Romancing the Runway

“The meals just arrived,” Xavier responded, “but I know how you pride yourself on putting it out right. Never been disappointed in anything I’ve eaten here. Kennedy just mentioned the large portions.”

Reynard winked. “We aim to please. You two beautiful young people enjoy your meal. Tell my old bud hello for me whenever you speak with him again.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks for everything, Mr. Blue.”

After Kennedy cut up her salad greens into smaller pieces, she took her first bite. As she savored the tangy taste of the dressing, her eyes closed involuntarily. “Mmm, good.”

The dab of dressing left on her lower lip had Xavier desiring to lick it away. Her mouth was full, ripe and juicy, and he couldn’t help thinking of what it might be like to kiss her, imagining the tingling sensations he’d probably feel. The image of their lips locked together in a passionate coupling was vivid. Tearing his eyes away from her delectable mouth wasn’t easy.

Tinkling music, soft and melodic, suddenly drifted slowly about the room, causing Kennedy to look over to the elevated dais where the shiny black baby grand piano was stationed. The gentleman seated on the stool appeared fairly young, possibly in his early twenties, and was wearing a traditional black tuxedo.

While Kennedy and Xavier continued eating their meals, the soft music played on. She’d been able to recognize a few of the songs even though no lyrics were sung. “Play Misty for Me” had been easy for her to identify. “A House Is Not a Home,” a Dionne Warwick song her parents loved. For someone so young, Kennedy thought the pianist sure knew how to play the back-in-the-day classics.

As Kennedy’s eyes followed several couples walking to the rear of the piano area, she was surprised yet again. She hadn’t noticed the dance floor until now. It looked as if the owner had thought of everything. He had successfully pulled together both a lovely dining spot and a magnificent entertainment venue.

“This place rocks,” she told Xavier. “I didn’t see the dance floor until now. It seems Mr. Blue is quite talented and a resourceful gentleman. I love it here.”

“This supper club is a lifelong dream of his. My father often shares the history of how this place finally came into existence. I’d like to share it with you.”

Xavier began to tell Kennedy that Mr. Blue was a favorite grand-nephew to his father’s beloved aunt, Lucille Carlton. Blue thought the world of his aunt and had made sure she had at least two box seats for all his home football games. When she’d call and say she had a couple more guests to bring along, he’d make it happen.

When Ms. Lucille died a couple years before Blue’s retirement from the NFL, she had left over two million dollars to him. There had been one must-do stipulation in her will: Blue had to use a portion of the money to open the supper club he’d always talked of owning…and he’d had to do it within one year of her death or lose the inheritance.

Kennedy was astonished. “That’s such a touching story! I bet he was thrilled no end by his aunt’s love and generosity. As a football player, I bet he made lots of money. But had he intended to open the restaurant so soon after retirement?”

“According to my dad, Mr. Blue made excellent money, but not the kind of megamillions athletes make today. He’d planned to build a supper club, but he would’ve had to take out a small-business loan. The inheritance spared him the grief. He was excited.”

“I’m sure. His is one great success story. This fabulous place is buzzing with patrons and excitement. What are your plans for after modeling? Or have you made any?”

“My degree in communications will help me land a decent job. I’d actually like to work as a sports commentator or a communication specialist on a show like Entertainment Tonight. What are you thinking postmodeling?”

“Acting, but I actually want to get seriously involved in it before my modeling career is over. I’ve already done a few guest spots on television shows. My degree is in theater arts.”

“Looks like we both made sure to prepare for life after modeling. I’ve been doing this a long time now and I love most everything about it. The international traveling is getting a bit tedious, but I’m not tired enough yet to give it up.”

“I know what you mean. I’ve been places some folks can only dream about. I feel blessed for all the world travel I’ve done over the years.”

“That makes two of us.” Noticing that she had laid her fork aside, he wondered if she was through with her meal. “Ready for dessert?”

Kennedy rubbed her stomach. “No room at the inn. What about you? Are you ordering dessert?”

“I never leave here without my sweet potato pie. If you’re ready to go, I can order it for takeout.”

Kennedy waved off his concern. “I’m in no hurry. If you wait to eat it at home, I won’t get a chance to steal a pinch.” She laughed at her flirty hint.

Xavier grinned. “I hear you. I’ll get the waiter over here right away. Sure you don’t want anything else?”

Ashamed that she’d left a fair amount of salad on her plate, she looked down at it. “If I could eat anything else, I’d finish off what I already ordered. In a lot of places salads are super-sized these days. I’m not wasteful…and I promise I’ll finish what I take out.”

“Don’t give it another thought.” He looked down at his plate and cracked up. “Mama would be proud of me if she saw my dish. It was too good not to eat it all.”

The waiter arrived simultaneously with the end of Xavier’s comment. He ordered two slices of sweet potato pie, one to eat now and another slice for takeout.

Their intense gazes suddenly caught and locked for several seconds. Kennedy turned her head away. She liked his bluish-gray eyes, loved his dazzling smile and his solid packaging. She felt breathless for a moment. If looking at his tantalizing lips, full, sexy and inviting, took her breath away, what would happen if he tried to kiss her? She’d welcome it and probably grow greedy for more.

Kennedy couldn’t get her mind to switch gears. Wondering what might occur when Xavier walked her to her door had her trembling inside.

Xavier reached across the table and closed his hand over Kennedy’s. “Think you can find your way back to earth?”

Feeling her color rise, Kennedy tried to laugh off her embarrassment. “Sorry about that. I don’t know where my mind skidded off to.”

“You don’t? I know exactly where my mind was in your absence.”

She knew he was setting her up, but she still decided to take the bait. “Where?”

His eye color deepened. “Out there on the dance floor, holding you in my arms. Think we can make it happen? I’d love to dance with you.” The deepness of his voice was strong and husky, yet intimately passionate.

Dancing was her absolute favorite thing to do. She looked across at the dance floor, where patrons were grooving to the smooth piano tunes. “The feeling is mutual.” She scooted her chair back from the table and waited for him to extend his hand.

As Xavier took Kennedy’s hand into his, guiding her out onto the dance floor, his smile defied description. The heat emanating from his hands warmed her through and through. The heat grew feverish as he gently pulled her in close to his body, leading her in a seductive slow dance. A light breeze just might help cool things down, she thought.

The intense desire Kennedy had to lay her head against Xavier’s chest was no match for the common sense busy kicking her in the shins. Her strong attraction to him couldn’t be denied. Nor would she try to deny it, but she had to proceed with caution.

Her thoughts flew her back to the beach modeling gig in Malibu, where his fiery hands had explored her anatomy with relaxed ease, touching her like this, caressing her like that. His lips had come within micro inches of hers—and it had been doubly hard not to make the sweetest of introductions. She shivered at the thought of a passionate lip connection.

Kennedy had been checking him out the entire day. And she had made it her business to find out if Xavier was in a relationship. She had had her fill of men who thought it was okay to date more than one woman at a time, especially without making them aware of the intent. All of the sources she’d spoken to had been very reliable, which was the main reason she’d accepted his invitation to dinner. According to Xavier De Marco’s peers, the man had a stellar reputation.

The many things Kennedy and Xavier soon learned they had in common amazed them. They liked the same music, loved sports—and each possessed a strong desire to see the entire world to experience life in other cultures. Both were champions to the underdog. They were also in just the right profession to have it all.

Xavier realized Kennedy was lost to him again, her mind off to somewhere else, but he was okay with it this time. She was safely in his arms and the night was still very young. “The Look of Love” was playing softly and “Never Can Say Goodbye” had just ended. He hadn’t planned to go inside when he took her home, that was, if she even invited him in, but he knew he wanted a host of encore dates.

Kennedy was something special. Xavier’s instincts had told him that much. Even though he didn’t believe in dogging women, period, he wouldn’t ever think of half-stepping with this woman. She deserved his all, his everything, and he was sure she’d come to demand the same from him. He didn’t plan on falling short of her expectations.

The quiet ride to her home in the close confines of his convertible Mercedes Benz 350 CLK had her breath catching every few minutes. He smelled so good, so manly. After all their hours together, his light citrus-scented cologne still stirred her senses. As she studied his hands on the steering wheel, she saw that he had tight control, without being uptight. It was like he caressed the wheel, holding it steady and sure. She felt safe.

The radio station Xavier had tuned in to was one of those late-night romance fests, where the DJ had a smooth, silky voice and knew all the right buttons to push to heat things—and bodies—up. Every song was soft and sensuous, sweet, sweltering and sexy.

The more she thought about it, the more she was sure she’d love for Xavier to wrap her up in his arms securely, stroke her limbs tenderly, kiss her hungry mouth passionately and tenderly nibble on her earlobes until her heart thumped wildly.

Laying her head back on the headrest, Kennedy closed her eyes. These were the kinds of provocative moments one savored when becoming lost in the array of intimate possibilities. Xavier was the kind of man Kennedy had often daydreamed about, only to later meet up with him in her bedtime fantasies. Waking up alone was always disappointing.

Taking the keys from Kennedy’s hand, Xavier opened the door and handed the heart-shaped ring back to her. “Want me to make sure there’s no boogeyman inside?”

The lighthearted teasing from Xavier made Kennedy laugh. “I’m not scared of any old boogeyman.” She flexed her arm muscles. “This girl got muscles. If someone jumps out at me, they’d better be ready for action. I got some serious, kick-butt moves.”

“Okay, Miss Tae Kwan Do.” His expression suddenly turned sober. “I really enjoyed myself. You’re refreshing. Any chance we might do this again?”

“Any chance we might not?” Kennedy shot back. Xavier was impressed by how quickly she’d fired right back. “Or was that just your way of asking me out again?”

He eyed her with intense curiosity. “What if is was? How would you respond?”

Laughing, Kennedy shook her head from side to side. “Since you haven’t asked me anything specific, I don’t know how I’d respond.”

He took hold of both her hands. “Will you go out with me again, Kennedy?”

“I’d love to. Nothing would give me more pleasure.” She openly flirted.

“What about tomorrow evening? I’d love to cook dinner for you, at my place.”

Kennedy appeared impressed. “You can cook?”

“One of the best male chefs around. Dad has major cooking skills and I inherited every last one. Mom is a fantastic cook, but she can’t dethrone my father.”

“Can’t wait to have my taste buds check out your credentials,” she teased.

“Just tell me what you want…and I’ll prepare it.”

“You got a deal.” The mischievous, bad-girl side of her took over, as she began thinking up a complicated meal for him to fix. “Beef Wellington is one of my favorites.”

Onto her devious mission, Xavier failed at keeping a straight face. “I see you like to get your jokes on, but I can do beef Wellington, girl. What time should I pick you up?”

She angled an eyebrow. “What if I just drive myself there around seven?”

“Whatever works better for you. I’ll call in the morning with directions.”

“Look forward to hearing from you.” She grew silent, allowing her gaze to sweep over his handsome face. “I had a really good time, too. You are great company.”

Leaning into her, Xavier brushed across her cheek a light, airy kiss. “Tomorrow.”

Suddenly a flurry of bright white lights flashed before their eyes. A group of photographers came at the startled couple from every angle. Kennedy’s front porch had been invaded. The flashbulbs were darn near blinding, causing them to use their hands as eye shields.

Kennedy and Xavier lived to pose in front of the camera by day, and often by night, loved their jobs as top supermodels, but both hated being completely caught off guard by the ever intrusive paparazzi. Where had all these men come from? There had to be at least ten to twelve cameramen. How long had they been following along behind them? It was indeed hard to tell since neither had spotted a single one.

Was this wild scene just the preview of things to come? Kennedy couldn’t help wondering what she should expect. They’d been so careful to keep their plans for tonight under wraps. Were they going to continuously be hunted down in the darkness of night like wild game and trapped with nowhere to run? She recalled getting injured a couple of times while trying to flee from flashing bulbs. Kennedy recalled with crystal clarity how she had tripped and fallen to the ground in her frantic escape from the camera-toting paparazzi.

As Xavier did his best to shield Kennedy from the cameramen, he couldn’t help wondering if this was the beginning of the end for them. It was tough enough to deal with a new relationship, but these types of wild scenes had proved to be game changers for him in the past. It would take an exceptionally strong woman to suck up this madness, even a professional model like he was.

Chapter 2

Xavier’s four-bedroom Santa Monica beach home was exquisitely decorated, yet extremely comfortable. The splendid furnishings ranged from soft leathers to luxurious designer sofas and matching chairs, fashioned in a variety of lavish materials. Although he had explicit ideas for his personal living space, he’d collaborated on the entire decorating process with a professional design studio owned by his dearest friend, Jonathan Alexander, also a close fraternity brother in alpha PSI alpha.

Earth tones and discreet splashes of oranges, yellows and reds, softer variations of the bold colors, were Xavier’s choices. User-friendly furnishings had been very important to him. He desired that no one entering his personal space would have to wonder what they could or couldn’t use or where they could or couldn’t eat, sit or sleep. No stuffy decorum whatsoever had been permitted in any of the rooms.

While Xavier definitely wanted the formal areas in his home to ooze class and finesse, they also had to be heartwarming, relaxing and sociably inviting.

There was even a special room with the young at heart in mind, which included a Sony PlayStation and an Xbox. Xavier loved children. Though he didn’t have kids, several of his close friends were family men.

The fabulous loft, cozy with down-home comfort, was also used as a retreat for deep meditation, where he burned candles and made contact with his inner self. He believed wholeheartedly in communicating with his spirit.

Stretched out on his bed, dressed in silver-gray lounging pajamas, Xavier dialed Kennedy’s home number. Hoping he didn’t get her voice mail, he laid his head back onto one of six king-size pillows. A bright smile lit up his eyes at the sound of her voice. In the pit of his stomach fiery sensations were already taking over. She had that kind of effect on him. “Good morning, sunshine! Hope I didn’t wake you.”

“Hardly.” She drew in a shaky breath. “Morning, Xavier. By the way, is it okay if I call you X once in a while? I like the shortened version.”

“Quite a few people take liberties with my name. X is the most popular.” He thought about Tiaja Rae calling him by the same name. “X is fine by me. Just remember I’m called that by many folks.”

“It slips off the tongue with ease. How’re you feeling?”

“Happy I’ve been blessed with an opportunity to start a brand-new day. Today I’m writing the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Got a pencil and paper handy so I can give you my address?”

“That’s a nice and positive way to look at it.” She paused, reaching for a pen in her nightstand. “I’m ready. Go ahead and give it to me.” Kennedy wrote down the information in her address book. “I’ve got it. Thanks. I’ll see you at seven.” Kennedy felt giddy about seeing him again, especially this soon.

“How do you feel about us pairing up with a married couple for dinner? They’re good friends of mine. I think you’ll like them. Janine and Jonathan Alexander. Janine is a fashion writer. Jonathan, my frat brother, owns a successful interior design business.”

“Sounds like fun. I’d love to meet both your friends. Is there a specific dress code for our dinner?”

Xavier chuckled. “I can’t believe a fashion diva is asking a question like that. It’ll be pretty casual. I love dining outside on the deck. I recently had one of those outdoor entertainment rooms installed. Mine just happens to overlook the Pacific. I’d like you to be comfortable in my space. The offer to pick you up and drive you home still stands.”

“I’m pretty familiar with Santa Monica. I think I can find you with the help of my built-in GPS tracking system.”

“Good. I’ll see you around seven. Have a wonderful day.”

“You do the same. Bye, Xavier.”

Glad the grocery store wasn’t crowded, Xavier went from aisle to aisle quickly, amassing the items he needed for beef Wellington. He chuckled from deep within. He didn’t know another person who would’ve requested the type of meal Kennedy had hit him with. Whatever you want, I’ll prepare, he recalled saying. Whatever indeed. If only she knew his range of culinary capabilities. He was by no means an amateur chef. He’d make sure she was certain of that by evening’s end.

“What am I going to wear?” Kennedy shouted. One person should never own this many clothes, she thought, pushing back hanger after hanger on the sturdy racks inside her huge walk-in closet. Many items still had the price tag attached. Designers and fashion houses gave her a fair share of fashionable attire as compliments, yet she still went shopping. Buying new clothes was senseless, especially when she owned a countless wardrobe. But she loved shopping for lingerie.

Casual dinner, Xavier had said. But Kennedy really had no desire to wear jeans. After coupling sharply creased Anne Klein white linen pants with a Nicole Miller lime-green shell and sweater, both with jeweled necklines, she began looking through her clear plastic shoe boxes, stacked by color and style.

Kennedy finally located the perfect pair of Michael Antonio gold strappy sandals. After removing the stylish items, she set them atop the armoire. Perfect, she thought. Happy that chore was complete, she left the closet.

Bright and shiny with stainless-steel and smoky-black appliances and beautiful cherry-wood cabinetry, Xavier’s spacious kitchen was well appointed. Splashes of soft oranges and reds added a touch of colorful spice to the decor. Bushy green plants in woven baskets nested on the ledges above the cabinets, lending a warm touch of mother earth. Fresh fruits filled a red ceramic bowl centered on the granite island counter.

Xavier loved to cook in his cheerful kitchen. Ready to get started on his food preparations, he began to gather up all the ingredients. Since he’d already made the decision to roast the tenderloin whole, he pulled pastry puff sheets from the refrigerator.

He had already finely chopped the mushrooms. Shallots sweated in a small amount of oil, until tender. Both ingredients were then sautéed in sherry until the liquid totally evaporated. He seasoned the beef with salt and pepper and coated it with roasted garlic before adding butter and parsley. Once the tenderloin was rolled up in a pastry puff, he brushed it with egg wash. Green peppercorn sauce was the last item he prepared. He would later drizzle the mixture over the roasted meat and garnish it with dill just before serving.

Once Xavier finished all the cooking preparations, he went up to the loft, where he’d left the book he was reading, Reflections from Earth’s Orbit, written by Winston E. Scott, a retired Captain, United States Navy. It was a fascinating book. Interestingly enough, this true-life story was written in terms the average person could understand. Captain Scott was also a retired African-American NASA astronaut. What Xavier had read so far was intriguing, demanding him to make more time to finish it. He loved to read biographies on United States astronauts and other noteworthy Americans.

Parked right outside Xavier’s home, Kennedy made a last-minute check on her makeup. Her nose looked a bit shiny so she took out her compact and large makeup brush to dull the shine. After applying another layer of MAC gloss to her full mouth, she pressed her lips together. Hoping Xavier would be pleased with how she looked, she opened the driver’s door and slid out from under the leather steering wheel.

After pressing the doorbell, Kennedy stood back to wait for him to greet her. Much to her surprise, a stunning female answered the bell. Her attire was impeccable and every hair on her head appeared in place.

Kennedy couldn’t help feeling a little bit nervous. This woman appeared to have it all, even the privilege of answering Xavier’s door. Well, she thought, he certainly wouldn’t have a woman he was romantically involved with over to his home at the same time he had a date with her. Kennedy chalked her thoughts up to silly nonsense. It wasn’t like her to jump to meaningless conclusions and she certainly wasn’t the insecure type.

The woman with the bone-straight brunette hair extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Janine. And you must be Kennedy. You’re every bit a beautiful as our friend has boasted. Come on in. The guys are outside on the deck. It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

Kennedy smiled. “Thank you. The feeling is mutual, Janine. I love your outfit.” Kennedy truly admired the expensive-looking creamy white pants, paired with a flirty icy-blue and white Chris Han top. “White works beautifully. It makes any outfit pop. I see we both favor it.”

“I wear lots of white,” Janine said. “Like you said, everything goes with it.”

As Kennedy followed Janine through the large house to get outdoors, her eyes darted everywhere, busy taking in some of the finer details of Xavier’s living quarters. She liked the spicy color scheme of his decor. From what she could see, the place appeared neat and extremely clean, very well taken care of. The style of the white French doors leading out to the deck was similar to the set installed in her home.

Xavier’s smile was wide as he drank in Kennedy. Her sable hair looked salon-fresh, shiny and full of body. He loved the outfit she wore, thinking it fit her to a tee. The lime green looked good against her mahogany flesh. As he began his walk toward her, he couldn’t wait to touch her, could barely wait to feel the softness of her skin. Being close to her caused him all sorts of hormonal reactions. Lifting her hand, he pressed a kiss into her palm. “Glad you’re here. You look beautiful.”