Page 77 of Last First Date

“I’ve already spoken to the director. She had to run out for another meeting and wanted to touch base. We’ll see her later.”

“Oh,” I said, wondering if this was how it was going to be.

He looked at me with an intensity that made my skin feel warm. It was like he was imagining me naked. He didn’t have to imagine. He’d seen it all. My heart thudded against my chest, a strange sense of tension lingering between us.

“Then I suppose we should get to work.” I tried to keep my voice steady to avoid giving away the turbulence roiling within me.

“Actually, I was thinking we could grab some breakfast first,” he said. “Have you eaten?”

“No.”

“There’s nothing pressing until later. We may as well eat. We’ll be busy all day until late tonight.”

I was hungry. “Okay,” I said, shrugging, trying to look casual.

It was so weird to be with him. There was no unseeing what I saw the night before. There was no un-ringing that bell. We were always going to have this weird tension between us, even if we were both pretending last night never happened.

32

KNOX

Navigating the morning after with Waverly was a delicate dance. She reverted to her usual attire, her hair back in its familiar style, and her makeup minimal. Yet, there was no way to forget the wildcat that was in my bed last night. This whole thing was very strange to me. I had never had to keep myself from going after what I wanted. I wanted her. She was sitting at the table tapping away on the keyboard of her laptop like she didn’t even know I was in the room.

Did last night mean anything to her?

I didn’t think it was appropriate to bring the subject up. We were working. She was officially on the clock. Talking about our hot night of passion seemed like it would be crossing a line. But dammit, I really wanted to know what she was thinking.

Did she regret it?

I knew she wasn’t drunk, so it wasn’t like she could claim she didn’t remember it happening. I had to admit I missed the girl from last night. She’d been fun and sultry and turned me inside out. It was hard to imagine that woman was the woman I was looking at here.

I found myself at a loss on how to act around her. She might be dressed in her typical professional garb, but the memory of her uninhibited self in the bedroom lingered in my mind. The sounds she made, the way her body responded, all left a permanent mark on me. It threw a wrench into the established dynamics of boss and assistant. I couldn’t simply ignore those memories and treat her as a coworker again. I needed to confront this, confront her, but right now was not the time.

She looked up from her laptop, her eyes meeting mine, and for a brief moment, the barriers fell. It was just us, two people with an undeniable connection. But the moment passed quickly as she blinked and returned to her work, the professional shell of Waverly back in place.

“Knox,” she began, her tone strictly business. “I’ve arranged the timetable for today’s shoot. You’ll need to meet with the makeup artists and the wardrobe department before the shoot starts.”

I nodded, barely hearing her. We worked for another hour before it was time to head to the lingerie headquarters. Waverly would be a part of the photoshoot, which meant I was going to be handling all the details and coordinating everything.

As soon as we reached the large room where the photoshoot was set up, the director made a beeline for us, her excitement palpable. She showered Waverly with praise. I agreed. Waverly deserved every compliment she was getting. But under the praise, I could see Waverly was uncomfortable. She didn’t know how to handle it. She was humble and shy.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Behind the professional mask she wore so well, I caught a glimpse of the woman I discovered last night—a side of her that left me intrigued. Waverly looked like she wanted to be anywhere except standing in front of the director. It was strange, but I felt like I knew Waverly in that moment. She did a good job keeping her features schooled, but I knew better. Under the tight smile, I saw a vulnerability that made me want to protect her.

“We should get you into hair and makeup,” I said, politely extracting her from the director. “I’ll make sure everything else is moving along.”

“Thanks,” she said, smiling.

“Just remember, they are all praising you because you are deserving of it. They aren’t just saying it. You showed off some real modeling chops.”

“Any advice for the shoot today?” she asked. “I guess I have an advantage the other girls don’t have.”

“What would that be?”

“You,” she said, smiling. “You’re a professional model. You’ve done this a hundred times, right?”

It wasn’t the answer I was hoping for, but I understood.