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  “Okay, here we go,” Fernando calls, and I divert my attention to him just as he starts snapping the camera like crazy, calling out instructions to me. I’m constantly moving, putting my hand in my hair, taking it out again, smiling, pouting, looking understanding. Again and again the shutter snaps, taking photo after photo, and I wonder just how many he needs.

  I can feel Storm’s eyes on me through the whole process, and every time I peek over at him, his gaze is locked on me. The hunger in his eyes is driving me wild, and a blush creeps up to my cheeks. I turn back to Fernando, my pulse beating between my thighs.

  “Yes, just like that, Darling. You look incredible,” Fernando calls, and I turn my gaze back to Storm. I want him to see me like this. I feel sexy, and it’s all because of him. He’s the one evoking these reactions in my body, and I want him to know it. When my eyes meet his, he licks his lips, taking a step forward before he can stop himself. He drops his gaze, and I look back to Fernando.

  “Okay, that’s all for this set. Go get changed, love, and we’ll start on the next set.”

  I nod and climb off the couch. Seeking out Storm in the crowd of people standing around watching the shoot, I finally find him off to the side and go over to him, ignoring Candace calling my name.

  “Hey,” I whisper, my chest swelling as I quietly gasp for air.

  “Fucking gorgeous,” he says, almost to himself as his gaze drops down my body.

  “I have to go change, okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be here.”

  I nod and sneak in one last glance before I follow Candace to hair and make-up, where they quickly change me into the second outfit and pile my hair into a bun. They give me a few moments to myself to relax but before I can even sit down, there’s a knock at the door. I open it and smile when Storm immediately steps into my space and hooks his hand around the back of my neck.

  “Hey, stranger,” I say, looking up at him, and he doesn’t respond, his gaze solely focused on my red painted lips. He doesn’t waste a second dipping down and claiming my mouth in a kiss that makes me want to lock the door and tell them all to go to hell. How long is he going to make me wait? I want him.

  “Shit,” he mutters when he pulls back and looks down at my face. I start laughing at the red lipstick smeared around his mouth and start wiping it away with my thumb.

  “You’re going to send poor Fernando into a tizzy,” I tell him, and he glares over my head.

  “Fuck him. He needs to keep his goddamn hands off you.”

  “Oh, yeah, tough guy? Why’s that?”

  “Because,” he replies, and I just stare up at him, willing him to say the words. I want to hear him say that I’m his, that the thought of any other man touching me kills him.

  “Because?” I finally break and ask him.

  “Because I don’t like it.”

  It’s not exactly what I was hoping for but I’ll take it. I finish wiping the make-up off his face and lean up on my tiptoes, planting one more quick kiss on his lips.

  “Well, you shouldn’t worry because I was too preoccupied by this other guy to even notice that he was touching me,” I tease, running my hand up the open zipper of his leather jacket.

  “Yeah? Sounds like a lucky bastard.”

  I shrug, and he grins at the face I make. “I can’t disagree with you.”

  “Two minutes,” someone calls and knocks on the door, opening it without waiting for a response. Candace takes one look at me and rolls her eyes.

  “We need make-up in here again!” she yells down the hall.

  “You should probably go,” I say with a sigh and he nods.

  “That’s actually why I came in here. I just got a call from Blaze and I gotta run.”

  I frown, too disappointed to even try and hide it. “Okay. Dinner tonight?”

  “I’m not sure. This might be an all nighter.”

  I nod and hate how easily he can get to me. My mood immediately picked up when he showed up here, and it’s plummeting again now that he’s leaving. “Okay.”

  His hand slides in my hair, and he pulls me forward, planting his lips on my forehead. “I’ll text you later, Baby. I gotta go.”

  People start filing into the room, and I nod, peeking up at him as he releases me. He slips out as they start fixing my make-up again, and I sigh, pushing away my disappointment so I can finish this shoot. With any luck, I’ll see him again later tonight.

  Chapter Twelve

  Alison

  The nerves hit full force as I step out of my car and shut the door behind me. My stomach twists, and each breath I pull into my lungs echoes in my ear as my heels click against the concrete. The building that houses the radio station looms in front of me, and I stop for a moment, taking a deep breath. I’ve been a reporter for years but the thought of going in there and being on the radio makes my entire body tremble. I’m much more happy tucked away in an office somewhere, writing to everyone.

  “Ali,” a familiar voice calls, and I turn, catching sight of Mercedes striding across the lot like she owns it. Who knows, she just might. I smile at her when she reaches me and wraps me in a hug.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?”

  She shrugs and checks her phone. She’s constantly glued to that thing. “Here for support.”

  “Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” I say, even though I’m honestly touched. It’s nice having your boss in your corner. She glances up from the screen and locks her eyes on mine.

  “You seemed nervous about all this, and I told you, I’ve got your back. I’m not Klein.”

  “Well, thank you.”

  She tucks her phone back into her bag and smiles brightly at me. “No need to thank me. We ready to do this?”

  I look up at the building again and suck in a nervous breath before nodding. With Mercedes at my side, I do feel a little more comfortable walking into the bland reception area. From the muted gray carpet to the white walls, everything about this place is boring. Then again, I suppose they don’t really need to look good. It is radio, after all.

  “Can I help you?” an older receptionist asks from behind the desk, and Mercedes takes control of the situation, walking over to her and hoisting her large bag up on the counter.

  “Yes. I’m Mercedes Richmond, and this is Alison James. She’s doing an interview here today.”

  “Yes, of course. Follow me, please.” She rises from her seat and starts off down the hallway to her left as we follow behind her. We pass a few empty offices, and when we reach the back, she stops and waves to a man behind a glass wall. He gives her a thumbs-up, and she turns back to us with a professional smile.

  “Just wait here. He’ll be out in a moment.” She hurries off the way we came, and Mercedes grabs my arm, giving it a little squeeze.

  “How you feeling?”

  I nod, looking over the sound booth. “I’m okay, I think.”

  “Just be yourself, Ali. It’s why I hired you and why people loved your article. Don’t forget that.”

  I nod, smiling at her. Having her here really does help me feel better. “Wow, you give good pep talks.”

  Before she can say anything else, the sound booth door opens, and a man who looks like the real life Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo cartoons pokes his head out. Long messy blond hair falls into his face, and his plaid shirt looks like it’s two sizes too big for his tall, lanky body.

  “Alison?” he asks, looking between Mercedes and I. I raise my hand as she pushes me forward, still not looking up from her phone and I roll my eyes. He motions for me to follow him, and I start walking toward the door but he looks behind me to Mercedes.

  “You’ll need to stay out here. There is a pair of headphones and a chair over there for you.” He points to a small desk that’s pushed up against the glass with a set of headphones laying on top. She finally looks up from her phone and nods, dragging the chair from the wall over to the desk as she plops her purse down and sets up shop.

  He turns back to the booth and I follow
him inside. “We don’t have a lot of time but I’m Sam. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too, Sam,” I say, offering him a polite smile.

  “Just go ahead and have a seat over there and put those headphones on. I’ll introduce you, and then we’ll get started. Sound good?”

  “That sounds great.” I take a deep breath as I move around the round desk and sit at the microphone next to his. He throws the headphones on his head and turns his chair to face me. Just as he starts counting down from five, I put the headphones on and set my bag down on the floor next to me, trying not to freak out that I’m about to go on the air.

  “Welcome back,” he booms into the microphone as soon as he gets to one, his entire face coming alive as he speaks to his listeners. It’s easy to see why he does this. If you saw a side-by-side comparison of the man who greeted me outside this booth and the man I’m sitting next to right now, you’d never believe they were the same person. “I’ve got something exciting for you all today! Viral star, Alison James, is here!”

  It feels weird to hear him call me a viral star but I guess that’s what I am now. But that doesn’t mean I like it.

  “Now, you all may remember the article Alison wrote a few days ago about her horrible online dating experiences. She’s also the new advice columnist over at Champagne Dreaming, a blog run by Mercedes Richmond, daughter of billionaire Charles Richmond. Thanks for being here today, Alison.”

  I startle and lean into the microphone. “Thanks for having me.”

  “Oh, we’re glad to have you, and can I just say from guys everywhere, we’re sorry about those dates.”

  I laugh. “Well, thank you but there’s no need. They are done and over with, and I’m happy to put them in my past.”

  “So, I kind of have to ask the obvious question here, are you single? Did anything come of those dates?”

  I open my mouth and close it again, not sure what to say. Are Storm and I dating? He’s always around but it’s not like we’ve talked about it. And yeah, I really like him a lot but still, we just met.

  “Oh, boy, I’m judging by the look on your face that there might just be someone in your life.”

  I laugh and tuck my hair behind my ear, trying to keep the blush from rising to my cheeks. “Well, it’s new so I’m not really sure what we are yet but I did meet someone.”

  “And am I safe in assuming that it’s not one of the guys from the article?”

  I decide to let as little information slip as possible and look up at him as I pretend to zip my lips. “I’m afraid that that’s all the information you’re going to get from me.”

  “Oh, what a tease,” he says, laughing, and I join in. I peek out at Mercedes, and she grins at me.

  “All right, well, let’s get down to the real reason why you’re here, shall we?”

  I nod. “Let’s do it.”

  “You heard her, folks. When we get back, Ali’s going to be taking your calls and dishing out advice so stay tuned.”

  Music starts playing over the headphones, and the guy across from me pulls his off, and I follow suit. “How was that? Not so bad?”

  “No, that was fun. I definitely feel less nervous now,” I tell him, and he smiles.

  “Good. No need to be nervous. You ever done promo like this before?”

  I laugh and shake my head. Before this, I worked at a small paper. I’ve never been interviewed like this in my life. “No.”

  He grins and nods, taking a sip of the soda next to him. “Yeah, most people haven’t.”

  “How did you get started?”

  “Did it in college and never stopped doing it, I guess. They say I have a face for radio.”

  Thank god, he laughs because I can’t help but join in with him. He looks over at something and sits up in his chair again.

  “Here we go,” he says as he starts counting down on his fingers again, and I slip my headphones on.

  “And we’re back with Alison James. She’s gonna be dishing out advice for you all so let’s take our first caller. Caller one, you’re on the air. What’s your name?”

  “Hannah.” The timid voice comes over the headphones, and I smile.

  “Hi, Hannah.”

  Sam smiles at me. “Thanks for calling, Hannah. You got a question for Ali?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Let’s hear it,” I prompt, and even through the headphones, I can hear her take a deep breath.

  “So, there is this guy that I’ve had a crush on forever, and sometimes he seems like he’s into me, too, and then other times it’s like I don’t exist. When things are good, they are so good but I have no idea what he really wants from me. What should I do?”

  “Well, Hannah, this one is kind of easy, and let me start off by saying that boys are stupid, sometimes. No offense, Sam.”

  He holds his hands up, grinning. “I’m right there with ‘ya. We’re idiots, Hannah.”

  She giggles, and I can feel some of her tension melt away.

  “The real question you need to consider, Hannah, is if you can live with regret. You basically have two options. You can ignore this and spend the rest of your life wondering what would have happened if you’d had the balls to act or you can make the leap and hope it works out.”

  “But… what if he doesn’t like me?”

  “Tell me something, Hannah. Why would you want to spend your life pining after a guy who doesn’t realize what a babe you are?”

  She giggles again, and I smile as I look out at Mercedes, who is practically bouncing in her seat.

  “Well, when you put it that way,” Hannah says and laughs again.

  “Listen, either way, it’s good for you. Either you get the guy you like or you can stop wasting your time wondering if there is anything between you. And if he doesn’t want you, there are plenty of other guys who will.”

  “It’s just that he’s been a part of my life for so long. We’ve been friends since we were kids. I don’t want to lose him.”

  “Whoever said you had to cut him out of your life completely? You can let go of this crush without letting go of him. But, Hannah, you deserve to be happy, and it sounds like you’re kind of miserable right now.”

  “Well, yeah. He’s got this on again off again thing with someone but he always comes to me when he needs anything.”

  “Ouch,” Sam cuts in, “I hate to say it but it sounds like you’ve been friend zoned hard, Hannah.”

  “I agree. But I’m curious why you would want a relationship with a guy who clearly doesn’t appreciate you. I’m a big believer in fate, Hannah, and I think if you let this guy go and just be his friend, you’re going to meet someone who will really sweep you off your feet.”

  “Damn. Mic drop,” Sam calls out into the room, and both Hannah and I laugh. “Thanks so much for your call, Hannah. Let’s take one more before we go to break. You’re on the air, caller. Who am I talking to?”

  “I’d rather not say my name,” a deep voice says, and Sam looks to me for confirmation. I shrug.

  “Okay, that’s fine. You got a question for Ali today?”

  “Uh, no, not really. I just wanted to talk to her and tell her that I’m a huge fan.”

  “Well, thank you. I appreciate that,” I say into the microphone.

  “Hi, Ali. It’s so nice to be talking to you,” the caller says, his voice getting softer when he speaks to me, and I look up at Sam, who smirks at me.

  “You, too.”

  “Seems someone’s got a little crush on Ali. Eh, caller?” Sam asks.

  “No, I just wanted to tell her I’m looking forward to reading the new column,” he says, and you can hear how uncomfortable he is.

  “Thank you so much. I hope you’re going to like it.”

  “Oh, I’m sure that I will. Everything you write is so good, and you’re so talented.”

  “Well, thank you for saying that.”

  “Of course. You should hear how great you are everyday and so beautiful, too. I love
that picture of you they put next to your articles. I’ve read everything you’ve ever written.”

  “Thank you,” I mumble, really not liking the icky feeling that’s washing over me right now.

  “Anytime, Gorgeous. I’m just a huge fan, and I can’t believe I’m actually talking to you right now.”

  I look over to Sam, desperate for him to do something and he nods, leaning in toward the mic.

  “We’ve got to take a break, folks, but we’ll be back with Ali in a few.”

  Sam starts up the next song and pulls his headphones off at the same time that I do. I toss them on the counter in front of me and sigh. He looks over at me and shakes his head.

  “Man, that was…” Sam starts to say, his voice trailing off when he can’t find the right word.

  “Uncomfortable?” I ask, and he laughs.

  “Yeah, that’s one way to describe it.” He stands from his chair and stretches. “Let’s go grab a soda. We’ve got a little time before we go on again.”

  We step out of the booth, and Mercedes squeals as she rushes over to me. “My god, Ali. That was great.”

  “Yeah, except for that last call.”

  She shrugs. “Brush it off, buttercup. You’ve got another forty-five minutes of this to go.”

  I nod and follow Sam to the break room where he grabs a soda for himself before grabbing another one for me. We walk back to the sound booth and settle back into our seats just as time is running out. I slip my headphones on, and Sam points to me.

  “That was I Can’t Go On Without You by Kaleo, and I’m back with Alison James, taking your calls. What’s your name, caller?” Sam asks into the microphone.

  “Karen.”

  “Hi, Karen,” I say.

  “You got a question for Ali today?” Sam asks, leaning back in his chair as he pulls the microphone closer.

  “Yes. So, recently, my husband has been acting strange. He comes home late, and he’s not interested in sex anymore. Do you think he’s cheating on me?”