It was always busy at Carlyle’s. There were lots of new faces because a lot of business people hung out here, and she and her friends always had fun listening to the live bands. Tonight would be no different.
“Okay, bring on the shots to loosen me up,” Cherie stated and rubbed her hands together by the bar. Of course that got the bartender very happy because he knew their group would be spending a lot of money, and he immediately began flirting with Cherie.
Venetia saw a few guys look at her best friend, and she knew that she was in for babysitting tonight. She didn’t mind though. Venetia didn’t trust anyone, and she was always on guard. She kind of had a bitchy attitude, but she really didn’t care. Her work was her everything, her livelihood and a means of not living on the streets. Not that she would. She had Cena, who she was going to see next week at the barbecue she was having.
“You don’t need to get wasted to get Mr. Hotshot you broke up with out of your system,” Rose told Cherie.
“I’m over him,” Cherie stated but then looked around at the other people enjoying the night.
Venetia could tell that her friend was still nursing a broken heart. She’d adored Randy and thought they might get married, but then he strayed.
As the night went on, Venetia leaned back against the bar and spoke to the bartender, Gus, until she felt the nudge to her side and some guy squeeze in next to her.
“Hey, Gus, can I get a Ketel One on the rocks and whatever she’s drinking,” he said, and when she turned to look way up at the guy next to her, her eyes widened. It was the guy in the Lamborghini she’d seen pull up in front as her and her friends walked into Carlyle’s and had noticed him surrounded by women. He smirked at her expression, and she immediately stood straighter.
“No need to, Gus. I’m fine as I am.” She turned around to face the crowd.
“You’re not accepting my drink?” the hottie in the white jacket asked her.
She glanced at him, giving him the once-over, which nearly backfired on her.
“No, thank you. Not interested,” she said to him, and a few of his friends said hello and they shook hands and then introduced themselves to her. She said hello and then continued to look at her friends, who noticed the hot guys and immediately came off the dance floor.
“Hey, you’re the guy with the Lamborghini,” Cherie stated and wiped her brow with a napkin then stood by Venetia. He smiled.
“I was going to ask your friend here if she wanted a ride,” he said to Venetia.
Venetia chuckled.
“Seriously, do I look like one of those bimbos who have been swarming around you all night?” she asked and rolled her eyes then exhaled in annoyance.
He looked her over and licked his lower lip. The man was gorgeous, and she suddenly wished she wasn’t so scared to let go and live a little and even have sex again. She didn’t want to waste her time on noncommittal sex. Hell, she wasn’t even sure she could have sex again after the last time and the violent way Conan had taken from her body. She looked away.
“So, you’ve been watching me,” he said to her, flirting, giving her elbow a nudge, which, for some reason, sent tiny vibrations up her arm and right to her pussy.
How the hell did he do that? She shouldn’t have said what she had. Now he thought he had a chance and that she was playing hard to get. She didn’t like how she felt. She sort of panicked at the fact she found the rich, snobbish gigolo attractive. Hadn’t she learned anything? Now she was getting angry for her body’s reaction.
“It’s kind of hard not to notice an entourage of desperate women following around a man like puppy dogs.”
“So is the answer no in accepting a ride with me when I’ve chosen you out of all those puppy dogs following me? Perhaps I just wanted to get to know you?” he asked, gave her a wink, and stared down into her eyes intently.
She didn’t like the way he said he’d chosen her. It sounded like Conan, like a man who was accustomed to getting what he wanted. What about what she wanted? What any woman wanted? Respect, compassion, commitment, understanding, love, or just good old honesty?
“You chose me, and did you just refer to me as a puppy dog?”
He chuckled. “No,” he said very seriously as he looked her body over, which, again, had some sort of an effect on her she wasn’t willing to accept.
“Definitely not referring to you as a puppy dog.” He smirked.
She stepped away from the bar and gave him another once-over.
“Save it for the bimbos. I’m not even your type at all.” She went to move, and he stopped her.
“Not my type?”
She gazed over his body as he had done to her. She hadn’t expected his eyes to widen as though he was completely shocked that she hadn’t thrown herself at him.
“A woman with class and not a slut out to land some rich guy who only cares about getting laid. Good luck, buddy.” She walked away. She could hear his friends laughing, and as she headed toward the other side of the room, she found herself glancing over her shoulder. Sure as shit, the man was in a dead stare with her. She’d insulted him, pissed him off, and put him in his place. She felt a little guilty, and her gut clenched. That had been her problem with Conan. She had been a pushover and a woman who feared standing her ground. She shouldn’t care about this stuck-up rich dude she would never see again. Screw him and the fact that he thought he had a chance with her. That he assumed she would jump at the opportunity to go for a ride in his fancy sports car. Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it. No, thank you. I learn from my mistakes.
Men sucked, and she would never let down her guard, no matter how fine or attracted she was to a man. If that ever even happened again.
* * * *
Venetia organized her portfolio and sent along a PowerPoint presentation of all her work, including her recent accomplishments photographing a new senior living facility in an upscale area in town. She’d also helped the videographer create the commercial video presented to the owners of the condominium facility that they used to showcase the property and living quarters. When she arrived at the offices of Corb Enterprise, she felt excited and anxious. Louisa had an aunt who knew someone who worked for the company, and when they were investigating potential photography firms, she had recommended Venetia. Before the owners accepted seeing her in person to discuss the possibility of being hired, she had been required to send along the portfolio of work she had done.
She included her logo, a large V. Her original idea was to have her name in the center of the V, but that would be too risky. Venetia wasn’t a common name, and Conan could find her if she were to slip up like that. It was done in a fancy design she had created. She was a bit nervous because all her other jobs thus far were nothing in comparison to this potential one. This was completely out of her comfort zone, but it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. After talking to her friends and Cena, getting their vote of confidence, she decided she had nothing to lose and went for it anyway.
She was starting to think that maybe Conan was right and she wouldn’t make it on her own without his control and backing, but then she’d gotten this call. It was a potential lifesaver, considering jobs she got were few and far between, and to get that condo gig she had to lower her bid by twenty thousand dollars, but she hoped it would get her name out there.
She walked toward the reception desk, noticing how very modern and fancy it was. An older woman greeted her. “Miss Lockatelli?”
“Yes, ma’am.” She smiled.
“Mr. Corbias is waiting to meet with you. Wait here a moment, please.” She picked up the phone and told the person on the other line that she’d arrived. A few seconds later, an older blond woman greeted her. Her eyes gazed over Venetia from head to toe, and then she smiled wide.
“Nice,” she said, and Venetia felt a little uncomfortable.
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, sorry. You’re not what I expected.”
“Come again?” she asked.
; “Your portfolio and personal résumé didn’t show any pictures of you. Though your work is so impressive. Most people would paste a large picture of themselves on the front. I should have known when Louisa’s aunt recommended you that you would be more reserved. How is she doing?”
“Oh, she’s doing great. I didn’t know who it was that Louisa and her aunt knew here. Thank you for the opportunity.”
“Oh, I only helped get your foot in the door. Now you need to sell your abilities to the Corbias brothers.”
“Brothers?” she asked as the older woman opened the door to a large meeting room with a wide flat-screen TV and everything one might need to present.
When her eyes landed on a tall man with dark hair wearing a dress shirt and facing away from her, she swallowed hard.
“Good luck,” Lisa whispered. “Mr. Corbias, the photographer has arrived. Are your brothers coming down?”
He turned around, and she felt the color drain from her face. The guy with the Lamborghini. Holy shit.
He squinted at her as he walked closer, giving her body the once-over as he smirked and then went straight-faced so quickly she thought she’d imagined it. She was glad she wore the slim-fitting black dress that hugged her curves and also showed off her red hair. She felt she looked good, but she shouldn’t care. The man was going to kick her out of his office. She just lost the biggest potential job she could have hoped for because of her quick fiery tongue and her distrust in men.
“I’ll go call them to come down.” Lisa left the room.
“A photographer? You’re the last woman I expected to come into this office today.” He stared at her.
The door opened, and two other men came strolling in, just as attractive as this one. She was in a heap of trouble, and she’d screwed up big time.
“Listen, I’ll just show myself out and we don’t even need to continue this meeting,” she said, thinking it was the best option to disappear with her tail between her legs and then cry the rest of the day for being such an idiot. All because of her fears and distrust in men.
“This is Vin? I thought it was a guy,” one of the guys said.
“I’m Roman Corbias, and this is my brother Garvan.” Roman stuck out his hand, and she shook it as she stared way up at the guy. He was breathtakingly handsome, with crew cut brown hair, thick, wide muscles bulging from the navy-blue designer T-shirt he wore with dark dress pants. He had a gold watch and thick, hard fingers. She felt her belly quiver, and every feminine part of her reacted to him. When Garvan shook her hand next, she felt faint. He was just as good-looking, older, and very salon finished. His dark hair was slicked back, and his brown eyes bored into hers before they gazed over her body.
The other man from the bar smiled.
“This is a pretty interesting situation, Vin.” He looked her over.
“I suppose you expect me to apologize for the other night.”
“The other night?” Roman asked.
“I met Vin at Carlyle’s the other night, and we had a bit of a misunderstanding.”
Immediately her defenses were up as was her radar when it came to wealthy, controlling men.
“It wasn’t a misunderstanding.”
“You refused a ride in my car with me and made accusations stating that I only like bimbo whores and was out to get laid.”
She felt her cheeks turn bright red. She had to look away but then heard Roman and Garvan chuckle.
“You hit on her and used one of your lines and she declined?” Roman asked.
His brother looked insulted and angry.
“She didn’t know who I was, and here we are now, thinking of hiring her.”
“There’s no need to. I have the feeling this isn’t going to work out.” She reached for her portfolio, only for Roman to take it from her.
“I want to see this.”
“I think we should start over. I believe we both made assumptions,” the guy from the bar whose name she still didn’t know said to her smirking.
“What assumptions did you make about me?”
“That you were a stuck-up bitch who probably hadn’t gotten laid in a long time and were uptight. Perhaps a man-hater because some dick with no clue did you wrong and now all men are lumped into the untrustworthy asshole department.”
Her lips parted. She was shocked at his evaluation of her.
“As I said, Vin, I’m willing to put aside the assumptions you made about me if you’re willing to put aside the ones I made about you, and we can go on with this meeting as planned. We’re on a tight deadline, and you came highly recommended from someone we all trust.”
She eyed him over and then glanced at his two brothers, who seemed to be staring at her strangely.
“The name is Apollo Corbias, and you are?” he asked, reaching his hand out for her to shake.
She hesitated a moment, wondering if this was a smart move or not. She didn’t trust him per se, but she also needed this job, and she loved being a photographer. She shook his hand and had not expected the same instant attraction she had when his brothers shook her hand. His eyes widened, and he quickly smiled.
“It’s a pleasure meeting you, Vin. Let’s get started.”
* * * *
Garvan watched the PowerPoint presentation along with his brothers and Venetia. He was immediately impressed with her and the fact that she’d declined his brother’s advances at Carlyle’s and wound up being the same woman highly recommended by a friend of Lisa’s. The woman was exceptionally beautiful and reserved. She wore a very conservative dress, but her curves were abundant, and there was no hiding them behind the dark clothing. Her hair was a brilliant deep red and wavy and thick and smelled incredible. So did her perfume, which was light and appealing. He couldn’t get over the instant attraction he felt, and knowing that Roman and Apollo felt it, too, he now worried about what might come of this situation. She’d declined Apollo’s advances.
Who was this woman? Was she playing some sort of game and perhaps knew it was him at the club and had purposely declined him, or was this something more? He wasn’t certain, but as the PowerPoint presentation ended and they turned the lights back on, Apollo and Roman went into business mode.
“Here’s the deal. We’re impressed with your work, and you came highly recommended. However, we’ve been screwed over before. The company, a hell of a lot bigger and more experienced than you, handed over slop. We don’t want to repeat that mistake. So, in considering you for the job we’ve been looking to fill, we’d like a trial run with you on something a little smaller.”
“A trial run?” she asked Apollo.
Garvan wondered what his brother was up to.
“Yes, there’s this hotel we remodeled recently, and we’re trying to put together a video, create a brochure, and truly capture the exceptional amenities this place has to offer. It’s similar to the senior living facility you did and showed in the PowerPoint. However, this hotel is twice the size, and the amenities are grand.”
“I appreciate the opportunity, Mr. Corbias.”
“Apollo.”
“Mr. Corbias will be just fine. I appreciate the opportunity and understand your concerns considering what the other company did to you. If I could see what they came up with and perhaps get an understanding of what you disliked about it, I would be happy to come up with some ideas. I’ll need access to the facility and all amenities you referred to so I can begin to pull together a sample video and slide show.”
“Their video is trash. Let’s see what you can come up with on your own,” Apollo stated firmly.
“As you wish. When would you like for me to get started, and what is the deadline you’re allowing me?”
“Aren’t you interested in the pay?” Garvan asked her.
She looked at him and then his brothers.
“You’ve explained your displeasure with the previous photography company. You’re obviously good for the money to pay and seem like you would pay me what you think I deserve for the quality of work I
provide. Considering this started off a little awkward, I appreciate the opportunity and can assure you that you’ll be very happy with the end result. Therefore, you can pay me what you feel I’ve earned when all is said and done. It’s the least I can do for insulting you, Mr. Corbias.”
Garvan was shocked but also suspicious. One look at Apollo and Roman’s eyes as they narrowed and looked Venetia over, and his brothers seemed to feel the same. They had never met a person, never mind a woman, who wasn’t after something from them. What was Venetia’s game, and was Apollo willing to play to find out?
“Sounds like a reasonable deal. I can assure you, Venetia, we will pay you for your time and the quality of your work. Let me gather everything you need to get started.”
* * * *
Roman sat beside Venetia as he went over the things they wanted to showcase in the video and in the pictures she would be taking. They organized a schedule, and he listed the contacts and phone numbers of the individuals she could use to set up scheduling and anything she needed. He couldn’t help but admire her beauty and the very professional way she approached each aspect of this job. She was also very enthusiastic about photographing certain aspects of the hotel they hadn’t thought of. He actually looked forward to what she came up with.
Two hours later, when Lisa entered the room, she asked if they were ordering lunch out today or if they would be going some place.
“Oh, wow, didn’t realize what time it was. Venetia, what would you like to eat?” Apollo asked her.
“Oh, I’m good. Thank you.” She then jotted down more notes in her notepad. Roman saw Apollo squint at her.
“You need to eat,” Apollo said firmly.
“I’m okay, Mr. Corbias, really.” His brother squinted and seemed pissed off. He looked at Lisa.
“Order the usual from Carlotto’s and add a grilled chicken salad for Venetia,” he stated, and Lisa nodded then exited the room.
A Six-Pack & a Shot at Love [Love on the Rocks 1] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 3