Page 15 of The Publicist

I strip out of the rest of my clothes, down to my boxers. I’m not expecting a response, so I jump when my phone buzzes with a new message.

Steve:I’m not sure what you did to mess it up, but you don’t get another one. Find a way to make this work. We need her on our side, and you need her to keep your career afloat.Whatever you did, you better fix it.

Nice to know he thinksI’mthe problem here.

Me:How do you know I did something to mess it up?

Steve:Just fix it!

I’m sure he is going to turn off his phone after that message, so I don’t bother responding. I fall back onto the bed and stare at the ceiling.I’m an asshole.If I didn’t say any of that to her tonight, or if I just went to my room instead of the bar, she wouldn’t be with Tait right now. I wish I wasn’t liquored up because I’d go down to the gym and run for a bit to clear my head.

I close my eyes and picture Quinn—her body as she was straddling mine, her plump lips and her ample breasts, everything pressed up against me. She felt so good against me, soft and inviting. I reach my hand under the waistband of my boxers and stroke myself to the thought of her.

Chapter 15

Tait closesthe door and saunters over to me on the bed. “How ya doing down there, Quinn? Can I get you anything?”

I pop one of my eyes open and look up at him. “The room is spinning, it’s too bright in here, and I’m too hot.”

“Do you want to get more comfortable? I can help you with the dress if you want.” He smiles, sits next to me, and lies back on his side, propping his head on his bent arm so our faces are inches apart. “We can do whatever you want, Quinn, no pressure.”

No pressure, my ass! I know what he’s hoping will happen, and I’m mad enough at Caleb that I want to take him up on the offer. He’s not my client, I’m not on the clock right now, and I’m an adult. Why not have some fun? I was supposed to have a different date this weekend, so why not exchange one average looking dude for one hot Irishman? “What would we do, Tait? Would we make out? Would we round third base? Home run?”

“That all depends on what you want, lass. I’m not much for baseball, but I’m sure we could figure it out.” He runs his finger along my hairline and brushes a few stray strands away from my eyes. His caress is tender, and I lean into it a minuscule amount. I close my eyes and part my lips ever so slightly, and he takes the cue and leans into me, his lips connecting with mine.

The kiss is gentle and his lips are soft, but it’s nothing like the kiss with Caleb. When I kiss Caleb, sparks fly. I forget where I am when I kiss him. I’m so lost in my thoughts of Caleb, I don’t notice when Tait crawls on top of me and grinds down so I can feel him pressing against my core. His kisses have gone from soft to greedy, and I know this isn’t what I want.

I place my hands on his chest and push him back so I can speak. “Tait, I can’t do this. I’m going to go back to my room.” I try to sit up, and he stays on top of me.

“Are you sure that’s what you want? If you go back, you’ll probably have to hear Caleb and that chick going at it. You can stay here. We won’t do anything if you don’t want. We can just sleep.”

“Tait. Get. Off. Me.” I enunciate each word to get my point across to him. He swings his leg off me and helps me stand.

“I’m serious about being a friend, Quinn. You’re a bit of a badass, and I think you’d be fun to get to know. Take some aspirin for your hangover and drink plenty of water. We’ll talk later.” He walks me to the door, places a quick kiss on my cheek, and closes the door it behind me. I walk down to the elevator and make my way up to my room. I let myself in and plop down on the bed, not even bothering to take my dress off.

I wake the next morning with an awful case of bad breath, medusa hair, and my eyelashes coming off. I am too scared to look in the mirror so I don’t. I strip down, remove the millions of pins from my aching head, and pull off my eyelashes, depositing them in the trash. I step under the spray of hot water and scrub off the night before. I feel like death warmed over and want to go back to bed, but I can’t. I need to go for a run or something downstairs, and then I need to get a press release done about last night’s event. The water is making my fingers pruny from being under the spray for so long, so I begrudgingly shut off the water, step out, and wrap a nice fluffy towel around me.

I get into my workout clothes and pull a water bottle from the mini fridge before heading downstairs. I pop a few aspirins and decide to take the stairs to help stretch out instead of the elevator. Caleb is already on the treadmill when I get there, and we lock eyes in the mirror. He offers a slight smile and a small wave but doesn’t stop his run. I set up next to him and pop my headphones into my ears, turning on my running mix.

He lifts his shirt to wipe the droplets of sweat from his brow, and I watch in the mirror as his six-pack flexes with the long strides he makes.He really is beautiful.I turn on the treadmill and set it to a slower pace, not wanting to start too hard. I walk for about five minutes before I turn it up to five-five and jog. I block out everything around me and concentrate on the feel of my feet hitting the belt and the burn of my muscles as my body gets accustomed to the speed and the impact.

I sneak a quick glance up and see Caleb watching me in the mirror. I know he’s watching my boobs as they bounce with each step, and I blurt out, “Eyes up here, Romeo,” pointing to my eyes, just like last night.

He smiles and shakes his head. “They’re too nice not to look at them. You keep up the run, you’re going to knock yourself out.”

“Ah, it speaks to me. Shocking,” I respond sarcastically.

“I’m sorry for how I acted last night. I had no right to do or say any of that. I know I’m an ass. I just don’t want you getting hurt.”

I turn the treadmill down to a brisk walk, as to not embarrass myself as I talk to him. “I appreciate the concern, but I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.” I wonder if I should tell him I didn’t sleep with Tait, and decide it’s better tonotmake him wonder. “I didn’t sleep with Tait, just so you know. I waited until I knew you would be gone and then went back to my room alone.”

“You didn’t?” He sounds relieved as the words leave his perfect lips.

“No. I was never planning on it. I was just going to talk to him for a bit and then go back to my room. Then you showed up and tried to play the alpha male, and I got pissed. I didn’t ask for your protection, Caleb. I don’t need it. I deal with people like you and Tait on a regular basis, and I know how to handle them.”

“I know you didn’t. I just can’t help it. I feel like I need to protect you.” We both stop our treadmills, and he steps over onto mine, effectively caging me in. “There’s a party tonight. Want to come with me?”

“No, Caleb, I have a lot of work to do and press releases to write. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”