Billionaire Savior

“With a body like that, you could set my coffee on fire.”

Cara stared at the male customer with what she knew was obvious disdain. Every day, she was hanging onto the very thin thread of patience she had left; every day, she was failing.

“Then I guess it’s a mercy you ordered your coffee warm. Bye.” She gave him a false smile, checking to see if the manager was in sight before rolling her eyes.

As the customer walked out of the small coffee shop, Cara sighed. This was what her days were like for the past three years. After her father had abandoned her and her mother some years back and her mother had suddenly become ill, she’d had to put aside her entire life to support them both. Things had gotten a lot worse when her mother got diagnosed with cancer. Life had gotten bleak without so much as a glimmer of hope. She’d had no choice but to put aside her lifelong dream of becoming a model. It didn’t matter that it was all she’d dreamed about since she was five years old. All that mattered was that her mother was cared for.

So here she was, working three jobs, each with a four-hour shift, seven times a week. Talk about having one’s hands full.

“I’d like a latte, please.” A soft voice pulled her out of her reverie, and when she looked up, there was a tall girl in front of her. Since Cara was 5’11”, she was taller than most, and it wasn’t every day she met people as tall as she was.

“Sure.” She nodded, getting to work on making the order. She took a quick glance at the wall clock. It was a few minutes to twelve, and her shift was ending soon. She had about three minutes to be at the store, her second job, before the manager noticed she was late. Which she almost always was.

She handed the cup to the girl and collected a five-dollar bill. Opening the cash register to bring out some change, she saw that the girl was already walking away.

“Wait! You forgot your—” The words were cut short by the sound of the shop’s door closing. Cara shrugged. More money for her. She surely needed it.

It was a minute to twelve now. She grabbed a cloth to wipe down the counter and was just about to pick up her bag when she caught sight of the paper. The girl had probably forgotten it. Shrugging, she grabbed the paper and was just about to toss it in the bin until it hit her.

She told herself it was nothing, but it wouldn’t hurt to check. With her heart in her throat, she gently unfolded the paper and straightened it as best as she could.

Cara swallowed, pushing down a heavy lump. The universe was either having a good laugh at her expense, or it was punishing her for something she’d done in the past. Neither of them bode well for her.

It was a modeling open casting call, and it had just fallen right into her lap. Not only that, but it also started two minutes ago.

“Shit.” This was an opportunity of a lifetime. Debonair. The agency was the biggest modeling agency in New York and one of the biggest in the world. It was everything she wanted and hoped for. If she went for the audition and won, she could make enough money to take herself and her mother out of their situation. Chemotherapy could finally happen. Her mother would be okay. Cara could finally live out her dream of being a world-class model.

If she left now, she would make it in time. It wasn’t that far. But what if she didn’t get it? It would not only mean losing her job, but it would also mean losing money. God knew she needed all the money she could get. Her mother’s medication for a week was what she made in a month from one job.

It was a risk. She had to try. Whatever the outcome, she had to try. She couldn’t live the rest of her life in what-ifs when she had the opportunity to find out for herself. She would go there, and she would try her best. Damn the consequences.

Throwing out a breathless chuckle just for the heck of it, she grabbed her bag and straightened her hair. Who knew? Maybe if she hurried, she could still make it in time to the store. She was fairly certain that if she pleaded with the manager compellingly enough, he wouldn’t fire her. She’d been told she could be very persuasive.

At the sound of her stomach grumbling, Cara quickly made herself a small cup of coffee, something to fill her stomach until she found time to grab a bite.

After signing out, she left the store. The early afternoon sun beat down on her as she stepped out and held up the paper to look at the venue again. Working multiple jobs had helped her find shortcuts around New York, so she knew what routes to take. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she tried to remember the last time she took such a risk and found none. A lot was riding on this.

She shook off the fear and started moving. One foot in front of the other eventually formed into a sprint. Time was not her friend right now. Her hair was all over her face like a curtain. She had no idea what she would encounter at the audition, but there was no time to think about that. She just had to get there.

Three minutes later, the big building came into view. She stopped in her tracks, heaved out a deep breath, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her left ear as she admired the building. Getting in there would be a dream come true, not to mention being part of the company. Jesus.

She checked her watch and saw she was three minutes behind her already planned-out schedule. “Fuck,” she muttered, picking up speed.

She fled through the busy sidewalk until she got to the front of the building and was just about to open the glass door when she bumped face-first into a hard rock. Warm sticky liquid dripped down the front of her shirt, and she squealed.

“Fuck!”

“Fuck!”

It was a man.

The deep baritone sent shivers down her spine. The last time that happened… Cara couldn’t remember. It was more like a grunt, like she’d knocked the air out of him with the force of the collision. His arms that had come around her tightened just a bit and Cara could’ve sworn it felt familiar. The man smelt of sandalwood and masculinity dripped off him in waves.

When his grip loosened, she quickly took a step back, aware that her shirt was clinging to the front of her body in the most uncomfortable manner. “Oh, shit. I’m so sorry.” She vaguely sighted the growing brown stain on his grey suit before the realization hit her.

“I’m so sorry!” She threw at him as she sprinted past him and into the building. There was no time for frivolities. He’d live.

It was fairly easy to find the audition room as a growing crowd of tall females led her right to it. She wondered how she hadn’t heard of it because there were over thirty girls present. She didn’t even know what the casting was for. She hadn’t thought to check it out online. Still, she walked into the room and sat cross-legged on the ground with the rest of them.

The casting had already started and a girl was walking the down the runway in the middle of the room. She was tall, dark-skinned and had a fiery look that put half the girls there to shame.

Cara instantly became apprehensive. The wetness was still a negative and too conspicuous to ignore so she reached into her bag for the handkerchief she always kept in there and just her luck, she couldn’t find it. Sighing, her eyes travelled around the room for a quick check before finally deciding to take off the shirt and stuff it into her bag. Thank God she’d had the initiative to wear a sports bra that morning.

While she felt like she’d been the only one who hadn’t dressed to walk, her sports bra and tight pants were enough to pass her off as runway-ready. The thought did nothing to ease her apprehension. These girls were not only beautiful, they were talented. It’d been so long since she’d been to an audition, she couldn’t even remember when last. She said a quick prayer so she wouldn’t slip and fall mid-walk before focusing her entire attention of the runway.

Not long after, another girl stood up. Cara recognized her as the girl who had left the flyer at the coffee shop. Taking a closer look at her as she walked, she observed that this wasn’t the girl’s first time on a runway. In fact, Cara was almost sure she’d modelled professionally before. Her hips swayed with each step and she maintained a stoic expression on her face, keeping her eyes straight ahead.

The instructor stood to the side and from a quick glance, Cara could see the look of approval on her face. Well fuck, so was she. She began to think she didn’t stand a chance at this point. What the hell had she been thinking coming here? She didn’t stand a chance. She was a square peg in a round hole.

One by one, girls walked to and fro on the runway and with each step, Cara’s confidence went down a notch. Her palms were sweaty and her heart was beating though her ears.

“Shit,” she murmured. Looking up, she saw the instructor gesture to her to stand up.

“Shit.” She murmured again, lifting from the ground. She forced herself to take deep breaths to calm herself because it felt like her heart was going to beat to explosion. She had no idea why she was nervous; it wasn’t like she hadn’t walked a runway before.

She slowly made her way to the head of the runway.

“Go ahead.” The instructor said before pressing the remote for the music to play again.

Eyes were on her; she felt the hairs on her skin stand. Her mother flashed through her mind and she remembered why she was here. Why it was important she do this.

Her legs started moving. One foot in front of the other. Her training kicked in and her mind closed up. All she focused on was walking. All she saw was herself walking. Her confidence returned slowly and she squared her shoulders just like she’d been taught, looked straight ahead and walked.

Cara knew her ambition was none like no other. Sure, she’d had to put them aside to take care of her mother even though her mother hated it, but they still existed. Somewhere inside of her, they threatened to burst forward like the waves of the oceans and right now she found she couldn’t control them, didn’t know how to. She’d spent most of her life wanting this, hoping and praying for a big break. She hoped for the fame, the glitter, the freedom to be who she wanted, when she wanted.

The music ended and she strolled off the runway. Coming back to earth was an eye-opener as the stares made her anxiety return. She quietly sat back on the ground, trying to avoid the awkwardness.

It didn’t take long before all the girls walked the runway. The instructor paused the music and faced them. “Alright. That’s a wrap. Thank you all for auditioning and we’ll get back to you. We’ll only be taking five girls and only one of them will be the new face of Debonair. These girls will be personally trained by me, of course, and some of the best trainers in the world. This is an opportunity of a lifetime so if you didn’t just give me your best, then you’ve probably made the worst mistake of your modelling career. Good luck and good day to you all.”

Cara blew a breath. Well, shit. The crowd began to disperse around her as she thought of the words. Had she given her best? She wasn’t sure. It certainly didn’t feel like it. There had been better. She knew that some of these girls were better than her, if not all.

She tried to shrug but it ended up looking like she just had a stroke. At least now she could say that she tried. Fuck it, she’d ditched her job for this, of course it would suck major balls if she didn’t get in. Still, she wrote down her name and phone number on the piece of paper the instructor had handed out.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she spun around.

“It’s you, isn’t it? You stole my flyer.”