At Your Service

by A. C. Arthur

  “I wasn’t named the Fashion House Playboy. A snub, I might add, I’m still considering being salty about.” Maurice gave a fake pout.

  Major tossed his shirt into the hamper a few feet away and sat heavily on the bed—his back to the clothes. “Those dates were a coincidence. And, actually, one was a favor to Mom and Dad. I couldn’t say anything about it because it would have embarrassed poor Hannah Lincoln, whose parents didn’t want her to go out in public alone because her jet-setting, race-car-driving boyfriend had just dumped her.”

  Major’s head fell back and he groaned. He loved his mother above all else in this world, but if she ever called his cell phone and started the conversation with, “Hi, my favorite son,” again, he was hanging up on her. She’d made that sugary-sweet request for him to take Hannah out so she wouldn’t appear depressed and lonely over the breakup and he’d agreed.

  Hannah had spent the entire evening talking about her ex and how she was being super strong and not crying over her ex, and how her ex was the love of her life, but how glad she was to be rid of her ex. It was a long and insufferable evening that had capped off the three-day stint earning him the ever so wonderful title in the fashion industry. The tabloids loved to take any snippet of information and run with it. That was their job, and while Major could totally respect someone being dedicated to a job, he didn’t have to like being caught up in it.

  “But you still selected the woman to be your fake fiancée,” his twin pointed out.

  “That, right there—” Major turned to see that his brother had grabbed a beer out of his refrigerator on his way to the room and was now twisting the top off so he could take a long swallow. After a shake of his head, he continued. “That’s the best part of this stupid stunt. At least she’s someone I have something in common with and won’t die of boredom or irritation from when I’m alone with her.”

  “So you like her?”

  Major blinked and then shook his head. “That’s not what I said. But yeah, I like that we’re both IT techies and that she’s smart and courageous enough to start her own business.” Thoughts of how their companies overlapped popped into his mind and Major instantly pushed them back.

  “Like you did,” Maurice said.

  Major leaned over and untied his Tom Ford leather sneakers, but he sat up before taking them off. “Yeah, like I did.”

  Maurice was the only person in his family who knew about Brand Integrated. Being fraternal twins came with a certain amount of closeness that didn’t resonate with his other two siblings. And while he and Maurice weren’t constantly on the phone or, notwithstanding this present moment, sitting in each other’s bedroom talking the night away, he and Maurice told each other pretty much everything.

  So when Major had started to feel a little itchy working solely for RGF, Maurice was the first to notice. And when Major confided in his brother about the idea for his new business venture, Maurice had stood firmly in his corner. As a matter of fact, Maurice hadn’t agreed with Major keeping his business a secret from the family. He believed that Major should be proud of himself and bold enough to step away from the Gold fashion house, especially considering none of the other siblings had been able to do that.

  “You’ve signed the lease in the building, started hiring staff, and have your first marketing plan ready to roll out on day one. I’d say you’re set to do this,” Maurice said before taking another drink.

  “Yeah, I am,” Major said. “But first, I’ve gotta get this fake wedding on a roll. After that, I’m out.”

  “Not out,” Maurice said. “You’ll always be a Gold, no matter what building you walk into for work each day.”

  “Dad’s probably not going to feel that way. You know how he is about loyalty. That was the crux of the whole family feud that almost threatened Riley’s happiness.” He sighed heavily, reliving how his sister’s plunge into love a couple months ago had only made his decision to move on to other things in his career another sticky family issue to cope with. “But I’m through thinking about that. It’s what I’m doing, so they can either accept it or disown me.”

  “You know Mom’s never gonna let him disown you. She didn’t let him disown Riley.”

  Major stood and took the sneakers into his closet. “That was never going to happen, I don’t care who she slept with. Dad would have seriously considered shooting Chaz and Tobias before he’d ever thought about firing Riley.”

  Even though the news of his sister’s affair with Chaz, whose uncle Tobias King was head of King Designs, had spread like wildfire through the industry, bringing old assumptions about the Gold/King feud back to the surface. While Major secretly hoped his engagement façade would help take the residual bad press from Riley’s saga away, part of him knew that the subsequent announcement of his leaving RGF to run Brand Integrated Technologies would fuel its own fire.

  “And look at them now,” Maurice said. “Riley and Chaz are inseparable. When he’s not at her place, she’s at his. He’s at Sunday dinner with the family and she’s seen out at parties with him and Tobias. They’re really in love, whatever the hell that is.”

  Oh yeah, in addition to being the twin who actually loved going on dates with different women and getting attention for it, Maurice was the one who hated, loathed and despised the word love. Major didn’t let the word get that deep under his skin, although he didn’t imagine himself feeling it any time soon. His new company, as well as continuing to help with RGF’s technology development, were his priorities right now. The one time he’d ventured to believe he might be feeling something like love, Stacia Hudgins had given him a hard-and-fast lesson—love wasn’t worth a damn.

  “I gotta get home. If we don’t get ready, Riley, Chaz and the rest of the family are going to be at the cocktail party before us,” Maurice said.

  Major stood and was about to walk toward the bathroom when he looked back at the clothes on the bed. “I still can’t believe Riley picked out clothes for me.”

  Maurice eased his tall frame from the chair, tilted his head back to swallow the remaining dregs of beer from the bottle and then shook his head. “You know Riley’s in control of everything that concerns the Golden Bride line. Whether or not you gave her permission to be involved with your fake fiancée, she was going to do it. And she’s damn sure gonna make certain she controls everything you do and say regarding this engagement.”

  Major groaned. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  * * *

  No, what Major Gold was actually afraid of, an hour and a half later when he stood near the bar at the Midtown Loft & Terrace and glanced toward the door, was swallowing his tongue or otherwise making a fool of himself as Nina Fuller walked in.

  She smiled when she met his gaze and began walking toward him. Major stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his pants, forcing them to remain still and not move toward the center to soothe the growing ache that was happening there.

  Nina looked stunning in blue, the dark hue playing expertly against the lightness of her complexion. Her hair was pulled up, loose pieces hanging at each ear just brushing the skin of her neck. He’d bet every dollar in all four of his bank accounts the skin right there was soft to the touch and sweet to the taste. Silver earrings sparkled at her ears and matched the chunky bracelet on her wrist. His gaze lifted from that wrist up her arm to where her bare shoulder was showcased. A shoulder he wanted to rub his fingers over and drop featherlight kisses against. Her shoes were silver but her legs were really the clincher, grabbing his full attention. They looked long and luscious, coated with some type of glistening oil.

  She walked like a temptress across the mahogany floor, her hips swaying from side to side, healthy breasts held high to tempt him and most likely every other guy with good vision in this room. He swallowed hard and tried not to think of the word hard. Not that it was going to help; his dick was well on its way to another stunning erection at just see
ing this woman. He wished for a drink but didn’t want to turn away from her to request one from the bartender.

  “You look fantastic,” he said the moment she was close enough to hear because he had to get those words out of his head.

  “Thanks. I tried on so many dresses today, I’m glad to be standing in just one at this moment.”

  “This is definitely the best dress. Ever,” he confessed and swallowed again.

  She tilted her head, her smile wavering slightly. “Are you okay?”

  For a few seconds he clamped his lips shut. He wasn’t totally sure he could resist asking her to find some private place for them to hang out tonight.

  “I’m good,” he said and gave himself a good mental kick. It’d been a long time since he’d been a horny teenager chasing after models at fashion shows. Most of them had been around his age, even though they’d hit the runways in outfits that made them appear much older.

  “Well, I’m not. I mean I’m a little nervous. I’ve never been to a Sip ’n’ Chat before.”

  She was looking around as she spoke and Major finally managed to pull his gaze from her long enough to do the same.

  “We rely on the media, but we can’t always control what goes into print. The Sip ’n’ Chat is our way of having an informal press conference where we release only the information we want the media to have, at the exact moment we want them to have it.”

  She nodded. “Smart.”

  “Yeah, just like me.” He winked.

  “You? I thought we were talking about your team who came up with this very smart idea.” She smiled and he enjoyed the light that came into her eyes. A jolt of awareness hit him as he realized she really was different from the other women he’d met.

  “I’m talking about how smart I was to have finally agreed to meeting with you when I did. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be standing here with you.” He’d stepped closer to her as he said those words. Another step or two and he would be on top of her, which wasn’t a bad idea—except he wasn’t down for an audience.

  “Hi! You made it! That dress looks fabulous on you. Doesn’t it, Major?” Riley asked when she approached, Chaz right beside her.

  Why she was asking him the obvious, Major had no idea, but he gladly answered. “It does.”

  “Thanks,” Nina said, holding a silver clutch in front of her as she nodded at Riley and Chaz. “I hope it photos well. I came up on the elevator with three reporters and two photographers.”

  “Nina, this is Chaz Warren, my boyfriend.” Riley smiled as she glanced at Chaz and he returned the look before extending his hand to Nina.

  “Hello, Nina. It’s nice to meet you. Riley’s told me all about you, your company and, ah, this marketing plan.”

  Major wasn’t sure how he felt about that. While his first instinct was to be happy for Riley—who seemed more relaxed and content with Chaz than he’d ever recalled—there was still a small part of him that was on guard. Telling Chaz about their marketing strategies when he was still working—even if only on a part-time basis—with his uncle, didn’t seem like the best idea. But tonight, Major had other things to worry about.

  “King Designs is doing great this season. I’ve been keeping up with your shows and sales,” Nina said.

  “Ah, yeah. Wow, you’re keeping tabs on us,” Chaz replied. “Not sure if I should be worried or impressed by that. But, um, our line is doing really well after the relaunch and we’re hoping for the same success with a couple other lines.”

  “That’s good to know. And yes, in my line of business, I try to keep my eye on the top companies in the industry,” she told him.

  Okay, add another thing to the list of things for Major to ponder. Was Nina really going to stand there and pitch her company to their biggest competitor?

  “It’s almost time for the announcement,” Desta said when she joined them.

  Thankful for the interruption, Major slipped his arm around Nina’s waist and gently led her in the direction Desta was now speed-walking.

  “We’re going to begin with pictures. The family has already started, but you two are up next. Reporters are chomping at the bit trying to figure out what’s going on.” Desta talked as she walked and Major followed, enjoying the feel of his hand resting at the small of Nina’s back.

  The venue was crowded with people, most of whom he knew from the industry, some of whom he’d never seen before in his life. He supposed he should feel some measure of nervousness or possibly anxiety, but all he felt was anticipation.

  “There are so many people here,” Nina said when they made their way to the other side of the terrace.

  It was a gorgeous night for a terrace party, not too humid and the sky full of stars.

  Major came around behind her, his hand still at her waist as they moved through a group of people, one of whom did a double take when she saw him. It wasn’t someone he knew, but he could tell the buzz around tonight’s announcement was growing because the woman’s gaze had immediately shifted from him to Nina with an inquisitive quirk of her brow.

  “Are they normally like this?” Nina asked.

  “Like what?”

  “So hungry for whatever is going to happen next. Surely they’ve been to this event before, so they know what you’re going to be talking about—your fashion house. But their anticipation is almost palpable.”

  That question came when they were just a few steps from an arch covered in white flowers made to look purple by the up-lighting positioned on the floor.

  “Everyone here was sent a private invitation that spoke of a big announcement,” he said. “Are you all right? Is it too much for you?”

  He wanted to say he’d take her out of here if it was, but he knew Desta would probably have a cardiac episode if he even thought about doing that. Even though RGF still held its title as the US’s top fashion house, keeping a comfortable lead over their competitors was their marketing director’s priority.

  “No. I’m fine,” she said. “Just wondering how this is all going to play out.”

  Major stood beside Nina, waiting for Desta’s signal to step forward for pictures. He’d reluctantly moved his hand from her waist when his fingers had begun to tingle with the desire to either slide to the generous curve of her ass or up to the bare skin of her shoulder. Both, he was certain, were inappropriate movements on so many levels.

  “As soon as the announcement is made, we can leave. Maurice and his team can field all the questions. All we have to do is stand here and smile for the cameras,” he said.

  She looked surprised at that comment. “You’re not making the announcement?”

  “No. My father’s going to handle that. Is that a problem?”

  There was a slight hesitation then a small shrug of her shoulders. “If this were real, I’d think you’d be so excited about getting married to the woman you love that you’d be bursting with the need to announce it to the world,” she said, but then held up a hand and shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m no expert. It just seems like the sort of thing they’d do in one of those romance movies.”

  Romance movies that she was obviously watching and paying close attention to.

  “I don’t know that this was planned for romance,” he said. “It’s just a hoax, remember.”

  He really needed her to remember that. Nothing personal or real was going to come of this six-week plan. That’s not what he was in the market for and he was banking on them being so focused on their business goals that there’d be no risk of losing sight of the goal.

  She nodded her agreement and in the next moment they were being moved to stand under the arch and positioned for one pose after another.

  The photographer hired specifically to commemorate the event had been given a list of names and pictures Desta wanted. The guy, who was dressed in all black, directed Major to stand behind Nina and put his hands
around her waist. It was the dreaded prom picture pose. He was inclined to frown once he realized it, but as her body settled back against his, Major felt something else entirely.

  In addition to the warmth spreading throughout his body at her proximity to him, there was a rush of something akin to joy, excitement or—no, it was more intense, possibly ownership. As he looked toward the photographer, ready for the guy to snap the picture, Major was acutely aware of the men in the room staring his way. Surely they weren’t looking at him, so they had to be staring at Nina, whom he already knew looked phenomenal in the blue dress.

  He tried valiantly to keep from frowning as he realized he was the one forgetting this was all a hoax and that Nina wasn’t his to feel jealous, protective or anything else about.

  “Now, you stand still and, Ms. Fuller, you turn around.” The photographer had moved on to another instruction that Nina dutifully followed.

  She turned until she was facing him.

  “Put your hands on his shoulders and turn your head to me,” the guy said.

  Again, she obeyed.

  Now her front was pressed into his and Major’s hands immediately went around her waist once more. Without instruction.

  He could smell the floral scent of her shampoo and felt the curve of her breasts even through the material of his jacket and shirt. His fingers tightened at her waist before sliding down slightly until he could feel the curve of her ass. This time when the flash of the camera erupted, Major was clenching his teeth. He was holding so still he thought his bones might crack from inactivity. But that was preferable to giving in to the heat spreading through his veins like wildfire and pressing her closer to him.

  Several pictures were taken in that pose and he was about to complain or pull away—anything to stop the assault his arousal had taken on his body when she looked up at him.

  “You don’t like holding poses for pictures, do you?” she asked with a smile.

  “Not really,” he replied while staring down into eyes that appeared to have more yellow highlights than he’d noticed before. “But I enjoy holding you.”