From Fame to Shame (8 page)

Dallas was heading our way in jeans and black boots, with a faded black t-shirt exposing his muscular arms. Interviewers were already moving toward him. Others turned and snapped pictures. Moments later, he stood next to me.

“Upstaging or stalking me?” I beamed. When he was around, I didn’t feel so out of place.

He laughed. “Stalking you would’ve been more fun, but no. Just thought I’d stop by and say hi to Steve. I texted you about driving together, but you never answered.”

“Oh. I didn’t see it come in.” Which was the truth, since Jackie’s phone was with Jackie.

“And it would be impossible to upstage Jackie Bloom. No one outshines you.” He grinned, but immediately narrowed his eyes. “Apparently, Luke Holtz agrees.”

So he’d seen Luke kiss my cheek. "You've got nothing to worry about. I hear I'm carrying your child."

His dark hair fell over his forehead and his deep gray eyes sparkled as the corners hinted at something wicked. Not Luke Holtz kind of wicked who swept you off your feet before you realized what happened, but the Dallas kind of wicked that slowly seduced you until you were completely under his spell.

Was he remembering our last kiss? Or maybe that was just
me
who couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was in way over my head.

“I’m going to give Steve my congratulations,” Dallas said. “Will you be here when I get back?”

“We’re leaving,” Stella answered.

“I’ll see you at home then.” The way he said
home
sounded so intimate. He gave my hand a quick squeeze and I watched him stroll toward a makeshift stage where Steve was about to speak.

Stella cleared her throat and I glanced her way. She gave me a
what the hell are you doing?
look and I realized how I’d been so obviously lost in his eyes. Whatever. She wasn’t my mother or my boss.

Stella had a family emergency and had to cancel our plans to watch a movie together. She dropped me off at my apartment, promising to pick me up the next morning for the
Vanity Fair
spread.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Luke-freakin’-Holtz. Damn. Too bad I didn’t meet him two months ago. Right now, I can’t imagine dating anyone ever again. I’m going to become a nun.”

I laughed and we chatted about the last episode of
Otherworld
. After a few more minutes, we hung up, and I was idle again.

I stayed in the Tesla to take pictures so no one would see me. I’d found a great spot in the hills to get a perfect shot of the Hollywood sign, then I cruised the Boulevard and snapped the Mann’s Chinese theater and the Capital Records building.

Hunger eventually drove me back to the condo. Just as I exited Jackie’s car, my phone beeped.

E/thing ok?
Stella texted.
Need a/thing?

I texted back that everything was fine and I’d see her in the morning, then I headed upstairs.

Dallas stood in front of his open door, staring down at a stack of papers in his hands. As I got closer, I realized they were photographs. In my sneakers, I could do what they were meant for — sneak. I paused right behind him and peeked around his shoulder.

“Weird shadows around your eyes.” My index finger waved over his face in the picture. “The background washes you out. And who picked out that shirt?”

“Sounds like you could do better.” He raised one brow.

“Maybe. Depends if there’s a good spot to shoot you.” I went around him and let myself into his place. The days were long in the summer, so it was still light outside. I could probably get some decent pictures if he had a space with plenty of natural light. The living room had canned lighting, but I wasn’t sure if they were bright enough.

I passed through the dining room, making a mental note to return if I didn’t find something better, then stopped in front of a door, unsure whether to barge in.

“Go ahead,” he said.

I turned the knob and it opened. Light pushed through white curtains billowing over a breeze from the open window. A very high king size bed was strewn with white sheets and a cream comforter.

Lots of white. Dark furniture. Perfect.

I walked to his closet and pulled out a white button down shirt, then tossed it at him. “Put that on. Do you have a pair of white pants?”

I turned around to avoid the sight of his touchable bare chest, and headed back to his closet. I really didn’t need that six-pack to distract me.

T-shirts and jeans sat neatly folded on shelves. I sifted through the pants section until I found what I wanted. The off-white pair looked like something he’d wear at the beach. I plucked them off the hanger and exited the closet to find Dallas looking scrumptious in the white shirt.

“Your coloring looks good against white.” I threw the pants at him and he caught them. “Put those on. I’ll be back.”

Inside my condo, I closed the door and leaned against it. Damn, he looked hot. I itched to bring out all that sexy and get him some fantastic shots. But I had to keep my mind on business. I’d have to and that was all there was to it.

After a few deep breaths, I headed back into his apartment. The clothes were perfect on him. I turned on my camera and checked the settings. “I want you on the bed,” I said. Realizing how that sounded, I pressed my lips together.

Click. Click.
“That’s great.”
Click. Click. Click.
“Turn your head toward the window.”
Click. Click. Click. Click.
“That’s it.”

“Give me a broody look,” I ordered. He did the exact opposite, grinning. Perfect.
Click. Click.

Doing this for a living would never feel like work. Maybe I’d reconsider my college plans…

“Show me what you felt like when you landed the lead in
Angel from Hell
,” I said, as my finger tapped the button. “Now think about the last time you kissed a girl.”

Oops. That last girl was probably me. It had better have been me. A slow smile crept up on his face as he turned toward the camera. Holy hotness.
Click. Click. Click. Click.
I’d definitely keep the pictures for myself. “Nice.”
Click. Click. Click.
“Undo a couple of the buttons on your shirt.”

He laughed. “I swear if you’re trying to seduce me, I’m already there.”

I forced myself to keep a straight face and not encourage him. Oh, Lord, but it was hard. I was in big trouble, because when he looked at me that way, my heart rate picked up as I imagined him laying a
real
kiss on me. “You want the pictures to turn out or not?”

“Can't I have both?” he answered, his fingers reaching for the top buttons.

“Shh!”
Click. Click. Click.
I set the camera on the foot of the bed, rearranged his legs and backed up again.
Click. Click.

“I didn’t know you were such a pro with a camera. Where did you learn?”

“My dad used to be a photographer for the army. When he opened the jewelry store for my mom, he realized he had a head for business and he liked managing. He still does publicity photos and that kind of thing on the side sometimes and I help him.”
Click. Click.
“I did all the shots for our last catalog.”

“Really? So you take time off from work to visit family and end up working?” Dallas asked.

Crap. Right. Today, I wasn’t Maddie. I was Jackie.
Jackie.
“My dad was in a jam, so I helped out. Now stop talking and strike a pose.” I grinned, hoping that would keep him quiet. “Okay, stand by the window.” I waited while he did as I asked.
Click. Click. Click.
“Right hand on the window sill.”
Click. Click.
“Don’t look at me.”
Click. Click. Click.
“Ooh, that’s sexy.”

He laughed and dropped his hand. I rested the camera on the bed again and closed the distance between us to roll up his sleeves a few inches. I paused a moment, then reached for the buttons of his shirt and set his gorgeous six-pack free. He looked much more relaxed, which fit the scene better. If the shirt caught a breeze, it would be a great shot.

“Perfect.” My knuckles brushed his warm skin and I froze as the urge to kiss him nearly overpowered me. I raised my gaze to meet his.

Mistake. Big mistake.

“That’s what I’m thinking,” he said in a husky voice. His gray eyes darkened and he reached a hand up around the nape of my neck. He gently brought me closer and fastened his mouth to mine. Our tongues tangled, heat scorching my senses and dulling all the reasons why I shouldn’t take more.

My hand raced up his torso and I pushed myself against him. He bumped against the window frame. Startled, he released me and stared, like he was trying to figure me out — which wouldn’t have been necessary if I were behaving like Jackie would.

I burned to lay it all out for Dallas and tell him I didn’t even know what Pete looked like. But how would he react when he found out I’d been lying to him? Even if he didn’t care about the lie, I couldn't divulge Jackie’s secrets to him. This was Jackie’s life, not mine.

“You know…” He leaned on the window sill. “I watched my dad cheat on my mom for years. Doesn’t matter how much that type of guy thinks he loves his wife — people like that care about themselves more or they wouldn’t cross that line. Guys like Pete are only thinking of their own gratification, what
they
want. He could never have loved you the way you deserve.”

I’d never looked at it that way. Of course, I’d never needed to since I wasn’t the one who’d unknowingly dated a married guy. Regardless, Dallas’s insight moved me. But just because he was a guy I could totally fall for didn’t mean he would fall for me.

“Thanks.” I stared out the window for a moment as I talked myself out of spilling my guts to Dallas. “Let’s get a couple more shots and call it a day. Lean your shoulder on the other side of the window frame and put your left hand on the other side. Good. Face the window, like you’re daydreaming.”

Click. Click. Click.
“Now turn only enough to look at me.”
Click. Click.
“Okay, let’s pack it up.” I turned off my camera and slung its strap over my shoulder. “I can have these developed after my Vanity Fair shoot tomorrow. I’ll come by as soon as I have them.”

I bit my lip and dropped my gaze. After he’d just laid that delicious kiss on me, not a good idea to hang out with him. "We shouldn't…"

The photo shoot the next morning went smoother than I’d expected. Understanding the other side of the lens helped. The photographer, even though he asked for impossible positions too often, made me feel relaxed. He’d get excited if I gave him a pose he felt worked and that positive energy was contagious.