Modeling Death (2 page)

By the time he made it through the crowd, Guy had completely lost sight of his new love interest. He whispered a soft tracking spell that quickly revealed the man had left the building, and Guy still didn't have a name. He knew it wouldn't be a good idea to call every modeling agency in town, much too stalkerish, so he went back to the first person he'd spotted with his future mate. David Richmond.

David worked as an attorney in the non-magical division and was one of Guy's many employees. David had no idea wizards even existed; he only knew Guy was the man in charge. Guy would do anything in order to get the information he needed to claim his man.

As he approached the table, the group went silent. How nice he could still scare the crap out of a bunch of kids. "Good evening, David."

"Mr Franks." David's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously. "C-can I help you with something?"

"The man who was just here. Who is he?"

To give him credit, David didn't try to pretend he didn't know who Guy was asking about. "That's my cousin Jacob." He spoke in a shaky voice, flashing a look at his friends as if he were certain Guy wouldn't do any true damage while David had witnesses. "He's staying with me while he walks in New York Fashion Week."

Guy was pleased to hear Jacob had work. Of course, who could resist taking a picture of perfection? He had no doubt Jacob had offers lined up and down the street.

He pulled out his cell phone. "Give me his number."

"No."

Guy frowned at the kid. He could easily fire the brat without cause or snap him in two. His magic surged, crackling in response to his ire. With difficulty, Guy resisted the impulse to grab David's neck and shake him like a rag doll until he broke. He was almost certain Jacob would disapprove of that sort of action.

"What?" He made sure his voice sounded low and mean. David paled, but stood his ground. Guy felt a twinge of respect even as he wanted to strangle the little runt.

"L-look, I know he's gorgeous and all, but Jacob's the nicest man I know. I'm not going to hand him over so you can make him one of your playthings. I've heard about your reputation, Mr Franks. My cousin deserves better."

It was admirable really, the kid's protection of his relative. If Guy wasn't so irritated, he might've admired his employee a little more.

"Fine. How about you tell me which agency he works for and I'll contact him on my own."

David stood quietly for a moment as if contemplating the arrangement. "Okay. But I'm going to warn him about you."

Guy rolled the thought over in his mind. "You'd best stick to facts. If I find out you're poisoning him against me, there's not a company in New York that'll give you a decent job." His connections as a wizard would help him keep his vow. After waiting so long to find his mate, he wasn't going to let a little thing like scruples stand between him and Jacob. He might be there to help the council with an investigation, but no one was going to keep him from his mate.

The freckles on David's face stood out in stark contrast to his new pallor. "Fair enough."

David rattled off the agency where his cousin worked before warning Guy he didn't have their number. "I always call Jacob on his cell."

Guy nodded before turning to walk away.

"Mr Franks," David called out.

Turning back, Guy pinned his employee with a look. "What?"

"I'm still employed, right?"

Guy smirked, more than a little tempted to let the twerp sweat a bit, but he knew it would reflect badly on him so he let David off the hook. "Yes, David, you're still employed, and as much as I want Jacob's number, I appreciate you're trying to protect your cousin."

David's worried expression relaxed, and he gave Guy a cautious smile, not as gorgeous as Jacob's but nice all the same. "Cool. Just so you know, Jacob's picky about his dates. He won't sleep with just anyone."

"So I've heard," Guy said with a wry shake of his head.

He walked away, already dialing information.

* * * *

Jacob blinked his weary eyes when the alarm clock went off at five in the morning. He wasn't due at his agency until seven, but he liked to get in an early morning jog when he had the chance. It was the one exercise he could fit into his life no matter where he was working. Although most of the hotels were equipped with a gym, sometimes Jacob just needed to feel the ground beneath his feet and the air against his face.

He stayed in the areas David had pointed out as safe enough for a lone man to run. An hour later, after a quick jog around the neighborhood, he re-entered his cousin's apartment, panting and searching for juice.

"Fuck, Jacob. Don't be so loud." David stumbled into the kitchen, his eyes blinking owlishly.

"Sorry, man, I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm used to living alone." The loneliness ate at him sometimes, but he'd rather be alone than in another bad situation. His last roommate was enough to make him swear off sharing his space forever.

"That's okay. I wanted to talk to you anyway."

Jacob stared at his cousin, his heart sinking to his feet. Had he done something to warrant David's serious expression? "Throwing me out already?" he asked, only partly kidding.

"What? No! I wanted to warn you; Guy Franks is after your ass."

"Want some juice?" Jacob shook the juice carton, happy to hear the heavy slosh.

David glared at him. "No, I don't want some damn juice. Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes." Jacob poured himself a glass and took a drink. The cold orange flavor burst across his dehydrated tongue, tasting like heaven. He didn't stop until he'd drained the glass. Placing the glass in the dishwasher, he turned to face his irate relative.

"It would mean more to me if I knew who you were talking about."

"Guy Franks, the man who runs the company I work for."

"Why would he be after me? I just got into town. I haven't even had time to meet anyone."

"Apparently you met him," David said with a snort. "He came to my table last night and demanded your phone number."

A memory of the hot guy from the night before went through Jacob's mind. "Big guy with curly black hair and pretty blue eyes?"

"I don't know how pretty his eyes are; they always strike me as cold, but that sounds like him. Did you meet him?"

Jacob shrugged. "I might have. Some guy was giving me a hard time last night because I turned him down. Here comes Mr Knight-in-shining-armor to put him in his place. Then Mr Knight decided he could just take me home and fuck me, so I shot him down. He might've been your guy."

"He's not my guy," David protested.

"Whatever, he might be the same one."

"Was he a little taller than you?"

"Yeah." At six feet, Jacob was average for a model, but the guy from last night had been bigger, taller and broader, a nice hulk of a man. "I told him I didn't do one night stands, then I ditched him."

"Well, don't be surprised if you hear from him today."

"You gave him my number?" Jacob couldn't have been more shocked if someone had set him on fire. David was extremely protective of Jacob, even though David was the younger of the two of them.

David gave him a shove. "Don't be an idiot. Of course I didn't give him your number, but I did give him the name of your modeling agency, I figured that was safe enough."

Jacob nodded, relieved. Not that he didn't want to date the guy—because, damn, he was hot—but he was pleased his cousin hadn't changed his ways.

"Tell me about him."

A strange look crossed David's face. "I don't know a lot. Rumor has it he's extremely rich and he's known for having a different person on his arm, both men and women, at every major social event. As far as I know, he's never had a long-term relationship."

"What's your personal opinion of him?"

David gave a bitter laugh. "He threatened to have me fired if I gave him a bad review or, as he put it, 'poisoned your mind against him'."

"Would you have?" Jacob was curious about David's opinion, though with David's track record, he wasn't the best judge of men.

David shook his head. "That's the thing. I don't think he's a bad guy. There's never been anyone accusing him of abuse or sexual harassment. He's known to be a playboy, but word is he always tells his lovers the score. Overall he's a good guy, if you're careful not to give him your heart."

"Threatening you is a big mark in my bad column." The guy sounded like a jerk. Jacob wasn't eager to date any man who gave his cousin a hard time.

David shrugged. "I just wanted to warn you he might call. Be careful around him. If you piss him off, he could make it so you don't work again."

"Do you think he's the vindictive type? If I don't go out with him is your job in trouble?"

David shook his head. "I don't think so. He's usually fair-minded, but I've heard it's not good to cross him."

Jacob sighed. "Thanks for the warning. I'll deal with him if he calls." He patted David on the back. "I'm going to go get ready now. I'll catch up with you later."

"See you, cuz. I'm going back to bed," David muttered.

Jacob laughed as he closed the bathroom door.

Chapter Two

Models Now, the premier modeling agency in New York, had represented Jacob since he'd wandered in at a precocious fifteen years old and lied about his age. They pretended to believe him, and ten years later, he was still thrilled over how they handled his career.

His agent, Mandy, smiled when he entered her office. She was one of those women of indeterminate age. Over the ten years they'd worked together, her hairstyle had changed dozens of times, but her face stayed the same.

"Jacob. How's my favorite model?" she called out as he approached her desk.

"Doing as well as all your other favorite models I suppose." He leaned over her desk so they could exchange air-kisses. Mandy didn't get up to greet him. She'd broken her ankle in a car accident a few days before.

She smiled, not an inch of her face moving. Botox was scary. When he got older, Jacob was going to let the wrinkles have their way. There was something freaky about skin that didn't move.

"Have a seat." She pulled a bottle of water out of the small fridge she kept under her desk and handed the bottle over.

Jacob gave her a speculative look.

She only gave him water when there was serious money on the table and it would take awhile to go over the details. Someone must've offered a nice wad of cash because generally she gave him his schedule and pushed him out the door, already late for the next shoot.

Jacob never minded. Growing up poor, he appreciated the money she wrung out of each client. Since the first day he'd walked up to her desk, he'd never gone to bed hungry. Even though male models made a fraction of the money of their female counterparts, ten years of solid modeling contracts had built up a nice nest egg. If something happened and he had to quit modeling, he could live quite well on his investments.

He opened the water bottle and took a long swig, surprised to find he was thirstier than he thought.

"Okay, spill it; who's got you drooling?"

Mandy laughed, a cigarette-induced throaty sound. "You're a clever boy. You know you're hot and only getting hotter. The number of contracts we have popping up for you are amazing. Did you know that on your last ad campaign they rearranged their shooting schedule so they could book you? We've had several companies recently who want you for big campaigns. After years of steady work, you're the new overnight sensation."

She mentioned the amount offered. Jacob's jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Absolutely. This is the prime of your modeling career, and we aren't going to give it away. How much longer are you thinking of modeling?" Mandy ran an experienced eye over Jacob. "God, you still look eighteen. If you keep in shape, we can probably get another eight to ten years out of you."

"I'd like to get into photography," Jacob blurted out. Nerves had him stumbling over his words, but he needed her to know he had future plans. He didn't want to model forever.

Jacob shifted restlessly beneath Mandy's silent gaze. Her opinion mattered to him. For most of his teenage years, and all of his young adult life, she'd been like a second mother to him. A smoky, perfume-infused mother, but at least she didn't do drugs like his real mother. That reminded him it was time to call his birth mother again; her birthday was in a few days.

Jacob wasn't in a rush to stop modeling, but he could feel the burnout coming. His frantic schedule spanned the globe, eating away at his energy and nerves like a river eroding rock. Jacob had nightmares one day a spot would wear through and there would be nothing left of him. He wanted to leave the industry while he still had good memories of being a model.

Mandy leaned forward, resting her hands on the desk. "How about we make a deal? I figure I owe you since you've been one of my main breadwinners for the past ten years. You're the loyal type, and I appreciate it. You could've dropped me for a higher profile agent years ago, but you didn't. Stay booked with me for three more years and I'll make sure you only work with photographers willing to show you the ropes. That way, when you finish your modeling, you'll have something to fall back on. I like you, Jacob. I can't honestly say that about all of my models. I've never once had a client say a word against you, and your percentage of repeat business is outstanding. That last shoot you were on was with the meanest man in the business."

"Paulie?" Jacob couldn't hide his surprise. The gray-haired man had been a little surly, but Paulie had a quiet sense of humor. They'd shared more than one lunch eating sandwiches and laughing over stories of his grandkids.

Mandy laughed. "I think you're the only one who calls him Paulie. Everyone else calls him 'that scary bastard'. He not only called me personally to say he wanted you to model for him at Fashion Week, but he added an extra outfit so he had something suitable for you to wear."

"Wow. That was sweet of him."

"That's what I'm saying!" Mandy shouted. "He's not sweet. No one thinks he's sweet! He hates everyone except his family, and apparently you. When I sent Gregor for a shoot, he called and told me he never wanted that arrogant bastard on his set again, and asked if I knew he had a crooked nose."