Sugar Babe [Completed]

Chapter Twenty-Two: Thin Ice

I tried to figure out Johnny's behavior more accurately, but a loud clash took hold of my attention.

"Lilly, you might look fabulous, but you aren't doing a fabulous job. The guests will be arriving in less than half an hour, and things are clearly not in order."  Lanning told me sternly, even though I could tell that she found whatever situation behind the doorway incredibly amusing.

What the hell was so funny? I decided to investigate and headed towards the main room, where all of the guests would be at.

The minute that my heels stepped onto the white marble floors, total chaos surrounded me. People were running around with ice sculptures in their hands and I think I even saw a barefoot chief chasing down a cart full of appetizers.

 My eyes widened at the brewing disaster in front of me. I didn't waste time on being surprised. I turned on my business mode and started to bark out the orders I had been planning on giving.

Time flew in a blur as I worked to get everything where it was supposed to be. Guests began to crowd the large room at the exact moment that I managed to push the runaway appetizer cart back into the kitchen. At that point I was ready to cut my feet off. Cursing the invention of heels, I pushed the kitchen doors open with my back.

 I was still walking backwards, when I bumped into a solid chest. For a minute my heart went crazy when I wondered if I had bumped into Joshua. Strong hands took hold of my shoulders before I was spun around to face the person that had gotten hold of me. The woodsy smell of cologne hit me as I whirled around.

Expecting Joshua's face, I found myself staring into some intense blue eyes. The sparks that I had been feeling throughout my body instantly shut off when I realized that it wasn't him. Instead, an extremely tall and buff guy stared down at me. I recognized him instantly as Robert, one of the modeling agency's other models. He was the second most booked, aside from Joshua.

"Whoa, there beautiful." Robert smiled down at me. He had a slight Texan accent that made the word 'beautiful' sound way more imposing than usual. Plus, the accent made me feel like a horse he was trying to tame. Not flattering at all. He was tall, good looking, and had a sexy accent. Thus the 'bitch mode' instantly went on full alert.

"Thanks for catching me and for the compliment. Now if you'll excuse me-" My voice was bored and uninterested as I tried to make my way away from the male model in front of me. No luck, because his arms were still around me and he didn't look like he was in any hurry to release me.

"Can I help you?" I told him in between clenched lips, when I realized that I was now a prisoner.

"Sure, you can start by telling me your name." He smirked down at me, with his arms still around my shoulders. The stance was way too intimate for me to feel comfortable. I was ready to bolt out of there.

"Hi," I told him mockingly. "My name is 'Not Interested'."

I smiled a sweetly, before I ducked under his forearms and finally set myself free. Gosh, this guy was even more obnoxious than Joshua had been when I first met him. Alright, maybe Joshua had been way more overbearing, going as far as slipping his tongue down my throat, but at least he hadn't been all creepy prince charming on me!

"Hold on a minute, Darlin'." Again, Robert's Texan accent made me feel like cattle he was trying to group together.  One of his hands curled around me wrist before he brought me up to his chest. If I had known my dress would have that effect on people, I would have probably left it at home, because I had never gotten male attention like this.

"Look, I'm working. Why don't you go use your western pick-up lines on some other darlin'?" I told him, mocking his western accent for effect.