Billionaire Romance Boxed Set (9 Book Bundle) (51 page)

“Please
don’t be what I think this is,” I said annoyed as I examined the envelope.
“Are you kidding me? I just came from graduation!” I said annoyed.

Opening
it, I felt my stomach sink and slowly turn. It was exactly what I feared—my
student loans were already asking for payment.

Quietly
slipping out of my closet, my orange and white cat hopped onto an arm of the
couch and started purring. I rescued Mousetrap from a shelter after his owner
kicked him out annoyed that he betrayed his name and what she considered his
sole purpose in life. Trap was not only the laziest cat I ever met, but I was
sure he’d run in the other direction if he ever saw a mouse. In other words,
Trap and I had a lot in common.

“Shit
Trap, talk about bad timing” I said loudly as I fell back onto the couch
wishing I hadn’t gotten up to check that letter. “I thought I had a few
months before they wanted anything. Maybe I should call Drake Winslow and see
if Ashley’s job is still open. I could use that kind of money. Maybe I
shouldn’t have turned it down.”

Trap
meowed his reply. His “talking” was the reason I took him home. I
never planned on adopting a pet, but next thing I knew Trap was talking to me
from a cage as I walked past a pet adoption fair. Figuring it was never too
early to fulfill my destiny as the crazy cat lady, I adopted him. Besides, I
spent way too much time talking to myself. Trap made me seem a little less
wacky.

“No?
No regrets? When you’re right, you’re right Trap,” I said as I scratched
his neck.

Looking
around my small studio apartment, I knew I couldn’t scale down any further. Any
smaller and I would be living in a closet or a nice refrigerator box. Mentally
going through my poor excuse of a budget, I knew it was only a matter of time
before I wouldn’t be able to pay rent. I needed a job now, but I really wanted
to pursue my dream. If I didn’t do that now I didn’t know when I’d have the
chance to. There would never be a perfect time.

As
I thought about my talk with Joshua, I considered taking him up on his offer of
working at
Joyeux
. I knew he’d let me help design, but it would be under
his name not mine. And since we both designed for plus size as well as smaller
sizes, I knew it would be hard for me to really stand out. Joshua was such a
talented designer, my work couldn’t compare to his.

I
pulled out the piece of paper he gave me and turned it over between my fingers.
Hargrove’s was
the
high end department store, actually it was considered
a fine department store. That’s how fancy it was. But I really didn’t want a
retail job. They were a lot of work for not much pay. I wanted to design, to
create fashion. Not sell what was already on a hanger.

Joshua
was right though, Hargrove’s could be an amazing opportunity because of their
Annual Designer Challenge. The chance that I could win that or even get a foot
in with a buyer was tempting enough for me to ignore what working retail meant.
I dialed the number Joshua gave me and crossed my fingers as I listened to the
phone ring.

“Thank
you for calling Hargrove’s,” the automated voice on the other end of the
call answered. “You’ve reached the Human Resources department. Your call
will be answered shortly.”

“Human
Resources, this is Joan.”

“Hi,
this is Deborah Hansen, I’m looking for LuAnne?”

“What
is this regarding?”

“Joshua
Cane suggested I give her a call.”

“Oh
Joshua!” She said, her voice suddenly friendly. “Yes, right away. One
moment please.”

“This
is LuAnne,” she said with a twangy accent I couldn’t place. “You’re
friends with Josh? How is he? I need to call him.”

“He’s
good. He said I should give you a call.”

“Great,
what can I help you with?”

“Well
I just graduated with a degree in Fashion Design from Canyon Cove University
and I was wondering if you have anything open?”

“Everyone
at Hargrove’s starts on the selling floor. Are you alright with that?”

“Can
I still participate in the Designer Challenge?”

“Of
course you can, that’s open to everyone but the deadline is approaching,”
she said. “Listen, since I’m in a good mood and you’re friends with Josh,
I know of an opening as a tailor in the men’s department. It’s a busy department
and while it might not be high on your list, at least its more than just
working the floor. Why don’t you come in and I can tell you more about it. Is
10am good?”

“Sounds
great. I’ll be there,” I said before hanging up and bouncing happily in my
seat. “There you go, Trap! Things are turning around. Maybe now I won’t
have to worry about you attacking me in my sleep out of starvation.”

Chapter Three

Deborah

After
walking down the inconspicuous path near the parking garage entrance for
Hargrove’s, I entered my code into the keypad and entered the building. My
first couple of days were mostly orientation and paperwork, but after that I
was finally allowed on the floor.

While
my title was ‘tailor’, I knew I wasn’t much more than a glorified salesperson. The
job definitely had its faults but I kept reassuring myself that it wasn’t a
step back, that with the right connections I could get a buyer interested in
looking at my designs.

Plus
there was the Annual Designer Challenge. Hargrove’s was famous for its window
displays along the avenue. At Christmas people would crowd the windows for a
glimpse. The contest gave the winning designer a collection display in the
window, and for sale in all their stores, plus the chance that Hargrove’s would
sponsor the collection at Paris Fashion Week. It was an exciting opportunity
and the only reason I took the job.

Walking
down the long hall, I looked over my outfit as I did every morning I came to
work at Hargrove’s since I started a week ago. Knowing how much I’d be on my
feet, I wore a pair of black palazzo pants with an ivory organza blouse with
ruffled sleeves and a deep v-neck. Both pieces were made by me. I tried to wear
as much of my own designs as possible since I had such a hard time finding
clothes that fit me properly, not just because of my shape, but because of my
height.

As
I walked on the store’s white marble floors towards the men’s department, I
could already see last night’s sales team left it a mess. Dianna, the manager
who trained me, was already on the floor and putting the clothing back in on
hangers or getting them ready for folding. Usually everyone towered over me,
but she was just as short and very petite. She reminded me of a china doll with
her perfect auburn waves hanging down her back. That is she did until she
turned around.

Dianna
Brubaker’s facial features were reminiscent of a bird. Her thin, pointed nose,
hooked down at the end pointing to an equally pointy chin. Her sharp features
were unfortunately accentuated by her fragile frame which she covered up with
long flowing skirts and buttoned up tops. Everything combined to make her look
much older than her thirty years of age.

The
poor girl looked like she could blow over at any second and she regularly
complained about it. Dianna ate constantly, always hiding food in the drawers
around the register. It was another one of her tirades—no matter how much she
ate, she couldn’t gain any weight. I hated her for it. Not that I wanted to be
that thin, but I wouldn’t mind not having to consider the size of my ass when I
was squeezing into a restaurant booth.

“If
you ever leave the department looking like this, I swear I’ll kick your
ass,” she said as I approached.

“Hey,
I know better. Plus I’d still get stuck having to clean it up,” I said as
I started folding a rumpled pile of expensive polo shirts.

“Listen,
I know you just started but I need you to take care of men’s alterations by
yourself today. I have a new girl starting who will focus on this mess and if I
don’t put the fear of God into her, we’ll have another Sara who is too busy
flirting to keep the place neat. Think you can handle it?”

“Of
course! Alterations is why I took this position. You know I love to sew.”

“Good,
if you have any problems just page me. Its usually a little slow during the day
but you never know.”

I
navigated my way through the clothing racks to the wide fitting room area.
Hargrove’s wasn’t an ordinary department store. What really set them apart was
the superior customer experience. For example, anyone could buy an item at Hargrove’s
and have it expertly tailored free of charge. Of course a lot of the clothing
we sold was out of my wallet’s reach, but still, it was a nice thought.

The
men’s fitting area was warm with rich forest green carpeting and dark wood
furniture. Towards the rear was a three sided mirror where most fittings were
done. On the right were oversized dressing rooms. I checked the rack customers
used to hang the clothing they didn’t want and found what I expected—it was
full.

I
hadn’t had the pleasure of working with Sara yet and I didn’t want it. Not only
had Dianna warned me enough about her, but every time I worked after her the
department looked like a tornado went through it.

The
mess didn’t bother me that much though. It gave me something to do and as long
as I was busy, the day zipped by. Nothing slows a day down more than standing
around waiting for customers.

Grabbing
as many dress pants on hangers as I could carry, I walked over to the suit area
and began fitting them back on the rack by their size. Looking through the new
suit styles that came in the other day, was a tall, handsome man with dark
brown hair slightly parted on the side and pushed back from his forehead. He
was clean shaven and wore a black suit with a grey shirt and no tie. I couldn’t
take my eyes off him.

Realizing
the number of pants in my arms were dwindling I slowed down my clean-up effort.
I didn’t want to stop staring at him. His broad shoulders tugged his suit
jacket perfectly across his back and each time he pulled another suit out of
the rack, I noticed the wrinkle on his sleeve where his muscles flexed.

I
didn’t know what came over me. I had seen handsome, sexy men before, but this
one put them all to shame. I tried focusing back on putting the clothes away
but then, almost as if he could feel my eyes burning a hole into him, he turned
to look at me and smiled.

While
I thought he was gorgeous from behind, now getting a full look at his face I
didn’t have words to describe him. Beautiful? No, he wasn’t a pretty boy, he
was rugged and manly with a strong jawline I wanted to lick. I couldn’t help
but gawk and I hoped I wasn’t drooling like I imagined. He was beyond good
looking, he was magnetic. My head kept coming back to calling him Sexy, Mr.
Sexy.

Suddenly
I imagined Mr. Sexy running on a beach in nothing but black board shorts. The
white pull string at his waist tempting me as water droplets slowly dripped
down his sun kissed skin and disappeared into the fabric.
Whoa, get a hold
of yourself Deborah!

Smiling
back, I realized Mr. Sexy was still looking at me. His friendly smile changed
to something different, a small, gently lopsided knowing smile, the right
corner of his mouth just a little bit higher than the left. I wondered what he
knew about me.
Was he reading my mind?
No, that was just stupid.

As
he walked over to me, my breath caught. My first instinct was to run so I
wouldn’t embarrass myself, but then I heard my grandma’s advice in my head—
no
regrets
. I stood firmly in my spot, still holding the hangers and gazing
into his approaching face as I tried to keep my eyes from traveling down the
rest of Mr. Sexy’s body.

He
had gentle smile lines on his cheeks and at the corners of his eyes. And those
eyes! Now that he was closer I could see they were hazel with glittering green
flecks. They were warmest and most inviting eyes I had ever seen. I knew if he
asked me anything at that moment, anything at all, the answer would be yes!

“Excuse
me,” he said as his eyes quickly found my name tag, “Deborah.”

“Yes…”
I responded using the only word I was able to say and playing over his deeply
intoxicating voice in my head.

“I
believe you dropped something.”

“Yes…”
I said as his words slowly registered in my brain.

Looking
down I saw all the hangers I was holding were empty. All of the dress pants
slid off and were in a pile on the floor at my feet. I had been so consumed
with this man that I didn’t even realize what happened.

“Shit!
I mean…” I said as I kneeled down to pick them up, “Darn? Damn?
Crap, how embarrassing.”

“Shit
is just fine. I’ve heard worse,” he said and laughed as he walked away.

Great,
what a day. I see the most gorgeous guy in the world and then promptly make an
ass of myself. What’s next?

Picking
up the dress pants and the hangers I figured it would be easier to re-hang them
in alterations where I had a large table and could work more comfortably. I
looked around for Mr. Sexy as I carried the pants back but no luck, he was
gone.

Dropping
the pants on the counter, I heard someone in the fitting rooms.
Please let
that be Mr. Sexy!
I came around from the counter and almost slammed into
Dianna as she stepped out.

“Oh
it’s you,” I said disappointed.

“Good
to see you too,” she snarked. “Expecting someone else?”

“I
was hoping you were this guy I just saw.”

“Oh
great, I didn’t think you’d be another Sara.”

“No,
it’s not like that. This guy…I don’t know, there was just something about
him.”

“Where
was he?”

“In
suits. Checking out the ones that just came in.”

“Then
give up on him now, he’s gay,” she deadpanned. “No one ever looks at
the new arrivals and most guys don’t care.”

“Definitely
not gay,” I mumbled as I shook my head.

“Well,
lots of guys come in and out of here. Obviously, its the men’s department.
Maybe he’ll be back.”

“I
hope so.”