The smile on Reid’s face didn’t falter, nor did he stop his conversation with the others. He continued forward until he was only a few feet away from me. “I had to run out of the house naked with nothing but a dish towel to cover my junk.”
The men laughed. Shit, he was still telling that story. I didn’t need to hear anything more than that as I’d been the cause of his nakedness in the first place. I’d inadvertently been the reason it was necessary for him to flee, as well. Who knew the dog we were dog-sitting had a love of honey. My face flushed hot as the men caught sight of me. I hoped he hadn’t used names....
“Tamara!” Brian Merrick, the show’s director and Sophia’s father, came up and caught me in a bear hug. Brian wasn’t a tall man, but his arms were strong and held tight. “I’m so glad you agreed to be a part of this.” He gave my arm another gentle squeeze before stepping back. He looked tired as he pushed his salt-and-pepper hair away from his face. “Sophia told me you weren’t keen on being the one on camera.”
Reid came up behind Brian and I had no place to hide from his intense stare.
“It made more sense for me to be here than her.” I broke free from his grip and stepped back. “That way she can keep the ball rolling with our current clients while I do the show and pitch for a new contract.”
“I love Sophia, but I can’t picture her in a boardroom.” Brian shifted so Reid naturally became part of the group. “You need to meet her, Reid. My daughter is a firecracker.”
“Yes, I do.” Reid gave me a sideways glance. He had in fact met Sophia when we’d first started dating. He was still pretending we were strangers.
“This is Tamara Foles, one of our judges and my daughter’s best friend. Tamara, this is Reid Jacobs, my assistant director.”
Reid gave me that sexy smirk that he’d perfected back in university and held out his hand. “We met on the plane.”
It would have been weird not to accept his handshake, so I gave him a hard squeeze that left no room for misinterpretation of how I wanted our relationship to go—nice and professional. “We did.”
“Fantastic.” Brian clapped Reid on the shoulder. “Tamara will be the one keeping us all in line if our last show together was any indication.”
Straightening, I slipped into businesswoman mode and focused my attention on Brian. “Speaking of keeping things in line. After this meeting I have to run upstairs to meet with Charles Warner from facilities. We are in the process of competing for a design contract for Reality Life and I wanted to introduce myself before the official pitches started.”
He smiled at me as someone called his name from across the room. “I have no doubt you’ll nail it. I’m sorry, but I have to go say hi to Cam. Excuse me.”
Brian crossed the room, leaving me alone with Reid.
Shit.
Straightening my back, I looked over his shoulder at the growing group. “Seems like a good group. Have you been to many of these meetings before?”
“A few. This is my first time as assistant director, though.” He cocked his head to the side and I could feel his gaze on my face. “You seem annoyed.”
Freaked out. Confused. Horny. “I’m not annoyed. Just...I wasn’t expecting you here.”
“And you hate not knowing things.” There wasn’t the bitterness there could have been in his tone. He held my gaze, reached out and brushed his fingers along the back of my hand. “For what it’s worth, it wasn’t my intention to blindside you. I didn’t think we’d meet until today.”
Reid might have been many things—a prankster, moody, uncommunicative—but he was never cruel. “There’s not much we can do about it now,” I said. “I’m fine working with you if you are with me.”
“I’ve changed since we last saw each other. Worked a few things out.” He leaned close so I could feel his breath on my cheek. “I’m looking forward to working closely with you.”
Holy shit. My pussy tingled in response to his sensual tone. Reid really had changed from the last time we’d been together. He was far calmer than I remembered, and far more confident.
He wasn’t going to be an easy man to ignore.
I cleared my throat and couldn’t stop from inching back.
Reid’s lips twitched into a quick smile. “Are you taking some personal time while you’re here?”
The question threw me for a loop. “I doubt it. I’ll be too busy with the show and my proposal.”
“You can’t work all the time. Maybe we can check a few places out together if you want.”
God, I couldn’t let this happen. My time with Reid had been confusing at best. When I’d walked away from him I’d promised myself I wouldn’t let myself get that wrapped up in anyone again, that I wouldn’t lose myself in another person the way I had with him. Better to treat Reid the same way I treated everyone else on the show, with professional detachment. That way I was sure to get everything done that I’d set out to accomplish, without ruffling any feathers. It had worked on Impact Load, our first reality show, and I knew it would work here.
“I doubt I’ll have time.” I held out my hand and gave him a tight smile. “I’m looking forward to working with you. Thanks again for your moral support on the plane.”
Okay, so maybe I wanted to feel the warmth of his long fingers around mine once again. One last reminder of the serious longing I’d once had for him. I wasn’t let down, as he took it and gave me a squeeze that I felt all the way down to my pussy.
Nothing good would come of this.
He leaned closer, and that smirk of his made me want to suck on his lips. “You can’t fool me with that Ice Queen show. I know you far better than that.” He let his thumb brush across the inside of my wrist.
I pulled away sharply and blindly turned and approached a group of women. Reid’s intense look was too much for me to handle. “Hi, I’m Tamara, one of the judges.” I did not offer to shake anyone’s hand. Because reasons.
A pixie-sized woman with short cropped black hair mirrored back my tight smile. “I’m Jennifer Stewart and this is Rene Matheson.” She touched the shoulder of a tall brunette who looked as though her blue eyes could pierce metal. “We’re your cojudges.”
I knew who they were immediately. Jennifer’s ReDesign Rescue had been one of Reality Life’s top shows for the past three years. Rene had come to the station in the past year, and her show Antique Makeover took off immediately. It was fun and Rene shone on screen.
“It will be pleasant to work with you.” I nodded at each of them before lacing my hands together. “I believe my role is to be the show’s bitch. I’ll be a bit harder on the contestants, pick their designs apart, that sort of thing.”
“Oh, well it’s good that you understand your part.” Jennifer cocked her head and smiled. “You seem like a natural.”
Lady, don’t even go there. “Thank you. I take great pride in doing an excellent job at everything I do. And I’m sure you’ll be good at your role.”
Rene’s mouth fell open for a moment. “I watched Impact Load. I thought they would be sending the other lady, Sophia.”
Sophia would have had them all laughing right now. The mood would be relaxed and easygoing. “Yes, Sophie would have been fantastic. She’s a natural on screen. I had some other business to conduct in New York, so it made more sense to send me.” I smiled, but the strain made my lips twitch.
Relief hit me as Brian called the production meeting to order. For the next two hours I took notes on the shooting schedule, the expectations they had of the judges, while mentally figuring