PANIC

this.”

I continue my silence, my mind racing with what Ford is asking me to admit. I’m not sure I’m ready to do that, in fact, I might never be ready to do that. But I need to tell him something. I swallow down my fear and turn to look at him. “If you were to ask me to leave with you. To just walk away from all of it. The show, Ronin, school… all of it.”

He raises his eyebrows in surprise.

“I’d go. Because you’re right, there’s a part of me that finds that dominance shit attractive and you control everything. Every encounter we have, you are always in charge. So that draws me in, and I’d go if you asked because you… you know how to make me want to do what you ask. And giving in to what I was is so much easier than taking control and becoming something else.”

Ford huffs out a laugh and turns in his seat to stare out the front window.

“But if I actually did that, you would ruin my life.”

He looks back, any pleasure he got from my revelation instantly gone.

“You’d ruin my life because there’s a huge difference between you and Ronin, and regardless of whatever insecurities you have about your looks, that’s not what’s different, Ford. You’re plenty good-looking. You practically sweat sex, and there is something very frightening, yet compelling about you that makes me want to… to give in to you—to submit.” I throw up my hands. “There, was that what you were waiting for? That word? Fine, you can have it, consider it a gift. It changes nothing for me, because the difference between you and Ronin is that you’re looking for the girl I was and he’s looking for the girl I want to be.”

I wait for him to respond but he’s the one who looks away now.

“Yes, you have it in you to compel me to do a lot of things, Ford, simply because you know the right way to ask for it, you know how to manipulate my emotions because of the way I was tr… tr…” I search for another word because that one just won’t come out of my mouth. “You know how to manipulate me because of how I was treated in the past. But if you did decide you wanted me, you’d get that other Rook and you’d be stuck with her forever, because regardless of what you think, I did save myself back in Chicago. I did it once, but I’m not sure I could do it again. And I’m not saying you’re anything like Jon. Maybe you treat that pet of yours nicely. Maybe she even loves you and maybe I would too, but I’d never have it in me to walk out again. Being with you would be a total surrender for me. You would ruin me.”

He thinks about my words for several seconds and then looks over to me. “I’m so sorry.”

“For what?”

“For what I said and did earlier. I was just having some fun with you back there. It really was just a flirt. I never expected it to make you feel like this. I do like you and if you wanted to be with me, I’d be in for that. I would. But I don’t want that other Rook.” He stops to sigh and look out the window for a few seconds before continuing. “I want nothing to do with that Rook and I’d never be able to live with myself if I dragged you backwards and made you surrender. I’m into your potential, I love your strength, and I’m in awe of your struggle to overcome these things in your past and be a new person.”

“I’d rather die than go back to being that other girl, Ford. I’d rather die. I need Ronin’s gentle hand and I need to make these mistakes because I had all my choices taken away from me back in Illinois. I had no free will at all. So to answer your question about why I refuse to accept Ronin’s good advice, it’s because he gives me the choice to refuse. He lets me be me. And he stands by me, even if he’s unhappy with what I’m doing. I need that so badly right now. I need all this freedom but I also need to know someone will set me straight when I stumble. And that someone is Ronin.”

We sit in the silence for a while, his eyes darting back and forth as he takes his turn watching people in the parking lot. And then he abruptly shoves the key into the ignition and starts the engine. “Would you like to go see the math building at your little college so you know where to meet your tutor tomorrow night?”

I huff out a breath. “Yeah, sure.”

“And then we can take a drive down to Boulder and look at the university, it’s not that far. I’ll show you the new building they have for film studies. It’s a great facility.”

Fucking Ford. “Sounds like a plan, let’s go.”

“Well, first we have to get breakfast bagels.” I release the built-up tension as a laugh and look over at him. He’s smiling at me. “Because this stupid fucking CSU stadium has no open concession stands for its early-morning trainees.” He pulls the Bronco out of the parking lot and looks over at me. “We miss Coors Field already, don’t we?”

“Yeah, we do.” I pick my camera up from the floor and turn it on, recording some B-roll of the drive as Ford talks about application deadlines for CU Boulder and summer internships.

Ford and I have a lot in common and one of those things is denial.

We do denial well.

In fact, we’re exceptionally good at denial when we do it together.

I like that about Ford and I have a feeling he likes that about me too. 

Chapter Seventeen - RONIN

“I think these girls will be a good fit.”

Clare leans down over my shoulder, her hair brushing past my cheek as she touches my arm with one hand and rests the file folder gently on the desk in front of me. I look up at her and she smiles. It’s not seductive, and believe me, I know that look well. She’s never done sexy shoots like the other models, but you don’t need to be naked to have bedroom eyes. This is not her being seductive. And even though she said straight up the other night that she was still very much interested in having a relationship with me, the typical game-playing I could expect from the old Clare is missing.

“Thanks,” I tell her with a genuine smile. I flip through the folder and look at each girl.

“I chose seventeen, do you want me to set them up for test shoots this week?”

I shuffle through the resumes. All these girls are beautiful and they are all experienced. “Yeah, we’ll probably keep at least twelve, just in case someone doesn’t work out. Nice to have back-ups. And make sure they understand the contract before the test shoot, OK? I don’t want any surprises. Find out if they have any… issues.” I try to be gentle, but she knows what I’m saying. If they’re on drugs, I’m not interested. “And make sure to tell them about the scale. Billy’s in charge of the closet and the girls for this shoot.”

“Got it,” she says, then dips down and pecks me on the cheek real fast and skips out of the room.

Watching her makes me happy these days. She is so pretty. Her blonde hair is long and lush, her eyes are blue and bright, her body is curvy instead of rail thin, and her skin is glowing. She’s not the girl I knew back in high school, not at all. She’s better. “Hey, Clare?” I call out before she gets too far away from the office door.

“Yeah?” she asks, turning around.

“I’m glad you’re home.”

She beams at me and lets out a long sigh. “Me, too.”

I kick my feet up on Antoine’s desk and think about Rook. I know she’s running with Ford—this is a habit I’ve come to accept, even if I don’t like it. She likes him, it’s clear. But how far that affection stretches, I’m not sure just yet. Her attitude towards me hasn’t wavered. She’s always interested, she’s always happy to see me, and her playfulness has only increased since the whole Jon thing before Sturgis.

But I’m desperate for more from her. I’m desperate for something more permanent. And I do understand that it’s totally selfish of me to expect her to give up her dream to make me happy, so that’s something I’d never ask her to do. But it eats away at me. Her lack of permanence. It’s like she’s fleeting, like she’s a moment. Something that comes and goes. I want marriage, I want kids, I want everything I never had as a child, and I want it desperately.

But I want her more.

I will wait, that was not a lie. I’ll wait forever if I have to.

“Elise is back!” Clare yells from the studio.

I jump up from the desk, rush out to the studio and wait in front of the elevator with Clare. It dings