When they’d finished dinner and cleared the table, Elizabeth said, “To prepare, I thought I’d ask you possible interview questions. Then we’d go over ways you could answer.”
“What a great way to spend an evening.”
After refilling their wineglasses, they moved into the living room. As she sank onto her upholstered white couch and waited for Rory to get settled, she glanced around the room. The white sofa paired with the black chairs and a touch of red accents suited her minimalistic style perfectly. Then her gaze focused on Rory, and she found herself biting her lip to keep from laughing.
His muscular frame looked so ridiculously powerful as he squeezed into a small armchair. “Join me over here. That way we’ll be closer, like you’ll be with Brooke when she interviews you tomorrow.”
Even though he sat on the other end of the couch, Rory’s presence overwhelmed Elizabeth. His earthy scent swirled around her. What would her life be like with him there all the time?
What was she thinking? They worked together. Taking a deep breath and focusing on tonight’s purpose, preparing him for tomorrow’s interview, she said, “Today’s journalism leans toward sensationalism. Don’t be surprised if a lot of the questions are filled with sexual innuendos.”
“What happened to serious journalism?”
“That’s reserved for political leaders and crime victims.”
“What kind of things will she ask?”
“She’ll probably ask you things like what it felt like to have all those women wanting your attention.”
“It felt damned scary.”
“You can’t say that. Say it was like nothing you’d ever experienced before.”
He laughed. “That’s for sure.”
“She also might ask you about your pecs. What size they are, for example.”
Rory’s eyebrow rose at her comment. “Why would she do that?”
Elizabeth licked her lips. She couldn’t say because his pecs were more intoxicating than Chloe’s killer margaritas. “She’ll probably ask about them because it’s apparent from the billboard that you’re in very good shape.”
“This interview sounds like it’ll be as much fun as dealing with those women in Times Square.”
THE NEXT MORNING Elizabeth stood beside Rory in the Wake Up America studio for his first television interview. While bats had set up residence in her stomach and were playing a rousing game of tag, Rory appeared completely relaxed. Nothing seemed to bother the man. Elizabeth smiled to herself. Except the crowd of women in Times Square.
They’d met at four this morning for breakfast. While Rory shoveled down scrambled eggs, pancakes and bacon, she’d tossed out questions for him to answer. He’d done well, but would he do as well when the cameras were rolling? He wouldn’t be the first person to freeze up in front of a TV camera.
Think positive. Send out good energy, Elizabeth. If you believe in him, he’ll believe in himself.
“You’ll do a great job in this interview. Be yourself, cowboy. When you do that you effortlessly captivate women.”
He looked down at her. His brown eyes sparkled. “Do I captivate you, Lizzie?”
Her breath caught in her chest. When he focused on her as he was now, she felt she was the only woman in the world. If only it were true, and not that he looked at every woman that way. Where did reality begin and end with this man?
Then she realized he’d called her Lizzie.
She decided to ignore the name issue, since correcting him had become an exercise in futility. Maybe ignoring it would take the fun out of the game. “Remember, I said I’m immune to your cowboy charm.”
Though she might need a booster shot soon. Very soon.
A production assistant informed Rory his interview was up after the next set of commercials. “Remember to be positive,” Elizabeth whispered before the assistant ushered him onto the set.
Her iPhone rang. Pulling it out of her purse, Elizabeth checked the screen and noticed Nancy’s name.
“I was going to call you later to tell you I’ve been saying extra prayers today.” Her friend had another chemo treatment this morning.
“I need all the prayers I can get today,” Nancy’s weak voice whispered over the phone lines.
“Are you okay?” Elizabeth’s heart tightened.
“That’s why I’m calling. This is a bit of a rough day. Could you make sure Mark gets his art for the Hamlin furniture ad to the printer by five?”
“No problem. I’ll see to it. You rest as much as you can.”
“I keep repeating what you told me, that this is just a speed bump, but some days it’s harder to believe than others.”
“How about I bring you some dinner later?”
“I’d love some chicken soup from Cohen’s.”
“You got it.” Elizabeth glanced at the set and noticed Brooke had joined Rory. “I’ve got to go. Rory’s interview is about to start.”
With his dark good looks and her tall golden appeal, the pair made a striking couple. An odd feeling twisted inside Elizabeth.
Once seated on the sofa, Rory started to remove his Stetson.
“Leave your hat on.” Brooke placed her graceful hand on Rory’s arm. “It makes you so much more cowboy.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes at how Brooke drew out the word cowboy. “I have to say, Rory, you’re as attractive in person as you are on the Times Square billboard.”
Then the reporter actually blushed.
Oh, please. How obvious could she be? She might as well ask Rory if he’d like to have a roll in the hay.
“That’s kind of you to say, Brooke.” Rory flashed the reporter his million-dollar smile.
Elizabeth shook her head. The man was a walking pheromone, mesmerizing any woman within twenty feet of him. He should wear a warning label. Caution—may cause women to lose their faculties after prolonged exposure.
The red camera lights came on. “If you’ve been in Times Square lately you’ve probably seen our next guest staring down at you from a billboard. He’s the bare-chested cowboy wearing Devlin Designs’ men’s jeans,” Brooke said. She turned to Rory. “You caused quite a stir yesterday.”
“I was walking around right outside your studio and a couple of women recognized me from the Devlin Designs jeans billboard in Times Square. They asked me for my autograph, and then next thing I knew I was surrounded by women.”
Elizabeth smiled, pleased that Rory remembered her instruction to mention the company name as often as possible.
“I hear a couple of the women got a little touchy-feely, if you know what I mean. Not that I blame them.”
“I got to say, I’m not used to all this female attention. I’m just a simple cowboy from Colorado.”
Elizabeth almost laughed again. Simple cowboy? After last night’s discussion on home equity and remodeling, she suspected Rory was anything but. That man, however, had disappeared once they arrived at the studio. The Rory on the set was all aw-shucks. A regular good old boy. Which man was the real one?
“I noticed you didn’t answer my question.” Brooke’s voice broke through Elizabeth’s thoughts.
Red spread across Rory’s cheeks. Elizabeth covered her mouth to hold back her laughter, unable to believe he actually blushed.
“I did receive a pinch or two, and my shirt got torn some.”
“Did you know video of what happened yesterday has been posted on YouTube?”
After glancing at the floor for a few seconds, Rory returned his attention to Brooke and smiled. “Now that is something. I never thought I’d end up on YouTube.”
Lizzie cringed. His posture had stiffened slightly and the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He was truly embarrassed being on display. Part of her wished she could run onto the set and rescue him. Now that she’d seen him genuinely happy, as he’d been when he’d joked about her cooking skills, or lack thereof last night, watching him now bordered on painful.
“I’ve seen the clip,” Brooke continued. “I think you’
re being modest about the reaction you received. Let’s see what our viewers think.”
A second later the sight of Rory surrounded by women popped up on the monitor. Elizabeth glanced at Rory, who stared at everything in the studio but the monitor as the scene played out. Seeing the video gave Elizabeth an entirely different perspective on the incident. While they’d been in the thick of things, she’d concentrated on making the most of the opportunity. For the first time she actually put herself in Rory’s shoes, a man new to the city and the ad game.
The women touched his arm. A few placed their hands on his chest when they asked for his autograph. More than a couple had pinched his butt. One woman goosed him. Of course, Elizabeth had known all that had happened, but seeing it in a more detached way and all together, she realized how degrading the women’s actions had been toward Rory.
And yet, through it all, he’d remained polite. A complete gentleman.
The YouTube clip ended, and Brooke turned to Rory, an impish grin on her face. “The women almost ripped your shirt completely off. Good thing you work for a clothing company. You might go through a lot of shirts.”
Rory chuckled, the slightly harsh sound grating on Elizabeth’s ears. “Who would’ve thought I should’ve asked for a replacement shirt clause in my contract with Devlin Designs?”
“How about you take off your shirt and show us your wonderful abs so our viewers can see what all the excitement was about?”
Rory froze. Brooke looked him up and down like a woman about to pounce.
Then his gaze sought out Elizabeth.
She shook her head and mouthed the words you don’t have to do this. The last thing she wanted him to do was humiliate himself on national TV.
The humor that usually sparkled in his eyes had vanished, replaced with iron resolve as he stood and peeled off his shirt. Then he hooked his thumbs in his front pockets, leaned back on his heels, raised his chin a bit and stared straight at the camera. Nothing but confidence shone in his eyes. “Is this what you wanted to see?”
“Women across the country are certainly getting all hot and bothered right about now.”
Rory flashed the reporter a forced smile and said, “I don’t know about that.”
“I do.” Brooke cleared her throat. “That’s all the time we have. Thanks for stopping by, Rory.”
After she plugged the upcoming story and they went to commercial, Brooke said, “Interviewing you was a pleasure. If you want to get together and see some of the city’s sights, call me.” She pulled a business card out of her suit coat pocket and handed it to Rory once he’d shrugged on his shirt. “I’d be happy to play tour guide.”
For Elizabeth the interview had been a triumph, but the success was bittersweet, because despite the charm and bravado he’d displayed, Elizabeth suspected the interview had cost Rory a large chunk of his pride.
AS HE WALKED OUT OF the Wake Up America studio, Rory didn’t know how he could keep working for Devlin Designs and retain any semblance of who he was.
He’d do it because he loved his mother, of course, and she needed the money.
But he’d been wrong about the interview being as bad as the incident in Times Square. Yesterday’s humiliation had been limited to under a hundred people. The interview had been far worse because he’d been treated like a sex object on national TV. People at home would see that show, and he’d never hear the end of it. He’d be the butt of jokes for years to come. Hell, he’d probably be in the old folks’ home one day, and people would still be razzing him about appearing half-naked on Wake Up America.
“That was an experience,” he said once they reached the street. Then he glanced at Lizzie. Her face glowed. The on-camera embarrassment had been worth it, to see the joy on her face now, and to know he’d put that look there.
“You were amazing.” Lizzie threw her arms around him and hugged the stuffing out of him. Her unexpected praise combined with her luscious curves molded against his body had him alive and humming.
Her eyes shone with pride. In him. He felt himself drowning in her beautiful blue eyes. He’d slain her dragon for her. Power surged through him.
Desire scored a direct hit to his groin.
He lowered his lips to hers. One taste. What could that hurt? Yeah, and the captain of the Titanic probably said, “Don’t worry. That’s a small iceberg.” Right before they hit the thing and sank.
Chapter Nine
Rory’s lips covered hers, sending shock waves through her entire body. But that wasn’t what excited Elizabeth the most. The shy man who’d bluffed his way through the interview and yet remained the perfect spokesman, polite and enthusiastic—had revealed an intoxicating strength of character far sexier than his great body.
His strong arms wrapped around her. She clutched his shirt, fearing her knees would give out.
Rory filled her senses. Her toes curled inside her Coach python printed pumps.
But immediately following those fantastic feelings, alarms blasted in her head. She tossed them and her never-mix-business-and-pleasure rule aside until her cell phone belted out Darth Vader’s theme, and reality crashed down on her.
She jumped out of Rory’s arms, her heart hammering as if she’d run three blocks, her body throbbing with desire. How had she gotten so completely lost in him? How could she have forgotten they were standing on the sidewalk in the middle of Times Square? This was so not good.
“Devlin’s calling. Cross your fingers that he’s as happy with the interview as we were.” She avoided Rory’s gaze as she said, “Hello, Micah. Did you see it?”
She tried to focus on his response, but her mind kept wandering back to Rory’s kiss. How would she face him, work with him, now that they’d crossed that work-personal life boundary?
Right after her call with Devlin she needed to explain to Rory how she’d gotten carried away over his interview’s success. She’d say they needed to keep things in perspective and remain professional.
“Our cowboy did a great job. He struck the right balance of country boy and confidence.”
Elizabeth hailed a passing cab, and when Rory opened the door for her, she dived in. He sat in silence beside her, while she gave the driver her office address. “We set Rory up with a Twitter account a few days ago. I’ll have him post a couple of tweets today.” The cab driver blasted his horn at a couple pedestrians sauntering through the crosswalk.
“I hope this female fervor translates into jeans sales.”
“I think it will. Women will be talking about the gorgeous guy they saw on Wake Up America, and they’ll be heading to the nearest department stores to buy their guy a pair of Devlin’s men’s jeans.”
“If the number of hits the video and our website have gotten since the interview are any indication, this campaign should be do well.” Devlin paused. “I’ve been thinking.”
Elizabeth cringed. Good things never happened for her when Micah Devlin said he’d been thinking. His ruminations invariably led to more work that needed to be accomplished immediately, or disastrous ideas she had to talk him out of. “What about?”
“Since meeting Rory, I’ve wondered about shooting the commercial in upstate New York. The setting doesn’t seem to fit him. I checked out Estes Park on the internet. It’s the perfect place to shoot the commercial.”
She should have thought of that. Colorado and the Rocky Mountains were so a part of who Rory was. It added to his ruggedness, his appeal.
“Shooting the commercial in Colorado would increase the production cost. When I’m back at the office, I’ll run the numbers to see exactly what the change in location would add to the budget. We could go over everything tomorrow.”
“No need. I want the commercial shot in Colorado on the ranch where Rory works. It’ll add authenticity to the campaign. As soon as you get the details ironed out, I want to head to Colorado. I don’t want to let the excitement wane. I want to get this commercial on the air as quickly as possible.”
Sure, the major work
for the commercial was done, but didn’t he realize the script would need changes, and negotiating with the ranch owner would take time? She briefly considered mentioning those facts, but knew from past experience he’d only tell her to do whatever was necessary, within reason, of course, to get the job done. The man must think he owned her, body and soul. Either that or he thought she had nothing to do but work twenty-four hours a day on his campaign. “I’ll get to work on hammering out the details once I get back to the office.”
She gazed out the cab window, watching people bustle along the busy city sidewalks as the taxi sat stuck in traffic. The irony of the situation slapped her in the face. The pedestrians were moving faster than she was. Not only was she stuck in the cab, her entire life seemed stalled right now.
She worked her tail off for Rayzor Sharp Media, and in turn, for Devlin Designs, and all it seemed to get her was higher expectations, a pat on the head and no social life.
After Devlin instructed Elizabeth to email the shoot details the minute plans were finalized, he ended the call, and she threw her phone into her purse.
“Bad news?” Rory asked.
She still couldn’t look him in the face. If she saw his lips she’d start thinking about how they felt against hers. She’d remember how he made her forget everything but him. She cleared her throat. “Remember how I said next week we’d shoot the TV commercial in upstate New York?” Rory nodded, and she continued, “Not anymore. Though Devlin approved all the plans, now he wants the commercial shot in Estes Park at the ranch where you work.”
Rory’s expression darkened and his back straightened as if someone had stuck a broom handle up his shirt. “I’m not shooting the commercial there.”
Okay, that was an unexpected reaction. Something didn’t fit. “I thought you’d be thrilled to go home.”
“I want to keep my personal life and this job separate.” A muscle in his jaw twitched, the only evidence of his irritation other than the storm brewing in his eyes. “I’m not sure I can do this job, do things like I did in the interview or the photo shoot, at home with half the town watching.”
Big City Cowboy (Harlequin American Romance) Page 11
