Jan Colley - Mistress & a Million Dollars / Satin & A Scandalous Affair - Mistress & a Million Dollars

Well, she wasn’t.

She placed her cup on the sink and tried to sound casual as she said, “I know it’s out of our way, but can we go to my apartment first? I’d like to get my camera so I can take some pictures of the festival.”

His eyes gave a flicker of surprise. “I have a camera you can use.”

“No, that’s fine. I’d prefer to use my own camera. It’s a very expensive one.”

“And you think mine isn’t?”

She conceded the point. “A camera’s a rather—personal thing.”

He scrutinized her response. “I never thought of it that way.” Then studied her further. “You like taking pictures, do you?”

All at once she felt uncomfortable. “It’s a change from being on the other side of the lens.”

He stared hard for a moment longer. “Give me five minutes, then I’ll be ready to go,” he said, and turned and walked into his study.

An hour later, they’d found a good vantage point along Swanston Street. The Moomba Festival was Australia’s biggest community festival and a Melbourne tradition for over fifty years, with firework shows, outdoor movies, the Moomba parade and lots of water-related activities on the Yarra River.

The parade was the highlight of the Moomba Festival and Melbourne families turned out in droves, creating a sea of color and excitement.

The celebrations continued in Alexandra Gardens and along the riverfront, with live entertainment, roving performers and water sports. Briana strolled next to Jarrod, clicking her camera whenever she saw something of interest. She particularly liked taking pictures of people’s faces when they were unaware of it. She loved to capture the wondrous expression of a child watching a magician, or the parents watching that child with such love on their faces.

“Don’t you get sick of people looking at you?” Jarrod asked after she’d taken a picture of a group of people who’d kicked off their shoes and were having dancing lessons.

She looked at him, startled. “Do they? I hadn’t noticed.”

“Everyone’s recognizing you.”

“Maybe it’s the camera. Maybe they think I’m someone important.”

“You are someone important.”

She laughed that aside. “Only to my father.”

He looked at her a moment or two, a rare, soft light entering his eyes.

Her heart skipped a beat. “What’s the matter?”

“You are.”

“Why?”

He gave a slight smile. “Maybe one day I’ll tell you.”

Just then someone jostled them and the moment was broken. She quickly glanced down and pretended to check a setting on the camera, his comment reminding her there never was going to be a “one day” for them.

When she looked up again, she trained her camera on some children having their faces painted. The thought that she and Jarrod were going their separate ways at the end of the month brought an unwelcome lump to her throat. Yet she didn’t want to feel even the slightest bit miserable about that. So why did she?

“Do you like being a model?” Jarrod asked as they continued their stroll in the sunshine.

She stumbled a little and he put his hand out to steady her. “That’s an odd question.” She could feel his warm, firm touch through her sleeve. “Why do you ask?”

“You seem to have quite a talent behind the camera.”

She was surprised by his perception. “Thank you. I enjoy it.”

“Perhaps it’ll turn into more than a hobby.”

“Perhaps,” she agreed in a noncommittal voice, and moved to take another photograph, making Jarrod drop his hand from her arm. She felt awkward, being unused to sharing her dream with anyone. Not even Patrick had noticed her talent for taking pictures. He’d been too busy complaining she had been ignoring him.

Just then she spied a vendor selling hot dogs, and her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten. “Hey, how about we get some hot dogs for lunch?”

“Pizza last night, hot dogs today. Sure you don’t want to go to a restaurant?”

“No, this is fine.” She glanced around. “Let’s grab some food and go sit on that bench down there on the riverbank.”

“Good idea.”

A few minutes later, Briana placed her camera on the bench between her and Jarrod to keep it safe, and then she began eating her hot dog.

“You look like you’re enjoying that,” Jarrod remarked.

She nodded. “I am.”

His eyebrow rose a fraction. “So you don’t watch your weight?”

“Of course I do, but sometimes I like to break out.” She prided herself on the fact that she wasn’t anorexic thin like some of the other models. “Still, in the last two days I’ve eaten enough junk food to last me six months.”

His gaze swept over her. “You’ve got the perfect figure.”

She wondered why she didn’t care about any other man’s compliment, but Jarrod’s stirred awareness inside her.

“Then maybe I should be the body of Blackstone’s,” she joked. “Perhaps I’ll even get them to include that in my next contract.”

A curious look came into his eyes. “So they’re offering you another contract, then?” he asked in a measured tone.

“I expect so.” Her forehead creased. “You sound surprised. Why?”

There was a short pause. “I thought with all the controversy lately, the Blackstones might—”

“Drop me like a hot potato?” she cut across him, stiffening.

He inclined his head. “Something like that.”

She suppressed a shiver, refusing to think right now about not being offered a new contract. So far no one had held Marise’s antics against her. “You may not have noticed, but I was at Kim Blackstone’s wedding. I’d like to think that was a good sign.”

“Oh, I noticed,” he drawled, a sexy timbre to his voice. “And yes, definitely a good sign.”

Still, she needed to reiterate something. “Jarrod, as much as you don’t like the Blackstones, they are

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