I literally bite my tongue to keep from saying that’s only because he’s fucking Kay and my legs are sealed shut where he’s concerned.
“I’m going to decline outside interviews, so it’s really just between you and Kay, but I can’t give you an answer—”
“I’ve got an interview with Prince Adrian Marx,” I ramble before I remember I can’t actually air it until after the two months are over.
He looks up from his desk with surprise. “How did you manage that?”
“I won a date with him through a charity.”
“And he agreed to an interview?” I nod. “Sounds like the date went well.”
I think for a moment back to that night. Unless the audience wants to know how long and thick the prince’s dick is, then I need to sell the interview and not what happened on the date. Too bad just thinking about Adrian’s dick has my core pulsing with longing.
“Oh, well, it wasn’t a big deal. He was all proper behavior and practiced answers. But he did agree to an in-depth interview that we can do in two months.”
“Two months?” His bushy eyebrows rise.
“Unfortunately, but we could tease it out. Pique the viewers’ interest in the meantime.”
He nods, his gaze shifting out his window at the view of the lake. “This is my problem, you understand that, right?”
“What?”
“The fact that you get people others can’t. You’re a go-getter and don’t know the word no. If I replace Georgia with you, I fear you’ll die a slow death in that job. You’re meant for the action, not a boring teleprompter job.”
Bullshit. With anchor, there’s a shit-ton more money growing in my bank account.
“I’m sure you can find someone to replace me. Have you thought about making Kay a reporter and taking her off weather? She’s resourceful in her endeavors to rise to the top as well.”
His stare holds mine for a moment.
Is he going to take my bait and confront me on it?
“Well, I just wanted to let you and Kay know that you’re both being considered for the promotion, but I won’t make any announcements about Georgia publicly for a while. Back to this prince thing, get with the art department and tease the public with the interview. You’ll have to decide what angle you’re taking.”
“Angle?” I stand and rest my hands on the back of the chair.
“What’s the edge? We need a story to go along with the interview. If they wanted to know how he lived, they’d google the man. You need to dig up something interesting.”
I nod. Right. He’s so right. Though I don’t have anything with a hook right now. The only thing I really know about him is he’s amazing at sex and wanted a reprieve from his duties for two months.
Maybe that’s where the story lies. Why did he want the reprieve?
The screech of the fire alarm and a billow of smoke nails me in the face when I open the apartment door. Waving at the smoke, I spot Adrian with a smoking cookie sheet in his hand.
I put down my bags and open the windows before grabbing the broom from the closet and hitting the smoke detector over and over again, unable to see the button due to the smoke filling the room. “What are you making?”
He takes the broom from me. “What are you doing?”
“I have to hit the button so the sound stops.”
He finds it the first time. Lucky try.
Once the sound stops, the ringing in my ears subsides too.
“I was trying to make bagels. Evan said she wanted me to try all the different kinds, but I think I put them in too long or something.”
“You think?” I wave at the charred bagels on the sheet. “Have you ever cooked?”
“Yes, of course.” He shrugs.
I wait for the real answer.
“Well, no. I eat leftover pizza, but that’s cold.”
“Let’s go get you some bagels to try.” I dispose of the cookie sheet in the sink and leave a note for Rian on what happened. “Also, there’s a toaster in the cupboard if you ever want to toast something again.”
I show him where it is, and he appears a bit chagrined. It’s a cute look on him.
We leave our apartment, and it’s not until we’re in broad daylight that I notice he cut his hair and didn’t shave today.
At the stoplight, I run my fingers through the short hair at the back of his head. “I can’t believe you cut it.”
He nods. “Knox took me to his barber. I wasn’t going to get it this short.” His hand falls to the barely-there hair.
I chuckle. “Mistake number one. Don’t go to a cop’s barber.”
He laughs. “You’re right again.”
“Well, what can I say.” I examine his scruff and realize it might make him even sexier, but I keep that thought to myself. “I’m starved, so this is a good thing. I’ve only eaten a muffin since this morning.”
“No lunch?”
We cross the street.
“No, the deli I go to was out of the baked potato soup I wanted, and acting like a pure brat, I refused to eat anything else.” We reach the other side of the road and I look at him. “It’s been a bad day.”
“Bad from the start. I had a raging hard-on all morning.”
We share a smile, and my belly warms that I wasn’t the only one affected by our encounter this morning.
We walk into the Bagel Place as I feel the need to glance over my shoulder like maybe Seth will see me. I have no idea if the girl behind the counter is Evan or not, but since she doesn’t say anything to Adrian, my assumption is she’s not.
“We’ll have one of everything and an extra jalapeño,” I order for us, and Adrian’s hand moves to his wallet. “No, I got this. Save your money for Rian’s new cookie sheets.”
He laughs and allows me to pay.
“Also all the flavors of cream cheese. He’s starting here tomorrow.” I point at Adrian.
The girl looks at him as though he’s available. I guess he is, but she should consider that he might be with me. “Evan didn’t tell me she’d hired someone. I don’t usually work here, but she made me. I’m Elsie, her sister.”
Adrian shakes her hand. She’s definitely younger than us, by about a decade.
“She’s making you try each flavor, huh? She makes every new employee do that. Don’t throw up.” She slides the tray over, and Adrian takes it, his dreamy smile on display.
We find a booth in the back corner, and I eat both jalapeño bagels after Adrian tried it and said it wasn’t for him. He allows me to vent about Kay and Jack and all my drama. Once we’re finished and he has all his notes—yes, he took notes about the bagels on his phone—he puts away our tray and we say goodbye to Elsie.
His hand falls to my lower back, and we walk out like a normal couple even though we’re anything but.
Chapter Fourteen
Adrian
It’s my first day of work and Evan has been patient and understanding, though I’m not sure that will last now that I’ve burned a second sheet of bagels.