Page 24 of The Publicist
Reading the text causes butterflies to erupt in my stomach, and I grin widely.
Me:I’ll never kiss and tell, Tait! Why don’t you just worry about not trying to piss him off today?
Tait:I won’t tell if you kiss me. Promise. ;)
I roll my eyes. Of course, that’s what he would say.
Me:Tait, you’re never going to get any from me, and if you don’t stop acting like a playboy, no respectable woman is ever going to want to deal with you. Maybe you do need my help to change your image, after all.
I put my phone down and go through emails and voicemails. There are very few, which means my clients behaved this weekend.Thank God!Next, I need to look Caleb and myself up on the internet and make sure I know what’s out there. The tabloids are going to do anything they can to get dirt on me, and I would rather control what they can get their hands on. The first few images that pop up are from this past weekend. Caleb has his arm around my waist, and I’m smiling up at him.I wonder when this picture was taken.
Looking at the links below, I see there are already a bunch of news articles trying to figure out who I am. Most of them are from several hours ago, but the top one catches my eyes as it was updated only one hour ago. The header readsWhat to know about Caleb’s mystery girl. “Please tell me about myself,” I mutter and click the link.
There isn’t much we have been able to find about Caleb’s mystery girl, but we do know her name is Quinn Harrison and she is in public relations. She’s thirty-one years old and originally from Ocala, California. She graduated from the University of California Los Angeles with a degree in communications, has been working as a publicist at Strategic Solutions 365 since finishing school. and she has a reputation for being a tough chick. From the look of things, I don’t think she will be around for long. The whole relationship looks like it has been built for his public image, but who knows. Guess we will have to wait to see, won’t we?
I roll my eyes as I finish reading it and scroll to the comments. There are a few nice ones out there about him being seen with a normal looking girl, but then people get nasty. I’ve read my fair share of unflattering comments in the past, but these are the icing on the cake.People really are assholes!The comments range from how snobbish and stuck up I am to how ugly and fat I am.
My phone buzzes, and I see a missed call from Caleb and a text. I didn’t even see he called. My heart skips a beat, and I find myself smiling. I figured, with the way he ran out of the house this morning and the subpar note, that he wouldn’t be in touch. I unlock my phone and open the message.
Caleb:Wish I could have stayed this morning. You looked so peaceful that I didn’t want to disturb you. Can I see you tonight?
My heart is screaming at me to typeyes, but my brain is trying to correct the situation from last night. I collect my thoughts and, after typing and deleting the text several times, I finally hit send.
Me:I’ve got a lot of work to do before taking off to spend the next few months of my life on a movie set, so I won’t have time. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and stay out of trouble.
Caleb:Well, girlfriend of mine, I think it would be best to go out and get photographed together, keep it fresh in everyone’s minds. I’ll pick you up at your office tonight at 6. Don’t make me beg, baby. Please!
Liking the thought of that, I type a quick reply.
Me:I would love to watch you beg. I want you on your knees calling me Princess.
I imagine him begging and like what I’m picturing. The thought sends warmth rushing through me and a blush creeping along my neck and face.
Caleb:Princess, if I’m on my knees, I’m not going to be begging. I’ll be taking what’s mine. I’ll see you tonight.
My stomach tightens, and I let out a shaky breath. Guess I have a date tonight.
Chapter 22
My jaw is stilla little tender from my run in with Tait, but it doesn’t seem to be bruised so I’m happy about that. I show up atStrategic Solutions 365and am greeted by a fairly young girl at the front desk. She has to be in her early twenties, and I’m sure this is some kind of internship for her. Her mouth drops as I walk through the front door and smile.
“Hello, I’m looking for Quinn Harrison.” She just keeps staring at me, so I raise my eyebrows in question.
“Quinn, right. Sorry. It’s justyou’reCaleb Evanstan. I’m a huge fan.” I can tell she wants to ask for an autograph or a photo or something but is refraining. “Um, let me get Ms. Harrison for you. H-have a seat.” She motions toward the oversized loveseat, and I thank her before sitting and making myself comfortable. I can hear her quietly call Quinn to let her know I’m here, and when I glance over, she averts her eyes.
When Quinn comes around the corner, I stand to greet her.Damn, she looks hot!That dress, while it’s conservative, shows just enough cleavage. I lick my lips, wishing I could grab her and take her right here. I take a step toward her and lean in for a kiss, but she turns her head at the last second and I graze her cheek instead.
“Hi, Caleb, nice to see you. I’m almost done. Do you want to come back?” she asks, motioning toward her office. I nod and we walk past the girl who is giving Quinn a look of disbelief. We walk into her office. “Have a seat.” I do and she moves behind the desk to finish her work.
“What are you working on?”
“A press release for a multibillion-dollar company whose owner is a fucking idiot,” she replies, not glancing in my direction. I stay silent, not wanting to disrupt her work, but I want to talk to her so bad. She must notice I’m antsy and looks over at me. “Something you want to ask? You look like you’re dying to talk to me.”
“Just wondering how your day has been. Has anyone been knocking down the doors to get the scoop of us dating?” I joke and smile.
“No. No one has been stalking me. Word on the street is Tait managed to get a hit in on you today. How’d that happen?”
“How did you hear about that? I don’t even have a bruise.” I turn my head to the side to show her where I was decked.