Exception to the Rules (18 page)

* * * *

Kallie sipped her caramel latte iced coffee noisily as she reached the bottom of the cup. For the last thirty minutes, she’d been talking nonstop, telling Gaea every last detail about her and Dax. Gaea had never seen Kallie so excited, so vivacious. There simply wasn’t a way to stay acquiescent in the presence of so much cheerfulness.

And still, Gaea couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen when the fashion campaign was over. Dax was a well-known celebrity, with a plethora of women at his disposal to choose from. While Gaea thought Kallie was one of the most wonderful, intelligent, and definitely angelic women, did Dax Kavanagh really want her for longer than a week? Watching Kallie talk, with her animated gestures and her one-of-a-kind vocabulary, all Gaea could think was if Dax hurt Kallie, she would chase him down and hurt him severely.

“And he said that he wants me to come with him to Wyoming. He’s thinking about purchasing a ranch there. I mean, can you imagine? I bet Dax would be to die for in a pair of boots and a cowboy hat.”

“Does Dax own a cowboy hat and a pair of boots?”

“I have no idea, but I’m certain I’ll find out.”

“I’m sure you will.” Gaea sipped her iced white chocolate mocha coffee. “Wyoming, huh?”

“Yep. What’s not to like?” Kallie said. “I mean, cows, horses, trees, nature. Bunnies. Deer!”

“Right. Woodland creatures.” Gaea put her cup down. “Does Dax hunt?”

Kallie looked terrified, but only for a second. “I have no idea. Don’t think so, though. Dax is too kind to shoot an animal and he does study to work with them, to heal them. I know he fishes.”

“Fishing is fine.”

“Right. As long as it isn’t for sport.”

“Good point.”

“And you don’t have to look into their eyes as they come over the edge of the boat.”

Gaea nodded, totally understanding. In fact, she understood a lot about what her assistant was feeling. More than she wanted to admit. What Gaea had that Kallie didn’t have was her plan. Even though she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Bas since this morning, that wasn’t because she was getting all “mushy” over him, as Kallie would say. She was just reacting to the unfamiliarity of such awesome sex.

“Oh, my,” Kallie said, leaning forward to prop her chin on her hands and staring directly at Gaea.

“What?”

“I knew it. You’re also experiencing these sensations with your gorgeous Bas. It’s happening to both of us!”

“Hold on a second,” Gaea said, feeling her cheeks heat and resisting the need to sprint from the table. “It’s not like that at all for us.”

Kallie’s eyes widened and Gaea realized what she almost revealed.

Kallie leaned forward. “He’s not really a boyfriend from college, is he?”

Gaea kept her expression as cool, calm, and collected as possible, despite the flush she couldn’t hide. “Why, of course he is.”

“Ah, okay. I thought he was someone you asked to tag along to get weird Arnold to leave you alone because, well, you don’t have a life.” Now it was Kallie’s turn to turn beet red. “I didn’t mean that the way it came out.”

“Its fine,” Gaea responded. “I’m not insulted. I work hard to create that image.”

“Why?”

“Because people’s lives get so chaotic.”

“Oh.”

Gaea didn’t like when Kallie did that. Got all silent and wouldn’t look directly at her. “It’s okay. I know you have something to say.”

“Keep in mind, it’s only my opinion.”

“I know, but I value it.”

“Thanks. I’m just wondering why you make your happiness dependent on your job. And weren’t you the one who told me that companies don’t have loyalty to anything but the bottom line?”

“I’m not building my career on one job.”

“Okay, but it is built around some job. And I’m sorry, but you have to admit that’s not very reassuring, is it?”

“Kallie, go buy yourself another iced coffee, would you?”

“Okay. But then we have to go get dressed. It’s press party time tonight.”

“Yes, it is,” Gaea said, relieved that she hadn’t blown her cover. Well, at least not all the way.

“Bas is going to be there, right?”

She nodded.

“That’s great. You won’t be all work and no play.”

Gaea remained silent as Kallie got up and put her hand on her shoulder. It did occur to her that in all the time they’d worked together, it was the first time they’d actually touched like that. Gaea had to wonder if it was because Kallie had changed, or she had.

* * * *

The best thing about the press party was that Gaea could give up the reins of control. It still didn’t mean she could just laze around drinking cape cods the entire night. She just wasn’t responsible for the shindig.

The bad thing about the press party was that Gaea wasn’t exactly the responsive, vibrant woman he’d kissed on her way out this morning. It was the same as the first night, when she’d gotten frightened. She wasn’t a hundred percent accessible.

As far as he was concerned, he needed to get back on track. Not that he wasn’t going to continue to make love to her every chance he got, but he was going to adjust his focus back to his research plan.

Once she came back from talking to some
Glamour
magazine mogul, he would resume his line of questioning. If he could determine where to start. What to ask.

“May I refill your drink?”

He looked up in the pretty eyes of the cocktail waitress. She was a complete contrast to Gaea in every way, from her red hair to her tall, waiflike body. But her smile was pleasant and welcoming. “Yes, thank you. And bring a cape cod, would you?”

“No problem, sir.” She walked off, but he caught her looking back at him several times.

Bas had noticed that ever since he’d signed on to be Gaea’s escort, women had been coming on to him. A lot. Entirely more than normal. In fact, he could go days, weeks, months, without receiving a single smile from the opposite sex. But every time he was with Gaea, he became a chick magnet.

He couldn’t figure it out for the life of him.

“Hey.” Gaea sat down next to him. She exhaled heavily as she pushed a strand of hair out of her face.

“That woman is a piranha,” she whispered. “It’s as though she wants Marcella Girardi to be unsuccessful. Maybe she isn’t into fashion. Or maybe she just doesn’t care much for me.”

“That’s crazy. How could anyone not like you?”

Gaea stared at him a long time. In fact, he was getting concerned when she finally murmured, “It doesn’t really matter.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t matter if people like me. I don’t care. I’m not even sure why I asked to begin with. I just need them to purchase the clothes that we’re pushing. Or to endorse it, or whatever else they need to do for me to succeed. Liking me has nothing to do with it.”

He didn’t know what happened to make her say what she just had, but he knew it was best if he didn’t ask.

“I don’t want people to despise me, either. What I’m trying to say is that it shouldn’t matter. This isn’t high school. What she thinks of me is no concern of mine.”

“Okay.”

She looked him in the eye. “Can you do me a favor, Bas?”

“Of course.”

“I would appreciate it if we could stop with the intimate act while we’re in public, unless Arnold is around, okay? I need to refocus on why I’m here and I can’t do that if I’m playing around with you all night.”

It was difficult not to flinch at the harshness of her words. All he could do was smile, pretend that what she just said didn’t cut deep. As if this was just another day of dealing with an unpleasant Navy Seal mission. As though the way she felt about him didn’t matter at all.

Chapter Fifteen

Gaea couldn’t believe it. Here she was in the midst of another extremely successful party, getting kudos from everyone from
People
magazine to
Cosmo
, compliments out the wazoo from the Marcella Girardi camp, the subtle wink and nudge from Russell Simmons, Beyonce Knowles and Tommy Hilfiger, yet all she could think about was Bas.

She’d wounded him, which hadn’t been her intent, but now that it was done, the impact was in full effect. Then again, maybe she
had
intended to hurt Bas, to take it all back to where they started out. She wanted to go back to the beginning, to put a stop to all of the madness before she’d become spellbound, specifically before things had become sexual. However, some things couldn’t be reversed, couldn’t be ignored.

Gaea looked over at Bas, lingering by the bar, fidgeting with his drink. He’d had a few, more than was probably reasonable, but she wasn’t going to say anything. He’d obeyed her request, and he’d totally backed off until Arnold had appeared. Then it was as if nothing had changed. Bas had become attentive, doting, protective. She had to admit it had felt wonderful, which undoubtedly, was the issue.

She’d felt so certain about her plan, to see Bas every other month or so. It still felt as though that was the way to handle it. But talking to Kallie earlier had made Gaea doubt herself, and she wasn’t even sure why. The only way her plan was going to work was if she and Bas kept their expectation low and realistic. The sole focus had to be on sex. She didn’t need anything more complicated than that. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t certain at this point that she could handle that.

Gaea did know why, but sex always seemed to be more than sex for women. Men usually were able to keep themselves emotionally detached, but women desired more. Love, commitment, romance, security, a happily-ever-after. Why? Why wasn’t it okay to want physical pleasure and that’s it?

It would be enough for her, but only if there was no hope for anything else. No motives, no expectations, no intentions. All of her focus needed to be on work, and her creativity, too. She wanted to make it to the top of an extremely cutthroat market, and to do that she needed concentration, concentration, concentration.

How could she do that when she was concerned about his feelings being hurt? Maybe if she just talked things out with him, explained it to him like the business proposition she had in mind, he’d be in agreement, and they wouldn’t have to continue to go through this emotional hoopla. It was too tiring. And too confusing.

She just wouldn’t worry about him or their current situation anymore tonight. Tomorrow, when they had some time alone, she’d lay out the rules she wanted to play by and see if he would agree to it.

* * * *

“Hi, Bas. Are you okay?”

He looked up from his drink to see Kallie standing to his right, so pretty in her coral silk chiffon dress stopping just above dainty feminine knees.

“I’m good,” he responded.

“Uh, not that we know each other very well or anything, but I think you just told me a whopper.”

Bas had to smile. They hadn’t spent a lot of time in each other’s presence, but when they did, he was entertained by the way she spoke. “Not a whopper. Just a half truth.”

“Which part?”

“Everything before the period.”

“Interesting. Anything you want to talk about?”

“Not really.”

“Um, okay.”

“Then again, maybe you can help me.”

She moved closer to him, placing her right foot on the rail, her left elbow on the bar, copying his stance exactly. “I’ll try my best.”

“What is it with you women?”

Both of her eyebrows rose high on her forehead and she pressed her lips together, but at least she refrained from laughing. “Well, I’m not sure. Can you be a little more specific?”

He sipped his beer, shocked yet again that he wasn’t more intoxicated. Usually three was his limit, on a bad night, four. This was his fifth beer. Yet he was still frustratingly sober.

“Get more specific? Okay then. How about this? Why do women think it’s completely okay to change their minds every other second? First it’s no, then it’s yes, then it’s maybe, then back to yes, then
hell
no. Are you starting to get the point or shall I continue?”

“No, you’ve done a good job,” Kallie murmured, nodding so that her loose hair moved wildly. “I know that pattern.”

“Oh? So what’s with that? Why can’t yes just mean yes?”

“Sometimes it does.”

“Not when it comes to women.”

She smiled. “It does.”

“
It does?
When exactly does that happen? What the hell does it take to make a woman mean what she says? I don’t understand it.”

Kallie patted his arm. “It must be discouraging. But it’s not personal.”

“It sure as hell feels that way.”

“Personal is typically when she says no and means no.”

“Are you saying rejection is final?”

“Yes and no.”

“Yes
and
no? Isn’t that what led to my question?”

Kallie chuckled. “Yes, but I have new insight for you that will hopefully make it easier for you to understand.”

“I’m not trying to make it easier for me to understand. I’m trying to get—” Bas stopped, not wanting to give too much away about the situation. He was still working for Kallie’s boss.

“Let’s put it this way, it’s sort of complicated when you’re talking about...these things. Because with...these things, there are a lot of components to consider. When women do say yes, they typically mean yes permanently, so there aren’t many offhand yeses. And on occasion, a woman can think she is saying yes to one thing and then realize it’s a completely different thing she’s said yes to, and then she isn’t certain about the yes, so that’s when the maybe comes into play. But the no, that’s usually pretty clear, except when the no is because the woman is scared about a new situation, and she says no, but that doesn’t really mean no, it’s mainly a maybe, but the man, he needs to give her time to see that there’s nothing to be frightened of, and that she won’t ruin her career because she falls in love.”

Bas blinked several times. Surprisingly, he understood everything Kallie had said, especially that last part. “Okay, so let’s say that a man figures out the part about being scared, and he makes concessions for that, which seem to work, but not really. Then what?”

“You keep trying,” she responded, in a tone that indicated he should have known that without asking.