Exception to the Rules (11 page)

“I’m sorry for that, but pleased you have some time today.”

“Yes, unfortunately, I have too much time. I have five changes, and no one can decide where to start. It’s always like this. They should just be quiet and let the lady call the shots.”

“You mean Gaea?”

“Yes. At least she has a plan. But everyone else wants to be the boss.”

“I guess so.”

“What’s your role in this three ring circus?”

Bas nodded at Gaea, who had turned to watch him and his new friend. “I’m with the lady who should be calling the shots.”

“Interesting.” Trisha studied Gaea for a long moment. “You two serious?”

“Yes, pretty serious.”

She turned back to him. “You have an open relationship?”

He laughed. “Thank you, but no, we don’t. We are exclusive.”

Trisha pouted, then lifted her hand to examine her nails. “Bummer. That sucks for me.”

Bas chuckled, but his attention was on Gaea. She didn’t look happy. Just then, Arnold came up behind her, and even from where Sebastian stood, he could see the hand inching around her waist.

Gaea stepped back as Bas rose. He headed straight for the pair, making sure his smile wasn’t a grimace. All he had to do was mark his territory, get Arnold to back off. He was a little surprised at how his animosity toward his jerk had grown. Bas didn’t want Arnold touching Gaea.

“Morning, Arnold.”

Arnold’s expression said it all. He wasn’t pleased to see Sebastian. Not even amused. “Um, yeah. Morning.”

Bas walked straight up to Gaea and said, “Honey, you’ve got a little something right on the corner of your mouth.” Then he touched her there, rubbing nothing away but making sure Arnold got the point.

He seemed to. The hand that had been on Gaea was now at his side. His blatant scowl reminded Sebastian of a kid that lived in his neighborhood. Spoiled rotten and not afraid to show it.

Bas leaned forward and gave Gaea a little kiss. A little something to seal the deal. It was supposed to be all for show, but the moment his lips touched hers, he forgot about Arnold and everyone else. It didn’t last long, but the kiss had repercussions. His entire body reacted, came to attention. Not just the lower half, either. It was like touching a live wire.

Well, that answered his question about how to approach tonight. He was going to bring out the heavy artillery, the more intimate, the better.

Sex wouldn’t ruin his project. It would just change it. Bas could deal with that.

Chapter Nine

Once the photo shoot was completed, Gaea exhaled deeply, relieving herself of all her tension and stress. No other work needed to be done until tomorrow afternoon when she’d have to go to the Reunion Tower and make sure the coordinator was on schedule. There would be a dessert-and-jazz shindig starting at eight, with the guests being more of the media, models and celebrities. Then she would have to meet with the coordinator for the fashion show to ensure that the final touches were what Marcella Girardi had requested.

She stood under the archway just hidden from the sun as Bas flagged down their driver. As soon as the car pulled up, he opened the door for her and she made her way through the remaining crew to climb in.

Once Sebastian was settled in next to her, he asked, “To dinner first, or the hotel?”

Gaea hadn’t thought much about eating, but now that he mentioned it, she found herself famished. “I’d like to freshen up and change.” She glanced at her watch, and it was just past five. “Maybe we could find something in an hour or two.”

“Sure thing,” He told the driver where to take them, then he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. It was a while until he spoke. “Nic? It’s Bas. Can you find a table for me and a friend in about an hour or so?” Nothing for a minute, then he smiled. “Good deal. See you soon?” As he hung up, his grin looked very self-satisfied.

“Where to?” she asked.

 “You’ll see.”

“You’re not going to make me dress up, are you?”

“Not after the long day you’ve had.”

“Okay then.”

She settled back for the ride to the hotel, twice as long with the heavy traffic. Soon the sounds outside the car window muted and faded as her tiredness took over. Gaea barely stirred as Bas closed the gap between them and placed his arm around her shoulder. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to rest her head on his shoulder, to feel the warmth of his breath on her temple, the gentle brush of his fingers against her arm.

He’d been the perfect escort, everything she could have wanted for the job. Arnold had been kept at a good distance, although every chance he got, he trapped her and grilled her about her relationship with Bas. It had been surprisingly easy to answer his questions, and by the end of the day she figured she’d made the significant headway. The only thing that had bothered her, aside from the ridiculous attitude of the photographer, had been her reaction to the models. Not when they’d been working, but when they’d hovered around Sebastian.

All
the women had, at one point or another, sat with him, chatted with him, laughed at his jokes. It looked as if Bas had been enjoying himself immensely, which shouldn’t have mattered in the least. But it did. Gaea had found herself more than once walking over to him, touching him the way he touched her when Arnold was near.

Sebastian was a free agent, and after this project was over, she had no claim to him. He could date whomever he wished, and geez, those women were about as beautiful as women get. Who could blame him for pursuing something with any of them? Each one seemed more interested than the last.

Finally, she’d asked Kallie to go sit with Bas, even though the request was selfish, as Kallie was all goo-goo-eyed over Dax. Dax seemed like a good guy, and from what Gaea had heard of their conversations, he’d been really sweet when it came to Kallie.

Gaea just hoped her assistant didn’t get her hopes up. It was a job for Dax, just as it was for Bas, and when it all came to an end, they would both walk off into their normal lives without a second thought about the two women they’d encountered because of this project.

She’d voiced that exact opinion to Kallie, who’d pretty much blown her off. The girl was infatuated. Dax was extremely good-looking, and any woman would have been flattered at the attention. But Kallie was a little too sweet and innocent for her own good, and Gaea was certain Kallie was going to be heartbroken for it.

Yet even that didn’t seem so important while curled up in the comfort of Sebastian’s arm. He smelled clean, wonderful, but with a hint of spice. His breath was sweetly peppermint, and it made her think of the gentle kiss he’d given her earlier.

It hadn’t been much of a kiss, nothing compared to the earthquake of last night, and yet she’d been thrilled by it, and for a long time after, her heart raced inside her chest. Obviously, this attraction wasn’t going away. In fact, each new day it grew deeper and more insistent. She felt quite certain in spite of his protests about his research, that something had to give, and give soon.

Gaea exhaled softly, and he hugged her to him. It felt as if she belonged there, as if she was safe. She tried to think if any man had made her feel like this, and came up blank. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing to let nature take its course. Unlike Kallie, she was a realist, and she knew that nothing was going to happen between them that would have a lasting impact. Gaea wouldn’t allow that. But at this stage of their arrangement, not sleeping with him was probably going to cause her more stress and grief then just giving in.

So give in, she would.

* * * *

The restaurant was packed, with a long line out to the curb, just as Bas had anticipated. But Nic, the maitre d, was an old friend and had never made him wait. Once the driver dropped them off, he took Gaea’s hand and lead her past the line all the way to the dining room entrance. There was Nic, looking very lovely in her form-fitting dress and fancy hairdo.

“Bas!”

“Hey, Nic.” They kissed each other on both cheeks, followed by a hug thrown in for good measure.

“It is wonderful to see you today,” she said. “You have to try the chicken and crab cake tonight. It’s a new recipe that is to die for.”

“Will do.” He introduced Gaea, and then Nic lead them to a quiet booth in a cozy corner. It was perfect.

After they were settled, and drinks had been ordered, Gaea turned to him. “Ex-girlfriend?”

“Who? Nic?” He shook his head. “Old friend. She used to be an old Navy Seal buddy of mine’s girlfriend. They broke up about two years ago, and I ended up getting closer to Nicole than Waide.”

“So that’s how you can get a reservation at Pescatore’s? Last time I heard, you have to be a local celebrity to get that kind of treatment.”

“Actually, more of a coincidence than anything else. I don’t have many connections here, and most of them are pretty obscure, but there are a few that have earned me major brownie points.”

“Like tonight?”

He just smiled. She looked so pretty in her purple blouse and cream-colored slacks. Like the restaurant, she wasn’t fancy on the outside, but she had the real goods. She’d handled the day lie a pro, and though he couldn’t tell anyone anything about fashion photography, he thought it had gone well.

“Are you going to try the chicken and crab cake?”

“If Nic recommends it, you can bet you won’t be disappointed.”

Gaea closed her menu and leaned back on the soft leather seat. “Okay then.”

As if signaled, the waitress came to the table and wrote down their orders. All Sebastian wanted was to be left alone with Gaea. Now that he had his wish, he hesitated. Instead of just coming out with his questions, he drank his wine and studied the crowd. There were quite a few people in attendance, and he thought a few of them had been at the party last night. Quite a few of the patrons were the movers and shakers of the city. Highland Park could seem like a tiny place at times. Especially when it came to the places that were “in” like Pescatore’s. Personally, it was the reason he didn’t venture out of Richardson often. His favorite little French joint was a few blocks from his home, and there was never a wait to get in.

“I’m surprised,” Gaea said.

“About what?”

“I figured you’d have asked me at least one embarrassing question by now.”

“I’m going to. I’m trying to decide how deeply to embarrass you. I mean, we don’t even have our starters yet.”

“So it gets worse by the course?”

“Worse? I’m not trying to make you suffer.”

She looked at him warily. “Really now? So asking about my deepest, darkest secrets is just a pleasant way to pass the time?”

“Well, it definitely beats idle chitchat.”

“I don’t know about that. We could talk about the environment.”

“Boring.”

“Weather?”

“Even worse.”

“Sports?”

“Unless I’m there in person or participating, I don’t care much for them.”

“Not even hockey?”

“Yawn.”

“Okay, how about the women in your life? That seems like a very interesting topic.”

“About dull as baseball, I’d say.”

“I doubt it.”

“You’d be wrong. But now that you bring it up, what about your love life?”

“What love life?”

“Nothing? Ever?”

“Nope. None.”

“Hard to believe.”

“It’s been intentional. You know—”

“Career before anything else.”

“Exactly.”

“But that doesn’t mean you’ve stopped having urges. Thoughts.” He leaned over, moving close enough that he could almost touch her ear. “Fantasies.”

“Ah, now we get down to what you’re truly after.”

“Exactly.”

She exhaled deeply as if it was all too humdrum, but even in the dimmed lighting at their booth, he could see the hint of a flush at the base of her throat.

“What do you want to know, Bas?”

“Let’s begin with urges.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Meaning?”

“Are they frequent? Do they come in cycles, like with the time of the month? Does someone you meet or something you see incite them?”

“Wow,” she murmured. “Here I was, concerned you might get too personal.”

He chuckled. “You have to admit, it’s an interesting way to get to know someone.”

“I think I’ll do some research of my own. Turn the tables on you, so to speak.”

“I have no problem with that. I’m an open book. But only after you’ve answered me.”

She sipped her drink, a cape cod, all the while scanning the room. Finally, just as he was going to nudge her, she faced him again. “The urges come and go, and I’ve never really thought much about what causes them. The urges do seem to come in cycles, but some months are worse than others. And yes, sometimes I will meet someone, or I’ll see a movie that sparks the flame, but it’s nothing that can’t be controlled.”

“What do you do about them?”

“Give me a break!”

“Come on, Gaea. It’s just research.”

“This is beyond research. This is pure torment.”

“Have another drink. Then share.”

“Okay. Okay. I...” She cleared her throat. “I pleasure myself.”

“Wonderful.”

“I didn’t know my answers would be graded.”

“You’re not. It’s just that I figured you’d be in charge in that area as well.”

“I’m not certain what you mean by that.”

“You’re a woman who has her stuff together, and you’ve made some hard decisions. I couldn’t imagine you not dealing with your sexuality in the same way.”

“Thank you. I think.”

“Definite compliment.”

“My libido thanks you as well.”

Sebastian moved his leg so their thighs touched. She sat up straighter, but didn’t shy away. Which meant he wasn’t pushing her too hard. Yet.

“Do you use a vibrator?”

“Oh, God.”

“Don’t start. You knew what you were getting into.”

“Actually, I didn’t. But okay. I’ll answer, but only because we have an agreement.”

“Excellent. So, dildo? Vibrator? Hand?”

“Sometimes, yes, and yes.”

He nodded, trying to appear as a professional researcher and not a horn dog who had a hard-on that could help build a house. “Any preference?”