Page 21 of Gray Hair Don't Care
“Thank you for trusting my ideas, especially the ones that my dad thinks are harebrained. It’s so great to work with someone who understands what I’m going for.”
“I just feel lucky to have the chance to be around you and have any input at all.” Lela had to ask one question, if only to figure out precisely what level of nervousness was appropriate. “Speaking of your dad, is he coming today?”
She shook her head. “No. He thought you would do better if he wasn’t here. He said he’ll meet with us when it’s time to choose images.”
Lela couldn’t figure out exactly why this disappointed her at all. The truth was that Donovan was only going to make this more difficult. But she also looked kick-ass in this dress, and part of her wanted him to see her in it. She wanted to prove him wrong about the idea of her being the face behind the campaign. Hopefully she’d have her chance. “Got it.”
Echo’s beautiful smile graced her face. “Perfect. Now let’s get this show on the road.”
Lela quickly got to work on her makeup, Echo standing by for some of the process and asking questions. Once that was done, the hairstylist stepped in. As luck would have it, she liked the way Lela’s earlier sweaty episode had added some lift at the roots. All it needed was a curling iron and a metric ton of hairspray. With every step closer to the moment when she’d have to be in front of the camera, Lela was surprised to find her confidence growing. She looked good. Better than good. She looked amazing.
And for once in her life, she was ready to be the center of attention.
Chapter Twelve
It had beentwo days since Lela’s photo shoot, and Donovan was on pins and needles, anxious to see the pictures. Scratch that—he wasdyingto see them. It wasn’t helping that Echo and Lela had been talking about the shoot non-stop, Echo insisting that Lela had looked “too hot for words”, which only sent his brain on a fool’s errand of attempting to answer the impossible: exactly how hot could Lela get?
Even though Donovan had been unconvinced of the wisdom of the campaign, things were moving forward. Ad buys had been placed. Bus wraps had been booked. If Echo disliked the photos or if Lela didn’t feel good about the way she looked in them, it would be a fiscal disaster to postpone or cancel anything. He could see a scenario in which he would be partly to blame, either for the fact that the photographer was his friend, or perhaps because he had opted to not be there that day. He’d said it was because he didn’t want to make Lela nervous, but the truth was that he was the one on edge.
Echo and Lela planned to meet Donovan in Echo’s office so they could look over the photo proofs. But when he showed up, exactly on time, everyone in the room was several steps ahead of him. A handful of people from the marketing team were on hand, staring at the large computer monitor on Echo’s desk and spouting “ooh”s and “ahh”s—it was annoying, like listening to someone else describe fireworks. Meanwhile, Echo and Lela were a study in contrasts—the former ebullient, practically floating around the room, while the latter looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock.
“I take it you’ve already got the proofs?” Donovan asked. He was a little irked that no one had waited for him before they started.
“Dad, they are amazing.” Echo turned to the marketing folks. “Guys, can you clear out for a bit so my dad and Lela and I can go over these?”
Several members of the team grumbled, but they willingly departed, leaving him alone with Lela and Echo.
“Well? They’re good?” Donovan asked.
“Better than good,” Echo spouted, sitting at her desk and looking at the computer. “Come see.”
“I’d actually like to hear from the subject of said photographs before I look at them.” He directed his gaze to Lela, who was sitting on the couch, legs crossed, arms folded at her waist. “Because you don’t look like you feel that great about them.”
Lela gnawed on her lower lip, her eyes full of uncertainty. “They’re good, I think? I mean, I’m not really capable of being objective in this situation. More than anything, I would say that it’s weird to look at dozens and dozens of photos of myself. It’s cringeworthy.”
It was now clear that Donovan had to decide this for himself. “Okay. Let me see.” He plucked his reading glasses from his shirt pocket and dragged one of the chairs from Echo’s meeting area around behind her desk.
It only took a glimpse, a nanosecond of a look, before he knew that Echo was right—there were zero words. Lela looked drop-dead gorgeous, like a freaking sex kitten, a goddess, her skin glowing and her hair as lustrous and beautiful as ever. The dress she wore managed to distract him for a heartbeat or two, especially since the neckline plunged toward her belly button, revealing the most inexplicably alluring stretch of cleavage he’d ever seen. Lela was not full-chested, but she was working what she had with aplomb, and that made Donovan’s palms get antsy with the memory of what it was like to have her velvety breasts in his hands. The poses were somehow both raw and glamorous at the same time—Lela confronted the camera with her steely blue eyes, or she sat in a chair, toes pointed in like a little kid while the dress was hiked up and showing most of her thighs. One made him lose all train of thought, with Lela laughing, hands on her hips as she tossed her head back and her silvery locks trailed down her back.Maneaterpopped into his head. Not helpful, Hall & Oates.
His entire body started buzzing, but his dick and his brain were humming the loudest, having an extensive back-and-forth about the situation he found himself in.This could be great for business. You’re an idiot for leaving that night. We’ll make millions. Maybe you should’ve been smart enough to support this from the very beginning, asshole. And while you’re at it, have you thought about swallowing your pride and asking Lela out again? No? Oh, right, because you’re trying to build a real relationship with your daughter. Boo. Hoo.
He’d seen more than his fair share of photographs of beautiful women. Hell, he’d been married to a model for three years. But this was something entirely different. He saw Lela in these images, the good friend, the woman he’d known since they were in their late teens. And he also saw the woman she had since become. He could even see the woman he’d flirted with and taken to bed, the person whose bare skin he’d caressed and kissed. But beyond all of that was a new person, someone he felt lucky to have met—a supercharged indestructible version of Lela.
“Wow. These really are amazing. I am completely blown away. They totally exceed my expectations.”
Lela tutted out of frustration. “You didn’t want to do this in the first place, so I’d say your expectations were probably pretty low.”
Echo picked up the water glass that sat on her desk. “I’ll be right back. Need to get a refill.”
Donovan understood why Lela was angry with him, or at the very least, annoyed. Still, he hated it. She should be happy. This was a good day. For all of them. “Lela, are you okay?” he asked once Echo was gone, strolling over and taking a seat next to her on the couch.
She pulled her arms even tighter around her waist. “I’m great. I’m just in a bad mood. Maybe it’s hormones or low blood sugar.”
“I really don’t understand. You look incredible in the photos.”
She pointed in the direction of Echo’s desk. “This is what getting out of my comfort zone does to me. This feeling that I’m having right now is the whole reason I dragged my feet on starting Lela B in the first place. I don’t like it. I feel so damn anxious. That’s my face in those pictures and it’s going to be on the side of buses, Donovan. Goddamnbuses.”
Donovan removed his reading glasses, sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees, turning his head so they could have at least a little bit of eye contact. “I get it. I do. You know, I think there’s something about getting older that makes it easier to take more chances, but it doesn’t always mean you feel comfortable the minute you jump out of the plane.”
