جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 160

James “Come on, Layla,”I mutter to myself as I take my 118th lap around the foyer. Yes, I’ve counted them all. “Check your damn phone!” It’s been six hours since I sent her the photo that would fix everything, and still nothing. She must have turned it off, or worse, given it to Gina. Or even worse, hopped on a plane to Paris or something. She easily could have; she has one of my credit card numbers that I gave her to order cooking supplies. “Are you really not going to eat anything?” Al asks, coming in from outside. He’s holding a bag of burgers from Gino’s, one of my favorite restaurants. Normally, the smell would have my stomach rumbling and I’d be ready to chow down, but nothing is normal now – in fact, it hasn’t been since the moment Layla walked through my door. “I’ll be fine, Al. I’m not wasting away.” “You need your protein,” he jokes. “Unless you want all that working out to go to waste.” “Put them in the kitchen,” I tell him. “Maybe I’ll eat later if I’m hungry.” Al d

When he looks at me, my heart pounds.Andrew Xellum is one of the richest men around and sexy as hell in a suit. But the rumor is that every woman he hires quits without warning.If I wasn't desperate for money I'd avoid him at all costs. I don't even know if I can do the job; I'm not a model, and the outfits he wants me to wear are extremely revealing.Then I catch him eyeing my body like he wants to bend me over and have a taste. It's thrilling—I can barely control my excitement.People told me he was cold... that he pushes everyone away.But he's not pushing me away.He's pulling me into his lap.He's whispering in my ear.And suddenly I'm letting him do whatever he wants to me.Am I the luckiest girl alive?Or am I just a toy for this billionaire to play with and toss aside?*****01You know, Mondays suck enough without being fired. I scrub the tears off my face as I step off the elevator onto my floor. Damn my speaking voice. I’ve always had a naturally loud and brassy voice, an

I press my lips together for a second before answering. “None at all.”“Good,” he nods. “I wanted somebody who is a raw talent.” I try to smile, try to wrap my head around the fact that he thinks I have any talent in at all. “If you don’t have an agent, and you don’t model, how did you end up here? I’m just curious.”“I have a friend,” I say. “She didn’t think the casting was right for her but she encouraged me to come. I’m recently out of work and had nothing to lose.”He chuckles. “I like that you’re honest about it. Why didn’t your friend come?”I raise an eyebrow and aim for honesty. “You don’t hire blondes.”“Not often, no,” he says. “I find that dark hair contrasts with my clothes in a way I like. But regardless, encourage your friend to come to my next casting. I owe her one.”“Why?”“Because she sent you.” He stands again, and comes around the table. “I’d like you to be at the Flatiron building tomorrow, noon sharp.” Giving me another slow look in the dress he designed, he wal

“Girl,” Fleece says the second I walk into the Blind Scorpion, “I’ve already seen it on YouTube. I wish I could have been there. You looked like a badass.”I laugh and practically collapse on my chair. Before I even came over here I dropped off the rent check to Joe. So not only am I exhausted, I’m relieved, which just makes me that much more tired. “Which look did you see? You can’t have watched a three-hour show on YouTube.”She gives me a look that makes me blush. “You know which one. The only look that anyone is going to be talking about. The last one, obviously.”“Yeah,” I say, blushing. Looking back now, I can’t believe that felt so natural. I’m embarrassed just thinking about it. “I honestly don’t even know how I did it.”Fleece rolls her eyes. “You know that I’ve known you for ten years and I know instantly when you’re lying, right?”“Ugh. Fine,” I say. “But give me a drink first.” She passes me another one of her concoctions—I’ve learned not to ask what’s in them anymore. “It

He smirks. “Something like that.”I duck behind the screen and pull on the bathing suit. It’s a one-piece, but it’s so scandalous that it might as well be two. The fabric is woven in tight knots that form patterns over my skin. Some places are webbed with lace and sheer gauze, others are open to my skin. One strap is intentionally off the shoulder, and the colors are the same deep blue and teal that seem to be the theme. I put the robe on over the bathing suit, and I have to admit, it really works. I look like some sort of wanton mermaid or siren, ready to call to sailors and wreck their ships. With my make-up and hair, I look like someone who would do it with delight.Coming out from behind the screen, I see that Andrew has walked a little ways away and is consulting with someone dressed in black who has a headset in his ear. They’re looking at a clipboard, and the headset guy seems really animated. Again, I wait. Trish was right, Andrew has about a million things to deal with at the