He put his hand above his eyes, probably to block the sun. “Who are you?”

“Umm.” I cleared my throat. Every once in a while, a man left me speechless. I’d hoped Michael was my last one. I was wrong. “I-I was hired for the modeling job—”

“By whom?” A wrinkle formed in the middle of his forehead and altered his chiseled face.

“Mr. Hexahedron Castillo.” Pointing to the tree branch, I figured I would use the artist’s full name, even though my research revealed that many called him Hex for short. He’d been born by another name, but legally changed it a year ago. “I applied for the summer position, sent my portfolio, and he replied with an offer letter and an appointment to meet with him today at this time.”

Hex continued to sing as we raised our voices to hear each other.

The man looked up at Hex and then returned his annoyed gaze to me. “I’m not aware of any new hires and I manage that part of Hex’s business.”

Too bad. I was promised a job. Without this position, I have nothing.

I placed my hands on my hips. “My understanding is that Mr. Castillo offered me the nude model position for this summer.”

Hex quit singing and raised his finger in front of his face. “Correction. I offered you an interview.”

“I’m sorry, but that can’t be right.” I dug my hands through my bag and wrenched out the letter. “I have the letter with me. It says, ‘Dear Mrs. Elena Richards, I’m offering you the honor to pose for my new works.’”

The big man stirred next to me and raised his gaze to Hex. “I thought I told you that when you do any business moves, you’re to notify me. How can I manage you if you don’t tell me about all of the things you’re doing?”

“Well, it seems I’ve made many mistakes today, Elena,” Hex said.

“I like people to call me Elle.”

Hex jumped down from the branch in one swift movement, telling me that he spent a lot of his free time climbing trees. Once he landed on the ground, he seized my hand and kissed the two middle fingers. “My apologies. I was only offering you the opportunity to convince me that you’re suited for this project, not a confirmation of employment.”

I stiffened. “So I don’t have the job?”

“You’ve passed the first round. Now you’ll have to pass the next two. You’ll need to answer several questions to see how smart you are.”

“But you offered me a job.”

“Again, I offered you an opportunity for employment.” He wrapped his fingers around mine and guided me forward. “Now let’s see if you’ve earned the right to work for me.”

Earn the right to work for him? How dare he?

I stopped in my place and loosed my fingers from his. “What do you mean earn it? I’ve proven I can model through my portfolio. I came here for work and to be a part of creating art, not participate in a bunch of riddles and contests.”

“Then you’re trying to work for the wrong person.” The other man unbuttoned the lower half of his suit jacket. “My brother can only function with games. He knows no other method. By the way, I’m Alvarez.”

“Hello, Alvarez. Nice to meet you.” I stepped around him and glared at Hex. “This isn’t fair. I’ve flown across the country to get here.”

And let’s not forget that I have no money to fly back and no one to ask for help!

Hex shrugged. “This is my process. I don’t grab a model for her pretty face or slender frame. That’s not my painting style. I don’t try to depict her image. My goal is to illustrate her soul.”

Illustrate her soul? Really?

Tons of smart remarks and several curse words flooded my head. This all has been a massive waste of time. I’d sold every item of jewelry I owned to get traveling money from California to Florida. I’d even dumped my credit cards so Michael couldn’t track my movements, cards that held huge limits. This was supposed to be a new start, an unknown path to a bold adventure. Instead, a blockade rose from the path in the form of Hex, and there was no way around him.

They exchanged glances and Hex stepped back. I must have scared them with my shocked expression. My mouth was wide open. Disgust drenched my eyes. Both of my hands were balled into fists. Now I was really more interested in the body bag from earlier. Had Hex driven his prior model to suicide? Had his other models been as desperate as me? Because surely anyone with another option would have fled the property upon meeting him.

I leaned my weight on one foot. Hex quirked an eyebrow. I continued to glare. “What are the questions?”

“Okay. Hold on.” Alvarez got between us. “Before we begin this . . . interview, I need to know more about you.” He glanced at Hex over his shoulder. “And you have to tell me about this new project.” He returned his view to mine. “But first, what is your name and how did Hex find you?”

Tags: Kenya Wright Mystery
Source: readsnovelonline.net