Levi

by Simone Grey

Almost instantly, my heart starts racing. How can he still do that to me? After all these years, just hearing his deep voice in my ear has a crazy effect on me.

  “Hey, are you busy?” I can hear voices and laughter in the background, and it hits me that he must still be at his photo shoot.

  Not only is Levi my best friend, he’s also a world-famous supermodel. He started off doing some side projects during our freshman year of college. He only got busier and more sought after. It got to the point where he had to stop going to classes for a while. He’s been taking classes online when he has the time. I know he wants to finish his degree in business management but he just hasn’t had the time.

  It’s only been three years since Levi started modeling full time and he’s already one of the biggest names in the modeling industry. He’s done several campaigns for big and small clothing companies, different brands of colognes, commercials and practically everything in between. It’s not uncommon for me to catch a commercial for a name brand cologne or clothing store on TV with him in it. It’s also not uncommon for me to see his picture on the sides of buses or plastered on a promotional billboard in the mall.

  I couldn’t be prouder of him. When he started, his biggest concern was whether people would take him seriously because of how well known his family is, but he worked hard. Harder than anybody else I know to build himself up to the point he’s at right now in his career.

  “You know I’m never too busy for you.”

  Warmth spreads through me at the tone of his voice. I’ll never get tired of hearing him say things like that to me.

  “I have some good news.”

  “Oh yeah? What is it?”

  I hear laughter and talking on his side of the line.

  “Hang on a second, let me go somewhere quieter.”

  The noise begins to fade and a few seconds later he comes back on the line. “Okay, now what’s this good news?”

  “Tempting Fate hit the top ten in the entire Amazon bookstore.”

  “Hey, that’s great. I’m so proud of you baby girl.” The pride in his voice is so unmistakable that I find myself grinning harder.

  “Thank you.”

  “This shoot should be wrapping up tomorrow, which means I’ll be back in town soon. I’ll take you out to dinner when I get back.”

  His travel schedule has been really busy lately. Well, busier than it usually is. Even during his busiest times, we’ve always managed to see each other once a week, but that hasn’t been possible over the last three weeks.

  “That sounds great. I’ll pick the restaurant this time.”

  “Fine, as long as it’s not Lu-,” His word are cut off by two distinct voices in the background.

  “Hey, Levi, we’re about to get out of here” a deep male voice says. I recognize that voice as Jayce, one of Levi’s model friends that I’ve met several times over the past few years. He’s always been really nice, he’s one of the good guys in the industry.

  “Yeah, we’re gonna hit up that club we passed on the way over,” a feminine voice says.

  My heart sinks, I recognize that voice too. Brianna, another model that Levi’s worked closely with over the past few years. And when I say closely, I mean very closely. Some of the photo shoots they’ve done would make a porn star blush. They’ve appeared in several ads together for clothing campaigns and colognes.

  But those ads aren’t what bother me the most. It’s the commercials. It’s the way she’s draped all over him. It’s the way they’re looking at each other in those commercials that makes my stomach turn. I’ve heard Levi and even Jayce say that it’s acting and that they have to make it seem as though they’re in love. It still doesn’t make it any easier to watch or look at on television

  “Yeah, I’ll be there soon,” Levi says.

  “Hey, baby girl? I’ll call you back later, okay?”

  “Is that Mia?” I hear Jayce say, and he sounds closer than he was a few moments ago.

  “Yes, asshole. Now step back from the phone,” Levi says.

  “Hey, Mia! I’ll be in Chicago next week. Can you bake me some of your banana bread?” Jayce yells.

  I can’t help but smile at the request. A few years back, Levi and Jayce were over, and I’d baked a loaf of banana bread and a loaf of blueberry bread. Baking is something I tend to do when I hit a rough patch in a novel. It helps me think and get back on track. I’ve been baking for Levi since we were teenagers, but Jayce had never had any until that day. He loved it so much he asks me to bake for him every time we see each other.

  I’ll never understand how those guys eat so much and stay in the shape that they do.

  “Tell him, I said hey and yes, I’ll bake him a loaf of banana bread,” I say with a smile.

  “I’ll do no such thing. That asshole doesn’t deserve any of your bread. That’s only for me,” Levi says.

  “Since when do I only bake for you?” I ask at the same time I hear Jayce laugh and say, “She said yes, didn’t she?”

  “No, she didn’t. She’s not baking you a damn thing if I have anything to say about it. Now get out so I can finish my conversation.”

  Rolling my eyes, I put my feet up on the end of my coffee table. Those two bicker almost as much as Levi does with is brothers. There’s some shuffling on the other end before I hear a door slam shut.

  “I’m offended Mia, I can’t believe you agreed to bake that asshole some of my banana bread,” Levi says coming back onto the line.

  “Since, when is every loaf of bread I bake solely yours?”

  “Since now.”

  “Levi Trace, stop being rude to your friends.” I say, but I can’t keep the smile out of my voice. The fact that he loves my baking so much does make me incredibly happy.

  “Whatever, he had it coming,” he grumbles

  I open my mouth to say something else, when I hear Brianna’s voice in the background again. This time I can’t make out what she says, but I hear Levi chuckle in response.

  “I’ll be right there” he says. The smile dies on my lips.

  “I’ve gotta run, baby girl. I’ll try to call you later okay?”

  “Yeah, sure. Have a good time,” I force brightness into my voice.

  The line disconnects and I throw the phone onto the couch beside me.

  Levi going out with his friends should affect me this much. He’s gorgeous, rich, funny, smart and successful. It’s a combination that very few women can resist. I know he hooks up with women. Thankfully, he’s never flaunted it in front of my face.

  I’ve been in love with Levi Trace for almost fifteen years, but I can’t bring myself to tell him the truth because I’m a chicken. The mere thought of telling him how I feel, how I’ve felt ever since the day he stood up for me, terrifies me.

  It would ruin our friendship.

  It would ruin us. And I refuse to let that happen. Heaving out a huge sigh, I get up from the couch. It’s time to get ready for girls’ night out with Imani.

  Chapter Three

  LEVI

  “Shift a little to the right, Brianna.”

  Her chest brushes against mines as she fits herself as snuggly to me as she can. Her hair brushes my shoulder. Her strong perfume surrounds us, invading my senses.

  “That’s perfect. Hold it.” Chris the photographer says. His camera clicks in rapid succession as he takes picture after picture.

  This is the part of my job that I love and hate. In the beginning, I loved having a beautiful woman draped all over me. I was young and new to the industry. Posing with different models all the time felt like a dream come true. It was easy and fun.

  Now…well it’s starting to get annoying. Some of these models think their shit doesn’t stink. They think they can do and say whatever they want and get away with it. I’ve lost count of the amount of times some of the bigger and newer names in the industry have thrown a hissy fit because something wasn’t up their standards. Like there trailer wasn’t big enough. Or they didn’t have the specific brand o
f water they wanted.

  It gets old really fast.

  I’ve always loved the craft of modeling. The behind the scenes work of taking an idea and turning it into a look that thousands of people around the world will see and admire. The creativity if what drives me. I’ve been thinking more and more about opening up my own modeling agency one day.

  It’s one of the reasons I’ve been picking my brother Liam’s brain about what it takes to run a business. I’m getting closer to completing my degree, but he has experience. Liam runs several nightclubs and restaurants all over the world so it was a no brainer that he would be the first person I would go to. Besides Mia that is, when I told her a few months back about my idea, she immediately started researching and putting together a checklist of all the things I would need to do. No questions asked. That’s the type of person she is.

  “Alright, that’s a wrap. Thanks everybody,” Chris says.

  I step away from Brianna, extracting myself from her arms. I don’t miss the glare she throws my way as I walk away. I ignore it.

  “Asshole,” she mutters. I ignore that too as I make my way to my trailer.

  I know she’s still pissed about last night. She’s been throwing me less than subtle hints for a while now that she’s interested in hooking up. Last night, she tried every move in the book when we went out to the club. It started with casual arm brushes and coy smiles. Then she moved onto touching me and brushing up against me every chance she got. When she realized that I wasn’t taking the bait, she took a more direct approach by cornering me in the hallway outside the men’s bathroom. She straight up asked me if I wanted to go back to her room and fuck.

  I won’t lie, I thought about it for a moment before deciding it wasn’t a good idea. The hookup scene hasn’t been doing it for me anymore. I’ve found myself getting restless although, I can’t put my finger on exactly why that is.

  “I see she’s still pissed at you,” Jayce says falling into step beside me.

  “Yeah, she’ll get over it.”

  Jayce plops down on the couch and I take a seat in a chair by the mirrors. A lazy smile stretches across his face.

  “I’d steer clear of her for a while if I were you. I’m pretty sure she’s never been turned down before,” he says.

  Shrugging, I lean back in my chair. I’m pretty sure she hasn’t either. The look on her face when I told her I didn’t want to go back to her hotel room last night was one of pure shock.

  “I’m sure she’ll find another guy to hook up with. Sooner rather than later.”

  “Dude, she’s been after you since that first clothing campaign we did five years ago. Do you really think she’s just gonna let this slide?”

  “She’ll have to because I’m not interested.”

  Jayce’s head tilts sideways as he looks me up and down. “What’s up with you lately?”

  “What do you mean?”

  He raises an eyebrow. “You know exactly what I mean. You haven’t been into the club scene like you used to be and you haven’t hooked up with anyone lately. Something’s going on.”

  Looking away, my eyes drift towards the window. I’m not surprised Jayce has noticed my restlessness. Besides my family and Mia, he’s the closest to me. We met when were seventeen and just getting into the modeling business. We did our first campaign together for a popular clothing company and we’ve had a shit ton of jobs together since, including this one. We’ve been through a lot and seen a lot in this industry over the past several years.

  He knows me better than anyone. Well almost anyone, because the truth it’s Mia. That girl knows me better than anybody else. Even my brother’s. Of course, she’s not a girl anymore. She’s more like a woman, which is a part of the whole damn problem.

  Lately, I’ve been looking at her as more than just my best friend. I’ve been thinking about her in ways that I know I shouldn’t. Ever since Liam’s birthday party a few weeks back, she’s been the starring role in a lot of my late-night fantasies. I’m talking really inappropriate shit. The dress she was wearing that day made her usually short legs appear miles longer. Her usually curly hair was hanging around her face, and when I looked at her, I felt a weird shift in my chest. Something that I’ve never felt before.

  It freaked me the hell out. I’ve seen her in dresses before. I’ve seen her with her hair down. So what was so different about this particular time and every time I’ve seen her since then? It’s been driving me crazy.

  “Is everything okay with you and Mia?” Jayce asks suddenly.

  My head whips towards him. “Yeah, why would you ask that?”

  Jayce shrugs. “The only time I’ve seen you act this strange or restless is when you two have had an argument.”

  “Nah, everything’s good between us.”

  He looks like he wants to say something else on the subject, but he doesn’t.

  “Alright, if you say so. Do you have any plans for tonight?” he asks.

  “I’m just gonna hang out in my room. I have an early flight to catch tomorrow morning. Are you still coming to Chicago later this week?”

  “Yep. I have some business to take care of. And I have to get my banana bread,” he says with a stupid smirk on his face.

  My eyes narrow. I know my jealousy of Mia baking for another guy is irrational. Hell, she bakes treats whenever we have family get togethers, but that is my banana bread dammit. Not his

  “We’ll see about that.”

  We talk for a few more minutes before he has to leave. The urge to get back to my hotel room and call Mia is strong. I meant to call her back last night, but by the time I got to the hotel it was too late and I know she would have been sleep.

  Quickly changing into a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, I grab everything I need to head back to the hotel. The sooner I can get Mia on the phone and hear her voice the better.

  ***

  The sun has set by the time I make it back to my hotel room. Trying to get off set took way longer than I originally thought it would. Several people stopped me to talk and I got wrapped up in several conversations that took longer than they should have.

  Checking the time, I curse when I see it’s a little past nine o’clock here which means it’s eleven o’clock in Chicago. Taking a chance that she’s still up I dial her number.

  “Hello?” she murmurs. The sound of her voice is slightly husky from sleep. My dick perks up.

  Down boy. I cannot think about my best friend like that.

  Clearing my throat, I say “Hey, baby girl. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  I hear rustling on the other side of the line. “It’s okay. Is everything alright?”

  “Yeah, the shoot just wrapped. I meant to call you back last night, but I got in late.”

  “Oh,” she pauses and her voice sounds strange when she continues talking. “Did you have a good time?”

  I pause too wondering why she suddenly sounds off. “Yeah, it was alright. I just hung out with Jayce.”

  “Oh, alright.” I know I must be imagining the relief I think I hear in her voice.

  “What did you do today?” I ask

  “Well I finished the first draft of my next novel yesterday, so I started edits today.”

  I can hear the excitement in her voice. When I first started reading her work, I know she felt a little awkward about letting me read it but now she doesn’t even bat an eyelash. Yeah, when I first read some of her sex scenes, I was stunned that those words were coming out of her mind, but I put that on the back burner and focused on the story.

  “Oh yeah? That’s great. When do I get to read it?” I ask stretching out on the bed.

  She laughs softly and I get that weird shift in my chest again. “As soon as I get through this first round of edits, I’ll send it to you.”

  “Sounds good. What else did you do today?”

  “Took a nap. Imani dragged me to Temptation last night to celebrate and we had a few drinks.”

  I frown. Mia can’t hold her liquor
. At all. Two drinks and she’s tipsy at best. Three drinks and she’s done.

  “You didn’t have more than two drinks, did you?” I ask.

  “Nope, but Imani did. I’m starting to worry about her. I think something is going on with her and Max. She had way too many drinks last night. Luckily, Liam, Simon, Ava, and Arielle were there. Liam and Ava helped me get her home.”

  Relief fills me. If she’s going to go out to a club. I’m glad it was the one my brother owns. The thought of her out and unprotected has my chest tightening with fear.

  “That’s good, I’m glad they were there.”

  “Yeah, me too. Okay, enough about my night. Let’s do something.”

  A lazy smile crosses my face. There’s nothing I’d rather do than spend more time talking to Mia, but I know she has to be tired. “Aren’t you sleepy?”

  “You know it takes me a long time to get back to sleep once I’m up. Oh! I know, let’s pick a show on Netflix to watch. I believe it’s my turn.”

  “No, you picked the last time.”

  “No I didn’t. We ended up watching that horror film you were dying to see, remember?”

  “Oh yeah, right. Okay you pick.” Grabbing my laptop off the nightstand, I pull up Netflix.

  “Okay, I choose Frasier.”

  I roll my eyes,

  “I know you’re rolling your eyes at me,” she says, and I can’t help but smile.

  “Because you always choose that damn show.”

  “I don’t why you complain, you know you secretly love it.”

  “No, I tolerate it.”

  “Uh huh, then how come you know the majority of the lines to the first few episodes of season one?”

  “Because I’ve seen each episode dozens of times. Thanks to you.”

  She huffs. “Fine, whatever. If you really don’t want to watch it, I’ll pick something else” she says dejectedly. I know this is one of her favorite TV shows of all time, so I’ll sit through it for her.

  “Nah, it’s fine we can watch it.”

  “Are you sure?” she asks hopefully.

  “Yeah,” I say knowing I can’t say no to her.

  “Okay, hang on a second.” I hear some rustling in the background and a few curse words before she comes back on the line.