Amazonia (2 page)

Layla studied him, her heart in danger of pounding
out of her chest. “Does it matter whether we get along or not as
long as we get the job done and the client is happy?”

“I think it does.” He stood and came around the desk,
propping his hip on the front corner. “Wouldn’t you rather work
with someone you like instead of someone who constantly rubs you
the wrong way?”

With him this close and smelling of woodsy
aftershave, she couldn’t imagine objecting to any way he wanted to
rub her as long as those hands were as confident as his
personality. “I guess we should work on improving our relationship.
After all, it might improve our ability to produce ads that will
have clients and consumers begging us for more.”

“I was hoping you would say that.” Jefferson
straightened and stepped away, leaving her longing for him to come
back. “Let’s get some dinner and discuss this new project in a more
relaxed setting. Perhaps our problem is that we never see each
other outside of the office.”

Layla stood and indicated her unprofessional clothing
with a skeptical wave. “You honestly want to spend more time with
someone who dresses like this when not working?”

“Sure, why not? It’s not like I always wear a suit.
That’s just for business.”

“Point taken.” She resisted the urge to ask what he
wore after hours and on weekends. “So, where do you want to go for
dinner?”

“How does Shirley’s sound?” Jefferson said, naming
one of her favorite diners.

“They have the best cheeseburgers I’ve ever
tasted.”

“In that case, let’s go. I’ll drive.” He paused
halfway to the door and glanced back at her. “If that’s okay with
you?”

With the effort he was making to get along with her,
who was she to argue? She gave him a friendly smile as she joined
him. “That’s fine with me.”

“Excellent,” Jefferson said and opened the door for
her.

Layla stepped into the empty hallway and wondered if
dating her boss would be grounds for getting fired.

The normally delicious food at Shirley’s Diner held
little interest for Jefferson. All of his senses were attuned to
the beautiful woman sitting across from him. Dressed in ripped
jeans and a hoodie for something called Death Fire, Layla had never
looked more beautiful. Her long, wavy black hair flowed around her
shoulders and framed her face. Gorgeous brown eyes peered from
behind long lashes as she took a sip of her strawberry
milkshake.

“So,” she said, setting her glass aside, “how are we
going to turn Amazonia into a sexy product?”

“I’ve been thinking about that, and I have an idea.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t know how kindly she would take to it,
since it involved her.

“Oh?” She brushed a strand of hair away from her
eyes, appearing completely unaware of her beauty. It just added to
her appeal and the inspiration he had for their latest project.

“Yes, when I picture Amazonia, I see you.” He braced
himself for another round of attitude from her. Admittedly, he had
deserved every bit of her earlier tirade since he’d made a complete
jerk of himself by objecting to the models’ clothing. After all,
everyone had known it conveyed the brand’s image perfectly, himself
included. He just couldn’t seem to avoid provoking Layla.

Her silence grew until Jefferson worried he’d
overstepped some boundary he hadn’t known about. She wouldn’t
complain about him to Marshall Hayes, would she? His partner would
likely threaten him with dissolution of the company if he caught
wind of Jefferson saying anything that could be construed as
unprofessional to one of the female employees. Never mind that
Marshall made enough comments of his own he was lucky he hadn’t
been sued by half of the interns that revolved through the company
on a regular basis.

Layla took a deep breath and spoke softly. “What do
you mean, you see me?”

“The Amazonia brand is supposed to be strong but
sexy—capable and feminine. When I think of those qualities, you
immediately come to mind.”

A pretty blush crept into her cheeks, making her even
more appealing. What would she think if she knew how much he longed
to kiss her?

He shook off the image forming in his mind and
focused on her words.

“I can understand strong and capable. But sexy and
feminine? Me?” She gestured toward her current outfit. “Look at me.
I’m not exactly a prime example of sexiness or femininity. Even in
my work clothes, which you see me in every day, I look more strong
and capable than sexy and feminine.”

Jefferson studied her, his mind racing. Was she
putting on an act for some reason, or was she truly so unaware of
her allure? He knew he wasn’t the only one affected by her. Some of
the conversations he’d overheard between male employees at Prescott
and Hayes let him know that. As he watched her fidget with her
straw, he realized she really didn’t know how gorgeous and sexy she
was. Inspiration struck and he pulled out his cell phone to call
his favorite staff photographer.

“I have an idea that will help us put this ad
campaign together. What do you think of doing a little modeling
tonight?”

“What?” Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “I’m
no model, and even if I were, I’m hardly dressed for it.”

“You’re wrong. What you’re wearing is perfect for the
Amazonia campaign.” He set his phone on the table and took a risk,
reaching across the table to touch her hand. The electricity that
flew between them made it hard to remember what he’d planned to
say. “And you’re a beautiful woman. I think you’d be the perfect
model for Amazonia, but what I’m suggesting tonight is basically
creating mock-ups of the photos we’ll need for the ads. Once we
have the poses picked, we’ll hire a professional model for the
actual images we’ll show the client.”

“So, all you want me to do is give you a few poses
and no one will see them other than us?”

“Well, the photographer will see them, too, since
he’s the one who will be taking the pictures.” Jefferson mentally
crossed his fingers. Once she saw herself on film, surely she would
realize she was just as beautiful as any of the models they
regularly used.

Layla finished off her shake, appearing deep in
thought. Jefferson thought he might go insane feigning patience,
but he was certain pushing her for an answer would guarantee she
said no. If he waited until she was ready, he had a chance of
hearing yes.

About the time he couldn’t wait any longer, she
nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it, but you have to let me raid the wardrobe
closet.”

“Just promise me no frilly dresses this time.” He
hoped she would pick something that kept the rocker look she
currently had. It captured the Amazonia brand beautifully.

She laughed, a light sound that brought a warm glow
to her eyes. “I promise. Somehow I don’t think that would work well
if we’re trying to convey a woman’s strength.”

“My thoughts exactly.” He wouldn’t admit how much he
wanted to see her in an ultra-feminine dress one of these days.
Preferably when he picked her up to take her to dinner at the best
restaurant in town.

When they arrived back at Prescott and Hayes,
Jefferson led the way to the small studio they used for all indoor
photo shoots. As he’d hoped, photographer Tommy Ellis was already
inside, setting up his equipment.

Tommy adjusted a light and turned toward them. “Hey,
guys, where’d you find a model willing to work this late in the
day?”

Jefferson laid his hand on Layla’s shoulder and
guided her forward. “You’re looking at her.”

“Whoa! Really?” Tommy grinned as he joined them.
“It’s about time you get into modeling, Layla.”

She shook her head, her cheeks flushed. “Sorry to
disappoint you, Tommy, but this is a one-time gig to try out some
sample poses.”

“Aw, come on. You’re breaking my heart!”

She laughed and headed for the wardrobe closet,
calling over her shoulder, “You know I love you.”

An unexpected wave of jealousy hit, and Jefferson
quickly tamped it down. What right did he have to be jealous? Layla
didn’t know how hard he’d tried to kill his attraction to her since
the day they hired her. He knew she wasn’t married and didn’t have
a boyfriend, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t flirt with every guy
she ran into if she wanted. Unfortunately, he had no claim to
her.

Tommy dropped a hand on his shoulder. “Talk to me,
man. How’d you get her to agree to this?”

“We’re working on another ad campaign, and we agreed
these shots will be used for research purposes only.”

The photographer shook his head. “Man, she could
totally be your model. Have you suggested she do the real thing
instead of test shots?”

“I tried, but she shot me down before I could mention
it.” Jefferson grinned and patted Tommy’s back. “Be happy you get
to photograph her. This is likely to be your only opportunity.”

“I’ll be sure to make it worth everyone’s while.”
Tommy headed to the table holding his cameras, leaving Jefferson
alone with his thoughts once more.

Thankfully, Layla didn’t take long choosing her
costume. Jefferson’s heart stuttered when she stepped into the
studio. If he’d thought she was beautiful before, she was drop-dead
gorgeous now.

She’d traded her battered jeans for a pair of
charcoal-gray, pinstriped slacks that accentuated her slim waist
and curvy hips. A pale cream tank top showed off her toned and
enticing upper body. The pointy black shoes she’d added to complete
the outfit made her look much classier than he’d expected for this
impromptu photo shoot.

Layla held her arms out and did a quick spin. “Do I
meet with your approval?”

“Always.” The word slipped out before he could think
about it, and he mentally kicked himself as he tried to cover his
slip up. “But there’s something missing.”

“What?”

“You’ve lost that rocker look. Let me see what I can
find to bring it back. You talk to Tommy about the poses you think
would be best.” Jefferson hurried to the wardrobe closet, hoping he
could find the right accessory to give her the
tough as nails
yet soft as a kitten
look that appealed to him so much.

He dug through boxes and drawers before he finally
found what he was looking for. Carrying his find back to the
studio, he held them up with a smile. “This should do the
trick.”

Layla joined him and raised her eyebrows. “Arm
warmers?”

“Trust me, it’ll work perfectly.” He handed her the
black-and-white striped arm warmers and watched her pull them on.
As she adjusted them, he turned to Tommy. “What do you think?”

The photographer grinned and gave him two thumbs up.
“You guys are geniuses together. From what Layla told me about your
project, I think you’ve got the wardrobe just right.”

“Thanks, Tommy.” Jefferson released a relieved
breath. He’d been a little worried that he would be the only one
who liked Layla’s improved outfit.

She finished messing with the arm warmers and headed
for the well-lit white background. “Okay, Tommy, let’s get this
over with so we can all get out of here.”

Jefferson hung back and watched the two of them work.
Each pose Tommy suggested, Layla executed with a grace and ease he
didn’t often see in first-time models. The woman was a natural; she
just couldn’t see it. He had high hopes that once she saw the
photos, she would finally see herself the way he saw her. Where she
saw only a strong-willed businesswoman, he saw so much more. Her
femininity shone through, no matter what she wore. Even in the
midst of an argument, Jefferson could sense her softer side. No
matter what she thought of herself, to him she was the epitome of
the Amazonia brand—strong yet sexy beyond belief.

An hour later, they had more shots than they would
ever need. Jefferson planned to ask Tommy for one of each, but
Layla seemed determined to keep as few as possible. Tommy slipped
the memory card from his camera into the studio’s computer and
brought up the photos. As Jefferson looked at the array of images,
he was more convinced than ever that Layla was the perfect model
for the ad campaign.

Unfortunately, she seemed more determined than ever
to avoid modeling like the plague. “Ugh, I can’t wait to see how
much better these poses look when done by a professional.”

“I don’t know,” Tommy said as he opened a larger
version of one of the photos. “I think you look great, especially
since you’ve never modeled before.”

“You’re crazy.”

Jefferson moved closer to look at the image on the
screen. It showed Layla sitting on the floor, her legs tucked to
the left and her right hand braced against the floor. For a moment,
he couldn’t breathe. How could she see this photo and not see how
beautiful a woman she was?

He turned to find her peeling off the arm warmers.
“He’s right, Layla. You look awesome in these photos. I don’t think
we’re going to find a model who could do a better job.”

“Forget it, Jefferson.” She turned an icy glare on
him. “I already told you I only agreed to this so we would have
some poses to pick from before we bring in the model. So let’s pick
the poses we want from the model we’ll hire and delete the rest of
these photos before anyone else sees them.”

“In that case, which poses do you think would work
the best?”

Jefferson caught the incredulous look Tommy gave him,
but there was nothing he could do about it. Layla was a stubborn
woman, and there was no changing her mind when she was in this
mood. All he could do was wait for an opportune moment, send her to
change back into her clothes, and then make sure Tommy saved every
single one of the photos.

Layla left the meeting with the client a happy woman.
They had loved the vision for the ad campaign she and Jefferson had
come up with, and they had picked a model from the book of
headshots the agency kept. All that was left to do was to get the
photos, throw together a series of ads, and get the client’s
approval.