“Whoa!” I laugh. “People are going nuts. It hasn’t even been five minutes!”
He arches a brow. “No one expected me to ever settle down. I’m sure the news is worth gossiping about.”
“Ah yes, your playboy ways are the true impetus to our success.” I’m teasing, even though there’s a big dose of truth in that.
“This calls for a celebration,” Luka announces. “Let me go rustle up some champagne.”
“You sure?” I ask. “Don’t want to throw off your weekend quota.”
“You’re worth it,” he says with a smile, and I can feel my cheeks heating.
My phone vibrates with an incoming call just as he leaves the room. I glance down and let out a gasp when I realize it’s Elite Image. I consider declining the call, but I don’t want to risk them calling over and over again while I’m here in Luka’s penthouse.
Scrambling from the sofa, I pick up and hurry to the hallway, keeping my voice low. “You can’t be calling me like this,” I scold in a harsh whisper.
“My apologies,” says the male voice on the other line, “I should have called from another number. Just wanted to say we saw your engagement announcement. It came as a surprise to us, as you can imagine. Does this mean you aren’t interested in what we discussed?”
I rub my eyes and listen for any sound of Luka returning to the living room. I’ve been stressing about this nonstop, but I’m still not sure what to say. Yes, I have my contract with Danica Rose now, but the company is still so vulnerable after KZM’s trafficking scandal that I’d be a fool not to cast my net wide in case DRM collapses. I’m learning quickly that in this business, you can never have too many back-up plans.
“No, of course not,” I gush. “I’m definitely still interested.” Maybe I should have informed them about the engagement in advance, but honestly, I didn’t think they’d care how I went about getting them what they want from Danica Rose, as long as they got their results. And with everything going on, I’d tried to put Elite out of my mind as much as possible.
“Great. You’ll still be able to deliver everything that we’ve asked for?”
“Yes,” I tell him. “It won’t be a problem.”
“Perfect. Let’s just run through the details one more time.”
The sound of footfalls grabs my attention and I catch a flash of Luka coming back into the den. I cup my hand around my mouth and whisper, “Now isn’t a good time. I’ll call you later.”
I hang up and slip my phone into my pocket. My pulse races and I hope the guilt doesn’t show on my face. Thank goodness Luka hadn’t been in the room when the call came in and the name “Elite Image” popped up on my cell screen. As much as I excel at vamping for the camera and playing the part of a happy, carefree model (or fiancée), I’ve never been a good liar when someone confronts me. It’s something I’ll have to get better at if I’m going to pull this off.
Putting on a smile, I return to the couch just as he hands me a flute of champagne. Then he settles in next to me with a half glass of his own.
“Who was that?” he asks off-handedly, which makes it a little easier for me to lie. If he’d acted suspicious at all, I would totally be floundering right now.
“Oh, just Mateo calling to congratulate us.” I avert my eyes and quickly sip my champagne, relieved when Luka nods. “So now that we’re official, I’d love to hear about what kinds of projects are coming down the pipeline. Any major campaigns on the horizon?”
Focusing on my actual goals makes me feel like less of an asshole for evading him.
He ponders the question and takes a small sip of champagne. “Actually, I’m wooing a few clients that I’d love to pitch you for. Philippa Fontaine has a new line of stilettos coming out and they asked for, and I quote, ‘legs to die for.’ Sounds like someone I know.” He looks over suggestively. “But I want to get your face out there, too. You’ve heard of Shay cosmetics?”
I smile. Shay ishuge. “I’ve heard they’re organic and eco-friendly, and they definitely get a lot of celebrity endorsements. I’d be interested.”
“You’re a shoo-in,” he says. “They want a fresh face, warm skin tone, someone who can pull off the innocent, girl-next-door look. If this isn’t cut out for you, I don’t know what is.”
“Are you saying that I look innocent?”
I bat my eyes playfully as the words tumble out of my mouth. He sweeps me with a heated gaze, and I realize it’s too late to take back the flirting.
“You pull it off very well,” he says, his voice low. “Though I know better. In reality, you’re just biding your time, waiting for your next unsuspecting victim.”
I huff a short laugh and drain my flute.
“When were you ever unsuspecting?” I need to stop this game, but I can’t. It’s dangerous, but I don’t care. I want him closer, touching me everywhere. His body on top of me.
Claiming me.
His gaze falls to my lips. “The day we took our engagement photos.”
