by Kait Gamble
Kendra couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Their definitions of a ‘good reason’ were very different.
“I have! I’ve figured out a way to make a ton of cash.”
“This I have to hear.”
“I don’t want to tell you just yet. But it’ll solve all our money problems.”
“Right.” Kendra would believe that when she saw it.
“You don’t think I can?” her sister sounded hurt.
“It’s not that you can’t, Charlie. I know you can. I just want to get more from you than empty promises. Dad needs urgent care and I can’t do it on my own.”
“I know. And I’m sorry that I haven’t contributed much, but this time I’ll come through. I promise.”
It wasn’t the first time Kendra had heard that from her sister. And it would more than likely not be the last. “All right. Was there anything else? I’ve got to get going.”
“I know I’m a fuck-up, Kendra. I know what you and everyone else thinks of me. I’m going to prove you all wrong this time.”
“I look forward to it.” Kendra hated that she was so cynical about her own flesh and blood, but until Charlie got her own life sorted out, there wasn’t much chance of her doing anything. “Check in on Dad too.”
“Yeah, I will.”
“Talk to you soon.” Kendra ended the call with a jab of her thumb. She’d call and check in on her father later because she knew Charlie wouldn’t.
Drained from everything, she just sat on the rim of the tub. Tears filled her eyes and threatened the spill, but she fought them back. The last thing she needed was to show up at the shoot red-eyed and tear-stained. It didn’t stop her from venting her frustration by launching one of the beautiful bottles she’d always coveted across the room and watching it shatter.
Damn it.
And now she felt guilty on top of everything else.
“Kendra?” Nikos’ voice came softly through the door a second before it opened. “Is everything all right?”
“I’m fine.” She followed his line of sight and sighed when he looked pointedly at the glistening mess then back at her. “Would you believe I slipped?”
Pursing his lips, Nikos took her hand. “If that is what you want me to believe.”
They both knew he was smart enough not to fall for that one. “I’m tired and frustrated.”
“I can understand the fatigue, but the frustration? And so much of it that you would need to smash things? Talk to me. Maybe I can help.”
Kendra cupped his cheeks. He was such a wonderful man. How could she continue to lie to him and Dmitri after everything?
“Is it because of Charlie?” whispered Nikos.
Kendra jerked back to look at him.
He put his hand up. “I saw his name on the screen before and I just overheard you talking to him. I didn’t mean to, but these doors are hardly soundproof.”
Just what had he heard? Was it enough to give away her secret?
“With everything that has happened between…the three of us…we never discussed exclusivity. If this Charlie is giving you a hard time about what is going on right now…”
He was worried that Charlie was a scorned boyfriend? Somehow that made her melt a little.
“It’s not like that.”
“Whoever this Charlie is, he seems to be able to rile you up quite badly. If not a boyfriend, then who?” Nikos winced. “I’m sorry. I have no right to pry.”
Kendra smiled weakly. “You just want to help, I get that.”
Encouraged, he lifted his eyebrows hopefully. “So will you let me?”
She shrugged. “There really isn’t much you can do. I can handle things on my own.”
“There are a lot of things I can do, if you would let me.”
Kendra wasn’t sure if he realized just how suggestive that sounded. Then again, from the impish smirk on his face, he knew it.
“I think you’ve done more than enough just getting me this job.”
“Not at all. I was just doing you and my friend a favor.” Nikos gazed at her. “They needed a face and you have a perfect one.”
“Two birds with one stone, huh?” She joined him when he chuckled. “I’m okay. I just needed to let off some steam, that’s all.”
He narrowed his eyes skeptically. “If that’s all you need.” Nikos looked down at himself. “I’m here in whatever capacity you need.”
Kendra just couldn’t help herself. Standing and pushing up onto her toes, she dragged him down for a kiss.
Nikos parted her lips, taking control of the kiss, and invaded her mouth dueling her tongue with his. He pulled her close and didn’t have to work too hard to make it known just how much he wanted her.
Weak in the knees, Kendra had to force herself to step back. She sucked in a slow, deep breath. “Thank you. For everything. And I’ll definitely take you up on that. Later. Right now, I have to take a shower and get dressed so I don’t let you down at the shoot today.”
“Never. Nothing you could do would let me down.”
Stomach sinking, Kendra turned away. She could think of far too many things that would.
Chapter Nine
Kendra and Nikos arrived at the set to find a flurry of activity. Unlike the other two shoots, this one was staged in front of an LED screen that displayed images of a forest. The massive screen and equally huge and mystical-looking forest spanned much of the set and was so realistic Kendra could almost smell the trees and the moss that she saw.
“This is incredible,” Kendra whispered to Nikos. She knew she would come across like a bumpkin if she said it loud enough for everyone to hear, but she just couldn’t keep it to herself. The sprawling size of it had her awestruck.
“It is.” Nikos took a moment to stare up at it. They quietly watched the scenery change a few times to other forest scenes some still, others moving. Kendra hoped that they would use them all because they were just so incredibly beautiful. Her favorite was where a bower of trees sheltered a stream. She stared open-mouthed at the dappled sunlight and how it lit up the mist creating an almost otherworldly atmosphere.
“Kiki! You’re here!” The woman that styled her hair shot ahead of the group. “Come! We’ve got work to do!”
How they could be so energetic so early in the day was baffling and gave her a charge at the same time.
She wondered if all the enthusiasm was by design. Probably since a model that was sluggish and miserable was imaginably a horror to deal with.
The next couple hours were spent transforming her into a forest spirit. Like the other shoots, her dress was voluminous, beautiful. An incredible feat of engineering that was a combination of green silks in varying shades. With her hair wild and wrapped around a framework of metal twigs she looked as though she’d just stepped out of the forest.
Weighed down with the dress and gems, Kendra grinned at herself in the mirror as she tried to turn to get a look at herself.
“Beautiful. Stunning.” Nikos appeared in the mirror beside her. He closed an arm around her waist, careful not to displace anything.
“As always, they did an awesome job of everything.”
“They brought out what was already there.” His eyes glittered as they caught hers. “What I’ve always seen.”
Kendra watched entranced as his hands slid lower, his fingers flexing, rucking up the fabric exposing her legs.
Alarmed, she tried to push his hands away. But he was undeterred. “Nikos, someone will see.”
“I would never allow that.”
He nipped her earlobe and Kendra felt the jolt straight to her clit.
“Shall we see how fast I can get you to cry out my name?”
Was he kidding? He’d barely touched her and her body was already humming. “We can’t. They’ll hear. Someone will come looking for me any second.”
“Then we’d better be quick and quiet, hadn’t we?” He’d already slipped his fingers into her panties, pushing them aside so he could slick his fingers with her wetn
ess. Nikos circled her clit with purpose. He was going to fulfill his promise to make her come hard and fast. There was no doubt about that.
Kendra leaned against him, trembling harder with each stroke.
He muttered something against her neck in a tangle of English and Greek that she didn’t catch.
Kendra arched against his erection, trying to reach behind her and grip him but he avoided her grasp and only ground himself against her. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever… Let me do this for you.”
Who was she to say no? Not when she needed it and she was so close.
“Look at yourself. Watch.”
Kendra lifted her gaze to look straight into the mirror and the most erotic thing she had ever seen. Within the frame she saw a nymph and a golden god watching her back as he hitched up her skirt and slid his fingers into her.
The outline of his fingers was clear through the lace as he pumped them in and out of her. Each graze of his skin against hers sent waves of awareness, of such intense pleasure that Kendra could barely breathe. Lips parted, she watched riveted as the couple in the mirror writhed against each other. It gave her a decadent thrill knowing that there were people within earshot, probably only a few feet away.
She rubbed herself against him, up and down, the same pace as his fingers inside her.
“Come for me, agapi mou. Just once. Watch yourself. See how beautiful you are when you come apart.”
She held the gaze of the nymph in the mirror. Watched as her skin flushed, her limbs began to tremble. She wound an arm around his neck to keep her upright as her orgasm built, leeching the strength from her knees.
He brushed the heel of his hand against her clit. Once. Twice. On the third pass, Kendra shattered.
Wringing out every last bit of sensation from her, Nikos growled something against her neck that sounded like a promise for the night to come.
Then she watched as the golden god in the reflection righted her clothes and licked his fingers clean, a grin on his face.
In what felt like a flash, everything was set back to right. Though now the nymph she saw in the reflection had eyes that were more heavy-lidded and her bearing more sensual than before.
“You are perfect.” Nikos winked at her and took a step back just as her name was called from outside. “And more relaxed now, yes?”
Was that what this was about? To build up her confidence after she confessed to him that she didn’t want to disappoint?
She nodded. “Thanks, wish me luck.”
“You hardly need it, but break a leg.” From the expression on his face, she knew he meant it.
Kendra managed a tight smile as she shuffled out.
* * * *
The hours dragged on. The photographer just couldn’t seem to get the right shot. Not after changing scenery, and no direction or any coaxing he did seemed to matter.
Kendra knew it was her. It was everything going through her mind. She couldn’t keep the guilt and the doubt from her head. Or from her face, apparently. One more day would drive her insane for sure.
Nikos was so kind and sweet and here she was taking advantage of it for her own gain. The lies seemed to have turned into a spiked ball in her gut that churned and tore at her more violently with each hour.
What she wanted—needed—was to come clean. But then where would that leave her? Or her dad?
She needed to suck it up and get on with it. What was happening now wasn’t going to do. She was letting herself down as well as Nikos and her father.
What she needed to do was clear her head and focus.
“Kiki,” he growled, “look at me as if I was your long lost lover. You yearn for me, but don’t quite believe that what you’re seeing is true.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, conjuring the image of herself back in her old life. Her real life. And seeing Nikos and Dmitri walk through her door, knowing the truth and not caring one bit about it.
Opening her eyes, she smiled softly at the camera.
“That’s it.” The relief was clear in the photographer’s voice.
Movement caught her eye. Not too far away, Dmitri stood smiling in approval at what he saw. Nikos stood next to him with a similar look on his face. They both seemed so proud. So infatuated.
With Kiki.
She banished the thought before it could register on her face. This didn’t need to drag on any longer. What Kendra wanted now was to get back to the hotel—no, her apartment—to have something to eat then get some sleep.
To get her head back on straight.
However, the longer she looked at them, the more confused she got. She thought they would have treated her like a plaything. A toy to be passed around and sometimes shared. But it wasn’t anything of the sort. Had she convinced herself that they actually cared about her?
About her body, maybe. They both seemed to enjoy sex with her. Kendra had never felt the same with anyone else as she did when she was with them. Was that clouding her head?
But would distancing herself just make things worse? She couldn’t afford to anger Nikos. Not with this job on the line. And Dmitri… He would probably just hunt her down anyway. They both had the means to track her anywhere on the planet.
“Right. I think we’re done here.” The photographer handed the camera over then waved Kendra over to him.
Shuffling as quickly as she could manage, she eventually made her way through the maze of lights and wiring to him. Wouldn’t it have just been easier for him to come to her?
He paced away from her the moment she got within arm’s reach before stomping back. “Kiki. I love you. You know that. But you’ve got to get rid of whatever bug crawled up your ass today.”
Kendra’s jaw dropped. “I tried…”
“Try harder. I don’t have time to waste on a model who can’t get her shit together to take a few simple photos.” He pointed at her. “I don’t care what you have to do, get high, get laid, whatever, but when you get on the set tomorrow, you’d better have your head on straight.”
She tried, but she couldn’t keep her temper in check. With her nerves as raw as they were, it was lucky she’d lasted this long. “Look, I know I had a bad day. I’m sorry. But there’s no need to talk to me like that.”
He stepped closer and glared down his nose at her. “I’m just trying to give you some advice. I know your boyfriend got you this job, but it doesn’t mean that you can sleepwalk through it.”
Kendra glared right back. “Again, I know I had a bad day and I apologized. I’m waiting for you to do the same.”
“Or what?”
“Is there a problem?” Dmitri stepped in front of Kendra, shielding her with his big form.
The photographer balked a little at Dmitri’s menacing glower, but didn’t shuffle back more than half a step. “Nothing that concerns you.”
“But it does concern me.” Nikos flanked him, giving the photographer nowhere to run.
“So what? Are you going to fire me because I talked in a mean way to your girl? Do you know how long De Winters spent looking for the right photographer for this? They would never allow it.”
“Maybe, maybe not. I can afford to find out. Can you?” Nikos stepped forward, forcing the man backward. “I am good friends with Anika De Winter and very good friends with her husband, Luca Rossi. You might have heard of them both.” Nikos waited for the names to register. It didn’t take long for the man’s eyes to widen and his face to pale. “One word from me about your attitude and you will never work again.”
Kendra put her hand on his arm. “It’s not worth it,” she murmured. “It’s only one more day. I’m sure your friends have a schedule they want to keep.”
Nikos’ jaw tightened but he nodded before he returned his gaze to the photographer. “I’m letting you walk away this time, because she asked. But if hear you talk to her that way again. If you so much as look at her wrong, I will destroy you. And you see him?” He jerked his thumb toward Dmitri. “He will make sure what’s
left is nothing but ash.”
The threat from two such menacing men seemed to be enough to humble him to accept it. Nodding, he attempted to walk away, but Dmitri’s deep voice stopped him.
Crossing his arms over his massive chest, his muscles were clear through his shirt. “Don’t you have something to say to Kiki?”
He fought to hold her gaze. “I apologize.”
He waited for Nikos’ and Dmitri’s assent before leaving.
“I could have handled that jerk on my own.” Kendra stomped toward the changing area.
“We never said otherwise.” Nikos tried to catch her arm, but she shook him off and kept going.
She stalked as haughtily as she could in the heavy dress and straight into the middle of the throng of wardrobe people. Once the gems were safely out of the way, the undressing began.
Kendra couldn’t be bothered with modesty. After going through this for the third time, and being so angry, she just didn’t care any longer. It wasn’t like they hadn’t seen her naked anyway. The only two people who even seemed to notice were the ones who had taken it upon themselves to speak up for her.
By the time she was back in comfortable clothing and devoid of makeup, Kendra had calmed a little. It was sweet of them, really, but she wasn’t theirs to protect or save. She could take care of herself. Always had.
So what was it about the exchange that angered her so much? Kendra pinpointed the reason long before the last swipe of makeup remover. They were defending Kiki. Not her.
Pretending to be the other woman was giving her a real complex.
Just one more day. Kendra chanted it to herself in the hopes it would keep her sane just long enough to pull this off. There was a lot riding on the deception and it was only for one more day. She could stay strong for a few more hours. But she needed a break, needed to be herself for a little while.
Kendra smiled at them wanly as she walked up to them. “Shall we?”
They stepped aside to allow her to pass and followed, quickly catching up and taking their places on either side of Kendra. Wordlessly, they walked to the limo, climbed in and settled into their seats.