Chapter 21
I glanced over my shoulder at Russ. “If that’s Remedy again, you can answer it,” I remarked as we walked up the sidewalk toward my front door.
“Work can wait,” he replied, my bags in his hands. “I’m off and I’m with you. I’ll call her back later or I’ll talk to her on Monday.”
I smiled as I pulled my key out of my handbag to unlock the door. “I get why you didn’t take the call while we were leaving the lake house or the one while we were at lunch, but now she’s calling for a third time—something might be up. She might need you.”
Shaking his head, he entered my place behind me. “She’s calling as CCO. If she was calling as my sister, she would’ve texted me.” He dropped the bags off in the entryway and took off his shoes. “And she knows how I feel about my time off.”
I stepped out of my shoes. “I hear you. But with that event happening last night, and we both didn’t go…”
It looked like he was going to dispute what I was saying, but he snapped his mouth shut and nodded. “You’re right.” He stepped toward me, cupping my face with his hands. “But first…”
He kissed my forehead and then stared at me in awe for a few moments. “Thank you for this weekend.”
I wrapped my arms around his middle, basking in the way he looked at me. “Thank you for coming with me.”
“It was my pleasure.” He paused for a moment. “ You are my pleasure.”
Dropping a soft kiss against my lips, he stared at me as if he were seeing me for the first time. There was an adoration in his gaze that made my stomach quiver. The thought that crossed my mind while I was drunk was crossing it sober.
“Russ…” I murmured, biting my bottom lip.
“Yes?”
“The pleasure is all yours”—I pushed up on my toes and pressed my lips against his—“and so am I.”
The low moan that reverberated through his chest and into my mouth made me smile against his lips.
“You’re mine,” he stated in barely a whisper.
“I’m yours,” I confirmed.
“I love when you say that shit.”
I’d never said it outside of us having sex.
For some reason, it felt more intimate standing in the hallway of my apartment.
With slow, dawdling kisses, I felt the sensuality and depth of our connection.
Our mouths were speaking from the heart.
With each meeting of our tongues, our emotional needs were being expressed and our feelings were being communicated.
That kiss was more than a kiss. That kiss spoke to a deeper connection between us.
“Wow,” I breathed when he pulled away. I let my eyelashes flutter open and I was met with a look that made my heart leap from my chest.
“Nina, I—” His phone rang again, interrupting the moment between us. Reaching in his pocket, he shook his head. “I’m about to put it on silent.”
I took a step back. My heart was pounding, and I needed to create space between us anyway.
We both saw Remedy’s name flashing across the screen.
“Take it,” I told him, retreating until my back hit the wall. “It’s probably important.”
He nodded firmly before answering the call. “Remedy?”
“Russ! Finally! I’ve been trying to get in touch with you all weekend!” His sister yelled so loudly I could hear her from a few feet away.
His handsome face twisted with a frown. “What’s going on? Everything good with Mom and Dad?”
“Yes! Of course, they’re okay. Did you check your email?”
He pointed to the couch to let me know where he was headed. “Not since I left the office on Friday.”
“What are you doing? Where have you been?”
He exhaled loudly. “I had plans, and I couldn’t make it. What’s up?”
She said something I couldn’t quite hear but it made Russ’s eyebrows shoot up.
“That’s—shit, Rem, that’s a good look! Hell yeah!
” He stopped in his tracks. “Wait, wait, wait, wait. With who?” He glanced over at me momentarily.
“That’s… that’s not…” He took a deep breath and continued into the living room.
“It’s a good opportunity. I’m not saying that at all.
I’m just saying… Remedy, I hear you, but we already have someone to fill that role.
” He paused, swiping his hand down his face.
“When did I authorize Lori to do that?” he asked.
After receiving an answer, he took a seat.
“When did you authorize Lori to do that?”
I didn’t want to seem like I was listening, so I grabbed my bags. Peeking at him out of the corner of my eye, I saw the scowl on his face. He clearly wasn’t pleased with whatever information he was getting.
I took my bags into my room, dropped them off, and quickly made my way back down the hall.
“—shouldn’t have offered because we don’t have the budget for that. No. I don’t care how viral it’s gone. We’re not making a change,” he said in a low tone. “That’s final.” His eyes flicked up to me and then back down to the floor. “Let me catch up with the emails and I’ll give you a call back.”
He disconnected the call and immediately his thumb moved swiftly over the screen. The serious expression on his face was a complete shift from his mood prior to the phone call. And even though it wasn’t my business, nerves twisted my stomach and curiosity tugged at my mind.
I tentatively made my way toward him.
He didn’t look up. With his chiseled jaw set and his lips forming a hard line, I immediately knew something was wrong.
“Everything okay?” I inquired softly as I sat next to him.
Seconds ticked by and he didn’t say anything. He just stared at his phone. Finally, he tossed the device on the other side of the couch and scrubbed his face with his hands.
“I’d been in talks to get RLF in the Bowen shops and they wanted to see more of what we had,” he started.
I can’t believe I missed my opportunity to impress Bowen, I thought with slight dismay. I had an incredible night so I didn’t regret it, but I was definitely shocked to hear the news.
“And after Saturday, they want to partner with us,” he continued. “RLF will have a limited run this fall and a full run in spring.”
I gasped. “Russ! That’s amazing!”
Letting out a deep breath, he shifted his body to face me.
“Remedy found out that they were going to be at the event on Saturday and since you weren’t going to be there, she had Lori reach out to another model to be our plus size representation.
” He cleared his throat. “Bowen loved the dress… and the model. And now, they are ready to move forward with partnering with us.”
I stared at him and the pained expression on his face. “This is a good thing, right?”
“It is.” He nodded and forced a smile. “It is.”
“What are you not telling me?”
“Bowen wants the partnership to include the other model.”
“Oh! Okay. Well, I mean, there’s room for all of us.” When he didn’t say anything, my heart sank. I hesitated momentarily. “Unless that means I’m out?”
“You’re not out,” he said emphatically. “But…” He frowned. “They want to work with the model they met.”
It took me a second to understand what he was telling me. “Oh. Okay.”
“I need to look over the paperwork and see how it impacts the overall picture. But nothing is finalized yet. I still have to look at things before any of this is official. I don’t want you to worry.”
I was very worried.
Forcing a small smile, I attempted to nod. “Okay.”
“It’ll be fine,” he reassured me. “Nothing is set in stone until I sign off on it, so you’ll know when I know.” He grabbed my face and searched my eyes. “But I got you. You’re not being replaced.”
“That’s what it sounds like,” I whispered.
“You represent RLF. Your contract is binding.” He brought his forehead to mine. “And let’s be real, no one can take your place.”
“According to Bowen—”
“According to me, no one can take your place.”
My heart fluttered. I knew he meant what he’d said. But he owned RLF; he had no control over what Bowen wanted to do. And Bowen wanted the other model.
Not gonna lie, that stings.
The Bowen deal was a good business move. The fact that Bowen wanted another model wasn’t a good look for me. So as much as I wanted to believe Russ would take care of things, business was business.
Pressing my lips against his, I tried to shift the conversation. “You’re about to have your first Fashion Week runway show. September is going to be an amazing month.”
“Yes, it is,” he agreed, wrapping his arms around me. “And I hit my lawyer up. We’re meeting on Tuesday to go over the legalities of everything.” Lowering his head, he put his lips to the shell of my ear. “We’re going to be okay.”
I leaned my body into his. “You want to tell me the plan?”
“Once it’s ready to be put into action, I’ll tell you. Just trust that I’ll take care of it. Of you.”
I felt his words as boldly as I heard them. Tipping my head, I puckered my lips and waited until he kissed me.
We spent the rest of the day talking, eating, fucking, and enjoying each other’s company.
We decided to watch a movie, but when the storyline lagged, we both seemed distracted and lost in our own thoughts.
But after we showered and got in bed, we were back to ourselves again.
Because his hands on my body and his lips against my skin evaporated any and all worry, stress, and doubt from my mind.
Unfortunately, when he left for work in the morning, all the thoughts that he’d pushed away came flooding back. I’d climbed out of bed around eight o’clock and after a trip to the gym, a long hot shower, and a breakfast sandwich that needed a little more spice, I was ready to start my day.
And the first thing on my agenda was to check my email.
My September schedule was set already. I was going to be making appearances every weekend in different cities and a once-a-week Wednesday meeting at the RLF office. And because I didn’t have any other contracts, I had a lot of free time for my mind to spiral.