Romancing the Runway

Onto her devious mission, Xavier failed at keeping a straight face. “I see you like to get your jokes on, but I can do beef Wellington, girl. What time should I pick you up?”

She angled an eyebrow. “What if I just drive myself there around seven?”

“Whatever works better for you. I’ll call in the morning with directions.”

“Look forward to hearing from you.” She grew silent, allowing her gaze to sweep over his handsome face. “I had a really good time, too. You are great company.”

Leaning into her, Xavier brushed across her cheek a light, airy kiss. “Tomorrow.”

Suddenly a flurry of bright white lights flashed before their eyes. A group of photographers came at the startled couple from every angle. Kennedy’s front porch had been invaded. The flashbulbs were darn near blinding, causing them to use their hands as eye shields.

Kennedy and Xavier lived to pose in front of the camera by day, and often by night, loved their jobs as top supermodels, but both hated being completely caught off guard by the ever intrusive paparazzi. Where had all these men come from? There had to be at least ten to twelve cameramen. How long had they been following along behind them? It was indeed hard to tell since neither had spotted a single one.

Was this wild scene just the preview of things to come? Kennedy couldn’t help wondering what she should expect. They’d been so careful to keep their plans for tonight under wraps. Were they going to continuously be hunted down in the darkness of night like wild game and trapped with nowhere to run? She recalled getting injured a couple of times while trying to flee from flashing bulbs. Kennedy recalled with crystal clarity how she had tripped and fallen to the ground in her frantic escape from the camera-toting paparazzi.

As Xavier did his best to shield Kennedy from the cameramen, he couldn’t help wondering if this was the beginning of the end for them. It was tough enough to deal with a new relationship, but these types of wild scenes had proved to be game changers for him in the past. It would take an exceptionally strong woman to suck up this madness, even a professional model like he was.

Chapter 2

Xavier’s four-bedroom Santa Monica beach home was exquisitely decorated, yet extremely comfortable. The splendid furnishings ranged from soft leathers to luxurious designer sofas and matching chairs, fashioned in a variety of lavish materials. Although he had explicit ideas for his personal living space, he’d collaborated on the entire decorating process with a professional design studio owned by his dearest friend, Jonathan Alexander, also a close fraternity brother in alpha PSI alpha.

Earth tones and discreet splashes of oranges, yellows and reds, softer variations of the bold colors, were Xavier’s choices. User-friendly furnishings had been very important to him. He desired that no one entering his personal space would have to wonder what they could or couldn’t use or where they could or couldn’t eat, sit or sleep. No stuffy decorum whatsoever had been permitted in any of the rooms.

While Xavier definitely wanted the formal areas in his home to ooze class and finesse, they also had to be heartwarming, relaxing and sociably inviting.

There was even a special room with the young at heart in mind, which included a Sony PlayStation and an Xbox. Xavier loved children. Though he didn’t have kids, several of his close friends were family men.

The fabulous loft, cozy with down-home comfort, was also used as a retreat for deep meditation, where he burned candles and made contact with his inner self. He believed wholeheartedly in communicating with his spirit.

Stretched out on his bed, dressed in silver-gray lounging pajamas, Xavier dialed Kennedy’s home number. Hoping he didn’t get her voice mail, he laid his head back onto one of six king-size pillows. A bright smile lit up his eyes at the sound of her voice. In the pit of his stomach fiery sensations were already taking over. She had that kind of effect on him. “Good morning, sunshine! Hope I didn’t wake you.”

“Hardly.” She drew in a shaky breath. “Morning, Xavier. By the way, is it okay if I call you X once in a while? I like the shortened version.”

“Quite a few people take liberties with my name. X is the most popular.” He thought about Tiaja Rae calling him by the same name. “X is fine by me. Just remember I’m called that by many folks.”

“It slips off the tongue with ease. How’re you feeling?”

“Happy I’ve been blessed with an opportunity to start a brand-new day. Today I’m writing the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Got a pencil and paper handy so I can give you my address?”

“That’s a nice and positive way to look at it.” She paused, reaching for a pen in her nightstand. “I’m ready. Go ahead and give it to me.” Kennedy wrote down the information in her address book. “I’ve got it. Thanks. I’ll see you at seven.” Kennedy felt giddy about seeing him again, especially this soon.

“How do you feel about us pairing up with a married couple for dinner? They’re good friends of mine. I think you’ll like them. Janine and Jonathan Alexander. Janine is a fashion writer. Jonathan, my frat brother, owns a successful interior design business.”

“Sounds like fun. I’d love to meet both your friends. Is there a specific dress code for our dinner?”

Xavier chuckled. “I can’t believe a fashion diva is asking a question like that. It’ll be pretty casual. I love dining outside on the deck. I recently had one of those outdoor entertainment rooms installed. Mine just happens to overlook the Pacific. I’d like you to be comfortable in my space. The offer to pick you up and drive you home still stands.”

“I’m pretty familiar with Santa Monica. I think I can find you with the help of my built-in GPS tracking system.”

“Good. I’ll see you around seven. Have a wonderful day.”

“You do the same. Bye, Xavier.”

Glad the grocery store wasn’t crowded, Xavier went from aisle to aisle quickly, amassing the items he needed for beef Wellington. He chuckled from deep within. He didn’t know another person who would’ve requested the type of meal Kennedy had hit him with. Whatever you want, I’ll prepare, he recalled saying. Whatever indeed. If only she knew his range of culinary capabilities. He was by no means an amateur chef. He’d make sure she was certain of that by evening’s end.

“What am I going to wear?” Kennedy shouted. One person should never own this many clothes, she thought, pushing back hanger after hanger on the sturdy racks inside her huge walk-in closet. Many items still had the price tag attached. Designers and fashion houses gave her a fair share of fashionable attire as compliments, yet she still went shopping. Buying new clothes was senseless, especially when she owned a countless wardrobe. But she loved shopping for lingerie.

Casual dinner, Xavier had said. But Kennedy really had no desire to wear jeans. After coupling sharply creased Anne Klein white linen pants with a Nicole Miller lime-green shell and sweater, both with jeweled necklines, she began looking through her clear plastic shoe boxes, stacked by color and style.

Kennedy finally located the perfect pair of Michael Antonio gold strappy sandals. After removing the stylish items, she set them atop the armoire. Perfect, she thought. Happy that chore was complete, she left the closet.

Bright and shiny with stainless-steel and smoky-black appliances and beautiful cherry-wood cabinetry, Xavier’s spacious kitchen was well appointed. Splashes of soft oranges and reds added a touch of colorful spice to the decor. Bushy green plants in woven baskets nested on the ledges above the cabinets, lending a warm touch of mother earth. Fresh fruits filled a red ceramic bowl centered on the granite island counter.

Xavier loved to cook in his cheerful kitchen. Ready to get started on his food preparations, he began to gather up all the ingredients. Since he’d already made the decision to roast the tenderloin whole, he pulled pastry puff sheets from the refrigerator.

He had already finely chopped the mushrooms. Shallots sweated in a small amount of oil, until tender. Both ingredients were then sautéed in sherry until the liquid totally evaporated. He seasoned the beef with salt and pepper and coated it with roasted garlic before adding butter and parsley. Once the tenderloin was rolled up in a pastry puff, he brushed it with egg wash. Green peppercorn sauce was the last item he prepared. He would later drizzle the mixture over the roasted meat and garnish it with dill just before serving.

Once Xavier finished all the cooking preparations, he went up to the loft, where he’d left the book he was reading, Reflections from Earth’s Orbit, written by Winston E. Scott, a retired Captain, United States Navy. It was a fascinating book. Interestingly enough, this true-life story was written in terms the average person could understand. Captain Scott was also a retired African-American NASA astronaut. What Xavier had read so far was intriguing, demanding him to make more time to finish it. He loved to read biographies on United States astronauts and other noteworthy Americans.

Parked right outside Xavier’s home, Kennedy made a last-minute check on her makeup. Her nose looked a bit shiny so she took out her compact and large makeup brush to dull the shine. After applying another layer of MAC gloss to her full mouth, she pressed her lips together. Hoping Xavier would be pleased with how she looked, she opened the driver’s door and slid out from under the leather steering wheel.

After pressing the doorbell, Kennedy stood back to wait for him to greet her. Much to her surprise, a stunning female answered the bell. Her attire was impeccable and every hair on her head appeared in place.

Kennedy couldn’t help feeling a little bit nervous. This woman appeared to have it all, even the privilege of answering Xavier’s door. Well, she thought, he certainly wouldn’t have a woman he was romantically involved with over to his home at the same time he had a date with her. Kennedy chalked her thoughts up to silly nonsense. It wasn’t like her to jump to meaningless conclusions and she certainly wasn’t the insecure type.

The woman with the bone-straight brunette hair extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Janine. And you must be Kennedy. You’re every bit a beautiful as our friend has boasted. Come on in. The guys are outside on the deck. It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

Kennedy smiled. “Thank you. The feeling is mutual, Janine. I love your outfit.” Kennedy truly admired the expensive-looking creamy white pants, paired with a flirty icy-blue and white Chris Han top. “White works beautifully. It makes any outfit pop. I see we both favor it.”

“I wear lots of white,” Janine said. “Like you said, everything goes with it.”

As Kennedy followed Janine through the large house to get outdoors, her eyes darted everywhere, busy taking in some of the finer details of Xavier’s living quarters. She liked the spicy color scheme of his decor. From what she could see, the place appeared neat and extremely clean, very well taken care of. The style of the white French doors leading out to the deck was similar to the set installed in her home.

Xavier’s smile was wide as he drank in Kennedy. Her sable hair looked salon-fresh, shiny and full of body. He loved the outfit she wore, thinking it fit her to a tee. The lime green looked good against her mahogany flesh. As he began his walk toward her, he couldn’t wait to touch her, could barely wait to feel the softness of her skin. Being close to her caused him all sorts of hormonal reactions. Lifting her hand, he pressed a kiss into her palm. “Glad you’re here. You look beautiful.”

Kennedy blushed. He looked beautiful, too, not to mention sexy. His khaki Loro Piana shorts looked good on his powerful physique. The silk Emporio Armani T-shirt was chocolate. The casual brown leather sandals completed his outfit. As he was freshly shaven, she had a strong urge to laze her hand down the side of his face.

As Xavier reclaimed a gentle hold on Kennedy’s hand, he introduced her to Jonathan. “This is Kennedy Bassett, the lady I’ve been raving about. Kennedy, this is my best friend, Jonathan. I’m assuming you two ladies have already introduced yourselves.”

“We have,” Janine said. “We actually got straight into the topic of fashion.”

Happy the two women had already had a pleasant exchange, Xavier laughed. “I guess that means you guys have already found something in common.”

“I’m sure by evening’s end we’ll find we have lots more in common,” Janine said.

“All of us probably have a lot in common,” Xavier stated. “The food is done. If you guys are ready to eat, I can put the meal on the table.” He was proud of the amazing job he’d done with the gold and white place settings. A professional couldn’t have done any better.

After everyone voiced their desires to eat right away, each guest offered to help Xavier bring the dishes out to the deck. Glad for the extra help, he had everyone follow him into the kitchen to grab hold of something.