Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 113717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
I didn’t even bother looking at Callan to see what he thought of this spectacle, I’m sure he too must be embarrassed. Who was she anyway and why was she pawing at me?
“Turn around here child let me see you. Yes indeed she’d do perfectly.” Perfectly for what, was she sending me out to market?
“Oh Paulette you can’t be serious, she’s too green for that, and besides, she’s not interested, she wants to be an actress.”
“Nonsense, some of the best supermodels were once green girls, just look at that skin, and that hair. That’s it Cal you must get me this girl no question.”
I stood there like a ninny not knowing what the hell had just happened. I was once again forgotten as the three of them went back and forth.
There was a lot of fast talking going on and then I heard him say ‘maybe we should hear what the young lady has to say.’
Just hearing his voice had my head snapping up and around, seems I’d been starved for that too and hadn’t realized. The sound of it went right through me and it was all I could do not to fall at his feet and ask him why he…what? I was brought back to my senses by the next question.
***
“So how about it Gabriella, how would you like to be the new face of La Femme?” I looked from one to the other still confused. The pit-bull as I had deemed the lady, was back to manhandling me again. This time she was squeezing the life out of my hand as she smiled into my face.
“Sorry Gabriella, this pushy female is Paulette Deveraux and she is head of advertising for our design house.” Callan made the introductions but I still wasn’t clear on what was going on. I looked to aunt Marion who was trying hard not to look displeased since the other two were also looking at her.
“If it’s okay with aunt Marion, but what exactly would I have to do? I have work from…”
“Nonsense girl, don’t you understand? I’m about to make you bigger than any star. I’ll have your face plastered on every billboard between here and Paris, not to mention the magazines and the TV commercials.” She grabbed my elbow and started walking me out of the room, talking a mile a minute.
I looked back once for Callan, I couldn’t help it; even with all that was beginning to sink in he was still the only thing I was interested in. I saw now from the warm look that passed between us before he masked it once again, that he hadn’t forgotten me after all. As Ms. Deveraux prattled on and on about my face and my amazing hair, the only thought in my head was of him.
CALLAN
Ah yes, that had gone well, I knew all I had to do was get my old friend Paulette on board and she would do the rest. It wasn’t hard to sell, since Gabriella really was exceptionally beautiful, but I was more interested in her beauty for my own selfish reasons.
Paulette on the other hand, was looking for the new face of La Femme, so that worked out beautifully, more so than even I could’ve imagined. And I’d handled it in a way that Marion would never know that I was behind the whole thing. Genius.
My work wasn’t done yet though, I had to get her locked in before Marion was able to talk her out of it. After Paulette had squired her away I’d left a less than happy Marion in her office fuming and headed back up to my office to add the finishing touches. I had the contracts all drawn up and ready to sign, but there was one more touch.
I put a call in to Nebraska. After the night we’d met I’d made it my business to find out all I could about her and her family. I knew then as I do now, where I wanted this thing that was riding me to go.
I hadn’t wasted anytime, though it had killed me to be away from her all this time and before I’d had a chance to make my intentions known. But I was glad I’d done things this way, I could just see everything falling into place.
There was just one more thing after my talk with her parents and then all systems were a go. The last part was going to take lots of cunning and maneuvering though to ensure that things went smoothly. I had no doubt that I was up to the task. To have her in my bed under me, there wasn’t much I wouldn’t risk.
***
Her dad was very personable on the phone, and when I explained to him that although I knew she was of age to make her own decisions, I knew how stressful it must be for him to send his little girl all this way on her own, and that I just wanted to reassure him that she was in good hands, he was more than happy to hear of her good fortune.