Completely Captivated Page 14

  “You know you have. Ever since—”

  “Don’t. Don’t even bring it up. It’s in the past, so we both need to leave it there. I’ll say it again—I’m sorry. We good?”

  “We’re good.”

  “I’m sending Barbara by your place this evening to pack your clothes for the trip so you can rest. We’ll head out early in the morning and have all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday just to hang out together.”

  The weekend went surprisingly smoothly, despite the inherent sibling rivalry that had plagued the two men throughout their lives. Lance couldn’t completely shed his fatherly big-brother tendencies. With the tentative diagnosis of a concussion and possible seizure, Lance wouldn’t budge on his alcohol ban out of an abundance of caution. After a weekend of decompressing, de-stressing, and not discussing work at all, Aaron was rejuvenated.

  And he’d finally decided what he’d do once he returned home. What he needed to do. What he wanted to do.

  Monday morning, Lance and Aaron entered the executive office building of Kylie Rae Romano Enterprises, a high-end clothing designer taking the industry by storm. Lance had sent a junior agent down the previous week to take headshots of the models without makeup, bundle them with the composite cards, and separate them into groups. Aaron’s job was to take the client’s vision and identify which models would best fit the specifications.

  If he brought the best models to the table, they’d win the entire contract.

  If he completely missed the mark, they’d be dismissed without a second chance.

  Lance was counting on him to work his magic and exceed their expectations, to show them what they didn’t even realize they needed or wanted.

  The competitive nature of the business was fierce and unrelenting. Someone new and upcoming always waited in the wings to take the top-billed spot away. Reaching the top didn’t seem as hard as staying on top.

  None of this is stress-free, Aaron thought.

  “Good morning.” Lance turned up his charm factor when he approached the receptionist. Always get the assistant on your side first, he’d repeated ad nauseam. They run the show behind the scenes. “Are you Miss Ramano’s assistant or one of the models?”

  “I’m her assistant, Brandy. Definitely not a model.” Her face brightened from the offhanded compliment.

  “Then it’s obvious Miss Ramano surrounds herself with beauty at every corner. I’m Lance, and this is my brother, Aaron. We’re with Rivers Forte. Can you point us to the…um—” He stopped to verify the name on his itinerary for the fifth time that morning, convinced it must be wrong. “The Spunky Misunderstood Genius room?”

  Brandy giggled at his discomfort and confusion. “Sure. And yes, that’s the correct name of the room. Kylie likes to change things up.”

  After signing them in through security and getting badges to the secure building, she escorted them to the conference room. Stacks upon stacks of model profiles sat on the oversized conference table, heckling Aaron and his plan for an early escape.

  “You had quite a turnout for this call.” Aaron walked to the table and began identifying which sorting system the junior agent had used.

  “It was incredible. Last week was crazy around here. We had to extend the dates because models were outside waiting in line before we opened and were still here waiting when we closed. Kylie didn’t feel right turning anyone away when they were here during the hours we advertised.” Brandy moved to the table beside Aaron. “I’ve never seen so many beautiful women in one place before. You have your work cut out for you.”

  “Beautiful women are his specialty.” Lance jumped into the conversation before Aaron could reply. Aaron turned his head and glared at Lance over his shoulder. No words were needed to convey his ire. “Thank you so much for your help, Brandy. Can I get your extension in case we need to get in touch with you?”

  She and Lance stepped away from the table while she gave him internal dialing instructions, and Aaron inhaled deeply as his eyes drifted over the hundreds of folders awaiting his perusal. He shrugged out of his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and sat in front of the first pile. The faster he got to it, the faster he’d finish the job. He put every other worry out of his mind and set his laser-focus on the hundreds of pictures.

  Some were discarded with a quick glance, some were put in a “second look” pile, while others were a definite pick. He labored until his neck and shoulders became stiff from looking down at the pictures for an extended time. He stood, rolling his head and shoulders to help limber up his neck. A quick glance at an image sticking out of the folder knocked him off-kilter. The white dress the model wore clung to her curves. The silky material flowed like water naturally over her chest.

  An image of Christa walking down the aisle toward him came out of nowhere. Her wedding gown was more of a dress she’d wear to a black-tie affair, but it cascaded over her so beautifully, he hadn’t been able to tear his eyes from her. His hands had longed to touch her. He’d consciously forbade his feet to move, not to rush to her, when every other part of him hungered for her.

  “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, gripping the table and dropping his head forward.

  “Are you okay?” Lance’s tone held honest concern. He moved quickly to Aaron’s side and gave him a hard once-over. “You need to take a break. You’ve been at this for hours now. Let me show you where the break room is. Drink some water or something.”

  Aaron took a long drink from the cold water, staring out the window, but the scenic view couldn’t hold his attention. A memory had flashed into his mind, and he saw it as clearly as if he were there again.

  “Forget her.” Lance spoke softly, interrupting his thoughts. “Even if it was your idea, it was a bad idea all the way around, Aaron. You’ve only known her, what, a couple of months? Have you even met her family? Do you know anything about her past? How can you even really know her in a few short weeks?

  “Maybe you got caught up in the moment, made a rash decision. But she’s coming back in to sign the papers. After the mandatory six-month waiting period, all this mess will be behind us.”

  “Six months?” Aaron jerked his gaze up to meet Lance’s, certain he’d misheard him.

  “Yes, the waiting period is California law. No divorces are granted within six months of filing.”

  * * *

  “You’ve barely left your apartment for the past week. Come to Mom and Dad’s with me tonight. The whole family will be there, Mom’s cooking, then we’ll watch a movie or something. You know Jessie and Josh will have you rolling in no time.” Jen tried patiently to coax Christa out of her bed. Allie had called Jen, concerned when Christa didn’t show up for work again.

  “Jen, normally, I love your family. But the last thing I want is to be around a bunch of people. That’s why I haven’t been to the café—I can’t even think about pretending to like anyone right now. Especially happy people.”

  “And maybe part of you wants to wait here to see if he comes back for you?”

  Tears slid down her cheeks as Jen’s question hit its mark. “Maybe. But maybe I just want to lie here and die, alone and peacefully.”

  “You know I can’t allow that. Don’t make me call in backup to get you out of the bed. Jared can be here in an instant if I need him.”

  Christa groaned and threw her forearm over her eyes. “You know, I don’t even care if he sees me looking like an old hag. I’d tell him the same thing. I just want to be left alone.”

  “I can understand that, but your solitude is reaching unhealthy levels. How long has it been since you showered? Because you stink. Bad.”

  Despite her best efforts to refrain, Christa started to laugh along with Jen. “I hate you.”

  “You love me, and you know it. Now get up, shower, and let’s go to my parents’ house for an evening of good, old-fashioned Miller torture tactics.”

  “Fine. I’ll go with you for a little while. But I’m only agreeing because I know you’ll bring them all over here if I
don’t.”

  “That was going to be a surprise.”

  “You’re the worst friend ever.” Christa tried to hide a small smile as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

  “And shave your legs. You just shredded your one-thousand-thread-count sheets with those barbs.” Jen heard Christa laugh out loud after she closed the bathroom door.

  Christa smelled the aroma of the food cooking the moment she stepped inside Patti and Ethan’s house. She’d barely eaten in days and had passed the point of hunger pangs, and instead, fought the waves of nausea that made her stomach roil.

  Ethan approached her first and hugged her, the same as always. “How’s my favorite daughter?”

  “Thanks a lot, Dad,” Jen feigned offense.

  “Uh-oh. I forgot you were here.” Ethan grabbed Jen and pulled her into his empty arm. “How’s my other favorite daughter?”

  “Sure, now you remember me. Is dinner ready yet, Mom?” Jen smiled at her dad as she called out to Patti.

  “Almost. You girls come set the table. The boys are on the deck making homemade ice cream.”

  Jen and Christa joined Patti in the kitchen. “It takes all three of them to make ice cream?”

  “We heard that.” Jared stood at the sliding glass door, the wicked smile across his handsome face silently threatening his little sister. Then his smile faded when Christa stepped out from behind her, moving around the table with the plates and forks. “You’re lucky you brought company, or you’d have to pay for that disparaging remark right now.”

  “Hi, Jared.” Christa gave him a small smile. But it lacked the warmth he’d always seen in her.

  Jen had already filled Jared in on what had happened, at least from how Allie explained the events unfolded. But he wanted to get Christa alone to get the full story firsthand, to help her through it, to comfort her as best he could.

  “Hi, sweetheart. Don’t I get a hug?”

  “Of course.” She stepped into his arms and nearly broke down sobbing in front of everyone from just the warmth of his embrace.

  Conversation over dinner was purposely kept lighthearted and self-deprecating by Jared, Jessie, and Josh. When they’d finished eating, Ethan dipped the ice cream out for everyone and delivered it to them in the media room. When they’d settled in, Christa found she felt a little better from the comfort of company, until Aaron’s picture filled the screen from the local news station.

  But he wasn’t alone. A beautiful model was draped around him in an intimate embrace.

  “You may recognize Aaron Rivers of Rivers Forte, San Francisco’s leading talent agency. Aaron has just secured the largest account in California, for a fashion line that’s quickly becoming a household name. You are looking at the new face of Kylie Rae Ramano. Her name is Daria Volodina, and she has just become the most envied woman in the world.

  “Not only has she just signed a seven-figure deal with Kylie Rae Ramano fashions, but it appears she’s snagged one of San Francisco’s most eligible bachelors…and its most notorious playboy. Neither has confirmed a relationship, but if Aaron’s past relationships are any indication, Daria will be on his arm for many red carpet events.”

  “Excuse me.” Christa quickly stood and rushed out of the room.

  When Jared heard the front door slam, he jumped up to run after her.

  “No, Jared. Not now,” Jen warned. “She’s in no shape to hear your declarations of love.”

  “I’m not just going to let her run off, hurt, alone, and with no one to talk to about all of this. Maybe I can help her.”

  File The Papers

  Jared and Christa sat in the swing under the gazebo in the family’s backyard. His arm was wrapped around her shoulder while her head was nestled into the crook of his shoulder. His fingers stroked her arm lovingly, lending his strength and shelter from the turbulent storm raging in her emotions.

  “Let me get this straight.” The muscles in Jared’s jaw ticked from gritting his teeth so hard, but he kept the anger out of his voice when he spoke to her. She had more than enough pressure on her already. “They offered you ten million dollars, and you turned it down?”

  “Yes. I don’t want their money. I don’t want anything from them at all.”

  “I’m sure the prenuptial agreement protected him anyway, especially in the first few years.”

  “We didn’t have a prenup.”

  Jared stopped all movement—the swing, his fingers, his breathing. “You didn’t sign a prenup before you married Aaron Rivers?”

  “Nope.”

  “Christa, you could get a lot more than ten million dollars, then. We could take half of everything from him, especially with how he’s treated you. Pretending not to remember the wedding when he carted you off to Vegas. I’ll represent you—and I won’t even charge you. Every dime will be yours.” Just the thought of taking Aaron Rivers down for what he and his brother did to Christa was payment enough for Jared. And he’d have a front row seat to watch Aaron crash and burn.

  “No.”

  “Christa, did you have any idea who this guy was before you ran off and married him? Didn’t you know what his business was? How much he’s worth?”

  She sighed heavily, embarrassed to admit the truth. “No, Jared. I had no idea who he was, what he owned, or how much money he had. Evidently, I’m much less experienced than even I realized. I fell for everything—no questions, no proof, nothing. Everything he told me, I just believed it all was the truth. I’ve been to his condo. It’s nice, but it’s nowhere near as extravagant as your parents’ home or their vacation houses.

  “Why would he want to marry me only to humiliate me like this? I’m nobody. I have nothing. I don’t understand this at all.”

  “And you still don’t want to take him for half of everything he owns?”

  “No. I really wish I could just make it all go away.”

  Jared was silent for a moment, the wheels in his head turning at lightning speed. “If that’s what you want, we can file for an annulment before you sign their divorce papers. We can show fraud. It won’t hurt him financially, but the repercussion ripples could impact his business when it’s made public. They’ll question his integrity as a businessman.”

  “I’m not trying to hurt him or his business. Just erase the fact that it ever happened and give my last name back to me.”

  “Consider it done, sweetheart. I’ll take care of this mess, and I’ll take care of you.”

  “So you’ll draw up the papers for annulment for me?”

  “Of course. I’ll do it first thing in the morning and bring them by your place when I get off work.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate your help, and you’re saving me from going back to their office.”

  “You won’t ever go back there without me. That Lance guy sounds shady as fuck.”

  “He is an asshole. Jared, I’m ready to go back to my apartment now. I’m just not good company today. Jen refused to let me drive, so can you give me a ride?”

  “Of course. I’m ready when you are.”

  After she thanked his parents and said goodbye to everyone, Jared dropped her off at her place with the promise she’d call him if she needed him for anything. She forced a smile as she closed the car door, then turned and trudged into the privacy of her apartment.

  She dropped her keys on the side table and stopped dead in her tracks. The picture in the silver frame of her riding on Jared’s back had been replaced with the one from her date with Aaron in the park. He stood behind her with one arm wrapped around her waist, the field of wildflowers in bloom behind them, and expressions of sincere happiness on their faces.

  “Was it all a lie?” She picked up the frame, held it to her chest, and walked to her bedroom. With her back against the door, she sank to the floor, hung her head, and cried.

  When she awoke the next morning, she stood under the scalding water until she was ready to face the day. Her tears had dried despite the broken heart she still carried. Somehow, knowing
an annulment rather than a divorce was in her future lightened her mood. She viewed it as she was expunging her record, wiping the slate clean and starting anew rather than leaving a permanent black spot as evidence of what might have been.

  She arrived at The Sweet Spot earlier than usual the next morning. Since Allie had managed the business alone unexpectedly for an entire week, Christa vowed to make it up to her by taking over as much of the workload as possible. Determined to put all her focus and energy into her business rather than her failed marriage, she worked nonstop during the dark morning hours. Breads, pastries, sandwiches, coffee—everything was ready and waiting by the time Allie arrived.

  “Wow. Did you stay here all night working or what?”

  “Might as well have. I came in extra early and was on a mission.”

  “Mission accomplished.” Allie tilted her head to the side, examining Christa with her keen insight. “You’d feel better if you snuck into his apartment and replaced his shampoo with Nair hair-remover lotion. Put Icy Hot in the crotch of all his underwear. Squirt toothpaste in the holes of his electrical outlets. Or, we could print flyers and put them up all over the city.”

  “Flyers?”

  “Yes, a flyer. We’ll start a contest for the best Chewbacca roar with a grand prize of $1,000. We’ll list his home phone number and instructions to leave a voice mail and contact information. It’ll be great.”

  “You truly scare me sometimes.”

  Allie shrugged. “It’s who I am.”

  “As much as I’d love to pull all those pranks on him and his brother Lance, I don’t have time to focus on them anymore. I’ve wallowed in my self-pity for the last week, and I’m nowhere near getting over it, but I didn’t come this far to roll over and die. I have a business to run and expand. Before I met Aaron, I had goals I wanted to attain. Goals centered around me—no one else. That’s what I have to focus on now.”

  “There’s my spunky little munchkin. I knew she’d reappear before too long.”