Breaking The Ice Queen

Chapter nine

Stephen and I never spoke about our little moment the other night. We just went on with our days, had a few coffees to talk about life, and got to know each other, but nothing more came out of it. We're the type of friends that I never knew I'd have.
I stand by my window and look out on the busy street. I hear my door open and close behind me, so I know it's Stephen. He's been here a lot as well.

"You wanted to see me?" He asks. I turn around and smile happily at him. I show him to the megazine on my desk and go to stand next to him. "What's this?"

"You are officially one of the sexiest men in the world," I tell him and open the megazine. I get the spot and put it down, looking at him to see his reaction. "Our little project drew some real attention to our model."

"This is real?" He asks, looking at his picture. "Wait, who decided on this?"

"Fans. They vote on who they find the sexiest and then it gets published in the megazine. It's pretty much without our consent, but it's good," I say. He puts the book down and smiles happily at me. "Come on, this is something you're supposed to celebrate. Now, we have a few beautiful models who will do a photoshoot with you. They will be a little bit inappropriately dressed, but..."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not doing this," he says. My smile runs away. I look worried at him. Why a sudden change of heart? "I'm not doing a shoot with women if it's not with you."

"With me? Stephen, I'm no icon," I reply and look at the megazine. "This is what the world wants."

"No," he shakes his head. I sigh and look up at him. "I'm sorry, but I refuse. I will not be made a sex icon just for fortune and fame. I either do this with you or alone, but not with other women."

"Stephen, you are the most sexiest men in the world, even if I have to say so myself. You can have any woman in this world," I tell him and touch his arm. "It's just a photoshoot. Nothing else."

"My answer is no," he says and gives me a serious look. I take a deep breath in and just stare at him. If I stare a little bit longer, he will surrender. They all do that. "You can look at me for all you want. That's not going to work."

"I will do anything it takes for you to say yes," I whisper. He just stares at me before he takes a step in front of me. I lean back against the table. My heart is beating incredibly fast. His hand reaches out and touches the desk behind me next to my hip. "I won't stop until you say yes."

"Fine, but you will be present at the shoot, you will have one shoot with me, and afterward, I will take you on a date," he says, giving me a serious look. I nod my head slowly, very mesmerized by his demanding personality. "You can be glad I care about you. Else, I would've demanded some real payment from you."

"Money?" I ask.

"Nope," he shakes his head and lean forward to my ear. My breath leaves my lungs by every passing second. "That kind of payment that makes you weak in the knees and makes your heart beat as fast as it's beating now. I've been wondering about that, you know."

He pulls away and takes a few steps back to get the space between us. I stand there looking horrified at him. I press my legs together and swallow the lump in my throat. He pushes his hands into his hair and laughs awkwardly at me. This took a sudden turn. Shouldn't I be creeped out by this?

"I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable," he chuckles and smiles at me. "You're driving me nuts."

"I'm not doing anything," I breathe nervously.

"Exactly," he says and turns around, walking out. Right, so this friendship isn't so innocent anymore. I want him to show me how much he wants me, but this is more than just what we want. I want him.

So, he did the photoshoot, and I watched. I like how he doesn't put a hand on the young girls and refuses to let them touch him. This is a type of respect I've never had. If it was Tony or Ryan, they would've grabbed the opportunity with open hands.

"Rose!" Stephen calls me and shows the girls away. I place my hands behind my neck and walk up him. Yes, I dressed up and had my makeup and hair done. I haven't had a shoot in a long time. He takes my hand and looks at how the photographers tell us to pose. "You look beautiful, Rose."

I smile softly and shamelessly place my arm around his neck. He raises an eyebrow and looks at me. I laugh softly, resting my other hand on his chest.

"Come over tonight," I whisper to him and bite my lip. He nods and kisses my cheek. Well, this will definitely be in the news for tomorrow, but it's so worth it. "Tania will take Ariana out for pizza. Maybe we can watch a movie and if you like, you can sleep over."

"I'd like that," he says and places his hands on my waist. He pulls me closer to him and looks deep into my eyes. It scares me because I know it's real. The moment feels like a dream, but his eyes... they're the realest I've ever seen.