Page 15 of Is It Casual Now?

fifteen

Ms. Siena Frazee,

Thank you for sending back your notes on the latest set of questions I have sent in relation to the interview with Bunny and Piper.

I’ve decided to go in another direction, and there will be only one question I would like to ask them. While I know you have made it clear that you would like to screen all questions before setting a date to sit down with them, I think this question will only work if both women are given the opportunity to answer it honestly.

I can assure you the question relates solely to their careers as musicians.

Awaiting your reply,

Jamie

“What the fuck, Jamie?” Siena muttered again as she scanned the words for the tenth time. Everything about this gave Siena the feeling of trying to walk on the deck of a ship in the middle of a storm, a stomach-churning thrill she wasn’t sure she liked.

There had been a third round of questions, and now there were only two questions of the dozen Siena didn’t approve of. The other ten would allow Piper and Bunny to answer as much or as little as they felt comfortable.

The woman had so much spunk and fight in her, but this was too far.

After their impromptu make-out session at the school, Harley’s school, Siena had been filled with a small spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, she and Jamie could at the very least finish what she had cut short the first night they had met.

She hadn’t heard from Jamie since the concessional interview with Siena a few days later, only for this email to ping into her inbox this morning. She’d been expecting the interview to be read prior to publishing. But this…this wasn’t that at all.

Taking a deep breath, Siena started typing.

Ms. Kettlehouse,

As you have mentioned, no questions can be asked that have not already been approved by myself. This is non-negotiable. If you’re no longer interested in interviewing my clients, I’ll remove you from my calendar.

If you’re still interested, I suggest you send your question through for my approval.

Siena

The email reply came almost instantly, and Siena frowned as it popped into her inbox. Surely, it’d be quicker if Jamie would just text her the question. Why was she even withholding it? There was no point to this. Growling, Siena clicked open the email and read.

Ms. Frazee,

I was under the impression negotiating terms for your clients was part of your job. The interview can be unrecorded in all forms, and you and your client may be given the opportunity to read my final edit before publication.

I will, however, not be sending through any more questions for your approval. I do not have time, nor do I need to be babysat in doing my job. I’m a perfectly capable journalist.

Jamie

“What the hell?” Siena muttered under her breath. What was Jamie playing at? She hadn’t questioned Jamie’s abilities at all. All she’d done was try to protect her clients. She was about to call Jamie up and give her a piece of her mind, but she didn’t want any misunderstanding in what was being exchanged between them.

Jamie,

What the hell are you doing ?

Okay, well that might not have been exactly what Siena was going for. She wished she could click the unsend button, but there wasn’t one in her email. And she’d definitely allowed herself to be goaded into responding purely based on emotion.

She had to be better than this. She was just about to type another email out and apologize for her irrational behavior when another email popped into her inbox.

Ms. Frazee,

My job. I suggest you do yours.

Ms. Jamie Kettlehouse

Siena’s breath sped up, and her cheeks burned hot. Was she fucking kidding? Do her job? What the hell had happened between their kisses and now? What the hell could the one question be that Jamie would sacrifice the opportunity to interview Bunny and Piper in person?

“Siena?” Paula’s use of her first name wasn’t entirely unheard of, but the concern in the tone snapped Siena out of her angry haze. At least enough to look up from her computer screen and blink away the red rage that had covered her.

“Sorry, Paula, what was that?”

“I asked if you were all right.” Paula frowned, and Siena could easily see all of the concern in her shoulders and face now. Shit . She really needed to get herself under control.

“Of course. Why?”

“Because if you keep typing the way you have been, I’ll need to start researching a new keyboard for you. And we both know I don’t have time for that.”

Siena looked down, expecting to see keys missing or at the very least finger-sized divots in them.

“Should I put it on my calendar?” Paula asked, slight exasperation filling her tone.

“No.” Siena wouldn’t let herself break down or lash out in front of her receptionist, no matter how long Paula had been in the position. “It’s fine. Thank you, Paula.”

Siena turned off her computer and stood up.

“Are you heading out?” Paula’s furrowed brows and flustered expression gave Siena a small vindictive spike of glee. She could still surprise her at least. Though she definitely didn’t need to take up that challenge every day.

“Yes. I don’t have anything else scheduled for the rest of the day, right?”

“Correct.”

“I need to manage some things for Bunny and Piper.”

“Oh, okay.” Paula’s confusion eased slightly as her brows relaxed and her forehead smoothed out once more. There remained some lingering concern on her face. Undoubtedly from Siena’s change in schedule combined with the behavior that had brought her into Siena’s office in the first place.

“It’ll all work out in the wash.” Siena leaned back on one of her well used statements and gave Paula the best smile she could manage. Losing Paula was the last thing she needed.

“Must be a pretty intense situation for it to get you frazzled like this.” Paula rarely fished for compliments, but the comment made Siena twitch. “I hope it’s not any more insane media dramas.” Paula smiled, unaware she was hitting the nail right on the head.

“Nothing we can’t handle, right?”

“You mean you.” In control of what happened in the office once more, Paula smiled and resumed being the relaxed receptionist Siena adored. “If it were up to me, all those jerks would be turned away and kicked off a bridge—a high bridge.”

Siena laughed, trying hard to ignore the lump that formed in her throat as she grabbed her things and walked out of the office.

It wasn’t hard to find Jamie’s address. Siena couldn’t help but acknowledge the small flutter of worry for the journalist who had so often pissed her off in the past. Jamie was on quite a few managers’ shit lists and Siena wondered if Jamie hadn’t had problems with her home being so easy to find.

Shaking off the concern, she remembered why she had sought out Jamie’s apartment in the first place. The climb up the stairs pulled at Siena’s rarely used muscles. It had been far too long since she had seen the inside of her gym or taken someone home for some fun acrobatic adventure.

Her night with Jamie didn’t count. She hadn’t used nearly enough muscles in that hotel room.

Taking a deep breath, she shook out her hands before lifting one and knocking on the red steel door.

“What the hell?” Jamie started speaking before she had even pulled the door open, her voice and annoyance obvious.

For a moment, Siena stood stunned into silence at the sight of Jamie. She stood natural and real in a sleeveless shirt that didn’t quite reach the band of the small shorts that hugged the tops of her thighs.

“Uhhh…” An incoherent gurgle came out of Siena’s mouth.

A small flicker of a smile crossed Jamie’s lips until they turned down, arms crossing over those delicious breasts. The movement snapped Siena out of her haze, and she swallowed the lump that had remained since she left the office.

“What the hell is the question, Jamie?” Siena didn’t wait for an invite, stepping past Jamie and inside. She barely caught a glimpse of the small space before the door lock snicked behind her, and she turned to see Jamie with her hands on her hips in front of the closed door.

“Seriously?” Jamie laughed, the sound nothing like that infectious noise Siena had been dreaming about whenever her mind wandered off over the last few weeks.

“Why have you gone back on our agreement?” Siena didn’t like the hint of hurt that leaked out in her words. She ignored it as best she could and only hoped Jamie would do the same.

“It wasn’t an agreement. It was a dictate,” Jamie spat back.

“Dictate?” Siena snarled. She was many things—driven, workaholic, detached at times—but she was not a dictator. She had never been accused of being one either.

“Yes. You decided where and what.” Jamie marched over to a small kitchen and pulled open the fridge door as she spoke. “I even went against my own ethical code and allowed you to dictate this interview, but not anymore.”

“Ethical code.” Siena snorted. Jamie clearly had picked up on the fact that Siena was perturbed by the word dictate and was using it to her advantage. Clever woman.

“Yes.” Jamie returned with two bottles of water. She shoved one in Siena’s hand as she opened the other one and took a gulp before continuing. “Despite what all you money hungry managers think, I have writing and journalism ethics. I’m not a hack making up sensational news for shits and giggles.”

“No, you just make it up for likes and chaos. For your own sick pleasure of seeing the chaos you sew multiply as the gossip is passed around.”

“Well, it sure isn’t for the money.” Jamie scoffed as she lifted her arms to indicate her home.

“Then why bother pissing everyone off for shit you can’t even prove? Is that why you won’t tell me the question?”

“It’s called censoring. You need to protect your clients, sure. I get that. But there’s a difference and this is well beyond protecting them. ”

“Are you kidding me?” Siena’s fingers tightened on the bottle of water, and she was glad she hadn’t opened it to take a drink. If she had, she would have feared the lid would pop off with how hard she squeezed the plastic.

“No.” Jamie met her eyes, and the fire in them was electric.

“You’ve written vile and wildly speculative things about my clients in the past. You’ve caused me no end of trouble. Not to mention the time it takes me to put out the fires and fix the problems you create! And you think me checking your questions before you ask them is too much? I shouldn’t even be considering letting you interview them.”

“Then why are you?” Jamie asked, eyes pinning Siena’s. There was a knowledge behind them, a way of telling Siena that Jamie knew more than she was letting on. The intelligence behind those baby blues was intoxicating. Even as anger heated her chest.

Siena opened her mouth and slammed it shut again with a shake of her head.

“You haven’t even spoken to them, have you?” Jamie spat the question, the tone so sure Siena knew she didn’t have to answer. “You are fucking unbelievable. You told me you were going to talk to them!” Jamie shook her head and paced back and forth in the small space.

Siena felt a tug at the corners of her mouth as she noted the uneven strip of carpet. Evidence of this track having been paced many times before. But with a flick of her eyes back to Jamie’s scowled expression, the urge to smile dropped. Even as her stomach muscles tightened at the movement of the feisty woman who continued to confuse her and make Siena’s own thoughts and feelings contradict each other.

She stepped closer as Jamie paced back toward her.

“What’s the question, Jamie?”

“The question? That’s all you care about, isn’t it?” Jamie pivoted and turned back before she reached Siena .

“I want to know what question is burning so hard in you that you’re willing to jeopardize the olive branch I’ve offered.”

“Olive branch? You’ve pushed back on everything.” She returned, her fingers tangling in her hair, pulling at the strands. Jamie’s disheveled appearance made heat pool between Siena’s legs. Her body itched to reach out and touch, to stop Jamie’s wild and barely controlled movements. “You’ve made it impossible for me to do my job. To keep my fucking job.”

“That’s not on me.” Damn her body. She was angry, not aroused. “You got yourself into this mess—not me.”

“By writing the truth!” Jamie snarled.

Angry and aroused apparently.

“You wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you in the ass.”

“Fuck you, Siena.” Jamie turned again, hands no longer pulling through her hair.

With a quick flick of her eyes, Siena saw Jamie’s hands clenched into fists at her side. What were they playing at? Siena had known coming here was going to be a fight. But she hadn’t expected the tension to rise and stay at this level—threatening to get even higher every second.

“There’s truth the public has a right to see, and then there’s the truth everyone deserves to have kept private to their own lives and choosing. Even celebrities. It’s why I care about doing my job properly. You don’t have a right to slander someone else. You don’t have the right to who a person is. It’s my job to protect everything that is them.”

“To protect them from people like me?” Jamie scoffed and stopped her pacing close enough that Siena felt her warm breath on her face.

“Yes.”

“And what about people like you?”

“Me?” Siena couldn’t hide the shock at the question.

“Yes. You haven’t even told them you’re in negotiations with me for an interview.” Jamie poked a finger into Siena’s shoulder, making her point.

“I don’t tell them every interview I turn down or every avenue I explore. It’s not uncommon to just do the work and tell them the results.”

Jamie shook her head wildly, that answer not satisfying her anger. Or was that hurt? “Did you ever plan to carry it through?”

Siena sighed, bowing her head slightly so she could look directly into Jamie’s baby blues. “What’s the question, Jamie?”

“You want to know?” Jamie hissed.

“Yes.” Siena shuffled closer, her shoes touching the tips of Jamie’s socked feet.

“You really want to know?” Jamie leaned in closer.

“Yes.” Her voice sounded like a whisper, hoarse and raw as she leaned close into Jamie’s space.

“Do you really hate me that much?”

“Hate you?” Siena shook her head. “For making sure I wasn’t putting my clients into a marketing nightmare?”

“But making me think I had a chance to actually talk to them and offer a real insight for their fans?”

“They give enough.” Siena’s voice grew again in volume, her chest tightening as that tension she’d dissipated a little came rushing right back into her.

“They could give more. They already do. Any adult with half a brain can see who Bunny and Piper are with the lyrics they write and sing.” Jamie flung her hand out to the side as if she was pointing to something that would prove her point.

“So why do you care about making them say it?”

“For the teens, for the sheltered ones who’ve never seen someone like themselves thrive. You think you stopping them talking about who they are is helping anyone? When their coming out can help more people than you can imagine?”

Siena wasn’t going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole. Bunny and Piper’s sexuality was theirs and theirs alone. She would never force either one of them to come out unless they wanted to. And she’d kept that secret close for decades. Changing topics slightly was the only way out of this one. “So why hide behind the smear campaigns?”

“Because without pissing you off, I get nowhere. If you ever bothered to read anything of mine further than five years ago, you’d see. I tried playing by your rules. They got me nowhere. But you didn’t, did you? No, because it’s easier to see me as trash instead of an actual human being. If I became real, you might not be able to use me so easily as someone to be pissed off with.”

“You think I can’t see you as a human?” Oh God, that was anything but the truth.

“You don’t see me at all.” Jamie’s breath was hot, her breasts rising and falling faster with each word.

“You’re all I see.” Siena moved in so close her nipples hardened at the gentle brush of Jamie’s shirt against her chest.

“Yeah, right.” Jamie’s eyes flicked to Siena’s lips.

“ Yeah, right is right.” Siena closed the gap. One hand instantly tangled in Jamie’s hair. She pulled Jamie close, so hard and fast that it hurt in a delicious burst of lips slamming against lips.

For a moment, a heartbeat that lasted too long, Jamie’s body remained rigid in Siena’s embrace. Just as Siena was about to pull back, despite the taste of Jamie’s lips feeling like cool water after a desert walk, Jamie’s hands were on Siena’s hips pulling her even closer. The groan that escaped Jamie’s mouth snapped the last of Siena’s reserves as she gave in to everything Jamie.