He could only hope.
But when Heather put her arm around Tina, then called him over and put her arm around him, TJ thought she might just be giving him the opportunity to try to straighten things out between them.
“Tina,” Heather began, “I think you and TJ look great together on camera. But I’d like you two to spend a little time together this evening.”
“But...”
But Heather wouldn’t let Tina get a word in. “Yes. I think that’s a fine idea. I think there’s chemistry there. But get to know each other a little better and I’m sure the shoot tomorrow, if the rain stops, will be even better.”
“What...what did you have in mind?” Tina asked.
“Well, since we’ve finished a little earlier than we’d planned, you two can start with drinks or coffee and at least have dinner together. Get comfortable with each other’s personalities. While the bedroom scene is very important, the park scene is just as important. It’s easy to portray lust when you’re already naked. The cover also needs to show that kind of passion and raw desire when you’re both clothed and outside. It has to be there on your faces. I think it would help if you two had a little more verbal exchanges to help the scenes look more natural. Like you really do know each other.”
“Oh, okay, I see.”
TJ didn’t say a word. He let Heather do all the talking but had to hide a smile. “Sounds good to me. Are you ready?” he asked Tina.
“Ah, wait, what about your fiancée?” Tina asked. “I’m sure she’ll be expecting you soon.”
TJ almost gritted his teeth. He knew what she was trying to do, but Heather once again stepped in to help him. He was glad he had confided in her. She laughed when Tina mentioned a fiancée.
“Oh, has that tramp been bugging you again?” she said to TJ before turning to face Tina. “TJ isn’t engaged, Tina, as much as some people would say so. But take it from me, he isn’t. Well, you two run along. Steve will give you a call if we’re able to shoot tomorrow.”
“Ladies first,” TJ said holding his hand out toward the door. Tina wore a confused expression on her face as she moved passed him. He took a moment to hug Heather and kiss her cheek. “I owe you one,” he whispered. She grinned at him making a shooing motion with her hands.
Chapter Nine
Tina didn’t know what to think. She had questions but allowed TJ to walk her to the elevator as she remained silent, deep in thought until they reached the sidewalk. “Where are we going?” she asked, standing under the overhang of the entrance so she wouldn’t get wet.
“To a little piano bar I know. We can get a great cup of coffee there or something stronger.”
“Coffee’s good.” She sighed. As much as she didn’t want to spend more time with TJ than necessary, what Ms. Bare said had her thinking. Made her hope. She had to talk to him to know for sure. Allow him to explain. But she’d seen the ring and he didn’t deny giving it to that Kelly person. Plus she knew where he was staying. She’d go with him for coffee and let him talk, like Ms. Bare wanted, then go home. The fates were really trying her.
The cab pulled up in front of a place she’d never been. Not surprising. Even though NY was an island, there were still plenty of places she’d never been. Places that came and went.
They entered the club. The muted lighting atmosphere cast everything in sensual shadows. They found a table in the corner, giving them privacy. A man sat at the piano playing soft and sultry musical notes. The kind of music you could dance, fall asleep, or make love to. Her gaze quickly shifted to TJ and found his already on her.
The waitress came over and took their orders of lattes.
“Thank you for coming,” TJ said.
“I don’t think I had much of a choice.” Tina fiddled with the napkin on the table.
“Yeah, you did. You could’ve said no.”
She scoffed. “Somehow I doubt Ms. Bare was going to take no for an answer.”
“True, but I’m still glad you came. I’m sorry that Kelly upset you, but before she showed up, we shared something pretty special to me. Something I’d never really experienced with another woman.”
“Are you kidding me! You have a fiancée, for Christ sake.”
TJ turned his head in frustration, then, “Once and for all, Kelly is not my fiancée! I never asked her to marry me.”
“Well, then, why is she wearing your ring? Don’t tell me she bought it herself.”
He sighed. “In a moment of insanity, I thought she was the one. I was so wrong. I did buy that ring to give her, but I never did. I was going to surprise Kelly and got home early from an out of town shoot, and found her in bed with my roommate and former PR person.”
“What!”
“Yeah. I kicked them both out. I trusted when I shouldn’t have. That is my only fault. I wanted to believe in love. But the truth is I’m glad Kelly slept with Lawrence. It showed me I didn’t really love her, never did, and never can. I think I was in love with the idea of her.”
“If you didn’t give her the ring, how could she have been wearing it and knew how to find you here in New York?”
He shrugged. The only thing I can figure is Lawrence let her back into the apartment when he came to get the rest of his stuff. He left me a voicemail letting me know he got his things out. She probably found it on the dresser where I left it. As far as where I’d be staying, my agent always knows and Kelly could have easily gotten the information from him, since he’s her agent, too.”
It all sounded so plausible. Could she trust him?
He took one of Tina’s hands resting on the tabletop and raised it to his lips. “It took meeting you to show me what I really needed in my life.” He placed a gentle kiss in the center of her palm then closed her fingers around it. “I know I can trust you with my heart. And damn it, you can trust me.” When Tina tried to pull her hand away, he wouldn’t let go. “You know you can.”
“I would have thought you’d be short on entering into another relationship after being burnt like that.”
“In truth, I was feeling that way, up until I met you. Then everything changed.”
Tina didn’t know what to say. TJ held her gaze as surely as he held her hand. Her heart beat against her chest from the intensity she saw within the depths of his stare. Trust. She wanted to let go and trust him so badly, but the thought of him with Kelly, with anyone else for that matter, had her struggling for air. Maybe that was her answer.
“How...how can I trust you? How can I trust my feelings for you? Just like you trusted Kelly at first and she betrayed you, how do I know you won’t do the same thing to me?” She couldn’t hide the plea in her voice, but she needed the truth from him.
“Because I will never betray you. I know what that’s like.”
She nodded, maybe he did. “But what about Kelly? She’s still running around New York wearing your ring and proclaiming to the world she’s engaged to you.”
“She’s going to look mighty stupid when people find out she’s been lying.”
“How are you going to prove that? I bet she pretty much got a lot of people convinced.”
TJ finally relaxed allowing Tina to remove her hand from his and take a sip of her coffee. “Are you one of those people?” he asked.
Tina put her cup down and sighed. “I...I don’t know what to think at this point. I know I rushed into things when I slept with you.”
“We made love, and I’m hoping you have no regrets, ’cause we’re going to make love again. Trust me, Tina, I’m going to make this right.” TJ placed his hand on the table, waiting for Tina to rest hers in his open palm. Giving her the choice this time. From the look on his face, he seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for her response. She heard his sigh of relief when she placed her hand in his. His fingers closed around hers.
“Besides,” he continued, “I want those cover pictures to look as genuine as possible. I want people to look at them and believe we are lovers, and are in love. Somehow, I don’t believe that
will be much of a stretch.”
“I’ll give you till the finish of the last cover,” Tina said emphatically. She believed they could have something between them, but TJ had unfinished business he had to take care of first.
“An ultimatum?”
“My heart is something I don’t play with. If what you say is true, then this can be cleared up easily.”
He nodded, glancing into his cup of coffee before looking at her. “All right, you got it.” He squeezed her hand before letting her go. “By the time Ms. Bare’s last book is released, you and I will be the ones walking down the aisle.” He winked.
Taken aback by his comment, Tina wanted to smile and jump for joy, but she remained calm. She couldn’t take him seriously. They weren’t quite there yet, but it was his move now.
They ordered dinner and tried talking about other things, things that didn’t include work or exes or fake fiancées.
Tina found out a lot about TJ. A master in the martial arts, he had several belts and won numerous competitions. When not modeling, he traveled the globe, engaging in all sorts of dangerous activities: bungee jumping, motor biking, formula car racing. When he vacationed at home in Dallas, TJ taught kids how to horseback ride. He had several horses on his ranch.
“I love kids,” he said. “I plan on having a few. At least a couple with your eyes.”
For a moment, a vision of him placing his head on her very pregnant stomach had her frozen. The arrival of the waiter with their food finally broke the vision, but not the spell of having TJ in her life.
After dinner, they walked back to his hotel, sat in the lobby, and continued their conversation.
****
Tina’s agreement to hear him out gave him hope. The fact she agreed to come back to his hotel, made him glad, even if only to stay at the piano bar in the lobby and talk. He listened, too, and learned a lot about her.
From the day he met Tina, something set her apart from any other woman he knew in the industry. Even Kelly, who he now realized faked her values. Tina had real integrity. She proved that with her ultimatum. Surprisingly, her reaction to Kelly is what cemented the deal for him. This woman cared and cared strongly. Tina played for keeps because she was worth keeping.
Now if he could get her to care about him. TJ thought she did. Tina would have never slept with him if she didn’t.
A very refreshing woman indeed.
“Believe it or not, Gina and I grew up in a very conservative home,” she said.
“Really?” he asked. This shouldn’t have surprised him, now thinking about it.
“Oh, yeah. Church every Sunday, meals at the dinner table with family, and family trips during the summer.”
“The picture book American family, huh?” he said and smiled, picturing her as a cute kid and again wondering what a kid with their combined coloring would look like. Beautiful like her mother.
Tina nodded. “Yep. That was us. It wasn’t until Gina and I left home for college that we broke out and spread our wings.”
He grinned. “How did these conservative parents handle you two deciding to become models?”
“At first, they were disappointed. They wanted us to be a doctor or lawyer. Something more typical.”
“And instead you both choose to become models,” he commented.
“Actually,” Tina continued, “It sort of chose us. We were both sitting at the University center studying one day, and someone approached us. He said he was in the modeling industry. Naturally we didn’t believe him. Thought it was line. He gave us his card and we almost threw it away. But afterwards, we saw one of his pictures in a fashion magazine. So we decided to take a chance...just to see if we got anywhere.”
He smiled. “Well, you got damn far.”
She returned his smile. “Yeah. We did. Gina decided she liked posing for book covers. I’m a little taller and had more the body type for fashion. And I love beautiful clothes.”
“Hmm, and you look damn good in and out of them.”
She blushed at the compliment. TJ didn’t know any women who blushed anymore. He wanted to lean across the small table between them and kiss her, so he did. Just touched his lips to her cheek and pulled back.
It seemed to him, the one thing remaining a constant for both sisters were their values. Tina’s innate goodness attracted TJ to her and was what he loved most about her. He really was already in love with her. Her drop dead gorgeous looks only made for icing on the cake. This business didn’t make her jaded. Her values remained intact.
And Kelly had almost ruined everything.
After they talked, TJ hailed her a cab. As it pulled up, he took her hand and kissed it. “I’m not going to lie to you. I want you to come up to my room. I want to wake up in the morning with you in my arms. But I have to fix this first and I will.”
“I know you will.”
He walked her to the vehicle, holding his jacket over her head. It started to rain again and the wind kicked up. He put her in and shut the door.
“What precious gem do you like?” TJ screamed into the cab.
“What?” She rolled the window down and stuck out her head, looking a bit puzzled.
“I asked, what kind of precious gem do you like. You know ruby, emerald...”
“I love tanzanite.”
“Great. Now I know what kind of engagement ring to get you.”
The cab drove off before she could respond.
Tina smiled at the thought she could be wearing his ring and it would be before the covers hit the shelves. They were both crazy.
Chapter Ten
TJ dialed Kelly’s number for the umpteenth time. The rain had been unrelenting for the last couple days so he and Tina couldn’t finish the last cover in the park. Tina wouldn’t see him until after he’d spoken to Kelly, who seemed to have become unavailable all of a sudden.
He missed seeing Tina, but they spent a lot of time just talking on the phone. And the more hours they spent talking, the more he fell deeper under her spell.
It sickened him, knowing that when Kelly finally answered, he’d actually have to talk to her. But he didn’t want this floozy going around town and around the industry claiming they were engaged. What TJ didn’t understand was why she perpetrated a lie like that. What was in it for her? He wasn’t coming back to her; he’d made that perfectly clear.
The phone rang three times before she answered. “Hello?”
At last. “Kelly—”
“TJ, it’s so wonderful to hear from you. I was just telling—”
“Stop telling anybody anything. We need to talk. Where can we meet?”
For a moment she didn’t say a word, then, “Um, we can meet at my place.”
“No deal, someplace neutral. Let’s go to the Conga Room.”
“What? Don’t trust yourself?” she giggled.
The sound disgusted him. TJ twisted his hands tightly around a piece of paper. Either that or cuss her out from here till next Sunday. Kelly tested his nerves. “Get real. The only way I’ll touch you again is under extreme duress, and under protest. The Conga Room at eight.” He disconnected before she had a chance to say anything else.
Now he had to figure out what to say to her. TJ wanted to make sure Kelly never darkened his doorstep again. He needed to stop her from spreading false rumors—short of strangling her. He needed to find a way to be polite. At the moment, nothing came to mind. Why had he taken a chance with that woman? If he lost Tina because of this witch, he would kick himself for the rest of his life.
No point in dwelling on the past. What’s done is done. He had to keep the main objective in mind. Straighten Kelly out and make Tina his forever.
Before he went to the Conga Room, TJ needed to make one important stop—Tiffany’s. He had to get a look at a tanzanite diamond engagement ring since he had no idea what the hell that was.
After a couple of hours looking over ring after ring, he made the perfect choice. He hadn’t even made a conscious decision to get one, bu
t as soon as he saw them it felt right. Maybe the way his heart rate sped up, and a vision of Tina wearing his ring on her finger, also had something to do with it.
The one finally catching him in that vision was a platinum ring with four carats of diamonds and five carats of tanzanite. In all honesty, he’d never seen tanzanite before, but the jeweler explained the gem to him and how it should look. He purchased the darkest blue ring he’d ever seen. No flaws and clear as glass. He understood why Tina favored it.
TJ arrived at the Conga Room early, and sat in the booth in the back, looking at the ring again. Mesmerized by it, the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. Tina was going to flip. TJ never even considered she’d refuse him. Sometimes when you met the right person, you just knew. He’d heard it could be like that. Of course, he always thought that was just bull, yet here he was.
TJ put the ring back in the little black box, returned it to his jacket, and leaned back in his seat, smiling to himself. He was confident Tina would accept his proposal of marriage, but sobered quickly as he thought of reasons why she wouldn’t.
They’d met under less than platonic circumstances, and started out pretty rocky. Then they slept together right off the bat, but not a one-night stand for either of them. Just when he thought everything would be okay, Kelly showed up claiming they were engaged... The list went on and on. Yet one reason gave him hope she would say yes.
He would tell Tina he’d fallen in love with her, and that he knew she loved him, too. She had to. He just hoped to God she believed him. Of course, words are never enough. His actions had to speak louder and not just in-between the sheets. At least she’d given him the chance to clear things up and prove himself to her.
The main reason for this meeting with Kelly was to set the record straight and clear things up with her, and to stop Kelly from going around the industry lying to everyone. That he could handle. Anyone seeing him with Kelly in a casual or work situation would see he was no longer interested in her. Other photographs with her wouldn’t have any real passion, at least on his part. They would never be seen out together, especially since he’d always have Tina at his side, so Kelly’s lies would eventually catch up with her.
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