Butterfly Read Free Page A

perfect coming and going, and the dress she wore appeared to have been designed expressly for her. He couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his deeply tanned face. He stared at her shoes, recognizing the designer’s signature red soles, but the design of her dress was unfamiliar. As an agent with several models on his roster, he’d familiarized himself with every major and upcoming clothing designer.
    “Who are you wearing?”
    It was Seneca’s turn to conceal a smile. “Luis Navarro.”
    “I never heard of him.”
    “But you will,” she promised.
    Booth’s black eyebrows flickered. “When’s that?”
    “When you agree to represent me,” she said confidently.
    “Are you that certain I’ll agree to represent you?” Booth countered with a note of annoyance creeping into his normally soft modulated voice.
    Suddenly Seneca felt as if she’d been given the challenge to try and push a boulder up a mountain with the aid of only a teaspoon. She’d grown up basking in male attention, and by the time she’d entered adolescence she’d come to realize her power over the opposite sex. A demure smile was usuallyall she needed to get what she wanted from them. But Booth Gordon was proving her wrong. Mitchell Leon had told her that she would have Booth eating out of her hand within seconds of their meeting.
    “If not you, then there will be someone else.” Turning, she slapped the button for the elevator, then found her wrist caught between Booth’s fingers.
    Using a minimum of effort, Booth pulled Seneca Houston to stand between his outstretched legs. “There’s not going to be anyone else. And there’s another thing,” he said cryptically.
    “What do you want to know?”
    Booth smiled. It was as if she could read his mind. “I need to know if you have any skeletons in your closet like pregnancies, abortions, and husband, ex-husband or crazy-ass boyfriends.”
    Seneca smiled. “No to any of the aforementioned.”
    He knew it was time to stop playing mind games with the woman who was even more stunning in person than she was in her photos. “If you give me absolute control of your career I will make you a bigger supermodel than any that has come before you.”
    The seconds ticked when Seneca met Booth’s resolute gaze. “I’ll agree if it doesn’t interfere with my personal life.”
    Booth released her wrist, threading his fingers through hers. “I’ll call my attorney and have him draw up a contract. We probably can get everything executed within a week. If you don’t have a passport, then get one. I’m going to make a few calls and hopefully get you into a show in Paris for the fall.”
    She shook her head. “I’m not going to sign anything until my lawyer says it’s okay.”
    A hint of a smile softened the agent’s thin lips. “You have a lawyer?”
    Seneca nodded. “My roommate’s father is a lawyer, as areher brother and grandfather, and I won’t sign anything without their approval.”
    A full smile deepened the lines around Booth’s brilliant eyes. “And I don’t want you to. I’ve monopolized you long enough. Come and let me introduce you to my other guests.”

Chapter Two
    S eneca walked alongside her soon-to-be agent and into an apartment boasting black-and-white vinyl floors and floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall panoramic windows. Booth’s guests were dressed to the nines in ubiquitous New York City black. Ribald laughter and hushed conversations ended when dozens of eyes were directed at her and their host. She stiffened slightly, then relaxed when Booth’s arm went around her waist.
    “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce my very special guest and the world’s next supermodel. Seneca Houston.” A spattering of applause followed his announcement.
    Seneca flashed the demure smile that was to become her signature expression as her eyes met and held a pair that literally and figuratively ate her up. Her smile grew wider as she caught the wink of the NBA’s