Page 4 of All the Gossip from Paris
When Camille’s brows furrowed in confusion, Sophie was forced to confess.
“While we were on the jet, I watched Emma 2020 for the hundredth time. I drained my cell.”
A grinning Camille simply shook her head.
Sophie turned and pointed at Liam. He was standing a few feet away, busy messing around with his camera. “And that cute guy let me follow him through the door and into the elevator.”
“That’s Ryan’s brother, Liam. He’s handling the photography for the runway show,” explained Camille.
“Yeah, I know. I’m beginning to see why you couldn’t keep your hands off your assistant. The Collins brothers are something else, aren’t they?” She leaned in close. “He was seriously checking me out in the elevator, and I have to admit, it wasn’t all one way traffic.”
Sophie’s gaze took in Camille’s belly, and its tiny baby bump.
These guys really ought to come with a warning sign.
“I caught a peek of a tattoo on Liam’s chest when he took his satchel off his shoulder. And you know me, I’ve got a bit of a weak spot for guys with ink.”
She wasn’t going to mention that she’d already had her hands on his skin, and that’s when she’d really spotted Liam’s tattoo for the first time.
Camille laughed. “That could be dangerous. You might want to watch yourself. From what Ryan has told me, his brother has built up quite an impressive list of women who he’s had a one night stand with in the past couple of years. Let me make formal introductions before you start undressing the poor man.”
“Ok. But before we do that, do you have somewhere I could charge my phone? I hate being unable to use it,” said Sophie.
“Yeah. Come with me,” replied Camille. She led Sophie over to a nearby work bench which was covered in cables and cell phones. Sophie grabbed the first spare charge cable that would fit her precious cell, and plugged it in.
Her sister waved Liam over. He hurried across the floor to them. “Thanks for helping Sophie get into the building Liam. I really appreciate it. Formal introductions. This is my sister Sophie, she’s just arrived from Paris. Sophie, this is my assistant Ryan’s, older brother Liam.”
Sophie caught the message hidden within Camille’s words. Liam wasn’t aware that Camille and Ryan were together. That they had taken their relationship well past the bounds of employer/employee.
He’s going to be in for a bit of a surprise when they announce their news.
Liam embraced Camille. “Good to see you again, Camille. It was pure luck that I arrived when I did. The security guy downstairs wasn’t going to let Sophie into the building. I’m just glad we got it sorted.” He nodded at Sophie. “Good to see you’ve managed to find somewhere to bring your cell phone back to life.”
When he turned those brown eyes her way, a rush of heat raced down Sophie’s back. She couldn’t recall the last time that a man had had this sort of physical effect on her. Twice in a matter of minutes.
Tread carefully Sophie. You don’t need to go doing anything stupid. Don’t embarrass Cami on the eve of her big fashion week launch.
“It’s lovely to officially meet you, Sophie. Paris hey? You must be tired after the flight. Paris is one of my favorite cities.”
Sophie arched a brow. “After I killed my cell phone, I pretty much slept the rest of the flight. And Paris is one of your favorite places? Really. I find its dirty, noisy, and full of far too many tourists most of the time. But it is home.”
Paris might well have its shortcomings, but there was no place like it anywhere else in the world.
Liam set down his camera bag. “I’m thinking that if the photo work from this runway show is well received, I’ll talk to my agent. See if they can look into getting me gigs at other fashion weeks around the world. I might just take you up on your offer to give me some fashion show tips, Sophie.”
His words shifted her focus from his body to his body of work. Her father often used the same photographers for his runway shows, and lately she’d found their pictures lacking in flair. Her ex Patrice, who worked in La maison du Royal apparently had some deal with a couple of local fashion photographers which meant they kept coming back year after year.
But if Papa could see someone else’s work, he might decide to change…
She was convinced that a fresh perspective was what the House of Royal badly needed. The current clients on the list were all slowly ageing. The writing was on the wall. For the business to survive long term, they were going to have to attract the next generation of women who had haute couture money at their disposal.
Those younger women were likely to be on social media. Having someone like Liam creating new and exciting images could be a fantastic move.
I should take a look at what other work he’s done.
“Our father will be launching his next collection during Spring/Summer Haute Couture week. That’s in late January. Do you have a professional portfolio I might be able to take a look at?” replied Sophie.
“Of course.”
