“She isn’t obligated to put up with her clothes being sabotaged by your crew so you can embarrass her for ratings. That was low.” Even for you. Erik kept the rest to himself. He had to keep a rapport with the guy. Yet he didn’t have to like him, nor was he going to allow him to play shitty pranks on Belle. He slashed his hand through the air. “No more tricks on Belle.”
“The show is organic. I don’t have control over anything that happens,” Darius said, raising both hands in the air, palms up.
A flat out lie. Erik spared a quick glance at Belle. She gave an imperceptible head shake in warning. “You’re the producer, writer, and host. I think you have a say in how the show is presented. I’m not stupid enough to know it’s not expected by every contestant. You need only watch the show to see how it plays out. I’m just stating a simple fact. I do not want Belle to be the butt of anyone’s jokes.”
Silence, tense and fully charged settled between them. He never adjusted his stance but Erik could read his fury in the tick of his jaw. He continued to hold Darius’s gaze, daring the other man to contradict him. Unlike Belle, he’d read his own contract and his attorney had put in an exit clause. He lifted his chin and waited for Darius to speak.
The other man put his hand to the back of his neck and released a noticeable breath. “I’ll speak to the crew.”
More like he’d speak to himself. This had him written all over it.
“Is that all? I have to take care of a few things at the office.” Darius dropped his arm and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Erik, you’ll be moving into the house. I texted you the address.”
“Yes, thank you for talking to us.” Erik waited until he was gone before he turned to Belle.
“That was fun,” Erik said, moving to the kitchen and grabbing an energy drink. He’d been working out that morning and hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“Loads.” She moved into the kitchen area, her sneakers squeaking on the floor. “I’ll take one of those. I didn’t sleep much last night.”
He handed her a drink. “You look tired.”
“I’m sorry.” She popped the top and drank, the sleek lines of her neck exposed.
“For what? you didn’t do anything wrong. As a matter of fact, you must have done something right because you got a huge audience response.” He lifted his own drink and sipped; the chemical sweetness bitter on his tongue. By principle, he avoided empty carbs but he needed a boost.
“I know, which is crazy. Were they watching the same show I was?” Color flooded her cheeks. She was embarrassed, but why which part? She settled her elbows on the other side of the countertop.
“The dress thing wasn’t too bad.” And the memory of their kiss still burned a path from his brain to his cock.
“I split my dress and I was drunk. I also let you kiss me. A big no-no on the first date shows.” She avoided his gaze as she said this.
He leaned on the countertop and palmed the drink, close enough to see the mole beneath her ear. He had a vested interest in her answer. The kiss had knocked him for a loop. “Really? Why is that?”
“Because the show puts people in categories. The klutz is the butt of the joke. She’s often sound bited, or is it sound bit? Anyway, she’s the show’s comic relief. Second to the klutz, is the slut.” She bit her lip, eyes hardening. “I hate that word. Just because a woman kisses a guy doesn’t mean she’s a slut. They don’t call him a slut.”
“Sometimes they do.” He’d been referred to like that. Granted, he spent a lot of time with a lot of different women and people assumed he slept with them all. Well, he had slept with a few of them but not all of them.
She waved a dismissive hand. “It’s different and you know it. Anyway, the other category is boring. That’s the woman who leaves first. The boring one.”
“I didn’t think she was boring. She was more reserved but there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“No, I’m sure she was interesting in her own way. Everyone is. But the audience kicked her off for whatever reason. Unlike me, she wanted to be on the show.” Her shoulders slumped once more and she stared down at her hands. “About the kiss.”
“What about it?” he waited for her answer, unsure why he was nervous but he was.
Lifting her eyes to his, she gave a small smile. “It can’t happen again.”
“Are you worried about your reputation?” he asked, pretending like her rejection was no big deal.
“A little bit. Once the country comes to its senses and lets me off this ride, I’ll drift into obscurity. I need that for my career. I’m a behind the scenes person not a spotlight person like you.” her voice lowered, the seriousness in her expression telling. She’d been put into an awkward position and he was to blame.
“I’ll try to restrain myself and not kiss you again. It just felt right in the moment. I’m playing a part and I got into character.” Except it was his real, true self. “I am sorry if I overstepped your boundaries.”
“I get that. If I was on the outside looking in, I would have wished for the same outcome.” Her grin widened, the blush increasing. She straightened and headed back to the desk. “Watching it on television, I have to say our timing was perfect.”
“Thanks, I try.” He wanted to try a lot more but that wasn’t going to happen. She’d set the rules and he’d follow them.
Chapter Seventeen
