Love You Two

I finished typing the last of the report, leaned a little too far back in my chair and stretched my arms above my head, cracking joints that probably shouldn’t be cracked. Glancing over at the clock on the wall in the cramped office, I saw it was nearing ten-thirty. Gossamer had long closed and I had sent the closers home, but, in retail, the job was never really finished. Since I had the day off tomorrow, I figured I might as well get a head start and give Melly, one of the other managers a break. She had enough on her plate as it was, being new to the position and all. Anything to lighten her load I was sure would be a nicety she wouldn’t refuse.
Pushing away from the desk, I shut down the computer and made to close the store. I had overridden the system so the emergency lights had stayed on later than their scheduled shut-off time and the dim glow allowed me to at least see where I was going, even if it did kill my eyes as I had stared at the bright computer screen. Locking the door behind me, I grabbed my purse from the desk in the small hallway and headed down the stairs.
Shockingly enough, that’s when I heard the buzzer to the front doors ring through the store.
Frowning, I picked up my pace, wondering who it could be at this hour. Only employees knew where the buzzer was and what it was for, and only those I had closed with tonight knew I was going to be here late. Maybe one of them had forgotten something important. Still, it was a shot in the dark that I would still be here at this hour. I mean, the store closed at sunset, and that was just around five-thirty nowadays.
As the glass front doors came into view behind the mannequins and tables, I sucked in a breath, picking up my pace and nearly dropping my keys in order to let in the man standing beyond them.
“Sir,” I flushed, shocked and happily pleased, “I didn’t know you were coming this evening. Is everything alright?”
The man standing in the cool night air was one Li Amer, a self-made billionaire and my boss. He was at first a nobody trying to make it in the fashion business, until one piece of random fantasy lingerie in a small show sky-rocketed him to the big top. In a matter of months, he was producing his own line and selling to the rich and famous. He had, of course, branched out since those two years and created his own casual-wear and evening boutiques, but his true creativity and passion always showed in his one-of-a-kind underwear line, Gossamer.
It really was beautiful. Each piece was top of the line, hand stitched and worth a fortune. Only a select few could afford the originals, so a more commercial line had been made for those of us that couldn’t. Those stores were in malls and shopping centers the world over. But the original, the Gossamer that sold the fantasies every girl wanted was here on the strip.
How I managed to become the store manager of such a beautiful and high-end boutique, I’ll never really know. Although I was pretty sure it had something to do with my passion for his design aesthetic and my work-a-holic nature.
He flashed a smile and my stomach danced. “May I come in?”
I blinked, shocked away from my treacherous thoughts and backed away from the door, swinging it wide. “Of course! I mean, it’s your store. I can’t exactly stop you.” Which boded the question as to why he didn’t just open the doors himself since he had the master key.
His smile seemed less professional and more relaxed at my poor excuse for a joke, and he came inside, his always-there bodyguard following.
“Hello, Jared,” I smiled at the big, nimble forty-something man in a black polo and slacks. “How are you?”
His smile was small, but the warmth that touched his blue eyes was generous. I always had liked the man even if he did make my five-foot two-inches frame seem all that much smaller. “Doing just fine, Ms. Farley. And you?”
His Southern drawl made my smile grow and I smacked his arm lightly. “Jared, how many times have I told you to call me ‘Hana’? We’ve known each other long enough now to where you must get tired of me asking.”
Jared’s eyes twinkled. “When you let me buy you that drink so we can get on a first-name basis, little miss.”
I rolled my eyes, feigning annoyance when my insides were tickled nonetheless. I crossed my arms. “I don’t think your wife would like that at all.” I pretended to dig through my purse in search of my phone. “But maybe I should call Wendy and find out?”
He laughed, the sound echoing loudly through the small store. “She’d get a kick out of it, I’m sure. And then I’d get kicked.”
Li clearing his throat politely stopping any other quip I might have made and turning my attention back to him.
My cheeks turned an embarrassed red.
“Jared,” he said politely, his smile seeming almost stiff. “Please stay near the door. I shouldn’t be too long.”
Jared nodded, his expression all business, but when Li turned and made his way further into the store, the big man gave me a sheepish grin.
I shrugged my shoulders in bemusement and left the door to Jared, following Mr. Amer into the dim.
Walking behind him, I could tell he had been wearing a fully tailored suit earlier, but had ditched the jacket and tie, rolled up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt and unbuttoned not one, but two buttons, leaving a tantalizing and scrumptious glimpse of his smooth chest. Unlike his bodyguard, Mr. Amer was lithe and toned, tall and a delicious view to the eye—both coming and going. The gray suit used his Asian-coloring to its best advantage, but the heritage that was in his first name was almost lost in his features. Apart from the slight almond shape of his dark-green eyes and his obviously Asian cut, styled and dark hair, his Asian heritage stopped there. His nose was straight and long, resting above plush lips that neatly formed an O situated over a small, soft and round chin. I wanted to drool as the shadows of the dim light played across the roundness of his long cheeks and cast a devilish look about him.
“Is everything alright, Mr. Amer?” I asked finally, as he started sifting through the lingerie on a fixture near the back of the store. It wasn’t the most sought after set or the most daring, but it was one of my favorites, being one of only three white sets he’d ever created.
His frown had my gaze sharpening on him and I noticed that he had bags under his eyes and he looked a little paler than normal. I didn’t see him too often, of course, but a girl remembers eye-candy at its best.
“Sales are down,” he commented, still sifting.
It was almost absent-minded, the way he said it, but I knew better. He was hedging, wanting to throw an idea my way, but unsure how to broach the subject. I’d play along.
I crossed my arms. “Yes, they are. But high-end lingerie isn’t always going to be the hottest item.”
He pulled out a pair of lace panties designed so they looked like only rose petals on the skin and started searching through the bras. “True, but I intend for my lingerie to always be a hot item.”
My brows drew down. “It is. So, what’s the problem? We still get more sales than even the most commercial and the most private selections. Our profit goes up almost three percent every year for the private and almost twenty-five percent in commercial. If that isn’t booming business I don’t know what is.”
He glanced at me for a moment before going back to his hunt. I thought I saw a hint of a smile. “You look into the business of the commercial lines?”
“Well, yes,” I told him, a little confused. “I manage the private line, so I want to make sure our sales are the same, if not better than the commercial.” Actually, I made sure our sales were always better. It damn well paid off too. We didn’t work just on commission, but excellent customer service, good sales-pitches and small talk training ensured that we got the bonuses we wanted and the ratings the store deserved.
Straightening, he faced me with a smile, seemingly satisfied with what he’d found. I wondered who the lucky woman who got to wear those for him was. “Excellent. I always liked that business head about you.”
I tried not to flush, but enjoyed the compliment nonetheless, wishing that wasn’t all he saw, but knowing better. I’d had a thing for Li Amer since before he had made it big and I had just been helping him as a consultant on the side, but I doubted that he saw me as anything other than an almost-fashionable colleague.
“If that’s true, then what is the real business you want to discuss with me?”
His smile faded and I almost regretted asking, but curiosity won out over hormones. It almost always did and that’s probably why I was still single with no prospects at twenty-nine. Not that I needed that drama. Work kept me busy enough. It was hard trying to just juggle my dog Turnip and work. Hell, sometimes, when I knew it was going to be a long day, I brought Turnip with me. He was good for sales and banal chatter and he was the only prince I needed. Although, I certainly wouldn’t say no to a one night stand with the boss man if he ever dreamed of asking. Or getting that drunk.
I was shocked when Li reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me towards the dressing rooms. He shoved me towards one of the curtained doorways and then through it, nearly shoving me into a corner as he started reaching for my jacket.
Panic slid through me. Despite his uber sexiness and my earlier thoughts, I didn’t want to be raped. I couldn’t think of anyone who did and I certainly wasn’t about to let him think that it was going to be easy.
“What are you doing?!” I exclaimed, shoving at him and trying to go through the curtain he just closed, blanketing us in near darkness. “Let me out!”
He sighed, frustrated as he grabbed my arms and tried to still me. “Calm down, Hana.” He held me more firmly and forced me to turn around, tugging off my jacket. “I’m not going to molest you.”
“Oh, yeah?” I asked disbelievingly as he threw my jacket into the corner. I crossed my arms protectively, hoping he wouldn’t try for my shirt. It was new and I didn’t like sewing buttons back on. “Sorry if I don’t believe you when you shove me into a dark room and start forcing my clothes off.”
Even in the dim, I could see him clearly roll his eyes. “Fine.” He shoved his earlier pickings into my arms and angrily left the room, leaving shadows beyond the curtain as he stood there. “Change into that.”
I looked down at the underwear, confusion ripe in my system. “What? Why?”
“Because I’m your boss and it’s an order.”
It was my turn to roll my eyes and I placed a defiant hand on my hip. “What kind of boss asks an employee to strip and model for him?”
“The kind that’s trying to take his partner out to a late dinner. Now, strip.”
My heart thumped hard against my chest and I tried to remember how to breathe. First he had called me his partner—a title I never thought I ever had right to and one that had never crossed my mind—and second he had said dinner. As in, dinner dinner? Was this a date? I had no idea. Then again, why else would he ask me? Would I ruin the thought by asking? But how was I supposed to know what he meant without asking in the first place?
Curiosity won out over common sense.
“Why are we going to dinner?” I asked quietly even as I took off my shirt and heels and started undoing my skirt.
His deep voice was a rumble from somewhere further into the store. I heard the scrape of hangers being slid and wondered what he was looking at now. “Because a hard-working, dedicated employee who never takes a vacation such as yourself deserves a little of the high life and some lavish attention.” His steps got closer and my breath quickened as I scrambled into the panties and bra he’d picked out, afraid he might open the curtain. Instead, a hand stuck threw carrying a dress. “Wear this, too. And take the tags off everything.”
I blinked, taking the very expensive, very beautiful beaded gown—one of the other high end fashion icons we sold apart from the lingerie—with trembling hands. “B-But why?”
A quiet laugh floated through the curtain. “Because it would be embarrassing if you had tags flapping all over the place in a nice restaurant.” There was a small pause. “Besides, you’re going to have to take the tags off eventually. That is, unless you want a constant reminder of the cost winking at you from your closet.”
“You’re giving these to me?!” My heart leapt and my cheeks burned. I was almost in the white, form-fitting dress and stopped mid-way, my arms flailing in a very un-lady-like fashion as my voice struggled to get through. “I can’t accept that!”
“You can and you will. You deserve more, but I know you won’t take it. Just let me give you what I can.”
Again, why? Why was he suddenly doing this after so long? What was going on? Had something happened? Had something changed? Oh, Lord, was the business going bankrupt? Was I getting fired!
I closed my eyes and tugged the dress into place, reaching behind me and tugging at the zipper. Dummy me, the tag was in the way, so I couldn’t pull it all the way up. I also couldn’t get a good enough grip on the tag to rip it off. Stupid, stupid.
“Um,” I started, embarrassed. “It’s kind of a cliché, but could you zip me up?”
His laughter was loud and joyous as the curtain swished open and I wanted to smack myself. “With the utmost pleasure.”
He came up behind me and place one hand on my lower back, near the zipper and grabbed the tag. Leaning over my shoulder, he watched me in the mirror and said in a low, seductive voice, “You know, I see models naked all the time. You could have just let me undress you.”
I frowned at him as he pulled the tag out with a slight jerk and started the zipper up. “I’m not a doll.”
His smile warmed his eyes and he straightened, pulling away from me and taking his heat with him. “No, you’re not, thankfully. Models are horribly dull.”
Glancing at me from head to toe, he tilted his head and then reached out, pulling out my hair clip and then redoing my messy, un-styled curls into a half bun at the base of my neck and off my shoulder. He nodded, as if pleased with himself. “Perfect.” He grabbed my hand. “Let’s go.”
And, boy, did we go.
It was a good thing Li had practically thrown the dress my way. The restaurant he took me to was far too upscale for my business attire—and there was certainly nothing wrong with my suit. It wasn’t the height of fashion, to be sure, but it wasn’t dowdy either. However, Liander’s happened to be the “it” place. Open to the screeching hours of two a.m., it was a wonderful place to wine, dine and generally have a good time. That is as long as your pocketbook could handle the expenses.
Liander’s was well worth the money. The almost dim lighting made for a romantic or business atmosphere depending on what you were going for and the melodic jazz that drifted from the hidden speakers was soothing, adding to the dark richness of the reds and cherry wood décor. The tables were spaced neatly without seeming to be in any sort of organization and there was enough room to leave those in privacy if they so wanted. But the real draw was, of course, the view. Being on the eighteenth floor of a very prestigious hotel, the sparkling lights of the city and ocean far beyond its limits gleamed through the wall to wall single-pane windows and had this place on the luxury map. Thankfully, the whole place wasn’t so hoity-toity as its view and had left its tables without cloths so that the deep wood shone nicely and gave the whole restaurant a modern feel, rather than something dated. I was pretty sure that saved it numerous times on reviews, as well, considering the dark reds and creams were overdone.
I smoothed a hand down the white beaded hem of my dress and crossed my legs at the ankles for what felt like the umpteenth time. Although I was here as Li’s dinner partner, I felt out of place, even if I suddenly looked the part of a well-to-do lady. Not to say that I couldn’t afford this place myself, it was just that this was a date spot—there were plenty of couples around even at this hour to attest to that—and I just didn’t have it in me to come alone, even if the food did make me drool.
“—thank you,” I heard Li say to the waiter, drawing my thoughts back to him. He handed the man back the menu, after having ordered us some wine and dinner, and turned his attention back to me. With his expression unreadable, he watched me for a few moments before saying, “I’m thinking of designing new pieces for Gossamer.”
My brows rose and excitement bubbled through me, battling the sudden disappointment at having gathered the wrong idea. Of course we weren’t here for pleasure. I was so stupid. Why would Li Amer, of all people, want to take me out on a date? He wouldn’t, for starters. I was just someone he went to for advice when the need arose. Why else would he pop up on my doorstep at such an impractical hour asking me to dinner? No reason short of practicality, anyway.
I kept my gaze steady as the waiter poured wine into my glass and left the bottle. Having gotten my one and only hangover from such velvet liquid, I politely ignored it and sipped the water they had in goblets resting in the dim light, sitting up a little straighter.
“Are you?” I asked politely, glad there was no snap in my tone. “That will be wonderful.” And it would be. Li had talent and drive by the bucket load and I loved nearly every piece that came out. Lately, though, it seemed that he had been turning his attention away from Gossamer. If he was going back to his roots, then I was certainly all for it. It also helped that that would mean a bigger paycheck. I could almost feel my pockets filling already.
He still eyed me shrewdly. “Is it? With the success of the other lines, I figured you would try and talk me out of it.”
I thought about it for a minute. “Well, I guess I can see where the other lines might suffer if you suddenly put your attention back on the private line, but Gossamer Comm is doing well enough to it doesn’t need to be looked after so carefully anymore.” It was my turn to eye him curiously. “What are you thinking of making?”
Li set his wine glass down carefully, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. “Well, that depends.”
“On?”
We were interrupted as the waiter set our food down in front of us. It was at that moment that I realized just how hungry I was. The smell of the delicious looking steak in front of me had my mouth drooling and my stomach rumbling. I wasn’t about to waste any of it, either. I mean, hey, I hadn’t eaten since early in the afternoon. My poor, famished body needed sustenance.
I had taken about four bites when I realized that I was the only one eating. Li was watching me with a warm smile on his face and suddenly I felt like a starved puppy.
I ignored the burning in my cheeks, glad that I hadn’t forgotten my table manners even though all I wanted to do was pick up the steak and tear into it like a burger. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
He blinked, looking down at his plate as if just now realizing it was there and laughed softly. “I guess so.”
Silence spread over us for the next few minutes as we focused on our food. I tried to ignore the heaviness of it. He was going to ask me something important, I just knew it, but what it was I couldn’t be sure. When he was going to ask was also a problem and it looked like it was one that I was going to have to solve myself.
“So,” I hedged, taking a sip of water. “What does it depend on?”
He paused, his fork stopping for the briefest moments. “Ah, right. Business.” Was that disappointment I hear?
Li took a gulp of wine, as if he needed to steel his nerves, and then looked at me with such serious earnestness that I swallowed nervously.
The words that came out of his mouth were the last I was expecting to hear.
“I want you to be my muse.”
I could feel the blankness come over my face and knew that I looked about as dumb as a nail, but I couldn’t help it.
“What?” I asked flatly, not sure I’d heard right.
He cleared his throat, shifted fractionally, as if he were suddenly uncomfortable. “I want you to be my muse. For the new line.”
I shook my head slightly, trying to let the words sink in. They wouldn’t. I mean, who gets asked by a famous designer to be their muse? Especially after having known said designer for three years and never even getting close enough to get anything other than his work number.
I put my fork down to hide suddenly shaky hands, clenching them on the table. “I don’t understand.”
“Hana,” he started and my heart thumped loudly in my chest. He reached out and gently placed his hand over mine, his thumb gliding over my knuckles. “We’ve known each other for years. You’re the only one who’s stuck by me through the hard times, the only one who isn’t after my money. You listen when I need help, you guide me, you trust me and you let me trust you. I want to create something beautiful, but I can’t do that without you at the center.”
I couldn’t stop starting at our hands and I hoped to hell my palms weren’t sweating. “B-But I’m just your manager.”
His smile almost stopped my heart. “You’re my friend—one of very few, honestly.” His hand stilled and he reached out with his free one to grasp my other hand, holding each lightly on the table. His eyes were practically begging as they stared into mine and I knew—I absolutely knew—that whatever he wanted, I would give him. I couldn’t help those kinds of eyes, dammit.
“I need you.”
Oh, shit. He had to say that, didn’t he? If he begged, I was a goner.
“Hana, please.”
Yup, a goner.
“I can’t do this without you.” He squeezed my hands almost painfully. “Now, that’s not to say that being a muse is easy. I’m going to need you at my beck and call, day and night, whenever the mood strikes me to design. My moods will be up and down, my life turned around until I’m done, but the end result will be well worth it—you know that as well as anyone.”
“I don’t understand why it’s me.”
He grinned again. “Well, for some reason, lately I can’t get the image of you out of my head.” He released a hand in order to rub his chin. “I guess it started at the annual corporate meeting last month. You were wearing a dress I hadn’t seen you in before. You obviously weren’t dressed for work.”
No, I hadn’t been. In fact, I was running late. Turnip had chosen the night before to eat some cleaner I’d left lying about and I’d made an emergency trip to the vet. He had, thankfully, come out of the very feverish sickness within a few hours, but, by the time I had gotten someone to dog-sit and dropped him off, it was time to head in for the meeting. I had been going on no sleep, was wearing the clothes from my day off before and had probably been a sight even a blind man would want to stay away from.
“I looked horrible that day!”
He smiled warmly. “Hardly. You looked tired, certainly, but that color was spectacular on you and the cut of the dress was very flattering. It reminded me of a butterfly.” His smiled dimmed, the slight begging back in his expression. “Which brings me to my next point. I want to design the concept around you and a butterfly. What do you think?”
Well, considering that most lingerie lines were designed around angels or flowers, I thought it was a bold and brilliant idea. There were always doubts about how it would be accepted, but anything Li did was sure to gain fans.
“Of course I think it’s a great idea,” I told him and saw the relief in his eyes. It hurt to break that a little. “But I don’t think I’m special enough to be anybody’s muse.” Hell, I wasn’t even anyone’s girlfriend—how could I be a muse?
He sighed, sitting back in his chair and, finally, he let go of my hand. I placed it in my lap quickly, noticing the slight hardness that was suddenly around his eyes as he watched me.
“You always pull away from me,” he accused. “You’re always polite, always cordial. You never say anything out of line and never accept anything I try to give you unless I force it on you.”
Anger started seeping through the shock that had settled over me and I bit back some rather nasty words. Well, excuse me for being polite. “Mr. Amer,” I told him rather stiffly, “I didn’t start helping you in the beginning out of politeness. I helped you because I believed in you—a fact that still holds true.”
He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it and let out a frustrated sigh. “Yes, yes. I know. I’m sorry.” He placed his elbows on the table again. “It’s just frustrating. You’re who I need for this to work, but you won’t let me use you.”
I lifted my chin, picking up my fork again. “I never said no, I merely asked why.”
Hope and surprise lit his features and he suddenly laughed, slumping back in his seat, looking almost happily defeated. It was charming and had my insides flip-flopping. “What a woman you are.” He grinned at me. “Well, then, will you let me?”
“Is that an order from my boss?”
He tilted his head to the side, mischief playing in his eyes. “How about a request from a friend?”
Friend, he said. That word just seemed to sting more and more.
I plastered a smile on my face anyway, opening my mouth to answer only to be cut off as my phone rang.