Sophie's Playboy

by Natalie J. Damschroder

  Restlessness be damned. She was happy, and she'd stay that way.

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  CHAPTER 6

  "Joe, I need to call you back," Parker told his vice president. "I'm on the air in five minutes, and I haven't even talked to Sophie about the theme."

  Joe grunted his disapproval. Never a very cheerful man, he was downright surly about Rant and Rave. He considered Parker a fool to be wasting his time playing on the radio instead of tending to real business. Parker couldn't find the words to explain why he had to do this. It would sound pretty immature to say he was trying to get into bed with a woman.

  However true that had been at the beginning, it didn't come close to touching reality now.

  Still, Parker was having difficulty keeping his mind on his usual business. He always had a dozen ventures going at a time, and had never had a problem keeping track. Now, he had to refer to notes any time he talked to an associate or employee—of which he had few, thankfully. His briefcase bulged and he rarely got back to the office to empty it.

  "Biff, I don't care what your reasons are for doing this damned program. Just make sure you're here for the meetings tomorrow at ten and at noon."

  Parker rubbed at the throbbing in the center of his forehead. He and Sophie were supposed to rehearse their spots before the following day's recording. But missing these meetings could lose him hundreds of thousands of dollars. "All right. I'll work it out. I gotta go."

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  He flipped his phone closed and shoved it into his pocket just as he sat down in beat with Rant and Rave's opening music. He avoided Sophie's lifted eyebrow and got into the flow of the show.

  At the first break he snagged Sophie on her way out the door to replenish her water.

  "Can we meet at my office tomorrow instead of here?"

  Sophie looked down at him and raised her left eyebrow again. He was getting a bit tired of her patronization. "You have an office?"

  Parker leaned back in the squeaky chair and stretched. "Of course I have an office. Where did you think I did business, at The Club?"

  "Well, yeah."

  He shook his head. No wonder she thought of him as a playboy. "It takes hard work to succeed in business, Soph.

  Believe it or not, I do work hard."

  She surveyed him a moment, then glanced around the studio and at his jumble of notes and references on the counter in front of him. "I know you do, Parker."

  Melina gave them the one-minute tap on the window and Sophie dashed out to get her drink. Parker watched her, surprised at how quickly her words eroded his tension. He was still contemplating her admission the next day in his ten o'clock meeting. He'd made some progress. She was seeing him in a different light. Maybe he had a chance.

  He was going to be alone with her this afternoon. She was coming at twelve-thirty so they could rehearse and discuss the ads, then they'd have to rush over to the station to record 92

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  the three spots. The time frame would demand concentration, and Parker was afraid he would be able to think about nothing but kissing Sophie.

  Despite his distraction the first meeting went well. They usually did when someone wanted money he was willing to invest. The second one would be a bit less smooth. Parker Enterprises had sunk a quarter of a million dollars in a distribution center whose owners had developed a sound business and marketing plan but didn't seem to have the focus to stick to it. They were losing money in a gush and Parker was going to have to put the screws to them.

  Of course, they dared to ask him for more money. The meeting was unexpectedly short, as was Parker's temper when he left the conference room and literally ran into Sophie outside his office.

  He grabbed her shoulders to keep from knocking her over, and felt his jaw slacken when he noticed what she was wearing. The delicate shell pink tailored suit was snugger than most of her clothes yet completely proper. She even wore pearls at her throat and in her ears, and he wondered if she'd dressed up for him.

  "Very conservative, Soph," he finally said. "Haven't seen that look on you in a while."

  She followed him into his office and went straight to the sofa while he shut the door and went to pour coffee.

  "It seemed to call for it. Coming here, I mean. I haven't been away from the corporate world that long. I feel better in this setting dressed professionally than dressed comfortably."

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  Parker handed her a mug and noticed that no blouse was visible in the V of her jacket. A shadow of cleavage beckoned and he positioned himself on the couch so that he could appreciate it. He was glad Sophie couldn't read his mind.

  They pulled out the scripts for the ads and read silently for a minute.

  "The first one's pretty straightforward," Parker noted.

  "We're talking about our upcoming anniversary and how we should celebrate."

  Sophie flipped a couple of pages. "Yeah, this isn't as bad as I expected. I thought we'd be jumping into bed, but this only implies we've been together a year and the narrator does all the hotel description."

  "So, how do you want to play it? Playful or serious? Are we at odds or in tune?" He relaxed against the back of the sofa and tried to get into his character.

  "Are you clueless, or crafty?" Sophie teased. She grinned at him over her shoulder and for an instant Parker couldn't breathe. She looked so elegant with her hair back in a twist and the glowing pearls framing her face. Her uninhibited smile contrasted and turned up Parker's need to kiss her from a four to an instant ten.

  He was going to do it. He had to do it. If he didn't kiss her right now, he was going to explode and possibly do something stupid.

  He leaned forward, his eyes never leaving hers.

  Sophie swallowed hard and clenched one hand around the papers she held. The atmosphere of the room had definitely changed. One minute they were professional but friendly. The 94

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  next minute Sophie felt like she was being hunted in a steamy, dark jungle. But she didn't feel like prey.

  She wanted the kiss she saw coming. She wanted it with everything she'd ever been. Before the first taste she knew how much more Parker's kiss would be than any other man's kiss. And it wouldn't be just a kiss. At this moment, she had no barriers in place and Parker would be in complete control.

  His lips were closer. She hadn't moved, she was sure, so he was moving in for the kill. She licked her lips before she could stop herself and Parker's eyes darkened. She could smell him, the scent driving her desire higher than it had been even after an hour of foreplay with any other man.

  His mouth had almost, almost touched hers when she leaped to her feet in panic.

  "Where's the bathroom?"

  Parker slumped back against the sofa again. "Down the hall. First door on the right." He yanked at his tie and Sophie fled before she could see his complete reaction. She didn't want to know his reaction. She couldn't bear to see pain.

  Frustration she expected, even annoyance. But instinctively she knew her rejection would cause him pain. She knew that because she felt it.

  She wet a paper towel and pressed it over her eyes. How on earth was she going to get through this? She desperately wanted to jump the man's bones and if she did, her show was doomed.

  She leaned on the sink and slid the wet paper towel over the nape of her neck. So what if Parker added dimension and heat to Rant and Rave? Sophie was the heart of it. Without 95

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  her, they had nothing. Parker couldn't do the show alone, and she couldn't imagine why he'd want to.

  But now that they'd had a taste of "them," she doubted the station would let her do the show
alone. She hadn't had time to establish a true "Sophie-only" following. And she wanted the show to succeed. Not just for success's sake, but because she was having so much fun, and providing a service for people, and maybe even helping to lower violent incidents because her listeners had an outlet.

  More importantly, she was doing something that was hers.

  She'd been a success before, but MultiMicroTech was Dave and Chuck's success, not hers. She shared Rant and Rave with Melina and Parker, but it was her baby. She'd created it and provided the initial injection of energy to lift it off the ground. Nothing had ever been more satisfying.

  So far, said a subversive little voice she labeled "Desire for Parker." Sophie had little doubt Parker would be satisfying.

  But she knew a relationship would change the show's dynamics and she didn't know if that would be a good thing.

  Plus, she was scared spitless.

  "Okay, enough analysis," she told herself, not wanting to consider why she was scared. "Go back and pretend nothing happened."

  She did. Apparently, Parker had decided to do the same thing. They'd run through the first spot twice before she'd conquered her annoyance. They ran through three quick rehearsals of each spot, agreed on the tone they wanted to set, and headed for the station. With any luck—please, let 96

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  there be luck!—the production manager would agree with their decisions and taping would go very quickly.

  Parker followed Sophie to the station in his Porsche—of course—and met her as she stepped out of her little convertible.

  "Nice," he admired, running one of his long-fingered, graceful hands— stop it, Sophie—over the fender. "Sixty-eight?"

  "Sixty-six. It needed a lot of restoration. I finally got the body work done last fall, then had to store her over the winter." God, she wished Parker would stop caressing her car!

  "I might have to sell her."

  He looked up at her in shock. "Sell her? Never!"

  Sophie shrugged. "She's expensive to keep up and I can't drive her in the winter. I'm not a man. I'm not more devoted to my car than I am to survival."

  She led the way into the station through the back door and toward the production booth. Parker followed, complaining the whole way about women who can't commit. Sophie was amused enough by his attitude that she didn't worry about the recording until they were actually inside, shoulder to shoulder.

  The production manager's voice came through the headphones. "Do you guys want a run-through?"

  They looked at each other questioningly and what had happened in Parker's office happened again. Sophie felt like a bubble had instantly formed around them, created by their electricity. She couldn't look away from him or from the promise in his eyes. She was never going to get through this.

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  "Uh, guys? Do you want to do a run-through or not?"

  They snapped their attention back to their individual scripts.

  "No, we're okay."

  "Let's just get to it."

  Sophie stumbled over her words the first two times they tried to record. Parker made her angry with his smoothness and sincerity. The anger worked in her favor, and the third take was flawless. They sailed through the other two spots and Sophie escaped the booth for her cubicle. She had ten minutes before the show and she needed it to regain her equilibrium.

  That plan went up in smoke as Parker followed her. She swiveled to face him, damned if she was going to run to the bathroom again.

  "That went well." He perched on the edge of her desk.

  Sophie scooted the chair back as far as it could go.

  "Yep." She pulled out her list for the show and pretended to peruse it.

  "We have that L.A.B. in a couple of weeks."

  "Yep."

  "Can you come with me to my family's Fourth of July barbeque?"

  If he thought she was that dumb ... She tilted her head.

  "Nope."

  Parker sighed. "Please? Mare wants to meet you."

  "Who's Mare?"

  "My sister. Her name's Mary, but she hates it so I call her Mare."

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  "Why does she want to meet me?"

  "Because you're the first woman I've ever worked with like this and she thinks you're a good influence."

  Melina poked her head around the corner. "Come on, you two! Show time!"

  They rushed to the studio and in the chaos of settling in, Sophie managed to avoid Parker's invitation. By the first break, though, she'd considered it and decided to go. What the heck. She was curious about Parker's family. She was honest enough with herself to admit that it also gave her an opportunity to be with him away from work but not on a date.

  Coworkers did things like this. They could be friends, couldn't they?

  The way Parker beamed when she agreed to go, however, told her he wasn't looking at the event in quite the same way.

  * * * *

  Sophie's first live action broadcast—or L.A.B.—on June thirtieth began with perfect weather and an excitement that couldn't be dampened by anxiety. The excitement was about doing something new, something so foreign to her experience. The anxiety was about doing it with Parker.

  Her attraction to him had grown exponentially with each four-hour stint. They had differing views on practically every topic, whether they were complaining or praising. Both played devil's advocate to the hilt. Parker had a way of inciting Sophie's passion, be it about politics or plastic wrap. And damn the man, whenever he managed to get her to change her mind, he switched his.

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  He intrigued her and left her feeling more alive after every show than she ever remembered feeling.

  She couldn't help but be nervous about this broadcast, though. They'd met daily to prepare for the show, sometimes grabbed a bite to eat afterward, but hadn't worked together in a public forum. Not to mention the on-site broadcast booth was an itty-bitty space smaller than the recording booth at the station.

  Sophie spent too much time trying to figure out what to wear. Her little sister had come to town for a few days for a continuing education seminar and willingly offered advice.

  Unfortunately, Brie was used to dressing like a comforting role model and had little to say about balancing being sexy with being professional.

  "It's nice now, but it'll be ninety by the time we start broadcasting." Sophie cast aside the idea of a suit, even a summer-weight.

  "Can't you just wear a station T-shirt and jeans?" Brie asked from her spot in the middle of Sophie's queen-sized bed where she sat cuddling Hippo. The little dog had taken to her right away, probably interpreting from her high-pitched baby talk that she was an easy sell.

  "That's what I wear most days. We'll be in public, so Parker will definitely be dressed to the nines and I need to match."

  "And attract."

  Sophie didn't answer.

  "I'm gonna come over when the seminar is done today,"

  Brianna said. "I want to meet this guy."

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  Oh, no. "The show is ending an hour and a half early,"

  Sophie said casually, digging in her underwear drawer. She decided to wear a linen vest and walking shorts, but needed a bra that wouldn't show. "You might not make it."

  "I'll make it. Unless I see Juanita. Then we might just go out instead." Juanita was Brianna's college roommate. "Why's it ending early, anyway?"

  Sophie headed to the bathroom to grab some lotion for her legs. Hippo jumped off the bed and followed. She set him on the closed toilet seat.

  "The sponsor paid for a two-and-a-half-hour broadcast,"

  she called back to the bedroom. Her favorite lotion was almost gone, so she settle
d for the unscented version and started smoothing it on. "Plus, the travel show is moving to midday and a sports show is debuting after me. They wanted to allow the jock more time for his first show."

  "That sucks."

  Sophie went back into the bedroom. Hippo followed again, little legs churning. He begged to be lifted to the bed. "Not really. It'll be hot and I don't want to be with Parker that long."

  "Yeah, right." Brianna leaned over and picked up the panting dog. "Stop whirling around. You'll overheat the poor baby." She nuzzled him. "I have a feeling you want to be with Parker forever."

  Sophie choked on nothing and glared at her sister. "Where did that come from? You've been watching too many romantic comedies."

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  Brianna sighed and laid down on her side. Hippo curled up against her stomach and promptly fell asleep. "I've got this sudden thing for Brendan Fraser. But that's not why I said it."

  "I barely want him as a friend, Brie."

  "Come off it. You can't lie to me any better than Kira can.

  You've got it bad for him, and if he ever kisses you, you'll rocket into space."

  "Puh-leeze." Sophie buttoned up her vest and tugged it into place. She looked good. Just the right balance. She twisted her hair up on the back of her head and pinned it, then touched up her makeup. She added a bit more anti-perspirant when the thought of kissing Parker sent her body heat up three degrees.

  She was about to leave the room when Brianna grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the bed next to her.

  "Seriously, Soph. Give him a chance. Don't cut him off just because of who you think he is."

  Sophie consciously relaxed her tight muscles. "Most women get burned once or twice and are wary of men forever."

  "You haven't been burned," Brie pointed out.

  "Exactly. I haven't let anyone get close enough to try. But Parker is exactly the kind of man who can hurt me. He's deep enough to make me fall in love, but playboy enough to pass me off to someone else before he falls, too."

  Brianna smiled. "At least there's a chance he'll fall."

  * * * *