Chapter 4
The shoot for Alex Addison’s ad campaign went smoothly.
He got all the looks, shots, and locations he wanted in it and Zack Campbell was fun to work with and brought out the best in Mickie.
She was young and malleable and new enough in the business that she followed his directions to the letter, and Alex was always nearby, observing what was happening, and smiling at Mickie seductively.
Her heart always beat a little faster when she knew Alex was watching her.
There were small crews of workmen floating around other parts of the house while they were there, and there were noticeable changes by the end of the week.
Everything was looking more finished. In the medical part of the building there was his enormous, very lush-looking office, half a dozen exam rooms, a large central room with skylights and a glassed-in garden, offices for staff, a maze of supply rooms and storage spaces, and room for the office machines and lab equipment he was installing, all very efficient-looking.
On the floor above, he had a fabulous apartment with an enormous bedroom, living room, study, guest room, a small pantry and kitchen setup, and a massive dressing room and marble bathroom for two.
He had given Michaela a tour one afternoon when they finished shooting.
The apartment had been finished before the office so he was already living there and settled in.
Mickie had noticed when she walked around the office with him that almost every door on the ground floor had a coded keypad in order to gain access.
The office had a casual, modern, sensual, almost sexy feel, but there was nothing casual about his security systems. There were alarms and security cameras, and by the end of the week there was a security guard outside, wearing dark glasses and a black suit.
The place had a mysterious feel to it, as though there was something very important and hush-hush going on inside.
“Will you need all that security?” Mickie asked him innocently, over a glass of wine in the sleek black granite kitchen when they finished shooting.
There was a spectacular swimming pool too, with an infinity edge.
The house had been very expensive, built by a well-known developer, and the installations Alex had made weren’t cheap.
It was obvious from his whole style that he could afford it, and he was sparing no expense to set up his Bel Air office.
Before doing the built-ins he had taken a long lease on the house with an option to buy, and the owner was giving him a break on the rent, for the improvements he had made.
Alex Addison had the look of someone who had been wealthy all his life.
He had an ease around luxury that only happened when you grew up with it.
People with money gravitated toward him because they sensed immediately that he was one of them.
He wasn’t a newcomer or an outsider. Houses like his, and the world he moved in, were unfamiliar to Mickie, but he was the symbol of everything she wanted.
He stunned her on the last day of the photo shoot by telling her to go through the rack of clothes and the accessories and keep anything she wanted.
She was shocked when he said it. The stylist had pulled very expensive clothes from all the fanciest stores on Rodeo Drive.
Alex told her the only thing she couldn’t have was the borrowed jewelry from Van Cleef and Bulgari, which had to go back.
But he was more than happy to buy the clothes for her, which didn’t seem like such a big deal to him.
Mickie filled three garment bags and two shopping bags with the pieces she liked.
They were status symbols she had always dreamed of and never thought she’d own.
There was a white Valentino jumpsuit that fit her like a second skin and looked fantastic on her.
And a white Hermès Birkin bag that was her dream come true.
Mickie knew all the most expensive luxury brands, but could never have afforded them in her wildest imagination.
She asked Alex if he was sure she could have them, and he smiled at her and said of course, and walked her to the car waiting for her outside.
She could have sold the Birkin and paid her rent for a year, but she would rather cut off her arm than give it up.
This was the chance of a lifetime. She had never met anyone like him.
She thanked him again as she got into the car, and he put a hand on her arm and stopped her.
She was afraid he was changing his mind about all the clothes she’d taken, and the Birkin, and he looked at her with eyes full of longing.
“Michaela, will you have dinner with me tonight? There’s something I want to ask you.” She didn’t hesitate for an instant.
“Of course.” She was flattered. He was twenty-three years older than she was, but incredibly sexy.
He exuded youth and virility, elegance and charisma.
He was wearing black jeans and a black T-shirt that showed his powerful, well-toned body, with his lab coat thrown over it, and black suede Hermès boots.
He had a very European look, and he wore a version of that outfit as a uniform daily.
He dressed all in black with his lab coat, like a medical version of Steve Jobs.
His blond hair was perfectly cut. He looked like a film star interpretation of a doctor.
He combined an air of authority with his good looks.
It was an irresistible combination and they made a striking pair.
“Let’s celebrate tonight. You made my advertising campaign this week.
You are the face of Bellissima. Women are going to be begging to come and see me, hoping they’ll become one-tenth as beautiful as you.
Even I can’t work that magic. Looks like yours come straight from heaven.
I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty. Give me your address.
” She gave him the address in West Hollywood, already mentally racing through her wardrobe, trying to think of the right thing to wear to “celebrate” with him.
She wanted to dazzle him. He was everything she had always dreamed of, a gorgeous, rich, successful guy with a fabulous house and career.
She couldn’t guess what he wanted to ask her.
She was ready to say yes before he even told her.
“See you soon,” he said as he closed the car door, and the driver pulled away a minute later.
The agency had given her the chance of a lifetime, and she was going to make the most of it, while she had the chance.
Mickie tore through her closets as soon as she got home and decided to go all out for him.
She picked a short, sexy Dior cocktail dress that showed off every inch of her flawless figure.
She had the perfect high-heeled Manolo Blahnik sandals to go with it.
She wore her hair loose down her back, and the dress had just enough cleavage to rivet his attention without being vulgar.
She had an instinctive sense of just how far to go.
She had just put the finishing touches on her outfit when Billie walked in from work at Cedars-Sinai. She looked at Mickie in surprise.
“Wow! You look incredible. Where are you going?” She figured maybe a movie premiere or some big deal event.
“Just out to dinner,” Mickie said smugly.
“Lucky guy. Do you have a date or did they hire you to liven up an event?” Mickie got hired sometimes just to be somewhere and look gorgeous. It was easy money.
“I have a date,” she said, smiling at her sister.
“I hope he’s gorgeous and deserves you.”
“It’s Alex Addison.”
“The doctor?” Billie wasn’t really surprised.
Who could resist a woman who looked like her sister?
She had been practicing the art of seduction and looking gorgeous since she was thirteen, and she had reached the pinnacle of success, having dinner with the soon-to-be-famous new doctor in town.
Mickie nodded in answer just as the intercom buzzed.
She peeked out the window, and there was a silver Ferrari parked out front.
She blew a kiss vaguely in Billie’s direction, and flew past her out the door, hurrying down the steps to Alex waiting for her in the car.
When she got to the car, she opened the door on the passenger side and slid in as he beamed.
“You are a vision, my dear.” He smiled happily, put the car into gear, and sped off, to an undisclosed destination of Alex’s choosing.
He had reserved for them at The Tower Bar, which she had heard of but never been to, and had dreamed of going there.
She knew they had an indoor and outdoor space with a band next to the pool.
She didn’t care so much about dinner, but she loved the idea of being seen there, and with him.
People stared at them when they arrived at the restaurant and were led to a table outdoors.
They were the kind of couple that people loved to watch and guess who they were.
They looked like Hollywood’s biggest stars as they walked to their table, with Mickie’s hips swaying gently, just enough to tease all the men who were watching, and especially Alex.
She knew just how to achieve the desired effect.
They ordered martinis when they sat down, and Alex raised his glass in a toast when they arrived.
He leaned close to her and said in a soft voice, “Thank you for making this week such a success, Mickie. You were fabulous. Yours is the face I want everyone to think of when they hear the word ‘Bellissima.’” She was hoping to get a lot more work from it once his ads were out, maybe even a beauty campaign from a major brand. Her agency was hoping that too.
“Thank you for the opportunity, Alex,” she said in a silky voice. She’d worn bright red lipstick and had sensual lips. They were sitting close together, side by side, his body close to hers.