today."
"You gave him my number?" Jacob couldn't have been more shocked if someone had set him on fire. David was extremely protective of Jacob, even though David was the younger of the two of them.
David gave him a shove. "Don't be an idiot. Of course I didn't give him your number, but I did give him the name of your modeling agency, I figured that was safe enough."
Jacob nodded, relieved. Not that he didn't want to date the guy—because, damn, he was hot—but he was pleased his cousin hadn't changed his ways.
"Tell me about him."
A strange look crossed David's face. "I don't know a lot. Rumor has it he's extremely rich and he's known for having a different person on his arm, both men and women, at every major social event. As far as I know, he's never had a long-term relationship."
"What's your personal opinion of him?"
David gave a bitter laugh. "He threatened to have me fired if I gave him a bad review or, as he put it, 'poisoned your mind against him'."
"Would you have?" Jacob was curious about David's opinion, though with David's track record, he wasn't the best judge of men.
David shook his head. "That's the thing. I don't think he's a bad guy. There's never been anyone accusing him of abuse or sexual harassment. He's known to be a playboy, but word is he always tells his lovers the score. Overall he's a good guy, if you're careful not to give him your heart."
"Threatening you is a big mark in my bad column." The guy sounded like a jerk. Jacob wasn't eager to date any man who gave his cousin a hard time.
David shrugged. "I just wanted to warn you he might call. Be careful around him. If you piss him off, he could make it so you don't work again."
"Do you think he's the vindictive type? If I don't go out with him is your job in trouble?"
David shook his head. "I don't think so. He's usually fair-minded, but I've heard it's not good to cross him."
Jacob sighed. "Thanks for the warning. I'll deal with him if he calls." He patted David on the back. "I'm going to go get ready now. I'll catch up with you later."
"See you, cuz. I'm going back to bed," David muttered.
Jacob laughed as he closed the bathroom door.
Chapter Two
Models Now, the premier modeling agency in New York, had represented Jacob since he'd wandered in at a precocious fifteen years old and lied about his age. They pretended to believe him, and ten years later, he was still thrilled over how they handled his career.
His agent, Mandy, smiled when he entered her office. She was one of those women of indeterminate age. Over the ten years they'd worked together, her hairstyle had changed dozens of times, but her face stayed the same.
"Jacob. How's my favorite model?" she called out as he approached her desk.
"Doing as well as all your other favorite models I suppose." He leaned over her desk so they could exchange air-kisses. Mandy didn't get up to greet him. She'd broken her ankle in a car accident a few days before.
She smiled, not an inch of her face moving. Botox was scary. When he got older, Jacob was going to let the wrinkles have their way. There was something freaky about skin that didn't move.
"Have a seat." She pulled a bottle of water out of the small fridge she kept under her desk and handed the bottle over.
Jacob gave her a speculative look.
She only gave him water when there was serious money on the table and it would take awhile to go over the details. Someone must've offered a nice wad of cash because generally she gave him his schedule and pushed him out the door, already late for the next shoot.
Jacob never minded. Growing up poor, he appreciated the money she wrung out of each client. Since the first day he'd walked up to her desk, he'd never gone to bed hungry. Even though male models made a fraction of the money of their female counterparts, ten years of solid modeling contracts had built up a nice nest egg. If something happened and he had to quit modeling, he could live quite well on his investments.
He
"You gave him my number?" Jacob couldn't have been more shocked if someone had set him on fire. David was extremely protective of Jacob, even though David was the younger of the two of them.
David gave him a shove. "Don't be an idiot. Of course I didn't give him your number, but I did give him the name of your modeling agency, I figured that was safe enough."
Jacob nodded, relieved. Not that he didn't want to date the guy—because, damn, he was hot—but he was pleased his cousin hadn't changed his ways.
"Tell me about him."
A strange look crossed David's face. "I don't know a lot. Rumor has it he's extremely rich and he's known for having a different person on his arm, both men and women, at every major social event. As far as I know, he's never had a long-term relationship."
"What's your personal opinion of him?"
David gave a bitter laugh. "He threatened to have me fired if I gave him a bad review or, as he put it, 'poisoned your mind against him'."
"Would you have?" Jacob was curious about David's opinion, though with David's track record, he wasn't the best judge of men.
David shook his head. "That's the thing. I don't think he's a bad guy. There's never been anyone accusing him of abuse or sexual harassment. He's known to be a playboy, but word is he always tells his lovers the score. Overall he's a good guy, if you're careful not to give him your heart."
"Threatening you is a big mark in my bad column." The guy sounded like a jerk. Jacob wasn't eager to date any man who gave his cousin a hard time.
David shrugged. "I just wanted to warn you he might call. Be careful around him. If you piss him off, he could make it so you don't work again."
"Do you think he's the vindictive type? If I don't go out with him is your job in trouble?"
David shook his head. "I don't think so. He's usually fair-minded, but I've heard it's not good to cross him."
Jacob sighed. "Thanks for the warning. I'll deal with him if he calls." He patted David on the back. "I'm going to go get ready now. I'll catch up with you later."
"See you, cuz. I'm going back to bed," David muttered.
Jacob laughed as he closed the bathroom door.
Chapter Two
Models Now, the premier modeling agency in New York, had represented Jacob since he'd wandered in at a precocious fifteen years old and lied about his age. They pretended to believe him, and ten years later, he was still thrilled over how they handled his career.
His agent, Mandy, smiled when he entered her office. She was one of those women of indeterminate age. Over the ten years they'd worked together, her hairstyle had changed dozens of times, but her face stayed the same.
"Jacob. How's my favorite model?" she called out as he approached her desk.
"Doing as well as all your other favorite models I suppose." He leaned over her desk so they could exchange air-kisses. Mandy didn't get up to greet him. She'd broken her ankle in a car accident a few days before.
She smiled, not an inch of her face moving. Botox was scary. When he got older, Jacob was going to let the wrinkles have their way. There was something freaky about skin that didn't move.
"Have a seat." She pulled a bottle of water out of the small fridge she kept under her desk and handed the bottle over.
Jacob gave her a speculative look.
She only gave him water when there was serious money on the table and it would take awhile to go over the details. Someone must've offered a nice wad of cash because generally she gave him his schedule and pushed him out the door, already late for the next shoot.
Jacob never minded. Growing up poor, he appreciated the money she wrung out of each client. Since the first day he'd walked up to her desk, he'd never gone to bed hungry. Even though male models made a fraction of the money of their female counterparts, ten years of solid modeling contracts had built up a nice nest egg. If something happened and he had to quit modeling, he could live quite well on his investments.
He
Similar Books
Sung in Blood
Glen Cook
Force Of Habit v5
Robert Bartlett
A Test to Destruction
Henry Williamson
Outliers
Malcolm Gladwell
Corsican Death
Marc Olden
Imagined London
Anna Quindlen
Above Suspicion
Lynda La Plante
Unity
Jeremy Robinson
Being Me
Pete Kalu