“Hello, everyone! I do hope that you’ve been having a fantastic time so far,” she said, clapping her hands together. “And that the drinks have been to your satisfaction.”
“Mm,” said one of the guests with a nod. “It’s been super relaxing. We’re allstarvingnow though.”
“That’s great news,” Adriana grinned, before moving her hand toward me in a ‘ta-da’ kind of gesture. “Our famous Chef Nolan has prepared an incredible menu for you, starting with a light, elegant saffron asparagus dish.”
I presented each dish with a bit of a flourish, wanting to show off. Adriana introduced them expertly, as if she’d been doing this for years rather than just over a week. Frankly, watching her work her magic, I was impressed. She was definitely good at her job.
And it helped that she was hot, too.
By the end of the meal, after the thank-yous and compliments from the guests, we were making our way back to the kitchen. Meanwhile, I had made up my mind.
“I have a trip to Monterey Bay booked for next week,” I announced, and Adriana looked at me curiously. “I could use your skills for it. Will you join me?”
“I’ll work something out.”
10
Adriana
“Don’t you want to get in a bikini and join in?” Bryant’s voice came from behind me, and I sighed.
“Unfortunately, I’m not made for dancing in music videos,” I answered as I turned to face him, a smile already painted onto my expression. “I’m more of a behind-the-scenes person.”
“That’s too bad.” Bryant’s eyes were traveling over my body, a habit he did not seem to be ashamed of. “I assume everything is on track?”
I glanced down at my tablet. “No problems so far.”
We were standing beside the pool, where a music video was being produced, and this was turning out to be one of the more fun tasks I had had so far. The actresses were all getting dressed in my improvised green room, and the crew was currently setting up all of the lights. A lot more went into the whole thing than I would have thought.
“Excuse me.” An assistant appeared out of seemingly nowhere, looking somewhat shy and apologetic. “Mr. Money would like a chai tea while he waits for setup. With lemon juice and a sprinkle of turmeric. Says it’s good for his voice.”
“I’ll arrange it,” I answered, shooting a text to the bar to get it done. “Someone will be with you shortly.”
“Thanks,” she answered, flustered, before hurrying off nervously. I wondered how long she had been Mr. Money’s assistant. Normally, assistants that I’d met were far more confident, and somewhat more demanding. She’d been a peach all day.
“It’s like you get better by the day,” Bryant commented, and I noticed the flutter of butterflies in my stomach. “In more ways than one.”
“Just doing my job,” I replied, beginning to walk in the direction of a nearby crew member as I scrolled on my tablet. Bryant didn’t follow, but I could feel him watching me leave. I made sure to swing my hips an extra little bit so he’d have something nice to look at without sacrificing my professionalism.
“Are we ready for the first take?” I asked the crew member, who glanced around at the technical setup.
“I think there’s just a few sound tests to go,” he said. “Pretty sure you can get everyone down from the green room now.”
“Perfect.”
I got all of the actresses down to the pool, along with letting Mr. Money’s assistant know that we were nearly ready for him. Afterward, I stood to one side, watching the process unfold.
Bryant appeared beside me, holding a pair of drinks that looked like Long Island ice teas.
“Another success,” he mused, offering one of them to me. “You think you have time to celebrate?”
“Sorry, I don’t drink while I’m on the clock,” I answered, despite thinking that I could use something strong for mynerves. Even though everything was going perfectly right now, there was always that possibility that a disaster could happen. Frankly, at this point, the whole situation was in too-good-to-be-true territory.
“That’s why I asked for a virgin for you,” Bryant winked, and I tentatively took the drink from him, my fingers brushing against his. An electric charge seemed to rush through me, and I swallowed the feeling back.
“In that case, thanks,” I said, testing his statement by taking a sip. “Oh, it really is a virgin.”
“Gasp,” Bryant said melodramatically. “You think I’d lie to you? What a shock. I’m not that kind of guy, Miss Adriana. I’m actually quite the gentleman. Maybe you’ll see that if you try to get to know me a little better.”
