That’s all it was. Nerves.
* * *
Monday morning, Mina could have been late for work. No one would have questioned it even if she wasn’t her own boss. Following the awards show, they’d gone to three different after parties and then Devin had talk show interviews the next day that kept them on the run from one network to another, taping segments for broadcast on Monday.
On Sunday evening, Devin had a benefit dinner in his honor. Later that night, she’d taken a taxi to the airport for a red-eye flight back home, leaving Devin in California to fly out to New Zealand for filming the next day.
Yes, she could have taken the day off, but Mina loved her job and when her alarm went off at seven, she was anxious to get back to it. She’d worked too many thankless crappy jobs to not know how lucky she was to love what she did. Working to help others fulfilled her in ways she’d never imagined.
Another thing she was thankful for was she only had to walk down a flight of stairs in the converted warehouse she’d re-imagined into her home and home base for The Love Vixen.
At one time, the four-story building had been a factory, a cut and sew plant for women’s lingerie of all things. As soon as Mina found it, she knew it would be perfect for her Love Vixen empire. The top floor she’d turned into her three bedroom, four bath residence. The third floor was her administrative offices and studio, and the second floor was mostly for design and marketing. Her Love Vixen retail shop was on the first floor.
In total, she now employed over two hundred men and women through her LV empire. She was probably the most shocked of anyone by all she’d accomplished in only a handful of years.
She loved her retail shop and popped in regularly to surprise customers. Every single thing in the shop had been handpicked by her. She put a lot of effort into selecting only her favorite things to go into her inventory. Of course she had Love Vixen branded products, but she also was proud to offer local artists’ work as well. Her customers could shop with confidence that whatever they purchased had the Love Vixen’s stamp of approval for quality, creativity, and value. That was very important to her. Her fans put their trust in her and she never wanted to disappoint them, so she went the extra mile.
“Listen to this one,” Mina said as she tucked a loose strand of brown hair behind her ear and scanned the comment on the blog post she’d been reading. “Let’s see,” she mumbled. “Dear Love Vixen, yada, yada, yada, here it comes, ‘I love how you see right through the bullshit and tell it like it is.’”
Jodi, her long-time best friend turned business partner, looked up from her computer and laughed. “Perfect. And true. You should use that one as a lead-in on your next promo.”
“I’ll flag it and you can follow up with her to get permission to use it,” Mina agreed and clicked to save it before she scrolled down to the next comment. Mina’s favorite time of the day was going through the letters and emails that fans wrote to The Love Vixen.
“Here’s another reader who wants you to have a Love Vixen cruise,” Jodi said. She couldn’t keep a straight face and ended up giggling.
Mina glared at her over the top of her computer. “Nope. You know my feelings on a cruise. File that one under never gonna happen.” She and water didn’t get along. Jaws, Titanic, and her hair were three excellent reasons why she didn’t do cruises.
Jodi tapped her Hello Kitty pen on her cheek. “I know, but you could really rock a bikini.”
Mina drew back in horror. “I have never been a flossy. I’m loud and proud of the curves Godiva gave me. Curves that rock a two-piece. A cute tankini, or boy short bottoms to accent my ass with a halter top that pushes the girls up. But definitely no flossy.” Mina stopped abruptly and frowned at her friend. “Now stop it, we got off-topic again. We really need to finish this by five.”
“Fine.” Jodi gave a huff and stuck her head back down behind her computer screen. “Ahhh, listen to this,” she said, and began to read…
Dear LV,
On Saturday, my husband and I will celebrate our second anniversary and we owe our happy and healthy relationship to you. At the beginning of our marriage, we were struggling to make things work. I wrote in to you asking for advice on how to help my husband prioritize his life, giving more importance to our relationship than to his work. You were right. It was hard, but I realized I couldn’t live with only bits and pieces of him. You said to ask myself how I saw my life playing out in ten years. Had we stayed on the same course, we would have ended in divorce. I love my husband and did what I had to do to fight for our HEA. I left him. We were separated for a while, but we were both miserable. We’re back together now and we make it a point to have dinner together each night and the weekends belong only to us. But most important of all, we talk. We never used to do that. So, anyway, I just wanted to thank you.
A fan for life,
Molly
Mina wiped a few tears from her eyes. She loved her job. Yes, it was hard, both emotionally and physically, but she woke up every morning anxious to start working. She was putting love out into the universe and it gave her life meaning. She’d come a long way in such a short time and she wasn’t going to take a day of her success for granted. “That’s beautiful. I want to include that one in my next book.”
Jodi nodded and ducked her head back behind her screen again. “I’ll add it to the book folder. When are you going to start the second book? You’d make your publishing company extremely happy if you did.”
Mina sighed. Mountpeak Publishing just needed to chill. They continued to call to see if she’d “started” another book. “They are just going to have to wait; I’m not there yet. Besides, book one is still at the top of the charts. They can be happy with that.” Only a few years ago, she never would have imagined saying those words.
“I wonder if O will choose your second book for her book club like she did your first one. That was so incredible.”
Mina grimaced when she looked up and found Jodi chewing on the end of her pencil in a daze. Her Kitty was about to lose an ear. “No clue. It’s fine if she does and it’s fine if she doesn’t. My blogs and podcasts are what’s important.”
A racket from outside her office caused them both to jump. DeeVonn ran in and braced himself on the doorframe. He panted as if he’d run up the stairs. He waved his hands wildly, blonde hair flying everywhere, while mumbling incoherently. Mina was used to Dee’s drama. He probably ran out of eyeliner or something.
Mina waited for him to take a breath before asking, “Dee, what’s wrong?”
His arm moved in a circle like he was directing traffic, motioning for her to hurry. “Come…come,” he said between pants. “Now!” he shouted. “You have the Wake Up Today show in five minutes.”
Mina didn’t move other than to shake her head. It wasn’t like Dee to get something so wrong. “No, Dee. That’s tomorrow.”
He shook his head and huffed. “No. No. Today. Hurry, you go live in five minutes!”
Again Mina didn’t move. She’d just have to show him. She clicked to pull up her calendar. “Dee, it’s the twenty-second. That’s tomorrow.”
“Ummm, Mina.” Jodi poked her head above her monitor like a turtle coming out of its shell. She blinked and then said, “Today is the twenty-second.”
Mina’s head jerked back to her computer. Scanning the calendar, she saw the heart, indicating today, was indeed wrapped around the twenty-second. Her stomach fell and now she was the one having problems breathing. Nonononononono. “What!” She gasped and sprang into action. She had to get to the studio. Jumping up from her chair, she ran toward the door, but Dee put up a hand halting her before she could fly out the door.
Dee popped a hand on his hip, leaned back into a pose and drew an imaginary line in the air with a finger on his other hand. “No, girl. You are not going on live TV wearing that. What is that anyway?” He grabbed her shirt and sniffed. With a scowl, he asked, “Did you throw up on your shirt?”
Mina held the shirt out away from her
boobs and noticed the dark stain. “No, I spilled…” She brought the stain to her mouth and licked. “Coffee.”
Okay, so she’d been really tired that morning and had just worn her pajama pants and an old t-shirt. It wasn’t like she’d see anyone other than Jodi. Nobody but Jodi and Dee were allowed on the third floor without an invitation.
Jodi laughed and Dee looked ready to hyperventilate. “OMG, you are so disgusting. If only the world knew The Love Vixen couldn’t put herself together without her fabulous stylist DeeVonn.” Dee checked the clock on the wall and glanced over at Jodi. “There’s no time to run upstairs for a change. Jojo, get over here. Change your blouse for Mina’s whatever you call that.” His eye moved downward and his lips pursed with disapproval. “Those horrendous fuzzy pajama pants won’t show, thank the good Lord, and you can wear my pink sparkle blazer.” He shrugged out of his jacket.
Mina rolled her eyes. “It’s a t-shirt, Dee,” she said while whipping it off over her head.
Dee gasped, grabbed his chest at what her horrific t-shirt revealed, and pointed. “What in the ever-loving help me Barbra Streisand heck is that hideous thing you’re wearing?”
Mina looked down at her chest and didn’t see anything out of the normal. Everything was covered and in its place. “It’s a bra.”
Dee waggled his finger back and forth. “No. No, no, no, no. A straight jacket maybe but that, my dear, is no bra. What did your boobs do to deserve solitary confinement?”
Mina put her hands on her breasts in defense. Dee was always giving her grief about her wardrobe choices, but nobody was dissing her bra. “I got it from QShop on television. It’s a wrap bra. It lifts and separates without underwire. It’s very comfortable. I got one of every color. They always sell out when they’re on.”
Dee’s face scrunched up like he’d eaten a lemon. “Maybe to grannies and aunties, but no self-respecting woman of marriageable age would wear something like that. Honey, if Devin, or any man, unwraps something like that, he’d have no idea how to get to the goods. But then you wouldn’t have to worry because he’d be outta there. Now get a move on. We have three minutes until you’re live.”
Mina scowled and pulled Jodi’s blouse on and buttoned it while she ran to the area of the loft they used for filming live segments. Dee handed her his blazer and she slipped her arms in while he pulled and pushed and voilá. She plopped down in the chair of the cozy looking office on the set they’d created to look trendy and fashion forward. The desk was white with gold edging and had been styled perfectly with a fake plant, a Tiffany blue lamp, a calendar system she had no idea how to update, and a skyline backdrop that made it appear as if she worked in a high-rise office building. She could never actually work in a place like this.
Dee worked on her hair while Jodi tried to swipe her lips with color and she yelped when Jodi pinched her cheeks.
Mina inhaled sharply. “My contacts! I can’t go on without my contacts!”
Jodi was already in motion running back to her office to get them. After only a few seconds, she flew out the office door at full speed. Halfway across the floor, she tossed the contact container to her. Mina took one out and stuck it in her mouth before popping it in her eye. Then she did the other eye.
“Ouch!” she squealed when Dee poked her with a hairpin. “Be careful! You don’t have to go straight into my skull.” She rubbed the area that was still smarting.
Jodi and Dee had just stepped out of frame when the red light came on the main camera. Mina smiled calmly as if she’d been lounging around waiting for the interview. Her eyes widened as her mind raced to put a name to the host. Kathy? No, that wasn’t it. Kelly? That didn’t sound right.
“Good morning, Love Vixen. Thanks so much for joining us on Wake Up Today.”
Mina’s eyes traveled ever so slightly up above the top of the camera to read the sign Jodi was holding up showing the host’s name and a fact. “Thank you, Barbara. It’s wonderful to be here today. How is your daughter, Brook? Isn’t she five now?”
Barbara’s eyes widened in surprise and she nodded. “Yes, she is. And she’s doing wonderful. Actually, she’s getting ready to start kindergarten in a few weeks.”
Mina leaned forward like she was into the conversation. She was, but she was regretting the second bottle of water she’d had today and wishing she’d had time for a potty break. “They grow up so fast, don’t they?”
After a bit more small talk, Barbara segued into the interview. “First, let me say how gorgeous you looked at the Emmy awards. That gown was to die for.”
“Thank you, Barbara. The gown is a Pamella Orlando original and I felt like a princess wearing it. And best of all, it had pockets.” She never knew what to do with her hands and Pamella always put pockets in whatever she created for her.
“That’s always a plus. Congratulations to your fiancé, Devin Markus, on his Best Actor win. And for Game of Kings sweeping the show.”
“It’s a remarkable show. My favorite actually,” Mina replied with a smile.
Barbara gave her a wink before asking, “Do you have any insider info into the new season?”
After an appropriate chuckle, she answered, “I’m afraid I don’t. I watch the show just like every other GOK fan.”
“Is there any truth to the rumor you may be making a special guest appearance on the show? I must say, fans would love that. I would too.”
Mina gave Barbara one of the smiles she’d perfected, the one that meant thank you for the compliment, but that’s so not gonna happen. “Oh, the famous rumor mill. While I do think it would be an incredible experience, I’ve not been asked to appear on the show. Frankly, I know my strengths and acting isn’t one of them. I’ll leave that to the professionals.” But who in their right mind would turn down a chance to be on Game of Kings?
Barbara returned an I’m not buying it smile and responded, “Speaking for Love Vixen fans everywhere, we are sorely disappointed. Let me congratulate you on your three millionth follower on social media. That’s the all-time record.”
“Thanks to my fans. I owe them so much. You know, Barbara, I love what I do because of wonderful readers and fans who support me and my vision for a healthy and happy relationship. They are the real success story here. I think I deliver what they want—the truth. I’m not afraid to drill down to the underlying problems. Everyone that writes to me has an issue that is causing them some concern. They like the fact that I tell it like I see it. Sometimes my advice is hard to hear, but they know it comes from a place of love and wanting them to live their best life.”
The interview went back and forth with questions regarding past posts and their outcomes and then Barbara gave her a cunning grin. “But not everyone that writes to you is a fan. I’m talking about ‘Bustin’ it in Boston’. The two of you have become quite popular adversaries.”
Mina fought the eye twitch that man’s name caused while outwardly appearing serene. Inwardly she was thinking evil thoughts about him and ways to bring him to his knees. Her nemesis. The man was put on the earth to torment her like the plague he was. Continuing to smile, she said, “Mr. Boston certainly has his opinions. I have never claimed to be a professional or anything more than I am. Simply an ear to hear the world’s problems and perhaps shed a bit of light to help.”
“What about Mr. Boston’s claim that you’re a man-hater and you enjoy bashing men about issues that if reversed would never be allowed towards women?” Barbara pushed, trying to get her to say something derogatory the station could use as a sound bite.
Mina was wise to their ways and she wouldn’t give them anything to use against her. “Mr. Boston is certainly allowed his own personal opinions. Bashing is such a juvenile term. The fact that the majority of my readers that write in are women who have issues with men…well, I simply can’t be held responsible for that, now can I?”
“Speaking of, we have a surprise for you!” Barbara clapped her hands in excitement.
Mina’s eyes shot to Jodi who s
hrugged and mouthed I don’t know. Nothing had been mentioned about a surprise. She hated surprises. Boston Butt had better not be the surprise.
The monitor flashed and a woman appeared in a side-to-side shot with Barbara. Mina smiled and her posture visibly relaxed. “Erin! How lovely to see you,” Mina exclaimed, tossing her long, flowing, blonde hair over one shoulder.
Mina’s smile was genuine. She really was happy to see this surprise. Erin was one of her many success stories. She’d written in seeking advice about a burned-out relationship. Mina had suggested it was time to move on with her life. Erin had taken Mina’s advice, left the man, and focused on herself and her career. Within a year, love found her. She was now happily married and expecting their first child. All because of The Love Vixen. Take that, Mr. Butt!
Five minutes later, the interview ended and as soon as the red light above the camera went off, Mina slumped back against the most uncomfortable office chair in the world. Dee started pulling the pins from her hair. “That was cutting it close. Thanks, y’all. Sorry I got my days mixed up.”
“No worries, sweetie. Just job security for us. You need us. Okay, bitches, I’m out of here. I have an appointment to get my nails done. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Dee pulled his blazer from Mina’s body and did a twirl as he slipped it on and danced out the door.
Mina unbuttoned Jodi’s shirt as they walked back to their office. She frowned at her white cotton wrap bra. Was it really as bad as Dee said? No. She liked it and that was all that mattered.
“You really should hire an assistant,” Jodi said as she pulled Mina’s stained t-shirt off and handed it to her.
Mina scrunched her brows. “I thought you were my assistant.”
“Well, yeah. I am, but you need an appointment assistant. I’m more like your executive assistant,” Jodi explained.
Mina sniffed her shirt and her nose turned up at the sour milk smell. Funny how she hadn’t noticed it before, but she couldn’t wear it now. She walked over to a set of built-in product shelves and pulled out an aqua Love Vixen t-shirt and tugged it on over her head. “And let me guess, you have just the person for the position?”
Let’s Talk Love: The Love Vixen Series Page 2
