The Model: A Workplace Romance

by Layne, Harlow

  I wanted to marry this girl.

  Eliminating the distance between us, I crushed my mouth to hers. I knew our lips would be swollen and bruised in the morning, but I didn’t care. Each touch, each caress was like a sip of elixir that I never knew I needed. She was the balm to my lonely soul, and I never wanted to be apart from her. I wanted the world to know that my lips had been attached to hers for the entire night.

  Laying her down on the bed, I hovered over her. When our eyes locked, she smiled softly at me. Slowly her hand came up to rest on my cheek. “Does that mean you liked what I said?”

  “I more than liked every word that came out of your pretty little mouth,” I nipped at her bottom lip before sucking it into my mouth.

  “Show me.” She demanded breathlessly from underneath me, so I did as I was ordered. For the rest of the night, I tasted every inch of her beautiful body, kissed her until our breaths were ragged, and brought her to climax more times than I could count. It was the perfect way to end our time together.

  When we headed to the airport the next morning, our eyes bleary from getting no sleep, we had contented smiles on our faces until we pulled apart and it was time to say goodbye.

  I left a little piece of my heart in Rio that day.

  16

  Lexie

  1 Month Later

  Crossing through my checklist, I marked off the hotel I’d just booked. Raine walked in with her giant cup of Starbucks and sank into the chair in front of my desk.

  “Rough night?” I asked as I looked at her over my monitor.

  My usual perky Raine was nowhere to be seen. Her clothes were rumpled, her hair was in disarray, and she had bags under her eyes. “You could say that. My roommate’s boyfriend broke up with her, and Sierra was up all night crying, so I was scrolling through different social media sites and…” She looked down at her lap and then up at me with tears in her eyes.

  What had Raine so upset?

  “What, honey? You can tell me whatever’s upsetting you.”

  She took in a shaky breath before she opened and closed her mouth a few times. “I don’t think so; you’re not going to like it.”

  “Was someone talking trash about me?” I didn’t really care if they were. It wasn’t going to hurt my feelings.

  Raine shook her head vehemently. If no one was trash-talking me, then what was it?

  “Am I supposed to guess?” When she shook her head again, I started to get annoyed. It was too early to be playing games. For the last few days, I hadn’t been able to get into contact with Ryder. Last I knew, he was in New York, getting ready to head to Australia. We had planned to talk after he was settled and got some sleep, but with the time difference, it was hard to find a time for us to talk. After not hearing from him for three days after he arrived, I didn’t know what to think.

  To top it all off, Ben had been calling me non-stop since I got home from Rio. I’d blocked his number on my iPhone, but he could still leave voicemails and took advantage, leaving at least one an hour. Every day he filled my voicemail with his endless rants. They were nasty, ugly, and hateful voicemails talking about all the horrible things he was going to do to me if he ever got the chance. I’d had my security system upgraded again while I was away, but it still didn’t make me feel one hundred percent safe. I was afraid to leave my house, but I was lucky to have Raine and to live in a big city where literally everything could be brought to your door.

  With all that going on, I wasn’t sure if I could handle any more. Turning her phone so I could look at it, I nearly lost my breakfast. On Raine’s screen was Ryder with Lana in his lap. Lana was holding the phone out while she kissed his cheek. Ryder looked happy with one arm around her waist. They appeared to be in a nightclub of some sort. I couldn’t tell if it was taken in New York or Sydney, not that it mattered. This must have been why I couldn’t get a hold of him.

  How had I been so wrong about him?

  Ryder knew how I felt about Lana, and there he was with her. I wanted to be sick, scream, and at the same time, slash his tires if he had any. While I’d been missing him since we’d left Rio, now I was heartbroken.

  “Why don’t we take the rest of the day off? The hotel has agreed to our terms, and I’ve got them booked for the entire week in December, so we should have plenty of time to get all the shots we want.”

  Raine looked at me with sad, puppy dog eyes. “Are you sure? We still have so much work to do.”

  “I’m more than sure. You’re tired and could use some sleep, and I need to wrap my head around the picture you showed me.”

  “I’m really sorry, Lexie. I didn’t know what to do. I knew you’d want to know and hadn’t talked to him in a few days, but I also didn’t want to upset you.”

  It was better Raine did it than someone else who was trying to hurt me. “No, you did the right thing. I needed to know the truth. While I knew Lana wanted to get in his pants, I never thought Ryder would fall for her.”

  “Maybe you should talk to him and get his side of the story. Like you said—”

  “Do you think that picture is lying?” I cut her off, not wanting to hear what else Raine had to say. “What about not being able to get into contact with him? Why isn’t he answering my calls or text messages?”

  “I have no answers, but I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and I don’t think he’d do this to you.”

  I dropped my head and tightened my hands into fists. “I know you thought this was going to be some epic love story, but it was just lust and convenience. Did you really think someone as young as Ryder would go months and months without sex while we were apart? I understand being young and having needs. I was young once too, but the fact that it was Lana…” I gritted my teeth at her name to prevent myself from crying. I knew that if I started to cry, I wouldn’t be able to stop, and I wanted to wait until I was alone and could wallow in my anger and heartbreak.

  Raine stared back at me with tears in her eyes. I knew at any moment they’d break free, and once she started, I was going to follow right along with her.

  Hopping up from my chair, I picked up a stack of headshots and handed them to her. “If you want to be helpful, go home and get some sleep. Once you’re caught up, start going through these and see if you think any of them will work for Mathers’ campaign.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m more than sure. You won’t do me any good when you’re running on no sleep.” Picking up my phone, I started for the stairs. “When are you going to find someplace else to live? I gave you a raise, so you don’t need a roommate if you don’t want one.” Raine’s eyes shifted to the side as she bit her lip. If she was using the extra money I gave her for something stupid, I would kick her ass. “What’s going on? And don’t even think about lying to me.”

  “I wouldn’t lie to you.” She pointed to her phone as if that made a point. “The only places I’ve found I can afford on my own are crap and far away.”

  “Are you asking for another raise?” While I loved Raine as my assistant, I wasn’t going to let my liking her sway my judgment. She hadn’t worked here long enough to make any more than what I was paying her. If she worked anywhere else, she’d be making significantly less.

  “Oh gosh no, I would never ask that of you, especially after you just gave me a raise. It’s just going to take some time.”

  “Perfect, you’ve got time now. Get some sleep and then scour the internet for a new place to live. Forget the headshots, your job is to find a new place to live so you can work effectively for me.”

  “I can do that,” she nodded vigorously, so hard, I thought she might strain her neck and then need to go to the hospital.

  Internally I rolled my eyes at myself. I hated what Ryder had done to me. I’d opened myself up to him, had started to care about him, and maybe if I was honest with myself, had started to fall for him. Now I wasn’t acting like myself, and I needed to get over him so he didn’t affect my work.

  “You deserve more than t
hose shitty roommates you’ve got. If I knew of a place you could live, I’d tell you.” A thought popped into my head, and I started back toward her. “Did you check the building I lived in before? Maybe they haven’t rented out my old apartment?”

  Raine’s eyes lit up like I’d just told her tomorrow was Christmas. “I hadn’t thought of that, although I’m not sure I could afford it.”

  “It wasn’t that bad. Trust me, it also wasn’t that nice. I lived there for a long time. If you want, I could give the building supervisor a call and see if it’s still open. If it is, I can give you a recommendation. That is if Ben hasn’t soured him toward me. I know he was showing up almost daily for a while.”

  “Oh my gosh, Lexie, that would be so amazing of you. I would absolutely love to live there.” She bounced in her seat, she was so happy. I hoped that my apartment was still vacant, and they’d accept her as a tenant. I’d give them my best recommendation and promise that she’d have a job with me for as long as she wanted.

  “Let me call Henry and see if the apartment is still available before I get your hopes up too high.”

  With bright eyes, she nodded with her hands clasped in front of her chest. Damn, I hoped it was still available because I didn’t want to take away that happiness from her.

  Pulling up my contacts, I dialed Henry, who answered on the first ring. “Lexie,” he answered, with happiness brimming from his voice. Hearing him, I instantly missed Henry. He was one of the nicest people I’d ever met.

  “Henry, how are you?”

  “I’m better now that I’ve heard your voice. It’s been too long. I miss seeing your smiling face every day.” And that was why I loved him.

  “I miss you too. I know you’re probably busy, but I wanted to see if anyone had rented my apartment.”

  “Are you wanting to move back?” The hopefulness in his voice nearly killed me. He was like a grandfather to me, and I’d abandoned him after I moved out. I should ask him out to lunch or dinner to catch up. It was the least I could do.

  “Not quite. My assistant, Raine, do you remember her?” I didn’t wait for his answer. “She’s looking for an apartment, and I know it’s a long shot, but I thought I’d see if mine was still available.”

  “Oh.” In that one word, he sounded so sad. I didn’t blame him because I missed seeing him daily too. “I’m sorry to inform you that it has been rented.” Damn it. I knew it was a long shot, but I was hopeful that I could help Raine out. “But…there is another unit that’s opened up. It’s not a two-bedroom like the one you had. Would she be okay with a one-bedroom on the corner?”

  “I’m pretty sure she’d be over the moon. She’s sitting right here, so let me ask her.”

  “Take your time, honey,” Henry answered.

  Putting my phone to my chest, I turned to see Raine about ready to jump out of her skin with excitement. I bit back my smile. “He doesn’t have my old apartment anymore, but he does have a one-bedroom corner apartment.”

  “I’ll take anything.” She jumped out of her seat and started forward, but stopped abruptly with a frown on her face. “Wait, how much does it cost? Because I might not be able to afford it.”

  Putting the phone back up to my ear, I prayed Henry had the correct answer. “Henry, what’s the price of the apartment?”

  “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. I’m not sure, but if she can afford yours, she’ll be fine. I know it’s less, but not by how much. Do you think she could stop by today to fill out an application? Even though she’s your friend, it’s required for all tenants.”

  “I already gave her the rest of the day off, so she’ll be over shortly.”

  “Very good, Ms. Lexie. I do hope that if your friend moves in, I’ll be seeing more of you.”

  “You can bet on it, Henry. Thank you so much for your help.”

  “Anytime, I look forward to meeting her. I hope you have a good rest of your afternoon.”

  “I will, and I’ll see you soon.” I hung up and put my phone in my back pocket. “He said you have to come by and fill out an application, but it sounds like it’s only a formality. I do believe you’ve got yourself a new apartment.”

  “Can I just say you are the best boss ever?” Raine shrieked as she ran at me with her arms wide before giving me a big hug.

  “I’m glad you think so now because you might not be thinking that tomorrow when I’m making you work late,” I said from the top of her head. Even though I was short at five foot four, Raine was four-foot-something, and she hated it, but it was one of the things that made her so damn cute.

  “Perfectly acceptable.” She stepped back with a blinding smile on her face. “Are you sure you want me to leave?” Her words were a reminder of why I had given her the day off in the first place. Never had I been so sure I wanted to be alone. I wanted to cry and be moody and maybe scream a little or a lot, depending on how it made me feel.

  “Of course, I’m sure. Go get yourself an awesome apartment, and I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.”

  “Again, thank you, Lexie. You don’t know how much this means to me.” She was still bouncing on her heels as she collected her stuff. Her face was lit with pure joy. “I’ll be here tomorrow, ready to work. I promise.”

  Waving her off, I gave her a weak smile before I closed the door and set my alarm. I couldn’t be too careful with Ben out there with a vengeance against me.

  With each step I took toward the stairs, tears welled until I could no longer see. Everything was blurry as I let myself finally break down over Ryder. I knew he was too good to be true, and yet I had let myself fall for him. Trudging up the stairs, I let each tear burn whatever kindness I held for him in my heart. Never would I let another man deep inside of me again. They were all the same good for nothing liars, and I wanted nothing to do with the lot of them.

  Stepping into my apartment, I was glad he’d never set foot in this space. I didn’t want to see him everywhere I turned. I had moved here for a new start, and it would continue to be one. I spotted the t-shirt Ryder gave me so I could continue to breathe in his piney scent. The urge to burn it was overpowering, but I couldn’t do it. No matter how hard I wanted to hate him, there was still a part of me that was a little in love with him.

  Picking up his shirt from the end of my bed, I lifted it to my nose and took in a deep breath. Just like yesterday, his scent had faded so much so that I could barely get the smallest of piney whiffs. While I’d been sad yesterday when I couldn’t get his scent, now I was devastated. I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that I could no longer smell him. Throwing his shirt into the back of my closet, I closed the door, not wanting to see the garment ever again.

  Bile rose in my throat out of nowhere and forced me to run to the bathroom to let loose the yogurt and coffee I’d had that morning, heave after heave until there was nothing left in my aching stomach. I hated nothing more than throwing up, and I did everything within my power not to throw up, so it was a surprise this had hit me so hard. Flushing the vile contents, I folded my arms over the seat and rested my head against them. My head was pounding, and the hair around my face was sweaty and stuck to me as I took deep breaths to try and calm down. I felt like a revolting mess as I let tears stream down my face, run off my arm, and splash into the toilet.

  I was happy I’d told Raine to take the rest of the day off. She would probably be hovering over me all day and trying to baby me while I wanted to wallow in my misery alone. As another wave of nausea hit me, I cursed Ryder Williams for fooling me. His good looks, charm, amazing cock, and good boy attitude were to blame for all of this.

  How had I let him convince me he was a good guy?

  17

  Lexie

  Leaving the bathroom on the first floor, I swiped my mouth with the back of my arm as my stomach continued to twist and turn. I headed toward the stairs to finish setting up on the roof before the models were ready. After being up all night, I’d overslept that morning and couldn’t take
any more time for myself. Raine had been moving the last of her stuff into her new apartment in my old building and was on her way with lunch for the team. As I walked by the hair and makeup room, Brad and Annalise gave me worried looks that I ignored.

  For the last two weeks, everyone had been walking around on eggshells, afraid that at any moment I might go off. After learning about Ryder, I’d been on edge. The one time he called, I exploded like a two-year-old having the temper tantrum to rival all temper tantrums when his number flashed across my screen. It would have been different if he’d manned up and confessed that he was into Lana. Instead, he waited an entire week to contact me after Lana posted the photo of them together, so I didn’t want to hear a word he had to say.

  Not now or ever.

  The air was stifling; I was already ready to be out of the heat, and we hadn’t even started the shoot yet. Pulling the fan out of the little shed I had built, I moved it into the canopy I had set up for the team and me to stand under as much as possible during the day. The cabana was filled with all the fake tropical food and drinks, and all the pillows were fluffed. Everything was perfect as I headed downstairs for lunch until the smell of the food hit my overly sensitive stomach. Instead of making it downstairs, I flew into my bedroom and barely made it to the toilet before I started dry heaving. With the heat and the smell of the curry someone had ordered, it all got to me.

  I waited upstairs until I knew I had given them enough time to eat their lunch. Once I heard everyone go up the stairs, I made my way downstairs to my desk to grab my camera.

  “Are you still sick?” When my only answer was a nod, Raine continued. “You need to go to the doctor.” Her face was a picture of worry as she looked at me with her down-turned mouth. “It’s been two weeks, and I’ve asked around. No one has the flu.” She paused. “If you want, I can make you an appointment, I don’t mind.”