and he’d been flawless. Briar ought to be relieved—smug, even.
Instead, as he rose to slip backstage and meet Julius for the debrief, he just felt sick.
15
Gabriel
“ C hampagne , sir?”
Gabriel delicately picked up the glass stem between two fingers and tilted his chin in a slight nod to the waiter circulating the room like a polite, black-and-white-clad ghost.
“So, like I was saying, Markie’s elephant prints? Come on. It’s not a safari.”
“I think they’re innovative.”
Gabriel was staying the fuck out of this conversation. It was still surreal to be invited into it at all, let alone witnessing the heavyweight fight about to unfold.
Kingston and Paulo were two of the top male models in the world, and they were signed to different agencies. It was a rare friendship between guys who were technically competitors, but somehow it worked. They let their agents handle duking it out for the best gigs, and, at parties like this one, they hung out—and flirted, of course.
Rumor had a lot more happen between them, but Gabriel was about to get his first proper glimpse at it.
“It’s stylish in a retro-contemporary way,” Kingston put his foot down, sipping his champagne and giggling as he leaned into Paulo. “You just hate animals.”
Paulo clicked his tongue and gestured toward Gabriel with his glass, addressing him instead of his friend. “Untrue.”
Gabriel laughed. “Animal prints?”
“No, he got bit by a dog or something,” Kingston winked. “Since then, he rejects everything. Jameson made him walk in this cute little number with kittens on it. Nearly pissed myself at the look on his face.”
Gabriel knew exactly which collection and show that was; he hadn’t been following Paulo on Instagram for years for nothing. He pretended this was the first he’d heard of it, though, and laughed.
“I like the knit ties with everything,” Gabriel admitted. Who didn’t like knit ties? Boring, but safe.
“Mmm,” Kingston hummed. “It seemed old to me, but the runways are always a step behind us .”
Gabriel grinned. Models really liked to think they were on the cutting edge of fashion—even more so than anyone else in the damn business.
In reality, a lot of male models couldn’t afford the clothes they wore in print spreads. The top few hundred, maybe. Luckily for him, it looked like he had a shot.
Not that he’d complain about making a living, but if he could make more money for the same shit?
Hell, yeah.
Kingston offered Gabriel a nibble from the passing hors d’oeuvres tray, but Gabriel winked and shook his head. He knew that trick: fatten up the other agency’s guys.
Kingston clicked his tongue and shrugged. “So, Gabe, your first show? How’re you liking it?”
“It’s… a lot,” Gabriel admitted. That much was true. “But I’ve been waiting a long time for this shot.”
Paulo half-smiled, casting Kingston a wistful glance. “Oh, that first-show feeling. You never forget your first time.”
Kingston toasted that, sliding his arm around Paulo’s shoulders. “Yours was glorious, baby. Nobody will forget that week in Paris.”
“What happens in Paris…” Paulo smirked, clinking his glass to Gabriel’s. “You did great, baby.”
Just then, a hot blond sidled up behind Gabriel, putting his hand on his shoulder. “How’re you? Great job earlier.”
Gabriel turned into him for a quick look up and down.
Well, wasn’t he sexier than a tall lemonade? He stood an inch shorter or so, and he had earnest, wide, dark eyes.
The kind of eyes that won Gabriel over instantly.
Like Briar’s.
Gabriel’s heart dropped. He wasn’t in the habit of comparing hookups. Every guy was hot for his own reasons.
But Briar hadn’t looked twice at him since supper that first night. They’d never been in the same room long enough anyway. No doubt he was avoiding him in the interest of discretion, but it made Gabriel’s heart sink.
He batted his lashes anyway, turning into the
Instead, as he rose to slip backstage and meet Julius for the debrief, he just felt sick.
15
Gabriel
“ C hampagne , sir?”
Gabriel delicately picked up the glass stem between two fingers and tilted his chin in a slight nod to the waiter circulating the room like a polite, black-and-white-clad ghost.
“So, like I was saying, Markie’s elephant prints? Come on. It’s not a safari.”
“I think they’re innovative.”
Gabriel was staying the fuck out of this conversation. It was still surreal to be invited into it at all, let alone witnessing the heavyweight fight about to unfold.
Kingston and Paulo were two of the top male models in the world, and they were signed to different agencies. It was a rare friendship between guys who were technically competitors, but somehow it worked. They let their agents handle duking it out for the best gigs, and, at parties like this one, they hung out—and flirted, of course.
Rumor had a lot more happen between them, but Gabriel was about to get his first proper glimpse at it.
“It’s stylish in a retro-contemporary way,” Kingston put his foot down, sipping his champagne and giggling as he leaned into Paulo. “You just hate animals.”
Paulo clicked his tongue and gestured toward Gabriel with his glass, addressing him instead of his friend. “Untrue.”
Gabriel laughed. “Animal prints?”
“No, he got bit by a dog or something,” Kingston winked. “Since then, he rejects everything. Jameson made him walk in this cute little number with kittens on it. Nearly pissed myself at the look on his face.”
Gabriel knew exactly which collection and show that was; he hadn’t been following Paulo on Instagram for years for nothing. He pretended this was the first he’d heard of it, though, and laughed.
“I like the knit ties with everything,” Gabriel admitted. Who didn’t like knit ties? Boring, but safe.
“Mmm,” Kingston hummed. “It seemed old to me, but the runways are always a step behind us .”
Gabriel grinned. Models really liked to think they were on the cutting edge of fashion—even more so than anyone else in the damn business.
In reality, a lot of male models couldn’t afford the clothes they wore in print spreads. The top few hundred, maybe. Luckily for him, it looked like he had a shot.
Not that he’d complain about making a living, but if he could make more money for the same shit?
Hell, yeah.
Kingston offered Gabriel a nibble from the passing hors d’oeuvres tray, but Gabriel winked and shook his head. He knew that trick: fatten up the other agency’s guys.
Kingston clicked his tongue and shrugged. “So, Gabe, your first show? How’re you liking it?”
“It’s… a lot,” Gabriel admitted. That much was true. “But I’ve been waiting a long time for this shot.”
Paulo half-smiled, casting Kingston a wistful glance. “Oh, that first-show feeling. You never forget your first time.”
Kingston toasted that, sliding his arm around Paulo’s shoulders. “Yours was glorious, baby. Nobody will forget that week in Paris.”
“What happens in Paris…” Paulo smirked, clinking his glass to Gabriel’s. “You did great, baby.”
Just then, a hot blond sidled up behind Gabriel, putting his hand on his shoulder. “How’re you? Great job earlier.”
Gabriel turned into him for a quick look up and down.
Well, wasn’t he sexier than a tall lemonade? He stood an inch shorter or so, and he had earnest, wide, dark eyes.
The kind of eyes that won Gabriel over instantly.
Like Briar’s.
Gabriel’s heart dropped. He wasn’t in the habit of comparing hookups. Every guy was hot for his own reasons.
But Briar hadn’t looked twice at him since supper that first night. They’d never been in the same room long enough anyway. No doubt he was avoiding him in the interest of discretion, but it made Gabriel’s heart sink.
He batted his lashes anyway, turning into the
Similar Books
