AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Is he on the red carpet by himself?” I asked through gritted teeth.
Lou answered carefully, “Possibly…”
Gripping my clipboard extra hard, I stormed off. I refused to take a single step further as I reached the entrance doors. I wouldn’t make a scene on the red carpet, and there was no way I would let the tabloids get a single damn shot of my face.
Lo and behold, there Aug was, flirting with one pretty little journalist in particular.
I was going to let him have it!
While he was schmoozing his way along the red carpet, I had to make sure things ran on time. He was an integral part of the show because he was supposed to be the star model.
Riva rushed over to me. “Has Augustus arrived yet?”
I sighed and waved my hand in his direction. “As usual, he’s taking his sweet damn time.”
“Go and get him,” Riva exclaimed.
I snorted. “I am not going out there. Do you see the vultures?”
Riva huffed. It appeared she wasn’t afraid of the press because she pushed her way past the door, stomped straight over to Augustus, and tugged violently on his arm until he had no choice but to follow her inside. “For fuck’s sake, Augustus, I need you ready within the next fifteen minutes. Now, get your noble fucking ass to the dressing room and get ready.”
“Yes, marm.” I’d never heard him sound so chastised before.
Riva gave me a quick thumbs up and continued berating him.
“Now, if only I could find Cruz,” I mumbled. These Huntington brothers both had independent streaks that threatened to drive me bonkers. I didn’t need this tonight, of all nights.
I spotted him harassing Lou and Eric. “Cruz.” I stormed toward them. “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting donations from these delightful people.” He shook the tin.
“That’s not your job. Give the tin to one of the interns. You need to get ready to play.” I glanced at Eric and Lou. “Mad Lurchers are the soundtrack to the after-party portion of the evening. Now go, Cruz. Jeremy’s been looking all over for you.”
“You know no one tells me what to do, strawberry. But I’ll let it go this time since you look fucking delectable in that gown.” His eyes roamed hungrily over my body. “As long as you make it up to me later.”
I could barely disguise the look of lust that crossed my face at his warning. “Get your ass to the dressing room.”
Cruz leaned toward me, and I worried the wrong people would see if he planted a kiss on me. Thankfully, he stopped at the last moment. We challenged each other silently before he finally did as I ordered.
With a deep breath, I turned to my friends. “Sorry about that. He can be such a jackass.”
“Are you okay?” Lou asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. Now, come and get your seats. I reserved some for you right in the front row.” I took Lou’s hand, and she took Eric’s and led them to their seats. “Enjoy the evening.”
If only I could too.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
Oh!Wowed the crowd with his pop set. It was no mean feat, given the audience was made up of some of the most famous people in the world. When he finished and the fashion show began, he came to me with an enthusiastic hug. “Oh my gosh, it worked. Our ritual worked!”
With a laugh, I patted his back. “No, Owain, you did it all on your own. Have confidence in your talent. You have loads of it.”
“Thank you for taking a chance on me. Maybe London won’t be as scary to me now.”
I knew what he meant. London wasn’t for the faint-hearted. I’d had my fair share of drama and was beginning to tire of it all. The running and hiding from the paparazzi, the will-we, won’t-we crap I had going on with Augustus, and the constant fight for a job I wasn’t even sure I wanted anymore.
The only thing that kept me going was my budding relationships with my men and Riva.
