Maybe Yes (19 page)

I lie down on the lounger, and Cedric smiles as he lies on top of me.
 

“Well, this is awkward,” he says when his wet body forms with mine.
 

“Don’t act like you aren’t enjoying it,” I say, trying to sound relaxed.
 

He smiles. “You’re right.”
 

I feel his hard chest and abs pushing against me. I feel his hot breath on my neck. I feel his erection throbbing against my pussy.
 

My heart is beating fast as Brock has us look intimately into each other’s eyes. His are blue and bright, not dark and intense like I’m used to staring into. Cedric is a good-looking guy, but he’s not Killian.
 

“You’re beautiful,” Cedric whispers into my ear.
 

My cheeks flush. I take a deep breath, but it’s hard to get any air with Cedric’s body pressed against mine. I feel everyone’s eyes on us as Cedric tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. I’m too frozen to move or react. I have to get my act together, so I don’t come off looking like a bored mannequin instead of a sexy model flirting with Cedric, like I’m supposed to be doing.
 

I smile at him. “You’re pretty handsome yourself,” I whisper in his ear.
 

I feel his erection twitch beneath me.
 

“I’m more than just a model, you know. I just graduated from UNLV with a business degree. I’m planning on going to law school this fall. This is just a way to pay the bills.”
 

I don’t know why he is saying this, but he seems genuinely proud of what he has accomplished. It’s no Harvard, but I am impressed.
 

“That’s impressive,” I say.
 

His eyes look lustful now as they drop to my chest and then come back to my eyes. “I don’t usually do this. I don’t usually ask models I work with out on dates. I don’t like mixing business and pleasure. But you’re not one of the typical models I work with, and I just can’t help myself. Will you go out with me?”
 

My eyes grow wide. I’ve never been asked out by another model. It’s the cardinal rule that you never break. I glance over behind the camera to see what Killian is doing. My heart still has hope that we can work things out together. I’m still holding out a small bit of hope that last night was more than a one-night stand. His body language earlier made it seem like he was jealous, but I’m not sure if jealousy is enough for him to want anything more to do with me.
 

When I spot him, I see him talking to the spunky makeup artist. He’s laughing. She’s flirting. He’s flirting back. I’m nothing to him but a problem he needs to get rid of.
 

I turn my attention back to Cedric. He’s handsome. He seems nice. He even has a future planned out beyond modeling. And I need to get over Killian.
 

Who knows? If this turns into something, Granddad might think Cedric is capable of helping me run the company.
 

“Sure. I’m free tonight,” I say.
 

Cedric’s smile and erection grow in unison. His body presses closer to mine. “Tonight is perfect.”
 

He lowers his lips to mine, which surprises me because Brock never told us to kiss. This kiss is real. It’s not planned. It’s tentative and gentle, just testing the waters in a way that most first kisses are. When I kiss him back, wrapping my arms around his neck, I try to keep myself from comparing this kiss to Killian’s. Cedric deepens the kiss. His tongue easily slides into my mouth, like he has practiced this many times before. I don’t care though. I feel his hand slide up and cup my breast, and I moan.
 

Shit, I moaned. I’m on camera, moaning, as a man I just met is feeling me up.
 

“Cut!” Killian shouts.
 

I look up and am shocked that he was the one yelling cut. He looks angry, but I don’t know why. He walks over to us. His face is bright red, and his nostrils flare with each step.
 

His eyes travel to Cedric’s and then mine. “This isn’t a porno. Just kiss her, and then deliver your lines.”
 

I gulp nervously as Cedric’s body stays plastered to mine, but Cedric seems unaffected.
 

“Sorry, boss.” He looks back to me, winking as he does. “It’s just hard not to get lost in a beautiful woman. I forgot I was doing a job.”

“If you don’t just do your job, you won’t be getting paid, Cedric,” Killian says.
 

Now, I’m glaring at Killian. That’s taking it a little too far.
 

“Sorry. It won’t happen again—at least, not until tonight,” Cedric says, winking at me.
 

I giggle at Cedric. It wasn’t the most suave of lines I’ve ever heard, but I don’t care. I’m having fun, flirting with Cedric. I’m excited to see where he takes me to dinner tonight. That’s two dates in two nights. I’ve never had my beauty work so well in my favor, but maybe that’s the strength I should be playing up. Everyone has always told me I’m beautiful. I’m sure I can find a man my grandfather likes more than Killian. It was my father who was in love with Killian after all, not my grandfather. It might not be Cedric, but if I spend the next month dating, I’m sure I can do better.
 

I smile, happy to have a new plan. It’s my own plan for my life.
 

“What does that mean?” Killian says.
 

“Kinsley agreed to go out with me tonight,” Cedric says.
 

“Is that true?” Killian asks, looking at me.
 

My smile drops when I see a hint of sadness in his eyes. I don’t know why he’s sad. This is what he wanted—for me to live my own life.
 

“Yes,” I say weakly.
 

Killian shakes his head. “Just finish the shoot. I’m not paying for overtime.”
 

I watch as Killian walks away, but this time, he doesn’t stop. He walks back into the hotel. He doesn’t finish watching the shoot. And I have no idea why he reacted like that.
 

I turn my attention back to Cedric, back to the job at hand. And I do my best to erase any thoughts of Killian from my brain.
 

I hear the knock on my door. I glance down at the time on my phone—seven fifty-five. He’s five minutes early. I finish applying my red lipstick before I head to the door. I check through the peephole first before I open the door. Cedric is standing there in a suit. I exhale, happy that I wore appropriate clothing for once.
 

I am happy with the response he gives me. His eyes drop to the cutouts on each side of the black dress before dropping lower to take in my exposed legs. When his eyes find mine again, I see the appreciation there.
 

“You look even more beautiful, if that’s possible.”
 

“It’s possible. You look beautiful yourself,” I say, eyeing his tailored suit and toned chest that is visible because he left the top two buttons unbuttoned. “I mean, you look handsome,” I say, flushing a bright shade of pink already.
 

“Don’t be.”
 

He holds his arm out for me, and I take it.
 

We walk down the hallway and into the elevator in relative silence. It’s when we get to the casino floor that I realize that Cedric doesn’t know that I’m Kinsley Felton, daughter of Robert Felton. Maybe he won’t notice the stares as we walk through the casino floor, arm in arm.
 

“Good evening, Kinsley,” one of the bartenders says.
 

I nod my head in her direction, smiling. I try walking faster to get us out of here as soon as possible, but Cedric doesn’t take the hint. Instead, he seems uneasy, and more and more employees begin staring at us. Some seem shocked to see me walking, hand in hand, with a man. Others just smile knowingly. And others just give me a friendly nod of recognition as we walk through the floor.
 

It gives me time to see Killian. He’s sitting at the bar in the center of the casino floor. He’s not alone. A young woman is sitting with him. She touches his arm and smiles. He smiles, too. I thought I was the only one he really smiled at. I thought I was special. I’m not.
 

I tear my eyes from them as Cedric escorts me out the doors.
 

“Do you work here?” Cedric asks when we are outside.
 

“You could say that.”
 

He stops us, as my answer didn’t cure his curiosity.
 

“My name is Kinsley Felton. My father used to own the company. Everybody in there knows who I am because of it.”
 

I run my hands through my long blonde locks. I twist and twirl them as I wait for him to change how he acts around me, but he doesn’t.
 

“That’s cool.” He shrugs. He begins walking again, but then he suddenly stops.
 

I curiously look at him. “Something wrong?”

“Wait…you don’t work as one of the slutty bartenders or something? I’m not sure I could handle dating someone who has men ogling them every night.”
 

I laugh. “No, I’m not a slutty bartender, but I am a model. What do you think men do when they see my ads or magazine covers?” I raise an eyebrow at him.
 

“Good point.” He sighs before he softly kisses me on the lips.
 

It’s a nice kiss. It doesn’t send fireworks exploding throughout my body though.
 

He pulls away with a look of contentment on his face. “I guess I’ll just have to be jealous then.”
 

I smile against his lips. “I guess so.”
 

“I do like jealous sex.”
 

I twist away from him. “Me, too,” I say. But I’ve never had jealous sex before, and even though we spent half the day making out while mostly naked, I’m not sure I’m ready to have sex with this man.
 

Cedric quickly catches up to me and loops his arm back around me.
 

“Where are we going?” I ask.
 

We walk less than a block when Cedric stops. “Right here.”
 

I smile without looking at the restaurant we are stopped in front of. I already know which one it is. It’s one of my favorites. My father has taken me here hundreds of times.
 

“Is this okay?” he asks.
 

“It’s perfect.”
 

We take a seat in the beautiful restaurant. A piano player plays softly in the background, and red roses sit on the center of the table.
 

“Do you like red wine?” Cedric asks.
 

“Yes,” I say.
 

I glance down at the wine list and find that my favorite is listed, the one Killian got me hooked on. I’m just about to suggest it, but Cedric interrupts me.
 

“I think we should share a bottle of the house cabernet. Is that okay with you?”
 

I sigh. I’m not going to get my favorite. But that’s okay. I don’t want to be thinking about Killian anyway. And drinking that wine will make me think of him. It will make me wonder if he has already convinced the woman he was with to go to his hotel with him—although I don’t think Killian would have to do much convincing. I think most women he meets would willingly jump into bed with him. That means, if he’s asked, she’s already made her way to his bed.
 

“Sounds perfect,” I say, trying not to think about Killian.
 

I watch Cedric order our wine. It felt nice that he asked my opinion before just ordering for me. I’m so used to Killian, who just orders whatever he wants.
 

“Where did you go to school?” Cedric asks.
 

“Yale.”
 

His eyes widen. “Seriously?”
 

My smile drops from my face. “Yeah. I studied theater…although I don’t think that’s what I want to do. I don’t technically have my degree yet, but they should be sending it soon. I missed finals, but my grades were high enough that I didn’t need to make them up.”
 

“Why did you miss finals?”
 

I look down, not ready to hear his
I’m sorry
that is going to follow what I say next. “My father died the weekend before finals.”
 

He reaches his hand across the table and grabs ahold of my hand in a comforting manner. “I’m sorry.”
 

I smile weakly. “Thanks.”
 

An awkward pause passes where I don’t want to talk further about my father, but Cedric isn’t sure if he can change the topic or not.
 

“I’m not really sure about what I want to do next with my life,” I say. That’s not completely true though. I just don’t know
exactly
what I want to do with my life. I know it doesn’t involve marrying Killian. “What do you want to do once you finish your law degree?”
 

“I want to start my own firm. I like corporate law. And then I want to settle down with a beautiful girl like you. Somewhere warm.”
 

“Of course,” I say, smiling.
 

“And I want to marry her. I want to have kids with her. I want my life to be her.”
 

I blush. “I hope you find that someday.”
 

His eyes stay transfixed on mine. “I’m getting close.”
 

His eyes sparkle, and I quickly lose myself in them. It would be nice to be married to someone like Cedric. He seems nice. He seems like a gentleman. He seems like husband material, unlike Killian who is too focused on his work to ever give proper attention to a wife and family.
 

“Kinsley?” my grandfather says.
 

I turn and see my grandfather standing at the end of our table. He has a stern look on his face. I see Killian standing behind him with a small smirk on his face.