He reaches beside me to turn on the light, but I stop him. I rather like the soft glow of his cellphone and the intimate haze hanging over us. The way he’d kissed my body and touched me with care was different from whatever sparked between us in the past, and I’m sure we both felt it.Once he turns the overhead light on, it’ll all go away.
“No, leave it. I don’t mind looking like I’ve been freshly fucked.”
He flashes me a wicked grin. “Really?”
“What better way to stake my claim, right?”
A low groan comes from deep in his throat. He kisses me lightly before moving me away from the door and opening it. Then he slips an arm around me as we head back down the hall, toward the shoot. I steal a glance at him as we walk. He looks almost happy. Almost content. He catches me looking, and smiles.
“You really impressed me back there,” he says.
“In the closet?” I tease. “Or back at the shoot?”
He laughs. “Both.”
My instincts were right today, I realize. The way I dealt with Heather was ultimately for the best. Everyone—including myself—will respect me more for owning my piece of this relationship. Even if it is a sham. And as long as I continue to stand up for myself, I don’t have to lose who I am. I can still be my own person. I can own myself.
Maybe Mateo was right. Luka’s domineering, possessive ways are kind of hot. Yet I can also see that he’s been an asshole during these photoshoots because at the end of the day, he wants what’sbestfor me, for both of us. He’s looking out for our professional reputations. And today, I’d been looking out too. Though I have to admit, I kind of enjoyed the shocked look on Heather’s face when I’d given her a verbal middle finger.
As I stroll back onto the set with Luka at my side, my body still tingles with the aftereffects of hot sex.Yes, I’d liked being that possessive woman. But Luka liked it way more.
And if it’s going to make both of us feel this good, I have no intention of loosening my claim on Luka Zoric any time soon.
Brooklyn
Chapter 22
Our penthouse looks like the set of a television show.
Lights and cameras are in position around the sofa, crew members with headsets and blaring walkie-talkies stroll back and forth with various types of equipment, and a team of sound people gather in a corner trying to troubleshoot a problem with the boom mic.
I force myself to take a deep breath and a long drink of water. It’ll all be over soon.
Stefan set up a last-minute interview for Luka and me with a reporter named Kyla Chung, a former supermodel who has kept a big name for herself by transitioning to entertainment news. She happened to be in town filming at another event and called Stefan to ask if Luka and I had time to do an interview before she left Chicago. Of course, Stefan couldn’t refuse.
He thought having the camera crew come to our home would give the interview an “intimate” feel, and also be a great way to show the public how wholesome Luka and I are. Emzee had even sent over a few framed pics from the engagement shoot so that we could decorate the place with some of our “happy couple” photos. Seeing them on the bookcase and the walls, I had to admit they looked pretty good.
Luka’s older brother had whipped everything together in an impressive amount of time, including an intensive session over dinner last night to coach Luka and me on how to respond to questions about Konstantin and the prostitution scandal. Up until that point, neither of us had realized it would bethatkind of interview—we’d expected more of the usual fluff. But Stefan insisted it was time to step back from the engagement, work harder to clear the Zoric name and rebuild the family’s reputation as founders of the newly minted Danica Rose Modeling agency. While I understand that and agree, this interview is making me more nervous than I expected. Probably because the pressure is on me and Luka to be the bright new face of the agency.
I glance around the penthouse again and feel my chest go tight with anxiety. I’ve never had to speak about my future father-in-law really, or about the things he’s done. I’d rather keep it that way. The truth is, he deserves to be rotting in jail—but I can’t say that on TV.
Over and over during dinner last night, Stefan had grilled us.How much did you know about the trafficking, Luka? Were there rumors in the industry, Brooklyn? How has this affected the business going forward? What about the effects on the Zoric family?It had felt a lot like a police interrogation, but by the end I finally felt confident I had my answers down perfectly.
After all that practice, there’s no way I should be feeling so off my game, but as a production assistant leads me to the sofa to sit next to Luka, and I catch a glimpse of Stefan pacing in the kitchen with a glass of whiskey in his hand, my jitters only get worse.
My fiancé looks dashing as always in dark pants, Italian leather shoes, and a deep green pullover with buttons open at the neck. It brings out the color of his eyes and the olive undertone of his dark skin. He looks like an exotic treat, his black hair glossy and perfectly styled. A hint of a five o’clock shadow covers his jaw—a change from his normal baby-smooth face, but I like it.
I’m wearing wide-leg gray pants and a silk blouse with embroidered sleeves and a scoop neck. The thin wire of the microphone that’s clipped to my shirt suddenly feels uncomfortable against my back and I resist the urge to fiddle with it as Kyla takes a seat across from us.
“Last checks!” someone yells, and the hair and makeup crew dash over to pat down Kyla’s hair and dab her nose with a powder puff. A young guy leans over and tucks my hair behind my ear, and I almost jump at the contact.
“Try to relax, Brooklyn,” Kyla tells me kindly, in a low murmur. “It’s just TV.”
“Thanks,” I say, but I’m nowhere near calm as the director calls “Action.”
Kyla starts her intro, her words flawlessly rehearsed, but I have a hard time concentrating until I feel Luka’s hand on my knee, warm and reassuring. I smile, feeling a little more centered.
“Brooklyn, it’s safe to say your engagement to Luka took the modeling world by storm. Not only is he Chicago’s most notorious bachelor, but notably, the engagement comes on the heels of the KZ Modeling sex-trafficking scandal.” Kyla’s brows knit together in concern.
