When she couldnt form an immediate answer, he nodded a quick goodbye. See you at this afternoons meeting.
Once hed gone, Olivia exhaled in frustration and self-disgust. There was no good reason for her mind to have gone blank and her pulse to have jumped. Yes, he was incredible-looking, but so what? Her last boyfriend had been a model, and a very clear lesson that the insides werent always as attractive as the outside suggested.
Still, something about JustinDont think of him as Justin. Think of him as Mr. Hawthorne. Or the photographer. Or even that guy. The less personal, the better.
They did have something in common, though. While she hadnt been able to afford any of the paintings, Rebirth was a favorite series of hers, too. But shared admiration of an artist was no reason to lust after a co-worker she hardly knew. Co-worker. She clung to the steadying reminder that theyd be working together.
Securing her promotion required consummate professionalism, not drooling over Jthat guy.
STACCATO high-heeled footsteps and accompanying feminine voices passed through the hall outside the Human Resources office, where Justin was completing personnel paperwork. One woman laughed, and the unabashed husky sound held just the right note of mischief to pique his interest. She sounded like someone who knew how to have fun.
Turning in his chair, he glanced through the open door and did a double take when he saw Olivia Lockhart. She stood waiting for the elevator with an attractive black woman, chuckling at something her friend had said. So much for first impressions.
When Olivia had first looked up at him this morning, hed experienced a slash of desireher clear gray eyes were a striking contrast to her jet-black hair and full red lipsbut as beautiful as she was, shed also seemed aloof. Hed wondered at the time if Olivia was always so withdrawn, or if shed objected to something about him specifically. She certainly didnt seem withdrawn now.
Her quick grin and earthy laugh heightened the attraction hed felt earlier, and he watched her enter the elevator, appreciating the way her dark skirt hugged shapely hips. Between his line of work and having two younger sisters, Justin had run into a number of females who were dedicated to the pursuit of a stick figure. Personally, Justin liked women who were shaped like women. Olivias curves were damn near perfect.
Almost finished? The assistant HR manager, Kate Ames, tugged his thoughts away from Olivia and back to work. A young brunette with wavy hair and a bright smile, Kate had been nothing but friendly.
He nodded. Just about.
Two questions left, and hed be a certified employee of Sweet Nothings. Excitement pulsed through him, not just because of the jobalthough what was not to love about photographing lingerie models?but because of what this career change represented. For almost seven years, hed dutifully put his wants and needs, from occupational choices to his love life, on hold. Hed taken on responsibilities hed never expected, but now it was time to reclaim his life, be a little selfish. To begin with, hed make up for the too many nights hed slept alone. There were dozens of hot women out there, and he wanted to meet as many of them as possible.
Still, despite his enthusiasm over the new job, he had trouble refocusing on his paperwork. Which was the real Olivia: the coolly contained woman hed encountered earlier, or the woman hed watched in the hall, the one with the hint of wickedness in her laugh?
I DONT KNOW how you do it, Meg Jansen said.
Ignoring the enticing scent of her friends French fries, Olivia picked at her salad. If youd seen me in high school, youd know how I do it. The willpower had been hard-earned, but worth it.
This is whats wrong with my love life. Outside of finally ending a long-standing affair with Ben and Jerry, when it came to men, Olivia hadnt found the self-discipline to replace the decadent with the nutritious. Men like Sean fell into the dessert categoryno matter how tempting they were, they werent healthy in the long run.
Meg shook her head sadly. All your attention to a well-balanced diet and getting up every morning to jogthat cant be good for you. Though Megs own curves ran toward the ample side, she was beautiful, dark-skinned with a close cap of short curls that accentuated her high cheekbones and wide hazel eyes, and she was at ease with her body in a way Olivia envied.
No fries, her friend continued. Never any dessert. You dont smoke. Jeanie says now no men, either? Tell me you have some vice I dont know about, or Im gonna worry about you just snapping one day.
So if I said I was a shopaholic, or drank martinis every afternoon, youd feel better?
Much. Repression is not healthy.
Martinis are?
Maybe, maybe notlets discuss it over a round of drinks.
Olivia laughed. Id love to, but this afternoon is one of Steves meetings.
In that case, wed better order two rounds. Honest to God, that man can talk longer and say less than anyone Ive ever met. Meg swabbed another fry through ketchup. Are you really going on a no-men kick?
A kick that would be easier to uphold without Justin Hawthorne around. His smile had been plaguing her all morning. Okay, his smile and the first-rate buns shed ogled when hed turned and left her office.
Not forever. And Im not giving up all men, just a certain type. Sean lasted longer than the guy before him, but in the end Olivia speared a crouton on her fork with a crunch.
She wouldnt say she was brokenhearted, exactly; the sting of finding Sean in bed with Candace had been more like a deep and unexpected paper cut. But the humiliation alone was something shed never wish on another person, the embarrassment of having wrongly trusted, the paranoia of wondering how long it had been going on and whether or not theyd laughed at her.
If she hadnt loved Sean, shed at least thought they were working toward that possibility. During their six months together, his publicly flirtatious manner had sometimes bothered her, but hed said it was just part of his professional persona. So shed ignored her instincts, swayed by the argument that she was misjudging him based on previous bad apples. Turned out he was a lot like other McIntoshes and Granny Smiths shed known.
Well, no man was making a fool of her again.
Youre better off without him, Meg said quietly.
Hey, Im just glad it happened when it did. A couple days later, I wouldnt have been able to return his Valentines Day gift for a full refund.
Meg ignored the attempted joke. Not all men are like that.
But I pick the ones who are. Right, and Im going to look for a completely different type of man. Just not yet. You know I want the design promotion, so as soon as I get back from vacation
The doomed vacation?
Not doomed, postponed.
Originally, Olivia and Sean had planned to go to the remote Pacific island resort of Kaokara together, but had rescheduled because hed been sick. When she thought of how shed taken the rat fink her homemade chicken noodle soup. Olivia had been forced to reschedule again when a last-minute crisis arose at work. Now she planned to take the trip alone, needing the tropical rest and relaxation more than ever.
I reconfirmed my flight this morning. The minute that shoot in South Carolina is wrapped up, I am out of here. Mentioning the beach assignment reminded Olivia of the startling switch in photographers. Hey, did you know Freds sister was sick?
I reconfirmed my flight this morning. The minute that shoot in South Carolina is wrapped up, I am out of here. Mentioning the beach assignment reminded Olivia of the startling switch in photographers. Hey, did you know Freds sister was sick?
I heard she needs an operation. Her prognosis is great, but Freds going down for a little while to help with her kids. What brought that up?
The new photographer, Justin Hawthorne. Hes being officially introduced at the meeting this afternoon. He dropped by my office earlier to let me know hes going with me Wednesday. Met him yet?
Nope, I was tied up on the phone all morning with modeling agencies. Is he anything like Fred?
They could not be more different. Unfortunately. I mistook him for one of your guys gone astray.
Meg arched an eyebrow. Hes as attractive as our male models?
Better. Close enough.
Oh, good, new eye candy! Meg leaned back with a grin. Maybe this afternoons meeting wont be so boring after all.
Not sharing her friends enthusiasm, Olivia smiled weakly. After a brief dating fast, she was going to change her waysstop dating yummy heartbreakers and find a nice reliable man and a healthy relationship, the romantic equivalent of salad. She didnt need the temptation of walking pieces of chocolate like Justin Hawthorne.
2
OLIVIA WAS somewhat dismayed that, as soon as she set foot in the conference room, her gaze went to Justin in spite of the other people present. She barely saw Meg point out the seat shed saved or noted that the side table actually held herbal tea today. Normally, there was just coffee, another one of Olivias nonvices.
Instead of paying attention to any of that, her eyes followed Justin. It was as if the meeting were being captioned in the same romanticized style as their upscale catalog. Although casually attired in dark denim and a white button-down shirt, there was nothing casual about the intimacy of his warm smile.
She blinked. Good thing she had that vacation coming up.
Standing at the head of the table, wearing a tie that made one wonder how hed landed a job in the fashion world, Steve Reynolds smiled. Liv, youre here. Great, we can get started.
As someone who had spent the fourth grade as Big Liv, she despised the nickname Liv, but not enough to remind her promotion-wieldingor withholdingboss.
People began taking seats around the dark oval table, and Steve pointed toward the still-standing Justin. Everyone, this is Justin Hawthorne, the newest member of our team. We were lucky enough to steal him from Hilliard. Liv, hell be your photographer for the swimsuit spread. Justin Hawthorne, meet Olivia Lockhart.
Olivia opened her mouth to tell Steve that shed met the photographer, but Justin cut her off.
Nice to officially make your acquaintance. He took her hand and she almost jumped, surprised by the contact and by how immediately his skin warmed hers.
He pulled his fingers away, but the heat of his touch remained. Her pulse quickened, and Olivia sat down, harboring high hopes for the calming effects of the chamomile tea Meg pushed toward her.
Steve began the meeting with his customary call for new ideas, which he preempted with his own. To his credit, Steve often had wonderful ideas, but was it really necessary to pause at studied intervals so his underlings could fawn over his brilliance? Olivia had learned that the best way to get along with her boss was to tune him out the majority of the time. Listening with half an ear for anything that might apply to her, she let her attention wander.
Unfortunately, it wandered to Justin Hawthorne two chairs down, to his smile and the brush of his hand against hers. She tried to recall what hed smelled like, but shed been so overwhelmed by his touch that she hadnt had time to notice. Expensive cologne? A simple aftershave? Soap?
His grin was killer, and she tried to imagine his laugh. Deep, probably. A sexy rumble of amusement.
She sighed. Didnt she ever learn? When a man looked like sin in jeans, it was best to stay far away from him, not dwell on his mouth, or the color of his eyes, which were the green of very deep water off Floridas Emerald Coast.
Okay, she was fine now. She just needed to concentrate on something patently unsexy to combat Justins appeal and the boredom of this meeting. Aha! Her clogged sink, filled with brown gunk that morning because something had come up through the pipes and the super hadnt come in to fix it before she left for work. Problem solved.
with Justin and Olivia.
At the sound of her name, Olivias gaze shot to her boss.
The two of you can discuss concepts and location on the drive up.
She and Justin would be riding together, staying at the same hotel. In two very separate rooms, she reminded herself, annoyed by her juvenile twinge of excitement. Plus, the models and crew would be there. Nothing cozy about the setting at all.
Liv, I liked your preliminary layout descriptions. Just make sure you and Justin are on the same page and that we get what we need.
She had great ideas she couldnt wait to use for promoting their new line of swimwear. Of course, none of those ideas came to mind just now. She was sidetracked by images of her and her photographer, alone on a romantic beach. What was that old movie where the couple kissed as waves crashed over them?
Telling herself sand was more gritty than sexy, Olivia dutifully fixated on her broken sink. A new picture flashed behind her eyes: Justin standing in her kitchen, clothed only in a pair of jeans and a toolbelt.
Then Steve mentioned that the South Carolina trip had been moved to Thursday, and she completelywell, partially, anywayforgot about a shirtless Justin in her apartment.
Moved to Thursday? She couldnt finish the two-day shoot in time to catch her Friday flight. No one mentioned that to me.
It was just decided, Steve explained impatiently. Justin cant go Wednesday.
B-but I leave for my vacation Friday. It wasnt as though flights to the small island left Hartsfield every day; who knew when she could arrange the next one? With the fashion show coming up, shed been lucky to squeeze in time off now.
Steve shrugged. So youll take your vacation some other time. I know it can be rescheduled because youve already done it for us once. And we appreciate what a team player you are, Liv.
The veiled threat didnt escape her. Team players got promoted. People who balked at rescheduling got passed over and were forever doomed to small offices with no windows.
When the interminable meeting finally ended, Olivia and her co-workers slunk from the room to return to their offices and rediscover their wills to live. She had just made it inside her own office when Justin surprised her, asking from her doorway, Are they always like that?
Long and boring? Yep. Steve is Mentally, she clapped a hand over her mouth.
Complaining with Meg at lunch away from the office was one thing. Saying something derogatory about management here, in front of someone she didnt even know, was stupid. Normally, she didnt make workplace faux pas, but shed been distracted all day.
The reason for her distraction stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. When he bypassed the two upholstered chairs available in favor of leaning casually on the corner of her desk, she discovered that he smelled like a maddening mixture of denim, spicy cologne and male.