MODELS AND LOVERS -- EXCERPT
MODELS AND LOVERS
A MODERN DAY ROMANCE
SET INSIDE THE WORLD OF MODELING
Is it possible to be the most eligible bachelor forever?
Even in NEW YORK CITY!
And to do so while also owning
the top modeling agency there?
After meeting that one special woman
there are only two question that have to be answered:
Will his ego now prevent him from acknowledging
his true inner feelings?
And will she be able to trust him with her own hidden fears?
EXCERPT
Chapter 1 Balarie Danson’s excited squeal shattered the eerie silence as she flipped the switch to her new office. Suddenly embarrassed by the scream of overflowing joy, she glanced around. She assumed, or at least hoped, no one else worked this late. Finally, she had landed the chance to prove to the fashion world what she could do. After so many years of dedication and struggling to get by, the sweet rewards of her success appeared to be so close that she could almost taste it. She raced around her desk and dove into the dark brown chair on the other side, inhaling its leathery aroma. While nicely furnished with paintings and coordinated artwork, the space still needed her personal touch, which was why she had decided to work late with no one else around to bother her. Balarie glanced at the boxes which contained her personal items such as some awards and photos of her working with various models and designers. While earlier in her career she had initially obtained some modeling work for herself, she had become a master at helping her modeling friends find work, which eventually caught the agency’s attention. Her move from a modeling career to handling other models with one of the best modeling agencies in New York City may have surprised many people, but none more than herself. After walking toward the boxes, she stopped, as the presence of someone standing in her office doorway startled her. She swirled to confront the intruder—her new boss and the owner of the agency bearing his name. “Mr. Conseco! I didn’t know you were here.” Thomas Conseco didn’t smile as he studied her. He looked taller than earlier. Being slightly over six feet herself, Balarie seldom looked up at many guys, especially in the four inch heels she often wore. “I heard someone yell. Was that you?” That’s embarrassing. She decided to be honest. “I’m excited about working here. Sorry, I thought I was alone.” “Good.” The features of his face shifted into the signature smile she remembered from earlier. “I hope your enthusiasm will last after you see how demanding this work can be. And by the way, you can call me Tommy.” “Yes, sir. I mean, Tommy. I hope its okay I came in tonight to get my office ready.” “This isn’t a bad idea. We have a staff meeting at nine tomorrow, and where I’ll be introducing you.” As he stared over the top of his light rose-colored sunglasses, she wondered why he even wore them at night. “I’ll be there. I want to get into my role here as fast as possible.” “You’re going to have your hands full handling some of the male models we represent. Many bookers don’t like working with them. My best advice to you is to find work for your top models before they leave us. You’ll never have a better time to make an impression than now.” “Thanks. I plan to start interviewing all of them as soon as possible. Your agency has a fantastic reputation, and I want to uphold the name as best I can.” The fact he talked to her openly made her feel at ease, but the constant stares confused her. Was he checking her out? She knew she hadn’t dressed in office clothes for the night, but she had never expected to see anyone, especially the owner at this late hour. Tommy, on the other hand, dressed as if he would be the main attraction on a fashion runway. His hair, a dark-brown containing streaks of blond running through it looked gorgeous! The style was a mixture of a professional business man and artistic flare, obviously the creation of a world-class stylist. While many guys showed signs of a five o’clock shadow on their face, Tommy remained clean and neat, showcasing his high cheek bones and rugged jaw lines, the perfect requirements of a male model. At the distance apart from him she couldn’t tell the true color of his eyes but they were light colored and perhaps blue. She suddenly wondered if he had ever modeled himself. “I certainly hope you remember our reputation is on the line every day. I know this is after hours, but any time you come to the agency be sure to dress appropriately. Many times at night we have clients dropping by to check on a shooting. And as you know, there are emergencies that can come up at anytime which have to be handled.” She knew his comments were a polite way to tell her not to dress like this again. She took the message to heart as she started to apologize. He raised his hand to stop her. “I think that will be all. Good luck on getting set up tonight and on your first appearance tomorrow.” As he turned to leave, she studied his suit. She wished she could name the designer, but couldn’t. Whoever it was had tailored him perfectly by highlighting his muscular body underneath the suit. “Thanks, I’m not going to be here long. I hope to make it to the gym tonight. Thank you for the warning about clients coming by late at night. I’ll remember it.” Tommy turned to face Balarie once more. “It’s a little late to work out, but it is better than never. I’ll see to it you receive an invitation to join my sports club.” He paused. “You have a chance to make a name for yourself here. If you do, you’ll also be a large help to our Paris and Milan office. I know you’ll love to see them soon.” Panic swept through her. Going to Paris or Milan was impossible! She had made it through the first thirty years of her life without riding on a plane and had no intention of ever boarding one. Fearing this could cost her this dream job, she decided to hide the fact. Later, much later, she would tell him and hope for the best. She needed to respond, but how? “Before I leave, let me give you one piece of advice the previous owner of this agency gave me when he sold it to me fifteen years ago.” His perfect white teeth glistened as he stepped deeper inside her office. He was either genetically gifted, or they were capped. He raised his fingers in a pyramid in front of his face before he continued. She understood body language enough to recognize the obvious signs of superiority but she expected such from him. She nodded her head in appreciation of his advice, wondering exactly what he planned to say. “He told me the number one piece of advice I needed to stick with involved screwing anyone involved with the agency. This is why I enforce a strict rule against it. I’m sure you remember signing a copy of our policy and procedure manual when you passed through personnel.” “Yes and that makes sense to me.” “It’s much harder than you can imagine, but it becomes easier after you’ve firmly established your name and professionalism.” “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I don’t date, and I work almost all of the time. My one vice is my physical training. I have to have my work outs.” “Good, I see we share one interest. Since you’re going to be handling the men here, it would be good for you to make contacts with many gyms around the city. You’ll receive a complete list of breakdowns tomorrow on your desk, but you won’t have long to study the information before the meeting.” “Thanks, I’ll do my best.”
Even in NEW YORK CITY!
And to do so while also owning
the top modeling agency there?
After meeting that one special woman
there are only two question that have to be answered:
Will his ego now prevent him from acknowledging
his true inner feelings?
And will she be able to trust him with her own hidden fears?
EXCERPT
Chapter 1 Balarie Danson’s excited squeal shattered the eerie silence as she flipped the switch to her new office. Suddenly embarrassed by the scream of overflowing joy, she glanced around. She assumed, or at least hoped, no one else worked this late. Finally, she had landed the chance to prove to the fashion world what she could do. After so many years of dedication and struggling to get by, the sweet rewards of her success appeared to be so close that she could almost taste it. She raced around her desk and dove into the dark brown chair on the other side, inhaling its leathery aroma. While nicely furnished with paintings and coordinated artwork, the space still needed her personal touch, which was why she had decided to work late with no one else around to bother her. Balarie glanced at the boxes which contained her personal items such as some awards and photos of her working with various models and designers. While earlier in her career she had initially obtained some modeling work for herself, she had become a master at helping her modeling friends find work, which eventually caught the agency’s attention. Her move from a modeling career to handling other models with one of the best modeling agencies in New York City may have surprised many people, but none more than herself. After walking toward the boxes, she stopped, as the presence of someone standing in her office doorway startled her. She swirled to confront the intruder—her new boss and the owner of the agency bearing his name. “Mr. Conseco! I didn’t know you were here.” Thomas Conseco didn’t smile as he studied her. He looked taller than earlier. Being slightly over six feet herself, Balarie seldom looked up at many guys, especially in the four inch heels she often wore. “I heard someone yell. Was that you?” That’s embarrassing. She decided to be honest. “I’m excited about working here. Sorry, I thought I was alone.” “Good.” The features of his face shifted into the signature smile she remembered from earlier. “I hope your enthusiasm will last after you see how demanding this work can be. And by the way, you can call me Tommy.” “Yes, sir. I mean, Tommy. I hope its okay I came in tonight to get my office ready.” “This isn’t a bad idea. We have a staff meeting at nine tomorrow, and where I’ll be introducing you.” As he stared over the top of his light rose-colored sunglasses, she wondered why he even wore them at night. “I’ll be there. I want to get into my role here as fast as possible.” “You’re going to have your hands full handling some of the male models we represent. Many bookers don’t like working with them. My best advice to you is to find work for your top models before they leave us. You’ll never have a better time to make an impression than now.” “Thanks. I plan to start interviewing all of them as soon as possible. Your agency has a fantastic reputation, and I want to uphold the name as best I can.” The fact he talked to her openly made her feel at ease, but the constant stares confused her. Was he checking her out? She knew she hadn’t dressed in office clothes for the night, but she had never expected to see anyone, especially the owner at this late hour. Tommy, on the other hand, dressed as if he would be the main attraction on a fashion runway. His hair, a dark-brown containing streaks of blond running through it looked gorgeous! The style was a mixture of a professional business man and artistic flare, obviously the creation of a world-class stylist. While many guys showed signs of a five o’clock shadow on their face, Tommy remained clean and neat, showcasing his high cheek bones and rugged jaw lines, the perfect requirements of a male model. At the distance apart from him she couldn’t tell the true color of his eyes but they were light colored and perhaps blue. She suddenly wondered if he had ever modeled himself. “I certainly hope you remember our reputation is on the line every day. I know this is after hours, but any time you come to the agency be sure to dress appropriately. Many times at night we have clients dropping by to check on a shooting. And as you know, there are emergencies that can come up at anytime which have to be handled.” She knew his comments were a polite way to tell her not to dress like this again. She took the message to heart as she started to apologize. He raised his hand to stop her. “I think that will be all. Good luck on getting set up tonight and on your first appearance tomorrow.” As he turned to leave, she studied his suit. She wished she could name the designer, but couldn’t. Whoever it was had tailored him perfectly by highlighting his muscular body underneath the suit. “Thanks, I’m not going to be here long. I hope to make it to the gym tonight. Thank you for the warning about clients coming by late at night. I’ll remember it.” Tommy turned to face Balarie once more. “It’s a little late to work out, but it is better than never. I’ll see to it you receive an invitation to join my sports club.” He paused. “You have a chance to make a name for yourself here. If you do, you’ll also be a large help to our Paris and Milan office. I know you’ll love to see them soon.” Panic swept through her. Going to Paris or Milan was impossible! She had made it through the first thirty years of her life without riding on a plane and had no intention of ever boarding one. Fearing this could cost her this dream job, she decided to hide the fact. Later, much later, she would tell him and hope for the best. She needed to respond, but how? “Before I leave, let me give you one piece of advice the previous owner of this agency gave me when he sold it to me fifteen years ago.” His perfect white teeth glistened as he stepped deeper inside her office. He was either genetically gifted, or they were capped. He raised his fingers in a pyramid in front of his face before he continued. She understood body language enough to recognize the obvious signs of superiority but she expected such from him. She nodded her head in appreciation of his advice, wondering exactly what he planned to say. “He told me the number one piece of advice I needed to stick with involved screwing anyone involved with the agency. This is why I enforce a strict rule against it. I’m sure you remember signing a copy of our policy and procedure manual when you passed through personnel.” “Yes and that makes sense to me.” “It’s much harder than you can imagine, but it becomes easier after you’ve firmly established your name and professionalism.” “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I don’t date, and I work almost all of the time. My one vice is my physical training. I have to have my work outs.” “Good, I see we share one interest. Since you’re going to be handling the men here, it would be good for you to make contacts with many gyms around the city. You’ll receive a complete list of breakdowns tomorrow on your desk, but you won’t have long to study the information before the meeting.” “Thanks, I’ll do my best.”
No comments have been added yet.
