Page 39 of Completely Captivated
“Don’t.Don’t even bring it up.It’s in the past, so webothneed to leave it there.I’ll say it again—I’m sorry.We good?”
“We’re good.”
“I’m sending Barbara by your place this evening to pack your clothes for the trip so you can rest.We’ll head out early in the morning and have all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday just to hang out together.”
The weekend went surprisingly smoothly, despite the inherent sibling rivalry that had plagued the two men throughout their lives.Lance couldn’t completely shed his fatherly big-brother tendencies.With the tentative diagnosis of a concussion and possible seizure, Lance wouldn’t budge on his alcohol ban out of an abundance of caution.After a weekend of decompressing, de-stressing, and not discussing work at all, Aaron was rejuvenated.
And he’d finally decided what he’d do once he returned home.What he needed to do.What hewantedto do.
Monday morning, Lance and Aaron entered the executive office building of Kylie Rae Romano Enterprises, a high-end clothing designer taking the industry by storm.Lance had sent a junior agent down the previous week to take headshots of the models without makeup, bundle them with the composite cards, and separate them into groups.Aaron’s job was to take the client’s vision and identify which models would best fit the specifications.
If he brought the best models to the table, they’d win the entire contract.
If he completely missed the mark, they’d be dismissed without a second chance.
Lance was counting on him to work his magic and exceed their expectations, to show them what they didn’t even realize they needed or wanted.
The competitive nature of the business was fierce and unrelenting.Someone new and upcoming always waited in the wings to take the top-billed spot away.Reaching the top didn’t seem as hard as staying on top.
None of this is stress-free, Aaron thought.
“Good morning.”Lance turned up his charm factor when he approached the receptionist.Always get the assistant on your side first, he’d repeated ad nauseam.They run the show behind the scenes.“Are you Miss Ramano’s assistant or one of the models?”
“I’m her assistant, Brandy.Definitely not a model.”Her face brightened from the offhanded compliment.
“Then it’s obvious Miss Ramano surrounds herself with beauty at every corner.I’m Lance, and this is my brother, Aaron.We’re with Rivers Forte.Can you point us to the…um—” He stopped to verify the name on his itinerary for the fifth time that morning, convinced it must be wrong.“The Spunky Misunderstood Genius room?”
Brandy giggled at his discomfort and confusion.“Sure.And yes, that’s the correct name of the room.Kylie likes to change things up.”
After signing them in through security and getting badges to the secure building, she escorted them to the conference room.Stacks upon stacks of model profiles sat on the oversized conference table, heckling Aaron and his plan for an early escape.
“You had quite a turnout for this call.”Aaron walked to the table and began identifying which sorting system the junior agent had used.
“It was incredible.Last week was crazy around here.We had to extend the dates because models were outside waiting in line before we opened and were still here waiting when we closed.Kylie didn’t feel right turning anyone away when they were here during the hours we advertised.”Brandy moved to the table beside Aaron.“I’ve never seen so many beautiful women in one place before.You have your work cut out for you.”
“Beautiful women are his specialty.”Lance jumped into the conversation before Aaron could reply.Aaron turned his head and glared at Lance over his shoulder.No words were needed to convey his ire.“Thank you so much for your help, Brandy.Can I get your extension in case we need to get in touch with you?”
She and Lance stepped away from the table while she gave him internal dialing instructions, and Aaron inhaled deeply as his eyes drifted over the hundreds of folders awaiting his perusal.He shrugged out of his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and sat in front of the first pile.The faster he got to it, the faster he’d finish the job.He put every other worry out of his mind and set his laser-focus on the hundreds of pictures.
Some were discarded with a quick glance, some were put in a “second look” pile, while others were a definite pick.He labored until his neck and shoulders became stiff from looking down at the pictures for an extended time.He stood, rolling his head and shoulders to help limber up his neck.A quick glance at an image sticking out of the folder knocked him off-kilter.The white dress the model wore clung to her curves.The silky material flowed like water naturally over her chest.
An image of Christa walking down the aisle toward him came out of nowhere.Her wedding gown was more of a dress she’d wear to a black-tie affair, but it cascaded over her so beautifully, he hadn’t been able to tear his eyes from her.His hands had longed to touch her.He’d consciously forbade his feet to move, not to rush to her, when every other part of him hungered for her.
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, gripping the table and dropping his head forward.
“Are you okay?”Lance’s tone held honest concern.He moved quickly to Aaron’s side and gave him a hard once-over.“You need to take a break.You’ve been at this for hours now.Let me show you where the break room is.Drink some water or something.”
Aaron took a long drink from the cold water, staring out the window, but the scenic view couldn’t hold his attention.A memory had flashed into his mind, and he saw it as clearly as if he were there again.
“Forget her.”Lance spoke softly, interrupting his thoughts.“Even if it was your idea, it was a bad idea all the way around, Aaron.You’ve only known her, what, a couple of months?Have you even met her family?Do you know anything about her past?How can you even really know her in a few short weeks?
“Maybe you got caught up in the moment, made a rash decision.But she’s coming back in to sign the papers.After the mandatory six-month waiting period, all this mess will be behind us.”
“Six months?”Aaron jerked his gaze up to meet Lance’s, certain he’d misheard him.
“Yes, the waiting period is California law.No divorces are granted within six months of filing.”
“You’ve barely leftyour apartment for the past week.Come to Mom and Dad’s with me tonight.The whole family will be there, Mom’s cooking, then we’ll watch a movie or something.You know Jessie and Josh will have you rolling in no time.”Jen tried patiently to coax Christa out of her bed.Allie had called Jen, concerned when Christa didn’t show up for work again.
