The Invitation

by Vi Keeland

  He looked over at me, and my eyes jumped to his in the nick of time. At least I hoped they had. Though the corner of his mouth might’ve said otherwise. Great. Just great. This is going to be one hell of a long trip.

  Hudson had to take an overseas call on the ride to the airport, and then once we arrived, he was sent to a different line since he had security pre-check and I didn’t. I was grateful for the reprieve. It wasn’t until we boarded the plane that we really had time to talk. We were seated next to each other in row three of first class, which I hadn’t expected.

  “Well, this is comfy.” I buckled my seatbelt. “I’ve never sat in first class before.”

  “I could do coach years ago when there was more space between the seats, but over the last ten years they’ve made it impossible for someone over six-feet tall to sit comfortably—especially on a six-hour flight to the West Coast.”

  A flight attendant walked over with a tray of orange juice in champagne flutes. “Mimosa?”

  “Uh, sure,” I said. “I’ll have one.”

  She passed me a flute and then looked to Hudson.

  He held up his hand. “No, thank you. But I’ll take a coffee whenever you get a chance.”

  “Sure thing.”

  After she walked away, I held up my glass to Hudson. “Not a morning drinker?”

  He smiled. “Not usually.”

  “I probably should have skipped it, too, but my nerves are shot.”

  “Nervous flyer?”

  “No…not really. Though I sometimes get a little nauseous if there’s turbulence.”

  “Great.” He pointed to the aisle. “Tilt your head that way.”

  I laughed. “I’m guessing you’re the type who doesn’t even notice you’re on a plane. You probably work through half of it and then close your eyes and take a nap.”

  “Close. I usually work through most of the flight.”

  The flight attendant came back to deliver Hudson’s coffee. Service was definitely better up here than in coach.

  “So what are you nervous about?” he asked. “If it’s not the flight?”

  “Oh, I don’t know…maybe having my picture taken by a famous photographer so it can be plastered all over the Signature Scent marketing materials?”

  Hudson looked back and forth between my eyes. “You want to know a secret?”

  I smiled. “Sure.”

  He leaned close and whispered. “You can do anything.”

  I laughed. “That’s the secret?”

  “Well, technically it’s not a secret since the only person who doesn’t seem to know it is you.”

  I sighed. “That’s very kind, but I’m not so sure it’s true.”

  Again Hudson took a moment to look at me. It seemed like he was debating whether he should say something.

  “Do you remember your first day working in the office?” he finally asked.

  “At Rothschild? Yes, why?”

  “You asked me why I changed my mind about investing in your company.”

  “You said your sister was very persuasive, or something along those lines.”

  He nodded. “That wasn’t the whole truth.”

  “No?”

  Hudson shook his head, and his eyes dropped to my lips. “I wanted to get to know you. The week after my sister’s wedding, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. It wasn’t because you’re beautiful—don’t get me wrong, you are. But I was attracted to your strength. You’re not a woman who needs a man. You’re a woman a man needs. I’m not sure I even recognized the difference years ago. But you make it impossible to forget now.”

  I blinked a few times. “Wow. I think that might be the nicest compliment I’ve ever received.”

  He frowned a little. “I assumed that jackass ex of yours was an idiot for the crap he pulled on you. But now I’m positive he’s a colossal moron.”

  The flight attendant interrupted our conversation to collect our drinks since we were about to push away from the gate. Then the safety check started, and we watched the woman standing a few feet away from us put on a plastic, uninflated life jacket and show us how to buckle the belts we were all already wearing.

  As we taxied onto the runway behind a backup of planes preparing to take off, Hudson offered me a newspaper. I declined in favor of popping in my earbuds and trying to relax. Though the minute I shut my eyes, I knew that wouldn’t be happening. Now I couldn’t stop thinking of what Hudson had said. He saw me as beautiful and strong, two things I hadn’t felt in a long time. And you know what? He was right—at least on the strength part, anyway. Lately I’d felt almost high from all I’d accomplished. I’d been nervous about taking on an investor, but that had turned out to be the best decision I’d made so far. And I’d been terrified about going on-air at the Home Shopping Channel, and that had been a resounding success. So why should I be afraid of getting a few pictures taken and putting my face on my company’s marketing? I shouldn’t. That was the answer to that question.

  I took a few deep breaths and felt my shoulders relax. All I needed was some Vivaldi, and I might actually be one of those people who could take a nap on a flight. Who knew?

  As the music started, I looked over at the man seated next to me. Hudson noticed my eyes on him and flashed an adorable face, one that was half crooked smile and half confused—as if he were trying to figure out what I was thinking, but glad whatever it was had me looking at him. I removed the earbud on his side and leaned over to him.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “For what?”

  “For seeing me the way you do. I know I can be a handful at times.”

  Hudson looked into my eyes. “You are a handful. But don’t worry.” He winked. “I’ve got two big hands.”

  ***

  “Welcome to Hotel Bel-Air. Are you checking in today?”

  “Yes, under Rothschild,” Hudson said. “There should be two reservations.”

  The woman behind the reception desk clicked her long nails against the keyboard while I gawked around the hotel’s lobby. I’d expected us to be staying in downtown LA in some trendy hotel, but this place was more like a hidden sanctuary in the woods. Hotel Bel-Air had an old-school Hollywood feel to it. It had all the standard luxury touches—marble columns and counters, limestone floors, natural wood ceilings—but something made it feel serene and private rather than flashy.

  Hudson noticed me looking around. “The grounds are beautiful. You almost forget you’re in LA. I’ve stayed here once before, but the photographer picked it this time. We’re going to do the shoot here.”

  “Oh, wow. That’s nice and easy. I can’t wait to look around.”

  The hotel clerk raised two cardboard squares. She held up one. “This is for the Stone Canyon suite.” She raised the other hand. “And this is for the deluxe room.”

  Hudson took the room key and handed me the suite key.

  “What? No. I don’t need a suite. You take it.”

  “You’re going to have a hair and makeup team tomorrow morning. You need the space. Plus, the photographer plans to shoot some of the session on the patio of your room. He requested that specific suite.”

  “Oh…” I still felt funny about taking it, but I guess that made sense. “Okay.”

  Hudson walked me to my room. He wheeled my bag in while I went right to the two open doors in the living room. They led straight out to a private patio.

  “Holy—there’s a fireplace and a big Jacuzzi out here.”

  Hudson stepped outside behind me. He pointed to a seating area with a backdrop of lush plantings and greenery. “I think this is where he wants to set up tomorrow. He emailed over some mock-ups late last night with some furniture he rented for the day.”

  I pointed to the Jacuzzi. “I knew I should have brought a bathing suit.”

  “It’s a private patio.” He shrugged. “Don’t think you need one.”

  “Ooohh. That’s even better.”

  Another set of double doors led into a bedroom, so I wen
t to check that out, too, before wandering into the most luxurious bathroom I’d ever seen. Hudson seemed amused at my enthusiasm.

  “I never want to leave this room,” I joked.

  He glanced over to the bed and back to me. “That makes two of us.”

  I laughed, yet my eyes lingered on the bed. When my gaze lifted, I found Hudson watching me.

  He cleared his throat. “I should get going. I have some work to catch up on. The photographer thought it would be a good idea to have dinner tonight, but I wasn’t sure if you’d feel up to it.”

  “I’m fine. Dinner would be nice.”

  Hudson gave a curt nod. “I’ll tell him five, since it will be eight New York time to us.”

  “Good idea.”

  We walked to the door. “Are you planning on going anywhere?” he asked. “Do you want the keys to the rental car?”

  “Hmm…I have some work to do, but maybe I could go pick up a bathing suit. We passed a bunch of cute boutiques not too far away. Though I don’t have a license, so I won’t be needing the rental.” I shrugged. “Maybe I’ll grab an Uber later if I have time.”

  “I forgot you don’t drive,” Hudson said. “On second thought, I don’t need to work. You need a ride...and someone to model bikinis for.”

  I laughed. “Think I’m good picking out a suit on my own.”

  He slipped the car keys into his pocket. “Shame. But let me know if you want company in that hot tub when you get back.”

  “You brought a suit?”

  Hudson grinned. “Nope.”

  CHAPTER 20

  Stella

  I’d changed three times.

  So when Hudson knocked on my door five minutes early for dinner, I wasn’t ready.

  “Hey...” I swung open the door. “Oh…you’re wearing jeans.”

  He looked down. “Should I not be?”

  I shook my head. “No, no. It’s fine. I just wasn’t sure what to wear. I had jeans on, but I thought I might be dressed too casually. So I went downstairs to the restaurant to see how fancy it is. It looked really nice, so I changed…twice.”

  Hudson looked me up and down. I’d settled on a simple, sleeveless little black dress with nude heels.

  “I don’t know what you had on before,” he said. “But I can’t imagine it could be any better than what you’re wearing. You look beautiful.”

  I felt that warm feeling in my belly. “Thank you. You look nice yourself. I really do like you with a five o’clock shadow.”

  “I’ll be tossing all my razors right after dinner.”

  I laughed and stepped aside. “I’ll just be a minute. I need to put on lipstick and change my jewelry.”

  Hudson took a seat on the couch in the living room while I went to the bathroom to finish up. “I got shipping notifications for a bunch more products,” I yelled as I lined my lips. “If everything works out, we could be ready to start shipping boxes even earlier than we’d expected.”

  “Well, then I guess we’d better get this photography wrapped up tomorrow,” he called from the other room.

  After I finished my lipstick, I clipped on a set of turquoise beads to add some color, along with a matching chunky bracelet. I ran my fingers through my hair one last time and took a deep breath, looking in the mirror. As if being around Hudson wasn’t nerve-wracking enough, having dinner with a photographer who was used to shooting famous models and celebrities added another level of pressure. I didn’t want him to look at me and think, Oh shit…how am I going to make that look good enough to sell women perfume?

  But it was what it was, and five more minutes of primping wasn’t going to change things. So I headed out to the living room and grabbed my purse from the coffee table. Tossing a few things inside, I snapped it shut. “Were you able to get all your work done this afternoon?”

  Hudson stood. “I was. How about you?”

  “I got most of it done. But then I couldn’t resist trying out the Jacuzzi.”

  “Did you go get a suit?”

  I shook my head and smirked. “I went commando.”

  Hudson’s eyes swept over me, and he grumbled, “We should go.”

  His frustration gave me the boost of confidence I needed at the moment. Hudson was quick to open the door to my suite, which made me giggle. We walked side by side to the hotel’s restaurant.

  “Have you ever met Phoenix before?” I asked.

  “No. I figured it wouldn’t be too hard to find him. Photographers usually have a certain look to them, and he’ll be alone.”

  When we checked in at the restaurant, the hostess said the other member of our party had already arrived and was having a drink at the bar. We went to join him, but there were a few guys sitting alone.

  “Which one do you think he is?” I asked.

  Hudson looked around and pointed to a guy at the far end of the bar. He had shaggy hair, a bright-colored shirt, and bracelets halfway up his arm—he looked totally trendy.

  “Him.” He pointed.

  I could only see the two other men from the back, but one had gray hair and wore a tweed sports jacket, and the other guy had shoulders broad enough to be a football player, so I figured Hudson was probably right. But I let him take the lead, anyway.

  He walked over and asked, “Phoenix?”

  The guy shook his head. “Think you got the wrong guy.”

  “Sorry.”

  Hudson and I looked across the bar to the other men, both of which we could now see from the front—and…wow, the guy with the linebacker shoulders was absolutely gorgeous. He noticed us looking and smiled.

  I lifted my chin. “I think that’s him.”

  “He doesn’t look like a photographer,” Hudson said.

  “I know. He looks more like a model.”

  The guy got up and walked in our direction.

  “I’m guessing you’re from Signature Scent?” he said.

  “We are.” I smiled. I hadn’t meant to sound so jovial or anxious, but I guess it came out that way, because Hudson gave me a weird look as I extended my hand. “Stella Bardot. Nice to meet you.”

  “Ah. My muse.” He lifted my hand and kissed the top of it. “I can see this is going to be an easy job.”

  Hudson seemed to be going for an impassive face as he introduced himself and shook hands with the handsome man, but I saw the frown lurking in his eyes.

  The three of us requested a table, and I went first, following the hostess to our seats. I noticed more than one woman turning her head to look at the men behind me. I couldn’t blame them. Hudson and Phoenix were very different looking, but each gorgeous in his own right.

  Hudson went to pull out my chair, but Phoenix beat him to it.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  Once we were settled, Phoenix started the conversation.

  “So, how long have you been modeling?” he asked me.

  “Oh, I’m not a model. I created Signature Scent.”

  “Really? Could have fooled me.”

  Hudson picked up the drink menu and grumbled. “The information about who you’d be shooting was in the write-up marketing sent you. Guess you missed it.”

  I tried to make light of Hudson’s comment. “How long have you been a photographer?”

  “Professionally, about five years. I was a model for ten before that, so that’s how I learned the business. Models age out pretty quickly. While I was still booking a lot of jobs, I took some classes so I’d have something to fall back on.”

  “Smart.”

  “So you invented the product and you’re going to be the model? Beauty and brains. Your husband is a lucky man.”

  “Thank you.” I blushed. “But I’m not married.”

  Phoenix smiled, and Hudson rolled his eyes.

  I made a point to loop Hudson into the conversation and steer away from any more flirtatious exchanges. While I was flattered by Phoenix’s attention, and it was fun to see a spark of jealousy from the man to my left, this was a business dinner. Plus, it didn�
��t matter how nice-looking Phoenix was, I had no interest in him.

  I wasn’t sure if it was my efforts or perhaps the two scotches on the rocks Hudson knocked back during dinner, but he seemed to relax while we ate. We talked about Signature Scent—everything from how it was developed to the marketing plans Olivia had come up with.

  When the waitress suggested coffee and dessert, Hudson declined, so I followed suit.

  “How’s nine o’clock tomorrow to start?” Phoenix asked. “Hair and makeup can get to you by eight. Is your wardrobe all set?”

  Hudson answered. “Olivia texted me that the last of the packages were delivered to the hotel a little while ago.”

  “Perfect,” Phoenix said. “I think we’ll be able to wrap it up by early afternoon, so you can go out and enjoy some of the California sunshine.”

  I smiled. “Oh good. This is my first time here, so I’d love to see the city.”

  “I’m a born-and-raised LA boy. If you’re up for it, I can show you around after the shoot wraps.”

  My eyes slanted to meet Hudson’s. I could tell he was pissed, yet he refrained from saying anything.

  “Actually…” I smiled politely at Phoenix. “I have plans already. But thank you very much for the offer.”

  The three of us walked to the lobby together. Hudson was quiet, but professional, as he said goodnight to our dinner companion.

  “I need to stop at the front desk to pick up the packages Olivia had delivered for you,” Hudson said once Phoenix had gone.

  “Oh, okay.” I nodded.

  I couldn’t tell if he was pissed at me or just in a piss-poor mood. He maintained his stern demeanor as he asked the hotel clerk about the delivery.

  She punched some keys on her keyboard and looked at her screen. “It looks like it was delivered to your room. Room two thirty-eight.”

  “Okay, thank you.”

  Since room 238 was his, and I needed to try things on, I said, “Do you mind if I pick them up from your room now? I want to prep as much as I can tonight so I don’t waste anyone’s time in the morning.”