AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I spin around and stare at her, not sure I heard her correctly. “Seriously?”
She nods. I punch my fist in the air as I continue toward the executive producer’s office, with Phoebe right on my heels. When I open his door, Stu and Kenna are already sitting at the round table in his office. Kenna’s complexion is pale, and her knee bounces. She flicks her eyes toward me then back down to her lap where her fists clutch her skirt.
Jacobs stares at me then shakes his head. “I’m glad you look better on camera than you do right now. Have a seat.”
While Phoebe and I take our seats, Frankie powers up his massive wall-mounted monitor. The date plays in review. While all eyes are on the screen, I watch Kenna. At times, she laughs at what we are doing on the screen and other times, like when we kiss, she works her teeth over her bottom lip, that lip I would love to feel again on mine.
“So, the match went well. Ratings are up, which is our main goal. The poll showed the audience members really loved Kenna, as expected. But what is interesting is they didn’t understand why she picked Number Three.”
My mouth drops as Kenna covers hers.
Frankie pulls up some of the comments from the poll and says, “Apparently, it wasn’t obvious to everyone. That happens occasionally, but the majority of the audience felt she should have picked Number Two.”
“That’s because he took all the good answers.” I say.
Phoebe shakes her head. “That is typical for those in the number three spot.”
Kenna clears her throat. “I’m sorry if it didn’t work. Did anyone suspect…”
“Fortunately, no.” Jacobs doesn’t sound as excited as I thought he would. Something is up.
“Thank goodness,” Stu says, wiping his brow. “I have never been that nervous on camera. Don’t ever put me in that position again.”
Jacobs waves off Stu’s comment. “Even though our audience tends to have some repeats, none have ever seen Kenna. She’s been good to hide in the shadows. And Pryce, well, if they knew the famous singer’s son worked here, they would have spilled the beans by now.”
I let out a deep breath. “So, when will the date air?”
“Today after the next match. If we don’t get any flak within a day or two, we should be in the clear.”
Kenna and I stare at each other while I say, “And if not?”
Jacobs glares at each of us in turn around the table and clenches his jaw before he speaks. “If not, or if ratings tank again, then I will have several job openings to fill. The meeting is over. Get ready for today’s filming, and Pryce, for crying out loud, put on some business clothes.”
In silence, we file out of his office. While the others continue down the hall, I tug on Kenna’s elbow to follow me into my office.
Kenna collapses onto my couch and rocks back and forth. “What have I done? My career is over before it’s gotten started.”
I kneel in front of her and take her hands in mine. “We don’t know that, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
When our eyes meet, I am very tempted to kiss her again, but I’m not sure if that’s the right thing to do. I swallow hard and say, “For what it’s worth, I did have a very nice time with you yesterday.”
Kenna’s smile lights up her face. “I did too. I know it wasn’t real, but… it was fun.”
I’m not sure if “it” is the rock climbing or ice cream or even the kiss, but whatever she is referring to, I totally agree. “Yes, it was. All of it. Right now, I have to be your boss and ask you to pick up my dry cleaning. It’s apparent I’m not in standard business clothes.”
She clutches her tablet to her chest. “Yes, sir. Of course. Work. I need…” She points to the door. “I’ll go now.”
How adorable. When she leaves, I wonder if I should have told her the kiss was real for me or if that would have made things even more awkward. After the date airs, we can figure out where to go from there.
Chapter Seven
Kenna
Awkward doesn’t begin to describe my work environment today. Frankie avoids eye contact with me. When I walked past Stu in the hallway, he acted interested in what was on his blank phone screen. And then there is Pryce. I know he’s my boss, but before the show, we had a sort of friendship while not in front of other coworkers. I want to see more of his flirty side. Now that I’ve witnessed how he can be, I don’t want to go backward. I can’t help it if I enjoyed being with him. It seemed like he enjoyed my company, too, but he’s a hard nut to crack.
I’m tired of being meek about this situation, so as I walk to Pryce’s office with his dry-cleaning bag draped over my arm, I stiffen my spine. Without knocking, I barge in then place the bag over a chair.
“Thanks,” he says.
