VAIN (The VAIN Series) Read Free Page A

sleeps with? I had a brief, very enticing, encounter with the seemingly famous Noah Foster. It's over now.
    "So nothing happened?" she asks, disappointment edging the question.
    "He said he's been looking for someone like me for his next project." It's all I've thought about since I raced home from his place and made myself come in the shower. I can't stop thinking about him. I want to be his next project. At this point in time I'm game for just about anything as long as it doesn't involve a threesome with me and one of his call girl friends. I want that man all to myself.
    Sadie freezes before she opens her mouth to speak. "Noah Foster wants you to be his next project? Do you know what that means?"
    I don't. I can't think about it because if I do, I'm going to ride that elevator back to his penthouse and agree to whatever he wants. "What does it mean?" I ask, already knowing full well the answer.
    "He wants to photograph you, Alexa." Her tone is way too excited. "Noah Foster wants you."
     

Chapter 4
     
    "This isn't funny." I push past him into the now familiar foyer of his penthouse. "Did you actually think it was funny to call the restaurant and ask for me to deliver your sandwich? I have plans."
    "I tip very well." Noah reaches to pull the paper bag emblazoned with Axel Boston's logo from my grasp. "I don't like sandwiches."
    I can't help but chuckle at the confession. "Why did you order one then?"
    "Now or then?"
    "You know you talk in riddles, right?" I turn to look at him and soak in how amazing he looks half dressed. His chiseled torso is still on full, and very welcomed, display but now he's wearing faded jeans.
    "Are you asking why I ordered a sandwich tonight or two nights ago when you first showed up?" His brow pops up slightly as the words float across his lips.
    "Either," I reply, unsure whether I can actually physically pull my gaze from his mouth.
    "I like Bernie." It's a clear and very concise statement. That's not to say it doesn’t surprise me.
    "You like the delivery man?" I don't want to sound as judgmental as I do.
    He stares down at his hand, picking at the nail on his index finger. "He's a good soul."
    "He'll be back at work tomorrow so you two can catch up then," I offer before reaching back to grab the handle of the door. "I need to take off."
    "You have plans you said?"
    It's a question that catches me off guard. It's becoming increasingly apparent that in Noah Foster's world all he has to do is ask for something and it magically appears. When Sadie texted me to tell me that he wanted me to personally deliver his sandwich I froze. Her insistence that I give in and help with his next project was a waste of her breath. I can't. I won't. After researching him more, and discovering the careless way he uses women, I know that I don't belong in his world.
    "I do." I'm not going to fill in the blanks. Why should I bother? He's obviously got more than one call girl on speed dial. He doesn't need me here.
    "Cancel the plans." His shoulders tense as he shifts on his feet in front of me.
    I step forward, challenging him. "No. I won't cancel."
    "You know more about me now than when you took off the other night." A ghost of a smile flashes across his face. "I take it you researched who I am."
    "The Noah Foster." I pull air quotes about the words. "Photographer extraordinaire."
    His eyes dance as his name skirts across my lips. "Tell me more."
    I scowl at the request. He's so full of himself that he actually wants me to recite his life story back to him. "You're twenty-nine and very elusive. You have a showing once a year and your pictures sell for a lot of money."
    "Impressive, Alexa." His eyes darken. "You also researched this, no?" The careless way his hand brushes over his cheek is telling. I've seen Sadie do it a million times before when talking about her scar.
    "No," I lie. I had tried in vain to find out what happened to his face, but there was nothing out there. I couldn't find a drop of information