Seducing Helena by Ann Mayburn

 
     
     
Chapter One
     
     
    Helena Flores leaned over the smoky glass table at the Vision Quest Modeling Agency and tried to see what had her shoot partner for the afternoon, Leonardo, so entranced. Leo was your typical New York hot model, practically perfect in every way: dark hair, Greek good looks, and a sparkling smile. He was the fashion world’s ideal man, which was probably why she wasn’t attracted to him. She liked her men a little rougher, with real-world experience and character.
    Strolling around to Leo’s chair at the conference table, she sat down across from him and admired the awesome new pair of Chanel black-and-white suede heels she’d gotten as a token of appreciation for the shoot she’d done for Vogue , modeling their spring line. Fifteen years ago she would have never even been considered for such a coveted shoot, but the fashion industry was slowly catching on to the fact that not everyone was white, ultra-thin, and almost six feet tall.
    Helena knew her beauty was considered unconventional for the modeling world, with her curves, dark brown skin, and bold nose. Before she’d landed the cover of the Sports Universe swimsuit issue two years ago she’d been called everything from fat, to having tits like a porn star, to being told she might land a job if she were a little friendlier with the casting director. She’d always told them to fuck off, but she knew girls in the industry who gave in and did more than a few hours on their backs on those couches.
    Modeling was not for the faint of heart.
    Thankfully, the curves that made her an absolute no-go for the runway at traditional fashion houses, with their size-zero models, attracted the eye of the top high-end lingerie empire, Sirens. Leo and Helena were getting ready to go for a fitting with the Vivienne Vanity, the head designer of Sirens and someone Helena considered a mentor. The photo shoot they were going to do over in Hong Kong was a huge production and Leo was spacing out on her when she needed his head in the game.
    Helena snapped her fingers in front of his face, breaking his eye contact with the screen of his tablet. “Hey, wake up, chico . We need to get going.”
    He blinked up at her and gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I have this project I’m working on, and it seems to be taking over my life.”
    They walked out of the office together, each moving with the studied elegance of a model on the job. Once she left the agency she went from being Helena, only daughter of a Brooklyn preacher, to Helena Supermodel. She had to psych herself up every time she went out in public and remember that half of how people perceived her was in how she carried herself. She no longer walked with a comfortable swagger. Now she lifted her chin and shifted her shoulders back, putting a slight sway into her hips that was exaggerated by the four-inch heels on her shoes.
    Next to her, Leo did his version of the same transformation, standing straighter, his expression becoming more serious and yet still sensual. One of the reasons she loved working with Leo was that he was a professional. Neither of them had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth and they both knew how fleeting the money from modeling could be. The only thing that would guarantee their longevity in the field was their professionalism and the ability to take a good picture.
    They rode down together in comfortable silence. As soon as they entered the foyer, the noise washed over Helena and snapped her back to the present. Leo, a consummate gentleman, held the door open and escorted her across the vast space. Her driver and cousin, Gary, waited for them at the curb with her Mercedes sedan. As soon as they were both inside, they let out a breath at the same time.
    “Well, it’s nice not having to fight off overly-enthusiastic fans while you’re here, Leo.”
    He nodded and returned to staring down at his tablet. Curious as to what had him so distracted, she leaned over to get a