Right? Not her. He'd awakened something she thought dormant. And all he did was talk.
Typically, any kind of attention made her go into a full blown panic attack. When control was out of her hands, she couldn't function. Though she was embarrassed, Noah didn't make her afraid. He made her want. A temptation she never once risked. But for him, with him, could she let go? He'd said as much that night. He knew her hang ups. Most of them. It had been so very long since sex was enjoyable that she'd almost screamed yes when he presented the proposal.
Nicole strode into her office and set two containers on her desk. "Lunch is served." She looked up and did a double take. "What's wrong?"
Raven drew in a much needed breath and waved her hand. "Nothing. Let's eat. Thanks for picking this up. I was going over my notes for my two o'clock."
A new artist on the scene named Vincent Soreno had contacted Elements out of nowhere and wanted to set up a meeting. Raven had Googled him and came across an amateurish website where he claimed to be a photographer for hire. Weddings mostly. They didn't do that kind of thing, but she'd give him a chance to show his stuff if he had anything worth viewing. His site said he was from the east coast in the lower forty-eight and a recent Alaskan transplant. Something about him rubbed her the wrong way, but damn if she could place what.
Probably just her nerves about Noah. Last Friday night had thrown her world off its axis.
"Are you ever going to tell me how the meeting with Hoan Dwell went? Are we doing an exhibit for him?"
Raven opened and closed her mouth, pushing her Cobb salad around in the container. "We didn't get to discuss a lot of business," she hedged. Noah had created a pen name and kept that person a mystery to the world for a reason. Even if she didn't know why, she would respect that. Had to if it was a safeguard. Except Nicole was her friend and her assistant. If they did a showing for…Hoan, then Nicole was a big part of the process. "We have another meeting set up for later in the week."
Perhaps she should keep the tentative date with Noah after all, if for no other reason than to discuss the showing. They never did get to that during dinner, too wrapped up in…other matters.
Nicole swallowed and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "What was he like?"
God. Now she felt like she had to lie to Nicole to protect him. This was spiraling out of control fast. "He was…not what I was expecting." She almost laughed at the understatement.
Nicole's eyes lit. "Is he handsome? Dark and broody? Eccentric? I'll bet he's Hemmingway crazy. Am I right?"
This time Raven did laugh. "Not crazy or reclusive. He's just very private."
"And handsome? Give a girl some hope here."
Laughing again, she reached for a water bottle. "Very attractive, yes." Understatement of the century right there, since she was on a roll with them. Nicole would die if she ever found out Hoan was Noah. They ran in the same circles, often hanging out together, but Nicole harbored a secret crush on Noah.
"Sigh," she said and flipped her long hair over her shoulder. "I hope I get to meet him."
Raven bit the inside of her lip. Nicole was Noah's typical romp. Pretty, curvy, and blonde. Noah didn't bring his women around, but they talked about their trysts, and her assistant was exactly the kind of woman he attracted. Not her. So why his interest? Then again, Hoan wasn't particular with his models. Thin, voluptuous, tall, short, dark, light…he didn't discriminate. She wondered if he bedded all his models.
After lunch, she started playing with the promotional flyers for their next viewing in a week until her two o'clock arrived. Nicole sent him right up, so she closed the program and rose to shake his hand.
Vincent Soreno was easily six and a half feet tall, with a head shaved bald and muscles encasing muscles. Mr. Clean meets Hell's Angels. He was younger than she expected. Early thirties, perhaps? A sleeve of tattoos ran up and down each arm. In one hand he held a leather jacket, in the other a portfolio case. A white T-shirt molded to his massive chest like second skin and his jeans were ripped. He certainly didn't dress up for their meeting. This guy took wedding pictures?
Doubt