Feather Light (Knead Me) (9 page)

“I can’t believe you overslept!” Jessica shrieked, lifting the pillow off Kelly’s face.

“Go away,” she mumbled and tried to pull the pillow back down. The sound of hushed voices came from the other side of the room, momentarily paralyzing her. Kelly bolted upright upon realizing she had company. She had forgotten about the Gucci photo shoot and the taping for the
David Letterman Show
.

“Oh dear!” She gasped when she saw the crews gawking at her and whispering among themselves. Some she’d already worked with in the past, but others were new faces. Kelly slid out of the bed and faced Jessica’s fury.

Jessica Renoir was her assistant, gopher, confidante, and best friend. “You’d better have a good explanation for being late.” Jessica pushed her to the bathroom amid the curious stares of the photographer and the makeup and lighting crews. 

As soon as they were away from prying eyes, Jessica shoved Kelly’s toothbrush into her hand. “Brush. It’s all you have time for, considering how late it is.” Her tone suggested she was irked, so Kelly complied without arguing. “I can see you had company last night . . .,” her best friend observed with keen interest.

She finished brushing her teeth and splashed cold water on her face. Jessica yanked her back into the room, where the crew was already rearranging the furniture, leaving the sofa in one corner and adding some shimmery throw pillows and yards of orange taffeta-looking fabric in the surrounding area. A big, black canvas stood behind the sofa, and light fixtures were being assembled.

“Here’s your first outfit, Ms. Storm.”

A representative from Gucci lifted a garment bag before her. She took it while Jessica shooed her back to the privacy of the bathroom. Kelly hung the bag behind the door and pulled the zipper down. A white gown burst out of the confines, and she gasped. Fingering the fine material and the intricate embroidery around the bodice, Kelly removed the outfit and dressed in haste.

A hush fell over the room when she walked out. The men followed her movement with open admiration, their eyes fixed on the low-cut neckline that barely covered her breasts. The women were more guarded, but their expressions conveyed envy.

“Please, sit right here.” Fiona, a makeup artist Kelly had worked with a couple of times in the past, gestured to the space she’d set up next to the bed.

Jessica followed and pulled a chair next to her as Fiona began applying the basics to Kelly’s face. “We have less than two hours before the limousine arrives for your taping,” Jessica said while consulting her Blackberry. “I will ask my questions later. For now, just pray Fiona can do magic on those horrible bags of yours.”

Fiona giggled, and Jessica continued reciting her schedule for the day. Kelly tuned them out after they began chattering and closed her eyes. The next two hours were as excruciating as getting her teeth pulled—changing outfits, posing for a millionth time, and being under the hot lights as if she were a piece of cooking meat.
 

As soon as the photo shoot was over and everyone had left, she changed into a simple black sheath and high-heeled shoes. She left her hair the way Fiona had arranged it. The makeup artist and the hair expert at the studio would change them anyway. Kelly grabbed her purse, slipped on her dark glasses, and followed Jessica out the door.
 

“You ready?” Jessica asked once they stepped off the lobby elevator. The plush carpeting muffled their footsteps while they headed to the front door. A doorman dipped his head and held the glass door open for them.

She took a deep breath and plastered on a winning smile. “I guess.”

Hundreds of lights flashed when she emerged to make her way to the waiting limousine. Despite the rope cordoning them off at a safe distance, several bolder shutterbugs got closer. One of them was Rigor James, an annoying man who was dead set on making Kelly’s life a living hell. They’d had several run-ins in the past, with Rigor pushing her to her limits. The last one had been the most upsetting yet, ignoring the unspoken boundary between privacy and what the rest of the world was entitled to see. Rigor had taken snapshots of Kelly on a private getaway on a friend’s yacht off the coast of Marseille that was meant to get her head together after her very public breakup with Matthew. The picture had been snapped when she had been crying her eyes out to Jessica.  

“Kelly Storm, I’m watching you,” he shouted above the clamor of snapping sounds and questions raining down on her. Kelly shot him a disparaging look while the man pointed to his eyes.

She hated threats and disliked the man with a passion, but she didn’t have enough credible evidence to convince the court to grant her a restraining order.

“Rigor, why don’t you shove your camera up your ass and beat it?” Jessica shouted, pushing Kelly inside the waiting limousine.

“Thanks.” Kelly gave her friend a grateful smile and massaged her throbbing temple once the car started moving.

“Don’t mention it.” Jessica regarded her with obvious curiosity before she pushed the button to raise the divider between them and the driver. “What did you do last night?”

Here we go . . .
 “I invited Parker for dinner.” What was the point of lying to Jessica? Kelly’s friend possessed Superman’s x-ray vision and Daredevil’s radar sense. There was no hiding anything from her for very long.

Jessica’s eyebrows shot up so high they almost disappeared into her hairline. “And?”

Kelly turned her face to the window to watch the throng of people trekking the city. She loved the cosmopolitan buzz of the Big Apple, but lately her fondness for the place had been replaced by a phobia of rushing fans and crazy paparazzi. “He spent the night.” She didn’t meet her friend’s inquiring gaze and wasn’t surprised when Jessica snorted.

“I could tell. Your bed looked like it had been hit by a cyclone.” Jessica’s tone turned somber. “What, may I ask, made you to go to bed with a stranger? I mean, you’ve seen the guy twice, and you know he’s . . .”

Kelly whipped her head around in amazement. “Blind?”
 

Jessica seemed contrite, and Kelly felt bad for snapping at her.
 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout. I’m confused, Jess.”

Jessica reached out and patted her on the knee. “It’s okay. That was a bit callous of me. I just feel like he’d be another piece of baggage you don’t need in your life right now, after the fiasco with Matthew.” Her face clouded in anger.

“Parker is wonderful. He’s independent and very capable. There is nothing the man can’t do. His blindness is just another test he’s going to overcome.” Kelly had no idea why she was singing the praises of the man who’d evoked both happiness and terror within her at the same time.

Jessica gaped at her. Her green eyes sparkled with undisguised mischief. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you’re falling for this guy. What gives? What sets him apart? Why so sudden?”
 

Kelly shook her head. Who knew what she found most attractive? Was it Parker’s body or his erotic lovemaking? “How do I explain instant attraction? I don’t know. He’s easy to talk to . . .”

“I guess this question is in order, then. Does he know who you are?” Jessica had always been the nagging conscience she’d refused to listen to and yet couldn’t ignore.

Kelly shook her head. “I told him my name was Ann Sutton, and on the two occasions I visited his office, I was in heavy disguise.”

“And you think you’re being fair?” Jessica spoke without waiting for an answer. “What’s more deceitful than that? The man is blind, and you masquerading under different names and costumes won’t make it better. I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Kels.”

Kelly had no answer to offer. She gazed out the window and stayed silent.

It had been several weeks since Parker last saw Ann, and he felt like he was ready to scream. He had walked out of her hotel room like a pouting teenager whose parents had refused to let him borrow their car. Now, he felt like an ass and had no idea how to rectify his actions.

He’d tried to call the number she’d supplied in her record, but his call had gone straight to voicemail. With his aversion to leaving messages, he’d hung up and stewed for days. Now Parker was back in Los Angeles, and he had no other choice but to continue with his life pre-Ann. His perspective had undergone a slight shift, along with his plans. It seemed like he wanted Ann in his life. There was a burning deep inside him to get to know her more. He had no idea how she felt about him, except for her confessed fascination with him. Whatever it meant, he hoped it was enough to build on.

“You’re being foolish, Parker.” He threw his hands up in frustration and jammed them through his hair. A squeaking sound alerted him that he wasn’t alone. He turned to the direction of the door. “Who’s there?”

Her scent wafted around him before she answered. “It’s me, boss,” Webster answered, and the soft click of the door closing sounded. “Since when did you become foolish?”

“There you are.” He smiled in her direction and motioned for her to take a seat. “I’ve been hoping to talk to you but haven’t found the time.”

“Sure, I’d love to talk, but before we do, you have Peggy Reese up in room two in five minutes. What’s up, boss?”

He listened while she took the chair opposite his desk and sat down. The rustling of her clothes indicated she was comfortable. Parker leaned forward, resting his elbows on a bunch of papers sitting on his desk. He made a mental note of the room number.

“Okay, room two, Reese.” He punched the talking clock to get the time. Four minutes. “I wanted to let you know that I’m releasing you from our . . . contract.” Silence greeted him. Parker reached for Webster’s hand. “Say something.”

Chapter 6

“Webbie? What’s wrong?”

Parker rose from his chair, walked around the desk, and sat on the side right in front of her.

“Um . . . you’re letting me go?” Her voice was a mere squeak.

As far as he could remember, their contract had been pretty straightforward. Though nothing had been put into actual writing, their verbal agreement had been clear. Crystal. Should anyone decide to step away for any reason, no questions would be asked. With the lighting in the room, Parker tried to read her expression through the haze but couldn’t.  

“Yes . . .”

Another painful silence stretched before them. He got antsy. It never occurred to him that it would be difficult to break their contract. Webbie had been a good sport about their whole arrangement from the beginning, agreeing to keep their pact until either one of them found someone else. And though he had not known Ann that long, there was no mistaking he was drawn to her. Her sweet voice, laced with a pain he felt he understood, gave him an inexplicable connection to her and a desire to see more of her. He found himself wanting to peel back the layers one by one until he discovered the real woman behind the mystery. 

“Care to explain?”
 

He jerked at Webster’s clipped tone. “But . . . I thought we didn’t need to give an explanation.”

“Maybe
you
don’t need an explanation, but I do,” she said. “What am I going to do now?” There was a hint of sadness in her voice that made Parker feel like a heel. 

“Webbie, I’m sorry. I know I’m about to leave you without a partner, but I don’t feel it’ll be fair to you if I’m going to pursue another woman.”

“Why are you going after a woman you don’t even know? And what makes you think she’ll want you the way you want her? You’re taking a big blind step here. Excuse the pun, but you aren’t seeing things clearly enough.”

He couldn’t detect humor in her tone or a clear indication that she was offended with his sudden rescinding of their arrangement.

“That may be the case, but I’m willing to take a chance. I don’t want to keep using you when it’s obvious my interest lies elsewhere. Who knows? This might be a good time for you to find a suitable guy. You’ve been out of the dating circuit for some time now.”
 

Webster fell silent, seeming to consider what he’d said. “I’m good as it is right now, and besides, I only switched since you won’t let me dominate this arrangement.” She gave a nervous laugh.
 

“Well, good luck on finding a man who will let you take charge. But as I was saying, I really hope you find someone you can have a long and meaningful relationship with. I really wish you the best, partner.”