As I slowly drift off to sleep, I snuggle up and hold him tighter. My lips slowly curl in a satisfied grin. For the first time in a very long time, I realize I'm truly happy. No matter what happens, I know I will always remember this trip.
The End
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Heidi and the Kaiser by Selena Kitt
Chapter One
Heidi would do anything. That's what they all said.
She was little more than a glorified go-fer, anyway, running across town to fetch props for the shoot and two dozen hot coffees, or lugging cameras and equipment and trudging after the photographer. There was also making sure the models had exactly what they wanted, when they wanted, and how they wanted it. That was the worst part of the job.
"I said half caf decaf mocha latte!"
Heidi ducked as the tall, nude figure threw the full coffee towards the wastebasket but missed, the cup tipping over and leaking out onto the floor.
"I'm sorry." Heidi knelt to mop up the mess.
"Forget it." The woman snorted—Heidi thought the tall blonde's name was Daniella—waving her off. "Maggie!"
A short, pudgy woman hurried in from the front of the trailer. "I'm sorry, sweetie, Chloe was having problems with her straps."
Heidi slipped out of the trailer, leaving one of the coffee trays for the girls and took the other, going to find the crew.
"Argh! This is a latte!" Ty grimaced, handing it back to her and waving her off. "Not mine."
"I'm sorry." Heidi apologized again, knowing that she couldn't fix her mistake now unless she got back into the car and trekked the three miles to Starbucks.
Lenny, one of the crew, looked over from where he was setting up the tripod. "Ty, we'd better get the girls out here while the light is good. Where’s the artist? Wasn't she supposed to be here by five?"
Lenny came over and grabbed a coffee, smiling at her and winking. "Black. I'm easy, baby."
She smiled back, her eyes dropping to the sand. Her watch said it was 5:32 a.m. and the sun was just coming up over the horizon.
"Do you want me to get the girls?" Heidi sighed, glancing back at the trailer where the models were changing.
"Fucking Kaiser's coming out here." Ty fiddled with his camera. "I hate shoots when he shows up."
Heidi's eyes widened and she looked between them. "The Kaiser? Warren Kaiser?"
"Speak of the devil." Lenny pointed over Heidi's shoulder with his eyes.
Ty sighed, fumbling his camera, but not looking back. "Shit."
"He likes the swimsuit shoots," Lenny whispered to her as he passed.
"Gentlemen!" Warren Kaiser looked as out of place on a morning beach in his suit and tie as a poodle in the pound. "Let's start the engines, shall we?"
He strode toward them, swinging a finely crafted cane that sank into the sand as he walked. The cane could have served to give him a jaunty look, like old black and white movies, Heidi thought, or might even have made him appear older than his years, but somehow it did neither. Despite his salt and pepper hair, the man retained quite a youthful appearance, his eyes bright and sharp, and when his mouth twisted into a smile, there was something almost cruel about it. Still, he was attractive, his shoulders broad even in a suit. He seemed to fill the whole beach the moment he arrived.
Kaiser dug the point of his cane into the sand when he stopped short, leaning on it and crossing one foot in front of the other. The gesture was so suave and urbane it might have seemed silly had another man done such a thing, but this man…it seemed he could do almost anything without losing that bold sense of presence. That was it, Heidi thought, her breath catching in her throat when his gaze fell on her. He was fearless. Absolutely fearless.
"I'll go get the girls." Heidi avoided the tall man's gaze, but she felt them as she moved carefully around him, noticing the exposed bottom of his shoe as she passed.
"Testoni!" Heidi stared for a moment at the feather images hot-stamped into the soles. The man was standing on the beach, unmindful of the sand the toe of his fifteen-hundred-dollar shoe was resting in.
"God bless you!" Lenny snorted.
"Good eye." Warren Kaiser’s voice was deep and filled with a quiet authority Heidi had never in her life heard. The sound instantly drew her gaze upward and the man with the cane and the salt and pepper hair looked curiously down at her, his interest clearly piqued. His eyes were dark and quietly assessing her.
Lenny nudged Heidi's shoulder with his. "The girls—Daniella?"