Fated (8 page)

"Okay,"
I agreed, making a note to email Macie later to ask if she had ever gone with Caden
to a party. "Anything else?"

Caden
started listing all the things he needed me to do. I just nodded and wrote
everything down, trying not to think about this upcoming Saturday.

The
buzzer for the front door sounded and I went over to press the button to unlock
the door. Joseph Samuels walked into the office with the air of an important
man, his eyes sweeping over me and then dismissing me. He looked like someone
who had spent his lifetime in an office, appearing anemic with his pale skin
washed of any color. His eyes were small and lizard-like, assessing everything
they touched with a calculating look. If Caden's lawyer had been the
personification of kindness, his agent embodied everything cold and cunning.

"Joseph,"
Caden said in greeting, although he didn't stand. Joseph's face transformed
from dismissive to positively ingratiating as he grabbed Caden's hand in a
handshake. Obviously, he knew the value of his client.

"Caden!
It's good to finally see you. I was starting to get worried when you weren't
returning my calls."

"I
don't need you fawning over me every second." Caden waved at the seat in
front of his desk, indicating that Joseph should sit. I was unsure whether to
go back to my desk or sit in the chair next to his agent, since Caden had said
he wanted me to be present for this meeting.

Caden
noticed my hesitation and nodded at the chair next to Joseph. "Lauren,
have a seat."

I
sat down in the chair, shooting a polite smile at Joseph when he glanced over
at me. His beady little eyes looked at me with renewed interest, and I had the
sudden urge to slap that supercilious smile off his face. The thought of his
reaction made me bite my lip to suppress my laughter, and I turned to Caden. He
raised a questioning eyebrow at me, obviously having seen my repressed mirth,
but I just returned his gaze blandly.

"Lauren,
this is my agent Joseph." Caden turned back to his agent. "Lauren's
filling in for Macie while she's abroad."

"Nice
to meet you, Lauren." Joseph stuck out his hand and I shook it, releasing
his cold and clammy hand quickly.

"You
too, Joseph." We both turned and looked at Caden expectantly, waiting for
him to speak.

"Joseph,
the reason why I wanted to meet with you today is I want to stop showing for a
while. The exhibit at Greenwood Gallery will be the last one for the
foreseeable future."

Joseph's
pale skin quickly became flushed. "What do you mean, you want to stop
showing? Do you know how many galleries are requesting to have your collection
on display? Your exhibit at Greenwood is only for two weeks. What then?"

Caden's
lips thinned as he looked at Joseph. "I want to take a break. I've been
working non-stop for a long time. I'm sick and tired of all the schmoozing, all
the parties and opening events I have to attend. I didn't become a photographer
to spend my life answering the same asinine questions over and over again at
monotonous parties."

"You
don't have to attend all those events!" Joseph's voice was growing
desperate. "We can still show your work."

Caden
shook his head. "No, as long as my art is up for exhibition, I get endless
calls. I need some time off. I'm letting you know because I don't want you
pushing me. I've already told Kate to decline any interview requests."

Joseph
was beside himself, and I felt uncomfortable witnessing his distress. Caden
hadn't told me about his intention to take time off, and I thought his meeting
with his publicist, Kate, last Friday had just been a normal working lunch. I
wondered if he still needed me as a personal assistant since he was taking time
off.

"What's
the difference?" Joseph sounded bitter. "You rarely grant interviews.
You decline most events. What's the point in not showing?"

"This
isn't a discussion." Caden's voice brooked no argument. "I'm just
informing you of my decision. There’ll be no more exhibitions after the one at
Greenwood Gallery."

Caden
turned to me. "You should still be directing all the press calls to Kate, but
don't direct any inquiries about showcasing my work to Joseph. There's no
point. Just tell them my pieces are unavailable for an undetermined length of
time."

I
nodded, trying to ignore Joseph's spluttering sound of outrage. I was relieved
Caden still wanted me to work for him, despite taking a break. I told myself it
was because of the large paycheck, nothing more.

"For
how long!" Joseph exclaimed, his face a mottled red. "How long of a
break are you taking?"

Caden
shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. Until I feel like it."

Joseph
made an effort to calm himself, obviously realizing that he would get nowhere
with anger. "What about your next collection? Will you be shooting during
your break?"

"No,
that defeats the point of taking a break," Caden responded dryly.

Caden
stood, indicating that the meeting was over. He raised an eyebrow at Joseph
when he remained sitting, and his agent immediately got up although he still
looked distressed.

"Caden,
this is a bad decision. You're committing career suicide!"

Caden's
jaw tightened as he looked at Joseph. "I don't remember asking for your
opinion. If you want to remain my agent, I'd suggest you take my decision with
some grace and get the hell out of here before I start questioning my
representation."

Joseph's
hands balled into fists, but he forced his face to become expressionless.
"Fine. Just let me know when you've come to your senses."

Joseph
left without a backward glance, and Caden sighed when he was gone, sinking back
into his chair. "I don't know why I've put up with that asshole for so
long. I don't care if he's the best art agent in the city."

I
had remained sitting during the whole exchange, and I leaned back in my chair
with relief now that the tension had dissipated with Joseph's departure. I
couldn't help asking the question that slipped out.

"Why
are you taking time off?"

Caden
pondered the question for a few moments before answering, his gaze thoughtful.
"I've spent most of my life behind a camera. I've decided it's time to
live a little."

I
nodded, although I didn't really understand his explanation. "Why are you
going to the gallery's opening event on Saturday if you're taking a
break?"

Caden
smiled at me wryly. "Trying to wriggle out of it already?"

"No,"
I answered quickly. "It's just...what's the point? You said it was more of
a networking event than anything else. It doesn't seem like you have much need
to network now."

Caden
raked his hand through his hair, rumpling it. Instead of making him look
unkempt, his tousled hair made me wonder what Caden looked like when he rolled
out of a warm bed.

"I've
already agreed to it. And I figure it’s in poor taste to cancel, especially
since it's being held as the opening event to my exhibition."

"That
makes sense." I couldn't help asking the next question. "Do you still
need me to work for you? I mean, with taking a break I doubt you'll have much
for me to do."

"It
seems like you're trying to wriggle out of more than a party." Caden's
tone was light but his eyes narrowed.

"No,
it's not that," I replied. "I just...honestly, it's not like I've had
that much to do since I started working for you. Now that you're not working, I
can't imagine how much slower it's going to be."

Caden
laughed for the first time since I had met him, and a thrill went through me at
the deep, rich sound. This was my first real conversation with Caden, instead
of a question and answer session, and I was dismayed to find that I was drawn
to him even more.

"I've
never had someone complain to me about a lack of work. I must be going too easy
on you."

I
couldn't help smiling in return. "Oh, I'm not complaining. I'd just hate
for you to think I was taking advantage of you."

Caden
grinned. "I guess I should be grateful for having such an honest
assistant. I'll be sure to give you plenty of work from now on."

My
smiled faded, wondering where on earth I had learned the flirtatious lilt that
my voice had taken on. I reminded myself to keep my boundaries clear. Caden was
probably just joking around with me to ease the tension of Joseph's outburst,
although the gleam in his eyes told me otherwise. Macie had been pretty clear
that Caden didn't go around joking with people. Maybe this was all part of him
becoming more comfortable with me, just like he had with Macie.

"Is
there anything you need from me right now? Otherwise, I'll get started on the
things you asked me to do earlier." I made my voice sound brisk and
professional. I tried to not let Caden's disappearing smile bother me.

"No,
that's all."

I expected
Caden to disappear into his studio or upstairs, but he stayed firmly ensconced
behind his desk. I tried to ignore him as much as possible, but I couldn't help
shooting furtive glances at him occasionally. Every time I looked at him, he
was engrossed in his computer. I didn't know if I expected to catch him looking
at me, like we were still in junior high, but I couldn't help feeling a little
disappointed that I never caught him looking back.

Fortunately,
the phone started ringing off the hook, taking my mind off Caden. Apparently,
Joseph had been spreading the news about Caden's refusal to showcase his work
any further, because I received call after call from galleries asking if it was
possible to schedule an exhibition before he took a break. It was tiring having
to say no over and over again, although I tried to be as polite as possible.

Finally,
after a few hours, Caden walked over and pushed a button on my phone, routing
all calls directly to voicemail. "Joseph seems to be making a point. Don't
answer any more calls for the rest of the day."

"But
what if someone important calls?" I welcomed the distraction of the phone
ringing, regardless of whether or not it was irritating to say the same thing
repeatedly.

"Then
they'll call your cell phone." Caden had been meticulous about who I gave
my cell phone number out to, so I didn't have to worry about receiving a
barrage of calls from people not privy to the private number.

I
was a little unsettled when Caden sat in the chair across my desk. "Let's
order in lunch."

"Sure,
what do you want me to order for you?"

"What
do you feel like?"

I
looked at Caden, flummoxed. He had never before suggested eating lunch
together. I wasn't sure how this made me feel.

"I'm
okay with anything," I replied slowly.

"You
choose," Caden said easily, leaning back in his chair, looking as if he
had all the time in the world. "I'm not picky."

I
had to bite back a retort at his last statement and turned to my computer,
pulling up a food delivery service. As I scrolled through the countless
restaurants, the only thing I could think about was choosing something that
wasn't messy to eat. I couldn't help thinking about Caden's thumb brushing the
cinnamon sugar off my lower lip last week.

"How
about a salad?"

Caden
quirked his mouth. "I said I'm not picky. I didn't say I liked eating
rabbit food."

I
raised my eyebrows in challenge. "Real men eat salads. Or is that
quiche?"

Caden
grinned. "If you can order me a salad with a rib-eye on top, I'm
game."

I
laughed, surprised by this new side of Caden. It was bringing out a part of me
that I wasn't used to.

"Would
you settle for a sandwich?"

Caden
agreed and suggested a place, and I ordered the food online. He continued to
sit in front of me while we waited for the food, so I struggled to come up with
some small talk.

"So,
what are you going to do with all your free time?"

Caden
stretched out his legs, looking completely relaxed for the first time since I
had met him. Usually, he seemed tightly coiled, ready to spring at any moment.

"Even
though I won't be shooting or exhibiting, I plan to spend plenty of time
catching up on some personal projects that I've pushed aside because of my
schedule."

"What
sort of personal projects?"

"Photography
isn't my only interest. I've been dabbling in a few other mediums, so I'll have
time to explore that."

I
nodded, intending to let the subject drop, but I couldn't help asking more
questions. For once, Caden was on the receiving end of questions, and I wanted
to take advantage of his relaxed and open mood.

"Like
what?"

Caden's
eyes drifted down my body languorously, taking his time as his gaze swept back
up to my face. His voice was low when he spoke. "Photography can be an
intimate experience between the photographer and his subject. But there are so
many other ways to express the connection without a camera in the way."