Beauty and the Boss, page 24
wake up like this for the rest of her life.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” Ellis said in a
whisper without opening her eyes.
“I wasn’t thinking. I was looking.” She lifted her leg over
Ellis’s thigh and put her hand on her chest.
Ellis flexed and picked her up and placed her on top of
her. “Now this is something to look at.” Ellis opened her
eyes and caressed her face with her knuckles. “I’m going to
have a seriously bad time concentrating from now on when
you’re close to me, beautiful.”
“I’m not sure how I lucked out and got here, but I don’t
want to leave.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” Ellis ran her hands down to
her butt and squeezed hard enough to make her wet. “You
make me hungry for more than this, and I want it all.”
She nodded as Ellis put one hand between them and
pinched her clit between her fingers. “Jesus” was all she
could say as she got instantly hard.
“I want you,” Ellis said, and moved her fingers up and
down.
“Take me. I’m all yours.”
“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.” Ellis slid her fingers up
and down again, almost making her come.
“Take what’s yours,” she repeated, and didn’t close her
eyes. Having Ellis see a bit of what was in her heart didn’t
scare her anymore. The way Ellis built the passion in her
was amazing, and she put all her concerns aside and let
herself go. Now she knew Ellis would be there to catch her
when she jumped, no matter the height she climbed to.
“Oh, God,” she said louder than she meant, but she
couldn’t help the loss of control. She jerked her hips and
moaned when Ellis didn’t let up. “Wait…wait…stop.”
“Quietly, baby,” Ellis said, removing her hand and putting
her arms around her.
“You inspire loud,” she said, and laughed until she heard
a knock on the door.
“Mom, you up?” Sawyer asked, followed by what sounded
like a yawn.
“Yes, but give me a minute, okay?” She scanned the
room for something to wear. “Do you really have pajamas?”
“I sure do.” Ellis put her hands under her head and
smiled up at her.
“You want to put them on?”
“I’d love to, but it would require me to go into the other
room to get them out of my bag.”
She threw a pillow at Ellis and laughed. It had been ages
since she’d been this giddy. “Get up now, and I promise to
return the big favor you just did for me.”
“Grab my stuff, and I’ll jump in the shower first. That is, if
I can walk to the bathroom.” Ellis got up and walked toward
her naked. She was sexy in every way, but this was almost
too much. “You can be proud of the fact that I’ll be hard as a
rock all day, and it’s entirely your fault.”
“I’d say I feel bad about that, but I’m too busy patting
myself on the back.”
“I’ll remember that,” Ellis said, gently pinching her
nipples. The rush from sated to ready almost gave her
whiplash.
“You’re so mean,” she said, but Ellis was walking away
laughing.
An hour later they were both clean and having breakfast,
which was good since Amis and Opal had cooked it while
they got dressed before joining them.
“Are we ready?” Amis asked after her usual round of
kisses.
“I’m not sure. Opal, are we ready?” Ellis asked, and Opal
snorted. “Whoever decides to premiere our line early is in
for a surprise.”
“What do you mean?” Charlotte asked, her eyes on Ellis.
“When the first bible got stolen, I figured something else
was going to happen, so the work at the house was a trap.”
“For me, you mean?” Charlotte asked and walked into the
bedroom and slammed the door.
“Why would you think that? No. The trap was in no way
for you. It just so happened that it turned out you were the
pawn, not the mastermind,” Ellis said, immediately following
her. “I trusted you with all this, and with so much more.”
“I don’t see that you’ve trusted me with much.”
“Are you kidding? I trusted you with more than the
responsibilities of your job, and you know it.” The way Ellis
put her hands on her shoulders was hesitant, like she wasn’t
used to all this emotional turmoil.
“Maybe I need to hear you say it.” It was probably too
fast and way too much to ask of someone like Ellis, but she
seemed the kind of person who would respond to boldness.
“I don’t know how it happened, but you’ve captured my
heart. You can’t believe I didn’t tell you everything because I
think you did anything wrong. So much was at stake so I
only told my mother and Opal. If you acted like you knew
what was coming, none of this would have worked. That’s
the only reason I didn’t share everything with you.”
“I don’t care about that right now. The first part of what
you said is where you should’ve stopped, you idiot.”
“I think it’s coming back to me how you were able to
capture my attention so completely,” Ellis said as she
turned her around. “You’ve been giving me what for since
we met.” Ellis’s arms went around her waist, and she
smiled. “Who knew what I was missing in my life was
someone who isn’t intimidated to say what’s on her mind,
even when it’s that I’m an idiot.”
“If it makes you feel better, I feel the same way. It might
be too early for a lot of things, but you’ll never have to
worry about me betraying you or leaving.”
“I know that, and that’s the kind of kid you raised.”
“Okay. That sounds like there’s a story attached to that
statement.”
Ellis laughed and nodded. “You were wondering how
Sawyer knew Brandi, and neither of us has had the chance
to tell you. While I was working on a collection that was
almost guaranteed to be stolen, I also worked on the
collection we’re actually going to be showing. The only way
to not make anyone suspicious was with a little help from
Sawyer.”
Sawyer’s sketchbook still had all her work in it, but in the
back were the most amazing designs Charlotte had ever
seen when Ellis handed them over. “Sawyer knew these
were in here?”
“Don’t be mad at her. I asked her, and she promised to
keep my secret.”
“So all those afternoon walks, you were bringing my kid
to a brothel?”
“No. We were walking and working, but my mom and
Opal weren’t shopping all that time with Harold. They
worked with a small group of our team that didn’t arrive
with everyone else, and Wilson was nice enough to lend us
his place next door. By taking Sawyer with them when they
could, no one was the wiser.”
“What’s left to do?”
“We need to narrow down the pieces of yours that are
going in and take the pictures for our launch. If we can get
everything fitted in the next few days, I have Andie Meade
coming, so we have to be ready,” she said of the best
fashion photographer in the business.
“Wait. The models are coming back?” If more
supermodels arrived, it would ruin what Ellis was trying to
do. “It’s not like those guys can fly under the radar.”
“I thought about that and found a way around it.”
“Are you going to share?”
“If I can’t take all the pictures at the carousel like I want,
why not use the second most chic spot in the Big Easy?
Brandi’s throwing open her red doors and letting us use the
house and grounds. The girls volunteered to model for us,
and considering that they’re professionals, I don’t think it’ll
be a problem getting them to follow directions and look
sexy.” Ellis smiled and kissed her. “I’m told it’s why they
make a couple grand a date.”
“I’m sorry for earlier.”
Ellis shook her head before kissing her again. “This will
only work if you tell me what you need and want, beautiful,
even when what you need is something from your boss. I
may not have a lot of experience in long-term relationships,
but I want a life with you. I want all that, and I want it to
last, so don’t ever fear telling me anything.”
“Let’s get started then.”
* * *
“What happens now?” one of the seamstresses asked
Rueben as the cars left for the airport.
He’d stayed up the night before, but Ellis hadn’t come
home and Amis hadn’t been in a talkative mood, so he was
as in the dark as ever. It was like the second blow had
imploded Ellis’s world, and she’d pushed everyone away.
That was understandable, but it had stung that he’d been
included on that list of people Ellis had turned her back on.
“Knowing Ellis, she’ll be in the city in a few days revved
up to work. Whatever this is, I’m sure it’s a minor setback.”
“I don’t know, Rueben. Whoever sent those pictures
claims to have the whole book. What I can’t believe is that
Charlotte sold her out like that. If I didn’t know better, I’d
say Ellis finally fell hard, and little old Charlotte not only
bagged her but tamed her as well. If I had to guess, that’s
why Ellis isn’t going back to work and sent everyone away.
She’s devastated more from the fact that it was Charlotte
than that it happened at all.”
“There’s no way Ellis is in love with that little twit.”
“Are you kidding? Did you see them together? I’m telling
you, there’s something there. But then again, maybe that’s
how Charlotte pulled it off. If that’s true, talk about cold-
hearted bitch.”
“How’d you know someone got all the sketches?” He
stopped looking at the sights of the French Quarter and
concentrated on the young woman’s face. Like everyone
that worked for them, she seemed eager and was extremely
cute, but knew way too much information.
“I overheard it in the house, and since everyone was
freaking out, I figured it was true.”
“Tell everyone to stay quiet about that. We don’t need
anything else to go wrong, so keep it to yourself.” So maybe
Ellis running off wasn’t all about the second set of stolen
sketches. It had to happen eventually, but what a horrible
time for Ellis to go crazy over some cute piece of ass and
have a complete mental breakdown. The future could only
be salvaged if Ellis managed to pull it together. Hell, he’d
been watching Ellis pull success out of her hat for years, and
it never ceased to surprise him when she did. She was one
of those people that you were lucky to know, much less
work for.
It was like seeing her on the morning show a few weeks
back. She’d set it up fast enough that she’d turned the
tables on disaster, and it’d made him envious of her innate
ability to charm, captivate, and win over everyone within
sight, including Sigrid. Anyone in the industry would never
believe it, since Sigrid had a reputation of being a royal
bitch, but with Ellis she always acted like a schoolgirl with a
crush.
He’d had no place but on the sidelines of Ellis’s world
because he could never compete with her thousand-watt
personality, but he’d thrived in the niche he’d carved out for
himself. There wasn’t any animosity between them because
their relationship worked. They each had their place, and
together they’d conquered their slice of the fashion world.
That Ellis hadn’t held on to that truth hurt him, but he’d give
her the space she needed. Once she was ready, they’d talk
and rebuild.
“You okay, Rueben?” the young woman asked, putting
her hand over his.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about all this is depressing,
so let’s plan on maybe all going out tonight to keep our
spirits up.”
“That’s a great idea.”
“I’m full of them, so stick with me.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“She came up with this in that short a period of time?”
designer Angelo Bollio asked Jennifer as he flipped through
the copies she’d brought with her.
“Ellis can be outstanding when she needs to be. The
creative side has never been her problem.”
He chuckled and studied the last couple of drawings.
They were really good for something Ellis had created while
facing the equivalent of a firing squad. Creating a whole
new show practically overnight when it was life or death for
her company was a total miracle, and damned if she hadn’t
done it. Ellis’s creativity and success had somewhat blunted
his own rise, and he’d been waiting for the moment when he
could knock her back to earth.
“My deal hasn’t changed. If you can convince her to sell,
I’ll buy and pay top dollar. Once the Renois brand is part of
the Bollio house, you and Dalton will come to work for me.”
“Now that she knows this collection is compromised, it’ll
be easier to get her to the table. You might not have to pay
as much as you think.”
“No matter what, this can’t come back on me. Are you
sure no one can trace this back to you?” He stared at her,
trying to decipher what was going on in her head. Dealing
with Jennifer had shredded his rule to not deal in any way
with crazy women, but this situation was too good to pass
on.
“That question is rather insulting. You didn’t act
concerned when I pitched you this last year after Ellis
basically relegated you to the corner at the Met Gala by
upstaging your entrance.”
Aside from Fashion Week, the Met Gala chaired by Sigrid
was the premier event in the fashion world. It was an
opportunity to be seen in the company of every celebrity in
attendance, and hopefully a lot of them were wearing your
label. The publicity was invaluable, since every major news
outlet in both print and television covered the night.
Angelo had arrived with the model that was the face of
his line, and the cameras were going nonstop, giving him
the kind of exposure he couldn’t buy. It took him a long
minute to notice they weren’t aimed at him and his date,
but at Ellis and Birdie Jones. The supposed world’s top
model had told him on numerous occasions that she was a
free agent and would never put one line over the other, so
she couldn’t work exclusively for him and couldn’t date him
either. Not dating anyone she worked with was her number-
one unbreakable rule.
That night, though, she appeared not only on Ellis’s arm,
but in a Renois dress that showed plenty of skin. Thinking
about Ellis taking it off Birdie after the gala had made him
hate Ellis enough to want to ruin her.
“Fuck you,” he said, and practically threw the sketches
back at Jennifer.
“Don’t be mad, and don’t back out now.”
“I know why I’m doing this, but what’s your motive?”
He’d never really asked her that. “From what I know, you
had a pretty sweet deal with Ellis after you hooked up with
Dalton.”
“There’s sweet, and then there’s phenomenal. If I can
deliver, the deal I’m expecting from you will be
phenomenal.”
“It’s all about the money?”
“Isn’t everything in life?”
Her slight hesitation made him sure she was lying.
Whatever Ellis had done, she’d underestimated Jennifer’s
capacity for cruelty and punishment. “Whatever you say,
baby. All I need you to remember is to not lead Ellis to my
door unless it’s for a fire sale.”
* * *
Ellis used the large den in Brandi’s house to start their
fittings. This was usually Ruby’s job, but after they’d started,
she was sorry she’d ever handed this task off. Sketching and
design were important, but getting the clothes to fit was an
almost intimate exercise that made all the work real.
“We need to take it in a little in the waist, but the rest is
perfect,” she said to Charlotte around the pins in her mouth.
The suit the woman had on was one of Charlotte’s pieces,
and the addition of the thigh-high hose with the seam line
down the back was sexy as hell. Granted, the camera
