should. She was chalking the near miss up to simple bad timing when she saw him talking to a stunning woman who looked like she had a claim on him. Oh, he’s got his lady with him, she thought. Well, why wouldn’t he, at a big bash like this. I’ll just have to meet him some other time when it’ll be easier to talk business. Once that decision was made, she was about to tell Kareem that she was going back to her sister and brother-in-law when the sound of a deep voice stopped her.
“Kareem, I’ve been trying to get an introduction to this beautiful lady all night. What does a brother have to do to meet her?” Jason said with a debonair smile.
Billie raised an eyebrow and hesitated a second before extending her hand for a shake. “All you have to do is say hello. I’m Billie Phillips.” There was an odd gleam in his eye that she couldn’t quite interpret and she was waiting to see what he was going to say.
Jason brought her hand to his lips for a brief kiss and missed the look on Billie’s face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Wilhelmina. I’m surprised to see one of the most sought-after models in the world at my event. I’m honored,” he said in a low, silky voice as his thumb stoked the back of her hand.
Billie’s smile vanished. “I’m Billie,” she said firmly. “Wilhelmina is the woman they pay to pose. I’m the real person.” She waited for Jason’s reaction. Some people got it right away that she wasn’t trying to trade on her publicity and that she wanted to live a normal life. Some people took a little bit longer to catch on and some never got it. She truly hoped that Jason Wainwright wasn’t going to be one of those.
He was still holding her hand and she gently took it back, resisting the urge to wipe it on the back of her dress the way she normally did when someone glommed their mouth on it. This wasn’t going as well as she’d hoped. He was a man who could give her all kinds of valuable insight into the world of real estate and she didn’t want to write him off because he was proving to be as big a player as Nick and Dakota had tried to warn her. Okay, he’s kinda stuck on himself but so what. I’ve worked with much worse, she thought. It was true, a career in the fashion industry certainly equipped one to work with beautiful people who were overly vain, overly attentive and just plain lecherous. Billie had encountered plenty of men who behaved just like Jason Wainwright and it was no big deal. She knew how to extract the information she wanted while holding a pushy man at bay, so she wasn’t worried. Besides, he had a woman. Billie had seen him talking to her and it didn’t look casual. Even the most dedicated hound in the world wouldn’t just dump one lady and try to hit on another one. At least that was what she figured.
Keeping a pleasant expression on her face, she tried to engage him in useful conversation. “I’m not modeling anymore, Mr. Wainwright. I work with my brother-in-law, Nick Hunter. Since I’m in construction now, I’d like to learn more about real estate, and if you can spare the time, I’d really appreciate an opportunity to talk with you about the market here in Chicago,” she said. She thought she’d done a perfect job of expressing just what she wanted in a concise and professional manner, so when he pulled out a business card, she was pleased.
“If you’re going to be in town, how about we have lunch tomorrow?” he asked.
“Well, I hadn’t planned on leaving town anytime soon, so lunch would be very nice. What time looks good for you?” she asked.
Jason raised an eyebrow. “You’re living in Chicago now?”
Billie nodded as she wrote her cell phone number on the back of his card. “I moved here in December. Here’s my cell number. Why don’t you call me tomorrow morning and tell me where you’d like to meet? I really appreciate your time, Mr. Wainwright. This is very kind of you. It was nice meeting you,” she added. “I hate to meet and run, but I see my sister over there and she has that time-to-leave look on her face,” she said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” She shook his hand again and turned to leave, completely missing the look on his face. If she’d seen it, she would have been much better prepared for the next day.
The ride back to Nick and Dakota’s house was much livelier than the ride to the gala. It started when Dakota asked her about Jason.
“So you met Jason Wainwright,” she said. “I saw the two of you talking. What did you think of him?” She turned around in the front seat so she could look at her sister.
Billie shrugged. “He’s okay. He comes across as being a little overconfident, but if I had his résumé, I would too, I guess. He’s supposed to call me tomorrow for a working lunch.” She looked at the lights of the city as the big car glided silently through the streets. “How well do you know him, Nick? What’s your take on him?”
Nick glanced at her in the rearview mirror as he answered her questions. “I basically only know him through business. I know he’s got a real good reputation for being honest and reliable. He seems to have real good instincts about the business. We’re not like drinkin’ buddies or anything, so like I said, I really don’t know him. But I do know that he likes beautiful women and he has a big rep as a player, so watch yourself. I don’t want to have to deal with him.”
Billie knew that he meant every word he said, too. Nick was undoubtedly the most protective man she’d ever met outside of her brother and her father. She thought she’d better reassure Nick before he decided to make a preemptive strike of some kind against Jason Wainwright. “Look, this is strictly business, Nick. I’m just trying to get the inside scoop on Chicago’s residential real estate picture. I’m not trying to get with him and he already has a lady. But that’s not an issue because I’m not looking for a man. He’s nice-looking, but I know plenty of handsome guys. It’s not like I just fell off a turnip truck. I can handle myself,” she said.
It was Dakota’s turn to look in the backseat at her sister. “Nice-looking? Were we looking at the same man? He’s a little more than nice-looking, Billie. He’s handsome, honey. Almost as handsome as my husband, but not quite,” she said with a sultry laugh. “Nobody’s that fine but my Nick.”
“Ooh, you newlyweds need to quit,” Billie groaned. “You forget I’ve worked with some of the best-looking creatures on the face of the earth and some of them were just that, creatures. Most of them were genuinely nice guys, but some of them, whoo-wee! Some of them were dumber than a box of rocks, honey. And some were stuck up and evil, too. Just because somebody looks good doesn’t mean they have a good personality or morals,” she said, yawning slightly. “Mr. Wainwright is handsome, I guess, but trust me, he could look like a cartoon and I wouldn’t care as long as he shares some knowledge with me.”
They had reached the house and Nick told her to stay put while he warmed up her car. “I’m going to follow you home to make sure you get there okay.” Billie leaned into the headrest and watched as Nick put his arm protectively around her sister and walked her to the door. It took him a few minutes to get back to the car because he was walking through the house to make sure it was secure before leaving Dakota, even for the short time it would take him to trail Billie home and return. She felt a tiny pang in the region of her heart as she wondered if she would ever have what Dakota had, a man who loved her beyond measure and would do anything for her, would protect her, would cherish her always.
Nick’s hand on the door jarred her out of her daydream. “Come on, little sister, I got your whip warmed up so let’s hit it. I don’t like to leave my bride alone too long.”
She smiled up at him as he helped her out of the car and led her to her own vehicle. They hugged briefly and she slid behind the wheel. The smile stayed on her face as she drove to her town house. There was something really nice about having Nick worry about her, even for a few minutes. One of these years I’m gonna have to think about getting one of those for my very own, she thought. But first, I’m
