Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“I won’t,” I tell him, shocked he’d talk to me in that tone of voice in front of everybody else.
Then I realize that tone of voice doesn’t mean much to everybody else. They don’t know how possessive he gets when we start with our tempting steaminess. It’s private and special, like everything we share except for the crush. I’m about to let that loose like Pandora’s Box. Let all the demons out, some of them anyway.
Soon, the crewmembers are leading us into the studio. Maxine Fitzgerald sits on a chair just off to the side of a table. Two more chairs are on one side of the table, one more on the other.
“Isn’t this a little dramatic?” I say.
I don’t realize how loud I’m talking until Maxine spins around on me. Her chair is more like a throne, even with a royal red color. Her hair is a deep red color, too. The smile on her face is mature, fascinated, and just a little judgmental. “Do I hear this is too rich for your blood, dear?”
Kaleb walks up beside me. I can feel how badly he wants to touch my shoulder. I can feel the protective impulses in him. I will have to be so careful tonight not to forget the cameras are rolling and that people can see us. It would feel so natural to reach out and take his hand.
“I didn’t know it was going to be a table, that’s all,” I say.
“We can change it if you find it intimidating.”
Kaleb takes a step forward. I think he’s going to snap at the woman. I quickly cut in, “No, it’s fine. Really. Just thinking aloud.”
She smiles as if to say, Yes, little girl, be quiet. It’s clear not everybody sees me as mature as my man hopefully does. Jane Larson appears on the other side of the set, dressed in ultra-conservative clothing, as if she wants to look as unglamorous as possible. It makes me feel silly in my dress.
“Shall we get started?” Maxine calls off to somebody behind the camera.
For the first time since I agreed to this, real nerves grip me, “get-the-hell-out-of-there!” nerves. If it wasn’t for the fact Kaleb is walking beside me, I know I’d sprint for the nearest exit, but I won’t be a coward. I won’t let fear rule me.
Jane beams over at us as the countdown begins. I’d really like to wipe that smirk off her face. I’m going to be on TV. How is that thought only hitting me now?
“Good day, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you are,” Maxine says smoothly. “This is Standoff, and today, or tomorrow, or…” She waves her hand, and everybody behind the camera laughs like she’s just made the funniest joke ever. I guess it’s because it’s streaming online. It’s not that funny, or maybe I’m just being judgmental to distract from the giant ball of nerves expanding in my belly. “We have Jane Larson. Innocent fan or callous witch?”
“Charming,” Jane says, laughing, seeming completely at ease. She even winks at me. I almost give her the finger.
“And Kaleb Kennison, CEO and founder of Free Everywhere.”
“Co-founder,” Kaleb cuts in. “Paul Taylor founded it with me, too.”
“Quite right,” Maxine says, waving her hand as if it’s irrelevant, but I can tell it means a lot to Kaleb. It also means a lot to me that he felt it necessary to pay respects to Paul, my brother—the man I betrayed last night.
Focus. “Speaking of Paul, we have his sister and aspiring filmmaker, Sophie Taylor.”
“Hello,” I say, my voice sounding all wrong, all garbled. Weird. Jane beams at me like the head cheerleader with a bad attitude and plenty of time to take it out on everybody. It’s giving me high-school flashback vibes.
Maxine tilts her head at me as if to say, Anything else? When I don’t go on, she claps her hands together. “A lady of few words, apparently. Right, then let’s get into the heart of the matter.”
“Before we go on,” Kaleb says, “I want to clarify something.”
“Another interruption?” Maxine sighs.
“You’ll like this. It’s the first time I’ve said this publicly.”
“Ooh, I do like that.” Maxine rubs her hands together. I don’t like the way she’s looking at him. It’s like she thinks he’s a piece of meat for her to drool over. He’s hot as hell, but only I’m allowed to drool over him.
“That video didn’t tell the entire story. It doesn’t show me doing what I did before Sophie threw the phone. I told her to do it. She didn’t want to. She tried to fight me on it, but I didn’t give her a choice.”
I glare at him, my mouth falling open. What the hell does he think he’s doing?
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Kaleb
I don’t look at my woman. She was so determined to do the right thing, but I can’t let her, can’t hurt Paul, can’t have people seeing our future relationship that way. What am I thinking, a future relationship? Can we ever really have that? If we do, I don’t want this tarnishing it. Or maybe she’s right. Perhaps I shouldn’t care. No, I’m doing the right thing.