Closer(3)

“Guess you’ll find out soon enough.” She winks at me as she hits the button for the elevator, and I roll my eyes. The last thing I want is for a group of women to think I’m interested. Because at the end of the day, I know all they see when it comes to me. Money.





Three





Ava





I set Rebecca’s coffee down on her desk before rushing back to mine. I have a pile of emails to go through already and I need to fix a few shipments that went out wrong. I sigh at the stupid mistakes someone else made that are going to take extra time that I don’t have to fix. If they had taken one second to check their orders, it would have saved everyone the hassle.

I glance up to the waiting room to see a crowd of beautiful women coming in. But my breath catches as the elevator doors open and I see him. I stand up so I can get a better view and look him up and down. My heart starts to pound. He’s saying something to Rebecca and she laughs in response.

How is he even more handsome in person? I peel my eyes away from him and sit back down in front of my computer screen. I pretend that I’m doing something when really, I’m trying to get myself together. Why do I love seeing that he’s so good to his sister? For some reason that makes me like him ever more. Because you don’t know what family is really like, my brain chimes in, and I try to push those thoughts away.

It makes me think that he would be a family man. The whole white picket fence and two point five kids package. It’s something I’ve always longed for but would never dare give voice to it. It’s hard to dream of something that feels so out of reach. Work and school, I can hold on to. Those things are dependent on my actions. I’ll never go for something I can’t do on my own, and that man seems like he’s so far out of reach. I curse myself for having this attachment, as if I can somehow control it.

I finish up what I need to do at my desk just as Rebecca comes into the office. Thankfully alone. I’m irritated with myself for getting so worked up about Lucas, so I’m going to go the extra mile with being professional today.

“I can’t do this,” she says, and there’s a plea in her eyes.

“You’re going to be just fine,” I say, standing up and taking her hands in mine. “You’ve got this. We’re going to call the models in just like we talked about and find the perfect face for the new line. Just breathe with me.”

She smiles but does as I ask. We both take a breath at the same time and slowly let it out. I can feel some of the tension ease in her grip and she nods confidently.

“This line is incredible. You’re incredible. And you’ve got me, so there’s no way you can lose,” I say and wink at her.

She pulls me into her arms and gives me a tight hug. “God, what would I do without you?”

I grab the iPad with all the information on the models and my coffee before we go out. In the back of the studio there’s a large room we use for photography, both of the models and the merchandise. The goal today is to bring in each model and do some test shots. Then we’ll go through everything at the end of the day and decide which look and personality we think will fit best. It’s going to be a long afternoon, and though I’m excited I’m not exactly looking forward to being in the presence of Lucas all afternoon. But I’ve worked hard for this job so I’m going to pull on my big girl panties and get to work.

Rebecca and I smile at the line of women waiting to enter as we walk through the door of the photo room. It’s blindingly bright in here with all the lights and giant white walls that surround us. It’s an adjustment when we walk in, but I see the table in the center and follow Rebecca over to it. When I blink a few times, I see Lucas coming over to us.

I’m surprised when he comes straight to me and holds out my chair. His scent rolls over me and it’s a combination of fresh lemons and leather. His green eyes stare at me as if he can see inside me. Oh god, if only he could hear all the dirty thoughts going through my mind. He’s tall and muscular but not overly bulky. He looks toned under his suit and I can only imagine total perfection behind the expensive material. His dark hair is styled perfectly and there’s not a hair out of place. His jaw is shadowed with a day-old shave, but it doesn’t make him look sloppy. Instead it makes him look impossibly hotter and I have to force myself to not make inappropriate noises at just the sight of him.

I realize I’m staring and have to look away. I smile politely as he stands there holding my chair then take my seat. He’s being a gentleman, I tell myself and try not to act like a lunatic. I’m sure he does this for everyone. But when I look out of the corner of my eye, I see Rebecca grabbing her own chair and sitting down. Maybe he couldn’t catch hers in time because I was busy staring at him like the last cupcake in the bakery. Get it together, Ava.

“Lucas, this is Ava. She’s the reason we’re here today,” she says and beams at me with pride. “I couldn’t have done any of this without her encouragement and talent.”

“You’re the talent. I’m just the one who organizes your chaos,” I say, reaching out and squeezing her arms. “And you need to stop it or you’re going to make me blush.”

Suddenly I feel Lucas close against me.

“I think I’d like to see that,” he says, and I realize his lips are at my ear.