Chapter 17
When I pulled up to a large multipurpose art space downtown and saw Russ in a navy suit standing at the door, my stomach flipped.
He looked good—too good.
I watched him open the door for a woman. She seemed to thank him, but then lingered, reaching out to place her hand on his forearm.
My eyebrows flew up. “Oh,” I mumbled, intrigued. It was always interesting seeing how women reacted to him. I understood completely how and why he received so much attention. But I never felt threatened, jealous, or bitter because I was secure in what we had.
But now we don’t have anything.
He said something and smiled. She moved closer to him and then went inside.
When the door closed behind her, his smile fell. Pulling his phone back out, his thumb breezed over the screen. He slipped his phone into his pocket, but he didn’t seem to be leaving his spot near the entrance.
Maybe he’s waiting for someone.
Licking my lips, I got out of the car. I’d just closed my door and taken a step when I felt something right behind me.
“Hey!”
I jumped at the unexpected voice, dropping my bag and spinning around. My orange sundress billowed around me from my quick movements.
“Jonah!” I yelped when I realized it was him. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, grabbing my bag from the ground and handing it to me. “I didn’t mean to.”
Once I brushed off my bag, I exhaled. “It’s okay,” I assured him. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
Turning toward the door, I noticed Russ wasn’t standing there anymore.
It was so busy at the shoot yesterday, we didn’t get a chance to talk. “How was your weekend?” Jonah asked as we headed toward the building.
“I celebrated with my cousin and her friends,” I answered. “It was a good time. How was yours?”
He told me about some club he went to on Saturday and then a book he read on Sunday. I was listening to him but as soon as we walked into the studio, Remedy was yelling.
“No, no, no! This is not happening! Not again!”
Jonah and I stopped in our tracks.
I looked around and noticed Jacqueline in the room across the hall. Elbowing Jonah, I moved in that direction.
“What’s going on?” I whispered.
Matias frowned. “A storm is moving in, and we were supposed to shoot up on the roof again.”
“I don’t want to do this in the rain, but if that’s what they want…” Jonah shrugged. “It’s their campaign.”
I nodded in agreement.
If they wanted to experiment, I was cool with it. I just hoped they had some hair ideas that weren’t going to leave me looking a mess after being rained on all day.
“This place is huge. They’ll figure something out,” Taisha murmured.
“Change of plans,” Remedy announced, strolling into the room. “We’re shooting everything inside first and we’ll be doing roof shots after the storm passes. Ladies, you’re in hair and makeup first.”
She didn’t give us a chance to respond before walking off.
Three hour later, we were finishing up our final outfits in the studio. The storm rumbled over us for an hour, but the photographer just turned the music up. As the storm dissipated, the mood in the room noticeably shifted.
“Okay, it’s not raining, you look good, and these are the last shots with this look. Let’s have some fun,” she called out. “Dance!”
It would’ve been awkward if I weren’t with some of the silliest people.
It also helped that Russ had gotten a call and stepped out.
So, when the song’s throbbing beat pulsated through the room, I started rolling my body.
Jonah wasted no time getting behind me and mimicking my moves.
Whatever he was doing caused Taisha to burst out laughing and grab my hands.
We were having a good time, and the photographer was smiling as she snapped photos.
“Now freeze and look at me,” she demanded.
We all stopped mid-move and directed our attention to the lens.
Breathing hard, we were posed like human mannequins.
Taisha and I were still holding hands. Jonah was behind me with his hands on my hips.
Jacqueline was damn near on Matias’s back.
It was chaotic, but I was sure the pictures were going to look good.
Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I felt Russ’s presence. I tried to keep my eyes focused on the camera, but instinctually, my gaze drifted to the right.
And there he was.
His stare was lethal, and to anyone around him, he might’ve looked like an involved CEO.
But I felt the way he was looking at me all day.
Each time I was partnered with Jonah, Russ’s expression hardened.
With each mid-shoot conversation with Jonah, Russ’s body language was stiff.
But with Jonah’s hand on my hip, Russ was outright glaring.
He said something to Remedy and then marched out without another look my way.
My stomach sank.
“Got it!” the photographer cheered as she wrapped up. “One more outfit change and then I think we’re done.”
We thanked her and headed to the designated space for us to change.
“Nina, can I speak to you?” Remedy asked just before I left the main studio. “Jonah, you too.”
I looked at the other models exiting and then back at her. “Yes, of course.”
“You’re doing a great job,” she started.
“Thank you,” we said in unison.
“I just wanted to remind you of the no-fraternization policy. It’s in place for a reason and the rest of the executive team and I wanted to make sure you were reminded.”
I opened my mouth to object, and she held up her hand.
“I don’t want to know what is or isn’t happening.
I don’t care. What has happened in the past does not matter.
I just want to let you both know that your chemistry is reading very well on camera.
I don’t know what you have going on, but you need to make sure nothing”—she pointed her finger at us—“and I mean nothing, gets in the way of how the chemistry reads on camera. I don’t want any breakups or falling outs ruining the campaign. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes,” we answered in unison.
Jonah and I didn’t say a word to each other until we got into the changing room.
“What happened?” Jacqueline asked as soon as the door closed behind us.
“The executive team sees the sparks between me and Nina and wanted to know if we were dating,” Jonah told them with a cheesy grin. “Obviously, I told them yes.”
I rolled my eyes. “She said they wanted to remind us of the policy.”
“That makes sense,” Taisha mused. “I saw Mr. Long looking concerned during the second outfit changes, so that makes sense.”
Russ.
My stomach knotted as I went behind the partition to change.
“Boss Man do be staring and glaring, don’t he?” Jonah chuckled. “Him and Angelica are never happy to see my ass!”
He didn’t tell Remedy to remind us of the fraternization policy. He… wouldn’t have done that.
But I already knew he did.
Closing my eyes tight, I had conflicting feelings.
I knew he thought something was going on between me and Jonah, but I told him it was nothing.
So not only was I irritated that he didn’t believe me, I was also irritated that he would threaten my contract by even insinuating I was fraternizing.
But the look of jealousy on his face, in his demeanor, and wafting off him was causing a pull deep within me that was hard to ignore.
I squeezed my legs together and ignored it.
Just like he ignored the fuck out of me.
He didn’t speak to me during the shoot and kept an almost comical distance, but I kept catching him watching me.
We were posing on the roof in our final outfits.
There were only a handful of RLF people watching and one assistant with the photographer.
The concepts were completely different than what we’d done on Friday.
Because it was overcast, it gave a gritty backdrop to the streetwear we were modeling.
We were directed to look fierce as a group, and then we were paired up to almost look as though we were ready to fight.
“Your fierce expression is looking less tough and more sexy,” the photographer told me. “I have an idea. We’re going to lean into the sexy.” He gestured to Jonah and Matias. “Get on either side of her.”
We did a series of poses that received catcalls and whistles while we executed them.
As it started drizzling, all of the RLF team left, except for Russ and Remedy.
Remedy stood close to the photographer while Russ hung back, observing from his perch near the ledge.
He’d face the city and take calls, but at that moment, he was watching intently.
Correction, he was watching me intently.
My body was facing Jonah while Matias stood behind me with his hands on my hips. I stared at the camera while both men looked at me.
“Look beyond me,” he directed me. “Just above my head. And your leg. Jonah, grab her leg. Nina, lean back into Matias. Keep the lines clean. Perfect! Yes! Keep your eye line just above my head, Nina. Right there!”
Just above his head was in Russ’s direct line of sight.
He’d taken off his jacket, but with his sky-blue shirt tucked into his navy pants, he still looked like Russell Long, CEO.
With his sleeves pushed up, exposing his forearms and one of his expensive watches, he looked just casual enough to remind me of my Russ.
And both versions of him were sexy as hell.
There was a slight quiver in my belly, but I stayed focused. He met my gaze and locked in. I wanted to look away, but the photographer kept telling me to hold it right there. So, there I was, staring into Russ’s eyes, with Jonah in front and Matias in back.