Prologue
Natalia
“Almost done for the day.” I smiled at Kelly, the hairstylist who had been changing my hair from one outfit to the next. It had been a long day in front of the camera, and I was ready to get home for the night.
“Yes. Thank God,” I said, trying to cover a yawn. We’d been at this since just after sunrise. Next time I was going to tell my agent to limit it to two shoots in a single day. Three was too much, and I felt a migraine starting to form at the back of my neck.
“It’s been crazy today, but that guy you did the last spread with. He’s new, right? He’s totally hot.” I’ve worked with Kelly a few times before on shoots, and she’s excellent. One of the more easy-going girls in the business. I’ve been modeling since I was seventeen, and five years later, I’m starting to get tired and burnout.
“Derik,” I offered his name. “Yeah, he’s new to the business and good looking.” He was also an egomaniac and shallow. I spent the afternoon in various stages of dress and outfits with him. Sometimes in an outdoor bed on the beach and other times in the sand. No matter what we did or talked about, he always turned the focus back on him. He wouldn’t last long if he didn’t check his ego. Nobody wanted to work with a know it all, self-absorbed asshat.
If Kelly thought he was sexy and that we had chemistry on camera, then I’d done my job well because I couldn’t wait for that segment of the shoots to be done for the day.
My next set was on the beach wearing a teal designer bikini in the middle of winter. It would be cold, but I just wanted to get it over with.
“Hey, Nat,” Brenna, my assistant, came into the trailer. “You’ve got flowers, hon.”
She was holding a box of flowers. When I opened them, there were six gorgeous red roses.
“Who are they from?” Kelly asked, spraying hairspray in my hair.
“It doesn’t say who it’s from. All it says is, I think you’re beautiful.”
“And there’s no name?” Brenna asked, taking the half dozen flowers from me.
“No. There’s no name. Maybe the person that sent them is shy?”
“The flowers are gorgeous.”
“Yes. I wish I knew who to thank for sending them.” I shrugged. “Brenna, can you put them in some water for me? I need to get out there to finish this shoot.”
“Sure.”
I brushed off the flowers and the note, but I didn’t realize it was just the beginning.