by Cindi Myers
In between times they were free to take a break to eat or freshen up in the bathroom, though they weren’t supposed to get too far from the bed.
Erica watched as Adam signed autographs for a trio of smiling women. She didn’t really blame them for smiling. Dressed in rumpled pajamas, his hair tousled, he looked like a man who’d just rolled out of bed. And one who hadn’t spent his time there working or sleeping.
Flirting with him had come naturally. But then she’d decided to try turning up the heat a notch. Why not? There was no way he could pretend she was just another co-worker when they were so close together—both in nightclothes and in a bed. Why not take advantage of that to let him know how she really felt? And if she was lucky, one thing might lead to another and they’d never be “just friends” again.
She was busy reviewing the schedule on the clipboard when Carl stopped by. “How’s it going?” he asked.
“Good. How did I sound?”
“Great. You got everything you need here?”
Adam turned away from his admirers and joined them. “We could use a fan,” he said. “It’s too warm in here.”
Carl looked at Erica. “She said she was cold earlier.”
She coughed, recalling the excuse she’d made up for wearing the flannel. She wished now she’d packed sexier clothes. She’d had to settle for the tank top but it had served the purpose and gotten Adam’s attention. “I’m fine now,” she said.
“You did good,” he said again. “Keep it up. I like the sexy stuff. The listeners love it, too.”
Adam frowned. “About the sexy stuff,” he said. “Nick’s not here, so we don’t have to do that.”
“Didn’t you hear me?” Carl said. “I said keep it up. Besides, you two sounded like you were having fun.”
Adam shifted from one foot to the other, avoiding looking at Erica. “Sure. I just don’t want people to get the wrong idea.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry about me. And hey, maybe my reputation could use a little spicing up.”
“Great. Now some big bruiser of a boyfriend will come looking for me with a baseball bat.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t have a boyfriend—big bruiser or not.”
“Then see, no problem,” Carl said. “Have fun with it. But not too much fun.”
She made a face at him. “Aren’t you the spoilsport.”
“There’s security cameras all over the place.” He pointed to opaque plastic domes in the ceiling. There was one directly over the bed. “They’ll record everything you do.”
“Everything?” So much for her plans to seduce Adam.
He winked. “Everything.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Adam said. “But it wasn’t necessary. Erica and I are professionals.”
“Yeah, well last time I looked you were a man and a woman, too.”
Adam’s frown was a real scowl now. “I won’t get out of line.”
Carl shrugged. “I didn’t say anything, did I?”
Had they forgotten she was here? What if she wanted to get out of line? “How’s Nick?” she asked, anxious to change the subject.
“Okay. I saw him after he came out of surgery. They had him on a morphine pump and he was feeling no pain. He’s got a pin in his leg and a cast up to his thigh, and his shoulder’s all bandaged up.” He wiped his face with an oversize green bandanna. “He’s lucky he wasn’t killed.”
“Poor guy.” She shuddered. “Funny how a few minutes can change everything, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Adam was looking at her. Was he thinking about how this changed things between them, too?
“Now get back in bed.” Carl shooed them toward the bed. “We want some photos for the Web site.”
She settled back against the pillows beside Adam, smiling for the camera, all her senses focused on the man beside her. They were almost touching, but not quite, the satin sheets bunched up between them.
“No, no, no. Act like you like each other.” Carl stood beside the cameraman, motioning for them to move closer together. “This is supposed to be sexy. Attention-getting. You’re having a good time, remember? It’s for a good cause.”
She glanced at Adam, who wore a pained expression. “Carl, I—” he began.
She couldn’t decide if he was shy or simply had an overdeveloped sense of propriety. She absolutely refused to consider that he might not want to get closer to her. She couldn’t be that far off in reading the signals he was sending out when no one else was around.
Fine, then. She’d be happy to help things along a little. She pulled the sheets from around them and slid closer, her hip snugged up against his, his arm brushing the side of her breast. “How’s this?” she asked, and threw both arms around him.
“Great! Great! Adam, put your arm around her. That’s it. Now big smiles!”
The flash blinded them, but it did nothing to dim her awareness of Adam’s arm around her or the warmth of his body against hers. He’d gotten over his reluctance quickly enough, his fingers kneading her waist, his body angling toward hers slightly. Only a half-turn and they’d be facing each other, looking into each other’s eyes, their lips almost touching….
“That’s great. You look hot. We’ll get a million hits on the Web site with these.”
“I think a million’s a little optimistic,” Adam said, his arm still wrapped around her. “It’s not the Paris Hilton video.”
“Now there’s an idea.” Carl’s eyes took on a wicked gleam. “Video. I’ll have to talk with the Web designer about that.”
“Hey, Adam, come over here and check this schedule, will you?” their production assistant, Mason, called.
Did she imagine his reluctance to pull away from her? She hugged a pillow to her chest and watched him climb out of bed and cross the floor to speak with Mason. Obviously Adam had enjoyed the cuddling as much as she had. If she could only figure out a way for them to enjoy it when no one was looking…no one but all those security cameras.
She glanced up at the smoked plastic dome. Was there someone sitting at a console somewhere, monitoring them right now? She stuck out her tongue just in case. That’s what they got for spoiling her fun. Wonder if she could cover them with a sheet…?
“What are you looking at?”
She started as he joined her in the bed once more. “I’m thinking how boring it must be for whoever monitors those cameras,” she said.
“This is probably more exciting than staring at screens full of furniture all day, which is what they usually do.”
She laughed. “So far it’s been fun.”
His eyes caught hers and lingered. “Yeah. It has been fun.”
There was no time for further conversation, as Adam was called on to do a public service announcement for the Salvation Army and Erica did a quick interview with the entertainment columnist for the Post. The rest of the day was a blur of talking with fans, posing for photos, signing autographs and making regular on-air appeals for more donations. Before she knew it, they were well into the afternoon.
“Time to do a call-in, folks.” Mason held out their headsets and motioned for them to get ready.
“How are you two doing out there?” Audra’s voice came through loud and clear. “No napping on the job, now.”
“Nobody told me that,” Erica said. “I was hoping to catch up on my beauty sleep.”
“She doesn’t need it, folks, trust me,” Adam said.
She gave him her most killer smile. Maybe she’d been wrong about him not seeing her as an available woman. He didn’t seem to be having that problem now.
“We’ve raised over two thousand dollars in our first eight hours,” Adam said. “Let’s double that by nine when we say good-night.”
After-work traffic brought a rush of donations and visitors. For a few minutes, Erica even had a line of people waiting for her autograph. Talk about a rush. “I could get used to this celebrity business,” she told Adam when the crowd had dwindled.
“You’re a natural at
it.”
A little after nine the production crew packed up for the day. Someone delivered a take-out pizza and checked that they had everything they needed and then everyone left. Finally they were alone. After the hubbub of the day, the quiet was a little unsettling.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m not messing up the sheets with pizza sauce.” Adam moved into a nearby leather recliner.
“Right.” She pulled up an armchair next to him and helped herself to a slice of pizza. “I’m starved. That burger I wolfed down at lunch is long gone.”
“Tomorrow we lobby for more snacks.” He wiped his fingers with a fistful of napkins. “After all, we’ve got to keep our strength up.”
“Yes, it’s such strenuous work.” Maybe not physically, but she had to admit, being “on” for so many hours was exhausting.
“The first day went pretty well, I thought,” Adam said. “Tomorrow shouldn’t be as hectic.”
“It went great.” But there was still the first night to get through. What would happen then? She had a lot of fantasies about what she’d like to happen, but the security cameras had ruined all that. So how would she and Adam handle spending the night in the same bed?
“I wonder how Nick’s feeling about now?” Adam asked.
“Probably not so good.” She had a sudden image of Nick in a hospital gown and quickly shoved it aside. Some things she did not want to see. “I’m sorry he was hurt, but I’m glad I’m doing this promo with you instead of him.”
“Oh, Nick’s all right. Most of his rep is just part of his act.” He glanced at her. “I’m sure he would have been a perfect gentleman.”
And will you be a perfect gentleman? She hoped not. She was beginning to worry that he wasn’t attracted to her at all. She wasn’t a bombshell like Bonnie, but she’d never had reason to worry about her looks much before. Who would have guessed her dream job would be so hard on her ego?
Suddenly she had to get away from him, if only for a few minutes. She yawned. “I’m wiped.”
“Yeah.” He set the pizza box aside. “It’s getting late and we’ve got another early morning tomorrow.”
“At least we don’t have a long commute.” She stood and began gathering up their paper plates and cups.
“I’ll do that.” He took the trash from her, his hand grazing hers, sending a rush of heat through her. “You can have the bathroom first to get ready to turn in.”
“Thanks.” She grabbed up her duffel and made her way through the darkened furniture displays toward the bathroom. Minus the piped-in music and crowds of shoppers, this part of the store was downright creepy. A display of lamps cast long shadows across the floor and an overstuffed chair loomed like a crouching beast. She hurried to the bathroom and hummed to herself while she washed her face and brushed her teeth, then raced back to the bed, grateful for Adam’s solid presence.
While he took his turn in the bathroom, she snuggled under the covers. The bedside lamps cast pools of golden light across the bed, making it a cozy island in the surrounding darkness. Whereas the silence had seemed unnatural in the rest of the store, their luxurious display seemed peaceful.
She settled back against the pillows and gazed into the darkness, letting the quiet wash over her. How odd to be here, in what was a somewhat impossible situation. And yet, how wonderful it all was too. At that moment, she wouldn’t have traded places with anyone.
Then she heard Adam’s footsteps approaching, the heels of his slippers slapping on the tile showroom floor. He stepped into the pool of light, looking larger than he had before, and smelling of herbal soap. Her stomach gave a nervous shimmy, but she forced a smile and patted the covers beside her. “Come on in. It’s very cozy.”
He avoided looking at her, but turned back the covers and climbed in, reaching over to switch off the lamp on his side. She turned off her lamp also, and lay back in the darkness, aware of the weight of him beside her, the bed creaking and covers shifting as he made himself comfortable.
“I hope you don’t snore,” she said, her tone teasing.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “No one’s ever complained before.”
“Oh. Have there been a lot of someones?” The darkness made her bold.
Silence stretched between them and she was afraid she’d gone too far. She turned toward him, barely making out his silhouette in the darkness. He cleared his throat. “Not that many. You?”
She shook her head, then realized he couldn’t see her. “Not many.” Six actually, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
“Oh. Um, just so you know, I, um…”
She held her breath, waiting for him to finish the sentence. He sounded so serious, as if he was about to confess something important—maybe his real feelings for her?
“Never mind. It’s not important. Good night.” He rolled over, his back to her.
She stared at him, tempted to grab one of the pillows and whomp him over the head with it. But a pillow wasn’t hard enough to knock any real sense into him. Besides, getting into a fight their first night wasn’t going to make the next two days any easier.
She sighed and turned her back to him. She shut her eyes tight and willed herself to breathe more slowly, faking sleep. She doubted she’d get any rest, but the exhaustion of the day got the better of her. Before she knew it, her body relaxed and she drifted off.
ADAM WAS DREAMING, one of those amazing erotic dreams from which he never wanted to wake. He was with a woman, of course, a warm, soft woman. His hands embraced her firm breasts and her bottom was cradled against his erection. She smelled like sweet flowers and her hair felt like silk against his face. He didn’t know who she was, but he didn’t particularly care. She was a dream woman, a product of his imagination.
The fact that he realized this told him he wasn’t too deeply into the dream. In fact, he could feel morning tugging at him, pulling him from sleep, but he resisted, holding on to the woman. He had to hand it to his subconscious—it had conjured up an amazing fantasy female this time. She made a little moaning sound and snuggled closer, sharpening his arousal. He caught his breath as her nipple hardened and pressed against his palm. He buried his face in her neck, his lips against her hot, smooth skin as he thrust against her. He wished she’d turn over. In a minute, he’d see if he could manage it, but the trouble with dreams was that it wasn’t always easy to move, especially when he was so close to waking.
He shifted his hand to her waist, across the curve of her hip, pressing down. Obligingly she rolled onto her back, flipping onto her side to face him. Her arms slipped around him and for the first time he registered that she was wearing clothes, the soft cotton of her pajamas brushing against him.
Eyes still shut tight, he frowned. Since when did his dream fantasies wear clothes? And pajamas at that. If anything, this woman ought to be wearing some silky negligee. Or better yet, nothing at all.
He tugged at the edge of the pajama top, determined to remedy this matter. Obviously his subconscious wanted to make fulfilling this fantasy more challenging.
She was kissing him now, tracing the line of his jaw with her tongue. He groaned, trying to hold back the wakefulness stealing over him. Just a little longer. At least until he got her undressed and he was inside her…
Noises disrupted his concentration—footsteps, the clang of metal, distant voices drawing nearer. He winced against a sudden flare of light against his closed eyelids and groaned. Not yet. Only a few minutes more…
The dream woman gave a small squeal and shoved away from him, even as he tried to hold her.
“Adam, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The words jerked him awake more effectively than a bucket of ice water. He opened his eyes, squinting against the glare of bright overhead lights, and stared into the frowning face of the station manager, Carl.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Carl asked again.
4
“NOTHING.” Adam rolled away from Erica and sat up. �
�We weren’t doing anything.” He slid his gaze to his bed partner. She was sitting up, too, the covers tucked up under her breasts.
The breasts that had been pressed again his chest seconds ago, so warm and soft…
He swallowed a groan and looked at Carl again. He couldn’t say the sight made him feel any better. His boss was frowning, his bottom lip jutted out.
“Are you sure it was nothing?” Carl directed the question at Erica. “You two looked pretty cozy just now.”
Erica smiled. Except for the heightened flush of her cheeks, she didn’t give away that anything out of the ordinary had happened. How was it someone who had just awakened could look so dazzling? “Don’t be silly, Carl. We’re both still fully clothed, aren’t we?”
He could think of a lot of not-so-innocent things they could do that wouldn’t require them to get undressed, but now wasn’t the time to mention them. And as long as they worked together, there wouldn’t be a time to mention them.
“See that you stay that way,” Carl grumped.
She turned toward Adam and looked at him through lowered lashes. “Adam’s been a perfect gentleman,” she said.
Right. A perfect gentleman with an incredible hard-on.
Carl looked unconvinced, but he didn’t protest. “I came by to give you some good news.”
“What’s that?” Adam asked. Were they going to end this silly stunt before it got out of hand? Not that it was exactly under control at the moment.
“Mattress Max likes what you’re doing so much that he’s pledged to donate ten thousand dollars to the Salvation Army for their shelter.”
“That’s fantastic.” Erica wrapped her arms around her knees and grinned. “That will almost double the money we’ve raised.”
“The money isn’t ours—or rather the Salvation Army’s—yet,” Carl said. “Max won’t pay it unless you stay here the full seventy-five hours. Until Monday at 9:00 a.m.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” She turned to Adam. “We can do it, can’t we?”