Winter's Heart (5 page)

The ease with which she talked to Storm did something strange to him, even as he appreciated the fact that she talked to his son as a human and not some sub-species because he was five. Winter could have handled a light and easy flirtation with her had he not seen the picture of her in that skimpy bikini. The scrap of material could barely contain her breasts, which were softly rounded and completely natural and he’d had the insane desire to peel the little scrap of material to the side and see her nipples. But that was ridiculous because it was a picture and his son was in the room. Luckily, he was able to adjust his unexpected erection without anyone being the wiser.

Of course afterwards he couldn’t stop trying to imagine what her nipples looked like or how they would taste. Luckily, she roused him from his sexual stupor by basically calling him on the lie they had created six years ago, a lie he was having an impossible time living with.

It
wouldn’t be for very much longer. Not quite six months.

He hadn’t meant to kiss her and he regretted that it was too quick to really taste her but he didn’t regret kissing her. The next time, he would savor her lips and maybe the rest of her, too, and see if she was amenable to a discreet affair with a famous actor, though he doubted his fame would have any bearing on her decision. She may get flustered around him because he was famous but she still surprised him with her quirkiness and he somehow knew that in time she would see him as he was and not the man in a mask.

It was a heady idea.

Missy’s chuckle made him realize he had lost himself in his contemplations and he had a loopy grin on his lips. Wiping the besotted expression from his face, he smiled up at the beautiful woman and took her hands in his, “The site for the party has changed. Are you okay with that?”

She nodded, a wry smile curving her lips. “It’s better this way. Besides, you know how much Storm loves the country. He can run around and just be a little boy and not worry about anything.”

Winter nodded his head in understanding.

“All I ask is that you be discreet,” she murmured without warning. At his baffled look, she smiled naughtily, “With the little party planner.” As he huffed a protest, she held up her hand and laughed, “Please. You were stripping her with your eyes the entire time we were eating lunch. I’m surprised she didn’t notice.”

“She was busy discussing pirates with Storm,” he said, still a little stunned by how quickly Storm took to her. With the secrecy surrounding his birth, he had learned caution from a very young age and yet with Miss Rogers he had no reservations.

“That’s another thing,” Missy added, still chuckling. “There was no need for her to return so soon after our initial meeting. Nor was there a reason for her to remain for lunch.”

“You have to admit that she’s a breath of fresh air,” he said calmly, trying to fight the smile that threatened to tilt his lips if he let it.

“Yeah, she is adorable,” she agreed. “But not your usual fare. Will you give me the details when she finally submits to your charms?”

He chuckled but inside the thought of sharing what was sure to happen between him and Flynn with Missy seemed wrong. In the past, his relationship with Melissa had been fairly open but this time it felt different and he wasn’t sure why. He just didn't want to share Flynn with anyone.

Wanting to look her best for when she saw Winter later that day, Flynn put a little extra effort in her morning routine. Her hair was pulled back in a loose French braid, little tendrils hanging down and giving her a soft, romantic look. Not that she was looking for romance. Leaning closer to the mirror, she widened her eyes as she swept mascara onto her lashes. The door flew open, bumping her arm and making her smear black gunk across her cheek. Before she could even swear, her sister was in the bathroom, jerking the shower curtain to the side and turning on the water.

“Fallon!” Flynn chided, grabbing a washcloth to clean her face.

“Sorry!” Fallon cried out as she tore off her clothes and stepped into the water before the water had time to heat up. Letting out a string of curses, she yelled over the shower, “I just got a call from my agent and the audition for the dandelion is in like forty-five minutes on the other side of town.”

Reapplying the mascara, Flynn sighed, “So, you need the car?”

The curtain was pushed to the side as Fallon peeked out, “I am so sorry, Flynn. I can catch the bus.”

“No, take the car,” Flynn told her, disappointed that she wasn’t going to see Winter and Storm today. With a chuckle at her own foolishness, she added, “It’s easier for me to take the bus. At least Diane won’t fire me if I’m a few minutes late, especially if I bring in coffee and donuts.”

“Do those skinny bitches even eat donuts?” Fallon asked, turning off the world’s quickest shower and stepping out as she wrapped a towel around her too-skinny body. “I mean, seriously.”

“Look who’s talking, Skeletor,” Flynn teased, but not really.

“Pshaw,” Fallon said, dressing as quickly as she had showered. Pressing a kiss to Flynn’s cheek, she flew out the door, “I’ll see you this evening.”

“Drive safe!” Flynn called out, hearing Fallon’s chuckle in return. With a sigh, Flynn stared at her reflection and tossed the mascara down. It didn’t really matter if she spent any more time getting ready since she wasn’t going to see Winter later. Besides, he’d already seen her with her minimal makeup and he still said she was pretty. Of course, he was just being flirtatious because he probably couldn’t help himself but it still made her smile.

Glancing at the clock, she swore. If she wanted to catch the early bus, she had to get going. As it was, she was going to be late, especially if she stopped by the café to pick up coffee and donuts for all of the skinny bitches at the office.

Grabbing her bag and a book to read on the ride, she left the apartment, locking up after herself. Maybe Fallon would get done early and she’d be able to swing by Gilded Dreams to pick Flynn up. Or if Fallon was going to be gone all day, maybe Flynn could catch a movie before heading home. The cheap theater was just down the street from her job and she was pretty sure this week featured retro movies from the eighties.

♥~♥~♥

Juggling her purse and a tray full of scalding, fancy coffees, Flynn made her way through the doors of Gilded Dreams. The front office was very Zen, wide open with minimal decorations and furniture and a flat, wall mounted waterfall. Low music pulsed in the background and it was really very serene. Diane wanted her clients to be completely at ease while they parted with vast amounts of money in return for the perfect party. Occasionally, a client wanted to meet elsewhere, like Melissa Irish, but for the most part, Diane dealt with her clients at the shop.

All of the catalogs were stored in the back, which was generally an area of chaos. Diane had four certified coordinators working for her as well as several assistants and each coordinator had their own sector. The assistants had small lockers to store their stuff but mostly they were there for the whims of the coordinators and to make sure
everything out front ran smoothly. If a client wanted a white mocha, double frappe decaf with strawberry whipped cream then that client would get a white mocha, double frappe decaf with strawberry whipped cream, dang it.

“Sorry I’m late,” she called out, setting the coffee and donuts down.

“Has Melissa Irish fired your sorry ass yet?” Gwyneth asked with a sneer, grabbing a coffee and taking a sip. With her chic, white blond hair and lithe, five foot ten frame, she looked like a Nordic model and yet she never smiled, at least not to anyone who wasn’t paying her a lot of money to be nice to them. She had really wanted the Irish job but Melissa turned her down before they even met in person. Knowing how the interview process went, Flynn wondered what Gwyneth said to turn Melissa off, if she was the person behind the poodle hats.

“Um, no, not yet,” Flynn said, smiling for all that she was worth. It had to suck having such a miserable life that it was necessary to bring other people down.

“Thanks for the coffee, Fran,” Jennifer said with a distracted smile. The redhead was brilliant at planning parties but a little scatterbrained when it came to the rest of the world.

“No problem.” She didn’t even bother correcting her since it hadn’t made any difference the first hundred times. “I got you an elephant ear, too.”

Jennifer’s eyes lit up as she grabbed the coveted treat and floated back to her desk.

“Flynn!” Diane called out, appearing from seemingly out of nowhere. Spinning, Flynn took a step back as Diane rushed towards her with her arms outstretched and a grin plastered to her distinguished face. Diane was her mom’s age, close to fifty, but she didn’t look much older than thirty-five and Flynn was pretty sure it was all natural. Taking Flynn’s hands, she rumbled, “Just the girl I’m looking for!”

And she didn’t speak in anything softer than a booming voice. Without waiting for a reply, she pulled Flynn into her office, leaving a cloud of perfume in her wake. As soon as the door was closed, Flynn opened her mouth to say hello but Diane was already talking, “Now that you are an event coordinator it is important that you look the part.”

“It’s only the one party,” Flynn interjected, knowing where Diane was going and dreading it.

“Nonsense,” Diane said, dismissing Flynn’s protest. “All of my girls are professionals, including you, my dear, and that means having the full array of electronics at your fingertips so you can comfortably and confidently deal with any and all of your client’s needs. It also means dressing in a more, um, professional manner.”

Flynn looked down at her slacks and long-sleeved t-shirt, which was fine when she ran errands for the coordinators or worked in the back office with the other girls. A flush rose up her neck as she realized she had worn a nice skirt and a blouse on Tuesday, the day Diane chose her to pretend to be a party planner. Was that the only reason she had been sent instead of one of the other assistants? God, what a messed up quirk of fate if that was the case, especially since she rarely dressed up.

Chewing her lips, she tried to figure out how she was going to afford new clothes, a tablet and possibly a laptop when Diane pulled out an envelope with a wad of cash in it. “This is for your wardrobe. It’s not a lot but it should get you a couple of nice foundation pieces.”

Stunned, Flynn took the money and stared at her boss with her mouth ajar. Next, Diane pulled out a box that contained a tablet, shaking her head in regret, “I wanted to get you the e3500 but they were sold out and so I had to settle for this. You can synchronize your tablet with other devices so you can access all of your notes wherever you are.”

It was an amazing piece of hardware and Flynn was stunned speechless. Until she realized she’d be giving the gadgetry back when her deal with Winter and Melissa was over. Still, she had six months to play with the tablet and if she discovered she loved using it she could use her bonus to buy one. If she was going to get a bonus. She wasn’t sure since she wasn’t actually an event coordinator.

“This weekend I want you to play around with the tablet so come Monday you’ll be familiar enough with it to be fully prepared to deal with Melissa’s demands,” Diane continued, unaware of just how shell-shocked Flynn was. “I also want you to pick up a new wardrobe. Now, what is your schedule like for the rest of the day?”

“Well, I was supposed to go over to Melissa’s to brainstorm some invitation ideas as well as a preliminary menu but I don’t have a car so I’ll be able to help out in the back,” she said. “Unless you need me to run some errands that doesn’t involve a car?”

Diane chuckled but shook her head no. “There’ll be plenty to keep you busy here, since both Gwyneth and Siobhan have major accounts coming in today.”

“Cool.” Gathering up her new gadget, she smiled at Diane, “I’ll be sure to keep this baby in pristine shape so when this is all done and I return the tablet it’ll be good as new.”

Diane looked startled for a moment but her expression melted into a smile. “Make sure to keep notes of everything so you can learn what works and what doesn’t so the next time you get hired for an event you’ll have a stronger base with which to build upon.”

Flynn nodded, even though she didn’t bother reminding Diane that this was a one-time deal, that there wasn’t going to be a next time because she wasn’t a party planner. After making a quick call to Melissa’s phone, leaving a message to let her know she wasn’t going to be able to stop by with the invitations and inviting her to come in to the shop to get some ideas, Flynn sat down at one of the desks to see what each of the coordinators were doing that day and which ones were likely going to need the most help, hoping Gwyneth was working at a venue far, far away.

Four colors indicated each coordinator, their appointments and lists of tasks, and their various events. Some days were insane and others were a breeze but either way a lot of work went into pulling off all of the events. Unfortunately, the only time anyone noticed a coordinator’s work was when something went wrong, even if it was something unforeseen. Diane said that was no excuse, that there was no such thing as an unforeseen calamity and a coordinator had to be prepared for any and all situations, including the Apocalypse.

“Girl, I’m so glad you’re back,” Julianna said from her desk, her computer screen also displayed the schedule, though she usually worked with Siobhan. With her cafe au lait skin, short black hair, big green eyes and full lips, Julianna was beautiful and exotic and way too pretty to be working in the back rooms. Of course, she was an actress and Gilded Dreams gave her enough flexibility to be at auditions as well as unique opportunities to meet various directors and producers at special events. “The place has been a madhouse and everyone has been spread thin trying to cover all of the events.”

“It’s been two days,” Flynn grinned, glancing at the screen and seeing a fifth color, her color. It was fitting that her color was green. “And I’m still just learning all of the ins and outs. I swear, last week I almost messed up the order for Gwyneth’s lunch.”

“Like it would have mattered since her lunch made a reappearance five minutes later,” Julianna scoffed, clicking on Jennifer’s name and bringing the redhead’s itinerary up.

“Gross,” Flynn said, scrunching up her nose, clicking on her name just to see it. Torn between giddiness at seeing her name listed as a coordinator, even though she wasn’t one, and concern for Gwyneth, she gnawed on her lip to keep from smiling. “And if it’s true, she really needs to get some help.”

“Honey, everyone out here has an eating disorder,” Julianna said mockingly. “It’s the price you pay for a chance at fame.”

Flynn snorted, knowing too well the price her sister was paying and wishing there was another way. But there was always a ton of girls willing to do anything, which made it difficult to refrain. “I don’t know. I think if I was going to sell my soul, I’d want something more out of the deal than fleeting notoriety.”

Julianna chuckled, “At this point, I think I’d be happy with a small role on a sitcom. As long as it was recurring and my character was beloved by all.”

“That’s not asking for too much,” Flynn teased.

“What would you sell your soul for?” she asked.

Flynn tilted her head to the side as she considered the question, truly considered it. What
would
she sell her soul for? The image of Winter flashed into her head but she quickly dismissed it. “Honestly, I don’t think it’s mine to sell but if I could sell it I can’t think of anything worth spending eternity in Hell.”

“Are you a religious nut?” Julianna asked in a horrified whisper.

“I watch too many horror movies,” Flynn chuckled. “But, actually, I don’t know what I am. I just know that when it comes to dealing with demons, humans always get the worst end of the deal.”