“I know. It’s hard to believe I gave all of this up for the glamorous life of catching bad guys. I’m lucky if Kennedy brings in bagels once a month.”
When the makeup artist is satisfied with her touch-up, she walks away and leaves us alone again.
“I’m glad you asked me to come. Even though the food table is a thing of beauty, I think I understand. This isn’t you, Paige,” he tells me, gesturing at all the people rushing around setting things up for the shoot. “You shouldn’t just sit in front of a camera and not have a say in what happens. You’re smart and you’re strong and you should be doing something that makes you happy. Watching you take charge and do what you were trained to do at Fool Me Once—that’s you. That’s who you were meant to be.”
It’s amazing that this man who has only known me for a handful of weeks gets it. He can see the mold I’ve been trying to break out of.
“Thank you, Matt. You have no idea how much that means to me. I’m glad you’re here,” I tell him softly.
Matt looks at me sheepishly. “You might want to take that back when you see who I brought with me. The board meeting ran a little late today, and my dad’s car is in the shop, so I had to give him a ride home.”
“Is it too hard to get a chair in this godforsaken place? I got bad hips.”
Looking over Matt’s shoulder, I see the man who was in the photograph with Matt at his house. Except he’s not smiling and looks a little irritated as he walks up to us.
“Matthew, that man over there has an earring in his nose. Is he a gay?”
Matt closes his eyes and shakes his head. “Dad, I told you to stay in the car.”
His father grunts and walks over to my chair in front of the mirror, taking a seat and crossing his arms in front of him. “I couldn’t figure out that fancy radio of yours.”
Matt walks to my side and puts his arm around my waist. “Dad, this is Paige McCarty. Paige, this is my father, Eric Russo.”
I reach my hand out to him with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Russo.”
He just stares at me and after a few seconds, I drop my hand back to my side.
“Are you going to be taking your clothes off for these pictures, young lady?” Mr. Russo asks.
“DAD!” Matt scolds.
A laugh bubbles out of me. “It’s okay, Matt. No, Mr. Russo, I will not be taking my clothes off for this photo shoot. This is for a well-known magazine, so clothing is required.”
Mr. Russo narrows his eyes at me. “It’s a good thing I came in here. I see a lot of charlatans in this room who could lead you astray. Like that woman over there with the blue hair and pink skirt.”
I turn around and see that he’s staring right at the photographer for this shoot.
“Actually, that’s a man. His name is Simon Viper, and he’s one of the best photographers in the world,” I tell him.
Mr. Russo’s eyes go wide. “This world is going to hell in a handbasket. Matt, get me some ginger ale. I’m feeling parched.”
Matt sighs and gives me an apologetic look as the photographer’s assistant signals to me that it’s time to start the shoot. I kiss Matt on the cheek and hear Mr. Russo mumble as I walk away.
“If she takes her clothes off, you better cover your eyes, Matthew.”
I just laugh, unable to believe there is someone else in this world who reminds me so much of my mother. The two of them should meet and share notes about what a sinner I am.
CHAPTER 17
For the first time in a long while during a photo shoot, I actually enjoyed myself. Anytime I felt a twinge of irritation, all I had to do was look over at Matt. The shouts and orders telling me which way to turn my head and how to hold my arms faded before the warmth in his smile.
When the final shot was taken and the photographer announced it was a wrap, I walked away from the bright lights and the fans strategically placed to blow my hair, and slid right into Matt’s waiting arms.
“You did amazing. I saw some of the pictures as they showed up on the computer and they were beautiful.”
What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, I would finish a photo shoot and Andy would tell me all the ways I could have done better. He would walk me over to the computer that showed all of the digital images and point out the ones where my face didn’t hit the light correctly or I wasn’t using my angles in the best way.
“Great job today, Paige,” Simon says as he walks up to us, handing his camera off to an assistant. “We’ll send the proofs to Penny within a week so you can see them first before they go to print. We got some great shots to work with.”
With my arms still around Matt, I thank Simon as he’s hustled away by an army of assistants and Penny comes over to us.
“Darling, you were amazing. The magazine gave me your advance: fifty percent of the total offer; you’ll get the rest when the photos go to print. I’ll deposit it today for you.”
She pulls the check for seventy-five thousand dollars out of her purse and I quickly snatch it from her hand. It’s not the entire amount DeMarco is asking for, but it will have to do. “No need to go to all that trouble. I’ll take care of it.”
Penny gives me a strange look and I don’t blame her. I’ve never taken care of anything in my career. Andy made sure I had people who did that for me. But I’m pretty sure whoever has Andy isn’t going to want to wait for this check to clear before they get their money.
“I’ve got a bunch more jobs lined up for you, so make sure to keep your schedule open. I’m so glad you’re back,” Penny tells me.
“Penny, I’m not back. This was a onetime thing. I have another job now.”
Seriously, how many times do we have to go over this?
“Oh, sweetie, you were blessed with a gorgeous face and an equally stunning body. Let’s not fool ourselves into believing you’ll be successful at anything else. I would hate to see you sad when it all comes crashing down. This is what you are meant to do.”
I feel the familiar ache of despair in the pit of my stomach at her words. This woman, who has been by my side for more than ten years, thinks I’m only good for one thing. Before I can tell her where she can shove her opinions, Matt takes a step forward.
“I think it would be in your best interest to stop talking and walk away,” Matt tells Penny with a scowl on his face.
Penny looks up at him in shock. “I’m just being honest.”
“No, what you’re doing is being a bitch. This woman right here is amazing, and she can do whatever she puts her mind to. The last person who put her down like that received a punch to the face, so you might want to quit while you’re ahead.”
I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. Penny quietly apologizes to me and scurries away without another word.
“I don’t know whether to be flattered or horrified that you would punch a woman for me.”
Matt shrugs. “I would never hit a woman. But it was fun making her think that I would. I know you can take care of yourself, and you probably would have done a better job telling that woman off, but I couldn’t let her talk to you like that.”
Suddenly, nothing else matters right now but getting this man naked. Immediately.
Grabbing his hand, I pull him out of the studio and down the hall. “Where’s your dad?”
“He asked one of the assistants to pray with him. When she told him she didn’t believe in God, he threw his ginger ale at her. I sent him back out to the truck with firm instructions not to leave unless it caught on fire.”
Pulling open the first door I come to, I flip the switch right inside and see that it’s a supply closet filled with camera equipment. Glancing around to make sure no one sees us, I pull Matt inside and close the door behind us.