Chapter 26 Jordan
JORDAN
The car pulls through the gates, and I'm practically vibrating with excitement.
My hair feels lighter, bouncier, the blowout perfect.
My nails gleam under the late afternoon sun, the deep red shade making my fingers look elegant.
I run my thumb over the smooth polish, smiling like an idiot and feeling sexy.
We park, and the driver opens the door for me. I step out onto the driveway, my heels clicking against the stone. I want Matei to see this. I want him to see me, the version of myself I forgot existed.
I push through the front door, expecting the usual quietness of the mansion, but instead I'm greeted by voices. Lots of them. People I don't recognize move through the hallway, carrying equipment, adjusting lights. A woman with a clipboard walks past.
I freeze just inside the entrance, blinking.
What the hell is going on?
Someone yells from down the hall, "Talent's here!"
Talent?
Before I can process it, Matei steps out of the library, Adrian at his side. Matei's dressed casually today, black slacks, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, no tie. His eyes find mine immediately, and he smiles.
He walks over to me, and I speak before he even reaches me.
"What the heck is all this?" I ask, glancing between him and the chaos unfolding around us.
Matei doesn't answer. He just reaches for my hand, his fingers warm and firm around mine, and pulls me down the hall toward the library. Adrian follows behind us, hands shoved in his pockets.
The library doors are wide open, and when Matei guides me inside, I stop.
The room is packed. Lights on tall stands illuminate every corner. White backdrops hang against the bookshelves. Cameras on tripods. A makeup station set up near the window. People everywhere, adjusting things, checking light meters, speaking in urgent tones.
I know exactly what this is.
"It's a photoshoot," Matei says in my ear, his breath warm against my skin. "For you."
"What?" I turn to face him, my heart hammering.
A woman appears at my side. She's short, blonde, and carrying a makeup kit. "Hi, Jordan! Can we get your makeup ready?"
"I… I…"
"Yes, she's ready," Matei says for me, his hand on the small of my back as he guides me toward the chair.
I sit automatically, my brain still trying to catch up. The makeup artist moves toward me, brushes in hand, but I hold up a hand. "Sorry, could you give us a second, please?"
The woman pauses, glances at Matei, then nods. "Sure."
She steps away, and I turn to Matei, lowering my voice. "Matei, what the hell is going on?"
His eyes are soft as he reaches up and rubs my cheek. "You look beautiful. Your hair," he says, his fingers trailing down and picking up my hand, examining my nails. "And your nails. Very nice."
"Thanks." I smile despite my confusion. "But seriously."
Matei's thumb strokes the back of my hand. "Well, I heard LA MAG was doing a cover story on personal libraries. It's all the rage, apparently, seeing the nice libraries in wealthy people's homes. I made some calls and got you a photoshoot."
I stare at him. "Really?"
"Yeah," he says, his expression serious now. "It's not Vogue, I admit, but it's a start if you want to get back into it. And besides," he leans in closer, his voice dropping so only I can hear, "you look so sexy with a book in your hand."
Heat floods my cheeks, and I bite my lip to keep from smiling too wide.
"You did this for me?" I ask as I glance around the room again.
"Of course I did. I wouldn't have done this otherwise." His hand tightens on mine. "Things that are important to you, fluture, are important to me now, too."
I can't speak. The knot in my throat won't let me.
"Sorry to interrupt," the makeup artist returns, her tone apologetic but firm, "but we're kind of on a deadline."
"Please," Matei says, motioning toward me. "I'll get out of the way. She's ready."
His finger gently lifts my head up to his and he gives me a long, gentle kiss before stepping back. I watch him go, my heart feeling full in my chest.
The makeup artist works quickly, dusting powder across my face, adding definition to my cheekbones, a subtle shimmer to my eyelids. She's good. The kind of person who's done this a thousand times.
"Your skin is gorgeous," she says, tilting my chin to catch the light. "And your bone structure? God, you're a dream."
I smile, thanking her, but my mind is elsewhere.
I keep glancing toward the door, where I can see Matei standing with Adrian, the two of them speaking back and forth.
Adrian looks bored, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.
Matei looks focused, like he's the one being paid to supervise this photoshoot.
"Alright, you're done," the makeup artist says, stepping back with a satisfied smile. "Go show them what you've got."
I'm then pulled behind a curtain, and I slip into a dress they have for me. It's a simple white slip dress that clings to my curves without being too tight. It's very elegant and classic. I like it.
The photographer, a tall man with gray hair and a kind face, greets me with a handshake. "Jordan, hi. I'm Teddy. We're going to keep this simple, okay? Just you and the books. Natural. Candid. Pretend we're not even here."
Easy for him to say.
He positions me near one of the shelves, handing me a leather-bound book. "Just act like you're reading. Don't overthink it."
I nod, opening the book. The pages smell like old paper, the scent everyone seems to know. The camera clicks. Once. Twice. A rapid series of shutters.
"Beautiful," Teddy says. "Now, can you give me a smile? Like you just read something funny."
I think about Matei's voice in my ear. You look so sexy with a book in your hand.
The smile comes naturally.
"Perfect!"
They move me around the room, sitting on the leather armchair, standing by the window, lying on the floor surrounded by stacks of books. That last one feels ridiculous, but Teddy swears it'll look amazing.
"Just relax," he says. "Think about something that makes you happy."
I think about Matei. About the way he holds me. How he makes me feel. I think about the way he says my name and, most importantly, how he makes me feel like I actually deserve things like this.
The camera clicks.
"Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous, Jordan. You're a natural."
An hour passes in a blur. By the time Teddy calls it, my cheeks hurt from smiling, and my back aches from holding poses. But I feel alive. Like a part of me I thought was dead has been resurrected.
Teddy shows us some of the shots on his camera, scrolling through the images. I lean in, my breath catching.
I look good.
No. Better than good.
I look like the girl I used to be. The one who believed she could make it. The one who hadn't been broken yet.
"These are incredible," I say.
Matei's hand wraps around me. "You're incredible."
Teddy grins. "I'll send you all the finals in a few days. This is going to be a great feature."
"I'll buy all the images of her," Matei says casually.
Teddy blinks. "All of them?"
"Yes."
"Well, alright then. I'm sure we can figure something out. I'll send you the invoice."
As the crew starts packing up, I drift over to the couch and sink into the cushions. My feet throb in these heels, and exhaustion settles over me like a blanket.
Matei joins me a moment later, sitting close enough that our thighs touch.
"How are you doing?" he asks in his deep voice.
"Hungry," I say, laughing. "It's been a long day. First the salon and now this. You work up an appetite being pampered and sitting for pictures."
Matei laughs, and I can't help but feel happy. I like making him laugh.
He cups my chin, tilting my face toward his, and kisses me.
"I have one more surprise for you."
I groan, shaking my head. "Stop it. I'm never going to be able to repay you for anything so far. I can't take another."
Matei smiles, his hand sliding to my thigh. "You can repay me in other ways." His fingers squeeze gently, sending a jolt of heat straight through me. "But really, I don't need anything. I like to do things for you."
He stands, offering his hand. "Come. My men will finish up with them here."
He leads me out of the library and down the hall to the kitchen.
The island has been transformed with two place settings, crystal glasses, and linen napkins.
Candles flicker between them, casting soft, golden light across the granite surface.
On the other end of the island is a man I've never seen before.
He stands at the stove, stirring something in a large pan.
We sit, and Matei gestures to the man. "Jordan, this is Mr. Lani. He's the head chef at Don's Italian Bistro on Sunset."
The man turns, his face lighting up. "Jordan! Nice to meet you. Any friend of Matei is a friend of mine." He wipes his hands on his apron, beaming. "I heard that out of every place in LA, my fettuccine Alfredo is your favorite. So here I am, making it for you."
My jaw drops. "You… what?"
Mr. Lani laughs. "It's true! Matei told me all about it. Don't worry, I'll make it perfect."
He turns back to the stove, and I look at Matei, speechless.
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
Matei shrugs with his calm, relaxed demeanor. "I asked you what your favorite food in LA was, so," he says, pointing to Mr. Lani, "I brought the chef in to make it."
"You're ridiculous," I say with a smile and lean over and kiss him.
"What? You made it sound so great, I had to taste it."
Matei opens a bottle of wine and pours some into each of our glasses.
He holds up his glass, and I follow suit. "To you, fluture," he says and clinks my glass.
I take a sip with the biggest smile on my face, afraid I'm going to spill it.
"Mmm," I say, swallowing quickly. "The white dress. I forgot to give it back."
Matei waves his hand. "They'll send me the invoice."
We turn and watch Mr. Lani work. He moves quickly, tossing pasta in a creamy sauce that smells like heaven.
Garlic, butter, parmesan. My mouth waters just watching him.
He plates it with a flourish, adding a sprinkle of fresh parsley and cracked black pepper before sliding the dishes in front of us.
"Please enjoy," he says, giving us a little bow before grabbing his things and heading for the door. "Now, I will leave you to eat. Good night."
And then he's gone.
"Wow, I thought he was going to stay or something," I say.
Matei shakes his head. "No, he needs to get back to the restaurant."
I stare at the plate in front of me, the steam rising in delicate curls. The kitchen is quiet now, just the two of us and the soft flicker of candlelight.
Matei picks up his fork, twirling pasta onto it. "Let's eat."
I take a bite, and I swear to God, I almost moan. It's exactly as I remember. Rich, creamy, perfectly seasoned. The pasta is cooked to perfection, tender but not mushy.
"This is insanely good," I say around a mouthful.
Matei watches me, a small smile playing on his lips. "Yes, it is very good."
"No, better than good actually," I say, taking another bite.
We eat in comfortable silence for a while, the clink of forks against plates the only sound. I steal glances at him, this man who I've been through a lot with in a short amount of time and who somehow makes me feel safer than I've ever felt in my life.
"You do realize I'm already having sex with you, right?" I say, setting my fork down. "You don't need to be doing all this."
Matei nods and takes a sip of wine. "Get used to it. This is the life you're going to have now. I'm going to make sure of it."
I swallow hard, my chest tightening. "Matei…"
"No." He leans forward, his hand holding mine. "You don't get to argue with me on this, Jordan. You deserve this. All of it. And I'm going to give it to you."
His thumb strokes the back of my hand, the touch so gentle it makes my body ache for him.
"What makes you so sure?" I ask.
"Because you're mine," he says simply. "And I take care of what's mine."
I look down at our joined hands, my vision blurring slightly. I blink, willing the tears back.
"You've given me the single greatest day I think I've ever had," I say, my voice cracking slightly.
Matei looks at me and winks. "And we still have tonight."