The constant flash from the camera was giving me a headache. I couldn’t wait until I got the break I needed to become an actress. A successful actress. There were millions of actresses, but only a select few ever achieved the status I wanted. For now, I was modeling. The career had paid the bills since I was a teenager, but it was time to do something different.
“Great job, Hailey,” the photographer, Carl, said. “Let’s do a series with you beside the bike since Brittany can’t figure out how to look sexy.”
I climbed off the bike, giving the young new model, Brittany, a comforting smile. “You’re doing fine. Don’t listen to him.”
She nodded her head. I could see the disappointment in her eyes. I was like her when I first started. Too many photographers were obnoxious and rude. They didn’t treat models like human beings. They treated us like objects to be posed and manipulated to their will.
“She’s not doing fine,” the surly man snapped. “I’m going to have to retake all those shots. She looked stiff as a board.”
“Carl, she’s doing great,” I argued.
Carl shrugged before turning toward his assistants. “Turn those fans down! They’re supposed to look like they’re riding outdoors, not in a hurricane. I want to emphasize the clothing, not the hair.”
The makeup person stepped in, powdering my nose while another woman attacked my curly blond hair, teasing it and spraying it even more than it already was. It was going to take me a week to get the crap out of my hair. The wind-blown look always meant a gallon of hairspray.
“Is he always like this?” Brittany asked.
I let out a long sigh. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“Does he do all the shoots for the ad company?”
I laughed. “Not that I know of. I’ve only been the face of this campaign, so I couldn’t say for sure.”
“How long have you worked with him?” she asked, climbing on the old-fashioned looking bike that was acting as a prop against the green screen. I had hoped to do an outdoor shoot for the latest line of exercise wear from the company, but Carl hated the outdoor shoots. He said he couldn’t control Mother Nature.
“Years,” I said. “He does a lot of the active wear company photos.”
She nodded her head. “I’ve seen you in a lot of those sports ads and in Sports Illustrated. I can’t believe I’m actually working with you. I’ve looked up to you since I was a kid.”
I grimaced. “You’re making me feel old. How old are you?” I was afraid to hear the answer.
“I just turned eighteen, which is why my mom isn’t here. Usually, she runs interference with some of the more overzealous photographers.”
I nodded my head. “You’re lucky to have had her. You know, she can come with you to these shoots if you’re more comfortable with that.”
She shook her head. “No, I want to do this on my own. How old were you when you started?”
“Fifteen—too young to be doing it on my own.”
“And you’re twenty-eight now?”
“Yep. I’m about aged out of the modeling world.”
“Are you two ladies done chatting?” Carl sniped, his hand on his hips.
“Why don’t we take five?” I asked, knowing he really couldn’t deny my request. “I’d like to get a drink.”
When Carl looked as if he would protest, I shot him a look. I wasn’t a diva, but I would not tolerate much more.
“Take three. I want to get this done!”
I grabbed Brittany’s hand and pulled her toward the refreshment table. “It gets better,” I promised.
She nodded her head. “I’m trying. Are you getting ready to quit? Is that why I got this job?”
“You’re doing fine. It takes a lot of practice to get truly comfortable. I will tell you, the photographer plays a huge role in how comfortable you are. Carl is difficult. He’s an excellent photographer, and he does great work, but he is a jerk. And I don’t think I’m going to quit. It’s just the way things are. I don’t mind. I’m ready to move on to something else.”
She smiled. “I was so excited to get this job. When I found out I would be working with Hailey Hollis, I couldn’t believe it.”
I flashed her a warm smile. “Thank you. That is very flattering. Trust me, everyone is nervous starting out. There will be jobs like this from time to time. If you are ever not comfortable with the way you are being asked to pose, say something. Your agent will take care of the details. Try and relax and have fun.”
She took a drink of the flavored water and nodded. “Thank you for being so nice.”
“You’re welcome. When we’re done, I’ll leave you my number. If you’re ever having any problems or you just want to talk, you call me.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course. Us girls have to stick together. You ready to finish this? I don’t know about you, but I could use a big fat cheeseburger!”
Her eyes bulged out of her head. “A cheeseburger! You’re going to eat a cheeseburger?”
I laughed. “Yes, I am. I’ll put in extra time on the treadmill.”
“Three minutes are up, Hailey!” I heard Carl shout.
“Duty calls,” I said, groaning.
Together, we walked onto the set and got back to work. It went much better. Carl was much kinder and more patient, which made for a far more productive shoot. Once we were finished, I changed into my comfortable jeans and a T-shirt before taking off the fake eyelashes and the first layer of makeup. I wasn’t a fan of the makeup, but it was a necessary evil for the camera. It was all very tasteful and designed to look like I wasn’t wearing any makeup at all. I did my best to run a brush through my normally curly hair before heading over to the orphanage to see my best friend, Mandy Kane.
Hailey“Hey, you,” she said when I walked into the rec room where she was surrounded by a small group of kids at a large circular table.“Hailey!” several of them shouted, running to wrap their arms around me.“Hi, guys!” I greeted each and every one of them with a hug.“What brings you by?” Mandy asked.I shrugged a shoulder, looked at the kids and then her. She gave me a subtle nod, understanding it wasn’t a child-appropriate conversation.“I wanted to come by and see some of my most favorite people in the world,” I said with a smile.Mandy grinned. “Thank you. You know how much they appreciate your visits. Guys, I think Hailey wants to make one of our beaded necklaces.”The group erupted into cheers, which always made me feel good. I loved being able to brighten their days a bit.The kids in this group ranged in age from five to ten. Some were recently orphaned, while a few had been orphaned shortly after birth. They had never known what it was like to have a loving mother and fath
TerranIt was the typical Monday morning with my secretary going over my calendar for the week. As usual, it was packed full of meetings with potential clients and the ad execs in charge of the various clients. I always had a lot of balls in the air, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I liked being busy. Busy meant job security for myself and the hundred people I employed.“You have the meeting with the model for the sportswear company later today,” Lena said. “Do you need her file?” I shook my head. “No.”The phone rang, and she answered it from my own desk, which felt a little strange, but she would have slapped my hand away if I tried to answer my own phone.“Just a moment please,” she said, pushing a button and returning the phone to its cradle.“Who is it?” I asked, watching her gather her things.“Your father’s attorney. He says it’s important.”I groaned. That couldn’t be good. “Thank you, Lena.”She stopped at the door and smiled. “Let me know if you need anything,” she sa
TerranBob cleared his throat. “It isn’t just the inheritance you stand to lose. He owned a majority share in your company. If you don’t meet his requirements, he has demanded the company be dissolved, with stockholders getting their investments back.”My mouth fell open. “It’s my company!”Bob shook his head. “Your father was a silent partner. He put up the capital and still owned a majority of the company. I mistakenly believed his shares reverted to you on his death. They have not. You will lose the company and your inheritance if you do not marry within the next six months or be close to marrying by then.”“Bullshit,” I argued. “I built that company. His investment wasn’t even a fraction of what the company is worth now.” “Which will make some shareholders very happy when they get a fat check. Their investment will have proven to be a worthy one.”I shook my head. “He can’t do this. It’s my company.”Bob slid a piece of paper across his desk. “I’m sorry. Legally he can, and he ha
HaileyThe butterflies dancing in my stomach were making me jittery.I was used to walking runways, but walking into the building of the ad company that had helped launch my modeling career to the next level was nerve-wracking. I knew I was on the older end of the modeling spectrum. My days as a model were numbered. Few models got to keep working into their thirties. It wasn’t exactly fair, but it was the business. Maybe they were going to tell me my contract was being tossed out the window because I was too old. I wasn’t what they were looking for, or I was too difficult to work with. My own insecurities had offered up a litany of reasons for the rather sudden meeting.I was meeting with the CEO, which was only making me more nervous. Terran Maddox had a very colorful reputation. I knew of him vaguely but had never been all that interested in getting to know more about him. I was convinced he was like the rest of the men who were wealthy and held positions of power. That was not the
HaileyI let my guard down. He was a professional and technically one of my bosses, I assumed. “I’m good. How are you?” I extended my hand.He grinned, taking my hand in his before bringing the back of it to his lips for a too-long kiss. “Better now, thanks to you. I’m Marty, by the way. It’s very nice to meet you.” His friendly smile turned into one of pure lechery, making my skin crawl.“Good to meet you, Marty,” I said, ignoring his attempt to flatter me while pulling my hand back.“What brings a gorgeous woman like you here today? It isn’t often we are blessed with a woman of your beauty.”I politely laughed at his attempt to flirt while taking a step back. “I was just here for a meeting with Mr. Maddox.”“Oh, how’d that go?” he asked, the smile still in place, but his eyes began to wander.“It didn’t. He isn’t in.” I did my best to remain friendly, but his roving eyes were starting to piss me off.“Oh, that’s too bad. I have some free time. I can get us a couple of coffees, and w
TerranI hadn’t been able to think of anything else except my father’s demands. I would lose everything. He hadn’t given me a choice. He was making me marry someone I couldn’t possibly love. In his attempt to give me that happiness he was convinced I was missing out on, he was damning me to a miserable life of being trapped in a marriage I didn’t want. How could he have possibly thought that was better than a lifetime of being single?I felt physically ill. The stress over what had to be done was disrupting my ability to think straight. No matter how much I tried to think of anything else, everything seemed to come back to my father’s will. Going to work, I realized I could soon be out of a job. Sitting behind my desk reminded me it could all be gone in six short months. I felt like my entire life was about to crumble beneath me. The morning passed in a blur. I barely remembered the meetings, only the mention of things being shuffled around, and my earlier appointment would be later
TerranZach looked thoughtful for a second. “I don’t know. Maybe five, ten percent of the money you are supposed to get?” That seemed like a lot of money. “I guess that’s fair.”“I can’t ask a woman who already has money. She’ll have no motivation to keep up the ruse.”“Ask someone who doesn’t have money.”“And how do I find that person?” I asked, frustrated. “Am I supposed to go around asking every woman how much money she has in her bank account?” “Probably not a good idea. You meet a woman, talk to her, get an idea of her background, and make assumptions from there.”I nodded my head, the idea sounding better and better. “She needs to be around my age and attractive. Bob will never believe the story if I show up with anything other than that.”Zach was grinning. “This is going to be fun. Now, where should we start looking? How about the waitress?”I shook my head. “I don’t know. I can’t go around asking just anybody if they want to participate in a scheme to get money. I need to
HaileyFew men had ever made me feel all warm and bubbly inside, but Terran Maddox had just joined the ranks of those men. He was gorgeous.Before our meeting, I knew who he was and had seen his picture a few times, but his reputation had always kept me from being even remotely interested. Now, I could see why women flocked to him. The man’s looks rivaled those of the most handsome Hollywood star. With his long black hair and roguish charm, Terran was the gold standard of hotness. I was dangerously close to drooling all over the man.I sat across from him and couldn’t stop staring. I had to do a quick mental check to make sure I wasn’t panting. He was that good looking. Mouth-watering.I wasn’t sure how I could have such a visceral attraction to a man and think of sex when I had never been intimate with anyone. I didn’t know what making love felt like, but for some crazy reason, I wanted this man in ways I had never experienced. One thick lock of black hair had fallen forward, framing