Exception to the Rules (7 page)

Gaea, I loved the joke. Let’s talk. Coffee tomorrow before the fashion makeovers. I’ll be in the café at seven.

The note wasn’t signed, but of course she knew who it was from. At least she knew she’d be calling room service for breakfast.

“Nice basket,” Bas murmured. “From Arnold?”

“Yes.”

“I see wine. Chocolate. Perfect.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s concerned. By the time the party is over tomorrow night, he’ll be completely convinced.”

“I hope so.”

“Trust me.”

She placed the card on the table and looked into Sebastian’s eyes. “You know what’s really weird?”

“What?”

“I do.”

* * * *

Kallie glanced at her clipboard for the hundredth time in the last thirty minutes. Everything had gone smoothly at the fashion makeover, which made her nervous.

All ten of the lucky winners had been massaged, coiffed, and made over in the Marcella Girardi clothing line, and they all looked marvelous. Photos had been taken, the media had been cooperative, and overall, the first part of Operation Marcella Girardi had been a total success.

Now, while Gaea was doing her last-minute thing at the Ghost Bar, Kallie was in charge of collecting the models and getting them spruced up and prepared for the night’s soiree. No problem. Except, of course, for one thing. In Kallie’s unofficial opinion, the star of the campaign wasn’t Trisha Granger, although she was making almost four million dollars a year as “The Model” for Marcella Girardi’s fashion line. The true star was none other than Dax Kavanagh. He wasn’t as famous as Trisha, but he was much, much better looking.

In fact, he was the single most handsome man on the face of the earth. Kallie knew this, because she’d seen a lot of people, and none of them came close to Dax’s gorgeousness. Just thinking about him made her palms sweaty, which wasn’t good, considering she might get to touch him, and she didn’t want him going “Ugh” first thing. First impressions and all that jazz.

But, oh, he was so... She exhaled softly. His hair, blond and thick, tumbled around his face in the sexiest possible way. His blue eyes were sweet and soulful. She sighed. She was going to be a bumbling idiot when she met him, she just knew it.

Looking at her watch again, she saw the models were supposed to arrive in less than five minutes. They had taken over half the front entrance at the hotel, and blocked it off. A whole lot of nosy people were standing outside the cordoned area, trying to see what was going on. Also some media, but she wasn’t worried. Publicity was what this event was all about.

All she had to do was not throw up, trip over her feet, or something. Act like a consummate professional. Act like Gaea. She could do it. At least she could try her hardest to.

A limousine finally pulled up under the awning, and a uniformed bellman went to the door. Kallie’s heart started to pump overtime in her chest and she wiped her hands on her skirt. Pasting on her most professional smile, she walked to the curb, but it was just Trisha. Of course, the group of onlookers went wild, and the flashbulbs when off all around, but she’d met the super model before, and Trisha even remembered her name. Kallie escorted her to the waiting stylist, made sure she had green tea, then rushed back outside. 

Four more models showed up, and Kallie hustled them inside, and then, it happened.
He
arrived. One of the two male models, there to show off the fashion line geared toward men, he stepped out of his limo wearing dark jeans, a Marcella Girardi T-shirt and scuffed sneakers. Her heart jumped, leapt, skipped as he turned her way and smiled. Oh, God! That smile. That face. That hair. She couldn’t take it. She was going to expire, right here, and that would be okay because Dax had smiled at her as if she was a real person or something.

“You must be Kallie,” he said.

His voice. It was just as she’d imagined. Husky, low, perfect. She managed a nod.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dax.” He held out his hand. She panicked. Sweaty palms. Ugh. But she couldn’t wipe again. Not while he stood there. So she just swallowed hard and stuck it out there.

His grip was gentle, but not wussy. He hesitated for just a few seconds. She knew because she counted every heartbeat. Then he let her go, at least her hand. Not her gaze. That, he held, and she was lost. Lost.

“Where to?” he asked.

“What? I don’t... Oh. Um, this way.” She spun around, almost losing her footing, but she didn’t fall, thank goodness, and she somehow walked him past all the photographers and gawkers until he was inside the hotel.

Vaughn, the lucky man, was going to be Dax’s personal stylist for the event. There were going to be lots of photographers and TV cameras. But he didn’t seem to mind. He just sat down in the stylist chair, grinned and said, “Do with me what you will.”

Kallie watched as Vaughn put a big cape over his body then ran his fingers through his hair.

That was it. All Kallie could stand. If she watched for another second, she would die from the sheer grandeur of it all.

She tore her gaze from the mirror, then from the back of his head. She forced herself to take a step, then another until she was around the corner. She slumped against the wall, desperate to get her breathing under control. She still had a lot of work to do. But for the moment, while she recovered, she could think about the way he’d smiled.

She exhaled softly. It was going to be a bizarre and wondrous week.

Chapter Six

Bas looked at himself in the mirror, and straightened his tie. He like the Versace tux and thought it worth the extravagant priced he paid. The tailoring was so well done he felt completely at ease and ready for the night ahead.

He expected to find Gaea waiting for him in the living room, but the bedroom door was still closed. She’d arrived back at the room a little over an hour ago, given him a brief report on her day, including Arnold’s insistence that Bas wasn’t really her boyfriend, and then she’d closed herself in to get ready for the opening party.

Bas started at the door for several moments, aware of the urge to walk in on her, to watch her as she dressed. In his mind’s eye, he’d imagined her sorting out her things, preparing herself layer by layer. Dressed in nothing more than a long silk robe, she’d passed by on her way to her shower. When she reappeared, her hair was fixed in a sensual yet classy up-do and her makeup made her brown eyes seem even more inviting and her full lips moist and ripe as freshly picked fruit.

She’d disappeared again, leaving him to get dressed, and he’d taken his time. They were to be at the party a full hour before the first guests should arrive so that Gaea could take care of any last minute details. Kallie had called once, and Gaea had taken it in the bedroom. Other than that interruption, he’d been left to his own thoughts, which had gone in one very narrow direction.

Last night, after Gaea had gone to bed, hadn’t been a restful one. The question he’d asked her had tormented him, giving the green light to image after image of him tying her to his large four-poster bed. In some scenarios, she wore a bustier complete with garter and dark hose, and as he’d tied silk scarves to her delicate wrists, he studied her stilettos. A bra and panties, black lace or white. Sometimes she was naked, but in most, she wore something. Still another version had her in business garb, a slim skirt he’d raised to the juncture of her thighs, the better to spread her legs. Her demure jacket unbuttoned and open, revealing a thick teddy that couldn’t hide the hard buds of her nipples.

In each of his mental movies, she’d begun with a little hesitation but no fear. As the scene progressed, he’d toyed with her, teased her into a writhing frenzy of lust and desire. In the end, he imagined her cries of release.

The only way he could get himself to sleep was to vow, quite sincerely, that before he’d said goodbye to Gaea, after this charade had ended, he would have her in his bed. And he would let loose the sensual woman he saw just beneath her cool façade.

Morning had come too quickly, and with it, her departure. After she’d left, he’d gone over his notes. The questions he’d written just the day before no longer felt probing enough. He was after something fugacious and he wasn’t certain what path to take.

The frustration had grown until he’d had to escape the suite. He’d gone to the hotel gym and worked himself to the brink of exhaustion on the treadmill and then on free weights. He followed his regular routine, except at his home, his run was on the Breckinridge Trail, and when he did his weights, he didn’t do as many reps. Hs muscles still ached, but pleasantly.

Back at the room, he showered, dressed, and discovered Gaea had returned to the suite. She had been in the bedroom for over an hour now, but she would have to come out soon if they were going to be on time. Gaea struck him as someone who would be horrified at tardiness. He thought about having a drink, but he wanted to be sharp enough to assess the situation at the party. Later, if things went well, he’d indulged in some wine, but for now, he poured himself a glass of water and settled on the couch.

He didn’t have to wait long. The bedroom door opened, and he stood before he turned. What he saw made him swallow hard. She looked like the woman from his fantasies, all of them, wrapped into one. Her sleeveless gown, a midnight blue, hugged her bodice, lifting her lush breasts into perfect mounds.

After tapering at her waist, the material flowed past her hips to swirl around her feet. He could just see the pointed tip of one shoe, the color an exact match to the dress. Simple, elegant, she was everything graceful and enticing about a woman. The long curve of her neck, the perfection of her shoulders...

“Absolutely stunning,” he said, his voice rough and lower than he intended, the words insufficient by a mile.

Her mouth curved upward into a slow smile, and the smooth skin above her dress began to flush.

“Thank you. You look very handsome yourself.”

He grinned. “This old thing? I wear it when I go grocery shopping.”

Bas was rewarded with a husky laugh. He like the way her eyes crinkled when she let go like that. He liked that a lot about her.

“Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

He held his arm out for her. “Your coach awaits, my lady.”

“Coach, my behind. All I want to do is get through tonight with no major disasters.”

“It’s going to be a complete success,” he said as she walked up to him. He hadn’t noticed before, but she held a small bag in her right hand, midnight blue, to match her outfit.

“The only problem you’re going to have is that all the other women will be jealous of your beauty.”

She touched his arm softly. “I can’t believe you have a difficult time understanding women. You’ve definitely mastered the art of flattery.”

“You think that was flattery? No. Just stating facts, like the research expert I am.”

Gaea laughed again. “Just do me a favor. Keep Arnold off my tail tonight. Then I’ll call you any kind of expert you want.”

He waggled his eyebrows as he led her to the door. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

“That’s fine, hold me.” Her steps faltered. “To it,” she rushed to add.

Bas didn’t respond, just enjoyed that he could upset her perfect balance. Consideration being the better part of his gallantry, he decided to save Gaea from any further embarrassment. “Tell me more about Arnold. Did he hunt you down today?”

   Her stride evened out as they approached the elevator. “Yes, he did. He laughed a lot, like we were sharing a super colossal joke. He asked if you were that gay friend of mine.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That you weren’t. I also added that I should have mentioned you before, because things were getting pretty serious, but that I work hard to keep my private life private.”

“Nice. And his response?”

“I have no idea. I was saved from further torture. Kallie called and I went outside to talk to her.”

“Even better. But rest assured. Tonight will end all of his doubts.”

The elevator arrived and she led him inside. A man in an untidy suit rested against the back of the car and the way he looked at Gaea made Bas want to physically rearrange his eyes. Bas positioned himself between Gaea and the sleazebag, putting his arm around her shoulder as the doors closed.

She looked up at him sharply. “Practicing?”

He smiled. “You never know who will be on the other side of those doors.”

Gaea didn’t seem convinced, although she didn’t move away.

She cleared her throat. “Anyway, about tonight...”

“Yes?”

“What do you have planned? The star attraction tonight is Marcella Girardi. We’re going to have a lot of celebrities and A-list people present. I don’t want any of the focus of the evening to be on me. Us.”

“My only target audience is Arnold.”

Her furrowed forehead hadn’t smoothed. “Just how convincing is this performance going to be?”

“Don’t worry. It’s going to be great. I may not have attended a university, but I do know how to act among the haughty and snooty folks.”

She smiled, and he felt her shoulders relax. “I trust you. I think.”

“You just focus on your work,” he said. “I’ll take care of rest.”

* * * *

When they arrived at the Ghost Bar, Gaea’s gaze automatically checked to make sure the guard ropes were in their proper place to keep the throng of photographers where they should be. The security staff was impeccably dressed in tuxedos, standing attentively. All seemed well, and when Bas took her hand to lead her inside, her nerves eased tremendously. She’d been to lots of events like this—restaurant openings, award banquets, new product launches, but she’d never been in charge of anything this enormous before. She took comfort in the strength of her team and the fact she’d been obsessive in her attention to detail. However, things could still go wrong.

For some strange reason, Bas enclosing her hand in his made things better. His presence emanated confidence that she was able to draw from. Technically, she should have been more nervous, not less. He sent her thoughts racing into the danger zone, but maybe that was the key. A large part of her fear was channeled off into sexual awareness. Yes. It made sense. And at least for tonight, she felt thankful.