That worked. She snort-laughs. “I suppose so, but I still want the world to know what you had to do to get that shell for me.”
Shrugging, I say, “In a way it’s nice to have our little secret about why the shell means so much, isn’t it? It’s like having a piece of our story that no one can touch.” I kiss her again, gently at first, then with enough passion to let her know we’re okay. Tonight was hard, but it was also a step forward for me career-wise.
After a few minutes of snogging each other senseless, the car comes to a stop. I look out the window and see we’ve arrived at Dwight’s. “Come in for a while so I can show you how hot your sense of justice is.”
She laughs, then her face falls. “I want to, like, with every bit of my sense of justice, but I really can’t. I have to go do damage control with the advisors. They’ll be holding an emergency meeting right about now, and if I don’t show up, they’ll make decisions neither of us will like.”
Well, that’s the worst thing I’ve heard all day, which is saying something. I give her a nod and smile. “After the meeting? Maybe I could sneak into the palace for some alone time?”
She gives me a skeptical look.
“I heard it too, yeah. A palace probably isn’t the easiest place to sneak into, is it?”
“Not really, but sneaking out isn’t all that hard.”
“Really?”
“Really. I have some serious apologizing to do.”
“I promise to accept. Over and over and over…”
7
Welcome to the Promotional Circuit. It’s Everything You Dreamed It Would Be…
Will
“Wake up.Will, it’s time to get up,” Dwight says, his voice muffled by the door.
I open one eye and look at the alarm clock. 5:30 a.m. “Go away. I had a late night.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that. I could hear everything, so thanks for that.”
I wince and pull my pillow over my face, then, realizing I need to apologize like a man, I get up and cross the small room to the door. When I open it, Dwight takes a few steps back, clearly put off by the sight of me in only my underwear. I give him a sheepish look. “Everything?”
“Enough.”
“Sorry, mate, it’s just that she was so upset when we left the studio, and I was really hoping to make her feel better about how the interview went.”
“Oh, you made her feel better all right.” Dwight, who is already dressed in his suit, taps on his wristwatch. “Now, you’ve got to hustle over to KLAM for their morning show. Your segment starts in forty-five minutes.”
“Right. I forgot about that.”
“Not all that surprising, really. Now, make sure you look presentable because as soon as you finish there, you have to hightail it over to VTV for theMona in the Morning Show. You’re going to be teaching the audience how to tie knots or something.”
“Okay,” I say, rubbing my eyes.
Dwight starts to walk away, then turns back. “Oh, I don’t know if you’ve ever listened to KLAM, but they’re in the shock jock business, so they’re going to do their best to piss you off. The worst thing you can do is lose your temper because they’ll make you look like a complete jackass. Laugh it off, promote the show, and get the hell off as fast as possible.”
“Got it. Stay calm. Keep it light.”
“Exactly,” he says, pivoting and heading toward the kitchen. When he’s part way down the hall, he calls over his shoulder, “And don’t forget to strip the sheets and burn them.”
* * *
“Welcome to K-L-A-M radio in the morning. I’m your host, Bowser.”
“And I’m Candace the Cutie. And with us as always is Dopey Dan.”
