AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But where did you go to school? You didn’t even do a play?”
Megan felt the stillness of his body, knew that he was searching for an answer that would satisfy Didi but not reveal his past. She surreptitiously eased next to him, hoping the pressure of her shoulder on his would give him support.
“I was a late bloomer,” he said, then looked at Megan. “That is right?”
Had he just exaggerated his accent? Would he really pretend his English was worse than it was to deflect questions? “Yes, that’s right,” she said reassuringly.
“I guess that explains it,” Didi said, though she didn’t sound pleased. “Well, get on it. Next time you go back, tell me. I have a director I want you to meet.”
Alessandro bowed. “That is very kind of you.”
“Over here, please?” a voice asked, and Didi said, “Yes, we have to preserve this moment!” and they turned, a camera flashed, and Megan prayed she and Alessandro looked normal. Then Didi was waving her fingers at them and saying, “I’ll see you around, Megan. Say hi to your delicious brother from me,” and, thankfully, she left, because Megan wondered if her champagne might come back up.
“I donotwant to think of her and Kane in—in—” she spluttered. But quietly.
Alessandro laughed, a relieved sound, and his shoulders relaxed. “I understand. Let’s go home before Mohammed drags us out all night.”
♦
Chapter 21
Yasmin’s office building was the ugliest thing Megan had ever seen. Brutalism schmootalism. It shouldn’t have been allowed in this city. But Megan had to get through a security guard to get into Yasmin’s office suite.
Yasmin’s office itself was the opposite of the building: modern, clean, shot through with gold and blue accents, showing her success while at the same time reassuring her clients she didn’t spend all their hard-earned money on tchotchkes.
“So, what can I do for you?” Yasmin asked, pulling out a chair for Megan. “Coffee?”
“Not right now,” Megan said. She was mollified by the industrial coffee machine in the corner. The woman wasn’t above making her clients coffee, at least. “We have to talk about this clothing issue.”
Yasmin sighed and sat behind her desk, steepling her fingers and looking past them at Megan. “Yes. We do.”
Megan knew what that meant. “Look, I know what you’re going to say. You know this town. You know this business. I haven’t done red carpet events of this scale. You have a narrative to uphold about Alessandro and me, and I need to dress for that narrative. East Coast, West Coast. Blueblood versus immigrant.”
Yasmin inclined her head. “Just so.”
“Right.” Megan reached for the tips of her hair and tossed them over her shoulder. “I will do all that. I will make Alessandro look as good as I possibly can while staying quiet and out of the limelight.” Yasmin opened her mouth, but Megan barreled on.
“But I willnotwear clothes I haven’t chosen myself. It would be counterproductive to your job, Alessandro’s, and mine. I would be uncomfortable, awkward, and self-conscious. The team that came to his house yesterday were professionals, and they did everything right. Except ask me what I wanted to wear. I’m not going to be in that position again. You know this business, but I know fashion. I know what looks good on me, and that is what I’m going to wear.”
Yasmin looked at her for a long moment. Megan, the adrenaline pumping her heart faster and faster, lifted her chin. She was not going to apologize for this, not make herself smaller to fit into someone else’s vision.
“Have you ever thought about writing a book?” Yasmin said.
“I—what?”
“A book. You know, pages. Pictures. I think you have a book in you.”
The adrenaline began to send heat into her cheeks. “What on earth would I write a book about?” Yasmin must have mistaken her for another client.
“Fashion. Advice for young kids on staying true to themselves. Not following the pack.”
Megan’s determined chin dropped. “I thought you liked the pack.”
“Oh, honey.” Yasmin shook her head. “We really need to have lunch. I know you got kinda thrown into this. We didn’t have time to set up a decent brand launch for you and ’Sandro. We would have gone through all this. Everything just happened too fast.”
Megan coughed at the idea of being a “brand.” Especially of her and Alessandro’s relationship being one. But what had she done with Kane’s image for the last two years? What had she seen him do all throughout his career? Branding.
She let out the breath she’d taken in to blast Yasmin with. “That is true. You don’t know me. And I don’t know you. And you took me on as a client anyway.”
