Billie looked around the gathering with a smile on her face. She wouldn’t have admitted it to Dakota, but she was scanning the crowd for a glimpse of Jason Wainwright. She didn’t see him, but she was pleasantly surprised to see some people she knew. A tap on her shoulder was accompanied by a deep, chastising male voice. “When did you get to town and when were you planning to call us?”
She whirled around and looked up into the face of one of her dear friends, Antoine Brown, a point guard for the Chicago Bulls. His wife, Chloe, was a college classmate of Billie’s and she had been close to the couple for years. Billie laughed at the mock-stern expression on his face and gave him a big hug.
“I’ve been here since December and I promise you I haven’t been ignoring you on purpose! I’ve talked to Chloe a couple of times, as a matter of fact. You were on the road and I know she’s been too busy to mention it. I’ve just been going a million miles an hour, is all. My sister got married and I’ve started a whole new career and I’ll tell you all about it later,” she said with a smile. “Where’s Chloe?”
“She’s sitting over there—” he pointed “—waiting for me to drag you over. She’s got a surprise for you,” he added.
After introducing Antoine to Nick and Dakota, Billie went with him to greet his wife. She was a petite, pretty woman whose pregnancy was just beginning to show. Billie gave her a tight hug while expressing her joy. “This really doesn’t qualify as a surprise, you guys. I was expecting this,” she told the beaming couple. “After the first baby I knew you couldn’t wait too long. How is my goddaughter, anyway?”
She was deep in conversation with her friends until she was claimed by another old friend. This time it was Kareem Davis, a linebacker for the Chicago Bears. He didn’t waste time chiding her in the way Antoine had, because he knew she was now living in Chicago. Still, he was pleased to see her, which he demonstrated by picking her up in a huge bear hug.
“You’re looking extra-fine, girl. Seems like the Windy City agrees with you,” he said once he’d put her down.
She smiled up at him. “I love it so far. I’ve been working with my brother-in-law to learn how to rehab houses and I’m learning more than I did in four years of college,” she told him. “He’s going to let me be a project manager once we find the right house.”
Kareem nodded his approval. “You’re at the right place tonight, then. Jason Wainwright is like the real-estate god of Chicago. Have you met him?”
“Not yet, but I’m hoping to,” Billie answered.
“Well, come with me and let me introduce you,” he said.
Billie’s face lit up and she took the hand he offered her. “Let’s go. He’s the reason I came here tonight.”
Jason was heading toward Billie like a guided missile when Patrice stepped in front of him. “I’ve been looking for you,” she said in her low, modulated voice. “Where have you been?”
She was looking at him calmly, without a hint of recrimination in her voice or anger in her face. It was one of the things he liked about her, actually. Patrice had the demeanor of a well-trained geisha. She was virtually without emotion of any kind and if she ever desired more passion from him she never expressed it. In a way being with Patrice was like being with an android, a beautiful empty shell that would only do what she was programmed to do. He had to force himself to smile at her and pay attention to her words, because all he wanted to do was find Wilhelmina. There was something irresistible drawing him to her and he couldn’t wait to find out what it was. He couldn’t be rude to Patrice, however.
“I’m sorry I was gone so long. I was talking with some people. Are you enjoying yourself?”
She gave him her usual automatic smile that didn’t express amusement or humor; it merely seemed like another programmed reaction. “It’s a wonderful party, Jason, but I’m getting a little tired. I had an early call this morning,” she said.
Jason looked at her solicitously. “If you’re tired why don’t you go home? I can have the limo take you now, if you like.”
Her eyes, made larger with the clever application of individually applied false lashes, blinked. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, that would be nice. You’re so thoughtful, Jason. Will you be coming by later?”
He took her hand and squeezed it gently, which was for him an overt public display of affection. “Sure, honey. If it’s not too late I’ll come by. You go get your coat and I’ll have the limo in front in two minutes.”
In minutes he was looking around for the elusive Wilhelmina again. His date was gone and there was nothing to prevent him from resuming his trajectory. He caught sight of her on Kareem’s arm and he frowned slightly, although he wasn’t aware of it. That was the third man he’d seen her talking to that night. He could certainly understand the attraction, because she was the most desirable woman in the building. He couldn’t hate all the men who were salivating over her, but if he could he’d tell them that their efforts were futile. He was a man who’d gotten what he wanted out of life by learning to trust his instincts and go after what he wanted, and what he wanted was the laughing woman in the spectacular blue dress.
Billie and Kareem had to work their way across the floor because they kept getting stopped by one person after another. She had caught a couple of glimpses of Jason Wainwright, but it didn’t seem like they were ever going to meet. He was busy circulating, the way a good host should. She was chalking the near miss up to simple bad timing when she saw him talking to a stunning woman who looked like she had a claim on him. Oh, he’s got his lady with him, she thought. Well, why wouldn’t he, at a big bash like this. I’ll just have to meet him some other time when it’ll be easier to talk business. Once that decision was made, she was about to tell Kareem that she was going back to her sister and brother-in-law when the sound of a deep voice stopped her.
“Kareem, I’ve been trying to get an introduction to this beautiful lady all night. What does a brother have to do to meet her?” Jason said with a debonair smile.
Billie raised an eyebrow and hesitated a second before extending her hand for a shake. “All you have to do is say hello. I’m Billie Phillips.” There was an odd gleam in his eye that she couldn’t quite interpret and she was waiting to see what he was going to say.
Jason brought her hand to his lips for a brief kiss and missed the look on Billie’s face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Wilhelmina. I’m surprised to see one of the most sought-after models in the world at my event. I’m honored,” he said in a low, silky voice as his thumb stoked the back of her hand.
Billie’s smile vanished. “I’m Billie,” she said firmly. “Wilhelmina is the woman they pay to pose. I’m the real person.” She waited for Jason’s reaction. Some people got it right away that she wasn’t trying to trade on her publicity and that she wanted to live a normal life. Some people took a little bit longer to catch on and some never got it. She truly hoped that Jason Wainwright wasn’t going to be one of those.
He was still holding her hand and she gently took it back, resisting the urge to wipe it on the back of her dress the way she normally did when someone glommed their mouth on it. This wasn’t going as well as she’d hoped. He was a man who could give her all kinds of valuable insight into the world of real estate and she didn’t want to write him off because he was proving to be as big a player as Nick and Dakota had tried to warn her. Okay, he’s kinda stuck on himself but so what. I’ve worked with much worse, she thought. It was true, a career in the fashion industry certainly equipped one to work with beautiful people who were overly vain, overly attentive and just plain lecherous. Billie had encountered plenty of men who behaved just like Jason Wainwright and it was no big deal. She knew how to extract the information she wanted while holding a pushy man at bay, so she wasn’t worried. Besides, he had a woman. Billie had seen him talking to her and it didn’t look casual. Even the most dedicated hound in the world wouldn’t just dump one lady and try to hit on another one. At least that was what she figured.
Keeping