Edge of the Ravine

42

Chapter Forty-Two

      For so long my life was lived in a state of ease and contentment. I should have known that it couldn't last.

      Two months after meeting Vlad—who had recently found himself a favorite of a designer during fashion week—Layla abandoned me for an important job back in Paris. At the same time, my manager had sent me to Greece for a beach shoot. I'd been traveling so much, it seemed impossible to stop at that point, so I was glad for the opportunity to rest in such a gorgeous place.

      After settling at my hotel, and calling Layla to give her my newest location information, I set out to get my bearings of the hillside city. Once I'd gotten my fill of Greek food, incredible sights, and exhilarating explorations, I returned to my hotel and curled up with one of three books I currently have in my bag. (Without so many plane rides or lonely nights, I'd never have opened the cover of the almost two hundred books I'd read in the last four years.)

      The following morning, I took a cab down to the water where the shoot was to be held. As was usual, I smirked a bit to find the typical hustle and bustle of my coworkers and employers. Everything appeared to be running smoothly as the crew prepared their scenes, and a large, white tent was set up for the models and to protect the equipment from more of the sun's glare than absolutely necessary. It was to this place I directed my steps.

      There were six of us altogether, four men and four women. And it was obvious which ones of the girls would be modeling the bikinis, since some of them were not as well endowed as others. Shaking my head with a smile, I abandoned my bag in a corner and slipped off my shoes. Sitting in one of the makeup chairs, I closed my eyes and let others fix me up. It was always the most relaxing part of the job.

      The shoot went smoothly and quickly, despite the number of changes and the attitudes of a couple models. Though I truly loved my job, I was slightly anxious to have my part at an end. Shoots were never as much fun when I wasn't working with Layla and they suddenly felt like a real job. Which meant, like any other employee the world over, I was eager to have it done.

      At last, everyone but three models were dismissed and I changed with great alacrity before gathering up my personal items. Just as I was about to leave, a young, handsome blonde stopped me. With a sweet smile, he reintroduced himself as Lucian. From me, he received the long-used, "I'm Hummingbird."

     "Hummingbird?" He asked with a sly smile. I nodded. His tongue ran over his lips in what I assumed was a gesture to halt a laugh. "Okay. Well, Hummingbird, a couple of us are going to a club tonight. Would you care to join us?"

      I didn't think about it for half a second. Though I'd changed much in the last few years, there was stills nothing in the world to induce me to go clubbing. My memories from high school were quite enough of a deterrent that I absolutely abhorred large crowds of drunken morons.

     "Thank you for the invitation, but I'm going to have to say no. I'm not much of a fan of clubbing."

      The blonde Lucian shrugged his shoulders, smiled kindly, and walked away with a brief goodbye. With a relieved mindset, I threw my bag over my shoulder and strode out onto the blinding, pale sand. Instead of calling another cab or even heading anywhere back towards civilization, I kept walking beside the gorgeous turquoise water. When I was far enough away from everything and everyone else, I threw out a towel and began my long-desires mission of being alone.