“So, you two are just dating?”
“We’re not even— Again, why would Bradley care? I’m sure his woman is doing everything he needs her to do and he doesn’t have to worry about her stepping out of line and wanting to follow her own path.”
“Jansen, I’ve never asked because I was following the rules, but I have to know—do you still love my brother?”
“I have to go.”
“That means yes! Jansen, maybe you two need to talk. See if there is a second chance for—”
“I don’t want to talk about Bradley, especially not today. By the way, how are you?”
“I’m feeling a lot better because I had a conversation with my brothers.”
Jansen smiled despite herself. “I’m glad you had a chance to talk to them. How’s Kenyon?” she asked, knowing that he and his mother had been at odds before her death.
“Kenyon and Bradley are fine. I tried to guilt them into coming to Paris. Not sure if it worked or not. But they want to meet Jacques and we’re not going to Atlanta.”
Atlanta. Jansen hadn’t been back to that city since she and Bradley broke up. Three years ago, she’d even turned down a job in the Georgia Peach Fashion Show. It would’ve been a hundred-thousand-dollar payday, but no amount of money would allow her to return to Atlanta.
The last thing she’d ever wanted had been to run in to Bradley and his wife. In her mind, she’d built up a future for her ex and she didn’t want to see it firsthand. She hadn’t been ready to see another woman living the life that she still dreamed about. As much as she’d wanted to hate Bradley, she couldn’t. But she wasn’t about to pull the bandage off that wound.
“I’m glad you’re okay today and don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
“So, you’re not getting married? I mean, Donovan Strange is a good-looking man and I wouldn’t...”
“Business associates. That’s all. I’ve had my one shot at love, it missed the mark and I’m good with that,” she said.
“Do you believe in second chances?”
“Bye, Shelby.”
“Wait, wait...”
“Seriously, I have to go. There are a dozen photographers snapping my picture through the window. Who knows what stories they’re going to make up now.”
“All right. Call me later.”
Jansen sighed when she hung up, hating to lie to her friend, but she wasn’t going to be drawn into a conversation about Bradley. Why was Shelby trying to change the rules of their friendship all of a sudden? Wait a minute! Had Bradley seen the pictures of her and Donovan? Ha! I know good and well that he isn’t pretending that he gives a damn. Walking back to the table, Jansen forced herself to join in the conversation with Dove and Donovan. It didn’t take long for her to get caught up in Donovan’s designs and pick out a few dresses that she wanted to wear immediately.
“I’m going to make sure I send you and Dove some samples before heading to Paris,” he said, then turned to Dove. “What are you? Size eight?”
“Oh, my goodness, you guessed that by just looking at me?” she asked, her eyes sparkling.
“It’s my job to know all the intricate details of a beautiful woman’s body.”
Jansen shook her head as she watched her assistant fall hook, line and sinker for Donovan’s corny line.
“You do a great job of it,” Dove replied with her hands underneath her chin.
“Have you ever thought about modeling?” he asked.
Dove shook her head. “No, not at all,” she said, then nodded toward Jansen. “I want to work behind the scenes. Jansen said there’s more money in ownership than just being another pretty face in the crowd.”
Donovan smiled. “She’s right.”
“I want to be an agent,” Dove said. Jansen swelled with pride. Her assistant would be a great agent.
“That’s right,” Jansen said. “Dove is going to be one of the first women I take under my wing to teach about this industry.”
“Are you coming to Paris with us?” he asked.
Dove shrugged. “I thought you were just going to Paris for your friend’s wedding.”
“It is Fashion Week and Donovan made me an offer I can’t refuse.”
Donovan grinned. “I really hope you mean that,” he said, then he reached into his saddlebag and pulled out two plane tickets. “We’re leaving tomorrow.”
“What?” Jansen asked, furrowing her brow. “Donovan, that’s a little—”
“Listen,” he said. “Paris is beautiful this time of year and I want to get the best lace and materials to make this collection unlike any other that I’ve ever done. All of these designs are tailored to fit you, Jansen. I need you.”
She smiled. “I guess we’re going to Paris, Dove.”
Dove clapped her hands. “Oh, my goodness! This is so exciting.”
Donovan took Dove’s left hand in his and kissed it. “Vous n’avez encore rien vu.”
She shook her head. “I have no idea what you said, but okay.”
“He said,” Jansen began, “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
“Jansen, you know everything,” Donovan said.
“I wouldn’t say that, but French is my second language,” she said with a wink.
Chapter 5
Paris, France
“They’re kissing again,” Kenyon whispered to Bradley as they looked at Shelby and Jacques, who were sitting across from them at Aux Folies, a bar that seemed like a blast from Paris’s bohemian past. The drinks were great. The quiet atmosphere was supposed to allow Bradley and Kenyon to get to know their future brother-in-law. All they knew so far was that Shelby enjoyed sticking her tongue down his throat.
“Damn, y’all,” Bradley said as he slapped the table. “Nobody wants to see this.”
“Sorry,” Jacques said. “But this place brings out the lover in—”
“Hey, dude, that’s my little sister,” Kenyon growled.
“Excuse me,” Shelby said. “I’m a grown woman. Je suis une femme adulte.”
“Oui, tu l’es, ma chérie,” Jacques replied, then kissed her hand. Bradley and Kenyon rolled their eyes. Though they could do without all of the PDAs, they liked Jacques. It seemed that his love had reformed Shelby’s wild-child ways. Bradley couldn’t help but notice his sister’s higher necklines and lower hemlines. He was impressed. But still, he could go his whole life without watching her share intimate kisses in public with this man.
“Anyway,” Bradley said, “since you two are familiar with the inside of each other’s mouths, are we going to get to know our future brother-in-law?”
Shelby shrugged. “You know, there’s a big fashion show at the Belle Époque. And I’m not saying Jansen’s going to be there. But she might be.”
Bradley rolled his eyes. “Really?”
“I’m sick of both of you. Why do you think y’all are in Paris at the same time?”
“Because you invited her to your wedding. She’s here with her man,” Bradley said, remembering the cover of a French tabloid that he’d seen at breakfast.
“That’s not—”
“I’m not going to a fashion show, all right,” Kenyon said. “Let’s find a football game or something. I have no interest in sitting around watching—wait a minute. Is it a lingerie show?”
Shelby tossed her napkin at her older brother. “Perv!”
“Whatever. The after parties are what make going to these shows exciting,” she said.
“Aw, the party girl is still in there, huh?” Bradley said and shook his head.
Shelby tossed her head. “I’m not as old as you are, I can still have a good time. If we don’t go to the show, then we have to go to Benoît Mason’s after party. He’s raising money for Senegal girls and the school Daw
n Marie Senghor plans to open. It’s a party with a purpose,” she said, then stuck her tongue out at him.
“And what purpose would that be? Meddling in my life?” he mumbled.
“Everything isn’t about you, Bradley Stephens!” She turned to her fiancé. “See what I’ve been telling you,” she said in French.
“And just what have you been telling him?” Bradley asked with a laugh.
“Nothing more than that you two are very protective of her,” Jacques replied.
“Yeah, right,” Kenyon said with a snort. “Listen, Jack. We love our sister and I think you love her, too. If you guys are going to have a life in Paris, we have to know that you have her best interests at heart.”
Jacques nodded. “I do,” he said, taking Shelby’s hand into his. “I’ve never known a more beautiful and loving woman. I’m just glad she said yes when I asked her to be my wife. My life will be about making her happy and keeping her safe.”
“And making babies. Let’s not forget about the babies,” Shelby said with a smile.
“TMI,” Bradley said, then broke into laughter. Inside, he was wondering how many kids he and Jansen would have welcomed into the world if he hadn’t allowed her to walk out of his life. Downing his drink, Bradley actually hoped he wouldn’t see Jansen with her new man. He wasn’t ready to handle that.
* * *
Jansen shook her head as she watched Dove talking to the makeup artist who would be applying the peacock lashes Jansen would be wearing in the show. How did she allow herself to get talked into working? She was supposed to be enjoying a vacation in Paris. Hanging out with her friend before she got married. Donovan Strange!
“It’ll build a buzz for our big show,” he’d said as he told her about the opening in the inaugural April in Paris Fashion Week.
“You make me sick,” she’d replied before agreeing. After all, she loved the runway.
Now, here she was about to do a show knowing that Bradley could be in the audience. When she’d called Shelby after landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport, her friend dropped the bomb on her.
Bradley’s in Paris. And, of course, she’d come to the show. Jansen knew she’d bring her brother in the name of showing him around the city. And just because Shelby hadn’t mentioned a wife didn’t mean one didn’t exist. Knowing Shelby, she probably didn’t like her and wanted Jansen to drive a wedge between the couple.
“Not falling for it,” she mumbled as the makeup artist and Dove walked over to her.
“Talking to yourself is never a good sign,” Dove said, glancing at the outfit Jansen would be wearing as the showstopper. “This is going to be a fierce show! I love the feathers, and with your legs, girl, you’re going be all over the fashion trades.”
Jansen studied the blue, gold and green bodysuit with the peacock feathers decorating the bodice. It screamed Beyoncé. Jansen loved how it had hugged her body at the fitting. Though she wasn’t happy about the lashes that would accompany the outfit, she knew it would photograph well. When the makeup artist started working on her face, Jansen pushed all thoughts of Bradley and everything else out of her head. It was showtime and she was about to give good face.
An hour later, Jansen almost didn’t recognize herself and gave the makeup artist high praise and a high five. The lashes she’d been so worried about looked amazing on her eyes, complemented by the blue-and-purple eye shadow. Her lips were painted a matted gold color and the foundation blended in with her skin, making her look flawless.
“You look like a goddess,” Dove said as the hairstylist fluffed the curly wig she’d finished fitting to Jansen’s head.
“That’s the goal, luv,” the hairstylist said. “Jansen, thank you for letting me debut my new wig on you. This is going to be so epic.”
“Thank you for thinking that my big head would look this amazing underneath this wig. I know I’ll be getting a few,” she said as she touched the Foxy Brownesque wig.
“I hope one will be for me,” Dove said with a smile. “You know I love this.”
Winking at her assistant, she started to tell her that all of the wigs would be hers. On her days off, Jansen wasn’t one for getting glammed up. She’d pull her hair into a ponytail or a bun, maybe put on some lip gloss and head out unbothered. Well, until this rumor with Donovan started. So far, the press in Paris had been kind. Then again, Donovan had been so busy promoting his line that he and Jansen hadn’t been seen together since they got off the plane.
After getting dressed, Jansen waited in the wings for her cue. She loved runway work, but tonight, she was nervous; even more nervous than she’d been walking in her first professional show. What if he was really out there? Don’t do this to yourself, she thought as the music changed and the producer gave her the signal to head out to the stage. She put her game face on, ignoring the audience and strutting across the runway as Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” blared through the speakers. She shimmied a bit as she got to the end of the runway, eliciting a roar from the crowd. Turning her head to the side, Jansen did what the industry knew her for, she gave face: a half smile, eyes sparkling and a bit of a lip quiver. And just as she turned her head to the other side, that’s when she saw a heart-aching blast from the past watching her every move. Bradley. She blinked. She nearly stumbled but recovered quickly. Jansen raised the edge of her lip, then turned and made another pass on the runway as Beyoncé’s “Flawless” began playing. Putting a little extra in her strut, Jansen had never been so happy to get offstage. Her heart pounded like the bass from the music as she realized she was going to have to hit the stage again with the designer.
I just won’t look in his direction. Maybe that wasn’t even Bradley, she thought as the curtain opened for the models to take their final walk.
* * *
Bradley sat in stunned silence. Jansen Douglas was even more beautiful and curvaceous than he remembered. And those legs. Damn it, he wanted to hop on that stage and wrap them around his waist and never let her go. Kenyon kept shaking his head, telling Bradley that he’d messed up.
“One more time,” he snapped at his brother, “and I’m going to knock you back to Atlanta.”
“Shh!” Shelby said.
“Her husband is going to be a lucky man,” Kenyon jabbed one more time. “And to think, she used to love you.”
Bradley stood up and the music started again. Shelby tugged at his pant leg and told him to sit down. He stared at the stage as Jansen walked out with a short blonde woman who he assumed designed that wonderful outfit that his woman wore. Wait. His woman? Was he insane? It was all over the tabloids that Jansen was engaged. But seeing her on the runway brought back the beautiful memories, wanton thoughts and the heartbreaking mistake that he had made. And again, he regretted allowing his selfish need to keep her close to him ruin the best thing that had ever happened to him. Now she was someone else’s. But what if Shelby was right and it wasn’t too late to fix things? And wait, did she just look at him and frown?
“I guess she’s not happy to see you,” Shelby whispered. “Jansen never does that.”
“Shut up.”
“I still believe you two should talk. I’m going to go backstage and say hi. You should come with me.”
Bradley was about to remind his sister that Jansen had a man, until he looked up on the stage and saw her walking away. Her round bottom made his body twitch. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s go.”
“Wait for me,” Kenyon said with a laugh. The icy glare Bradley shot him alerted Kenyon that his joke wasn’t appreciated. As Bradley followed Shelby backstage, he felt a chill run down his spine. He hadn’t seen Jansen in forever and now he was about to be inches from her. About to see her in her element, living her dream—with another man.
* * *
Jansen wiped her face with an oatmeal makeup-remover pad and covered her shoulders with a plush white tow
el. Twice, she’d looked at Bradley and allowed her emotions to get the best of her onstage. That wasn’t what she did. She was the Face. How had she allowed this man to get inside her head like that? Kicking her heels off and reaching for a short robe, she heard him.
“Hello, Jansen.”
Whirling around, standing there in a thong and nothing else, she locked eyes with Bradley.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, not bothering to cover her nudity. And as much as he tried to meet her sparkling eyes, Bradley couldn’t look past her round brown breasts, remembering taking those diamond-hard nipples into his mouth and making her moan in delight. She followed his eyes and crossed her arms across her chest.
“You look amazing. I mean, looked amazing onstage.”
“That’s what you have to say to me after all these years?” she asked as she turned her back to him and put her robe on. “Shelby, I’m going to shoot you.”
“I tried to stop him from coming back here,” she fibbed. Bradley shot his sister a quizzical look.
“I’m sure you did,” Jansen said. “Nice to see you both, but I have to get out of here.”
Bradley reached out and touched Jansen’s elbow as she brushed past him. She jerked away as if his hand was a flame. “Jansen,” he whispered. “It’s good seeing you and I’d like to talk to you before—”
Donovan and Dove burst backstage, both holding several bouquets of roses. “You were amazing!” Donovan said. “I can’t wait to see you in my wedding dress.”
Bradley felt his heart drop to his feet. He didn’t even stick around to see her man embrace her.
Shelby, noting her brother’s crestfallen face, followed him out of the backstage area.
“Are you okay?”
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus and making me look like a damn fool. Thought you said she wasn’t getting married?”
“That’s what she told me.”
“He clearly said he couldn’t wait to see her in a wedding dress. I don’t think there’s any doubt about her relationship status. Why did I let you talk me into coming to this show and especially coming back here?”
Blissful Summer: Make You Mine AgainUnraveled Page 4