Behind His Lens(44)

The blinking screen on my phone catches my attention and my heart leaps in anticipation of seeing his name. But as I approach, I sigh in defeat. It’s just my agent, Janet.

“Morning, Janet.” I try smiling in the phone so she won’t be able to tell I was hoping it was someone else.

“Where the hell have you been?” she shouts into the phone excitedly.

What? What could have happened since I chatted with her on Friday?

“I was out on a run. What’s up? You don’t normally leave me a dozen voice-mails before noon on a Sunday,” I quip.

“Pack your bags, Charley!” she squeals through the phone.

“What? Why?” My hand clasps around my neck protectively.

“You booked a COVER! Of the freaking S.O. Swimsuit Issue!”

Silence fills the airwaves as I let her sentence sink in. No. There’s no way.

“Are you insane? They pick celebrities for that.” My heart races. There’s no way they’d choose me. I’m a nobody. I didn’t even have Janet send them my portfolio for review. I didn’t think there was a point, and to be honest, that’s the way I wanted it. I don’t want to be a celebrity.

“News Flash: you’re sexier than any celebrity out there! You fly out on Friday…”

“This Friday!?” I squeeze my temple with the pads of fingers as I pace my tiny room.

“Yes! I had to move around a few other jobs to make it work. You cannot pass this up.”

“Who’s on the shoot?”

“The magazine will provide their own makeup and hair crew. Ryan Kelly is the shoot director. You’ve never worked with him before, but he’s amazing. Everyone raves about his vision.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve heard of him before.”

“And Jude Anderson will be lead photographer.”

I nearly drop the phone.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m dead serious, babe. You get the sexiest photographer in all of New York for a three-day shoot in Hawaii. Thank the karma Gods, Charley, because you must have been really good in your past life.”

Fucking Jude.

“What if I don’t want to take this shoot, Janet? What if I’m not ready for my life to change?”

“Charley. Let’s just say that this one shoot will give you plenty of time to lie low and paint. You’d be crazy to turn down the amount they’ll be paying you.” And her. She doesn’t say it, but I’d be the worst client ever if I turned down a commission that big for her. She’s a great agent and she deserves to have a pay off. I’ll deal with any new fame the way I handle everything else: by hiding away from it.

As we hang up, there's one last piece of the puzzle nagging my mind and it has Jude written all over it.

I look at my phone, scroll down to the “J’s” and hit send.

Two slow rings later, his deep voice wraps around my senses.

“Hello.” God, he says that word so alluringly I almost forget my anger. Almost.

“Did you have something to do with me landing this freaking job?” I snap.

He chuckles lightly, “Good morning, Charley. You sound radiant.”

God I want him. No! Damnit.

“Jude! What the hell? Did I book this job because of you or because they actually wanted me?”

He pauses and I rub my hand anxiously along my hairline.

“They had originally booked Candace Hill, but she is injured and they needed a replacement. I mentioned your name to Ryan, yes. However, he chose you on his own accord. You should have been on the list, I just expedited the process.”

“Damnit, Jude!”

“You sound even sexier when you’re angry. Maybe I should piss you off more…”

“I hate you. This isn’t a game!”

A sexy chuckle spills through the phone.

“Don’t forget to pack a few bikinis, Charley. The weather is warm in Hawaii and we’ll be staying in a hotel on the water.”

With that, the line goes dead and I hurl my phone against the pillows on my bed. That bastard. This is a perfect example of why we shouldn’t be in a relationship. The last thing I need to be worrying about is whether or not people in the industry assume I’m sleeping around to get jobs.

…

As the week drags slowly on, it begins to sink in just how much my life will change after this shoot. This magazine hits every newsstand across the nation and there’s not a heterosexual male who doesn’t own a copy the day it goes on sale. Am I ready for this? What if the world finds out who I truly am? Will my alias hold up? It’s too late to change my mind. I’ll just have to hope for the best and be ready for the consequences. I’ve gone into hiding once, and I can do it again.