Chapter 16

Demi

“Was that him?” Mandy squealed as I hung up the phone. I’d finally quit my job at the diner, and they were throwing me an impromptu farewell lunch. Roy had even splurged by letting us each choose any item off the menu, on the house.

Mandy and I were squashed together in a booth, the others all having gone back to work once we were done.

“It was,” I said.

“This is so exciting.” Mandy clapped. “Are you guys, like, together now?”

I twirled a lock of hair between my fingers. “I think so. We haven’t really talked about it, though.”

Mandy swooned. “He’s so dreamy. I would kill to even think that I could be with him.”

“You’re not wrong,” I confessed. “He’s amazing.”

“So, what did you just agree to?” she asked, practically drooling for details.

“Dinner at his house tonight,” I told her. “His niece has a boyfriend that he’s trying not to kill.” I laughed at the memory of the desperate pleading in his voice.

“That’s so sweet of him,” she said, her green eyes glazing over dreamily. “Hot, rich, and sweet. What I wouldn’t give to be in your shoes...”

“They are pretty damn amazing shoes to be in right now,” I said, surprising myself by discovering that I actually meant it. I never wanted back into the lives of the elite, but I would be lying if I told her that I wasn’t enjoying it.

Mandy laughed, then her forehead was marred by a frown as if she was remembering something. “Are the other girls still so horrible to you?”

“Yeah, but I’m not letting them get to me anymore. Stefan, the photographer, is super happy with me. All of our shoots so far have been huge successes, and I’m actually getting comfortable with my new role, so screw them.”

“That’s my girl,” Mandy cheered, raising her coke for me to clink with. “To being a beautiful, successful model who doesn’t take any shit from those bitches.”

I raised my milkshake, agreeing wholeheartedly. “Hear! Hear!”

“So,” Mandy said. “Back to Barrett and tonight. What are you going to wear?”

I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Of course, you would be worried about that. I’m sure I’ll find something. It’s just dinner at his house.”

“It’s dinner at your maybe-boyfriend’s house. Your maybe-boyfriend being a billionaire CEO of a Fortune 500 company. I don’t think jeans and a sweater are going to cut it.” Mandy pulled her flaming hair away from her face into a messy bun as she stood from the booth.

“Where are you going?” I asked, confused that she seemed to be leaving.

Mandy’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “Come with me, sexy supermodel friend. We need to get you a proper outfit for this occasion.”

I paused, my teeth sinking into my lower lip as I thought about what she was proposing. I had been saving every cent that I made from my modeling job, preparing for the next medical bills to come rolling in. Could I afford to splurge on an outfit for a date?

As if Mandy could hear my thoughts, she tugged on my hand. “Don’t overthink this, Demi. It’s one outfit. You deserve to spoil yourself a bit.”

Although I was sure that if Mandy had her way, it would be a lot more than one outfit. “Okay, but we stop at one. One outfit only, okay?”

“Okay. Though to be more specific, it’s one dress. One absolutely perfect dress that you cannot leave in that store.”

I knew immediately which dress she was talking about. The blue one I had tried on the day I accepted Barrett’s job offer, the day my life changed.

Excitement buzzed in my veins when I realized that I could actually afford the dress now. It had seemed like an impossibility at the time. I decided then and there that I deserved this one tiny reward. “Okay, let’s go get it.”

An hour later, Mandy and I both inadvertently held our breath as we watched the shop assistant swipe the charge through. We both knew it would go right through, but I’d never spent so much of my own money at one time before, and it was a bit surreal to think that I could do it and not have to worry about how I was going to afford food for the rest of the month.

The shop assistant smiled as she handed me back my card and the receipt. “Thank you for shopping with us today. We hope that you’ll be back soon.”

“I… uh… thank you,” I stammered, accepting the beautifully wrapped box she held out to me. It was dazzling white, with a bright pink ribbon wrapped around it. I was almost too nervous to touch the box for its opulence, never mind accept that I’d been able to afford a shop where the packaging was this nice.

“Congratulations, girl,” Mandy cheered at my side, sliding her aviators over her eyes as we left the store and stepped back into the bright sunlight. “I’m proud of you for taking the leap.”

Clutching the box under my arm, I couldn’t help the proud grin from spreading on my lips. “Thank you for encouraging me to do this. I never would’ve done it without you.”

“I know,” she said, linking her arm with mine. “Now, I might not be a professional stylist but I’ve got a few moves. Let’s go get you ready.”

Mandy wasn’t kidding when she said she had moves. Staring at my reflection in the small mirror in the tiny bathroom in my apartment, I would’ve sworn I’d just sat down with Stevie. Mandy was that good.

“I called an Uber for you,” Mandy said from my kitchen. She’d decided it was time for a celebratory glass of wine. “It’ll be here in a few.”

“Great, thanks.” I smoothed the soft material of the blue dress, reveling in the way it hugged every curve and caressed my sides. I followed her voice to the kitchen, and she held out a small glass of wine to me.

It was ice cold and delicious. The condensation from the glass wet my fingers as I took a small sip of the crisp white liquid inside. We’d made one more stop on the way home, spoiling ourselves with a bottle of actual wine, as opposed to the cheap, boxed stuff we usually got.

“You should take the rest of that with you,” I told her, nodding at the bottle on the counter. “It’ll just go to waste here.”

“No need to ask me twice,” she said. “I will make sure it’s properly appreciated.” She glanced at my phone in her palm. “Oh, your driver is here. I’ll lock up. Go get him, girl.”

Nervous energy pulsed through me as I slid into the back of the Uber, my palms clammy and my heart racing. Getting all dressed up for dinner made this feel like a real date, like I was Barrett’s girlfriend. I couldn’t stop the way my stomach fluttered at the thought.

Technically, we hadn’t discussed what was happening between us, and we hadn’t put a label on anything. Still, I couldn’t help but feel things were moving in a more serious direction. Barrett and I had already had sex a couple of times. So, if this was some kind of fling for him, he would have called it off by now. Or he would have kept things way more professional at work.

We weren’t openly dating or anything, but we definitely didn’t ignore each other, either. Stevie had noticed something going on between us, and all of the other models were sure that I was his favorite. Thinking of the other models reminded me of the run-in I’d had with that bitchy blonde.

She’d told me that Barrett would just break my heart. I didn’t want to believe her, even a little bit, but some of the things Adam said about Barrett seemed to confirm the blonde bitch’s warnings. Barrett seemed to have a bit of a reputation for getting around. I didn’t know how true it was, but it was certainly possible, considering how amazing Barrett was.

The man was sexy as hell. I knew that from firsthand experience. Whenever I was around him, I had trouble controlling myself. I was sure he had that same effect on other women, too. I mean, a woman would have to be blind not to react to him the way I did. But the best thing about Barrett was that he wasn’t just a sexy bastard. There was so much more to him than that.

He was funny, smart, and sweet. Seeing him with Nancie was like seeing a whole different person that the rest of the world never got a chance to see. And the fact that he revealed that part of himself to me must mean things between us weren’t just casual, right? He wouldn’t just let me into his life if I was just a quick fling for him.

It was impossible to be sure how he felt about me, exactly, but I knew how I felt about him. I liked him a lot. More than any other man I could remember. I wanted things to be serious between us, or at least, I wanted things to be moving in that direction. I didn’t need him to put a ring on my finger, but I wanted to know if I could allow myself to fall for him. Being that vulnerable was terrifying, and I couldn’t open myself up like that if I didn’t know there was a real chance for us to be together in the future.

These conflicting thoughts consumed me all the way to Barrett’s mansion. I was stunned again by the size of the house as the driver pulled up.

“Thank you,” I told the man as I got out.

“No problem, ma’am, have a good evening,” the driver said, then rolled out of Barrett’s wide driveway to navigate the tree-lined streets of the estate to his next pickup.

Nancie appeared in the wide double doors, rushing out to hug me tightly. “Thank god you’re here. Please keep him in line.”

The desperation in her voice was clear. I squeezed her shoulders, returning her warm embrace. “I’ll do my best, but you know your uncle.”

“That’s precisely why I’m pleading with you.” She smiled, releasing me and stepping away, her eyes traveling to my dress. “Wow, you look amazing. That dress was made for you. He’s going to come in his pants when he sees you.”

My cheeks grew flaming hot. “Nancie! You can’t say stuff like that.”

Nancie smirked at me, a knowing look in her eye. “What? It’s true. Barrett says I should always tell the truth.”

“I doubt he meant it quite like that,” I muttered, desperately trying to control the heat that had spread all the way to my chest.

Great, now I’m going to look like a tomato when he sees me. “Thanks for making me blush harder than ever before, right before I have to see him.”

Nancie threw her head back and laughed easily, reaching for my hand. “It’s my pleasure. Don’t worry. The color in your cheeks makes you look even more beautiful.”

“Quit hogging my date, Nance,” Barrett called with a laugh as he appeared at the door, the smile dropping from his face when he laid eyes on me. “Fucking hell...”

“You like?” I did a little twirl before we ascended the stairs to his porch. Nancie laughed again at his reaction.

“Like? I fucking love.” His eyes burned hot as he skipped down the stairs and swept me into his arms, his voice low and breathy in my ear. “I’ll show you just how much later.”

“Told you,” Nancie called out from somewhere behind us. As always, as soon as Barrett had his arms around me, he was all I could focus on.

Barrett released me, but kept me close to his side as his eyes narrowed on Nancie. “Told her what?”

“Nothing,” Nancie said quickly, flashing me a please don’t bust me look.

“It’s just girl talk.” I shrugged, pursing my lips, even as they tilted into a half smile at Barrett’s sassy niece.

He didn’t look like he was buying what we were selling. Suspicious eyes flicked between Nancie and me before he sighed, obviously letting it go. “Come on, you wicked women. I’ll get it out of you yet.”

“Nah,” I said, my skin tingling when he took my hand and held it tight. “Women are vaults when it comes to girl talk.”

“I bet I can find a way to persuade you,” Barrett said against my ear. There was no way Nancie could’ve heard what he said, but she was smart enough to make what were fairly accurate deductions, and her laughter followed us inside.

I was no longer focused on her, though. In fact, I’d all but forgotten she was there as my sex clenched and heat pooled between my legs from his words.

“Yeah? Let’s skip dinner and get right to the persuasion part of the evening.”

Barrett smirked, pulling me against his chest as we reached his kitchen. His masculine scent mixed with the aroma of spiced lamb. It was delicious. It was all I could do not to jump him right there on the island, despite the fact that Nancie was still somewhere behind us.

He lowered his head, nipping at my bottom lip with a low, sexy growl. “Wish we could, gorgeous. Trust me, I’m looking forward to that part more than I can express in words but Nancie might actually kill us in our sleep if I don’t at least pretend to play nice with her boyfriend for a while.”

I sighed, smiled seductively up at him, and leaned in closer, relishing the low groan that rumbled in his chest when I pressed my body to his. “I’ll make it worth your while if you actually do play nice with the poor guy.”

A sinful smile played on his lips, inches away from mine as his eyes grew darker. “Can I get that in writing?”

“Can we settle for sealing it with a kiss?” I asked him, my breathing becoming faster in anticipation of having his lips on mine again.

Instead of answering, he closed the distance between our mouths and kissed me. His soft lips moved with mine in a passionate kiss, filled with lust and the promise of what the night held. His fingers dug into my hips, and his hardening cock pressed into my stomach.

We broke apart when the doorbell rang out, both of us breathing heavily and unable to break eye contact, still standing so close together that I could see his pulse pounding at the base of his throat.

“Scott’s here,” Nancie called out, peeking into the kitchen on her way to get the door. She smiled as she took in our disheveled state. “Well, well, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right?”

“Absolutely not,” Barrett told her, his voice firm and insistent. “Let’s go get this over with.”