Love in Paris (The Art Models Club Book 4) (4 page)

Amber relished the attention but she was now really curious about Hunter's past. She knew that he hadn't dated in awhile but his parents seemed borderline ecstatic to meet her. Had they feared that he would be a lifetime bachelor?

Lunch was delicious but soon Amber found herself fighting back yawns, particularly as her belly filled.

“
Dear, I'm sure that Hunter already warned you, but you simply must stay awake until this evening,” Mrs. Webb said, watching with concern.

“
Absolutely,” Mr. Webb added. “Hunter, we have to get back to the office. Why don't you take Amber sight seeing. A little brisk air will help her stay awake.”

After hugs and kisses, the Webbs waved them off.

Hunter was all smiles as they headed back to the elevator.

“
They absolutely adored you, baby.

Amber yawned and smiled sleepily.

“I'm glad. Look, do you think I could just put my head down for twenty minutes?” she pleaded. “I can't keep my eyes open.”

“
Sorry, but that's not going to happen. I have to keep you awake.”

“
You can't stop me,” she grumbled, thinking only of the king sized bed. It had looked so comfortable.

“
You put that sweet head of yours down to sleep and I'll pick you up and toss you in an icy shower,” Hunter warned, his voice pleasant.

Amber yawned again and peered up at him through sleepy eyes.

“You wouldn't do that.”

“
Try me,” Hunter said as he opened the door.

Amber ignored him and headed straight for the bed. She kicked off her heels, shimmied out of her dress and pulled down the bed covers.

“Don't do it,” Hunter said, his voice more threatening.

Amber clutched a pillow and sank her head against it. Oh, that felt so good! She vaguely heard the shower running and put another pillow over her head.

She groaned when Hunter turned her over. But he wasn't picking her up. He was pulling off her panties and unclasping her bra. In the back of her mind she wondered why he was risking ending the bet so easily. But she was simply too tired to think clearly.

And then she panicked when she realized that Hunter was not intent on sex. Instead, he was dragging her in the direction of the shower. She remembered with growing alarm how cold the water had been and started to struggle. But it was too late. Before she could stop him, Hunter was dangling the lower half of her body in freezing water.

“
Bloody hell!” she shrieked, no longer sleepy.

“
I gave you ample warning,” Hunter grunted, his own breath coming in gasps since he was half in the shower as well. He increased his grip but didn't move.

Amber didn't care if he was sharing in her agony.

“I'm awake! I'm awake!” she shouted, slapping at his arms.

Finally Hunter backed away and set her on her feet. He calmly stood while she beat on his chest with her fists. She started to kick him but paused midway, aghast at the memory of what she had done to Caleb's leg.

When she grew tired of punching Hunter's unyielding body she gave up and stomped out of the bathroom. She jerked open drawer after drawer, looking for her jeans.

“
Looking for these,” Hunter asked quietly as he handed over her panties, bra, jeans, and a turtleneck sweater.

She snatched the clothes from him ungratefully, too cold to care that she was being rude and that he was probably cold himself. When she had dressed warmly, she discovered that he was already ready with their coats.

“I'm only doing this because your parents suggested it,” she snarled, jamming her arms into the sleeves of her coat that he held up.

She scowled the entire way down the elevator. An elderly gentlemen took one look at her and backed himself into the corner. Amber was a bit ashamed when she saw that until she noticed the look between Hunter and the old man. The two spoke a few words in French and chuckled. Amber narrowed her eyes at both of them and growled. The elderly man's eyes widened and he gave wide berth to Amber when the elevator stopped on the ground floor.

Amber was still so angry that she strode right out the lobby doors. She wasn't going to simply stand around and wait for Hunter. She would . . . Suddenly, she remembered that she couldn't speak French and that she had no clue where she was. She stopped and stared around, the icy wind and the newness of the city acting like a slap in her face. She sighed. Hunter was doing the right thing by keeping her awake. Intellectually, she knew that. She just didn't like him taking over like that.

“
Can I join you?”

Amber whirled around. She tried to place the look on his face. He looked almost humble. Well, that was a new look for him!

“I suppose so,” she said in a calm voice.

“
Would you like to hit me some more first,” Hunter asked, with just a trace of a smile around his lips.

“
Don't tempt me,” she warned. “I'm still in a bad mood.”

“
Baby, I'll take any way you want to touch me,” he said, his voice tender.

Damn! He was going to try to charm his way back into her good graces.

She looked up, her tired mind trying to form a sarcastic reply, and instead got swept up into the peaceful sea of his eyes. They pulled her forward, promising her good things.

“
I . . .I . . . I'm too tired to think straight,” she sputtered at last. “And why the hell aren't you more tired?”

Hunter smiled.

“I'm exhausted but I've done this before. Plus, my body is kind of between time here and time in the States.”

“
So do we just wander around the city to stay awake?”

“
Why don't we go shopping instead?” Hunter asked. “If you're going to be working with my mom you'll need at least a couple of pairs of slacks and tops.”

Oh! Amber hadn't thought of that.

“Um . . .I don't know how much money I have to spend on clothes,” Amber started to say before Hunter started tugging on her arm.

“
You can pay me back later after you get your first check,” he said. “Come on. I know a shop where you can get just what you need at a bargain price.”

Huh? Hunter wanted to take her shopping. His mind must be as messed up with jet lag as hers. But Hunter wasn't leaving her any options at the moment. She was already half jogging behind him to avoid her arm being pulled from its socket.

“What's the rush?” she finally panted as he finally stopped in front of a clothing store.

“
Sorry,” Hunter said, opening the door for her. “I was afraid you might try to make a run back to the hotel.”

“
I still could,” Amber said, trying to at least put on the show of being defiant.

But she had to admit it was definitely a relief to be out of the wind and the cold. Her ears were stinging and her nose had started to run. She rummaged in her purse for some tissues as a svelte girl approached them.

The shop girl appraised them both. She crinkled her nose in Amber's direction but was all smiles as she greeted Hunter.

Back off bitch, Amber thought. She took Hunter's hand and brought it up to her lips.

Hunter must have gotten the point because he gestured to Amber then leaned down to nuzzle her neck for a brief instant.

The shop girl took a step back, pretending to be grabbing a blouse off a rack. She motioned for them to follow. When they reached the rear of the store, Amber could see that there was a leather sofa and several comfortable chairs set up near a dressing room. An older woman with a pleasant face greeted them. The other girl stalked off.

After managing one brief “bonjour” Amber had used up all her conversational French and let Hunter do the talking. Even though she knew a few halting phrases, these people talked entirely too fast for her to understand.

Finally Hunter turned to her.

“Okay, this nice lady is going to help you get fitted. I told her the sort of office environment my parents have so she knows what is appropriate for you. But if you don't like something, just let me know and I'll translate for you.”

A personal shopper seemed a bit extravagant to Amber but she was at a loss to ask how much anything cost. Disturbingly, she didn't see normal price tags on the clothes. In fact, she didn't see any price tags at all. She turned to question Hunter but he was already seated on the leather sofa and flipping through a magazine.

The matronly woman smiled reassuringly and led Amber into the dressing room. The small room consisted of a few nice chairs, a small table, clothing racks and mirrors lining all four walls. The woman eyed Amber for a moment and then reached for a tape measure on the table. She indicated that Amber should raise her arms and then started taking measurements, starting with her waist. At last she nodded at the chairs and left the room.

Amber sat gingerly on the chair, hoping that the woman had a good sense of taste. After wearing jeans most of her life, she herself had no clue what sort of business attire was considered professional even in the United States. She found herself tapping her boot on the floor nervously and stopped abruptly as the woman returned with her arms filled with clothing.

A half hour later, Amber was impressed. Almost everything looked wonderful while also remaining surprisingly comfortable. For every outfit that Amber approved, the woman would lead Amber out to parade in front of Hunter. If she hadn't been so groggy from jet leg, Amber might have objected. If the woman thought that she needed Hunter's approval she was sadly mistaken. Of course, the more she reflected on her situation, Amber wondered if she did need his approval. Would he buy her something that he didn't like, even if she was going to pay him back? One thing was for certain, she needed to learn French if she was going to ever feel like she was on equal footing again.

Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about arguing with Hunter over her selections. He seemed pleased with everything she selected. Either that or he just wanted to be done. He did look just as tired as she felt when he looked up from his magazine. She grudgingly admitted to herself that she was probably being a little hard on him today. He
had
promised his parents to keep her awake.

After Amber had settled on five new outfits, the woman brought out several pairs of heels. Amber balked. She didn't mind wearing heels for a dinner out but she had to draw the line somewhere for the sake of her feet. She pointed at her boots hopefully. After a moment, the woman smiled and held up a finger. She returned with a beautiful pair of black leather boots with a sensible heel. Amber fell in love immediately.

She literally beamed at the woman as she put them on her feet. They felt incredible! She felt a pang of worry when she thought about how much they probably cost. But there was no way she was leaving this store without them. She would even put back a couple of the other outfits if the total bill was prohibitive.

Seeing her smile, the woman grabbed Amber's hand and pulled her out to show Hunter. She spoke in rapid French with her hands flying around a bit.

Hunter grinned and nodded. He gave the woman a warm smile and then subtly handed her his credit card. He was so smooth that Amber almost didn't see it happen. The woman disappeared immediately to a small desk in the corner.

“
So you like the boots best of all, gorgeous? Madame Leforte said she has never seen such a happy customer.”

Amber grinned happily. “They're awesome! It's funny, but I never knew I loved boots so much until I met you.”

Hunter laughed. “That's my skill in life. I help the ladies discover their fashion sense.”

Amber punched his arm.

“Only one lady. And don't forget it!”

“
This trip is really bringing out the aggressive side of you.”

He massaged his arm and smiled suggestively.

“Are you that anxious to play your little game with me?”

What game? Oh, the bet! Her tired mind tried to work out what he was trying to imply. Then she flushed as a thought occurred to her. Did he think that she wanted them to role play dominance and submission? She hadn't been thinking of that when she made the bet. Now that she thought of it, though, wasn't that kind of what she was thinking?

She peeked up at Hunter and realized he was following her train of thought. Now he was chuckling. Damn! She didn't know how to respond so she simply looked around as though simply ignoring him.

Fortunately, Madame LeForte appeared with a receipt for Hunter to sign as she handed Amber several beautiful bags. Wow, these were awfully fancy bags for clothes. She was going to have to find out how much money Hunter had spent. Of course, if she didn't find out until after it was too late to return the boots, that might not necessarily be a bad thing.

After they left the shop, Hunter insisted that they go to a small cafe several blocks away. The brisk air was freezing but it did help in sharpening her senses. It also made her move quickly in anticipation of getting somewhere nice and warm. She was so tired, though, that she hoped that Hunter would let them take a taxi back to the hotel.