“Huh,” Kristen said. She glanced at Carter. “What do you think, hon?”
I wasn’t sure how to read the look that passed between them, and my stomach twisted.
He opened his mouth to answer.
“Hold up, hold up,” a guy in a ratty baseball cap said, striding in front of them. “This light is terrible. Let’s move this outside. Fast, fast, let’s go, we need to capture this moment.”
Oh, how I hated the manufactured bullshit. I’d always suspected that ninety percent of reality TV was fake, and now I was seeing it firsthand. I followed the parade of people to the balcony and waited while everyone got into appropriate positions.
“Take it from the princess stuff,” the hat guy said. “Go.”
Kristen blinked her eyes quickly, forced a smile, and then gazed lovingly at Carter, hitting the line with as much excitement as the first time she’d said it.
“Damn it, hermic! I’m hearing friction,” Hat Guy shouted. “Fix it.”
Kristen was starting to look a bit annoyed, but Carter didn’t appear bothered by the resets. She waited while a minion scurried out to adjust the lapel mic then went back into adoration-mode.
“Again,” Hat Guy ordered.
“So what do you think, hon?”
Somehow Kristen nailed the exact expectant tone each time, but then again, she was an actress. I figured it wasn’t a stretch to be playing herself.
I held my breath, waiting for the interruption yet again, but this time around seemed to be working for the director. Maybe we’d finally get an answer.
Because I needed an answernow.
“Well, babe,” Carter said as he wrapped his arms around Kristen’s waist. “I think we just secured our happy ending.”
I breathed a sigh of relief as Kristen jumped up to kiss him. Fucking yes, this was happening.
“Uh, hold on folks. ‘Happy ending’ sounds like an adult massage parlor thing,” Hat Guy said. “Again please, but this time go with ‘happily ever after.’”
I didn’t need to be around for the minutia of the shoot, I had my answer. The Ashford Luxe was one step closer to redemption.
I glanced at Emilia and she had the nerve to wink at me.
Whydid I find it adorable?
5
EMILIA
Yeah, I was thrilled that I booked Kristen and Carter and their three-ring circus of a wedding, but I was still coming to terms with how muchIwas going to play a role in their reality show. Carter’s show usually focused on his daily life as a fitness guru and personal trainer to the stars, but apparently the producers had decided that the wedding deserved a special multi-episode arc all of its own and that meant they were recording alotof footage. A lot of which included me.
Andhim. Unfortunately.
I glanced across the stainless steel prep table to where Drew was standing next to his head chef, looking smoking hot and typically grumpy despite the fact that there were a dozen perfectly plated appetizers in front of him. I mean,howcould you be in a bad mood when your hotel’s restaurant turned out treasures like ceviche diver scallops, escargot in garlic butter, and a caramelized onion tarte with herb crusted goat cheese?
But no, he had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face, like he was surveying the contents of the kitchen’s garbage can. His poorcolleagues had to deal with his attitude every day. How the hell did he keep staff with such bad vibes? Maybe they were able to ignore the scowl by focusing on the rest of him instead?
Therewasa lot to appreciate. Drew Ashford was the kind of hot that could make people stop in their tracks. The height was a little intimidating, in the best possible way—like he was a guy who could wrap up every bit of you in his arms and make the rest of the world disappear. He looked strong, too. Not musclehead strong, like Carter, but “fuck you up against the wall” strong. Thefunkind of strong.
And okay, this was starting to turn me on, which was not appropriate for the time and place. Time to focus back on that face and use the scowl as a makeshift cold shower. But no, that wasn’t really working, because now I couldn’t help noticing that his strong profile looked downright regal.
And hehadto get facials, because it wouldn’t be fair for him to have such flawless skin naturally. Then there were the eyes … I felt a little chill go up my spine any time he locked onto me, because the combined effect of his glare and the intense blue color was almost spooky, like he could peer into my soul.
I jumped as he looked up from the table and directly at me. Whoops, had I been staring at him?
