Page 40 of Bound By Her Shocking Secret

The original model had certainly oozed a certain type of glamorous sexiness, but now Mia was elevating it to a level of sensuality that he knew the whole crew could feel. There was a buzz in the air that hadn’t been there before.

The photographer—a woman—came up to Daniel during a change of set-up and held out her arm. She pointed to it, saying, ‘Look, I’ve got goosebumps. Whoisshe? How come I’ve never seen her before? She’s amazing, Daniel.’

‘Yes, she is.’

He watched now as Mia stood up from where she’d been posing on her knees. An armed security guard came over and the stylist took off the jewellery Mia had been wearing for the last photos and placed it into a box he held. Another security guard watched over the rest of the jewellery on a nearby table. Together the collective value of jewels for this campaign was worth the debt of a small country.

Mia’s deep-green-coloured swimsuit was a one-piece and perfectly modest; on anyone else. But not on her. The high-cut design made her legs look even longer, and the low-cut top edge drew the eye to her high, firm breasts.

Her skin glowed a darker shade of gold, thanks to a liberal application of false tan, and her hair was slicked back. The make-up was cutting edge. Red lips dominated her flawless face. Her eyes were huge.

The whole effect was a little lurid to the naked eye, but it was showing up on camera exactly the way Daniel and the team had envisaged—a very rich, colour-saturated, high-glamour decadent feel.

This was the backdrop for the stunning jewels that Mia was modelling. Bold, simple designs featuring big gemstones set in different metals. Silver, rose-gold, gold, platinum. It was luxe and very modern, framed perfectly by the lush green forest they were shooting in.

An assistant handed a wrap to Mia, who pulled it on. She slipped on flip-flops and came over to Daniel. ‘Can I borrow your phone to call Odile and check on Lexi?’

Daniel pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialled a number. ‘Here.’

Mia walked away with the phone held out. It was a video call, and he heard Lexi’s excited, ‘Mama!’followed by some unintelligible babble.

And then he heard Mia say, ‘Really? Wow!’

He couldn’t help but compare Mia’s obvious love and care for her daughter with his own mother’s distinct lack of care—and his father’s. He could never recall his mother talking to him with that loving tone of voice. It had always been cold. Or dismissive. Or irritated. And then angry, accusing...

‘It’s your fault, Daniel...’

Mia was coming back now, holding the phone out, just as the stylist came over.

‘Mia, we need to get you into the next swimsuit.’

Daniel took the phone and said, ‘You’re doing really well.’

She looked embarrassed. ‘I’m so not prepared for this, and I’m not sure what you’re looking for. I hope it’s okay.’

Daniel took her by the hand and said over her head to the stylist, ‘Two minutes, please?’

He led Mia over to the laptops where they were looking at the images, and the crew faded discreetly away to let Daniel show Mia what they’d done.

Eventually, she said, ‘Wow, that doesn’t even look like me.’

‘Itisyou.’ Her humility struck Daniel again. Her lack of ego.

She said, ‘The jewellery isn’t like anything you’ve done before. Is it a new line?’

Daniel nodded. ‘It’s a capsule collection, called Delphine. It’ll test the market to see if there’s an appetite for a more modern design along with the legacy and classic designs we do.’

‘I like it. It feels fresh and new.’

Daniel watched as the stylist took Mia into a makeshift tent to change.Fresh and new. Like their relationship. Because after that incendiary kiss last night Daniel was even more determined to convince Mia that they could start afresh.

By day two of the shoot Mia was feeling a little more comfortable and confident—helped by the fact that the photographer was female, which was still not that usual on shoots like this. It reminded her that Daniel had always appreciated talent and skill over gender. A trait she’d found surprising in someone who came from a background steeped in history and legacy.

Day one had been a baptism of fire. It was a long time since she’d done a high-fashion, high-glamour shoot, and she’d got used to the world of catalogue modelling, which was all about trying to pack in as many different outfits in one day. Whereas this was much slower and more intense, but more creatively satisfying.

Now that she knew what to expect, though, it left more room for her to be aware of Daniel. Yesterday, she’d barely noticed him, she’d been so intent on not messing up. And when he’d driven her home last night she’d been so tired it had taken all her energy just to spend some time with Lexi before putting her down for the night and following her into bed.

But now all she could feel was his eyes on her, and her skin hummed with awareness even as she listened to the photographer’s instructions, contorting her body into various shapes that felt anatomically ridiculous, but which she knew would look amazing in the photos.

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