She ran her hands through her hair. “Kier, um, I wasn’t the only model in the ad.” She stood up and grabbed her bag. Inside was a tablet.
Kieran’s eyes widened, and he pulled it from her hands, turning it off. Troy’s screwdriver remained on the bistro table by the window. He unscrewed the back panel and removed another tracking device. He dumped her purse and took apart everything inside. Then, after sliding everything back into her purse, he grasped her hand. In the relative safety of the hall, he told her, “I’m getting you out of here.”
“Where are we going?” Her breaths were coming fast.
“The San Diego offices.” He opened his phone. “Farmer, we need to bail. Get us out of here.”
* * *
Martin pulledup in front of the building. Kieran jumped from the passenger seat and escorted Monique upstairs and to the office designated for him and Ian when they visited San Diego. On one side of the room were two desks facing each other. The other side of the room was set up like a living room with a large couch, loveseat and two plush chairs. It also contained a massive flat-screen television and music system.
“Make yourself comfortable, beautiful. You’re safe here. Can I get you anything? You never ate this morning.”
She shook her head. “How do we figure out who is doing this?”
“I want to confirm, Temptress was the name of the ad campaign for business purposes only?” he asked.
“Yes, every ad campaign starts with a decision between the product company and their marketing team. In this case, Agent Provocateur decided they wanted to create a print ad for Vogue International for its Seraphina design of lingerie. Their marketing team designs storyboards of their idea. Once that is decided upon, they put out a call to a specific agency. In this case, Elite. The management team puts out a call for models who meet the idea. The concept was to have the female model—the Temptress, dressed in Seraphina—lying on an island beach with men in tuxedo pants, bare-chested, surrounding her with looks like they are ready to devour her. She would have a pre-climax glow.”
Kieran’s predatory nature roiled under the surface. Anyone devouring her was not acceptable. “How do the male models get chosen?” He stifled his jealousy.
“Same way, but they are paid considerably less. It’s like porn; the woman gets paid more.” She batted her eyes at Kieran.
“How about the photographer?” he asked gruffly.
Monique went through the process down to the payroll people.
“Where can I get a list of everyone involved, including the models rejected from the project?” He did his best to control his breathing.
“Elite and Agent Provocateur.” She looked into her purse and frowned.
“What’s wrong?” he worried.
“You have my tablet.” She sighed.
He got up, opened a drawer, and pulled out his tablet. He signed in and handed it to her. “Use mine.”
Monique signed into her Elite portfolio. “These are the photos.”
As he took in the photos, Kieran looked like he was being strangled. Monique burst out laughing. “You are a bear. A cave bear. Doll, you have nothing to worry about.”
“How long does all this take?” His teeth ground.
“The back end, a couple of months. The pictures took about three days to shoot.” Mirth filled her eyes.
“Are all your pictures like this?” He tried to sound professional, but his jealous nature came through.
“Monsieur Chase.” She waggled her finger at him. “You wouldn’t be trying to take away my livelihood, would you?” Her eyes twinkled.
He dropped his chin to his chest. “No, I’m sorry.”
“You are not sorry, but I am flattered. Here are some other shots.” She walked over to him and kissed him.
He stared at how stunning she was in an exquisite wedding dress and a red jeweled evening gown. “You are gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” She blushed.
* * *
