Chapter 4

Caroline sighed as she collapsed on her bed back at her house. She had worked three hours with Damian Stark. The man had too many ideas to go with and she had to sort through them all and find what would be beneficial to show. In the end they came up with photos of people on the subways, buses, and walking around on the streets.

She still hadn't figured out whether Tophyr and Derek had set them up or not. What would the owners and cousins of Damian Stark gain by setting her up with him? He had the tendency to disappear on assignments and not talk to people for weeks or months on end. He was the silent loner. She needed to be around people; to socialize.

As thoughts raced around her head, she kicked off her shoes and walked into the bathroom. While she was running the bath water, she pulled a couple of towels out of the closet. She stripped off her clothes and stepped into the steaming shower. Normally showers could wash off the day but this one gave her too much time to think.

Damian Stark was the errant Stark. He ventured all over the world taking pictures of whatever drew his interest then he sold those photos to the highest bidder. National Geographic had held his interest for a little bit but now he was bored. What could keep a man's attention so that he wouldn't get bored? The better question was who could keep a man's attention so he wouldn't get bored?

As she washed her face, she thought about it even more. How was she going to keep his interest for this project? People could only get him so far. He would have to go back into the depths of his field and produced some different for every showing.

When the water ran cold, she stepped out, wrapping a big fluffy towel around her body and another around her head. She walked to her room and pulled out a pair of comfy pajama pants and long sleeved shirt. As soon as she was dressed, she walked to the kitchen and put a pot of milk on to warm for hot chocolate.

While it was warming, she sat at the island and worked on the computer. She had to make a soundtrack to match the portraits. If it was a candid gallery, she was going to need soothing music and iTunes was the perfect place for that. She was got up to put the milk in a mug then mixed hot chocolate mix with it before sitting back down to work.

It never failed that as soon as she slipped into work mode someone would show up. This was no different. There was a knock at the door. She tried to ignore it but the knock only got more persistent. Groaning, she got up to see who it was.

"What?" she asked when she opened the door.

Damian took a step back in shock. Not from the towel wrapped around her head, but from the force in her voice. He watched as her hand slid from the top of the door to the handle as she leaned her forehead against it.

"Hey," he said, dragging out the single word cautiously.

She sighed and looked up at him. "How do you know where I live?"

"Dayton told me. He wasn't too thrilled about my asking but I needed to know."

"Second question is what are you doing here?"

"I came up with the number of photos you asked for so I figured I'd go ahead and bring them by. Do you mind if I come in?"

She stepped back to allow him in. He took over the entire apartment. Her sanctuary had become cramped with his sudden arrival. Ignoring him, she walked to the island and sat back down to work on the soundtrack.

Damian turned around and looked at the woman. She had her back to him but he could see the line of her body through the clothes. She was slim but she had some meat on her bones. He walked around the island until he was in the kitchen. The move gave him a good view of her from the front.

There was a mug of hot chocolate in front of her so he looked around. He found the mugs hanging under the cabinets and grabbed one. Mixing the items together, he turned back around to see Caroline gaping at him.

"Go ahead and make yourself at home," she snipped then went back to whatever it was she had been doing.

"It looked good so I thought I'd try some." He propped a hip against the counter and began to sip the hot liquid. "What are you working on?"

"Tophyr requires a soundtrack to go with the showing. Since you're doing candid shots, I'm going ahead and picking the soundtrack. At the moment, there aren't any lyrical pieces. They're only sound pieces. I've found one I think you might like." She hit play and waited.

Damian was silent as he listened to the familiar piece. "What is the name again?"

"It's "Dance of the Hours" by Amilcare Ponchielli. You'll know it as the song the golden Labrador retriever sang on the K9 Advantix commercial. It's always been one of my favorites and we've never used it. Might as well now."

He shrugged. "I've never seen the commercial so I wouldn't know."

She looked at him over the top of the computer. "You've never seen the K9 Advantix commercial?"

He shook his head. "No. I've been taking pictures professionally since I was eighteen. I never had time to watch television while in college and when I went to work for National Geographic, I was sent all over the world. Most of the places didn't have electricity."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-seven. And you?"

"I'm twenty-five."

"And what degree do you hold?"

"I'm a double major. I have a bachelor's in modern art and a bachelor's in classical music."

"I thought you hated art."

She glanced up at him. "I do but it's what my mom wanted me to be an art gallery curator like my aunt because it makes good money."

Red flags went up immediately. "Is that all you're after? The money?"

The hair on the back of Caroline's neck stood up immediately. "No, I'm not."

His eyes narrowed. "Then what happened between you and my cousin?" He watched as she sucked in her cheeks to keep from losing her temper. "So you were after his money, much like you were the Hursts money back in high school?"

Caroline slammed the top of her computer down and stood. "Get out and don't come back here ever again."

"You can't tell me the truth?" he asked as he set the mug down on the counter. She was attempting to shove him out of her kitchen.

"Does it matter when you think you know it all anyway?" She shoved at him rather hard and almost caused him to fall.

"I just want to know considering I've been away for the last five years." He caught the door frame and turned, holding onto it as he stared down at her. "Did you only go out with Alex Hurst and my cousin for their money?"

Getting a new surge of anger under her belt, Caroline put all her weight into the shove, smirking when he fell backwards out her door. She grasped the door and slammed it in his face.

Damian stared at the black door in shock as the lock turned on the other side. She had shoved him out her front door with enough force he had fallen over. That only steeled the fact that she had been only out to get his family's and the Hurst family's money. He was going to find out why and what she was planning on doing next.

His resolve set, Damian stood and dusted his pants off before walking down the hall to the elevator.