“Colton,” Blythe calls to me, catching my attention, but it’s not her who steals my gaze — it’s the woman beside her. They head toward us, and I can’t help allowing my appreciative stare to trail from Violet’s long, dark hair to her feet hidden in a pair of running shoes.
She looks innocent and seductive all in one.
I didn’t think she would come, but seeing here makes me smile. When she glances at me, I see the defiance in her gaze.
“Clarissa, my boss, needed me on site to get a feel of the shot and the brand.” Ah, there it is. She’s not here for me; she’s here for work. Dedication. Even though she doesn’t like me very much, which I don’t understand why she came because her boss asked her to.
Disappointment wreaks havoc within my chest, but I tamper it down and nod. “Great,” I acknowledge, faking a smile, and I wonder if she knows it’s a lie. If she even realizes I wanted her here for me, not for her job. “I hope you enjoy it.”
Turning away, I go to the set, ignoring the fact that I can feel her eyes on me. I’ve never had such an intense reaction to a woman before. It’s almost visceral.
“Pretty girl,” Courtney states as she joins me. She doesn’t drape herself over me, which I’m glad about. It’s the last thing I need when I have Violet right there, watching my every move.
“She is.”
“Don’t act like you don’t like her,” she challenges. “I saw the way you looked at her, how your expression lit up when she walked in.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I declare, meeting her inquisitive gaze. “She’s not interested in me. I’m too … destructive for her.”
“Are you?” Once again, she offers up a challenge I can’t shy away from. I’ve always believed I was bad news for a romantic. Those girls who believe in princes and fairy tales only get their hearts broken by guys like me, the bad boy.
“I’m a bachelor, the heartbreaker,” I inform my new boss, for lack of a better word. She doesn’t respond, so I continue. “She knows my reputation, and she’s already refused to give me a chance. Even though I don’t want to give up, seeing her here, not for me or because I invited her, but for her job, confirms that she won’t allow me to show her another side to me.”
“And is there another side?” Courtney asks, genuinely curious. Before I can answer, I grow silent, considering her question. Is there? I don’t know because I never once thought to look. “I thought so,” she affirms as if she can read my mind, and she’s responding to my negative thought.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Look,” she sighs, “If I’m going to work with you, I want to know that you can be honest with yourself, and with me. I’m not sure why I’m telling you this, but if I were her, I’d want you to prove yourself. It will be the only way I’ll ever be able to trust a guy I know is a player.”
“What if I break her heart?”
She smiles, slowly shaking her head before meeting my gaze. “Doesn’t all life come with risks?”
8
Violet
Watching Colton work, changing from briefs to boxers to tight pants while another woman drapes herself over him, affects me more than I expected it would. It happened on Saturday night, and it’s happening again right this very moment. And I don’t know how to deal with it. I don’t know if I should run a mile or agree to his date.
Even though I can’t tear my eyes away from the poses, I notice how professional he is. He doesn’t lean in too close. Even with an intimate shoot like this, Colton remains almost aloof. He grins when he needs to, he even laughs when the photographer says something funny, but he never inches his hand down too low.
It’s unnerving when you’re torn between emotions. Especially for someone in the public eye. I never once imagined I would have to consider agreeing to a date with a famous face like his, but here I am. His eyes catch mine now and then, but even though I notice the glint of mischief in those pools, I attempt acting as if I have no clue he’s even looking at me.
It’s an act.
And if I had to be honest with myself, I want him to look at me. I want his gaze on me every second of the shoot. It’s a stupid, fleeting moment when I consider what it would be like to go out with him. Sitting across from him at a table, I’d have to look into those teal-hued eyes and act as if he’s just another guy. But Colton King is far from that.
There is nothing average about him. But the problem is, he knows it. And he acts as if every woman should fall to their knees for him. I’m not like them though, I’ve fought long and hard to keep my heart intact. However, when he smiles, when he gives me an honest to goodness grin, I can’t deny my heart flutters wildly in my chest.
As much as I may try to fight it, I do want Colton King.
A memory hits me hard as they continue their shoot, and I have to focus on the flash of the camera and the surrounding noise to stop the tears from burning my eyes.
The night is still young, and my dress is perfect. Each time I glanced in the mirror, I thought I was dreaming. But I wasn’t. I’m going to my prom and I have a date. Even though it wasn’t the boy my heart wanted, I made a compromise and said yes to someone else.
Like the saying goes, beggars can’t be choosers. And it’s true. Even though my sister, Vickie, got the boy she wanted, I would never be her. I grew up in the shadow of her beauty and perfection. That’s what the world wants to see, which always led me to stand behind her.
“You look lovely,” Mom says with a smile on her face. But it’s not the same happiness that glows from her when she talks to Vickie. It’s okay though, I’ve grown used to it. I’ve become hardened to the look on everyone’s faces when they see the average sister of the beauty queen. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
Shaking my head to clear the memory, I focus back on the here and now. As a teenager, I grew accustomed to the idea that beauty was the be all and end all. It was what I had focused on, not realizing that there is more to it than just looking good. There is a life out there for everyone. Even though I haven’t found love, I know that someone out there will see me for me. And delve deeper than just appearances.
As the commotion winds down and everyone heads off to get changed, Colton nears me with a big grin on his face. He stops inches from me, his warmth washing over me as he reaches for a lock of hair and tucks it behind my ear.
“Did you enjoy the show?” His brow lifts in question.
“I guess.” I shrug it off, trying to appear calm, however inside, I’m anything but relaxed. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.” This time, I taunt him, earning me a deep chuckle that makes me smile.
“Nice try, darling,” he tells me. “I could tell those pretty eyes were all over me, even if you deny it.” His confidence is cocky, brazen, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing out loud. “Wait for me?”
“Uhm…”
“Come on,” he pleads. “You know you want to.” And there’s the self-assured bachelor we’ve all come to know and fall for. “We can talk on the way out.”