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"Will you do the same?"
She nodded.
"No nightmares?"
"None."
"Good. I would not want you to have them when I am not there to hold you."
"Neither would I. You are starting to grow on me."
He smiled. "The feeling is mutual. Goodnight darling."
"Goodnight."
She hung up and sat there staring at shadows, realizing that she had not eaten yet and it was almost ten. But she did not want food, she wanted him. And it was scaring the crap out of her.
*****
“I don’t need an assistant; I have one at the office and that’s good enough for me," she told the woman firmly. She was a little stretched and to make things worse, she had not been able to sleep after that particular evocative session with Jaylen. She was putting it on her calendar to kill him as soon as he returned.
“And you need someone to coordinate your wardrobe.” Brandy eyed her chic navy-blue pantsuit critically. “It seems to me that you just grabbed something from the closet and you are not wearing makeup.”
“I hardly wear makeup and I carefully selected this outfit from the closet. I am not a damn society princess.”
“You are married to an international model who has the most magazine covers under his belt. That’s quite an accomplishment. I know most people think that modeling is a walk in the park and does not take much brain power but your husband went to Harvard, has degrees in business and foreign policy.
He speaks Italian, French, Spanish, and Greek and has a working knowledge of Chinese. He is a bright spark and works damn hard to make things happen. He is sensitive and completely not an asshole. He treats people like people. He is not some rich entitled prick.”
“Well.” Anika huffed out a breath. She had to admit that it felt good hearing the woman waxed almost poetic about him. And she felt proud and fuzzy inside. She had known he was not just a very pretty face because she had read up on him and had heard him speaking Italian while they had been in the pub.
“Just saying.” Brandy clicked something on her iPad. She was a big-boned woman in her late forties with brightly dyed red hair that somehow managed to look good on her. Her skin was golden brown, and her eyebrows thick and black. Her light blue eyes showed that she was not afraid of anything or anyone.
“And you have more than a mild crush on him.”
She guffawed a laugh. “I am not blind honey. That man, your husband is delicious.” She eyed Anika critically. “You are a beautiful woman, flawless skin and that figure. You don’t need enhancements, but you will be photographed frequently.”
“I will try my best not to disgrace my husband," she told the woman dryly.
“I cannot persuade you to let me hire someone?”
“What about you?”
“Me?”
“Yes. You.” Anika picked up her glass of fruit juice and took a sip. They were having lunch at Luce’s and she had seen several reporters lurking around. No doubt it will be reported that she was spotted having lunch with Jaylen’s assistant. People are weird when it comes to celebrities or those associated with them.
“You are Jaylen’s assistant. He actually trusts you and told me that you are his right hand or arm or whatever the hell the term is. I am busy—my job is demanding and I am now married to an international model.
I cannot get a freaking cup of coffee without being stopped by people wanting to know what kind of magic wand I waved to get him to marry me. It pisses me off.
But I am embracing it.” She eyeballed a few women staring at her from a table a few weeks ago. “Exactly my point. I bet they are whispering about me. Not that I give a damn—"She turned to look at Brandy to see the woman grinning from ear to ear. “What’s so damn funny?”
“You are going to do very well. And yes, I can divide my time between you and Jay.” She made a note on her device. “The compensation side of things will be handled by his accountant. I will select the appropriate outfit for you to wear on the upcoming program.”
She made another notation. “There are also several functions coming up. There is the press party for the new line featuring your husband.
He is going to be the star of that function, even though those things really make him uncomfortable.” She sent Anika a wry smile. “For a man who looks like that and who is in the spotlight the entire time, he is kinda shy and retiring.”
