Chapter Two
Piper ran a brush through her long auburn-colored hair and checked her reflection in the mirror.
The dress she wore had been one of her latest designs. A black, scooped-neck ensemble that hugged her waist and rested just above her knees.
She turned to the side and smoothed the silky material down her voluptuous hips.
Though society seemed to favor stick-thin women over larger body types, Piper wasn’t inclined to care. She loved her full figure and more than that, loved creating clothing lines for the more curvaceous women of the world.
Stepping into her black heels, she strapped on her favorite ankle bracelet, and donned the shiny silver necklace she’d gotten for her birthday last year.
“Piper?” her mother called up the stairs. “You’re going to be late for your own show.”
“I’ll be right down!”
After dabbing on a little lip gloss, Piper hurried down the stairs to find her parents eagerly waiting.
Her father whistled low. “My baby will be the most beautiful woman there. Besides her mama, that is,” he quickly amended as Bess Hollister gave him the side-eye.
Bess sniffed. “Don’t forget who she gets her looks from, Jack Hollister.”
“Never, my love.”
Piper laughed. “Thank you both for going tonight. It means a lot to me to have you there.”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Jack opened the door and ushered the two women onto the porch.
Piper led the way to her car, opened the driver’s side door, and climbed behind the wheel. She waited for her parents to get into the back seat before starting the engine and backing out of the drive.
They arrived at the Hilton less than ten minutes later.
Nerves suddenly came alive in Piper’s stomach as she took in the enormous crowd standing around out front.
She stopped the car, climbed out, and handed her keys to the valet.
Helping her parents emerge from the back seat, she took a calming breath and strode up the walk to wade through the crowd.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Piper murmured, realizing she’d bumped into someone.
A hand reached out to steady her. “Not a problem.”
Piper turned, finding herself up close and personal with a broad chest encased in a very expensive Armani suit.
Her gaze traveled up to a tanned, masculine face lined with a closely cropped beard. But nothing prepared her for the whiskey-colored eyes staring down at her in hunger.
Hunger? Where had that thought come from? Surely, she was mistaken. He didn’t know her from Adam.
“Thank you,” Piper breathed, unable to look away from those piercing eyes. She wanted to stand there and breathe him in, so intoxicating was his scent.
“Come on, honey. You don’t want to be late for your show.” Her father’s voice penetrated her lust-fogged brain.
With one last look at Mr. Armani, Piper allowed her father to usher her through the crowd and into the lobby of the Hilton.
A short, thin man approached her, his hair as neat as his colorful clothes. Rings adorned every finger on both hands, and his teeth were perfectly even. His smile would have definitely been contagious had Piper not been so nervous.
“Piper Hollister?”
At Piper’s nod, he reached for her elbow. “Right this way, Miss Hollister. You’re needed in wardrobe.”
Piper dug in her heels. “But I’m not one of the models. I’m the designer.”
“Yes, I know,” the man answered rather flamboyantly. “But one of the models fell during practice and sprained her ankle. Jasper Nettles sent me to fetch you.”
“And you are?”
Those beautiful teeth of his flashed again. “George. George Franco. I’m the event coordinator. Come, we must hurry.”
Bess, Piper’s mother rushed forward as they stepped onto the elevator. Piper’s father followed suit.
“But this is my daughter’s big night,” Bess continued once the elevator doors closed behind them. “Several well-known names are going to be here. It’s the break she’s been looking for as far as selling her clothing line. She can’t be expected to walk the runway.”
Piper held up her hand when her mother would have argued further. “It’s fine, Mom. I’ll talk to Jasper and get this all straightened out.”
The elevator stopped at the third floor, and the doors slid open with a ding. Piper touched her mother on the arm. “Why don’t you and Dad go find our seats? The show will be starting soon.”
“Very good.” George beamed, giving Piper’s arm a slight tug.
Allowing the coordinator to lead her down the hall to the connecting ballroom, they zigzagged through the bustle of models until they came to a stop in front of Jasper Nettles.
“Here you go.” George placed Piper’s hand in Jasper’s before spinning on his heel and muttering something about the place falling apart around him.
Piper raised an eyebrow at Jasper. “Why am I back here? You know I can’t get on that runway. I haven’t modeled in ten years.”
Jasper had been the one to discover Piper, fresh out of high school. He’d signed her up with his modeling agency, where she’d walked the runway for the next four years.
But Piper hadn’t been interested in modeling. She loved clothes, and designing them had since become the center of her focus.
“It’s like riding a bike,” Jasper pointed out in his infamous monotone voice. “Just get back on the seat and pedal your ass off. Now, go. The show is getting ready to start.”
Piper stared into his insistent eyes, knowing full well there would be no time to find someone else to take the model’s place.
Jasper didn’t blink. “I know this is your night, Piper. And I get it. Believe me, I do. But if you don’t get your ass out of that dress and into costume, there won’t be a show. Besides, who better to show off the clothing line, then the designer herself?”
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Piper ground her teeth in frustration. Of course, the one night of her life that could put her on the proverbial map would turn into a fiasco.
She blew out a defeated breath. “Okay. Give me the rundown.”