Page 5 of All the Gossip from Paris
He pulled an iPad out of his bag, and handed it to her. “I don’t have much in the way of fashion runway experience, but I have done quite a few magazine shoots. I’ve also worked with some of the bigger sporting publications, and that always involves capturing the perfect image at the right time.”
Sophie tapped on the screen, and it opened to a website.
Wow, Liam actually has his own photographic site. And it’s amazing.
There was a tab titled Costa Rica. When Sophie clicked on it, the screen filled with images of lush green jungle and towering mountain peaks. She scrolled through the gallery, and the photos became ones of stunningly beautiful tropical flowers.
But it was the photos which Liam had taken of people at a local produce market which really set her heart racing. He’d cleverly captured the color and movement of the scene. Sophie felt as if she was standing in front of one of the market stalls. She could almost smell the aroma of freshly picked bananas.
“This looks incredible. I was expecting to see a few photos, but you have put together a brilliant portfolio,” she said. Sophie clicked on the tab titled TV, and the screen was suddenly filled with photos of gorgeous guys. And one lone woman.
“What’s this?” she asked.
Liam came to stand next to her. “Ah yes, some of my earlier work. Ryan was on a TV show called Bachelors on the Beach and I got to take lots of the behind the scenes shots of the cast.”
Camille had told Sophie all about the series, and she’d watched a few old episodes online, but she wanted to hear Liam’s take on the shoot.
“I owe a lot of my career to that show. Though I messed up a little while back when they approached me about a reboot.”
“What did you do?”
“I kinda put Ryan in a hard place. I didn’t mean to, but I did. That’s why I offered to do Camille’s fashion runway shoot for free. I want my brother to keep his job.”
The fact that Liam was prepared to own his mistake was a big plus in her book. She knew plenty of guys who would have found a way not to accept the blame for what they’d done. Working with Liam could be a good thing.
“I’d love you to speak to my father. The photographs we are currently getting from our runway shows are nowhere near as dynamic as yours. And don’t get me started on our so minimalist ‘it hurts’ official website,” she said, adding finger quotes for effect.
François Royal had always claimed that when it came to the four thousand or so women in the world who could afford high fashion, he knew exactly who was who. He also knew which clients he valued the most. Rather than maintaining a complete email list, her father had an old fashioned rolodex with phone numbers in it.
“Let me show you some of the work I recently did in Tahiti for one of the major sports channels. The world surfing championships were held in Teahupo’o, and that part of French Polynesia is pure magic,” said Liam.
He flicked through a series of images and short videos. Liam’s gentle voice provided the background for Sophie’s journey into the rich blues of the ocean and the bright colors of the Tahitian landscape.
It was only after she’d taken in the last of the stunning images that Sophie realized Camille had moved quietly away and was now on the other side of the room.
She’d been so caught up listening to Liam’s dulcet tones, that she hadn’t noticed. This guy was sex on a stick, but also seriously talented. She was more than a little attracted to him. Maybe she should hold off on passing his details to her father.
In a rare moment Sophie considered doing something that didn’t involve another act of self-sacrifice for the Royal family business. When Liam smiled at her, the decision was made. She’d keep him and this brief time in New York City all for herself.
CHAPTER THREE
Sophie was tired, but she’d reached that point where she’d moved beyond fatigue, and was now wide awake. Her phone was fully charged, and she was ready to go out and see the city. To tap into the beat of New York’s nightlife, and have some fun.
The alternative to playing tourist was going back to her aunt and uncle’s estate in Armonk. She couldn’t think of anything worse than having to sit and make small talk with her older relatives. A task which would be made all that more difficult due to the fact that she was still keeping her sister’s pregnancy a secret from their parents.
Camille and her baby daddy had said they were going to share their special news as soon as the runway show was over. Sophie intended to hold them to that promise.
Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough. Then the rest of the family would know that not only were Camille and Ryan a couple, but Camille was pregnant.
Speaking of Cami and Ryan, where are they?
Ryan was yet to make an appearance. And Camille had disappeared an hour ago to check on preparations for tomorrow’s show. Sophie knew better than most people that the work involved in the lead up to a runway show was never ending. But she was still itching to get out of the Really Big Space.
When her sister and Ryan finally appeared together a short time later, Sophie’s thoughts turned to ones of concern. She hadn’t noticed it earlier, but her twin looked pale. There was no mistaking the exhaustion which lined Camille’s face.
I can’t ask her to go out and eat at this hour. She needs to be home in bed.
Turning to Liam, who’d been showing her some of his set-up photos on his camera, Sophie offered an expectant smile. “I don’t suppose you would be interested in going out and getting a bite to eat, would you? Or if not, could you suggest somewhere good that I could go.”
