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“No, it isn’t.” She gave Fatima a brief summary of her romance with Alejandro. “I can understand his being surprised I’m a model, but not to such an extent that he wouldn’t want to see me again.”
The housekeeper tied her apron strings. “Men are often slow to follow their hearts. Give him a few days, and you’ll hear from him. Now, why don’t I make you some crema catalana?”
“That’s diabolical, Fatima. You know we shouldn’t stifle our emotions with food.”
She agreed with a slightly dipped head. “Of course not, but you do need to eat, and crema catalana is one of your favorites.”
“That’s true, and I have an appointment with the shoe designer this afternoon, so I should eat something.” She remained in bed while Fatima got busy in the kitchen. She heard the buzzer from the security desk but let her housekeeper answer.
Fatima came into her bedroom. “There’s a florist’s deliveryman here with a bouquet of yellow roses. There’s a card with them. Should they send him up?”
Elated to think Alejandro had come to his senses so soon, Ana left her bed and grabbed her satin robe. “Yes, please tell Henry I want the roses.” She waited in her room until Fatima placed the bouquet on the coffee table, but when she opened the card, she was badly disappointed. “They’re from Lucien Lamoreaux, the shoe man. He says he’s looking forward to meeting me today.”
“I’m so sorry they’re not from Alejandro, but they’re beautiful roses. We can still enjoy them.”
Ana nodded and went back to bed.
Striving to lift her mood, Ana wore red to her agent’s office. She arrived fifteen minutes early, but Lucien Lamoreaux had come earlier. “Miss Santillan, you’re even more beautiful in person.” He turned her hand to kiss the soft skin of her inner wrist. “What a delight it is to meet you. I’m sorry if my gifts didn’t please you, so I’ve begun again with roses.”
His tender kiss surprised her and shot a chill up her arm. It was as blatantly sexual as his glance. is tenderHiShe recognized him from his brochure, although he was even better looking in person. His curls were tipped with gray, and a sly challenge lit his blue gaze, but she didn’t appreciate being studied so intently. She’d worn her hair in a bun and pushed a stray curl into place.
“Today’s yellow roses were a surprise, and thank you, but you needn’t send more gifts.”
His low voice was honey sweet. “Oh, but I want to. It’s impossible to give a beautiful woman too many presents.”
“Mr. Lamoreaux,” she began again, “Mr. Perez will make certain I’m well paid for my work. You needn’t do anything more.”
Paul Perez guided Lucien into one of the comfortable chairs he used for informal conferencing. He took the one at his side rather than sit behind his desk, and Ana sat across from the men. “Tell us what you have in mind, Mr. Lamoreaux,” Paul began, “and we’ll move on to specifics and decide upon a fair payment for Miss Santillan’s talents.”
“There’s no need for us to be so formal. Please call me Lucien.” He winked at Ana. “You have the most extraordinary legs. All of you is sublime, of course, but for my shoes, I want to hire only your legs.” He pulled some sketches from his briefcase. “This is what I have in mind. You could be seated in some ads, standing in others, but to emphasize the beauty of my footwear, I want to show only your legs.”
“It’s a shame my legs don’t work on their own,” Ana remarked softly. “You’ll have to pay for all of me, no matter how little is photographed.”
The Frenchman responded with a low chuckle. “I love a sense of humor in a woman. When can we begin?”
Ana wanted only the job, not to take a French lover, and her mind sped to Alejandro. She silently scolded herself for wondering about him, and hoped he missed her with an agonized pain worse than any lingering headache. Excruciating, torturous pain would be good. People saw her looks and imagined men fell in love with her with a single glance. The truth was, she had very little luck with romance, and the fiasco with Alejandro was another example of her sorry fate.
Paul brought the meeting to a close with the promise he’d have a contract for them to sign in a few days. Ana stood when Paul did, but Lucien appeared reluctant to have the meeting end.
“After we sign the contracts, we must all go to lunch to celebrate,” he insisted. “I’m embarrassed by how much money I’m making with my shoes, and I intend to spend it on the people whose company I enjoy.”
Ana managed a faint smile. “Lunch would be lovely, Mr. Lamoreaux—Lucien. I’ll look forward to it.”
He gave a mock bow. “What a thrill it is to meet you, Miss Santillan. Good day.”
Ana and Paul remained silent until they heard the elevator doors slide closed. She dropped back into her chair. “He’s a very charming man, and I won’t have to sit through an hour of makeup if only my legs are posing.”
“You do have lovely legs, Ana, and the money is just the same. He’ll probably give you a lifetime supply of his shoes as a bonus. I received one other call late yesterday from Orlando Ortiz. He said he met you while you were working on the Mediterranean Goddess yesterday, and he’d like to book you for ads for his cruise line.”
Ana had to bite her lip to keep from shrieking. “You’re not serious.”
Paul appeared puzzled. “Why, you didn’t like him?”
“I’ve been dating his eldest son, and apparently he doesn’t approve. Please tell him I won’t go on board one of his ships until Alejandro and I are sailing on our honeymoon.”
Paul’s eyes grew huge. “Has the man proposed?”
“No, and he probably won’t, but I’m not working for Ortiz. He’s a mean-spirited bastard I’d rather forget.”
