HaileyI laughed nervously. “A whirlwind, really. I was doing the modeling thing one day, and the next, I got the call I had landed this part. I am so grateful to my husband for putting me in touch with Gabriel, my agent. It was like everything fell into place at the exact right time.”“What is this foundation I’ve heard you are working with?” she asked from the preselected questions Gabriel had given her.I smiled. “It’s a foundation to help those kids who tend to fall through the cracks in the foster care system. So many kids are on the streets today because there is a shortage of quality foster homes that are capable of dealing with some of the issues kids are facing.”She smiled and nodded her head. “You were never in the system?”I shook my head. “No. My mother raised me by herself, working two jobs to keep a roof over our heads. It wasn’t easy. I hated how much she struggled, but she taught me that life isn’t about how much you have or what your zip code is. She taught me love i
TerranI should have been having a blast instead of feeling as if I were facing the most important decision of my life. It was one of those rock and hard place decisions. Damned if I did and damned if I didn’t.“I need a drink,” I mumbled.“I’ll get you one, sweetie.” A pretty blonde woman sitting on a leather couch across from me quickly jumped up to do just that.Zach looked at me and smiled. “That was easy.”It hadn’t exactly been what I meant. I needed a drink, but I didn’t expect her to fetch it for me. She was a guest. She returned a minute later with a margarita, the rim of the glass lined with salt. It wasn’t exactly the drink I had in mind, but it would do.“Thank you,” I said, unable to remember her name.She smiled. “Any time, Terran. If you need anything, you only have to ask.”I smiled and nodded my head, ignoring the flirting. I wasn’t in the mood to flirt, which was out of character for me.“Can you ladies give us a minute?” Zach asked.The four women who had followed u
TerranHe sighed. “Your yacht, your condo, the beach house, the cars? Aren’t all those things worth a ball and chain?”I glared at him from behind my dark, thousand-dollar sunglasses. “I don’t know. That’s the problem.”He laughed. “It’s a wife. It isn’t a death sentence.”“You don’t want to be married any more than I do.”Zach chuckled. “No, but my dad didn’t put a clause in his will demanding I be married by thirty-five or I would lose my inheritance. He probably knew I’d never be able to do that. It isn’t in the Bailey DNA. Baileys were meant to be bachelors, enjoying all the women the world has to offer.”I groaned. “My dad was one of the guys who believed you mate for life. He never remarried after my mom died. He was never interested in another woman. When I was ten, I used to appreciate that. I didn’t want a stepmom. I never knew he would insist I be like him. I’m not built to have only one woman.”“Me either. Are you sure you can’t persuade the attorney handling the will to ig
HaileyThe constant flash from the camera was giving me a headache. I couldn’t wait until I got the break I needed to become an actress. A successful actress. There were millions of actresses, but only a select few ever achieved the status I wanted. For now, I was modeling. The career had paid the bills since I was a teenager, but it was time to do something different. “Great job, Hailey,” the photographer, Carl, said. “Let’s do a series with you beside the bike since Brittany can’t figure out how to look sexy.” I climbed off the bike, giving the young new model, Brittany, a comforting smile. “You’re doing fine. Don’t listen to him.”She nodded her head. I could see the disappointment in her eyes. I was like her when I first started. Too many photographers were obnoxious and rude. They didn’t treat models like human beings. They treated us like objects to be posed and manipulated to their will.“She’s not doing fine,” the surly man snapped. “I’m going to have to retake all those sho
Hailey“Hey, you,” she said when I walked into the rec room where she was surrounded by a small group of kids at a large circular table.“Hailey!” several of them shouted, running to wrap their arms around me.“Hi, guys!” I greeted each and every one of them with a hug.“What brings you by?” Mandy asked.I shrugged a shoulder, looked at the kids and then her. She gave me a subtle nod, understanding it wasn’t a child-appropriate conversation.“I wanted to come by and see some of my most favorite people in the world,” I said with a smile.Mandy grinned. “Thank you. You know how much they appreciate your visits. Guys, I think Hailey wants to make one of our beaded necklaces.”The group erupted into cheers, which always made me feel good. I loved being able to brighten their days a bit.The kids in this group ranged in age from five to ten. Some were recently orphaned, while a few had been orphaned shortly after birth. They had never known what it was like to have a loving mother and fath
TerranIt was the typical Monday morning with my secretary going over my calendar for the week. As usual, it was packed full of meetings with potential clients and the ad execs in charge of the various clients. I always had a lot of balls in the air, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I liked being busy. Busy meant job security for myself and the hundred people I employed.“You have the meeting with the model for the sportswear company later today,” Lena said. “Do you need her file?” I shook my head. “No.”The phone rang, and she answered it from my own desk, which felt a little strange, but she would have slapped my hand away if I tried to answer my own phone.“Just a moment please,” she said, pushing a button and returning the phone to its cradle.“Who is it?” I asked, watching her gather her things.“Your father’s attorney. He says it’s important.”I groaned. That couldn’t be good. “Thank you, Lena.”She stopped at the door and smiled. “Let me know if you need anything,” she sa
TerranBob cleared his throat. “It isn’t just the inheritance you stand to lose. He owned a majority share in your company. If you don’t meet his requirements, he has demanded the company be dissolved, with stockholders getting their investments back.”My mouth fell open. “It’s my company!”Bob shook his head. “Your father was a silent partner. He put up the capital and still owned a majority of the company. I mistakenly believed his shares reverted to you on his death. They have not. You will lose the company and your inheritance if you do not marry within the next six months or be close to marrying by then.”“Bullshit,” I argued. “I built that company. His investment wasn’t even a fraction of what the company is worth now.” “Which will make some shareholders very happy when they get a fat check. Their investment will have proven to be a worthy one.”I shook my head. “He can’t do this. It’s my company.”Bob slid a piece of paper across his desk. “I’m sorry. Legally he can, and he ha
HaileyThe butterflies dancing in my stomach were making me jittery.I was used to walking runways, but walking into the building of the ad company that had helped launch my modeling career to the next level was nerve-wracking. I knew I was on the older end of the modeling spectrum. My days as a model were numbered. Few models got to keep working into their thirties. It wasn’t exactly fair, but it was the business. Maybe they were going to tell me my contract was being tossed out the window because I was too old. I wasn’t what they were looking for, or I was too difficult to work with. My own insecurities had offered up a litany of reasons for the rather sudden meeting.I was meeting with the CEO, which was only making me more nervous. Terran Maddox had a very colorful reputation. I knew of him vaguely but had never been all that interested in getting to know more about him. I was convinced he was like the rest of the men who were wealthy and held positions of power. That was not the