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Honestly, this comes with the territory. When I’m on a modeling job, I’m prepared for all the nonsense hearing people throw at me.
But today I wasn’t.
Maybe that kind of acting will come in time.
Right now, I’ve barely known this man for a day and I don’t quite feel like pretending otherwise anymore.
Is there anything else?I add to my message.
He purses his lips and inspects me with a sigh.
I glare in return.What? What?
I can’t tell if he’s angry at me, disappointed, or maybe regretting his choice of girlfriend.
Oh? Did you think I’d be a shy, insecure, demure little puppet you could push around because I’m deaf? Think again, bucko. I’m far stronger than you think I am. I’m only doing this because my friends mean the world to me. If not for Henry, you’d have gotten a swift kick between the legs on that mountain.
José is waiting downstairs. He and Jenny will accompany you home.
Sullivan angles the phone towards me, waits for me to read and then turns the phone off. With abrupt movements, he gestures to his team.
Mosely and the bodyguard peel away from the wall and follow Richard Sullivan as he stalks out of sight.
“This way,” Jenny signs to me.
I swivel on my heels and follow the interpreters in the opposite direction.
As I walk, I feel a little pinch in the tiniest corner of my soul. Was it right to lash out on Sullivan when he apologized for his sister and made an effort to accommodate me today?
I bite down on my bottom lip, conflicted.
No, don’t get soft now, Yaya.
This is not the time to waver. Richard Sullivan has three months to woo me, court me, and treat me like I’m the most important person in the world to him...
When it’s the farthest thing from the truth.
If I let my guard down and fall for him, well, I might end up breaking something more important than a personal preference.
And I definitely can’t have that.
* * *
Jenny joins me in the backseat of the limo. Fortunately, she senses my mood and doesn’t try to chat me up. Every so often, she’ll take a sip of water then massage her throat and wrists.
Many ASL interpreters suffer from carpal tunnel since signing is extremely taxing on the hands. Jenny looks a little young to be in pain. How long has she been doing this?
I want to ask, but I also want to sulk so I keep my hands down until the limo stops.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you back home?” Jenny signs. “That was Mr. Sullivan’s exact instruction.”
“Just tell him you took me home,” I reply, gathering my things.
Jenny scoots out and stands on the sidewalk with me. “Do you mind… telling him yourself?”
I arch an eyebrow at her nervous body language.
A faint red flush spreads over her cheeks, “He’s a little intimidating.”