by Aja Cole
She presses her lips together and looks at me skeptically. “Are we in grade school?”
“I didn’t have nearly this much trouble getting girls to go out with me in grade school.”
“I bet. You look like everything’s always been easy for you.” She gives me a once over and I chuckle, shaking my head.
“My life wasn’t easy.”
“Are you about to give me a poor little rich boy sob story?”
That surprises me.
“You think I grew up with a silver spoon?”
“A silver spoon with grits on it, yes.” She lifts a slim brow.
“We do have a lot more to talk about then. Now do you want to hear the secret or not?”
“Tell me.”
I raise our joined hands up and spread my fingers against hers, then intertwine them and tug her a little closer.
“The woman I met that night intrigued me just as much as the one I’m looking at right now. I can’t claim to know exactly the nature of your exes comments, but I can tell you that you don’t need to change anything but how you see yourself.”
“What is it with these little pep talks.” She murmurs, eyes dropping to my lips then back up to meet my gaze. “My mom was being sappy as hell earlier this month.”
“Do you think just maybe that we see whatever you aren’t seeing right now?” I rub my nose against hers and let go of her hands to wrap my arms around her waist.
I have all the time in the world for this woman, and I don’t even care why. I don’t need to know anything but I like being around her.
“Or maybe you’re taking the same happy pills.” I can feel her breath against my lips as she speaks, but I’m not in a rush.
“You know what a good first step would be to finding your solid ground again?”
She sighs. “I haven’t modeled in years, Hawk.”
“Something tells me it’s like riding a bike. Take the step. Use this to find the middle ground between who you think you need to be and who you were.”
“Why do you believe in me so much?” There’s a seriousness in her eyes that I don’t think I’ve seen until now. “And why do you care?”
“I could give you some canned answer, but the truth is, I don’t know. I just do.” I lay my lips against her gently, not for any other purpose than to underline my words.
She opens up to me slowly, her arms coming around my neck and her body melting against mine. It feels like those weeks never passed, her mouth is as sweet as it was that first night.
“I’m going to take an educated guess and say you’re Michaela.” A male voice comes from the vicinity of the door, and I pull back leisurely, keeping my arms around Mickey.
But the minute she turns her head to the door, she untangles herself and won’t meet my eyes.
I tamp down my frustration because I thought we were making progress.
Someone else is involved, so it’s now more public. I can understand her pulling away slightly to try to keep things professional.
“Hm.” The man glances at me briefly, his face neutral. When I see him full on, it clicks to me exactly who he is.
“Liam Daniels.” I put a hand out. “Hawthorne James, everyone calls me Hawk. We’ve never met but I was a fan of your games.”
He shakes it, a small smile on his lips. “Nice to meet you, man. Do you work with Bold?”
“Here and there. Probably more than this one wants me to.” I glance at Mickey, who’s still doing that avoiding my gaze thing.
“Looked to me like things are all good here.” He laughs a little. “Anyway, I was told to grab Michaela here. That okay?”
We both turn to her, and I raise a brow. “Mickey?”
She looks at us, and I can’t figure out what the look on her face is.
“I guess I’m doing this.” She smoothes her hands over her dress and walks to the door, turning back to me. “Thanks.” She says quietly and I nod, sliding my hands into my pockets.
“Always.”
Liam gives me a little wave and follows out the door after her. Before the door closes, I see him put a hand on the small of her back and I stand straight.
What the hell is that about?
9
Mickey
“You’re not dating right now, huh?”
I knew those words were going to come out of his mouth the minute we left Hawk.
“We’re not dating.”
We’re walking down a short, empty hallway and he stops, prompting me to face him.
“Look, you don’t need to lie to me. If you’re not interested, cool. I’m a big boy. If you are, say that - I don’t chase women who play hard to get.”
“Maybe I just don’t want you.” The words fly past my lips automatically, mainly because his confidence is slightly annoying.
“Great. Then let’s get this shoot done so I can find a woman who does.” He lifts his shoulder in a dismissive shrug and begins walking away, and I stand there for a few seconds.
Clearly, I got too used to Hawk being persistent.
He’s really letting it go so easily?
“That’s it?”
“You’re one woman.” He laughs, not turning around. “An alluring woman, sure, but still just one woman.”
“So there’s no other connection for you? You can move on so easily?” I move after him, keeping my voice low.
“It’s not like I know you. We would maybe get dinner, fuck, and that would be it. Maybe we’d fuck regularly, maybe we wouldn’t. But that’s all I’m looking for, not any extra work.” He slides his blue gaze over, perusing my body slowly so that I feel like I’m wearing much less than a dress that covers the important parts. “Let great sex be great sex, nothing more.”
“And you just know it would be great?” Some part of me is screaming red alert because his attitude is almost callous.
But he’s honest…and it’s exactly the way I used to think. It feels familiar.
Find the middle ground between who you think you need to be and who you were.
“I don’t like extra work outside the bedroom.” His lips tilt into a confident smile. “I save it for when it matters.”
I can’t deny that he’s attractive. He’s in a simple white t-shirt that fits his chest, khaki shorts, and white Adidas. His hair is haphazard but manages to not look sloppy.
He screams low-maintenance. A good time man. Something very different from what Hawk says to me.
Hawk says commitment. He says “I’m going to demand everything from you, but I’m going to give you even more in return.” He’s patient and kind and the type of man I’d probably be lucky to spend my life with.
Something I’m not sure I’m ready for…yet alone deserve.
Maybe Liam would be good to cut my teeth on. I could…make sure that part of me is really finished before I try to commit to Hawk.
Part of me feels like I’m betraying Hawk, even thinking about it. Do I owe him anything when I’ve been clear about not being ready for more?
Yeah, it seemed clear when you were just kissing him and accepting his support.
Okay, so maybe I haven’t been as clear as I think. I’m honestly not sure anymore.
“I need to…discuss the possibility with someone. If your offer is still open.” I twist my skirt in my hand, taking a deep breath.
“With the guy back there?” He questions.
“Yeah. We aren’t together per se, but I think there may be expectations and I don’t…I don’t want to hurt him.”
“As long as you’re not pulling me into a messy situation, take the time you need.” We turn the corner and he opens the door for me, where the atmosphere completely changes.
There’s color, people, lighting, assistants, makeup artists, garment racks everywhere and Leslie’s standing in the middle of it.
Her eyes widen when she sees me walk in and she comes over. “Mickey! Did you decide?”
“I did. Thanks to no heads up from you.” I scold lightly but soften it with a small smile.
<
br /> She grins sheepishly. “I was freaking out this morning and when Hawk suggested it, well it sounded just perfect, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it sooner.”
“Thought of what?” Liam interjects, looking between us.
“Liam Daniels, right? Leslie James, I help with a bit of the marketing & advertising for Bold.” She sticks out a hand and he shakes it firmly.
He gets a mental point for seeming to treat her with the same respect and grip that he would a man.
“And to answer your question, Mickey’s going to be your co-model.” She beams, blonde ponytail bouncing as she turns her head because someone’s called her name. “Excuse me. Uh, check in with makeup Mickey- you too, Liam.” She rushes away.
He turns to me with raised brows.
“You’re about to be practically sitting in my lap with lingerie on?”
Well, when he says it like that…
“This is a purely professional shoot and setting, and I expect you to behave accordingly.” I fall back onto professionalism because otherwise, I’ll start imagining him in just boxers before we even get there.
He backs away with a knowing expression. “Remind yourself of that when I take my clothes off, alright?”
I watch him walk away and my gaze automatically drops to the firm ass in his shorts.
This might’ve been a terrible idea.
10
Liam
When I’ve done shoots for magazines and shit before, I’ve never had a problem keeping my mind in the zone.
That goes out the window when Mickey walks in with a dark grey silk robe that stops mid-thigh. The Bold logo is on a little pocket on the left, and she’s wearing red strappy heels.
I don’t even want to think about what’s under the robe if those are the shoes she’s wearing.
Her hair is tousled in a mix of waves and curls, and her makeup is a lot less editorial than I was expecting.
She looks pretty natural, actually.
She’s not about things being perfect.
Huh. Maybe Riza was telling the truth.
To me, that just says maybe she’s less high maintenance than I thought.
I can definitely have a lot of fun with a woman who doesn’t need 3 hours to get ready before we can go to a restaurant and I can play with her under the table.
I’m wearing a pair of Klein jeans and sitting on the white sofa, with a stylist trying to comb my hair into some type of submission.
Mickey looks away from someone she’s talking to, and I catch that smoky green gaze, willing myself to not get visibly excited.
She starts to walk over to the sofa as the stylist moves away, and I stand to meet her. She’s almost the same height as me in heels, but not quite.
“Ready to behave yourself?” I tease, crossing my arms.
It looks like she’s consciously not dropping her eyes to my bare upper body, and I feel a little bit of triumph.
“I’m going to be just fine. Are you ready?”
“Let’s make a little wager.” I step slightly closer to make sure she’s the only one that hears me. “If you’re able to honestly do this entire spread with me and not be phased, you can have anything you want. No expiration date. Carte blanche.”
“And if I can’t?” Her eyes flash with challenge.
“I get carte blanche. Same terms.”
“And how will we determine whether we’re phased or not?”
“This challenge works on honesty. We pick one word to say when it’s too much, and if you say the word, you lose. Or win. Depends on how you want to look at it.”
I barely get the last word out before she accepts.
“Deal.” She steps back, turning on her heel and walking away without another word.
I do love fun games. Especially when I know I’m going to win. I never played to lose when I was on the field, and nothing’s changed.
“Alright, everybody ready?” Sienna, who I’ve learned is the co-owner of Bold claps her hands. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road.”
I relax back onto the couch, having already been given my instructions. It’s not my first rodeo with Klein.
Mickey comes over in her robe again, and steps gingerly over me and onto the couch, perching on the back of it. She holds my gaze as she crosses one leg and settles the other heel lightly on my upper thigh.
She’s almost sitting on my shoulder.
I grip the back of her calf and stretch my other arm along the back of the couch.
“Love it.” Laurel, the photographer clicks away, and I alternate looking at Mickey and looking at the camera.
The smoldering face, you know the one.
Mickey switches to the arm of the couch and crosses both legs over my lap. I slide my hand up her legs leisurely, pretending like I’m just finding the best spot to rest them.
“Mickey, can you slide a hand into his hair?”
That’s when the feeling changes. Now it’s charged, because when I was just touching her - I could tell she kept her distance.
She slides a hand into my hair and I slide my hand higher onto her legs, watching her face. Her lids drop just slightly.
“Right there! Beautiful shot.” Tyler, Klein’s creative director calls out. “Your chemistry is electric.”
I don’t know what makes me look over to the side, but I do, and I see the man who was kissing her when I walked into the room.
Hawthorne.
I don’t know if it’s the reflection of light from the stands, or if I’m imagining things, but there’s an expression on his face that looks a lot like interest and less like jealousy.
“Sit on the end of the arm, Mick. Liam, you keep your eyes on her.” Mickey swings her legs to the end of the couch arm easily, sliding forward so that her heels are on the ground.
“Alright, I want to move to the pool, and let’s get them to the next sets,” Sienna says.
“Can we get them standing in front of the couch first? Just full on.” Tyler asks, and we move. It’s not like either of us has never done this before, and when Mickey positions herself off my right shoulder, I pull her to leans against me some.
As Laurel snaps pictures, I lean slightly to her ear like it’s just a part of the shoot.
“I think your man over there likes seeing us together.” I slide an arm around her waist, letting my hand rest on her hip as she turns her face up to mine.
“Good, hold that.” I hear from the front.
“What are you talking about?” She murmurs, dipping her head back slightly.
She’s good at this.
I turn her around to face his direction, wrapping my arms around her front as Laurel snaps the pictures.
There’s definitely interest on his face and when Mickey’s back tenses just slightly, I know she sees it too.
The question is, is it all for her?
Maybe Mr. James would be less upset about her being with another man than she thinks.
11
Hawk
All these weeks of being near Michaela and not touching her the way I want to must be playing with my mind, because the only thing I feel at seeing her so close to Liam is arousal.
Maybe it’s because I know nothing’s going on between them, so I’m imagining myself in his place.
Maybe it’s that she looks phenomenal and I want to see what’s under that robe.
Whatever it is, the suspicion I felt when I saw him put a hand on her lower back earlier is nowhere to be found.
I talked with a few people, and he doesn’t do entanglements. He’s exactly what Mickey isn’t looking for right now. He’s too fast and loose.
That alone comforts me, because I know I have a better chance with her than he does, whatever happens.
The essential people move throughout the house, heading to the large back patio that ends just before the infinity pool starts.
I see Mickey standing in the same grey robe, only this time, it’s undone. She slides it off her shoulders. An assistant tak
es it and I nearly stop breathing right there.
Lord, help me.
She’s wearing a gauzy, smoky grey bra with black detailing, and matching high cut underwear. Lines on the warm tan skin of her hips are visible now, and I realize they’re stretch marks.
“She’s a vision, isn’t she?” I hear from my side and I turn my head slightly, not wanting to move my eyes from her.
It’s Liam, similarly pre-occupied.
“She is.” I agree, watching them brush some gold dust stuff over her shoulders.
“You two aren’t together, are you?”
“Mickey can be stubborn.”
“Hm, maybe she’s not ready to commit yet.” He says, and I force myself not to be bothered by it.
What does he know? They just met today.
“I can tell you she’s not into the way you play things.” I turn to him, taking in the Klein branded boxer briefs he has on.
The man has a nice body, I’ll give him that. It’s no surprise since up until last year, he was playing pro football. Clearly, he hasn’t slacked just because he’s not in the game anymore.
“And how do I play things?” His lips twitch and he crosses his arms. We’re the same height, give or take an inch or so.
But when I look him in the eye, there’s no challenge there. Not what I’d expect from a man asking about the woman he walked in on me kissing. He’s interested and he knows I’ve already got a stake in things, so what’s he playing at?
“You avoid relationships like the plague. You’re only into getting your rocks off, no connections and no complications.” I dip my head in Mickey’s direction. “That woman right there? She’s more than you can handle.”
“You know, she doesn’t have to choose. I’m fine lending a helping hand here and there.” We both turn back to look at her because it’s hard not to.
“What do you mean?” I murmur.
“Just two men giving a beautiful woman all the attention she can handle, no strings. You can handle the cuddling.”
I tamp down the immediate fire that roars through my veins at the image of Mickey out of her mind with pleasure, in favor of logic.