Finding Love for a Cynic (3 page)

“Okay.  Everybody line up!” Delona ordered, barely stepping over the threshold.  The models, all male, lined up in order of light to dark hair and skin hue based on numbers Ann had assigned them.  Delona walked to the front of the line with a list in hand containing the features needed for this week’s photo shoots.  Katie followed close behind, preparing to take notes as they went along.  Delona turned her head in Katie’s direction.  With a lifted eyebrow and a slight bow of her head, she silently asked her if she was ready to begin.

Katie affirmed with a nod, prompting her high ponytail to bounce wildly on the back of her head.   A proud smile adorned her features, which Delona was sure she mirrored.  It hadn’t taken the two of them long to become one of the best well-oiled machines in the company.  Delona loved working with her perky assistant, even though Katie could be quite the smartass at times.

“Yes…yes… next week… yes… potentially… of course… yes… yes,” she called out for each model respectively as she went down the line.  A strange feeling came over her, literally taking her breath away, when she came face to face with the last model.  Although he was phenomenal, and she knew no one in their right mind would fault her for thinking that way, she felt at odds with the situation.  Her eyes inadvertently locked on his shockingly green ones. 
Big mistake
, she thought as an uncontrollable rush of warmth suddenly flowed through her.  Her heart began to beat a wild, weird pattern within her chest and a fine sheen of sweat moistened her palms.  Suddenly, it was difficult to swallow. 
What the heck!
She had never been instantly attracted to anyone before, didn’t believe it possible, and she wasn’t in the mood to start believing it now.  Pride filled her when she realized she was managing to keep her emotions from showing.   She continued past him, avoiding the embarrassment she surely would have felt if anyone had picked up on her biological response to him.   

She stopped short, the pride she had felt quickly fading.  Something wasn’t right.  Whereas the other models were dressed casually in jeans or shorts, he wore a light-gray, tailored business suit.  No number was taped across his chest, nor was he on the right end of the hue spectrum, which ranged from light to dark.  Turning abruptly, she stepped back in front of the towering figure, barely avoiding a collision with Katie.

“Oh yeah, sorry, Dee.  He completely slipped my mind,” Katie started.  “Since you were otherwise occupied this morning, Renee told me to make sure to introduce the two of you.  Delona, this is Koen Smith.  He isn’t a model,” she clarified, obviously reading Delona’s contorted expression.

“Then what is he?” Delona asked.  Her eyes narrowed as she took in the brown-haired, green-eyed giant.  He innocently returned her gaze, but the intensity of his eyes caused her skin to heat up.  She didn’t like what he was doing to her in front of her coworkers and friends.  This dislike of how he made her feel coupled with her suspicions of who he was allowed her to continue to conceal the true effect he was having on her. 

“He’s our new PR rep.  Danny thought you’d work better with a man,” Katie answered, confirming her suspicions.

A slow burn started in Delona’s cheeks as she felt her ire start to rise.  This was what Myron had been talking about when he made his cryptic statement earlier in reference to straightening her out starting today.  Since neither her sibling nor his spouse was available, she lashed out at the person in front of her in their stead.

“So, I see you felt the need to be more than just another pretty face in this town, huh?” she spat out sarcastically, while attempting to look down her nose at the tall man.

“It would appear I’m not the only one,” he returned with a wide smile.  The smile quickly fell from his face when Delona continued to glare at him.  He stepped back from her as though he thought she would strike him.  At that moment she very much wanted to.

She struggled to keep her hands from balling into fists, acknowledging that she wasn’t acting very “executive like” in front her coworkers.  This guy was making her crazy, and there was only one way to reclaim her sanity.  Without a word, she turned on her heel and stormed off to find Myron.  No way in hell was she going to be subjected to another PR rep, no matter what he looked like.  She was still reeling from the bad encounter she’d had with the last one.  No matter what, they somehow found a way to be both underfoot and in her face at the same time.  She wasn’t having it.

*

What the fuck was that all about?
Koen wondered.  He racked his brain, trying to figure out what he had done to piss off the little woman.

“Don’t take it personally,” the tall, attractive brunette in the Katie Couric attire advised.  “She doesn’t take compliments very well.”

Her voice made him realize he had been staring after the short, unstable woman.  He closed his mouth, which had been hanging open in disbelief.  It finally occurred to him that the designated spokesperson was trying not to laugh at him.  The others in the room weren’t as successful at squelching their amusement.

“Or insults,” the ponytail-bobbing blonde added from behind her clipboard.  He couldn’t see her mouth, but her hazel eyes and voice were laced with mirth.

“I guess she doesn’t,” Koen responded absentmindedly, still trying to figure out what he had done wrong. 

He turned his attention back to the door, relieved that he didn’t embarrass too easily.  If that face Delona had made was any indication, he knew he had his work cut out for him.  Lucky for Myron and Danny, he was up for the challenge.

Chapter 4

“I still don’t understand why I need a babysitter.  That’s not what a public relations person is supposed to do,” Delona protested.

She, Danny, Myron, Cara, and Koen were in a special meeting that would hopefully wrap up the mess of a day.  The topic, of course, was Delona’s blunder of making “the face” at Andrew Carter of all people.  The rest of the staff had gone for the day, but those closest to her had reluctantly stayed at her request.  She hadn’t wanted Koen there, but Danny had insisted upon it.  At least Renee wasn’t present.

“In your case, it is,” Danny stated flatly.

 Delona stared at her brother-in-law, none too happy with him at the moment. 

“You see?” Danny continued. “That’s what I’m talking about.  We’re trying to help you.  Yet, you sit there looking at me begrudgingly.  You need to learn to harness those emotions of yours,” he reprimanded, waving a perfectly manicured olive hand in her direction.

“He’s right, you know.  This angry black woman routine is getting tired,” Myron added.

“Hey!  I’m not an angry black woman.” Delona shot back.

“What other kind of woman is there?” Danny snickered.

“I resent that remark,” Cara added, her dark well-shaped eyebrows drawn together in a show of her disapproval.

“See there?”  Danny gestured at Cara and the blatant glare she was now giving him.  “Just go ahead and say something to prove my point.  Go on now.  Proovve it!” he taunted when she motioned to say something.  Cara held her tongue but continued to shoot daggers at him with her cool blue eyes.

“Y’all think your asses are funny,” Delona uttered, growing weary of their sexist remarks.

“Some would say our asses are funny.  We are married to each other, after all,” Myron said.  The two men cracked up laughing, finding humor in their own gibe toward their sexuality. They had jumped at the chance to become one before the law was repealed in California.   Delona and Cara sucked their teeth, annoyed by their strange sense of humor. 

“Perhaps we should approach this from a different angle.”  The other participants in the meeting sobered as Koen spoke his first words since they had all taken their seats.  Until then, he had sat quietly observing them.  “Let me make some phone calls,” he said, addressing Myron and Danny specifically.  “Then I think it would be best if I met with Delona… alone.”  She did her best to ignore the way her heart fluttered when he shifted those mesmerizing green eyes toward her.  “Why don’t I call you after I check on a few things?  Then you and I can sit down and devise the best course of action.  I’m sure we can convince Mr. Carter this was all just a misunderstanding.”

This time, Delona felt her entire body warm under his gaze.  What was it about this man that was making her feel this way?  Perhaps it was the underlying accent he was trying to conceal.  She wouldn’t have picked up on it if his deep voice hadn’t kept commanding her attention.  There had to be something wrong with him,
especially
if he was making her feel this way.  In her experience, there always was. 

Shaking off her inappropriate thoughts, she answered him.  “That sounds like a great idea,” she managed to respond, more coyly than expected.  She inwardly chastised herself for coming off like some infatuated schoolgirl and hoped no one else had picked up on it.  Her heart sank when out of the corner of her eye she noticed the guarded look her brother and Danny were giving her.  Had they noticed, or were they just unhappy about being cut out of the loop?  She decided it served them right if they were upset since they had been so eager to hire him in the first place. 
Pains in the ass
.

“Good.  Give me your phone number and we’ll take it from there,” Koen said, bringing her out of her private musings.

Delona had to give this new guy credit.  Despite the four of them fighting like children, he had remained professional, not even laughing at Myron’s tasteless jokes.  Maybe he would be an ally for her after all, even if he were another giant that she would be forced to deal with on a weekly basis.  The other occupants of the room towered over her by half a foot or more, something she often noticed, being just shy of five-foot four. 

Koen looked to be about six-foot even with bedhead chestnut-brown hair.  His features weren’t as feminine as her brother’s, but she could tell he had his eyebrows done.  Diamond studs adorned each of his pierced earlobes, something she usually didn’t care to see on a man, but it looked good on him.  His lightly tanned skin was smooth and flawless, contrasting slightly with his strong jaw and slightly rounded nose.  Full pink lips complemented his face.  They looked soft and kissable, granting Delona a fleeting thought to do just that.  She could tell he was fit without being overly muscular or bulky.  Usually, she thought of men who put so much effort into themselves as conceited.  She didn’t get that feeling from this one. 

In conjunction with the height differences, Delona always felt like an outsider when it came to looks as well.  All of them, including her brother–in-law, Danny Raes, were magnificent.  He and Myron were both six-two and slim with whipcord muscles.  However, Danny sported pale blond highlights in his short curly dark hair that contrasted nicely with his large deep brown eyes.  This was the opposite of Myron’s short dreadlock style Afro.  Danny’s dimples added to his somewhat innocent face, but his heart-shaped full lips made his handsomeness border on devious.

As far as Delona was concerned, Koen’s likability might be able to make up for his looks and height advantage.  This quick summation didn’t stop her from searching hard to find something she didn’t like about him, other than the strange way he made her feel.  She could only hope that what she had seen of him so far was the real thing.  But her trust wasn’t his yet.  What on earth could he be planning?

***

“Ouch!  Does it really have to hurt that much, or are you trying to get back at me for something?”  It was three days later.  Delona was on a heated table with a soft white sheet covering her otherwise naked body.  A small giggle escaped the woman administering the full body wax, undoubtedly due to Delona’s ridiculous accusation.  “And do you really have to press that hard?”

Koen smirked as he texted on his smart phone, grateful that she couldn’t see him beyond the thin partition that separated them.  Soul of the Matter had a lot of catching up to do publicity wise, and he had never been so happy to be a multi-tasker.   He did have other responsibilities after all.  “Come now.  Why would Leila try to hurt you on purpose?  She always does a stellar job on me.”

“You mean you subject yourself to this torture at will?  Ow!  Sheese!” she whined as Leila continued the waxing.

“Among other things.  It’s just a matter of trying to look presentable in our line of work.  Besides, if you maintain it, the pain will become more bearable and those models won’t be so tempted to swat the caterpillar from above your eyes when you stand in front of them,” he stated in a serious tone.  Leila let out a hearty laugh.

“Ha, ha, ha.  Everyone’s a freaking comedian.  So, what are you, a metrosexual or something?” she inquired, shifting the attention from herself.  “You don’t seem to be cut from the same cloth as my brother or at least you don’t seem gay…  Ah, man!  I think you just tore my top lip off!” she shouted.  

“Sorry,” Leila said apologetically.  “Those tend to be brutal the first time.”

There was a moment of silence.  Koen contemplated rounding the partition to make sure Leila was still alive.  He was relieved when Delona’s tear-strained voice came from beyond it.   

“Why are you trying to change me?  I’m happy the way I am,” she asked grimly.

Koen wasn’t offended in the least about her description of him or her accusation.   During the past few days he had quickly ascertained that Delona was, well…Delona.  Her filters appeared to be set on low, meaning she asked and spoke what was on her mind.  “I guess metrosexual is one way to define me,” he started, still typing on his phone. “I do happen to prefer the company of women, and no, I’m not trying to change you… per se.  I’m just trying to highlight and enhance what you already have.”

“Oh, really?  Then why did we spend all day yesterday shopping for clothes when I have a perfectly good wardrobe at home?”

“Because your old wardrobe doesn’t correlate with the position you now hold.  You are a young urban professional dealing directly with the public.  Please understand that you now have the responsibility of representing your brother’s company.  It’s not all about you anymore.  Besides, it wouldn’t have taken as long if you’d have given the clerk your proper size from the get-go,” he couldn’t keep from pointing out.