He eventually found Adam drinking coffee by the pool and helped himself to a seat and a croissant. “Hey, where’s your new wife?”
Adam grinned. “That has a nice flow, doesn’t it?”
“Please, spare me from your sappy, lovey-dovey stuff this morning. I need to find Reece.”
Adam frowned. “Why, what’s up? What do you need?”
Gabe hesitated, but then spit it out. “I’m looking for Elina’s number.”
Adams smile spread slowly from cheek to cheek, quickly replaced by a frown. “I knew it! Once I saw you guys dancing, I knew the old Gabe Alexander would make an appearance. I thought I warned you against that.”
He didn’t have time for this. “You did. And it’s not like that. I like her.”
Adam pinned him with a narrow-eyed glare. “You’ve liked plenty of girls.”
Okay. But Elina was different. “Yeah, but I actually like talking to this one.”
Adam sat back, crossed his arms and studied him shrewdly. “Holy shit, did you get bitten by the bug?”
A tingle of awareness hopped up Gabe’s spine. “I don’t know what you mean by bug. I just thought she was cool. So I’m trying to follow up.”
“Uh-huh. Sure you are. Dude, I thought you were working on funding and focused on that. Not chasing tail.”
“Adam, she’s not tail.”
“I know that, but do you? You have had this habit of being into a girl, then fizzling.”
Gabe clenched his jaw. Maybe Adam had a point. Why was he here, really? Because it sucked to be left. She was great, but he did have stuff to focus on. And at the top of the list wasn’t Elina Sinclair.
It was a night he wouldn’t soon forget, but he was going to have to let her go. He had to. Everything inside him fought against that instinct, but he couldn’t be pulled in two directions. Not now. “She’s special.” He sat back and slouched. “But you’re right, I can’t focus on her right now.”
For now, he’d just have to chalk it up as one of those things and try to put it in the back of his mind.
On Monday morning, Gabe paced the foyer of D. Donovan Image Consultants as he tried to shake off the residual effect of Elina Sinclair. He’d managed okay the rest of yesterday in the Hamptons, and even this morning. But as soon as he hit the city and parked, he would have sworn he saw Elina somewhere near Soho, walking uptown. Just what he needed right before he had to beg Delilah Donovan to take him on as a client.
“Hiya,” said a pretty redhead. “You must be Gabe. I’m Willow. Come on back. I’ll take you to Delilah.”
He shook hands with the slim woman, and followed her down the hall toward the bank of offices. “It’s nice to meet you. This is a great space.”
“Thanks. It took us about a year and a half to get it just right. But we love it.”
Willow didn’t look like any fixer he’d ever met before. She wore leather pants and plenty of eyeliner, and her tattoos were on full display with her sleeveless top. “How long have you guys been here now?”
“Gosh, it’s been almost two years now. We were at Park & Associates before.” She shrugged. “But it’s better being on our own.”
“How big is the team?”
“We’re a boutique agency, so just three of us. Delilah and I are partners. We also have a junior associate. I know you’re wondering if a small agency can handle your needs, but I promise you, we know what we’re doing.”
“I’m not worried. I was told that Delilah was the best. And I believe it.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Mr. Alexander, because I plan on making you work.”
He turned to find Delilah Donovan in the doorway. She was maybe five feet four inches, but it was hard to tell in her stacked boots. The sunlight behind her made her skin look like a mix of cinnamon and honey. She wore her hair in a sleek bun on top of her head, but her clothing was casual leggings and some kind of tunic. Not fussy.
He shook her hand. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I appreciate you fitting me in.”
Delilah gave him a warm smile. “Pleased to meet you. I have to admit, you’re different than I thought. I thought I’d get the hard partier, but you look good.”
He shifted on his feet. “In that case I’m happy to disappoint.”
She and Willow took seats across from him. “So, why don’t you tell us what you’re looking for? Your manager called in a favor and I’m happy to help, but I want to know in your own words what you think you need.”
“At this point I’m looking to restart my career, but more on the production development side. I’m not opposed to acting again, but I really want to set myself apart from my father. And to distance myself from that pissed-off kid who was drunk all the time and slept with too many starlets.” The years of fifteen to twenty were pretty much a blur.
Delilah nodded. “Why, though? From what I understand you were smart with your money. It could’ve gone in the opposite direction, given how hard you were going. Why do you want to open yourself back up to that kind of scrutiny?”
It was a good question. “Because I love to create. And I have a story that won’t leave me alone. I just need the financial backing to get it made. And given my history, no one’s exactly lining up to give me money. I can fund some of it myself, but I know I’ll need more money than that.”
She nodded. “You’re right. You will need more money. So why don’t you tell us about your script?”
For the next thirty minutes he walked them through his plan, his cast and the story. They were receptive and thought his idea was good. Delilah leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees, and folded her hands. “Okay, talking to you, I see that you mean this. I rarely sign on entertainment clients anymore. Been burned too many times by people who wanted paparazzi placements as opposed to legitimate media. I think we can work together, but I have a specific set of rules.”
“Okay, I can work with rules.”
“You need to be above reproach when it comes to women. I suggest steering clear of any potential land mines for a while. No sneaking out to starlets’ rooms at night. No going back with some random at a concert or anything like that. Squeaky-clean until you get the funding you need. No perception of impropriety. You had one hell of a rep. We need to make you into a new man. One who is all about the work.”
He nodded. “I can do that. Whatever it takes. I don’t want anything to get in my way. Whether you choose to help me or not.”
She smiled and sat back. “Now that’s the kind of client I’m looking for.” There was a buzz from the front of the office that signaled someone was there. And when the door to the conference lounge opened, Gabe knew he was about to break every promise he’d just made.
Delilah smiled. “Hey, Elina. You’re just in time to meet our latest client. This is Gabe Alexander, and we’ll be working with him for the next several months.”
Gabe slid his gaze to Elina and held his breath. Her wide-eyed stare told him everything he needed to know. She’d never intended to see him again.
How was this her life? Most people