Starr Destined (Starr Series) (13 page)

His partner Glenn had a bleached blonde spiky fringe, which contrasted starkly with his naturally black Asian hair.  He was only about my height, and a very slim, petite build.  He wore a bright acid green suit, no doubt one of his own creations, as he and Bradley had decided to specialise in desig
ning menswear now they’d graduated and were about to launch their own label.

The pair of them could not be more obviously gay if they tried, even if they hadn't been wearing more eyeliner and mascara than I was, so how Liam could possibly be jealous of them was beyond me.

Bradley and Glenn had made a beeline for me when they’d seen me walk in earlier with The Big Guy.  And now all they wanted to know about was Liam - obviously.

“Sera, sweetie, where did you find that gorgeous hunk?  He is just divine,” Bradley drooled, as he stared over at Liam, while taking a long sip of his cocktail through the straw. 

“I saw him first,” Glenn argued, as he slapped Bradley’s wrist.  “Do we get to meet him?”

“Yes, you can meet him, but I’m afraid he’s all mine, so hands off.” I waved at Liam to come over. 

No doubt he’d nearly been bursting a blood vessel as he’d watched Bradley and Glenn enthusiastically hugging and kissing me - we hadn't met up in ages and had a lot of catching up to do.  The boys were both very good friends of Abbey as they’d been on the same course as her, and I used to see them all the time.  I’d even helped them out once or twice by modelling for their end of term catwalk shows.  I hadn't minded, it had been fun, but as I was nowhere near tall enough to be a proper runway model and do their clothes justice, they’d only asked me if they’d been desperate and needed someone at short notice.

Liam had obviously been itching to come over and join us, because he didn’t hesitate when he saw me beckoning him.

“Have you got any photos, Sera?  I mean like
naked
pictures of him - just his chest would do,” Glenn whispered, as we watched Liam's tall frame struggling to make headway through the throng of people. 

“Behave yourself,” I jabbed Glenn’s shoulder.  “May I remind you that’s my boyfriend you’ve got the hots for, so he’s not going to join the ranks of your latest pin ups.  I told you, he’s mine, so hands off.”

“Spoilsport.  There’s no harm in just looking, darling.  This Liam of yours really suits the classic black tie look, doesn't he?  And the cut of his jacket is superb.  Peak lapels of course - notch lapels would just scream cheap and nasty.”  Bradley shuddered with disdain.  “Your man clearly has good taste, which doesn't come cheap.  His suit is obviously bespoke - you wouldn’t get anything off the peg to fit shoulders as broad as his.”

I couldn’t deny that Liam looked amazingly good in a dress suit - when he’d picked me up tonight, I’d drooled over him myself.  But then he had to go and spoil the mood by throwing a hissy fit about the low cut, see-through, citrus yellow chiffon dress I was wearing, until Abbey had firmly put him in his place. 

“Don't be such an old fuddy-duddy, Liam.  You needn’t worry, I’ve made sure Sera will stay decent with plenty of tit tape.  Anyway, she’s not actually showing that much flesh - it just looks as if she might, but that’s all part of the design.  It’s a tease, an illusion.”

“Illusion or not, it’s still enough to give any bloke a heart attack,” he muttered as I glared at him to behave himself.

Abbey was wearing a very on-trend jumpsuit with chiffon sleeves tonight.  It was black, with tartan and leather godets on the flowing legs, and was part of her latest collection.

She’d come over to my place so we could get ready together, and she’d straightened my hair for me.  I loved having it poker straight for a change, instead of my usual messy curls.

“What has she done to your hair?  Where have all your curls gone?”  Liam had asked, as he eyed Abbey suspiciously when he first saw my new look.  She still had her bright red hair shaved in a drastic undercut on one side, which I knew Liam hated.  I’d declined his offer to pay for me to go to some posh hairdresser instead of letting Abbey loose on mine. 

“It’s not permanent.  It’s just a different look, that’s all.  Don't you like it?”  I’d asked, flicking my now uber straight locks over my shoulder.

“I didn't say I didn't like it.” His scowl had disappeared on hearing it wasn’t permanent, as he’d leaned down to kiss my cheek.  “Of course you look beautiful.”

“You’ve scrubbed up pretty well yourself.  Very James Bond,
” I’d told him as I’d tweaked his bow tie. 

“I would’ve driven us in the Aston Martin, but it’s only a two seater,” Liam had said as he’d looked over at Abbey pointedly, having bowed to my insistence that I wanted us to all go together.  Liam had arranged for Greg to drive us tonight, picking Toby up on the way.

“Never mind.  I’m really looking forward to you taking me out in it sometime soon.” 

I’d yet to see this car that was Liam's pride and joy, as it was parked away from Butler’s Wharf, somewhere more secure.  Liam used his BMW X5 most of the time around town, which he called his every day run-around, but still seemed pretty swanky to me, as I’d only ever driven tatty old bangers in the past.  Personally, I wasn’t into cars, and couldn’t see the point in having expensive cars that hardly ever got used, but that was Liam's choice.  Boys with toys, I guess. 

Bradley and Glenn watched with interest as Liam made it over to us and slid his arm round my waist possessively.  Just his touch was enough to send a frisson of excitement right through me, to make me feel warm and tingly in all my secret places. 

Instantly I wanted him.  How could just a light touch from him turn me on like that?  I took a deep breath to grab back some self-control as I made the introductions.

“Liam, I’d like you to meet my friend Bradley, and his partner Glenn.”

To be fair to Liam, his manners were impeccable as I completed the introductions.  He shook hands and made polite conversation, but all the while I could feel the pressure of his fingers gripping my waist, burning into me.

“Have you ever done any modelling, Liam?  We’re setting up our own menswear label, so we’ll be looking to recruit models.  You’d be perfect for the look we’re working on,” Bradley explained.

“Good God, no!  That’d be more my brother’s domain I think,” Liam replied, shaking his head at the mere thought of it.

“You mean there’s another one like you at home?”  Glenn’s face looked even more hopeful than Bradley’s at the prospect of another hunk like the specimen stood in front of him. 

“Actually, you two might already know Liam's younger brother Jamie.  You’ve met Abbey’s friend Toby haven’t you?  He and Jamie are best mates - they’re about to go off travelling in Australia t
ogether,” I explained.

“I don't think we’ve met him - I'd certainly remember him if he’s anything like you, Liam,” Bradley smiled, as he touched his arm.  Liam jolted as if Bradley’s hand had burnt him.

“You say Toby’s going away with Liam's brother?  He’s not bi, is he Sera?  I know Abbey is and I’ve seen him with her a few times now,” Glenn queried.

“I can assure you that my brother is not gay or bi, and neither is Toby,” Liam firmly asserted to Glenn.  “Not that there’s anything wrong in being gay, but just to avoid any misunderstandings, they definitely aren’t.  And I’m not either.  Which is why I’m here with a woman.  With Sera,” he hastily added, as he strived not to offend my gay friends.

“It’s okay, you don't have to be gay to model for us,” Bradley said, in a loud stage whisper.  Poor Liam - he was way out of his comfort zone here.  I knew he’d find it hard to fit in, and I'd tried to warn him, but he’d still insisted he wanted to come with me.  No doubt like Jamie, he was more used to the rugby club style of male bonding, which basically consisted of getting drunk and brawling from what I’d seen.

“We appreciate the human body in
all
its beautiful forms, which is why our passion is designing clothes to show off that beauty,” Glenn explained, then finally managed to drag his eyes away from Liam and turn his attention to me.  “Divine dress by the way, Sera darling.  Acid yellow always works so well for brunettes.  Abbey knows how to dress you perfectly, doesn't she?  Are you going to model again for her when she launches her collection?”

“Yeah, I said I would if she needed me,” I smiled.

“What?  You never said anything about that to me,” Liam frowned. 

“It’s no big deal.  I’ve always helped Abbey out if she’s struggled to get enough models, so she’s used to working with me; she already has all my measurements,” I shrugged.  

“Modelling what exactly?”  Liam's frown deepened.

“Oh, you know, parading the catwalk practically naked in her raunchy see-through underwear range.  She’s calling it her Porn Kitten range,” I said, keeping a straight face.  Actually, it would be evening dresses, but I was testing Liam's resolve not to cause any kind of a scene in front of my uni crowd.

The muscles in his jaw clenched as he struggled not to overreact.  I gave Bradley and Glenn a sly wink, to let them know I was winding Liam up.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Liam whispered furiously in my ear, then looked up and tried to smile normally as he saw the boys watching us.  “I’ll just get you another drink, shall I?”

“Careful with that one, sweetie,” Glenn murmured, as he eyed up Liam's perfect backside when he leaned over to collect my glass from the table.  “You're playing with fire, because Liam clearly has classic Alpha male syndrome.  He thinks you’re his, and no one else gets to see his property.  And that is sooo freakin’ hot,” he fanned himself,

“I know,” I sighed.  “But I couldn’t resist.  And yes, I’ll probably pay the price later.”

“You lucky, lucky bitch,” Bradley smirked at me.  “Just make sure you tell us all about it afterwards.”

“In your dreams,” I scoffed, as I walked off to catch Liam up.

“What do you mean, I’m their new gay icon?  Do I look in the slightest bit gay?”  Liam asked, horr
ified.  I’d just told him I suspected he’d joined the ranks of Glenn and Bradley’s pin up board of hotties, because I'd caught them sneakily taking pictures of him on their mobile phones.

“You don't need to be gay to become an icon for the gay community.  Think of David Beckham the footballer - heterosexual, married with kids, but still a gay icon.  Or Ben Cohen
, the rugby player - again happily married with twin daughters, but he has no problems about being a gay pin up.  It means they think you have a great body - take it as a compliment,” I laughed.

Liam just grunted, before bringing up the subject of me modelling for Abbey, as she waved from where she and Toby were dancing on the other side of the room. 

“And as for her…” he nodded in Abbey’s direction. “I don't care how good friends you two are, there is no way on this earth I'm letting you parade around wearing next to nothing for a whole load of strangers.”

“
Letting
me?  Excuse me, but since when did I need your permission?”  I brindled at his dictatorial tone, instantly feeling like a rebellious teenager wanting to kickback against someone laying down the law.

“I thought we got this sorted the other night.  I thought you’d learned your lesson about not taking risks.”  He held me away from him to stare into my face, and I could see the anger reflected in his steely blue eyes.

“I didn't agree to let you control every aspect of my life.  How does taking part in a fashion show, organised by my best friend, surrounded by lots of other friends and hopefully some highly regarded designers, in any way constitute taking a risk?”  I spat back at him.

“Other men seeing you next to naked - you don't think that’s risky?” he insisted.

“Certainly not when most of them will be female, or else like Glenn and Bradley - gay, and far more interested in the designs than the female wearing them.  And anyway, there’ll be security in place to make sure everything is above board.  Health and safety, and all that crap.”

“But still…”

“And actually, it’ll be dresses like this one I’m wearing now that I’d be modelling, because it’s her evening wear collection she’ll be launching.  It’ll be a critical stage of her career, so I don't care whether you’re going to ‘let me’ or not.  If Abbey needs me, then I’ll be there for her,” I told him in no uncertain terms. 

“So why did you say it’d be underwear you would be modelling?”  He scowled at me.

“It was a joke, to get a rise out of you.  And boy did I succeed,” I retorted.  “You just can't help yourself, can you?  You want to take control of everything, and I’m finding it stifling, if you want to know the truth.”

“Stifling?”

“Work, home, social life.  Whom I can and can't mix with.  What I'm allowed to wear. Where I'm allowed to go.  Everything has to be your way.  You're even changing the way you work to make sure you’re around to monitor me.”

“What do you mean?” he asked uncomfortably.

“Not going away so much, flying in and out of places on the same day rather than stopping overnight.  That’s what you did with your recent trips to Milan and Stockholm, all so you’d be back in the evening to check up on me.”

“Not to check up on you, but to be with you.  I miss you when I'm away, and I hate waking up by myself.  That’s why I want you to come with me to the States next time I go.  Because I love you so much.”  He tried to take me in his arms, but I shrugged him off, determined to have my say and get these frustrations that had been building up for a while off my chest.