Unbroken (10 page)

“Excuse me, Miss Taylor, where would you like these?”

Luckily t
he day of the photo shoot had dawned bright and clear and to Britney’s added relief things were running smoothly.  “Follow me, Brian,” she replied, leading the young man in charge of the wardrobe for the shoot into one of the unoccupied guest bedrooms on the first floor.  “Let’s set the clothing racks up against the far wall and put the makeup table in the south corner.  We’ll use this room for the models’ wardrobe changes and we can put Mr. McCoy’s things in the room next door.”

“Sounds good,” he said, laying the two fully laden garment bags he carried over the back of a chair.
  “I’ll let everyone know to start bringing the rest of the stuff in.”

She nodded, following Brian as he exited the bedroom and headed toward the foyer.

Watching as he stepped through the front door, she saw him sidestep to let someone else pass by.  It was Bruce Eldridge.

“Bruce, hello,” she called, stepping forward to greet him.

“Britney, it’s good to see you again,” he said, his smile genuine as he extended his hand.  “It’s been a while since we actually spoke in person,” he said, referring to their initial meeting when Jake had first signed with the Blades. 

“Yes it has,” she agreed, returning his smile.
  “And it’s nice to see you too, Bruce,” she continued, shaking his hand.  Speaking on the phone almost daily, they had quickly developed a pleasant working relationship.  She could tell early on that Bruce was impressed with her capabilities, and in turn, she’d discovered that in addition to being an obvious workaholic, Bruce Eldridge was a really nice guy. 

“Bruce, how was your trip?”  Jake called, striding toward th
em from the rear of the house.

“The flight was a little bumpy, but other than that everything was great.”  He
let go of Britney’s hand and reached for Jake’s as he approached.  “It’s good to see you, buddy.”

Steppi
ng back, Britney stood quietly as they greeted one another.

“I’m glad you decided to come,” Jake said with a welcoming grin.  “Y
ou need to get away from that office once in a while.”

“I
know, I know,” Bruce acknowledged with a rueful expression.  “This place really is incredible, Jake,” he said, glancing around.  “I’m glad I finally get to see it.” 

“Yeah, me too.”

“And man oh man, you weren’t kidding about the scenery.  Talk about a gorgeous setting.”

“See, I told you that you needed to get out of the city more often.” 

Bruce nodded.  “I should bring the girls up to Stanley some weekend.  “I’ll bet they’d love it.”

“Sure they would.  And
you and the girls are welcome to stay here at the cabin anytime.” 

“
Okay, thanks.  Oh, by the way,” Bruce said, turning to Britney, “Thank you for getting me set up at the hotel.  You were right, the lodge is great.”

“Are you s
ure you don’t want to stay here?” Jake asked.  “There’s plenty of room.”

“No
, no, you’ve got enough going on here, but I appreciate the offer.”

“Can I get you anything
, Bruce?  Something to drink perhaps?” Britney asked.

“I’d love a bottle of water, if you’ve got one.”

“Of course, I’ll be right back.”

As
Britney turned, both men watched her as she walked toward the kitchen. 

“
You know, she’s not at all what I expected,” Bruce said, once Britney was out of earshot.  “Smart as a whip of course, figured that much.  And after talking to her as much as I have, well, I’ve got to admit, I kind of like her.”

“Yeah, I like her too
.”  Jake nodded in agreement, his voice soft, his eyes following her until she disappeared from view.  He turned then, catching an odd, somewhat curious expression on his friend’s face.  He ignored it.  “Come on,” he said, grasping Bruce by the shoulder, “let’s get you that drink and then I’ll show you around the place.”

Hours later, Britney stood
silently watching as Jake and the two female models, April and Candace, once again changed positions for Ricardo Ferrelli, the animated Italian photographer who was directing the shoot.  They’d completed their final wardrobe change and were once again standing outside, lounging this time against a drab green, vintage Chevy pickup that had been brought in for the shoot, with the mountains adding a majestic backdrop to the rural scene. 

Though Jake’s patience and professionalism never waned, Britney could tell
that he was ready for the shoot to end.  It was funny how quickly she’d picked up on his body language and the subtle facial expressions that reflected his changing moods.  She watched him now, leaning against the door of the Chevy, his pose casual and relaxed.  He was wearing a white, long-sleeved button down shirt, open at the neck, a dark brown jacket, a pair of denim jeans that fit his long, muscular legs like a second skin and an insanely expensive pair of brown leather Italian loafers.  Though he was clean-shaven and his hair artfully styled, he looked slightly rugged and of course, sinfully gorgeous.

She certainly wa
sn’t the only one who’d noticed, however.  The two young models had been flirting with him all day, especially Candace, a voluptuous brunette whose interest in Jake was blatantly obvious.  She sat at his left now, perched on the hood of the truck in a floral printed mini dress and four-inch heels, while April, wearing a haltered crème-colored, silk tank and a beige miniskirt, stood to Jake’s right.  They were both incredibly beautiful.  She felt an undeniable twinge of jealousy, not only due to their continued flirtations with Jake, but by the obvious self-confidence they both possessed.

“Well,
it looks like we’re about done,” Brian said, coming up behind her.  “I’ve got most of the stuff packed up, so it shouldn’t take long for us to clear out once Ricardo’s finished with these last few shots.”

Britney turned t
oward him, smiling in appreciation.  “Thanks, Brian, you’ve been a great help.”

“
The driver will be back with the trailer first thing tomorrow to load the truck and take it away.  I hope that’s alright?”

She was about to respond in the affirmative, but stopped cold when she noticed what Brian was holding in his left hand.  It was black licorice
, several strands of it.  In that same moment she was hit by the pungent, sweet smell of the saccharine candy.  She froze, her eyes widening in horror, her breath catching in her chest.

“
Um, if that’s a problem, I can make other arrangements,” Brian said, obviously misinterpreting her reaction.

She forced her gaze away from the dangling strings of black licorice and back to Brian’s face. “What, no, I
-” she stammered.  She forced herself to breathe.  “It’s fine.  That’s fine.”  She felt sick.  “I’m sorry.  Will you…excuse me for a moment?” she somehow managed.  Covering her mouth with her hand, she turned and sprinted toward the house as bile rose up in her throat.  She didn’t care if she made a spectacle of herself.  Losing the contents of her lunch on the front lawn, in full view of a dozen people, including Jake, would be worse, much worse.

With only seconds to spare, s
he made it to the house and into the downstairs powder room, closing and locking the door behind her.  She dropped to her knees then, retching uncontrollably into the porcelain toilet bowl.  When her stomach was finally emptied of its contents, she reached to grasp the toilet handle, flushed and then sat down limply on the wooden floor, pushing herself away from the toilet and up against the bathroom wall.  She covered her eyes with her hands, struggling to regain her composure, but it was next to impossible as images of Randall Littrell appeared unbidden behind her closed lids, his hands dragging long strands of inky black licorice, slowly and sadistically across Molly’s naked body, laughing his cruel, pitiless laugh before lifting them to his mouth.  She immediately dropped her hands and opened her eyes, fighting to clear the horrifying images from her thoughts. 

She
wasn’t exactly sure how long she’d been sitting there, weak and trembling as she fought to steady her breathing and slow her racing heart, but when she heard the approaching sound of voices she forced herself to rise from the floor.  Stepping to the sink, she turned on the cold water.

Jake was waiting for her when she came out of the powder room, concern evident in his expression.  Dang, clearly he’d noticed her mad dash to the house. 

“Are y
ou okay, Britney?” he asked, his green eyes searching her face.

She adjusted her glasses,
thankful that they concealed the upper portion of her face.  “Yeah, I’m fine.  It’s nothing, really.”

“Y
ou sure?”  He didn’t look convinced.

“
An upset stomach,” she mumbled.  “It must have been something I ate.”   She groaned internally, certain her cheeks were pink with mortification.  “But I’m fine now, really.” 

He looked like he was about to say something, but Candace’s low, sultry voice
interrupted whatever it was he might have said as she walked up behind him, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“Brian had some extra
bathing suits,” she said, dangling a skimpy metallic bronze bikini from between her thumb and forefinger.  “What do you say, Jake?  Shall we put your hot tub to use?”

“Did I hear someone mention the
hot tub?” Bruce asked, sliding his cell phone into his pants pocket as he walked out of Jake’s office.  Glancing between Candace and April, his eyes sparkled with interest.

“
Now that the shoot’s done, April and I were hoping we might convince Jake to go for a dip,” Candace answered, the sexy, seductive smile continuing to curve her ruby red lips as she glanced at Jake.  “And anyone else who’d care to join us,” she continued, turning toward Bruce.

April stood a few steps behind Candace, holding a turquoise colored two-piece in her hands.  Her smile was a bit more hesitant, her expression
amenable but not blatantly seductive like Candace’s.

“Sounds like a great idea
to me.”  Bruce looked encouragingly at Jake.  “These muscles can always use a good soak.”

Jake glanced at
his friend knowingly.  Although he didn’t have the slightest interest in Candace, for Bruce’s sake, the man who’d had exactly two dates since splitting up from his wife, he was more than willing to agree to her suggestion. 
Poor Bruce.
The guy’s confidence and self-esteem, at least in regard to women, was at an all-time low. No doubt he would benefit from a little time spent in the company of two attractive young women.  “Sure, I’m in.”

“Oh good,” Candace exclaimed.

Jake glanced at Britney then.  She stood quietly to one side, looking uncomfortable and ill at ease.  “Would you care to join us, Britney?”  The words were out of his mouth before he’d really thought them through and everyone in the room, including Britney, seemed just as surprised as he did by the invitation.

Was he serious?
  Britney wondered, glancing at Jake in astonishment.  No of course he wasn’t, she quickly realized.  He didn’t expect her to accept, he was merely being polite.  She was about to decline, ready to offer a polite excuse, when she noticed the expression on Candace’s face.  There was contemptuous amusement in the brunette’s eyes as she regarded Britney, eyeing her up and down with a disdainful smirk.

Britney cringed internally. 
With the photo shoot taking place, she’d reverted back to her business attire, donning one of her navy pantsuits that morning.   She knew it was unflattering, that was the point after all, but she bristled at the woman’s unmistakable scorn nonetheless.  “Well, I…”

“Yes
, Miss Taylor, you should join us.”  Candace interrupted suddenly, her sugary voice laced with barely concealed sarcasm.  “I’m sure Brian could round up another bikini if you don’t have one of your own.”  

For a moment,
everyone was silent.  Jake and Bruce looked awkward and uncomfortable; April looked sympathetic and slightly embarrassed, while Candace’s derision was masked by an insincere smile of encouragement.

Britney
felt her temper rise.  She had known plenty of girls like Candace through the years, mean-spirited girls who thought that they were better than everyone else simply because they’d been fortunate enough to be born with a nice figure and a pretty face, callously mocking those they considered inferior.

In that in
stant the old Britney resurfaced.  She had no respect for people like Candace, in fact, she disliked them intensely.  As such, she had a sudden urge to give Candace a taste of her own medicine.  “Thanks, I’d love to,” she said with a forced smile. 

Three sets of raised eyebrows
and one condescending sneer met her response. 

“Oh, well great,” Jake said lamely in the
awkwardness of the moment.

“
Great,” Britney repeated.  “I’ll just go and find Brian then,” she continued, brushing past Jake without meeting his eyes.  “You all go on ahead.”  She made a point to keep her voice light and casual.  “I just need to finish up a couple of things first.”