Page 58 of See You There

“I don’t know. He looked like he wanted to eat you alive when you came out in that bra.” The makeup artist looked thoughtful. “He looks familiar.”

Dahlia’s heart thudded in her chest. She was aware Luke was attracted to her, but she’d long lost faith in her ability to judge men. Lukewasdifferent, though. Even with her terrible judgment, she recognized that.

In the next moment, Dahlia’s confidence evaporated. The wardrobe assistant zipping up her dress laughed. “You know who he is, right? He is on Atlanta’s top ten bachelors list every year, and he’s always in the gossip pages. He’s a major player.”

“I don’t read those.” The makeup artist sniffed.

“Itotallybelieve you,” the other woman said in a snide voice. “Luke Bloom? As in the Billionaire Blooms? They own a bunch of TV stations or something.”

“Never heard of him,” the makeup artist said defensively. “But he’s hot.”

Dahlia straightened the seams of her stockings and bent to buckle the T-strap on the shoes, trying not to make it obvious she was interested in their gossip.

“Is he single?”

It took Dahlia a moment to realize the woman had directed the question to her. “I don’t know,” Dahlia closed her eyes, as the young woman gave her hair one more heavy layer of setting spray.

Luke had told Diane Lebonet that he didn’t have a girlfriend, but maybe he was just private. He hadn’t tried to kiss her, but she’d assumed it was because he was trying to keep things professional and… Chandler.

Dahlia’s heart sank. Of course, he hadn’t tried anything! He thought she had a boyfriend. But what if that wasn’t why? What if he did have someone, and she had totally mistaken his being nice to her? Was a man being nice such an alien concept that she no longer recognized it for what it was?

Dahlia was thankful for the heavy layers of makeup because her cheeks were burning.

“He’s very single.” The wardrobe assistant answered for her. “A friend of a friend hooked up with him. Let’s just say she wasverysatisfied and also extremely unhappy when she learned about his two-week rule.”

Two-week rule? What the hell is that?

Thankfully, the makeup artist was just as curious. “What do you mean?”

“Apparently, he only dates women for two weeks. Casual only. But if what they say about his skills is true…” She waggled her eyebrows. “I’d say it’s worth it. I guess with someone new every two weeks, he’s had a lot of practice.”

Two weeks.A built-in expiration date. Long enough for her to get him out of her system, but short enough not to get her feelings involved.

Dahlia smiled. This could be perfect.

Someone banged on the door. “Hurry up! Peter’s in a mood.”

This time, the staff led her across an outdoor patio to a yellow biplane parked next to the runway. Two large trees nearby provided shade, and Peter’s assistant had laid out a blanket and staged the contents of a picnic basket between them.

Peter took several pictures, using the trees as the backdrop, before directing her to sit on the blanket and unpack the basket. Luke stood off to the side, expressionless.

The photographer changed cameras twice, but only grew more unhappy as time passed. Nothing Dahlia did seemed to please him. “You are too awkward! Useless!” Dahlia saw Luke take a step forward, and she gave a slight shake of her head. Temperamental artists came with the business, and Peter wasn’t being offensive, just petulant.

Peter threw his hands in the air. “This is pointless! I designed the shoot for a couple!”

Dahlia’s eyes narrowed. “This photoshoot was to accompany a feature onme.”

“It does, but we wanted these shots to be with Chandler as well.” Peter gave a dramatic sigh. “This will have to do.”

Dahlia bit her tongue. This might be her first lead in a feature film, but it wasn’t as if Chandler was an A-list star!

The photography assistant glanced at Luke and then stepped closer to Peter, saying something low in his ear. Peter peered over his shoulder at Luke before continuing the whispered conversation. Abruptly, Peter lifted his camera, pointed it at Luke, and snapped several shots.

Luke’s dark brows bunched. “What are you doing?”

The assistant skipped up to him, hooking her arm through his. “We need a teensy favor. Could you be a stand-in for Chandler?”

Luke shook his head. “I’m not a model.”