Positive/Negativity by D.D. Lorenzo Page B

to be for him was an asset. Pleasantries could, and would have their benefits in both professional and personal engagements, especially in his line of work. The danger to me with this particular woman was that, unfortunately like Declan, I wasn’t a girl for games either, and emotionally, I could lose myself in either setting.
    I spent a good part of the day watching him, with pleasure and fascination. I had brought some of my work with me to keep me busy if there was a need. I wanted to surprise him with some properties I found that he might consider for his project; the buildings and budgets to renovate for potential studios looked good on paper, and I was hoping to reveal the results of my search to him with the proposals this afternoon.
    I had spent more time going over this project than I had any other, so why did I still feel this nagging apprehension? Perhaps it was this woman and the urge I felt to protect him. Her presence might have brought that feeling out in me as I had been feeling edgy since her arrival. Why hadn’t he mentioned anything to me about her? Was it because of who she was?
    As I tried to concentrate on my own work, I found myself becoming distracted once again with the woman who continued to stare and make glaring faces at Declan. I hadn’t had this feeling about anyone else in the room, but she made me feel incredibly uneasy where he was concerned. Perhaps that was what happened when you loved someone; your desire to protect them became more apparent to you. It was distressing that I couldn’t shake this heaviness. More so, why was I the only one who could see the faces and attitudes that she was obviously directing at Declan? Were they blind or were they choosing to ignore it? Nonetheless, I had already made a decision; this woman was a viper, and I didn’t like snakes. The people who were working with her, who continued to smile at her and bow to her whims, might not know what to do to protect themselves against a snake. I wasn’t quite so intimidated by vipers.
     

     
    …and as Declan’s professionalism held him in smiling postures through his rage, he refused to allow Marisol to unsettle his composure…

 
     
    T Ticking Time Bomb – Skylar Grey
    TT Bad Girls (Nick Thayer Remix) – M.I.A.
    TTT Out of My Way – Seether

 
     
     
    Declan continued to make eye contact with me all through the various poses and photographs. He looked dashing and worldly, and his smile was making me melt. Eventually, the woman who was trying to get his attention noticed that his interest was directed at me. She then channeled a few looks in my direction as well, though none were as loving as Declan’s.
    I spent the remainder of the day attempting to ignore her, focusing my attention on my own work, and giving Declan my attention whenever I looked up. I didn’t want him to feel that anything was amiss so as not to distract him from his work. When the shoot was over, and he began to walk toward me, I was relieved. I couldn’t be happier to see an engagement end. Not realizing how tense I had become with the presence of that woman and her constant fixation on Declan, I felt myself relax when the shoot ended.
    He headed over to see me as I gathered my things to place in my briefcase. I heard the photographer speaking with the woman. While eavesdropping, I learned her name was Marisol Franzi. It was a name I would not soon forget…
     

     
    I saw Marisol glance at Aria several times. Knowing her reputation for creating a scene, I didn’t want to have Aria exposed to her or her temper tantrums. At the completion of the shoot, I immediately walked toward Aria, momentarily declining to remove clothing and make-up. I chose to ignore Marisol and had turned my back toward her, but she approached with catlike precision. I saw Aria out of the corner of my eye and knew that she was witnessing our exchange. T
    “Hello, Declan. I’ve missed you,” Marisol purred in her heavy accent. “You ran away the last