The Heart That's Meant to Love You [COMPLETED]

Chapter 36: Suitable

Kieran sailed through the doors of Project J photography at exactly three-fifteen on a Saturday afternoon. He may not be as early as he intended to be, but he still had five minutes until the shoot.

"Hey, you idiot!"

Well, there went his five minutes.

Kieran blew out a breath and turned to face the juvenile woman, bearing a smile he didn't mean. "Janelle."

"This is how you steal my clients?" Janelle shoved a magazine up against Kieran's chest.

Seeing as how he had no idea what this woman meant, Kieran took the magazine to scan what had raised her ire. The photo of Niall and Ruby sporting trendy shoes and trendier fashion answered all his questions right away.

"You didn't want to do the shoot." Kieran tossed the magazine back at Janelle.

It clattered to the floor, but Janelle didn't seem interested in picking it back up.

Instead, she raised herself to the tips of her toes and her full model-proportion height to stare Kieran right in the eye. "And now you're doing all Ruby's shoots, too? That was never in the deal."

"Look, I didn't ask for this. I don't even like the woman. But her agent offered a decent price and left no room for argument, so I took it." Kieran pressed a single finger to the top of Janelle's head to remove her from his personal space. "You can take it up with Jack, he's the one who agreed."

"You can turn it down, you know."

"Why would I do that?" Kieran laughed at her. Straight up cackled in the face of one of the most selfish and irresponsible photographers he knew. "Don't blame me for opportunities you passed up yourself."

Kieran didn't give Janelle any time to come back with a plucky—or not so plucky—insult. It was about time her shoddy work ethic caught up with her. She couldn't have her cake and eat it too.

Miraculously, Kieran managed to get out of the conversation in three minutes and arrive at the designated studio space with a full sixty-three seconds to spare. Vienna and company had already set up his cameras for him. They were, in fact, the best set of assistants he had ever had.

If he ever managed to save enough money to go solo, Kieran thought he might want to take them with him. They deserved better than Jack and Janelle's circus.

Vienna handed Kieran the camera without a word.

Kieran checked the settings, clicked a test shot, and gave her a thumbs-up of approval. Vienna would make a great photographer one day, once she finished growing into her own style.

Ruby came sailing into the studio, hair and makeup stylists flitting around her like worker bees. Kieran pitied them. He would never be able to function if he had to kowtow to someone like Ruby every day.

"Good afternoon!" Ruby shot Kieran a killer smile.

Kieran returned her smile with gusto. As long as she remained in a good mood, they could get out of there faster. "Welcome to Project J Photography. It's a pleasure to see you again."

It was, of course, not a pleasure to see Ruby again. Kieran hadn't wanted to see Ruby again in this lifetime, if he could help it. Once had been enough. But like he toldJanelle, Ruby's agent had promised the big bucks. On top of that, Kieran had seen an opportunity to squeeze Ruby, herself, for more than a few dollars. Enough to pay the bills he owed Patrick. At least for the time being.

Kieran refused to admit that he had nurtured the thought to avoid taking more money from the Little Rich Girl.

Ruby wasn't his only option, of course. There was always the party at the end of the month. It kept coming nearer with each passing moment. The people there would risk just about anything for a thrill, offering more than enough opportunity for Kieran to pick a different mark.

As much as he wanted to continue his little fling with the Little Rich Girl, it just wasn't going to work out. Too many things had gone wrong already.

Ruby strutted her way into the set and swung her skirt a little too wide.

Kieran clicked another test shot, then checked it. "Okay. Let's do this."

"How do you want me?" Ruby crooned, her voice low and sickeningly sweet.

This, Kieran could handle. The outright flirting, the knowledge of what each party wanted, even without voicing it. This is what he was used to.

Kieran stepped forward toward Ruby. Hands settling on her hips, he rested her at the angle he thought would look best. "Like this." And his fingers lingered, even though he wanted to throw up.

Ruby smirked up at him. "Should we go for drinks later?"

"We'll see how this goes first." Kieran winked at her, but it was half-hearted at best.

Like this, he could predict everything that would happen, down to the day and time. Kieran had more than his share of experience, all in the pursuit of freedom from the shackles put on him at birth. No experience had ever compared to how he felt around Naomi.

That's what scared him. Kieran couldn't afford and didn't deserve to grow attached to anyone romantically. It could only end badly for everyone involved.

That's why he planned to move on. To find a more suitable candidate to pay off his debts. Naomi could move ahead, too. Could settle back into that perfect little life she had going. She would be happy with that Oliver guy. Kieran wanted to let her go. He couldn't be bothered with her baggage, nor would she care about his.

The next click of Kieran's shutter sounded more like his own inner voice scolding him. Kieran didn't want to listen.