Free Livvy by Lori L. Otto Page A

quickly, stumbling into Emmanuel’s open arms.
    “Hey!” We stare at each other for a second before hugging. “You come to these things? It certainly doesn’t seem like your scene,” I tell him.
    “My best friend’s a baritone,” he explains. “Plus, it’s always a good place to meet drunk girls.” I make a face at him, showing my disapproval. “But I don’t have to do that tonight, now that I know you’re here.”
    “Oh, don’t let me get in your way.”
    “You’re so prissy sometimes,” he teases me. “I mean, don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind to take advantage of pretty girls who aren’t thinking clearly–”
    My jaw drops at his admission.
    “To model,” he clarifies. “An uninhibited model is the best kind. But I don’t think my lawyer would be too fond of me allowing drunk women to sign my release forms. That probably wouldn’t hold up too well in court.”
    “Well, good.”
    “No, I provide the alcohol after they sign.” He grins, and with that smile, I can see how any girl would agree to model for him.
    “No, you don’t,” I challenge him, turning away to look back at the stage.
    “Yes, I do,” he says as he takes a step forward to stand next to me. “If they want it.”
    “Do you sleep with them after that?” I ask him.
    “That’s pretty personal, Livvy,” he says, looking at me suspiciously. “What if I said yes?”
    “I wouldn’t approve.” I cross my hands in front of my chest.
    “I don’t,” he says quickly.
    “I’m not sure I believe you.”
    “I want to be respected for what I do, Liv. I’m a professional, and I can separate my personal life from my work. A model never becomes anything more than that in the same night. That’s my rule.”
    I nod a little, accepting his answer.
    “I may ask her out for the next day, but that doesn’t break any rules.”
    “Have you had a lot of girlfriends?”
    “Compared to...”
    “Anyone?”
    “That’s too general. Let’s talk about you. How many boyfriends have you had?”
    I glare at him, sensing he knows the answer. “You know, I don’t have to tell you that to know that you’ve had many more partners than I’ve had.”
    “Partners,” he says, raising his eyebrows. “When you said ‘girlfriends,’ you meant lovers?”
    I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know.”
    “Sure you know. Are you sizing me up, Liv? Are you seeing if I meet your standards? Your expectations?”
    “I’m just trying to get to know you better, that’s all. Don’t read into it. And, I mean, if you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.”
    “Four,” he says. I’m pleased with the answer, and smile as I sigh in relief. I think I could go out with a guy who’s–
    “Four girlfriends and nineteen lovers.”
    I laugh at his joke, eventually meeting his eyes to see them staring back at me, serious. He’s not kidding. “ Nineteen ?” I ask him.
    “That’s a lot?” he asks. I nod quickly, definitively.
    “But only four were girlfriends,” he says soberly, as if that’s a good thing.
    “That makes it worse, you know,” I tell him quietly.
    “Right, because you think it should mean something.”
    “Yes,” I tell him. “And you said you did, too.”
    “It would mean something... with you,” he whispers into my ear, pulling away slowly to see my reaction. I push him away.
    “Let me be clear,” I tell him with a smile but meaning everything I’m telling him. “We have to mean something to one another first before I would even consider that.”
    “I know,” he says. “And I like a challenge. I don’t mean anything to you yet?” he asks, feigning sadness.
    “I really don’t know you yet.”
    “Do I have a chance?” he asks earnestly. I shrug once more as I bite my lip to hide the smile. “What’s that look mean?” he asks.
    “I don’t know–”
    “Tell me where I stand right now.”
    “No,” I say shyly. His voice is so sexy, and his mannerisms are... wow .
    “I like nice girls,” he