If I did, he might think I was flirting with him, and that would open a can of worms I didn’t want to deal with.
“Good to know.” His dry tone returned.
The servers brought out dessert, which he declined with a shake of his head.
I took a bite of layered chocolate cake before I asked, as casually as I could, “How do you know Luisa likes me?”
“I know.”
If this was the way Christian conducted all his conversations, I was surprised no one had tried to stab him in a boardroom yet. Or maybe they’d tried and failed.
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Lu, are you coming down to D.C. anytime soon?” he asked, ignoring my pointed response and cutting into Luisa’s conversation with Raya like the other blogger wasn’t even there.
“No plans yet.” Luisa gave him a curious stare. “Why?”
“Stella was telling me about this spot that would be perfect for your menswear shoot.”
I almost choked on a mouthful of cake.
“Really?” Luisa eyed me with renewed interest. “That would be perfect timing. Our location scout has been having the hardest time finding a spot that’s on theme and not overdone. Where is it?”
“It’s…” I scrambled to come up with an answer while silently cursing Christian for putting me on the spot like this.
What place in D.C. makes sense for a menswear shoot?
“You said it was an old warehouse somewhere,” Christian prompted.
Clarity dawned in an instant.
There was an old industrial building on the fringes of the city that I’ve shot at a few times. It was a bustling factory until the 1980s, when the owner moved his headquarters to Philadelphia. In the absence of new owners, the building fell into disrepair and became overgrown with weeds and ivy.
It was a trek to get there, but the contrast of green against old steel provided a striking backdrop for photoshoots, especially luxury ones.
How does Christian know about that?
“Right.” I released a small breath and smiled at Luisa. “It doesn’t have an actual address, but I’m happy to show you or a team member how to get there if that’s something you’re interested in.”
She tapped her nails against the table in thought. “It’s very possible. Do you have sample photos?”
I pulled up some of my old photos and showed them to Luisa, whose eyebrows popped up with approval.
“Oh, those are gorgeous. Can you send them to me? I have to show them to our scout…”
My heart skipped when Luisa gave me her cell number so I could text her the link, but when I looked up, the thrill evaporated at the sight of Raya and Adam whispering furiously to each other while casting side glances in my direction.
Anxiety buzzed beneath my skin like a swarm of bees.
Those whispers brought me back to my middle school days when everyone giggled and talked behind their hands when I walked into a room. I’d hit my growth spurt early, and at age thirteen, I’d been tall, skinny, and awkward enough to be an easy target for bullies.
I’ve since grown into my own skin, but the anxiety had never gone away.
“Why don’t you let us in on your joke?” Christian’s casual request masked a dark undertone that wiped the smiles off Raya’s and Adam’s faces. “It must be a good one.”
“We were talking about something personal.” Raya rolled her eyes, but her expression contained a hint of nerves.
“I see. Next time, refrain from doing so at a public event. It’s disrespectful.” The content of Christian’s rebuke was mild, but he delivered it with such vicious contempt Raya’s face flushed crimson.
Instead of defending his girlfriend, Adam stared down at his plate, his own face pale.
The exchange had been so short and held in such low tones the rest of the table was oblivious. Even Luisa didn’t notice; she was too busy texting someone (probably her location scout).
“Thank you,” I said quietly, wishing I was bold enough to call out Raya myself.
“They were annoying me,” was Christian’s detached answer.
Nevertheless, warmth settled in my stomach and stayed with me through the rest of dinner and the end-of-night goodbyes.
By the time I exited the townhouse half an hour later, I felt marginally better about my ambassadorship chances, but it was far from a sure thing. I was still convinced Luisa favored Raya, no matter what Christian said.
Speaking of whom…
I slid a side glance at him as he fell into step with me. I was staying at a boutique hotel not far from Luisa’s place, but I doubted Christian was staying there as well. He probably had a place in the city; at the very least, he’d stay somewhere like The Carlyle or The Four Seasons, not an eight-room hotel with no designer amenities.
“Are you following me?” I asked lightly as we turned the corner onto a side street.
Christian’s presence dominated the sidewalk, soaking into the shadows and rendering the air around us invincible. So quiet and lethal even the darkness didn’t dare touch him.
“Merely making sure you return to your hotel safe and sound,” he drawled.
“First the car ride the other day, now this. Do you always provide your tenants with such hands-on service?”
A smoky gleam passed through those whiskey eyes and sent heat rushing to my cheeks, but Christian refrained from making the obvious joke.
“No.” Short and simple, delivered with the self-assurance of someone who never had to explain himself.
We walked in silence for another minute before he said, “To answer your earlier question, I know she likes you because I know Luisa. It sounds counterintuitive, but whenever she’s impressed with someone, she puts them on the back burner. She’s more interested in grilling those she’s not sure about.”
I was already so used to his abrupt topic changes I didn’t skip a beat.