Chapter 3

• (Flashback: At Denny Ignacio's birthday party)
• "Where did she go?" Brandon asked Graciella.
• "I guess she went home. She seems to be in a hurry. She said she has a headache," the woman said.
• He almost cursed. Paula stalled him. His former bed warmer wanted more in their relationship but of course the feeling was not mutual. If he didn’t fall on her trap of delaying him. He could have stopped Olivia from leaving. After what happened tonight, he would tick off Paula from his list of f*ck buddies.
• "So are you going to say yes? Will you do some pictorials for the new sets of wear of AFC? I know you are too busy but I’m sure you can squeeze the pictorials," Denny’s wife said with a smile.
• She wanted Brandon to be their endorser. He could attract more clients and customers because of his sex appeal. Women would surely buy their products for their husbands or boyfriends. They would want their partners to look even just a little like the Brandon Lopez who was a dream for women.
• Brandon was now looking at Graciella with a serious expression.
• "I might even do it for free,” he said and the woman almost gaped.
• "That's a joke right?" she asked with her eyes wide.
• He knew that she didn't expect him to say something like that. His talent fee cost a fortune and just now he just said that he wouldn’t charge them anything. He smirked at her so she will understand why he was willing to do something like that. Graciella Ignacio nodded after a few seconds. A wider smile broke her lips.
• "!Now I get it! You are willing to do the pictorials with no talent fee because of Olivia!”
• He cocked his left brow. "Yes and more..." he said.
• (End of Flashback)
• At The Moment…
• "W-What do you mean?" Olivia asked Brandon.
• "Exactly what I said baby…" he replied throatily.
• "Will you stop calling me baby!"
• He released a sexy grin which made him look yummier.
• "You have to get used to it baby. Like it or not, that will be our endearment,” he said conceitedly .
• She clenched her teeth.
• Calm down Olivia! You can’t be stressed by him! She reminded herself.
• She wanted to kick his shin and smack his face but she wouldn’t. She was a beauty queen. She was supposed to always act properly. She won’t let her anger towards this hateful man ruin her reputation. She heaved a sigh and lok at her reflection in the mirror again. Besides she had to take hold of her wayward feelings towards this man. She might hate his ways, words and behavior but she couldn’t deny the fact that he was sinfully hot.
• "Are you ready baby?" she heard him ask.
• Rolling her eyes, she turned to the door. She totally ignored him. Her eyes roamed the set as she searched for Lander. Her cousin’s friend who would take the photos. She bit the inside of her cheek when she couldn’t find him in the room. The crew she saw when she arrived was missing too. Instead, there was a man maybe in his fifties who was checking the camera. And two females were arranging the props and lights. Then Lei entered the room. The make-up artist gaped when she looked behind Olivia. The latter couldn’t help rolling her eyes. She knew Lei gaped because of Mr. Pervert. She stiffened when she felt his hand on her back.
• "Let's meet the photographer and his crew baby," he told her.
• She didn’t say or do anything. She just let his hand on her back. She didn’t want to cause a scene.
• ***
• "Okay Brandon, now I want your arms around Olivia while she leans her back against you, " Tony, the photographer instructed.
• Brandon did what he was instructed to do and she almost was gritting her teeth. The former UFC champion of course was taking advantage. She had realized that he probably chose the photographer so they would be asked to do very sexy poses while their body touched each other. She stopped complaining because Tony would always patiently and kindly explain why they had to do those poses. And unfortunately for her, he makes sense all the time. Later after the photo shoot, she would call Lander and asked him why he wasn’t doing the pictorials. If he were the photographer, she was sure that there won’t be any scenarios like this.
• "Yes! That’s it! Hold that pose!” Tony said before turning to one of his assistants, “" Sam! I want more lights there..." he pointed at the right side of the set.
• "You are giving me a boner baby, " Brandon whispered in her ear while his arms were still around her.
• She had goosebumps and she felt that hard thing again on her back. He was definitely right! The pervert was having a hard on!
• "F*ck you!" she whispered back through gritted teeth while pasting a fake smile on her face. She made sure that he heard her though her back was on him.
• She heard him chuckle then he whispered on her ear again, " Yes baby! Do fu*ck with me! I want it hard and rough..."
• Her eyes narrowed with his lasciviousness but before she can retort Tony’s voice vibrated in the room again.
• "Okay! Let’s start again!”
• They did some more poses before they were asked to change clothes. They were given a ten-minute break. She heaved a sigh of relief because she cold at least breath without Brandon. When she was about to go down the stage, he was about to help her but she shoved his hand.
• " I can do it myself! Don’t touch me because the camera is not on us! Pervert!" she angrily uttered but she made sure only he could hear her. He chuckled which made her grit her teeth.
• "See you again in ten minutes baby..." he told her.
• This time she turned her head to glare at him. She gave him the dirty finger when she knew no one waswatching. As expected, he chuckled again then winked at her.
• ***
• "Goodness Miss Liv! You and Mr. Lopez looked great together! I didn’t think it was possible but he looks even hotter in the flesh! His body with all those tattoos is magnificent!” Lei commented giddily as she helped her with her hair.
• "Sorry Lei. He’s not my type. Excuse me, I have to make a call,” She said with a smile before standing up.
• She has three minutes to spare. She had to call Lander. After two rings, he answered.
• "Liv?" came his deep voice.
• "Lander! Weren’t you supposed to be our photographer today?! she asked and he sighed.
• "I was! I don’t know what happened! I even called Miss Graciella’s assistant. She said I should go to studio 6 because there was a mix-up. Anyway are you done? I will be done in less than half an hour.”
• " We have some more shots but I’m almost done too.”
• "Good! Can I come over the studio? I would like you to join me for lunch. We'll talk about the pictorial. I hope you haven’t forgotten your promise. he said with a smile in his voice.
• She smiled too. He asked her if she would be his model for one of the exhibit he would be joining. Because of her cousin Andrew, she said yes.
• “Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten.”
• " Thank you. I will come over right after we finished. See you Liv!” he said sounding happy.
• "See you Lander." she replied before hanging up.
• She gasped when she turned and saw Brandon behind her. His eyes were burning and his lips were clamped.
• "Do you want to give me a heart attack? Why are you so sneaky for Pete’s sake!” she accused him in a little shaky voice.
• She closed her mouth and swallowed when she saw how he was looking at her. He was staring at her and he certainly looked pissed.
• "The set is ready,” he informed her in a very cold voice before turning his back at her.
• ***
• She was glad since finally Brandon acted like a professional during the last shots. He still had to put his hands and arms around her and their bodies had to be really close but she felt that his touches didn’t have any malice. He behaved like a professional model, not a pervert. He didn’t whisper any disgusting comments in her ear too. She almost uttered a prayer of thanks. She hurriedly walked to the dressing room. She would take off her make-up and change clothes.
• She was now in black jeans with dark gray top. She had black flat sandals on. She would be meeting Xander for lunch so she had to hurry. She didn’t want him to wait for her at the studio for a long time in case he was already there.
• When she opened the door, instinctively her foot moved two steps back. Brandon was sitting on the couch across from the dressing room. He was in a leather jacket and dark jeans. He had a brooding expression. He raised his head when he felt her presence. When their eyes locked, he stood up.
• "Let's go." he said seriously. His face was also serious.
• She frowned. " What do you mean by let’s go?" she asked.
• " You are going to have lunch with me. We can go together to the AFC office later.”
• He was talking about the briefing with Graciella and the designer. The latter would discuss with them the formal and casual clothes they would wear and model.
• "That will be much later. I can go there by myself." she said before walking passed him. She almost gaped when she felt his hand on her right arm. She looked daggers at him.
• "Will you let me go?! You are so annoying! " she complained.
• "You will eat lunch with me baby." he said firmly.
• "I can’t! I have other plans!” she muttered sounding irritated.
• But she felt her heart skipped a beat when she saw him grit his teeth and his eyes became like slits. His hand on her arm tightened.
• "Haven’t you heard about what happened to your ex? " he asked coldly.
• She chewed her bottom lip. Obviously he already discovered her lie.
• She was about to say something but he said," I guess you are really angry at that *sshole because you introduced him as your boyfriend to me. Well he was probably afraid that I will finish him off because he confessed that he was after all is your ex. But sorry to say , he passed out after that because I had beaten him up." he said with a sneer.
• Her eyes widened. "Y-You w-what?" her voice sounded weak. Brandon pulled her closer to him.
• "You heard me baby. I knocked the daylight out of that trash! I don’t know if he was already discharged from the hospital,” he said nonchalantly.
• She uttered a sound of disbelief and fear.
• "Do you want to know why?" he asked.
• She shook her head while her eyes were wide as she looked at him. He appeared to be holding his breath as he stared at her eyes then her nose. His stare went down her lips too and after a few second, they came back to her eyes. His hand on her back tightened.
• "Because I think you don't get it baby. I've told you what I want to do to you and your beautiful body. If words aren't enough, maybe actions will do the trick. I can easily beat up trash who will come near you. Listen baby, I want you! I badly want you and you'll be mine ! I'm the only man who can come close to you! Am I making myself clear?!" he asked in a voice as cold as ice.
• She couldn’t help swallowing. She didn’t know what to say to him. She was shocked and felt a bit afraid of him. He didn’t even give a damn about what he did with Xander. He seemed to be used to knocking other men around.
• "I even brought the photographer who I trust and his female crew because I don’t want any *ssholes looking at your body while we have the photo shoot! But unless you want me to beat up the trash you were talking to on the phone, you would go with me now” he added as his eyes were on her.
• "Miss Liv! Sir Lander is looking for you, " Lei announced with a smile but her smile disappeared upon seeing Brandon,"...err…he is in the studio, " she added in a small voice while her eyes were on Brandon.
• She felt Brandon's fingers almost dug on her arm before he abruptly released her and walked furiously towards the corridor to go to the main studio.
• "Brandon no!" she said and went after him.
• The anger she saw on his face and the way his body stiffened before he turned to walk away, she knew that he would do what he said about beating up Lander. She cannot let him hurt her cousin’s bestfriend.