Jacquelin Thomas - Styles of Seduction

Sasha ran her fingers through her long curly extensions. She was beautiful and she knew it. Like Zoe, she dressed at the height of fashion, although she preferred earth tones while her nemesis wore more vibrant colors and large statement jewelry. Simple strands of gold or silver necklaces were more to Sasha’s liking.

Zoe caught sight of her in the hallway. “Did you need something, Sasha?”

Her cheeks grew hot as she fumbled for an answer. “I...I was looking for Jerry.”

“Why don’t you try his office?” Zoe suggested. “It’s located on the other side of the building.”

Sasha scowled at Zoe in silence.

The seamstress wore an amused expression, which quickly disappeared when Sasha sent her a sharp glare before stalking off.

Zoe Sinclair was going to regret the day she ever walked through the doors of Guava International. Sasha would see to that personally.

* * *

Nelson was still settling into his bedroom when Kyle returned to the apartment.

“Sorry about abandoning you earlier,” he said.

“It’s cool,” Nelson said as he put away a stack of folded shirts. “Having lived with my mother all those years, I understand how crazy it gets right before a big show.”

Kyle sank down on the edge of the king-size bed. “Have you spoken to her since you left Philly?”

Nelson shook his head. “I still can’t believe what she did. You just don’t do something like that to family.”

Kyle knew Nelson was referring to Vanessa leaking the details of her husband’s long-ago affair with his sister-in-law to the media. He had heard about it from Nelson’s brother, Harper.

Harper had been so disgusted with his father’s actions that he’d left the family-owned law firm and started his own company. He had recently opened a second office in New York.

“Have you eaten yet?” Kyle asked.

Nelson shook his head. “I wanted to get unpacked first. This room is really nice,” Nelson told him. “Your apartment looks ready for the cover of a magazine. I still think you hired a decorator.”

He laughed. “Actually, Bailey and Brianna gave me some decorating tips.”

“When I get my own place, I will definitely have them come over to help me.”

Kyle and Nelson left the apartment and made their way to a nearby restaurant.

“This place is a favorite of mine,” Kyle announced when they were seated in one of the booths.

“I’ve heard that the food here is really good,” Nelson responded as he picked up the menu. “A couple of friends recommended it when I was here last month for that audition.”

“Have you heard anything back yet?” Kyle asked.

“Not since the second callback,” Nelson said. “I have another audition in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I need to find a job.”

“Why don’t you work for me?” Kyle suggested. “My assistant left for another position and I could use someone to take her place. The schedule is pretty flexible, except during Fashion Week, obviously.”

Nelson broke into a grin. “Kyle, I really appreciate all you’re doing for me. Man, this is great.”

“I have to warn you that it’s not all glitz and glamour, Nelson.”

“I know,” he replied. “I’ve seen enough of what goes on. I think it’s why Mother never wanted any of us to get involved in the fashion industry.”

“Then she’s probably not going to be pleased that you’re my assistant,” Kyle said.

Nelson shrugged. “She no longer has any say about the choices I make for my life. Right now my mother needs to try to fix this mess she’s created with the family. Family should always stick together.”

Kyle couldn’t agree more.

His cell phone rang, cutting into their conversation.

“Your phone’s been blowing up for the past fifteen minutes,” Nelson commented as they ate. “That honey must really want to talk to you.”

Kyle broke into a grin. “It’s this girl I used to date. She’s in town for Fashion Week and she wants to get together.” He picked up his glass of water and took a long sip.

Nelson leaned back in his chair. “Let me guess...she’s a model, right?”

“Actually, she’s a painter,” Kyle said. “I stopped dating models a year ago.”

His cousin laughed. “You were always a ladies’ man.”

“Hey, I can’t help that the women love me.” Kyle wiped his mouth on the edge of his napkin.

“Still humble, I see,” Nelson said with a chuckle.

Kyle leaned back in his chair. “You’re just mad because Lena Swan picked me that summer you spent with us before we went off to college.”

Grinning, Nelson shook his head. “I’m glad she chose you, Kyle. She was a strange female.” He stuck a forkful of salmon into his mouth.

“I have to agree,” Kyle said. “I didn’t know what to do when she showed up one weekend with a wedding dress and rings.”

Nelson howled with laughter. “That’s what you get for lying to that girl, telling her that you were in love with her.”

Kyle gave a slight shrug. “Lena cured me of declaring my love to anyone unless I really mean it.”

Kyle had been through a number of relationships, but his brief romance with Lena had almost caused him physical harm—she had pulled a knife on him when he had broken up with her. His parents had finally been able to calm her down enough to take the knife. Lena’s parents were called to come get her and were warned to keep her away from Kyle or the police would be contacted. Lena wisely kept her distance.

“I actually ran into Lena last year during Christmas,” he told Nelson. “She proudly displayed her wedding ring and pregnant belly. She looked happy.”

“Lucky for you,” Nelson said. “Hey, whatever happened to that ballet dancer you were dating?”

“She joined Dance Theatre of Harlem and ended up falling in love with one of the dancers. She married him less than three months after we broke up.” Kyle picked up a French fry and stuck it into his mouth.

“Ouch, that must have hurt.”

Kyle shrugged in nonchalance. “It hurt my pride most of all. I cared a great deal for her, but I wasn’t ready to be tied down. That was the problem with all of the women in my life—they all wanted to get married and have babies. I’m too much of a free spirit for that. It would stifle my creativity.”

“You just haven’t met the right woman yet,” Nelson stated.

“I have to stay focused. RHD is going to be mine one day and I fully intend to take the company to the next level. In order to do that, I have to devote my life to it.”

“So you plan to remain a bachelor for the rest of your life?”

“I don’t know what the future holds, but right now my focus is on RHD. You know that when it’s a family-owned business, people would rather believe that I was just handed my position. They don’t want to consider how hard I’ve worked, but I don’t care,” Kyle said. “The naysayers in this industry only motivate me to work that much harder.”

Even as Kyle declared his devotion to his work, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking of the one woman who hadn’t tried to force or manipulate him into a serious relationship.

Zoe Sinclair.

They had developed feelings toward each other shortly after she came to RHD as an intern, although Kyle never let those emotions bloom into anything more. From the first moment he’d set eyes on her, Kyle knew he had to do his best to put Zoe out of his mind. Deep down, there were times when he really missed working with her, but Kyle wholeheartedly believed it was for the best that she had chosen to leave RHD.

Because if she hadn’t, there was no telling what might have happened between them.

And Zoe Sinclair was most definitely a distraction that Kyle did not need.