by M. Clarke
My dearest Rachel,
Just something to remind you how much you mean to me. Happy early Valentine’s Day. Have a great time fulfilling one of your dreams.
Love,
Jax
Jax was so good to me. He filled my heart with warmth and love. I made a mental note to thank him when I spoke to him tonight. After getting another text from Matthew to let me know he was hungry, I headed out the door.
“Becca says hello.” Matthew pressed the off button on his phone and placed it on the table. Taking a sip of his wine, he sliced into his filet mignon. “Don’t tell Becca I’m eating steak.” He chuckled.
“Why?” I snorted and took a bite of salmon.
Matthew shrugged. “She wants me to eat what you’re eating. My fish is brown today.” He winked.
“I like your brown fish. I think I’ll have that tomorrow.”
“It’s on the company, so eat brown fish, white fish, whatever fish you like. Geez, I sound like Dr. Seuss.”
“One Fish, Two Fish.” I let out a laugh. “You’ve read that book to Addy?”
“Red Fish, Blue Fish...yes, I have.”
We had a round of laughter until we were interrupted by a stunning gentleman with broad shoulders, wearing jeans and a long-sleeved button-down shirt that formed nicely to his body. My eyes moved up to meet his beautiful blue eyes. I knew those eyes.
“I’m sorry to intrude.” He glanced from Matthew to me. “Rachel. It’s me. Jonah Hutchins. We went to high school together.”
My eyes widened in surprise. Becky, Jenna, Stacey, and I had been talking about him during our recent lunch. I’d had a major crush on Jonah in high school. Actually, every girl had a crush on him. He was the captain of the varsity basketball team. “Oh my God! Jonah Hutchins. Of course I remember you,” I replied with elation.
Jonah’s eyes twinkled the prettiest blue, and I couldn’t stop staring at his warm, happy smile, until Matthew cleared his throat. “Oh. Jonah, this is my brother-in-law, Matthew Knight.”
“Matthew Knight? Knight Fashion Magazine?” His eyes beamed with awe and his tone was full of excitement.
Matthew sat up taller, in a somewhat protective mode. “That’s me.”
Jonah extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I have to say I’m thrilled to meet one of the Knight brothers. I’m modeling for your competitor.”
Matthew placed his hand down after he shook Jonah’s. “I thought I recognized you. Well, if you’re unhappy, send in your resume. We can see if we’re a fit.”
“I will.” Jonah shifted his attention to me. “Then I’m assuming Rachel is one of your models?” His eyes raked over me, making me blush.
“No,” I shook my head with a shy smile. “I’m one of the photographers.”
Jonah took his cell phone from his back pocket. “Really? That’s great. We should catch up if you have time. I’m meeting Melissa and Carson tomorrow. Do you remember them?”
“Yes, I do,” I answered excitedly. “Melissa and I used to be pretty good friends. We were both on the dance team. I can’t wait to see her. We drifted apart when we went away to college.”
“We should exchange numbers.” He quickly punched in mine. “Then I’ll see you at the fashion show at the Pavilion—I noticed we are slotted directly after Knight Fashion. Melissa and Carson will be at tomorrow night’s off-site after-party. Will you be there?”
I looked at Matthew for confirmation. Though it was on the itinerary, it was written as optional. Matthew lifted his hand, gesturing it was up to me. “Sure. I would love to catch up with everyone.”
Jonah turned to Matthew. “It was an honor meeting you.” Then to me he added, “I’ll see you at the show, and then afterward. I’ll let them know you’ll be coming. I know they’ll be excited.” With a discerning grin, he left.
After Matthew and I finished our dinner, we went up to our rooms. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.
Once I had washed up, I spoke to my parents on the phone to wish them a wonderful cruise vacation, and prepared the computer to Skype. When the computer made a ringing tone, I answered. Jace and Jax’s faces popped up.
“Hello,” I said excitedly, waving my hand.
Jace’s eyes grew wide, smiling from ear to ear. His expression of excitement made me miss him even more. “It’s Rachel! It’s Rachel! Hi Rachel.” He waved, pointing at the screen.
“Hi,”I said again.“How are you? What did you do today?”
“Dad picked me up early. He took me to Chuck E. Cheese.”
“We finished the photo shoot early today,”Jax explained.“It’s only been one day since you left, but it feels like it’s been a week. We miss you. Right, Jace?”
“Right.”Jace held up the Ninja Turtles.“They miss you too.”
“I’ll be home before you know it,”I said, caressing the screen. It felt like I could touch them. They felt so close, yet so far.“Miss you both.” My tone dipped softly.
“I want to show you something,”Jace said, and then disappeared from the screen. I could see Jace running up the stairs in the background.
“Hey, babe.”Jax winked and blew a kiss.“Stay away from the predators tomorrow. I’m talking about the male models without shirts. Have I told you they were bad? They like to snatch up beautiful photographers.”
“Really?”I snickered.“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure I’m not their prey.”
Jax shifted the iPad and relaxed into the back of the sofa.“Don’t worry. I’ve got my spies there.”He chuckled.“Have a great time. If you see Josh and Nathan, tell them I said hello. They’re my spies. Just kidding. I’m so happy for you. You deserve this opportunity. I’m so proud of you.”
“Jax….”My heart felt warm and fuzzy.“You’re so sweet. It means a lot to me that you support me in my dream.”
“Of course. We all have dreams we need to fulfill. Life wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t have them.”
“What is your dream?”I asked, thinking he would tell me he wanted to be number one in the modeling industry. Jax was already in high demand by the entire international fashion industry.
“I already have mine. You and Jace are my dreams. Maybe one more in the making after we get married, or before.”
“Jax, that’s so sweet.”I smiled, missing him even more. Then I shifted my phone so he could see the countless vases of roses he’d sent me.“I had a wonderful surprise when I walked through the door. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. Just want you to know how much you mean to me. We’ll continue our Valentine’s Day when you come back.”He winked, sending tingles through my body. I loved it when he winked at me.
“I’ll make it up to you.”I flirted with a sensual tone and gave him a seductive expression.
“It will be on my mind. I can’t wait. I love you.”
“I love you too,”I gushed.
Jace suddenly placed himself in front of Jax, blocking my view, interrupting us.“Here it is. Look what Mommy won for me—it’s a tiny Ninja Turtle.”
Mommy? My heart stopped. I couldn’t stop the pain jabbing through my heart. Why was Chloe there? Before I could say anything, Jax moved the iPad and showed himself. He must have seen the look on my face. What did I look like—like blood had drained out of my face?
“Rachel, it’s not what you think. I didn’t plan it. Jace told her on the way there, when she had called him on the phone. I didn’t know she was going to show up.”
There were two ways I could handle this situation. One, be a bitch about it and make him feel like shit; or two, be the better person and understand. My mind was made up when Jace was back on the screen and he looked so happy.
“It was the first time Mommy went to Chuck E. Cheese with us. I had so much fun, but not as fun as when I go with you, Auntie Becky, Auntie Jenna, Addy, Connor, and Christopher.”He had said a mouthful by naming everyone.
What could I say after that? I wanted Jace to be happy. He deserved his drea
ms too, even if it was a little dream. “I’m so happy you had fun, Jace.”
Jace continued to ramble.“We have lots of points too. I’m going to save them and get a huge prize.”
“That’s great, Jace. I have a long day tomorrow so I better get to bed. Remember what I told you? I’m three hours ahead of you.”
Jace’s eyes closed then reopened with a light smack to his head.“Oh, yeah. I forgot, Rachel. Okay, goodnight. Talk to you tomorrow.” His tone was bubbly as always.
“Good night, Jace.”When I blew him a kiss, I got one in return.
Then Jax got back on.“We all good?”
“Sure.”I gave him half a smile.“Goodnight.”It took every ounce of my strength to keep from blowing up. Not because I was mad at Jax, but because I was mad at myself. Why was I letting my insecurities get the best of me? I told myself I was being immature about this, but I couldn’t help the way I felt, knowing what I knew. What if I messed this up by acting like a jealous lunatic? Ugh!I didn’t want to think anymore. After Jax and I ended the call, I took a shower to cool my anger.
Chapter 14
Rachel
With the camera strapped around my neck and a small purse hanging at my waist, I was standing behind the photographers’ station with an assistant named Heidi. Matthew was serious when he had told me he was getting me an assistant. But I was glad he had. Heidi was wonderful. I felt bad she was carrying my heavy bag, but it helped ease my shoulders.
Glancing around through my lens, I spotted a handful of actors and took a picture of them. Looking beyond the actors, the room was packed with eager eyes—buyers and sellers, and owners of fashion magazines. I even took some pictures of Matthew and his team.
The announcer brought me back to the front stage when she welcomed everyone to New York Fashion Week. Lights dimmed in the areas where the audience was seated, and the runway lit up. Music blasted and excitement filled the air. Then it was chaos. The flashes from the cameras were nonstop. I felt like I was in a different body, because being there amongst all the action was surreal. Model after model walked the catwalk, sporting outfits from Gucci, Christian Dior, Michael Kors, Hugo Boss, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and many more.
Even though it was my job to be there, I felt like one of the paparazzi, especially when there was such a huge mass of us all lined up. But I loved my job—the thrill, the elation, and the challenge of creating a masterpiece through my lenses. As I clicked away, I didn’t know any of the models except for Shane, Jonah, Josh, Nathan, Tania, and few others that worked for Knights. I didn’t know if Shane and Jonah knew each other, but they were on the runway together. Click! Click! Click! Hot! Hot! Hot!
The show was over before I knew it. Matthew and I had agreed to meet at the front. Matthew would probably be bombarded with people he knew in the fashion industry, and I would be busy packing and taking last minute shots. As everyone rushed away, I stayed behind and took my time.
“Thanks for the water and your help, Heidi,”I said, taking a sip of water from the bottle Heidi had given me.
“It was my pleasure. I hope one day I’ll be in your shoes.”Her eyes twinkled against the lights, and she looked like she was fresh out of college. Wrapping a strand of her blonde hair around her ear, she gave me a genuine smile.“If you ever need an assistant, please let me know.”
I nodded.“I will. It was nice meeting you. I’ll make sure to tell Matthew you were helpful.”
Her eyes glistened even brighter.“Thank you so much.”
After she shook my hand, she left.
“Rachel.”I turned to the sound of the voice.
“Jonah?” He was wearing Hugo Boss jeans and a T-shirt. The T-shirt was obvious. Hugo Boss was written bold and big across the front in magenta. Magenta was the hot color for winter.
Jonah placed one hand on my back and leaned in to give me a kiss on my cheek. It happened so fast that I didn’t see it coming. My mind floated back to high school, feeling a little spark of“Oh my God, Jonah the hottie kissed me,”and then back to reality, where I reminded myself that it was just a friendly innocent kiss. But I couldn’t help the heat that rushed to my cheeks.
“I spotted you from the runway. Did you see me?”he asked.
“I did. I think I got a great shot of you.”
“I can give you a private shoot if you like?”His tone was playful, and it was more apparent when he winked at me.
I blushed again. Did he not see my engagement ring? I laughed it off, not sure of his intentions.“Anyway, I better go. I’m meeting Matthew at the front.”
“Sure. I’ll see you tonight.”
I cleared my throat, unsure of what he was talking about at first. Then it came back to me. He was talking about the after-party.“Tonight. Yes. Will Melissa and Carson be there?”
“Yes. They can’t wait to see you.”
While Jonah took off with his model friends, I scurried to find Matthew.
Working for Knight Fashion Magazine definitely had its perks, especially if you were the sister-in-law of Matthew Knight. While security guards were checking in attendees, we walked right in without a ticket or waiting in line. Matthew and I dropped off our coats at the coat-check stand and were free to enjoy the party. Glamour and glitz were part of this industry, and it followed Matthew everywhere.
Once inside, I could hear soft instrumental music and the sounds of people chatting and laughing filling the room. White lights decorating the fake trees scattered in various places around the space, giving it an elegant feel. Red hearts were placed here and there to go with the Valentine’s theme. I recalled Jenna talking about one of the off-site after-parties being held in a business building and not in a hotel. Now I could see why they had picked this place. It was spacious and open. And the second level had a clear 360-degree view of the scenario below.
Sofas and high tables and stools were placed near the back, next to the bar. The band was stationed near the stairs. Looking around as we headed to the crowd, I could see my reflection in the wall that was completely glass. I almost didn’t recognize myself all dressed up. With a low-cut V-neck in the front and the back of my black dress, the silk fabric formed to my curves, and trailed down to the floor. Even with my high heels on, it still swished on the marble polished floor. Not knowing what to do with my hair, I’d pinned up half of it and let the other flow down in curls, covering the spaghetti straps at my shoulders.
“Mr. Knight,”a female called. I stopped when Matthew halted and turned to the sound of his name.
“Nancy, right?”
“Yes. You remembered!”Nancy said, looking like she was going to faint, and so did the group of models standing next to her. I didn’t blame them. Matthew looked drool worthy in his suit. I wondered how my sister did it. She must be aware when he went to functions like this that women threw themselves at him.
“How can I help you?”His tone was friendly, yet professional. I couldn’t help but scowl at them. They were practically undressing him with their eyes. My body tensed in a protective mode for my sister. But I knew Matthew was loyal and dedicated to his marriage. It was one of the qualities I loved about him.
“We were wondering what the process was for hiring models at Knight Fashion Magazine?”
Matthew arched his brows in bafflement.“Just like how you would for any other job. Have your agent turn in your resume.”He smiled, but I could feel a hint of annoyance. I assumed he knew they were not only trying to get his attention, but to flirt their way in.
“Thank you. We’ll do that,”a blonde said, swaying her body to stand in front of Nancy, as she ran her finger between her cleavage. Really? I had to admit, she was extremely attractive, and I was pretty sure she got her way with most men.“Would you like to join us...or me?”Her tone was sensual, and that was definitely an invitation to her bed. Fluttering her eyelashes, she slowly glided her tongue along her bottom lip.
What he said next made me love my brother-in-law even more.
“No, thank
you. I’m here for business only. Then I’ll be on my way home to fuck my wife. The only woman I’m interested in. Have a good night.”
That was pure freakin’epic!
Matthew placed his hand on my back and led me away. He leaned down so only I could hear.“Don’t tell Becca. She trusts me, but I don’t want her to worry when I attend these functions. She doesn’t like megoing to the after-parties. I don’t blame her. Neither do I; I used to, but I’m getting too old for this.”
I pretended to zip my lips, just the way Jace did when Jax would ask him to be quiet—doing the“zip it, lock it” action.“I didn’t hear a thing. In fact, what were you saying?”I giggled.
“I have no clue.”He let out a chuckle, playing along with my humor. Then Matthew’s eyes trailed toward the back.“Let me introduce you to some models lined up for the Knight fashion shoot.”Then we were on the move again. After weaving through crowds of people and tables, we stopped at a sofa where two people were seated. Along the way, Matthew had taken two glasses filled with champagne from a waitress that had walked by and handed one to me.
“Josh, Nathan,”Matthew said.
As if those words were a command, the two of them stood up in a flash.“Mr. Knight. How are you?”they both greeted him and shook his hand.
Josh sported dark dress pants and a long-sleeved black shirt, making his dark hair look even darker. He had left two buttons unbuttoned at the top and the sleeves were rolled up. My eyes followed his beautifully colored tattoos that were evident on his arms and his chest. Nathan wore a long-sleeved button-up blue shirt with gray slacks. He was tall and lean with broad shoulders.
“Great, thank you,”Matthew replied.“I want to introduce you to my sister-in-law, Rachel. She’s one of the photographers at Knight Fashion.”
“We’ve already met,”I informed him.“They’re Jax’s friends. Hi.”I waved.
Just the sound of Matthew’s proud tone gave me pleasant goose bumps. The two shook my hand and looked at me as if Matthew had told them I was the Queen of England. Matthew turned to me.