to do to keep her happy.

  The next morning they ordered fresh fruit and croissant from room service and devoured it with an entire pot of coffee on the balcony that overlooked the water.

  Mel giggled, looking at once both young and engaging. “I could get used to living like this.”

  “Not I,” he said. “I cannot wait to return to my farm.”

  I could stay here in Paradise forever.” Her brows knit suddenly. “Or at least, I could have until Layla showed up.”

  “You did not know that she was coming?”

  She shook her head. “Alain wanted to surprise me. He knew that I might have opted out if I had known.”

  Helmut’s gut clenched. “Why would your friend, Alain, want to give you a bad surprise?”

  She forced a thin smile. “That’s just the kind of guy he is. He wants what he wants. And he’ll do anything to get it.”

  He felt a wave of disapproval wash through him. “That does not sound like something a friend would do.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “No, it doesn’t, does it?” She busied herself with scooping out spoonfuls of her melon half.

  He frowned. Whatever was so important that it relied on secrecy had backfired and Mel was upset.

  Mel demanded that he ignore her bad mood. “Layla and I just don’t like each other. That’s all. Don’t worry about it. The shoot will be great. Alain’s collection will be great.”

  He gazed at her without smiling, knowing that there was more she wasn’t telling him. Whatever reason Mel and Layla disliked each other had more to do with their past than anything happening now.

  As he finished his breakfast and pulled on a pair of shorts and the casual shirt Mel had laid out for him, he kept stealing glances at her. When she thought he wasn’t looking, her face slipped into sadness. She looked worried and insecure. He wanted to gather her in his arms and comfort her, except she was pretending that everything was fine.

  #

  They look so damned good together. Mel peered through her lens at Helmut and Layla. The tall, slender Layla leaned against Helmut and that irked Mel.

  “Layla,” Mel shouted irritably. “Stop lounging on Helmut. You’re covering his clothes. He’s not your background.”

  Frowning, Helmut took a step away from the lanky model.

  Muriel immediately straightened his jacket and stepped out of camera range.

  “Better!” Mel grunted and took the shot.

  If Helmut had impregnated her, she wondered how their child would look. Would their offspring be tall, blonde and beautiful like Helmut or would it be short and dark like Mel? She tried to dismiss the thought, but it kept returning to haunt her.

  The day progressed this way. Petty annoyances piled on top of more petty annoyances and all the while, Mel stewed.

  Alain flitted around, making last minute changes and delaying the shoot.

  When the light began to fade, Mel handed her camera to Janissa. “That’s it. I’m calling it a day.”

  Alain massaged her shoulders and whispered in her ear, “Good job, Mel.”

  His fingers kneaded her muscles, relaxing the tension and easing the pain.

  She rotated her neck, and expelled a deep breath. “Thanks, Alain.”

  He patted her shoulder and gave her a squeeze.

  When Mel looked up, she saw Helmut standing where he had been when she’d announced the end of the shooting. He seemed to be rooted in place, watching her exchange with Alain. Something in his gaze sent a shiver down her spine.

  #

  Layla sighed. “See how he adores her. Alain and Mel have always had a special bond.”

  Helmut glanced at her to see if she was serious, but she was smiling as though she thought this was a great thing. “Special bond?”

  “Can’t you see it?” Layla gazed up at him, a slight frown on her face. “The two of them are so close. It’s like Alain anticipates her every move. He’s so in tune with her.”

  In tune? What did that mean? Helmut’s attention was drawn back to where Alain stood close to Mel.

  The Frenchman whispered in her ear and she smiled. He flexed his fingers and began kneading her shoulders.

  A knot of tension gathered in Helmut’s gut. He tried to relax his jaw, but found his back teeth clenched together.

  Layla wrapped her fingers around his forearm, the warmth of her skin mingling with his. “They’ve been together so long. I’ve often wondered why they don’t just get married.”

  Helmut felt as though he’d been struck by a bolt of lightening. His entire body went rigid, his muscles tensed, paralyzing him in place.

  He could only stare at Mel and Alain, interacting together as friends...or as lovers?

  “Helmut?”

  He dropped his gaze to the woman standing in front of him. “Yes, Muriel.”

  She looked puzzled. “Are you ready to get out of those clothes? Mel called a wrap to this session.”

  “Yes. Yes, I am ready. Please get me out of these things.” He disengaged Layla’s hand from his arm and turned. He heard her deep throated chortle as he walked away with Muriel.

  “I’d be happy to help you shed your clothes, Helmut,” Layla called after him. “Anytime you want.”

  #

  Helmut waited for Mel to gather her equipment and chat with Janissa for a moment before she turned to him with a grin.

  The knot in
his gut loosened when she slipped both arms around his waist and gave him a hug. She lifted her face for a kiss and he felt his anxiety melting into the tenderness of her lips.

  She gave him a look that bespoke both love and gratitude. “Are you glad that another day of shooting is over?”

  “Yes, I am glad. I liked it better before the others came. I liked to be here with only you.”

  “Me too.” She kissed him again.

  He slipped his arm around her shoulders and led her toward the elevators. “This shooting is still not comfortable for me.”

  “One would never know,” she said. “You seem to be completely at ease with gorgeous women draped all over you.”

  He let out a snort. “You know that is not true.”

  “I know.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I was only teasing you. But the shots look great. If you’re ill at ease, it doesn’t show.”

  They stepped inside the elevator and Helmut selected their floor. As the doors silently closed, he turned to face her.

  “You seemed to be very tense today.”

  She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “My fault. I let things get to me.”

  He wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck and gently caressed her as the elevator disgorged them.

  Inside the suite, she lowered the camera case to the floor and flexed her shoulders.

  “I’ll try to be in a better mood tomorrow. Sorry I let everything get too tense on the shoot.”

  “It was not your fault,” he said. “And we will be done soon.”

  She leaned against his chest, looking into his eyes. “Almost over. Only a couple of more days to go and then you can return to your precious cows.”

  He smiled and kissed her. “I do miss my cows.”

  “Well, I miss my big, noisy fast-paced city as well.” She ran her palms over his chest. “At least we’ll soon be getting our lives back to normal; whatever that is for us.”

  Helmut gazed into her eyes, trying to gauge her mood. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “When I see Alain with you, it seems to me that he cares for you very deeply.”

  Some wariness in her eyes signaled that he was broaching a difficult subject. Undaunted, he pressed on. “Is Alain St. Croix in love with you?”