Seducing Helena (6 page)

“This is Seth Morgan. He’s my date.” She grinned up at Seth with such pride and happiness he couldn’t help but smile back.

Gustav chuckled. “Ahhhh, young love. Come with me. The Sirens are back in the VIP section.”

They made their way up to an area roped off from the rest of the crowd and guarded by three very big men in black suits. There were a couple people he recognized as they were let beyond the ropes and he had to stop himself from staring at one of his favorite quarterbacks casually talking to a retired linebacker who was a legend among football fans. Then he got an eyeful of how many supermodels were there and he really felt like he’d fallen down the rabbit hole. Gustav led them to a rounded black leather booth toward the back. A glass table stood in the center of the booth and koi fish swam among water lilies beneath the surface.

He slid in next to Helena and she snuggled close, pulling his arm over her shoulders so she could rest her cheek on his chest. Fewer than five seconds later, people swarmed the table and Seth found himself being introduced over and over again. The reactions of the different people stopping by to say hello to Helena varied from curiosity to jealousy to happiness. She chatted with all of them and once again he was astonished by her memory for details about people. She knew something personal about everyone and made sure to inquire about children, parents, and boyfriends.

An older but still smoking-hot woman, dressed in a geometric-print red dress and wearing enough diamonds to open a small jewelry store, sat down across from them. Though she was in at least her fifties, the man she was with was easily twenty years her junior. He had an innocent look about him, with his full cheeks and pouty lips coupled with his mop of sandy-blond hair, but he seemed happy enough with the older woman. The affectionate gazes they exchanged struck Seth as genuine.

Helena sat up straighter and he casually removed his arm from her shoulders, sensing her change in body language. Something about this other woman had Helena putting on her game face and he was curious as to why she was reacting like this. He sat up straighter as well and leaned forward so he could hear their conversation better over the music.

The older woman smiled at them. “Helena, darling, so good to see you again.”

“You, too, Ms. Vanity.”

Seth looked closer at the woman and it suddenly clicked. This was Vivienne Vanity, the owner and head designer of Sirens. No wonder Helena was nervous. Even Seth knew who Ms. Vanity was, and he was pretty much clueless when it came to anything fashion related.

Ms. Vanity arched one perfectly plucked blond brow. “Who is this handsome young man with you?”

Helena appeared flustered. “I’m sorry, this is Seth Morgan. My boyfriend.”

Seth stood up enough to reach across the table and offer his hand. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

With a bemused twist to her red-painted lips, she shook his hand. “Nice, strong, calloused hands. Definitely not a model.”

Helena grabbed his other hand beneath the table. “No, he just retired from the Marines.”

The haughty expression dropped from Ms. Vanity’s face, leaving behind a still elegant but far warmer woman. “Thank you for your service, Seth.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Damned if he wasn’t fighting a flush from the sincerity in her words. He never knew what people’s reactions would be when they found out he was former military. It ranged from a polite thanks to people asking him if he’d ever killed anyone. He fucking hated the question, but what he hated even more was the way some people asked it. Like they were thrilled by the idea of killing someone, enthralled at the act of ending a life.

With her brows scrunched down, Ms. Vanity looked closer at Seth. “You seem familiar….do I know you?”

“Ah, no, ma’am.”

“But I swear I’ve seen a picture of you somewhere.” She sat back and tapped her carefully painted red lips.

Helena grinned at Seth. “Maybe if he takes his shirt off you’ll recognize him. Seth is Mr. March in Leo’s calendar.”

“Of course!” Ms. Vanity smiled at him and her blue eyes sparkled. “Sirens is partnering with Leo to help sell the calendar. In fact, it will be for sale at our fashion show tomorrow.”

A hot flush burned Seth’s face, and he hoped the lighting hid the visible evidence of his embarrassment. He had no idea so many people would be interested in Leo’s calendar. It had just never occurred to him it would be anything more than a small fundraiser. Certainly not something featured by Sirens. He struggled to give Ms. Vanity a smile. “That’s great.”

“How fortunate you’ll be there. It will be a great PR opportunity for you. I could set up a table for you to sign calendars at the pre-show if you’d like.”

“Uh—I’m more of a keep-to-myself kinda guy.” She raised her eyebrows, and he spoke in a rush. “No offense meant at all. I’m extremely grateful you’re giving the calendar so much publicity, but I’m afraid I’m not very good at being a spokesperson. I’d have no idea what to do.”

“It’s very simple. You sit there and look pretty.”

Helena giggled. “I can coach you.”

He gave her a narrow-eyed stare while she batted her lashes at him. “Thanks.”

Ms. Vanity nodded at a passing model who Seth recognized, then turned her attention back to him. “Think about it, Seth. People are much more likely to buy a product if they can identify with it. You being there, talking to them, and just being your usual hot self would do wonders for sales.”

Helena slipped her hand into his and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “Speaking of sales, I was wondering if we could discuss the new Ethereal line. I have a couple ideas for it and wanted to shoot them past you before I took them beyond the concept stage.”

Grateful for her running interference for him, Seth squeezed her hand back.

“Fine, fine. But don’t think I’ve let you off the hook, Seth. You have a very interesting face and if you’ve kept in shape, your kind of body could sell underwear to a blind woman.”

Seth had met generals who were less persistent and intimidating than Ms. Vanity. “Yes, ma’am.”

Ms. Vanity peered over her shoulder. “Taylor, why don’t you take Seth with you and go talk with your brother. I’m sure he’d much rather be having a beer with the menfolk than listening to Helena and me discuss fashion.”

Clearly having been dismissed, he gave Helena a kiss on the cheek before sliding out of the booth. She smiled at him then gave her lower lip a slow lick that made his cock twitch. Coughing, he turned away and tried to pretend he wasn’t hiding his erection. Taylor chuckled and motioned for Seth to follow him.

They wound their way through the crowd to three large men lounging on a big U-shaped couch with about a dozen of the most beautiful women Seth had ever seen. The man in the middle, a blonder and older version of Taylor, stood up. “Hey, baby bro. Where’s that badass bitch of yours?”

Seth swallowed hard as he realized Taylor’s brother was this year’s Super Bowl MVP, Robert Mavis. Seth forced himself to breathe and tried to get his bearings, totally thrown for a loop by being in the presence of football greatness. The two men flanking Robert were also pro football players and they smiled up at Taylor and gave Seth a curious look. For a second, Seth was afraid he wouldn’t be able to help himself and would go all überfan on them and end up embarrassing Helena.

Taylor slung an arm around Seth’s shoulders, pulling him forward. “She’s talking business with Helena Flores. This is Helena’s boyfriend, Seth. He’s the Marine she’s been writing to over in Afghanistan.”

The football players all turned their attention to Seth while Robert grinned. “Welcome, man! Have a seat.” He made a shooing motion to a trio of peroxide blondes who lounged on one side of the couch. “All right, ladies, time to move out. Find someone else to buy you champagne.”

They all gave Robert a sultry pout but did as he asked. As they walked away Seth shook his head. “You didn’t have to get rid of them. I’d be happy just standing here. I mean you’re fucking Robert Mavis.”

Robert shook his head and gave Seth a bemused, almost sad, smile. “Don’t sweat it. Those chicks are bottom-feeders. They attach themselves to any celebrity they can in hope of fame and fortune. I won’t lie, they’re good for a lay, but not the kind of girls you bring home to Mom.”

The tension went out of Seth’s shoulders, and he took a seat. “Thanks.”

One of the other men, a big black man named Vandil, who was also a football player, leaned forward and pushed a silver bucket filled with brown bottles in his direction. “Hey, man. Welcome home. Have a beer.”

Disoriented by the dreamlike quality of the company he currently found himself in, Seth grabbed a bottle and twisted the cap off. He took a long drink and let out a low sigh, the smooth liquid washing the dryness from his mouth. When he looked up he found the four men watching him intently.

Taylor grinned at him. “So, what are your intentions with Helena?”

“What?”

Laughing, Vandil lifted his beer in Seth’s direction. “She’s a good friend of ours, and we look out for her. We need to make sure we don’t have to kick your ass.”

Anger tightened Seth’s muscles as he fought off a wave of jealousy. Just how close was she with these men? “Helena is a grown woman who can decide for herself who she wants to date.” He leaned forward and smiled at Vandil, letting the other man see an ass-kicking wasn’t going to scare him. “And if you want to fight, I’d be more than happy to, because you aren’t going to scare me away from her.”

Taylor held up his hands. “Whoa, whoa. Easy, man. We don’t mean any harm. Helena is one of Vivienne’s muses and I’ve spent a lot of time around her. We’ve become good friends.”

Robert tipped his beer in Seth’s direction. “And any friend of Taylor’s is a friend of ours.”

Sighing, Seth leaned back on the couch. His nerves were getting to him, and the absurdity of challenging Vandil to a fight had him laughing. He looked at Vandil again, all two-hundred-twenty-plus pounds of muscle, and the other man raised a brow. “Sorry, man. No offense meant, but I tend to get a little defensive where Helena is concerned. I don’t want her having to deal with any bullshit because of me.”

Robert studied him then nodded. “I believe you. So, what do you think of New York City?”

After that Seth found it easy to hang out and bullshit with the other men. They were fun and Seth laughed more than he had in a long time. The only thing irritating about hanging out with these famous guys was the constant stream of scantily clad women trying to throw themselves on them. Including Seth because they obviously thought he was somebody. How flirtatious would they be if they found out he wasn’t a football star or a sugar daddy who could afford to keep them happy?

Seth tried to ignore the brunette inching closer to him on the couch. She was pretty, but compared to Helena she might as well be a little girl playing dress-up in her mother’s clothes. He ignored her and shifted away to try and give her the hint. By the time he was on his third beer the woman still hadn’t gotten that he wasn’t interested.

She leaned over and whispered in his ear, “I’d love to suck your dick.”

Startled by her bluntness, he gave her hard look. “No thanks. I have a girlfriend.”

“Come on. It’ll be between you and me. If you like, I can get my friend Chrissy to join us, and we’ll both suck you off.”

Stunned, he leaned away. “Didn’t you hear a fucking word I said? I have a girlfriend.”

She shrugged. “It’s just a blowjob.”

Before he could answer, Helena strode up, working her heels with such a sensual roll of her hips that he wanted to fuck her raw. She gave the brunette such a heated glare the other woman stumbled to her feet and slunk away. Seth tried to hide his grin at the territorial way Helena looked at him, then at the retreating woman’s back. She stood in front of him and held out her hand.

“Let’s dance.”

Seth set his beer down. “Gentlemen, I’m being summoned.”

The guys gave him a good-natured ribbing but he ignored them. He followed the sway of Helena’s ass as she worked her way through the crowd to the dance floor. From the edges of his vision, Seth noted they were being trailed by two guys in STAFF T-shirts. It was really fucking weird to have so much attention on him, but they kept the gawkers back and let Helena secure a spot on the dance floor.

She turned on her heel. The booming bass from some down-and-dirty dance song pounded hard enough to vibrate his bones. The beat was infectious, and he took a step forward, then froze in his tracks as she began to dance. With a liquid roll of her hips, she turned around and began to move her ass in a motion so sensual it should be illegal. She gave him a mischievous grin over her shoulder.

Naughty girl. She knew exactly what she was doing to him.

When she spun around again, he snatched her by her waist, pulling her lush body to his. She was right, dancing was like having sex with his clothes on. She pressed closer to his pelvis, leaning back and giving him a heated look that would have tempted a saint into sin. Unable to help himself, he pulled one of her legs up around his hip and ground his aching erection against her core, grinning when she gasped and went pliant in his arms.

Not giving her any time to recover, he turned her so her ass was against his pelvis and rocked with her to the beat, skimming his hands down the exquisite, silky skin on her arms. The crowd swelled and he soon found himself bumping elbows and hips with strangers. Annoyed, he leaned closer to Helena’s ear and said, “Is there any place we can go that’s a little less crowded?”

She nodded and grabbed his hand again, pulling him across the dance floor. When they emerged from the crowd, the security guards were waiting. Helena smiled at them and led Seth through the club until they reached a set of wrought-iron stairs leading to the second level overlooking the dance floor. Another pair of security guards blocked the top of the stairs, but let them pass. She led them down a small hallway, then paused and glanced over her shoulder.

“I’d like some privacy, please.”

Both men moved back to the entrance of the hallway and turned around. Seth gave her a curious look, but she only giggled and opened a door to her right. He stepped with her into a small room filled floor to ceiling with boxes of alcohol. Before he could ask what the hell they were doing in here, Helena flung her arms around him and began to kiss him with abandon, making his already rock-hard cock hurt with the need to fuck.