AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thank you,” I say to her as we sit in Jordan’s office after our shoots, waiting for her to show us the results on her computer.
Harlow grins over at me. “It was worth it, right?”
I nod, my smile stretching wide across my face. “Definitely.”
The elation I feel in that moment seems unmatched. That is, until Jordan shows me my photos. My mouth drops open and I stare in amazement at the woman on the screen. I know it’s me because she looks like me and because I just posed for these pictures. But still. Somehow the woman in these photos exudes confidence and sex. She looks into the camera as if she’s got a secret. I didn’t even know my face could do that.
“Wow,” Harlow says.
The image on the screen now is one of me wearing a corset, heels, and thigh-high stockings. It was my favorite of the outfits I wore for the shoot. In this photo, I’m in profile, with my back arched and the curve of my hip visible. My ass is in profile, but it looks amazing at this angle. Is that really what I look like?
“Holy shit,” Piper breathes. “You need to buy that picture and frame it.”
“It’s hot,” Jordan agrees. “You photograph well.”
“Thank you,” I say, feeling a blush heat my cheeks. “Are you sure that camera isn’t magic?”
She just laughs. “That’s all you, babe.”
We spend nearly an hour looking at all the photos Jordan took, each choosing our favorites for our own personal album. I’d nearly choked on my saliva when I found out how much the album costs, but Piper and Harlow convinced me it was an investment. That some day I’ll look back at these photos and remember exactly how I felt today. And they’d been right. I’d pulled out my credit card with very little hesitation in the end.
By the time we make our way outside to meet our silent chauffer, it’s late in the afternoon. We’re supposed to meet the King ladies in a couple of hours for dinner followed by Piper’s bachelorette party. It’s a good thing we won’t need to worry about hair and makeup. Once we’re back in the car on our way to the hotel, Harlow hands me a small bag.
“What’s this?” I ask, peering inside.
“You looked too hot in that thing to leave it behind,” she says. “I asked Jordan if she minded.”
Inside the bag, I see black lace and I know immediately that it’s the corset from my photo shoot. I look at Harlow and laugh.
“And just when will I have the need to wear a corset?”
She just shrugs. “You never know when one might come in handy.”
Chapter 27
Cole
I do my best to hide how miserable I am, but I’m not sure how successful I am. I’ve never been good at pretending. But Luke deserves to have a great time at his bachelor party. Who am I to bring the mood down? Just because the one woman I’ve ever thought about settling down with has found someone else doesn’t mean I can’t put on a smile and have fun with my friends, right?
Wrong.
I’m miserable and I don’t know how I’m going to keep up the act until this party ends. Linc and I planned it together, so I know it’s nowhere near its end. We’ll be out until well after midnight, I’m sure. I take a large drink from my glass of bourbon and wince. Not because of the burn, but because it reminds me of her.
Layna.
Bourbon is her drink of choice. She’d been drinking it the night we met. I’d been impressed and surprised by her choice. She looked like a dirty martini kind of girl. Owning a bar means I’ve gotten skilled at guessing people’s drink choice just by their appearance and demeanor, but I’d been wrong about her. When she’d ordered an old fashioned, I’d been pleasantly surprised. And a little turned on.
I sigh at the memory. I don’t know why I insist on torturing myself this way. She’s clearly moved on. I need to do the same. No matter what I imagined last night on that balcony. I’d just been seeing what I wanted to see. Even if I didn’t already know how she felt about me, her making out with Michael in front of the elevator was clear evidence that it’s not me she wants. I wonder if she invited him to her room last night after I left. The thought sends a surge of anger through me, though I know I don’t have the right. My grip tightens on the glass, and I force myself to relax my hand before I shatter it. Instead, I bring it to my lips and down the rest of the drink in one large gulp. This time I barely feel the burn as it goes down. When the bartender comes over to ask me if I’d like another, I shake my head.
“Just a beer,” I say. “I’m sick of bourbon tonight.”
He nods and reaches down to grab a bottle from the well beneath the bar. As he sets it on the bar in front of me, I feel a hand on my shoulder.
“Who pissed in your cereal today?” Luke asks.
I turn to him, confused. “What do you mean?”
He shrugs. “You haven’t seemed like yourself tonight. You okay?”
