Not only did she have a week full of appointments for hair removal, a haircut, skin treatments, and personal training, but she also was on a very strict diet that I knew wasn’t good for her, or anyone for that matter.
I’d called her last night to check in and see how her day was going. Since our time in Cold Spring Harbor, we’d only seen each other in passing on the set and once in the office when she came to see some shots for the campaign. I’d noticed when I saw her last that she looked tired and drained, and when I’d pulled her aside and asked if everything was okay, she explained that she was on a liquids-only diet until the show. She told me this was an important step to reduce bloating before the show so the clothes and lingerie would look as good as possible and fit properly.
I’d gotten this weird, twisty feeling inside. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it one bit.
This compulsion I had to take care of her had gotten stronger since our getaway, and knowing she needed food and was going about her week as if she hadn’t cut all her calories out was driving me kind of insane. I knew people went on extreme diets all the time. I knew this was temporary. I knew she’d done it hundreds of times over and it was part of the process.
And yet I couldn’t make peace with it.
“What are you thinking about?”
I turned from the window in my office to see Garrett standing in my doorway. He had a coffee in one hand, a leather folder tucked under his arm.
“Nothing.” I moved away from the window. “Do you need something?”
“Just checking in on you. Are you ready for the show tomorrow night? All our hard work is going to come to a head and we’re going to see if it was all worth it or not.”
“It was worth it. I already know that. Public opinion polls have already started trickling in and everything looks positive. All the stores are stocked with the proper sizes. Prices have been slashed so that everything is the same price, regardless of the size. Laila is going to kill it at the show tomorrow along with all the other models. We’re right where I wanted us to be.”
“I still think slashing prices was a mistake.”
“You’re wrong.”
Garrett chuckled. “You know, I never thought I’d say this, but you’re starting to sound a bit like your old man. Maybe you’re finally wizening up. I always told him all you needed was a bit of time.”
Garrett probably meant his words as a compliment, but they felt more like a backhand. “I don’t think I want to sound like him.”
“I know you two had your fair share of troubles, Storm, but he was a great man.”
For a moment, I considered telling Garrett about all the times my father had come home drunk when I was a boy—how he’d threatened to leave my mother high and dry with her shithead of a son. How he’d told her she wasn’t worth him quitting drinking. How neither of us were worth it. How he’d thrown a crystal glass across the room when she started to cry and couldn’t stop. How he’d made her feel small and unloved, and how she’d always come back to him, desperate for a sliver of kindness to get her through her year.
But I held my tongue.
Garrett had been closer to my old man than I had, and I didn’t want to tarnish his memories. At least one person had good ones of my father when he was alive. That had to count for something.
My desk phone rang. When I answered, Anita’s voice filled the line. “Your car is here, Mr. Thornton.”
“Thank you, Anita.” I hung up and moved to the door, where I grabbed my coat from the hook and shrugged into it. I shouldered my way past Garrett, who followed me down the hall toward the elevators.
“Only thirty-six hours to go.” Garrett clapped me on the back. “Keep your cock dry tonight and tomorrow, and we’ll be sailing toward a new era of Thornton Enterprises. Think you can handle it?”
I smoothed my jacket, stepped onto the elevator, and turned to Garrett, who sipped his coffee with a smirk on the other side of the doors.
“Garrett, from now on, let’s keep all talk about my cock out of your mouth. I’m your boss, not your pal, especially at the office. Are we on the same page?”
Garrett blinked in surprise, sputtered something about my cock not being in his mouth, and then the doors closed on him.
I relished in the way he’d squirmed.
The driver dropped me off at the fashion show venue, where today they were having rehearsals. I was invited inside and escorted to the runway, where I watched models walk in their normal clothes, mostly sweatpants and loose shirts, and stop at the end to receive feedback from the designers and coordinators of Cupid’s Arrows.
When Laila walked, she received no feedback, just big smiles and a thumbs-up.
I hurried to meet her backstage, where she lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw me.
We rushed toward each other but drew up short, not wanting to display any PDA in front of the models. We were in the home stretch now. Once the show was over, we wouldn’t have to worry about the public finding out and thinking something shady was happening between me and one of my models.
“How are you? What do you need?” I asked.
She put a hand on her stomach and smiled. “A burger.”
She must have had a headache, too. And fatigue. And sore muscles. I hated that this was part of her job.
I lowered my voice and looked around conspiratorially. “I can sneak out and get you one. Nobody will know. And if they find out? Who cares? I’m the CEO.”
Laila shook her head. “This is just part of the gig, Storm. Besides, it wouldn’t be right. All the other girls are on the same program as me. We’re in it together. We can still have certain things, but we have to be strong right now. Disciplined.”
“I hate it.”
“I know you do.” She put her hand on my wrist before remembering where we were and pulling it away. She looked around with flushed cheeks before crossing her arms. “But you don’t have to worry about me. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. When the show is over I’ll enjoy a meal with you.”
“I’m going to hold you to it.”
She laughed. “Honestly, you won’t have to because I’m going to want to eat everything in sight.”
“Laila Hunt! We need you!” Someone barked for my girl to go back to work, so she said a quick farewell before jumping back into the fray, leaving me to watch her work.
I began wandering around the venue but didn’t get very far before I was cornered by Jennika.
She greeted me with a hug and a smile. “I thought you might be here.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Just Laila’s gigantic smile and the pep in her step,” Jennika said.
I slid my hands in my pockets and tried to look nonchalant. “She has a pep in her step?”
“Yep, she has for the last couple of weeks. I wonder what that’s all about?” She gave me a sly, suspicious smile.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Nonsense. Laila seems like a different woman. She’s always been confident, but this week? She’s downright radiant.”
“Must be because it’s almost Valentine’s Day.” I was grasping at straws, and we both knew it.