His own emotional connection with her strengthened.
“I can see that. My dad worked at the firehouse and I used to visit him all the time. It was fun as shit to slide down the pole.” The memories were bittersweet. He lifted her chin, giving in to desire, and kissing her once more. Even though his father died a long time ago, it was no less painful. Her mouth parted under his questing one, her breath warm and inviting.
The slight buzz of a message came through his phone that had fallen on her vacated seat.
“You have a text,” Belle sighed heavily and picked up his phone. “It’s from Tim. They’re looking for us.”
“Of course they are,” he said on a growl. He had no desire to move from this spot. But life had a way of shitting on his parade. At least tonight. Things might be progressing in the right direction—at least for him—but he still had a lot of things to figure out. The main one, did he tell her how he felt, or maintain the status quo?
Chapter Forty-One
“And now we need to add some lipstick and you’re ready.” The makeup artist tilted Belle’s chin up and applied the lipstick using a brush.
The dressing room in the auditorium was much smaller than the one Erik had and she was forced to share it with Irina. Whether it was by scheme or a shortness of space, was up for debate. She’d had the misfortune to be voted in for the finale.
Her jealousy ploy hadn’t worked. Or perhaps it had but not in the way she designed. Would the studio audience be expecting a cat fight at the charm ceremony?
“Good luck,” the makeup artist said before she left.
Irina came out of the bathroom in a short flapper style dress, in her signature silver the matching shoes impossibly high. “Oh, I love that dress,” Irina said, pointing to Belle’s navy-blue cocktail dress.
“Thank you, I wish I could pull off yours.”
“You can, you just have to do it with attitude,” she said on a laugh, not a trace of accent in the comment.
Belle narrowed her eyes. “Hey, what happened to your accent?”
“It’s an affectation.” She shrugged, and adjusted the bodice to better show off her small breasts. “It is true that I am from Belarus but I’m also an actress as well as a model. Part of acting is learning diction.”
Smart and beautiful, Irina was the full package. Would Erik fall for her outside of the show? Had he already?
Belle had sex with him three times in the past month. Had he done more with Irina than kiss her on camera? If he’d found time to be alone with her, would he have taken advantage of the situation and have sex with Irina as well?
The jealousy she’d been fighting returned and she suppressed the unwelcome emotions. “I won’t tell a soul.”
“So what’s with you and Erik?” Irina went to the mirror and added some blush to her cheeks. “I mean, I know you’re his agent but there’s more there,” Irina said.
“We’re friends.” Belle kept the smile frozen on her lips, unwilling to admit to anything. They still weren’t finished with Darius’s sick little game. She’d already had a one-on-one with Tim and she assumed that Irina had one as well. Or perhaps not.
“Friends?” Amusement dripped from the single word. “From the way he looks at you, he doesn’t think of you as a friend,” Irina said.
“I could say the same thing.” Belle had seen him checking Irina out. It wasn’t a big surprise, since he was a guy and Irina was a stunning woman.
“Then you haven’t been looking very hard. Don’t get me wrong, he’s pretty hard to resist at times but this is a game we’re all playing.” Irina dropped her arm, arched her neck and inspected her makeup from all angles.
“Trust me, you’ll be the next Fiancé.” It had to be that way for more reasons than her professional future as an agent. She might have softer feelings for Erik but he wasn’t ready to settle down by his own admission. Nor would she was she ready either.
But if he were the right man for her, wouldn’t she be? She pushed the thought aside. There was a reason she never agreed to go out with him in the first place. Those lines had blurred since the show began and she needed to redraw them if she ever hoped to continue on as his agent.
“I’ll be the next Fiancé whether I win or not.” Irina confirmed what Belle suspected.
“I’ve seen every episode of My Future Fiancé over the years and that’s my bet too.” This would be the last year she watched. The illusion was broken.
“You must be a romantic like Erik. Yes, he’s all man but he’s also got a soft spot for you. I’d never heard of the show until my agent booked it for me.”
“He’s also an actor like you. A very good one.” He hadn’t faked his desire for her but sex was a whole different ball game.
“Hmm.” Irina extended a ringed hand. “Regardless, it’s been a pleasure to work with you. Think about me if you have any other gigs.”
