Page 18 of Pretend To Be Mine

Sebastian was grinning like he was having the time of his life. He caught sight of Adrian in the doorway. “Big brother!” Sebastian’s face lit up. “Come to check on my inseam? I bet you have gentler hands than Annika.”

The seamstress poked him in the leg and he jumped.

“I have no desire to see your inseam or anything else,” Adrian replied. “How’s it going, Annika?”

The woman at Sebastian’s feet glanced up. She was probably in her fifties, with silver hair twisted into a bun and sharp blue eyes that missed nothing. “It would go faster if your brother could stand still for more than thirty seconds.”

“I have a condition,” Sebastian protested. “It’s called being alive.”

The two models giggled. I felt myself shrinking back slightly, trying to become invisible. These women were stunning, all long legs and perfect bone structure. These were the women who set the beauty standards in fashion magazines.

The models noticed Adrian then, and their attention shifted like flowers turning toward the sun. But when they saw me standing slightly behind him, their smiles faltered with curiosity.

“Ladies,” Adrian said with a polite nod. “If you’ll excuse us, we need to borrow Annika. Fashion emergency.”

They nodded like that made perfect sense, then got to their feet, smoothing their already-perfect clothes. They filed out of the room. One of them brushed against Sebastian as she passed, trailing her fingers across his shoulder.

He winked at her. “Stay by your phone tonight.”

“Sebastian, this is Elizabeth Laramie,” Adrian said once we were alone. Well, alone except for Annika, who was still working on the tux. “Elizabeth, my brother Sebastian.”

Sebastian’s eyes landed on me, and his grin widened. “Elizabeth. Now this is interesting.” He stepped off the platform despite Annika’s noise of protest. “Adrian didn’t mention he was bringing anyone by. Especially someone so⁠—”

“She’s going to be attending Love Week events with me,” Adrian interrupted smoothly. “She needs outfits for every occasion.”

“Every occasion?” Sebastian’s eyebrows rose. He looked between us, and I watched understanding dawn across his face. “Oh. Oh. You’re the⁠—”

“Yes,” Adrian said firmly.

Sebastian let out a low whistle. “Well, damn. Carol’s going to lose her mind.” He turned his full attention to us, scrutinizing us like a detective. “Welcome to the circus, Elizabeth. Hope you’re ready for the ride.”

I managed a small nod, not trusting my voice. Sebastian Blackwell was standing three feet away from me in a half-tailored tuxedo, and I couldn’t decide where to look. At his face? That seemed too forward. At the floor? That seemed rude.

“Alright, I need this tux off before you steal Annika away,” Sebastian said, reaching for his shirt buttons. “Fair warning, Elizabeth. In this world, modesty is optional.”

He started undoing his shirt buttons. My eyes went wide when I realized what he was going to strip down in front of me. I immediately spun around, facing the wall.

Behind me, Annika laughed. “Oh, kiddo. You’re going to have to get used to this. In fashion, half-naked models are just Tuesday afternoon.”

“She’s right,” Sebastian added. I could hear the amusement in his voice. “Give it a week and you won’t even blink. I’m basically furniture to Annika at this point.” He smiled at the woman like she was a favorite aunt. “That’s why she keeps sticking pins in me.”

I kept my eyes fixed on a very interesting poster on the wall, feeling my face burn. This felt unprofessional but was totally standard operating procedure. This was normal for them. I just needed to be professional too. I wanted to work beside these people someday—someday soon if I played my role right. I had to get used to models and their nearly naked bodies. Sebastian wasn’t a sexy man. He was a dress form with a head. And insane abs.

Yeah, I snuck a glance in the mirror. I’m only human.

After what felt like an hour but was probably thirty seconds, Sebastian said, “All clear. I’m decent. Well, decent-ish.”

I turned back slowly. Sebastian was now in jeans and a T-shirt. He looked more relaxed now, less like a magazine spread and more like a regular person.

Except regular people didn’t have those cheekbones. Or that square jaw. And these Blackwell men were so tall.

“I need to get back to work,” Sebastian said, grabbing a leather jacket from a chair. “But Elizabeth? Word of advice. My brother seems scary, but he’s actually a giant softie. Don’t let him intimidate you.”

“I’m standing right here,” Adrian said.

“I know. That’s why I’m saying it.” Sebastian flashed me one more grin, then pointed at Adrian. “Don’t screw this up. She seems nice. And I’ve always wanted a sister.”

“Out,” Adrian said, but there was no real heat in it.