Читать книгу Lavish Loving - Zuri Day - Страница 15

Chapter 7

London looked at the phone, cold and silent in her hand. He hung up on me? The thought barely finished before her ringtone sounded. The words of her favorite song—Jan Baker’s “Who I Am”—blasted from the speaker, the words OTB Fashion showed on her screen.

“For someone wanting my services, that was not a good move.”

Ace chuckled, a low, sexy sound that made London’s kitty purr.

“I apologize. I’d just gotten home, and when I turned off the car my phone didn’t switch over. It normally does.”

“I guess I’ll forgive you...this time.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“Is it true? You want my body?”

“Yes.”

A pause, pregnant with possibilities and promises, followed his response.

“Then why were you acting all reserved in Temecula? I could have easily been your dessert last night.”

“I was speaking professionally. Our new line was designed with women like you in mind. My partners and I would very much like to make you the star model in the OTB Her fashion show.”

“So that’s the big secret you couldn’t share the other day. OTB is introducing a women’s line.”

“Not just a women’s line, but the embodiment of a woman’s attitude. It’s been in development for a while, a couple years, really, since its conception. But in being around you, I saw all the pieces come together. You embody the woman these clothes are designed for. When I suggested to my partners that you might not be booked up for fashion week, they couldn’t get to your agent fast enough.”

“Now I understand the gift of the flower.”

“What flower?”

“That stunning single Kinabalu orchid, and in a Baccarat vase, no less. Classy move, Mr. Montgomery. It doesn’t happen easily, but I’m impressed.”

“Wow. I’m tempted to keep my mouth shut and take the credit. But when the real person came forward I’d look like a dishonest fool.”

“You didn’t send the flower?” Discomfort replaced intrigue.

“No, London, I didn’t. Where was it delivered?”

“The hotel’s front desk. I called the bungalow, but you’d checked out already.”

“You must have made quite an impression on another hotel guest.”

“No. I stayed in one of my family’s private guesthouses. Was only in the hotel a couple times and tried to stay incognito. One guy recognized me, though. We took a selfie. Oh, well. I’ll call the hotel later and see what information I can get from them. Right now—” the flirty tone returned “—I’m trying to see what I can get from you.”

“You are a very tempting morsel, London. Even all these years later, I remember those nights we shared. But I’m no longer that promiscuous, impulsive man you met in London, the one for whom having sex was as common as eating lunch, and indulged in almost as often. These days, for me, it’s not so much about having sex as it is about making love.”

“So who is she?”

“Who?”

“The lucky woman who’s getting that love. And don’t tell me you’re celibate, because there is no way I’d believe you.”

“No, I’m not celibate. But I’m also no longer into casual sex. I don’t judge those who are—each to his own. But as I told you yesterday, my love affair has been with the secret you now know about... OTB Her. In one way or another, that’s how I’ve been spending my nights and weekends. My partners ordered me to Temecula for vacation. They were right. I was stressed the hell out. But now I know the real reason I ended up there. It was so I could run into you.”