Seduction and Lies. Donna Hill

aside to let Danielle enter.

      Danielle expected to see Michael sitting behind a desk, but he wasn’t.

      “Please have a seat, I’m eager to see some of your work.”

      Trying not to show her confusion, which bordered on annoyance, Danielle laid her portfolio on a table that could easily seat twenty, and she unzipped it.

      “Uh, is Mr. Preston going to be joining us?”

      Tasha gave a little laugh. “Michael is out of town. But not to worry. If I like what I see, he likes what I see.”

      Danielle blew out a silent breath. This chick wasn’t old enough to know the difference between commercial photography and Photoshop.

      “Actually, I’m a fan of yours,” Tasha said, as she sat down and began reviewing Danielle’s work.

      “Really?” The knot in her stomach loosened.

      “I’ve studied your work at Parsons and The New School for Design in my advertising and marketing classes.”

      Her brows rose in surprise. “I had no idea.”

      “You have a very distinct style, Ms. Holloway. I could pick your shots out from a crowd any day.”

      “I hope that’s a good thing.”

      There was that little laugh again. “I think so.”

      Tasha closed the book before she was even halfway finished. Not a good sign, Danielle thought.

      “I’d like to take you on a tour of the design floor—get your impressions—and then we can wrap up in my office.”

      A little more than an hour and a half later, Danielle was sitting behind the wheel of her Navigator with a retainer check in her hand for ten thousand dollars.

      Her head was still spinning. She’d actually landed the account. She was to be the official photographer for the Michael Preston fall collection.

      Her photographs would be on his Web site, in his catalogs and all of his promotional material. They’d wind up in every fashion magazine across the country and in Europe.

      She didn’t even care why they needed a new photographer. All she knew was that she had finally taken her business to the next level.

      This called for some serious celebrating. Under normal circumstances Mia would offer to whip up one of her fabulous meals at her house, since she was the only one of the trio who could really cook. But because she was out of town, Danielle and Nick would have to go out.

      She reached for her cell phone to call Nick and give him the good news when the phone chirped in her hand, indicating she had a message waiting. She dialed into her voice mail.

      It was Savannah. Danielle’s training was to start tonight. She was to come to the TLC headquarters at eight.

      Well, that put a wrinkle in things, Danielle thought as she put the SUV in gear and drove off.