“Soooo...” Lacey said clearing her throat meaningfully. “What did you and Magnus end up doing the other day? I know you snuck into the house pretty late.”
I immediately turned away from her and looked out the window. I knew if I faced her, she’d be able to tell I wasn’t being completely honest. “Oh, you know, we went back to his place and watched some of the old Brain Pain episodes.”
“Yeah, the host, Jackie Cee, is so energetic. Don’t you think? She’s an amazing host.”
“Definitely,” I nodded. I had no idea who she was talking about. I hadn’t watched long enough or paid enough attention to even know who the host was.
“And that co-host, Spike Kristoff, he’s a riot... don’t you think?”
I grunted a yes and pretended to be interested in what was going on outside. Of course, nothing was going on, so I just stared intently at various buildings that we passed on the way to work every day, hoping Lacey wouldn’t notice that I was trying to dodge her questions.
She was silent, so I looked back at her and saw the wide smile on Lacey’s face. That could only mean one thing: I was busted.
“Lesli, answer me honestly, did you spend your evening bumping uglies with Magnus? Because if you did, this is a judgment-free zone.”
I sputtered. “What! What gave you that idea? Oh my gosh, Lacey. Get your head out of the gutter. I told you that we watched the show and that’s all we did. For hours.”
“Really? For hours?”
“Yep,” I lied.
She continued to grin as if she’d caught me, but I wasn’t going to confess anything. She didn’t have concrete evidence. She was just guessing. “If you watched it for hours then you’d know there isn’t a co-host. And the host is a he, not a she.”
I opened my mouth to refute her statement, but it was clear that I had walked into her trap.
Lacey clapped her hands together in excitement, keeping the steering wheel straight with just her knees.
“Hands on the wheel, please,” I muttered.
She placed her hands back on the wheel, but kept glancing at me from the corner of her eye. “Oh-em-gee. You got laid, didn’t you? That’s why you didn’t show up at work yesterday, you were exhausted from all the dirty sex you were having with Magnus.”
I covered my ears like a child and started humming. “Lalalalalalalalala.”
Lacey was still carrying on as she pulled into a parking space in front of Ophelia’s Angels. I was still yelling, “Lalalalalalalalala,” at the top of my lungs like a crazy person, but desperate times called for desperate measures. I couldn’t hear a word she was saying and I smiled at her smugly as she shook her head at me, when suddenly a loud knock sounded at our window. I looked up and to my surprise, Magnus stood there looking bemused.
Lacey stopped talking and I stopped humming.
“Are you ladies ok?”
I instantly remembered that my hands were over my ears. I lowered them, glowered at Lacey and slid out the car.
“We’re fine. Move along,” I said stiffly, sounding like a police officer. “There’s nothing to see here.”
I could hear Lacey giggling from the driver’s seat. I wanted to elbow her, but I wasn’t close enough to do any damage. So disappointing.
“Ok then...” he said, backing up since I’d practically barked at him. “I guess I’ll just move along then. See you inside.”
I ignored him, but glanced at him as he walked away. The man had a perfect backside and I remembered exactly how it felt when I had my legs wrapped around it.
“I can’t remember the last time I had sex,” Lacey said unceremoniously as she got out the car. “Jude and I try sometimes but normally we both pass out during foreplay because we’re so drained by the time we actually get to bed.”
“Thanks for the information.”
“You’re welcome,” she chirped.
We made our way to the front of the building with Lacey smiling like a Cheshire cat.
“And don’t think that I didn’t know you and Jude planned that whole kid invasion the other night.”
“What? Us? Plan something so underhanded?” She pretended to look hurt. “Gosh, Lesli, your accusations are just plain malicious.”
“Give me a break. You’re a terrible actress.”
Lacey smiled. “You’re twenty-three. You’re young, single, and cute. There’s nothing wrong with doing what you want with whomever you want. There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun.”
Jude had certainly changed her. Lacey hadn’t exactly been the type to throw caution to the wind before she met Jude. I liked this new aspect of my cousin’s personality.
She opened the office door and I walked in. She followed closely behind me and continued talking. “You spent your formative years working your way through a rigorous and challenging program instead of making mistakes and dating losers like the rest of us. Just consider Florida a vacation from your rational self and old life. What happens in Florida, stays in Florida,” she summed up in a stage whisper.
I laughed at her. She was right, but I was still determined to not admit to my little indiscretion with Magnus.
The other half of the guilty party in question was chatting with Maya at the water cooler. She was still on crutches and apparently had solicited Magnus’s help.
“Gosh, this water is cold. It’s just what I need considering how hot it just got in here,” I heard Maya say flirtatiously.
I couldn’t help myself, I laughed out loud and caught Magnus’s attention as a result. We shared a little smile that made my heart seem to skip a beat. I flushed and looked elsewhere, almost running into an open door.
Jude appeared at the door and said, “Careful there, partner. Doors are expensive to replace.”
I groaned and mumbled an apology, saying something about being clumsy.
“Your friend, Violet, I sent her an email. She’s coming in for an interview in a few minutes.”
“That’s great! You’ll like her. She’s pretty cool.”
“She sounded... umm…” He seemed to be pensive as he searched for the right word. “She sounded very enthusiastic, to say the least. Her direct quote was that she would ‘work her ass off for me.’”
“Yikes,” I said.
“She’s a little rough around the edges, I take it?”
“That’s a pretty diplomatic way to put it.”
“Anyway, I’m looking forward to meeting her. I might have to make her memorize the employee handbook though since she’s a little bit much.”
“We have an employee handbook?”
Jude frowned and scratched his chin. “I’ve never actually seen it, but I think we have one of those.” He turned to Lacey. “Babe, we do have an employee handbook, don’t we?”
“No.”
“Oh. I guess I should write one.”
Lacey shook her head. “Pitiful.” They exchanged a little smile with each other and I couldn’t help but notice how much they genuinely liked each other. Their relationship was so easy-going, so natural. Yeah, they teased each other, but it was never nasty or mean-spirited. In the time I’d been living with them, it had become clear how much they enjoyed just being with each other. They were a perfect match and I found myself hoping maybe one day I would have what they had.
And as circumstances would have it, at that very moment my eyes connected with Magnus’s. He was still stuck at the water cooler with a chatty Maya. He didn’t smile. His eyes were hard to read as he studied me silently. I wondered what he was thinking. I was thinking if maybe fate was playing a role and maybe, just maybe, Magnus might be the one for me.
But there’s no way I could be that lucky. A billionaire bachelor wouldn’t be interested in a real relationship with me especially since I’d already slept with him, right? I sincerely doubted he’d ask me out again since he most likely got what he wanted.
I turned away, feeling uneasy under his gaze. I knew eventually I would have to talk to him, but eventually didn’t have to be
right now.
I walked into my office, booted up my computer and started working. A few hours passed and I realized I’d been in deep concentration when someone hissed my name.
I turned in the direction of my office door and Violet stood there. I barely recognized her. She had straightened her unruly blonde hair and pulled it back into a very neat bun. She was also wearing a smart, black pantsuit that looked sophisticated and professional. It was like seeing Violet all grown up.
“Hi,” she said, waving at me. “I know you’re working, but I just wanted to say hi.”
“Hi,” I said. “Are you on your way to the interview?”
“Actually, I just finished. I think it went well. Hopefully, I’ll get the job.”
“I’m sure you did great. I hope you get it too.”
“Yeah. This place is great. Jude, Lacey, Aidan... Everyone who interviewed me has been amazing. You’re so lucky to be related to such cool peeps. Anyway, I’ll see you. Thanks so much for setting me up with this interview!”
“You’re welcome,” I said as she sashayed out.
I turned away from the door and was about to reach for my mouse when someone cleared their throat. I turned around and it was Magnus.
“Hi,” he said. I tried not to think of how handsome he looked today. He was effortlessly virile and attractive, no matter what he wore… or didn’t wear.
My mind instantly went back to the other night. I thought of how I felt wrapped in his arms.
“Hi,” I said more curtly than I meant, but I didn’t apologize. Instead, I immediately turned away and started returning emails. I hoped he wouldn’t notice my skin flushing in his presence and my hands were shaky as I typed. His presence unsettled me before we’d slept together, but now after our rendezvous, I was a thousand times more unsettled by his nearness.
“Can we talk?” he asked, coming into the office and standing next to me. He dropped his voice so that only I could hear him. “I just want to make sure you’re alright—”
“I’m fine.”
“It’s just that you left so abruptly... I figured you were upset about what happened between us?”
I just wanted him to shut up. I was too embarrassed to deal with my emotions, especially since I wasn’t sure how I felt about anything. Apparently, he didn’t get the hint. I was torn between being upset with him and wanting to hide from embarrassment.
“Nothing happened between us,” I hissed.
He raised a brow and his voice dropped an octave, making it that much sexier. “I wouldn’t say nothing.”
I sighed and turned to face him. “Look. It was a mistake. I’m fine. I don’t want to talk about it. I would rather just pretend it never happened. Like I said, it was a mistake. So if you don’t mind, I’m working...” I gestured toward the computer. “If you’d excuse me...” I let my voice trail off and I expected him to say something else, but he didn’t.
He just turned around and walked out without another word.
I instantly felt terrible. He didn’t deserve to be yelled at because of my own insecurities, but I had reacted to his presence like a cornered rabid animal. God, I felt like such a jerk. But then I convinced myself I wasn’t a jerk. I’d just been assertive. That night had been a mistake. And it was a mistake I wasn’t interested in repeating, at least that’s what I was telling myself.
I shook my head. I didn’t know what I wanted. My adventure in Florida was turning out to be more of a misadventure and I didn’t know what to do about it. I looked up from my computer and through the window which faced the parking lot.
I watched as Violet attempted to pull out of the parking lot and almost ran into Magnus who was walking to his car. She apologized profusely, and he shrugged it off, looking distracted. To my surprise, Violet got out of the car and started to flirtatiously dust him off, although he was clearly not dirty or injured in any way.
My eyes narrowed as she chatted with him. She touched his arm every now and then. I found myself leaning forward until my forehead was almost pressed against the window. She laughed at something he said and in response, he smiled a little. And then her cell phone was out and so was his.
“Are they seriously exchanging numbers?” I hissed to myself. They clearly were. I was seething on the inside.
I could see Violet smiling at him and she placed a hand on his sleeve and gave him another flirtatious smile before walking away. He watched her walk away and gave her a small wave before getting into his fancy car and zooming off.
I swallowed back the lump in my throat. I was jealous because in my mind Violet was moving in on my territory. And then I reminded myself that I wasn’t interested in some womanizing billionaire.
But if that were true, why did my heart ache at the thought of Magnus seeing the one person that I considered a friend?
Chapter Ten
Cranky didn’t begin to describe how I was feeling as I stepped out of Lacey’s car and prepared for a very, very long day at the studio.
“Have fun!” she yelled to me, and I waved at her but grunted in reply. I was in a terrible mood. I had barely gotten any sleep because every time I closed my eyes I dreamt about the evening Magnus and I had spent together, but instead of it being us making love, it was Magnus and Violet. Lacey had woken me up several times in the middle of the night to ask me what was wrong because apparently I’d been yelling at them in my sleep. That, in turn, had awoken baby Sebastian. I had apologized profusely to Lacey and had made it up to her by staying up all night with Sebastian until he fell back to sleep at four o’clock.
Now I was exhausted. It was six o’clock. I’d had at most ten minutes of sleep before I needed to get back up to head out for the first taping of the Brain Pain episode.
I expected Lacey to be just as out of it as I was, but she had shrugged off the sleep interruption and had declared she was used to it.
I didn’t want to do anything but sleep, I thought to myself, as I was escorted to the entrance of the studio by direction of a security guard who was way too chipper for my taste. I didn’t know I was such a grumpy person without sleep. I was learning a lot about my true self, courtesy of Florida.
There was a flurry of activity and I didn’t know where to go, so I just stood there wondering what to do and when to do it.
“Morning,” a voice said behind me, and I instantly recognized Magnus’s voice. He looked nice, dressed in faded gray jeans and a close-fitting black shirt.
He handed me a cup of coffee and I happily accepted it, avoiding his eyes. It had been tough avoiding him for the past two weeks, but I had succeeded. Too bad I didn’t feel good about it.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.” I was grateful. Caffeine was exactly what I needed.
“Ready for today?”
I shook my head. “I’m exhausted and not in the best of moods.”
“Couldn’t sleep? Nervous about the recording?”
I nodded. I didn’t dare tell him about a certain X-rated dream that had really been the reason I couldn’t sleep.
“Mr. Deacon?” interrupted a young man with uncertainty in his voice.
“Yes?”
“I’m Dale.” Dale was a redhead with freckles. He was a little round and seemed to be under five feet tall. Surprisingly, his voice was quite deep which caught me off guard. “I’m your personal assistant while on set. I need to lead you to makeup. Please come with me.”
“And what about Ms. Cabot?”
He looked unsure. “I don’t know. I guess she can come too. All the VIPs have private suites. So if you would like to bring her, you can.”
“Would you like to join us?” Magnus asked.
“No. I’ll just wait here.” I was delighted that I would have some breathing room. I didn’t feel like I was up to the task of even talking to Magnus right now.
Dale nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll send someone over to get you into makeup.”
Dale led Magnus away when another person popped up next to me. “You’re one of the contesta
nts, right?”
Before I could answer, she grabbed me by the sleeve and started to lead me away. She looked like a little old lady, but she had a steel grip and I didn’t even bother pulling away.
“I’m Celeste. We’re going to get you all dolled up and then you’ll be ready for action. How does that sound?”
“Sounds great.”
“Excellent.”
Ten minutes later I was “dolled up” as Celeste put it and positioned next to Magnus on set. I studied the other six contestants.
“Is that Ruben Mitchell?” I asked in disbelief.
“Who’s Ruben Mitchell?” Magnus said.
I turned to Magnus with a look of incredulity on my face, “He’s an Olympian. He brought home at least four gold medals last year. He’s a competitive swimmer.”
Magnus’s face showed no sign of recognition. He just shrugged. And then I looked at the other contestants and instinctively grabbed Magnus’s arm in excitement. “Oh my God, do you see that woman over there? With the blue shirt and dark jeans?”
“Uhh yeah… my arm.” He grimaced.
I looked at him. “What?”
“You’re killing my arm.”
“Oops. Sorry,” I said, letting go of him. “I’m just really excited. She’s like one of my heroes.”
“Oh really?” he said, finally showing some interest. He honestly looked bored and a little down. I wondered what all that was about. He was probably missing Violet, I thought before telling myself to stop being obsessive about something that was none of my business.
“She’s a scientist. I took a class with her years ago as part of an exchange program. I was like sixteen at the time.”
“Was she good?”
“Yes, she’s amazing.” I sighed. “She probably doesn’t remember me. I’m sure she’s had thousands of students.”
“Maybe she does. You should go over and say hello.”
I shook my head, feeling intimidated. “No. It was a long time ago and she has her own show on the Science Channel where she discusses everything from DNA to human sexuality. She’s a genius.” I frowned. “We’re going to lose.”
“Do you know who that guy is?” Magnus asked me. I looked in the direction of where he was pointing and saw a tall lanky dude, shooting daggers with his eyes. And those daggers were directed at Magnus.
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