“It’s getting chilly. Maybe we could take this inside?” I gave him my best smile, and his breath hitched.Holy crap, please let this not end in bullshit.
“I’d like a word, love.”
Great. I tried to tug my arm away, but he didn’t let go, and I didn’t want to turn this into some sort of pissing contest, so I stopped. The hot minute I told McKay about this he would never send one of our models to a job with this jerk ever again.Be calm, just get out of this professionally.
“What were you thinking?” I kept the smile on my face.
“We had a lot of chemistry on this shoot. Lots of fire was in your eyes. That’s what I loved about the shots I looked at when I was choosing a model. You have so much emotion in even your smallest expressions.”
Oh my God.“I had a lot of fun working with you.” I gently tried to extricate myself again, but he still didn’t let go. “I can’t wait to see the images you captured. You’re so talented. It will be an honor for me to tell people I worked with you.”There, ego stroked, now let me the fuck go.I tugged again, and he still held on.
He rested his other hand on my hip, and soon I would do something that would hurt him, and he would tell people I was the worst model he’d ever worked with. I bit the tip of my tongue and tried to keep it together.Think, think, how do I get away?
“Since it’s getting colder, why don’t you stay with me? I’ll keep you warm tonight. What do you say? My bedroom has a good view.” He widened his eyes at me, and hell, it wasn’t as if he was ugly, I just didn’t like him. At all. I found fruit flies more appealing.
My heart hammered.You unprofessional asshole. You’re really going to make me turn you down. Fuck.“I.... Um....” I tried to wriggle away again, but he only took a step with me, and I didn’t gain any ground.
“You’re so beautiful and you’re not full of yourself like some of the men I work with. You take direction so nicely.” He popped his tongue against his cheek and his eyebrows danced up and back down, letting me know exactly what else he thought he’d get to boss me around with—if he could get me alone.
Inspiration struck as I remembered what else I had to do tonight, and I almost laughed. “My new client!”
He frowned at me.
“He’s meeting me here at the lodge. In fact, he should’ve already arrived. It’s an exclusive deal. I’m still on the clock. The meeting might run all night.” I almost passed out with relief. Why didn’t I remember this sooner? I hated how anxiety shut down my brain. I tried to step back.
He still didn’t let go. “Meet me afterward.”
Fucking hell.“It could be two, three in the morning before we’re done.”
“I don’t care.” He leaned closer to me.
“Are you so dense you can’t see when a man is disgusted by you?” a smooth male voice interjected into this nightmare of a conversation, and I almost jumped for joy. Courtney finally took his grabby hands off me, and I spun out of reach, slamming my back against the rough logs of the side of the lodge.
I wasn’t certain who had saved me, but he was in a plum suit that was nearly black, which fit him so well it must be a bespoke creation. I admired the delicate pinstripes and the cream silk tie he’d chosen. I would bet anything the tie matched the pinstripes, and the man underneath the on-point clothing was far more my speed. He was about half a foot taller than me, if I had to guess, and bigger than Courtney, with short dark hair and a nice five o’clock shadow darkening his hard jawline. He smirked and his mouth curled into a confident smile. His mouth wasn’t full, exactly, but his thin lips were curved and made me want to stare.
He was handsome.
I cleared my throat. While I’d been stuck ogling, he and Courtney were engaged in a stare-off. And oh, wow, the stranger’s eyes were a spectacular blue.
“Uh, it’s okay,” I said, very aware that this photographer could make or break my career, depending on what he decided to say about me.
“No, it isn’t. I won’t make anyone who works for me put up with that.” The man casually slipped a hand into his pocket and cocked a hip, but there was tension in his body as he bounced his attention between me and Courtney.
“And just who do you think you are?” Courtney asked, crossing his arms.
“Ruslan Kozlova.”
Courtney blinked and cleared his throat. “You bankrolled Kozlova Menswear. You hired Giselle. We both put in to do the shoots for your upcoming winter line.” His arms fell to his sides. “She’s good.” He sounded sour about losing, so I thought she probably was better than him.
Mr. Kozlova walked over and stood at my side, and Courtney backed off another few feet. “You have better things to do right now.”
Courtney nodded and swallowed before he slunk off. I didn’t miss the nasty looks he gave his assistants, and I probably owed them a fruit basket the size of a house for going to get someone to help me out of this situation. Embarrassment heated my cheeks. Why couldn’t I find a good way to tell Courtney to fuck off? I’d seen other models dismiss pushy men and women, but I never knew how to get people to stop when I was uncomfortable.
Mr. Kozlova stared after Courtney, then transferred his intense focus to me, and I shivered under the weight of it. “Are you okay?”
I groaned and leaned back against the wall, covering my face and almost knocking off my glasses. “I am not new blood. I should’ve handled that better. Thank you for intervening.”
“That wasn’t your fault.” And he sounded like he was ready to punish the person he did blame. A warm tremor raced across my skin.
