A Texas native, his southern drawl combined with his dark good looks only helped to increase Nathan’s popularity among his female followers. GQ Magazine had named him the Most Successful Bachelor of 2010. Reportedly single, he was linked to many short-lived relationships with the runway models he worked with.
“I’ll be right with you.” Nathan turned and called to them as they entered the five-star hotel ballroom where he directed stick thin models down a t-shaped runway. “Take your time.” Madison smiled and waved. Removing her gloves she shoved them into her coat pockets. She scanned the room. Elegantly dressed tables of six were set up and placed around the runway to allow ample viewing of the fashions on display that evening.
“So, about last night in my studio…” Cole shouted above the sound of hip-hop music coming from a large speaker above their heads.
“Nothing happened.” Madison shook her head and refused to meet his gaze. But something almost had. She resolved not to get that close to him again.
“I beg to differ. We almost kissed.” Cole gave her a pointed look.
Madison scoffed. “But we didn’t.” She unbuttoned her coat and removed her scarf.
“We should have.” Cole moved to stand in front of her.
“We won’t.” She met his gaze. A stupid mistake, that’s all it was. She refused to let it happen again. They were co-workers. She was more professional than this. So what if he was sexy as hell. The problem was he knew it. She refused to be another notch on his belt. “Shouldn’t you be taking a picture of something?” She moved around him as Nathan approached.
“Women’s World Quarterly, welcome to the madness.” Nathan laughed as he extended a hand to Madison, then Cole, “Nice to meet you both. Please bear with me for a while, I have to make sure my newest designs are featured at various points throughout the show, and then I am done for today.” He ran a hand through his wavy short dark hair.
“Your designs are fabulous.” Madison smiled. Samantha would be so jealous. She had been green with envy when Madison had told her the bachelor line-up.
“Thank you. I grew up in a house full of women who constantly complained of sore feet after a long day in heels or purses too small to hold all of their accessories.” He explained. “My inspiration came from them for this new winter line.”
The next model approached, and Nathan turned his attention back to the runway.
Madison’s eyes narrowed. There was something familiar about the strawberry blonde with the thin lips and cat-like eyes. Where had she seen her before?
“Cole! How great to see you!” The young girl broke her stiff form as she arrived at the end of the runway. “I didn’t know you were photographing the show. The girls will be so excited, we haven’t seen you since that bikini shoot last summer in Maui.”
Ah ha! The Maui photos on his studio wall. Madison turned to look at Cole, eyebrows raised, an amused smile on her face. Someone was popular with the women.
“Oh no—I’m here as a journalistic photographer with Women’s World Quarterly to take photos of Nathan.” His face and neck flushed a deep crimson.
“Looks like someone has a way with the ladies.” Nathan slapped Cole on the back.
“It’s not like that.” Cole shrugged as he looked back and forth between Nathan and Madison, shaking his head.
Madison smiled at his obvious discomfort. She folded her arms across her thin frame.
“Maybe I’ll stop by your studio sometime. I’d love to take new shots for my portfolio.” The girl winked at him and turned.
Cole flushed a deeper shade of red. “Anytime,” he mumbled, studying his feet.
“Hey girls, that sexy photographer from our shoot in Maui is here.” The girl yelled as she reached backstage.
Nathan and Madison laughed.
Cole rolled his eyes.
“As I was saying, once I’m done here I have some Christmas shopping to do, and I need you two to come along. I would love a woman’s opinion on something.” Nathan winked at Madison.
“I would love that.” Shopping was something she could do. Though she suspected Nathan knew much more about today’s fashion than she did.
Cole looked less impressed, but shrugged in agreement.
“Great, give me another ten minutes or so, and I’ll be right with you guys.” Nathan disappeared backstage.
Cole turned to Madison, “Seriously Madison, those girls are just…”
“Why are you explaining yourself to me? I’m just a co-worker, nothing more.” She gave him a pointed look. “Nothing happened between us. Nothing is happening between us.” She shrugged.
“Not yet.” Cole grinned.
“Not ever.”
“We’ll see.”
* * * * Tiffany’s was abuzz with shoppers. The New York store was the biggest of all of their highend accessory locations, boasting three floors of jewelry. Entering the building, Madison scanned the showroom. Not another woman in the store. Figures. Dozens of men however formed long lines at each of the cash registers.
“So, what are we looking for?” Cole asked Nathan, “Earrings, a necklace?” Someone was in a hurry to leave the store. Madison smirked. So jewelry made him
uncomfortable. Or was it the idea of commitment? She shook her head. What did she care? “Actually, I’m looking for an engagement ring. I’m planning to ask Becca to marry me.”
Nathan beamed.
Madison fought to hide her surprise. She’d read somewhere Nathan had been dating
supermodel, Becca Sambura, but the media had always pegged them as an on again/off again
romance, and Madison hadn’t thought they were serious about the relationship. “That’s
wonderful. Congratulations!” She forced a smile. The idea of marriage was not one she liked to
entertain. Despite the vows and promises of long lasting commitment they ended in the blink of
an eye. She bit her tongue. A man in love wouldn’t appreciate her negative opinion of the
subject.
“Great! Let’s get started. Engagement rings are on the third floor.” Cole surprised them
both.
Madison turned with a questioning look. He’d been here before? When?
“What?” He shrugged. “I helped Scott try to find an engagement ring for Melissa.” They climbed the beautiful, winding staircase to the third floor, the busiest section in the
entire store. Men crowded the showcases demanding to see one ring after another. The clerks
only saw dollar signs as they displayed the unending selection of diamonds and explained their
warrantees and buy back policies to the confused looking men. Many brought reinforcement, but
the sidekicks looked just as lost among the glitter.
“Look at all of those poor schmucks.” Cole chuckled. He tucked his hands deep into his
pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. An amused smile spread across his face as he
studied the scene before them.
“Not a fan of marriage?” Madison shot him a curious look.
He shrugged. “Just don’t know if it’s for me, that’s all.”
“I see.” She could understand. Marriage definitely hadn’t been good for her. Nathan slapped Cole on the back. “Be careful buddy. I used to say the same thing until I met
Becca. Now I can’t imagine my life without her.”
Madison gave a polite smile. She didn’t remind Nathan, the tabloids suggested they’d
broken up three times already that year. Maybe the media had it wrong. Looking at Nathan’s
excited face, he certainly appeared eager to marry the model.
“Though I guess I’m not being unique by proposing at Christmas huh?” Nathan joked as
they made their way through the thick crowd of people to the first display case. Cluster diamond
sets shone through the spotless glass.
“So, do you know if she likes clusters or solitaires? White or yellow gold?” Cole sc
anned
the display case.
Nathan looked puzzled. “I don’t know.” Nathan examined the rings. “I think I may be in
way over my head here.”
Madison suspected he was right if the media was right about Becca Sambura. She didn’t
comment, instead pretending to scan the rings.
“No problem. Let’s take it one step at a time.” Cole turned to Nathan. “A solitaire is one
diamond, and a cluster is a set of diamonds. Yellow gold is traditional and white gold is popular
right now.” Cole moved to a second display case and pointed out the differences for Nathan. “I definitely think white gold. Becca is anything but traditional, and I think she would prefer
a cluster. The more diamonds the better, right?” He asked Madison.
Her eyes widened. Don’t ask me. At the time of her engagement Kurt could have proposed
with a twist tie, and she would have said yes. She shot a look to Cole.
The ring expert answered for her. “Don’t worry I got this,” he whispered. He turned to
Nathan. “Not necessarily, with a solitaire, you can choose a large diamond. With clusters, many
smaller diamonds occupy the same space.”
Nathan nodded. “Okay…Solitaire it is.” He looked grateful for Cole’s assistance. Madison hung back and watched in silence as they moved from display case to display case,
discussing the rings. Cole was cute in his attempt to be helpful. He surprised her. Maybe she’d
been too quick to judge him. That didn’t mean she would be kissing him anytime soon. Or ever. “Can I help you two find something?” A salesman approached the two men. “We’re looking for an engagement ring.” Nathan beamed.
“So far, we’ve decided on a solitaire and white gold.” Cole chimed in.
The salesman looked between the two men, a puzzled look on his thin white face. He
shrugged. “We usually don’t see a man wearing an engagement ring, but why not right?” He
smiled. “So which of you will be wearing the band?” He held a ring sizer in his hand. “Oh no, you misunderstood…” Nathan held his hands up in protest.
Cole moved away, shaking his head.
Madison laughed at the scene and covered her mouth as the three men turned to look at her.
The look of desperation on the faces staring at her was too funny for words.
Cole pulled her over to the counter, refusing to let go of her arm once she was there. “So, this is the special lady?” The salesman frowned.
“Oh no…I’m not.” Madison shook her head, horrified at the suggestion. She doubted she’d
ever be the special lady again.
“I’m confused.” The salesman leaned against the counter.
“I’m buying a ring for my girlfriend. These are my friends.” Nathan gestured to Cole and
Madison.
“Okay, that’s better. White gold and a solitaire, you say?” The clerk wiped at the
fingerprints they’d left on the display case.
Nathan nodded.
“Let’s find that perfect ring.” The clerk led Nathan to the solitaire case.
Madison looked at Cole and laughed again. His face still wore a terrified expression. Nathan disappeared through the crowd, leaving them alone.
“What’s so funny?” Cole reached toward her and tickled her ribs.
“You two.” Madison swatted his hand away. “How do you know so much about rings
anyway?”
“I told you. Scott dragged me to every jewelry store in New York to find the perfect ring for
Melissa. I paid attention, and I learned a lot. Too much.” Cole traced a hand along the edge of a
display case.
“So did he find it?” Madison asked. “This perfect ring.”
“Not here or any of the other thousand jewelry stores he dragged me to. He couldn’t find
anything traditional enough for Melissa. Then later that day, his mom called to say his
grandmother had passed away and had left him a few things in her will. Her engagement ring and
wedding band set were among them. The rings had my sister written all over them, and she loved
that they were a family heirloom. Amelia and Emma will get them one day.” Cole’s expression
was sad.
Madison’s heart went out to him. She couldn’t imagine losing a loved one to an illness. She
resisted the urge to touch his arm. Better to keep as much distance between them as possible.
These softer sides of her travel companion were more dangerous than his advances. Cole stopped and pointed to a ring in a display case. “That ring would look beautiful on your
finger.”
Madison refused to acknowledge the ring he pointed to. She shook her head. “I’m not in the
market for an engagement ring.” She shuddered at the thought.
“Maybe not yet…” he whispered. His breath lingered on the back of her neck. She moved away from him. “Never.” Or more accurately, never again.
“You say that a lot.” He smirked and touched the tip of her nose.
She swatted his hand away. “And I mean it.”
“Hey guys, I think I found it.” Nathan yelled from a few feet away.
Grateful for the distraction, Madison joined Nathan by the display case. Cole followed. The clerk beamed as he waited their approval of his suggestion.
“Do you think she will like it?” Nathan held a two-carat diamond for their inspection. Madison gasped at the price tag. She swallowed hard and nodded.
“It’s perfect,” Cole said.
For that price, it had better be.
“Great. I’ll go pay for it, and then we’re out of here.” Nathan followed the clerk to the
register.
“Becca’s a model right?” Cole lowered his voice and leaned toward Madison. Madison nodded. “Yeah, why?”
Cole placed a hand on the small of her back as they descended the crowded staircase to the
main floor. He stopped when they reached the front door. “That two carat rock will probably be
the heaviest part of her.” Cole grinned leading the way out of the store.
* * * * Cole wasn’t wrong in his assessment of Becca Samura. Five foot eleven and weighing no more than a hundred pounds, the girl was beautiful with curly red hair reaching her waist and slanted hazel eyes.
Cole glanced at his watch. 11:16. He drummed his fingers against Nathan’s dining room table. “What could possibly be taking her so long?” He hissed at Madison. They’d been waiting for Becca to get ready for almost an hour.
“Shh,” Madison put her finger to her lips. She resumed typing on her iPad. Cole stood and paced the living room.
Nathan had invited the two of them to join them at the spa that afternoon. He planned to
propose that evening and wanted to make sure Becca was refreshed and relaxed. Cole wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of a spa day, but he couldn’t complain about a free massage. “Nathan, could you zip me?” Becca emerged from the bedroom in a one-piece black jumper.
She’s wearing that to a spa?
“Gladly.” Nathan helped her with the zipper, placing a trail of kisses along her long neck as he did.
Cole rolled his eyes. Oh come on. He’d like to be doing the same thing to Madison, but no one needed to see it. Public displays of affection were not his thing.
Madison hid a giggle behind her hand. She tucked the iPad into her purse and stood.
“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go. Dahlia hates it when I am late.” Becca clapped her hands.
Cole suspected Becca was late for a lot of things. High maintenance women. He shook his head as he wrapped his scarf around his neck. He didn’t see the appeal. He preferred a natural beauty, like Madison. Her alarm went off in the room next to his every morning at eight, and she was always waiting for him in the lobby less than an hour later. Looking beauti
ful as ever. That, he could appreciate.
Becca’s brand new black Audi R8 awaited them in her parking space in the underground parking garage. Nathan uncovered the car and opened the passenger side for Becca, and then opened the driver side door for Cole and Madison. He leaned in and pulled the driver side seat back. He waited for them to climb in.
Cole looked at Madison and down at his tripod and camera bags. He didn’t travel light. The backseat of the car was just big enough to fit the two of them.
“Maybe we should take the truck and meet you two at the spa.” Madison ran a hand along the beautiful black exterior. She looked disappointed.
The smell of the new leather escaped from the open door.
“Nonsense, there’s plenty of room. Y’all have to experience this car. I bought it for her for her birthday, but she refuses to drive it herself.” Nathan laughed.
“We’re going to be late.” Becca huffed from inside the car.
Cole cringed. Her voice had a nail on a chalkboard effect. How could Nathan deal with that whiny sound? He preferred Madison’s voice—rich, silky and incredibly sexy.
“Well?” Madison asked. Her eyes begged him to say yes.
Funny, he hadn’t pegged her for a fast car kind of girl. “Why not?” Cole shrugged his shoulders and climbed into the backseat placing his tripod on the back windowsill of the car and securing his backpack in the tiny space between his feet on the floor. Not bad.
Madison climbed in next to him and almost sat on his lap. These cars were not designed with the comfort of the backseat passengers in mind.
Cole smiled, grateful for the tiny, confined space. He could smell Madison’s hair, and he took a deep breath. The distinct smell of peppermint filled the space between them, and he resisted the urge to kiss the top of her head. Their shoulders touched, and each time the car took a sharp turn, she fell against him. Her hand brushed his leg on the seat, and he fought the urge to wrap an arm around her, drawing her closer. She’d made it clear, his advances were unwelcome, but the look in her eyes the night before in his studio told a different story. Keeping his hands and lips off of her would be a challenge.
Mistletoe Bachelors Page 5