Romancing the Fashionista (8 page)

Chapter Twelve

“You tell her assistant the answer is still no. There will be no one allowed in that is not a contributor to the foundation and that’s that. They all want something from me, be it a spot on my upcoming ‘It’ list, one of our advertising spots, or a chance to walk our red carpet. Well, none of that comes without a contribution to our literacy campaign.” Mel tapped her fingers as she listened to the woman on the other end of the phone go on for a moment more before her patience ran out. “Quote me? Of course you can quote me. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll quote myself. You can check for it on our website later today.” She hung up, not waiting for a response from the woman on the other end.

“Shelby! Get me Alyce so she can update something on the site!” she yelled, though her assistant was already on the way in anticipation. She pulled herself up short. “Sorry for the screech.”

Shelby rolled her eyes overdramatically while rubbing at her ear. “I was going to ask you about that. You’ve been a beast since your reunion weekend. I told you no good comes of dredging up old friends. It took me forever to get that horrible picture talk to die down, and now there are pics surfacing of you and some hunk. We need to make a statement. Is that what you want Alyce for?”

Mel put her elbows on her desk and rolled her temples between her fingers. It was a disaster, and one she didn’t want to address. She looked up and clicked on her email then clicked over to Facebook. When she came back home she immediately made her account private, took off tagging capabilities and unfriended most of her new old friends, but for some reason, she couldn’t let go of Nolan Parker. Though the fact he had messaged her numerous times and she had answered none of them made her feel like a coward. His last message said it all:

I guess the weekend was what it was. A weekend. Thank you for making it the most special one of my life. I hope we do meet again.

Nolan

It was best this way.

At least, that’s what Mel told herself—what she kept telling herself and would keep telling herself until it stuck. Let the past stay in the past and the future be what it should be. Ordered and the way she planned it. And right now she had a gala to plan, and that needed to go off without a hitch. She looked at Shelby. “No, I’m not making a statement about that. It will die down. Eventually. Call up Aston’s people and see if he’s free to go with me to the gala. I’m sure he will make himself free if he’s not. Once the photographers get a look at him, those photos will be old news.” Mel ignored the knot in her gut and told herself she was doing the right thing.

Shelby gave her a raised brow but nodded. “Okay boss, I’m on it. Oh and Remy Costa requested to have her party moved to tables 7 and 8.”

It was Mel’s turn to roll her eyes. Remy Costa was a first-class pain in the ass. A former model turned trophy wife turned socialite with the taste for the flavor of the moment. She always turned up at the party with her new young ingénue and threw money at whatever venture they were peddling. It would be sad if Remy wasn’t in on the joke. She coined herself a special kind of lender. And she loved making a spectacle of herself. She and Mel had crossed paths quite a few times, and their last encounter had not ended well when Remy decided her next “project” should be Mel’s current boy of the moment. It wasn’t that Mel cared much for the guy, he was nothing more than a passing thing. The fact that Remy chose to be caught blowing him in a public bathroom at one of Mel’s events—now that was unforgivable.

To make matters worse Remy, thanks to her ex, the late Earl of whatever, had pockets deeper than deep and she bought not one but two tables at Mel’s charity gala at 100 grand a table. The charity couldn’t afford to not have her there.

Mel let out a sigh. “Move her to 12 and 13 so she’s more central, but not too central. I wonder what she’s into now.”

“Not what, but who,” Shelby said. “But does it even matter? Whomever it is, Remy will make him, her or it press-worthy.”

Mel shook her head. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Shelby left and Mel stood looking out her office window with her East River view. The day was crisp and clear and Mel turned right and took in the Brooklyn Bridge and beyond the tiny image of the Statue of Liberty. It brought Bailey to mind, and she remembered she needed to make time to visit the Statue with her daughter. It had been a penciled-in date on her calendar for so long, but she’d never made it happen. Her trip back to Timber showed her just how fleeting time was. Suddenly a vision of her and Bailey on the ferry jumped into her mind, but they were not alone. They were laughing as a happy threesome with Nolan sharing in their experience.

She shook her head and turned away from the view. Something had to give. She had to get these feelings for Nolan Parker out of her head once and for all. Sure, she and Nolan had a fun weekend in Timber Falls. Emotions were high and they were amazing together in bed but feelings didn’t make a relationship. It didn’t make a life. Besides, what she wanted, what she felt, didn’t matter here. What mattered was what she needed and that was to keep pace with her business and, most importantly, the calm peace of the steady life she’d built for her mom and Bailey. The safe world that she could control. She couldn’t bring a man into the mix and possibly ruin everything. She had to stay focused. She was no longer in Timber Falls. She was home now.

The boss was back in town.

Chapter Thirteen

Mel took one last look around the grand ballroom and declared it perfect. The head caterer and designer both let out relieved sighs and nervous laughs.

“Come on, am I really that tough?” Mel asked.

“Oh no!” Jacques, the head chef and caterer, said clearly afraid he had offended her. “You have an exacting eye and palette. So for you to say something is perfect, it is the highest compliment, and indeed it must be perfect.”

Mel paused for a moment and remembered the last time she’d thought something was perfect. It was the weekend, more specifically the night she’d spent in Nolan’s arms.

It was then Mel realized that she’d been a fool running away from him. Running away from her own happiness, as if she somehow didn’t deserve joy. What type of person did that? Maybe she should have seen a shrink so she could have gotten to this point faster. It was as if all these years she’d been needlessly punishing herself for a mistake with the professor that wasn’t a mistake in the first place.

She smiled reassuringly at the expectant faces looking her way. “I know this is work, but do try and enjoy yourselves tonight. I can’t thank you all enough.”

As she left the ballroom through the back door, Shelby was there, with her dress looking understated but fabulous in a female-cut tuxedo that said she was there to work but was also all about the fashion. Back in the staging area was Mel’s hair and makeup team in an adjoining room along with her date for the evening. He was a supermodel turned actor with only one name—Aston. From the UK, he had deep mahogany skin and was drop-dead gorgeous. She and Aston had a mild flirtation when he did a shoot for them back in the spring, but when he came in for a kiss, Mel smoothly turned her head, going all business to let him know clearly the direction the night would be taking.

Aston took the hint like a pro giving her an easy grin. “It’s good to see you again, Mel. I can’t thank you enough for the invitation.”

Mel let out a relieved sigh, glad there would be no tension with him for the evening. “You too, Aston. I’m so happy for you with the way your career has taken off. I hear they are tapping you as the next action superstar.”

She could tell he was blushing, and all the women and one man in the room just about swooned. “Aw, cut it, Mel. I just want to do my mum proud. You know how that goes.”

Mel nodded. “That I do. Listen, grab a drink. I won’t be too long getting ready then we’ll head out into the lion’s den. You know, do the old red-carpet thing.”

Mel settled in, getting her hair and makeup quickly done. She’d love to have Lexi there to style her but she made her friend a guest for the night so she’d see her later at her table. She was thinking of Nolan and now that her mind was settling in, she couldn’t wait to talk with Lexi about her decision. Have her help come up with a plan to reconnect with him. Lexi would be happy to do that but more than that, happy to say
I told you so,
which she had been not so subtly doing for the past few weeks.

Even though she was a guest, ever the stylist, Lex had sent over the perfect dress for the evening— an elegant vintage gown in black satin with onyx hand-sewn jewels that went up its high front slit and down its low back to show off her up-do, and make a dramatic statement as she made her appearance on the red carpet, both coming and going. She added stretch black satin three-quarter length gloves, small canary diamond earrings and a large canary diamond ring as her only jewels on loan.

Heading out with a black-tied Aston, she knew they made a striking couple, but couldn’t help but wish she were on Nolan’s arm. “Okay, let’s knock ‘em dead,” Aston said with that easy charm and disarming accent of his. Mel knew he would go far in Hollywood.

They exited from the back door of the landmark library and club now used primarily for social functions and into the open door of a stretch Maybach, which did a circle around to the front of the venue in line with all the other waiting limousines. Mel took out her cell and snapped a picture of the pandemonium in front of the venue to send to Bailey at home. She knew her daughter would get a kick out of it. Bailey couldn’t wait until she was old enough to attend these glitzy events with Mel and never missed an opportunity to tell her so. But so far Mel had successfully shielded her from most of the limelight, preferring to let her enjoy her childhood.

There was a sea of people across the street hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite star. And in front of the venue, the red carpet stretched long, going up the grand staircase to the old library. On either side of the red carpet was a wave of photographers from across the globe, fighting to catch the money shot as stars and socialites got out and made their way up the famous steps. A person was temporarily blinded each time a limousine door opened.

Finally it was Mel and Aston’s turn. Aston got out of the car to the cheers of the crowd. He smiled humbly as he turned to Mel and put out his hand and winked. For a moment, she wished she had her glasses, but she left them in her bag, going for her contacts tonight and a more dramatic eye. She took his hand, stepping out. The flashbulbs popped as the crowd cheered. There were yells from the paps of, “Over here! Mel, turn this way! You look fantastic! Are you two dating?”

Mel stayed her usual stoic self while Aston smiled and brought her hand to his lips before leading her up the stairs.
Oh great, well that should shut down the Nolan pics
. Mel let out a breath as she took another step up.

The flashbulbs started all over again as another limo door opened and the photographers went wild. “Would you look at her? Well she’s done it again! Is she really nude? Hey, Mel isn’t that your mystery man?”

Mel turned, almost scared to look, but look she did and there was Remy Costa preening for the photographers. And no, thankfully she wasn’t nude, but hell she might as well have been in the mostly sheer body-hugging piece of fabric Mel wasn’t sure she’d call a dress. It was nude-colored with a handful of icy crystals strategically placed on the area of her nipples and over what would be her triangular V. Remy turned around and showed off what Mel knew had to be a brand new silicone-enhanced ass and hips. There weren’t enough crystals in the world to take care of that. And on her arm was her tall and gorgeous new flavor of the moment by the name of Nolan Parker.

“Hey, Mel,” one of the paps yelled, “isn’t he the guy we saw you kissing all over Facebook?” At Mel’s shocked look and Nolan’s hardened expression directed back her way, Mel felt a flashbulb go off right in her face and she winced.
Shit.

Fucking Facebook.
Damned social media will burn you every time
.

As Nolan watched Mel turn and head up the stairs with that action-figure looking dude, he knew he’d royally screwed up. Why did he agree to come to this stupid party? And to agree to go with his new partner’s girlfriend was the worst. What was he thinking? He should have vetted her for sure, but how was he to know she was a total exhibitionist freakazoid? All he was thinking was this was a way to reconnect with Mel without showing up at her job like a creepy stalker. Instead he’d gone and made things way worse.

The look on her face said it all. She wanted nothing to do with him. And she looked mad cozy with pretty model boy.
Fuck!
That rubbed him wrong. Nolan wanted to go home but he had to get Remy into this party first and stay at least until his partner got there. As it was his plan of seeing Mellie and possibly connecting, well, it looked like that was blown to hell.

Shit. He really did want to tell Mel about the possible job with Facets Park Avenue Associates when he saw her at the reunion. But how could he after he’d heard her declaration of a weekend fling, not to mention, how she felt about people using her? The fact that they were advertisers in her magazine would make it seem like he was up to some angle for sure. Besides, he was more than a little embarrassed coming from where he’d come from to now work for a firm where their claim to fame was the celebrity ass of the moment.

Nolan frowned and moved said celeb ass forward then felt terrible. Remy may be an exhibitionist, but she used her flash for good and his partner, Alan, assured him he could do good work with them. He and Remy both were passionate about many causes, one of which was helping the underprivileged. So he’d be able to continue taking on some pro-bono cases of those less fortunate. They even thought he would be good for the business to help turn their reputation around. There had to be some good in that.

Nolan looked up the stairs and wondered how he could get that message to Mel when, at the moment, he seemed to be the last person she wanted to see.

* * * * *

Twenty-minutes later, Nolan pushed through the surrounding crowd to give Remy her drink. It was so packed he didn’t see how anyone could be having a good time at this party. All it was to him was a packed house with overly loud music, beautiful table settings you could barely see, and overdressed people taking selfies of each other. And where was the food? At least at the Timber Falls reunion there was meat. Nolan stepped back from the crowd and once again took a sip of his beer.

“How can you look so miserable at a 20K a plate dinner?”

He almost spit the beer out but recovered, covering his mouth as he turned to Lexi. “Are you kidding me? Twenty large?”

She tilted her head in the affirmative.

“Shit, I’m just filling in for my new boss. Hell, this tux is rented.”

Lexi laughed at that. “I thought it was a TD man special. I know my threads.” She then looked serious. “So there’s nothing going on with you and…” She pointed to her behind.

Nolan shook his head. “Really? Hell no. She’s with my new boss, Alan. I just signed on with Facets Plastic Surgery Associates. Like I’d do that to Mel.” Panic hit him. “Shit. Does Mel think so too?”

Lexi frowned. “Probably. But, hey, good for you on the job. So that means you’ll be living in the city?”

Nolan let out a breath, trying to squash his panic. “That I will. My folks are here. And as soon as I find a place, I’m good. Their couch will get old quick.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear it.” She pulled out her cell. “Give me your number so we can stay in touch.”

Nolan pulled out his cell and they exchanged numbers, then he brought up the elephant in the room. “Speaking of contacts, I went looking for you and Mel that morning, but you guys had gone.”

Lexi looked sheepish. He knew she didn’t want to break her girl code, and he hated putting her in an awkward situation but he was desperate. “Yeah, she well, we had to get out quick.”

“And now she won’t respond to my messages on Facebook and I don’t have another way to contact her. Honestly, I only agreed to come here to see her. Though in here it’s practically impossible.”

Lexi looked around with shifty eyes, and when she didn’t see Mel, she leaned in close to him. “Well, if you don’t see her around, I suspect she’s playing conductor and orchestrating this little extravaganza from her secret war room down that back hall, second door on the left. But you didn’t hear it from me.”

Nolan smiled and kissed Lexi on the cheek. “You’re the best, Lexi. It’s good to have a friend in town.”

Lexi raised a brow. “Just make sure you do her right, and we’ll stay friends.”

* * * * *

Mel gave the okay for the midnight acrobatic troupe’s change in music and then leaned back with a sigh as the frantic coordinator exited. As for how the gala night went, only three meltdowns were considered a win. Still, Mel was tired and she couldn’t get the image of Remy with Nolan out of her mind. Why did this have to happen just when she had reconciled with herself that she wanted to reconnect with him? She should have known she couldn’t trust her intuition when it came to men. Trusting only got her heart broken. It was safer if she kept to herself.

Tears threatened to come so she quickly blinked them back. Her makeup was freshly touched up and she wasn’t in the mood for another retouch. Besides, there wasn’t time for tears when she had guests waiting. Just as she pushed off from the small desk to leave, the door opened and Nolan walked in.

“What are you doing back here?”

“I heard you were here,” he said, voice low and calm.

“Well, how did you get past security?”

“It wasn’t that hard. I guess your guy took a break.”

She went to reach for her phone. “Well, he can take one forever because this is the last night he’ll be working for me.”

Nolan reached out and stilled her hand. The fissure of excitement it gave her was an unwelcome shock to her system. “Please, don’t. I’m just being an ass. I snuck by him. Blame me but don’t go firing people because I pissed you off.”

Mel stared at him.

“Come on with that. If anyone should be pissed it should be me. It was mighty cold of you to hit it and quit it like you did.”

Mel crossed her arms over her chest. “Please, men have been doing it for years. Don’t tell me you’ve never done it.”

“Well, I haven’t. Even with a quickie, I say goodbye when I leave. Damn, woman, you’re cold.”

Well, he had a point there. “Okay, I’m sorry. Goodbye. It was a lovely night. I shouldn’t have left you without saying that. Now can we go? I have a party out there, if you didn’t notice.”

He stepped in closer. “Can you tell me why you left without the goodbye first? Not to mention, why you didn’t answer my messages? I had no way to get in touch.”

Mel felt her brows come together. She didn’t want to do this. Not now. Not ever. “No, but can you tell me why you’re here with Remy Costa? What are you, her latest boy toy? If you needed an investor, you could have just asked me. At least then I would have known I was paying for the screw.”

At that Nolan reared back. His eyes filled with hot anger. “Dammit! You are such a hard ass. So dense that you can’t see what’s right in front of you.” He then stepped forward again. “Here, this one is free.” With those words he stepped back into her space and captured her mouth in a kiss.

A kiss that was hard and almost bruising and all together possessive as he ran his large hands up the front slit of her dress and willed her mouth open with his tongue. Sucking her in deeply while his hand continued his ascent and her traitorous legs spread open for him to step between them. When his blunt fingers brushed surprisingly gently across the peak of her center, she let out a low squeak and felt the moisture pool in answer to his call.
Shit, what am I doing? Why am I giving in to him?
Mel had to hold on to control. Sucking in a breath through her nose she pushed back at his chest with both hands. Nolan staggered back and looked at her with glassy eyes.