Page 11 of Fateful Exposure

"Ashton, for goodness’ sake, work with me here."

He stared at me briefly, then sighed before leaning forward to grab the sketchbook where I'd made my designs. I held my breath as he gave the sketches a look over that lasted a little too long.

Then he lifted his eyes to look at me, but I couldn't recognize the look swirling in them. "They're good. What else do you need to tweak?"

Was that a compliment?I didn't allow myself to think about it as I reached forward to snatch my sketchbook back. "I'm nottweaking anything. I just want everything to be perfect. The designs are not ready yet."

He shrugged, leaning against the chair again. "Perfection is a myth. True beauty lies in an object's ragged edges."

I gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Aren't you quite the philosopher. Regardless, you're only here to familiarize yourself with the designs. Production has started, and the pieces should be ready soon. You won't be needed until it's time for your little bit."

He returned my smile with an annoying smirk of his own. "Well, little Miss Perfect, I prefer to work more closely with my subjects. Have you chosen your models yet?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. It shouldn't be too hard, though. New York's crawling with them."

"Given your reputation, I doubt that. Plus, I'm tired of seeing the same faces all the time. I have an idea for the photoshoot that I think is the missing element here. Do you mind?"

I waved Rose and my interns away because I didn't want anyone to get ideas about my collections until I was certain about them myself. Some news outlets had started reporting that I was making a too-eager entry back into the industry, and the last thing I wanted was to have information leaked to the public.

After Alex and Iris, I couldn't trust anyone.

"Alright," I said to him when the room cleared. "Let's have it."

Ashton kept his gaze on me as he crossed one leg over the other, creating the perfect picture of indifference. I didn't think I'd ever met a man so comfortable in his masculinity. His brooding, blatant arrogance held a certain mystery to it, and I realized it was what had largely attracted him to me that night last month.

Ashton was all male.

It was impossible to ignore his larger-than-life aura, which seeped out through his skin to the surrounding area and burned hotter than fire.

Dark chocolate hair rested on his head like a lion's mane, a striking contrast to the honey-brown of his eyes. His eyebrows were perfectly carved, accentuating the hard contours of his face. His lips were full and luscious as if he wore lip balm frequently. I tried not to remember their taste.

He tugged at the collar of his shirt, drawing my attention to his long, attractive fingers. I'd always said one could tell a lot about another person by the shape and length of their fingers. My cheeks heated when I recalled how those fingers had been inside me and brought me pleasure.

"I'd ask you to take a picture because it'll last longer, but I'm the one with the camera here,” Ashton said.

My gaze snapped up to his, blinking.Shit.I'd been shamelessly ogling him.

Straightening, I fixed him a vicious glare that would've melted him to a puddle had he been made of ice. "Spit it out."

"Before I do, tell me what you were thinking about just now. You blushed."

He was insane if he thought I would do anything just because he asked me to.

"You're here to work, Ashton,” I reminded him. “Just because I can't fire you doesn't mean I have to put up with your bullshit."

He raised a brow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I'm pretty sure I caught you shamelessly thirsting over me."

I pressed my lips together to keep from defending myself. There was no use. While thirsting was a bit of a stretch, I had been ogling him for sure. God really had favorites. It wasn't fair that the Devil's spawn could be such a fine specimen.

"Cat got your tongue? Or have you finally admitted defeat?" he teased.

"Shut up. Just tell me your plan for the photoshoot."

"Tell me what you were thinking about first."

I huffed. "How old are you again?"

"Is this your way of avoiding the question? What, are you shy?" He grinned. "I daresay you were thinking of that night, weren't you?"

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