Page 31 of Earl

The meeting had taken a turn when he started asking some pointed questions that demanded answers. The men had seen the writing on the wall and had been taciturn and unforthcoming.

Now he was walking along the Mercato Centrale, restlessly. He had contemplated buying her a ruby and diamond bracelet in one of Russo’s exclusive jewelries sections but thought better of it. He had no idea what she looked like or even if she liked jewelry that much.

And he was getting ahead of himself. The conversation with Diana had been enlightening. It had hurt like the son of a bitch, but he respected her honesty.

When he thought he had feelings for her, he had overwhelmed her with expensive gifts.

“One would think you are trying to buy my love,” she had said teasingly.

But wasn’t that what he had been doing? He wondered dismally. He and Evelyn had been brought up by parents who had been cold and clinical. Eric and Wilma Drummond had had an arrangement. His father had married his mother to add to the depleting coffer, but there had been no love lost between them.

Earl and his sister had watched the two people who had given them life, behave like complete strangers. In public when they were entertaining and that was frequent – they had put on a show of being a perfect family. His mother had been beautiful, with her smoky gray eyes and ink black hair and creamy complexion.

Eric had enjoyed showing her off to the public and would spend his nights carrying on with his mistresses. His mother had been aware of his extramarital affairs but had not cared about them at all.

She had not cared about anything, not her husband and certainly not her children. She had entertained, was the perfect hostess,but had denied her children the comfort of her words and the security of her arms.

They had given up trying to get his parents to show them love. Around the dinner table, they were expected to behave ‘civilized’. Conversations had not been encouraged and the atmosphere in that house had been oppressive.

Evelyn used to sneak into his suite and spend some nights there. They were not allowed to have friends over and they were not allowed to go to sleep overs.

So, he had spent the time looking for love and never found it. He thought he had found it with Diana but had been dead wrong. He could not afford to make that mistake again.

He was going to have to take a step back. He was getting too involved and very soon, he was going to go headlong into a relationship without getting to know the person.

His money was a damned curse when it came to relationships, and he found himself resenting the fact that he was so wealthy. He couldn’t trust anyone and after the conversation with Diana, it was worse than ever.

*****

Cathy stared at him in shock.

“You are joking.”

Justin shrugged, sending her his charming smile, with a hint of mischief that had graced many popular magazines.

“As a heart attack. It came to me yesterday when I was speaking to my agent. The photoshoot will be in Cancun. It is sleepwear and you have designed some incredibly sexy ones. My agent immediately got in touch with Monique, and she is sold on the idea.”

“You had no right…”

“Oh hush.” Reaching across the glossy counter, he placed a finger vertically over her lips to stop the rest. “The photoshoot needs a boost, and it will be excellent publicity for the stores. Besides,” removing his finger, he settled back on the bar stool and eyed her.

“We both need a break from the men in our lives. I picked up someone from Roxie’s last night and could not remember the fellow’s name. From what you have told me about Earl and Byron, it seems that you also need to take a break.”

“This from the guy who insisted I needed a man.” She scoffed.

“I still think so,” he flashed her a grin, “but a week in Cancun will do us very well. Say yes.”

“No.” She shook her head.

“I need you.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Emotional blackmail is not going to work. I am not a model.”

“That’s exactly what we need,” he said pleadingly. “Someone who is never usually in front of the camera. You have excellent skin tone, and you photograph better than any of those skinny asses who call themselves models. It is going to be a major campaign…” his expression turned crafty.

“And it is mostly for charity. Leesa and Kelly and several others are involved. There was a major hurricane in several third world countries, and it did catastrophic damages. You said yourself that you wished you could do more than write a check, well darling, here is your chance.”

She gave him a dirty look which only had him grinning.