Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
“Of course.” She read through it and filed them. We worked through the rest of the evening.
“So are you planning on delivering the payment directly to her?”
“The check will come from the ad agency so I can’t give it to her unless I pick it up, but I plan on showing her the photos and video before they go live.”
“Good. I think that’s a great idea.” She smirked suspiciously.
“What’s that about?”
“I saw the shoot too, you know.”
“And?”
“I’m just wondering if I will be asked to be the godmother when those pretty little babies start popping out.” I laughed hard. “What? Are you trying to tell me that we were imagining the raw chemistry burning up the sheets? I swear I was fanning myself and had to leave the room for a moment. You’re my boss, after all.”
There was no point in denying the chemistry or anything between Ava and myself. I planned on plenty of babies. I hoped my little sugary Ava was up for it because as soon as the thought landed in my brain, it took root. “Stop. And the whole godmother thing will have to be up to Ava too.”
“Oh, I’m sure she’ll say yes.” She winked and then got out of her chair and walked back over to her desk, smiling like she won when I was the one who really won.
When I finally got home, I tossed a pizza in the oven and then jumped in the shower. My local spot packed frozen pizzas for me to toss in the oven. I kept two in my freezer at all times, just in case. There were many nights that I worked late and needed a quick meal, and they did the trick.
By the time I went to bed, it was well after midnight, and I had to be back in the office early to check on my systems and meet with my staff.
Chapter Six
Ava
The entire weekend passed by in a blur, and I hadn’t heard a peep out of James. I supposed I should have expected it. I was just a silly girl who got a taste of a rich guy’s desire. Monday morning had been shit, and I worked for a truly cranky boss. Seriously, he was more on edge than before. I was home long enough to change into a pair of leggings, leaving my button-up on and was rolling up the sleeves when the doorbell rang.
When I checked it, a man in a suit stood there, fixing his cuffs and then running his hand through his hair. He looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure who he was. I opened the door slightly, and he smiled and said, “Hello. You must be Ava Kelly, correct?”
My eyes narrowed. “I am. Do I know you?”
“I apologize. My name is Henry Keaton. You did the photo shoot with my ad agency. You must have worked with my brother, James.” That explained the familiarity, the family resemblance, although James was insanely better looking than his brother. There was something about Henry that gave me pause.
“Oh. Yes, yes.”
He lifted up an envelope with my name on it. “I came to drop off your check and show you the photos. Do you have some time to go over them?”
“I do, actually. Would you like to come in?” I asked.
“That would be great.” I stepped aside and opened the door all the way to let him inside. Once he came in, I peeked out front, but it was dark and cold so I shut the door before I caught a chill. Locking it, I led him into the living room.
“Please have a seat.” I pointed to my small sofa that just fit in my tiny space. Since I lived alone, I didn’t need a large apartment, so I spent more on quality rather than square footage.
“Where is James, by the way?”
“He’s busy right now. Probably chasing some other model around; it’s kind of his thing,” he answered with an apologetic shrug.
My heart sank in my chest, but I tried not to react. “Yeah, kind of figured he’d lie about that.”
He frowned, giving me a sincerely apologetic sigh. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry. Did you guys have something going on?” he asked.
I smiled, shaking my head. “No, we didn’t. It was only the photo shoot that we worked on together. May I see the photos now?”
“Absolutely.” He opened his tablet and then quickly pulled up files. They were shared from Claude Rene. “Here you go. Claude indicated that these have been touched up and are the ones he recommends for the ads.” Each of the images on his tablet are stunning.
“These are, wow—amazing.”
“Well, you’re a natural beauty, and Claude is fantastic. These are going to be a hit when they launch tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? That’s fast,” I gasped. The news nearly knocked the wind out of me.