"Blake, you have known that I was a model from the moment you met me. In this profession, it's not uncommon to show one's skin, and that will usually involve men, from the assistants to the set and lighting staff, to the photographer and other male models. You won't be able to prevent that from happening. You work in the entertainment industry for a long time now, and you know how this industry operates," Sara said.
He knew Sara's reasoning was very accurate, but he cannot help it, this is, after all, the first time he had been possessive about someone. He had seen his fair share of photoshoots and was fine when the models have exposed body parts, heck, he has even seen nude shots taken, right in front of him.
The clients needed certain types of photos, and the models should be willing and ready to do them at the drop of a hat. Looking sexy in photos has always gained him more revenue, and that's the way it always has been.
All he was concerned about was growing Anderson Industries, but his father always taught him that the family name matters the most, and it should be protected at any cost.
Women to him were just like accessories, something to make him look good, the only person that he should care about was his future wife. And up until now, he had no urge to act upon.
His father and brother-in-law all followed the same mantra. To care for their women above all else, and Blake was expected to follow in their footsteps.
With Sara, everything was different, he felt so many emotions that were new to him, and he did not know whether it excited him or scared him.
Sometimes he was very scared of the emotions he felt for her, it made him feel very vulnerable, and that's one of the things he hated. That feeling of vulnerability. He didn't want to take the chance to let someone in and have them take advantage of him in the end.
Being on the losing end was not in his vocabulary, he always had to have the upper hand when it came to business and his life.
Sara sparked his interest when he first saw her at the wedding, not only because she was beautiful, but there was a certain fire in her that beckoned to him. If she had responded to his advances, then his interest wouldn't have been piqued, but she not only gave him a cold response, she also managed to slap him right in front of everyone he knew.
That slap was humiliating, and he vowed to take revenge on her. It was like the heavens had granted his wish when he discovered she was in the middle of a scandal, so he took that opportunity to make a deal with her.
He thought that this act of kindness would surely make her come running to his side and make her clingy. His plan was to mock her and make her cry once their contract ended, to prove that all women were the same. Eventually, they fell for Blake Anderson, and they were all leeches.
But nothing was going according to plan, each and every trap he had set was falling apart.
Sara was indifferent, didn't even bother to text or call him, which made him feel like she did not seem to care about him. She wasn't very enthusiastic about receiving any help from him, either.
Sometimes she acted like he was invisible and did not seem happy to be associated with him, and it baffled him. People go to great lengths to be associated with him.
She treated him like she was being forced, and she's just waiting for all this to blow over so she could be free of him.
He, on the other hand, was behaving like he was in love for the first time in his life. There was this need that he had to see her every day. It ruined his mood if he did not even get a glimpse of her. He was like a lovesick schoolboy checking his phone every so often to see if Sara had called or sent him a message.
Seeing her smile brightened up his day.
He tracked her down like a jealous boyfriend, looking at her daily schedule to see what she was doing. For the first time in 30 years since he was born, he felt protective and possessive of someone. He wanted to be the only one who would enjoy her beauty. He wanted her to be his.
"I know, but I cannot treat you like the other models," Blake said.
"Blake….," Sara said, dragging his name, she was annoyed. How can she make this grown man understand her wishes?
"Listen, when we made a deal right? We both understood that I was going to continue being a model and your girlfriend at the same time. How can you be so unreasonable, making such demands?" she asked.
"I am not making unreasonable demands," Blake said like a kid throwing a tantrum.
Sara didn't know whether to be angry or to laugh. Blake looked like a kid who wanted to get his way. "He's kinda cute when he acts like this," she thought, smiling she didn't even know if cute was a word you can ever use on him.
"Blake, if you force me to stop modeling, then I am going to leave you and end this deal. I can't stand here while you control my life for me. This is my final offer, you either take it or leave it," Sara said, staring him down to convey that she was serious and she is in control whether he liked it or not.
Blake looked at her serious expression and detected that she was not bowing down. If he blew this chance he might never get another opportunity. Losing her did not sit well with him, it was not an option.
He remembered her saying that if she needed money, she could just get any other rich man. "As if she can find anybody richer than me," he thought as he clenched his fists, imagining her with someone else was making him lose his cool.
"Fine! I will agree to your wishes. I will never interrupt your shoots again, this will be the first and last time," Blake said unwillingly. He was gritting his teeth, she was driving a very hard bargain.
"That's a good boy," Sara patted his cheeks.
He was surprised by her reaction that he grinned, even though her comment was cheeky, he was still elated. She willingly touched his face, and it warmed his heart. If it was someone else, they would have been scolded,
If only his friends could see him now, he would probably have been teased endlessly.
Her small soft hand felt very good against his face, he wished that her hand stayed there so he could kiss it, but it felt like it was taken away like it was never even there.
"Well there is always the next time," he thought, and if he was lucky that next time will come soon.
Sara was happy that Blake agreed to her request, now there will be no obstacles to stop her from achieving her dream. She knew that everything can be solved by communication, and she felt great that she solved this problem so easily.
She has always been stubborn and headstrong. Her parents were always worried about her short temper and had warned her never to make rash decisions. "If my parents could see me now, I felt like I handled that very well, they would be so proud," she thought.
But Blake always had plans, after all, he had promised that he would never do anything to disturb her modeling career, but he could always pull the other strings, and Sara will never know.
He was the boss and ruler of the entertainment industry. He can do anything he set his mind on, from now on, he will personally check and assign all of Sara's projects, his plan was to filter all her projects.
She will be assigned projects that have modest shots, no sexy, sultry, or suggestive photos.
He would look good in her eyes, and they can maintain a better relationship. He was happy with his decision.
"Come on, I know how to make you feel better. I will treat you to dinner," Blake said.
"It's okay, I just want to go home and rest, it's been a long day," Sara said. She had been shooting earlier, and this was her second shoot for the day.
"Don't say no, you don't have any shoots tomorrow. I will drop you off, don't you want dinner before you go home? Have dinner with me, you can give me some company. I don't have anyone to have dinner with," Blake said, giving her his puppy dog eyes.
Sara chuckled, seeing his pitiful expression, "You surprise me, Blake, how can I say no when you give me these cute antics?"
"Okay, fine," Sara said with a small smile, agreeing to his request. "It was just dinner, it's going to be okay," she thought.
Blake was so happy because Sara was having dinner with him.