No, she wasn’t sure. And right about now her body was certain it was the wrong plan. But her brain would eventually wake up and realize she’d done the right thing. She was not her mother. Good sex didn’t equal love.
* * *
Gabe nestled in closer to Elina’s scent. When he reached over to her side of the bed to pull her close, it was cold. He blinked awake rapidly, then called out for her, “Elina, are you here?”
But there was no answer. Oh hell. She’d left? He sat up in bed and ran his hands through his hair. After last night, she’d actually run away?
His first instinct was to call Adam and Reece and get her number. Not that he was desperate; he was just making sure she was okay... Okay, yeah, that sounded desperate. What is wrong with you? It’s just a girl. And he’d slept with plenty of girls.
But he never made love to one before. He might’ve only just met her, but that’s what it felt like. At the very least, it was one hell of a connection.
He showered quickly before checking in with the captain. He usually split his time between New York and Los Angeles, but his father liked to keep the yacht in the marina here in the Hamptons.
Quickly checking his watch, he hopped in his BMW i8 and made the short drive to Reece and Adam’s hotel. The two of them didn’t leave for another hour, and he hoped he might be able to catch Elina. Sneak-outs happened to everyone. He may have run out of dozens of beds, but he’d never been left behind before.
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.”