Raw Deal (Beauty for Ashes: Book One) (32 page)

He was still on about his wealth! “Well, I want neither,” I retorted.

Dan looked amused. “You’re such a fireball. By the way, calm down. I’m not looking at your legs anyway.”

I glared at him. “The light is green.”

***

Room 101
was one of those ‘see and be seen’ places. As we were shown to our table, I began to think that coming here was a big mistake. What were Dan and I going to talk about for two hours while the waiters took their time bringing the food? And if Carl found out he’d never believe that it was innocent. And maybe it wasn’t innocent. Who knew what I wanted deep down? Maybe I subconsciously wanted to be with Dan, and I just wasn’t admitting it.

We ordered drinks, and Dan leaned back in his seat and observed me through narrowed eyes.

“What?”

He continued to stare. “Either you really hate me, or you’re just one seriously angry girl.”

“I just hate you,” I countered with a smile.

“So you’re a model.”

“Yes.”

“Have you got any pictures?”

“Lots. I’ll show you when we get back if you want.”

“So you do lingerie?”

“Not really, I’ve never done it before. This will be my first time.”

Dan nodded, a slow smile breaking over his face. “Very cool.”

I looked at my watch. Yep, coming out with Dan had been a bad idea. Not only was he super hot, he was a flirt, too, and that just wasn’t a good combination. “Will you tell the waiter not to be too long bringing our food?”

“Why?”

“Because this looks like one of those places where they take forever to bring each dish.”

“That’s right, and that’s why I brought you here.”

“I don’t really want to stay out long, Dan.”

“Why? All you’re going to do when we get back is sit in a small empty room staring at the walls.”

“Maybe I prefer that to this,” I snapped. Dan didn’t reply, so I looked at him. His expression made me feel bad. “Sorry.” He was right. Maybe I was a little angry. But who could blame me? Life had dealt me a rotten hand.

“Are you like this with everyone, or is it just me? No one has ever given me such constant insults like you do, and I’ve only ever tried to be nice and draw you out of your shell.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“I think it’s one of two things, Lexi. Either you really can’t stand me, or I make you nervous.”

“What are you? Some psychology major? First, it was ‘you’re angry,’ now it’s ‘you want me’.”

Dan leaned forward. “I know I can be a little forward or forceful—”

“Or flirtatious,” I interjected.

He smiled. “Or whatever you want to call it, but I really don’t mean anything by it. I just like to tease you because if I don’t, you’ll keep to yourself and be walking around with your nose in the air. I’m just trying to be your friend.”

My cell phone rang, and Dan leaned back. It was Carl. Instinctively, I looked around to make sure he wasn’t in the restaurant. I stared at the screen guiltily and didn’t pick up because if he asked where I was I’d have to lie. And I was a pathetic liar.

“Was that Carl?” Dan asked when the ringing stopped.

I nodded. The ringing started again. Still Carl.

“Why don’t you pick up?”

I tossed the phone into my purse. “This is all your fault. Now I feel guilty.”

Dan gave me an annoying smile. “Well, maybe you are guilty.”

“What do you mean?”

Dan shrugged. “Innocent people don’t feel guilty.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Nothing.”

“It had better be nothing.”

A waiter arrived with our drinks. He placed a tall glass of lemonade before me and a big glass of something foamy brown and alcoholic looking next to Dan. I gave him a disapproving look as the waiter left. “Underage alcoholic!”

“Do you want to see ID, Agent Lexi?” He cursed and pulled a card out of his wallet. His date of birth was three years before mine. I turned up my nose and looked away. “Fake ID.”

“It’s not fake.”

I pursed my lips in a noble pout. “If you get arrested for DUI on our way back, I ain’t sending bail.”

He took a long swig of his drink.

“You might be twenty-one, but you can’t drive if you’ve been drinking, no matter how old you are.”

“Fine, you can drive.”

“I think I’ll call a cab.”

Dan gave me an exasperated look and swapped our drinks.

I frowned. “You’re kidding. I’m not drinking your poison. Give me back my lemonade.”

“Do you mind keeping your voice down?”

I looked at the dirty looking brown stuff and pushed it away. “I don’t do toxic and alcoholic.” I grinned, “Notice how it rhymes?”

Dan lifted his hand to a waiter and asked for his beer to be changed to lemonade. He kicked me under the table. “Crazy girl.”

His drink was changed, and I watched him take a sip and groan. “It’s so sweet.”

“But you’ll get home in one piece, and most importantly, so will I. Don’t kill me before I get to wear Roz Petroz.”

Dan picked up the menus. He handed one to me. “So what are we having?”

“Are you really twenty-one?”

“Yeah, why.”

“I thought you were my age.”

“Thanks. People always tell me that I exude an air of timeless youth that belies my many years.”

Dan’s tone was so sarcastic that I had to smile. “I’m not saying you’re old, okay?”

He shrugged. “I’m guessing you’re only eighteen, right?”

“Right.”

“I guess that isn’t so bad.”

“Are you in your third year?” I’d thought he was a freshman like myself.

He picked up his glass and swirled it around, making the ice cubes clang about. “I went to Australia for a year after high school, and then last year, I helped in the family business. This year, I thought it’s about time I started college.”

“Don’t worry. There are lots of mature students on campus, and I’m sure there must be a sorority for the aged.”

“Thanks.”

“So what did you do in Australia, and what is the family business?”

Dan shook his head. “No, today is about you. We’ll talk about me some other time. How long have you been a model?”

“Since I was thirteen.”

“How did you get started?”

“I tried it one summer because my mom’s friend said it would help build my confidence,” I rolled my eyes. “Anyway, I loved it, so I carried on.”

“Why weren’t you confident?”

“Do you care?”

“Yes.”

“No, you don’t. Anyway, I’ve had quite a few pretty good bookings, but nothing this big since I moved back to LA. I only recently decided that I was going to really go for it as a career, so I’m just really excited. I can’t believe it.” I realized I was babbling.

Dan was smiling like he couldn’t believe he’d succeeded in getting me to talk. “I love Roz Petroz lingerie.”

“Of course, you do.”

“So does your agency pay for flights and hotels?”

“Yes, but only up to a certain amount. They claim it all back though.”

“Are you going to come back loaded?”

I shrugged. “I’m sure my agent will negotiate a good rate. But I just hope it goes well. I need to be doing more editorial work if I want to really break into the industry though.”

“What’s stopping you from doing that?”

“This is like an interview.” I looked at the menu. What was stopping me from doing editorial work? I hadn’t really thought about it, and I should have. “Maybe my living in LA is one thing that’s stopping me because most of the magazines are based in New York.” I turned a page in the menu and scanned the options. “Also, I guess I need to get out there more and get as much exposure from runway shows as I can because I haven’t really had many jobs this year.” Plus, I was short for a model.

Dan gave me a slow smile and then lifted his glass. “A toast to a successful modeling career.”

“I’ll toast to that.” I clinked glasses with him.

“A toast to Lexi Dixon taking over from Shola Cardoso as queen of the catwalk.”

I laughed and lifted my glass again. Obviously, he’d noticed the big poster in my room.

“She’s gorgeous, but for what my opinion is worth, I think you’ve definitely got what it takes to give her some competition.”

“You haven’t even seen any of my pictures.”

“I know, but I’m sure they’re great.” Dan touched my cheek. “To be honest, I think she’s hot, but so are you.”

A waiter approached and then dropped back. I looked up and beckoned to him to come over. We must have looked like we were having some kind of romantic moment.

“What can I get you?” the waiter asked.

Dan shut his menu. “I’ll have whatever she’s having.”

Chapter 41

A loud bang jolted me out of my sleep on Saturday morning. I opened my eyes and blinked away images of Jace Washington. I groaned and turned over. I hadn’t seen the guy for months. You’d think I would have stopped dreaming about him after so long.

There was another bang and I jumped up. Whoever was banging my door like that needed to be referred to some kind of clinic. I hated living on campus. My roomies were so loud and annoying. This wasn’t the first time they’d done the whole ‘bang on Lexi’s door and run’ thing. How pathetic!

I would have packed up and gone home, but I needed to be away from my mom to work on my modeling career. I didn’t need her restricting what I could and couldn’t do. I needed the freedom to make my own decisions. If I needed to fly out to Spain, for example, during semester my mom would probably say ‘what about college.’ She definitely wouldn’t let me jet off to New York to pose in lingerie. I didn’t need her questions and restrictions.

There was a knock on my door. A civilized knock this time, not a bang. It took me literally just one stride to cross the room; it was so small. I realized that I had slept in my corset dress. No wonder my sleep had been fretful. I opened the door and squinted at Carl. “Hey.”

Carl held up a paper bag and a Starbucks coffee. “I’m on my way to soccer, and I just thought I’d bring you breakfast. I know it’s lunchtime, but I also knew there was no way you’d be awake.”

I grabbed the paper bag and looked inside: two bagels and a banana. “Thanks.” I turned and went back to sit on my bed. The cheese bagel came out first.

“What’s with the dress?” Carl entered the room and shut the door behind him. He set the coffee on my table.

“I was trying on some clothes,” I mumbled. I stared at the cheese bagel guiltily. If Carl got any inkling that I’d been out with another guy in this dress, he might find it hard to believe that nothing was going on.

“Well, it’s nice.”

“Thanks.”

“I hate this room,” he grumbled as he always did when he came to see me. “How do you survive in this hole?”

“Carl, I’m not moving into your room.” That’s what his complaints were really about, and I wasn’t going to give in. He’d been trying to get me to move in with him since we got back together two weeks ago, but I didn’t think our relationship was at that level yet. And the fact that he lived in one of the best apartment blocks on campus was no enticement to me at all. Besides, my mom, Aunt Milly, and my grandmother would probably go into cardiac arrest if they found out. “Anyway, guess what? I’m going to New York,” I said as if he didn’t already know.

Carl feigned surprise. “Why?”

“Roz Petroz booked me for their lookbook.”

Carl knew what a lookbook was; I’d educated him well. “Hopefully, they’ll love you and book you for some runway shows. And I’ll come and sit on the front row and cheer while you walk past in a lacy thong.”

I bit into my bagel. “You really do have a one track mind.”

There was a knock on the door, and Carl went to open it. Dan stepped into my room wearing nothing but Ralph Lauren boxers. “Hey, Lexi,” he said, totally ignoring Carl. “Just wanted to ask if you want to join me for breakfast.”

“What’s on the menu? Stir fry?”

Dan winked. “If you want it to be.”

“Well, you’re about two and a half minutes too late. Carl already brought me breakfast.”

“Are you sure you don’t want pancakes with maple syrup, or honey?” Dan pressed. He licked his lips. “Or chocolate, or vanilla sauce? Are you sure I can’t tempt you?”

I couldn’t believe he was doing this in front of Carl. But darn it, it sounded good. “I’ll have maple syrup, and can you bring it in here for me?”

“No, it’s a package deal. You get breakfast with me, not just breakfast.”

I gave Carl a quick look. He was looking at me like ‘who is this loser?’

“I’ll pass,” I told Dan. “But thanks for the offer.”

“Why?”

I waved my bagel. “I already have breakfast.”

“You’re just scared to be alone with me.”