Fourteen

Misha

The hardest part of my job was stepping back into the shadows and letting the client sink or swim. It was gut-wrenching and right now my stomach was so full of acid that I could probably dissolve steak and Coke in a matter of seconds. Ethan would be fine, I was pretty sure of that. At least I hoped he’d be, but I could never tell what happened in these situations until, well, until it happened.

Today was the first round of his series of interviews and his people had, wisely, chosen The Women because it was a mostly friendly audience, not to mention Aegle’s target demographic. The Women were made up of two actresses, a former pop princess turned human rights activist, a lawyer and a former award-winning journalist. They were friendly, intelligent and most of all, forgiving of small mistakes and no matter how the media wanted to spin it, Ethan’s misstep had been a minor one.

Even knowing all that, watching off camera where I couldn’t rub his arm in comfort, killed me. A sure sign that I’d gotten too close. Way to close.

“Personally, I am a big fan of the Super Cleanse smoothies.” Glory Goodwin gushed. “I mean after award season parties or a late night with my girls, that helps me get back in the game the next day!”

The other women agreed and Ethan blushed lightly, drawing a few sympathetic ‘awws’ from the audience. “Thank you. I think Glory’s just given me a new marketing campaign,” he flashed that killer smile and the women in the audience went wild.

“Do you really eat that healthy all the time?” Tara Winchester asked. “I’d practically starve before I started filming and then I would gorge after we wrapped.” She sighed and flashed some side eye to the camera. “It was fantastic!”

“I really do. One of the things I learned as a model was the fastest and unhealthiest ways to lose weight and I was determined to find a way to do it right.” He smiled at each of the women and the audience was rapt as he spoke quieter. “I learned about all the natural things in the world—foods, drinks, herbs, plants and all—that could keep me happy, healthy and whole.” I grinned at his words, perfect because they were a perfect tagline that also sounded completely genuine. “The better I feel, the more things I can do.”

“Speaking of,” Meredith Kincaid asked in her trademark newscaster voice, crisp and a little husky, “is there someone special in your life?”

“There are many special someones in my life, but my favorite is a bossy little girl named Chelle. My niece.” It was a perfect answer and I knew he’d already won over the audience.

Michelle Trent though, not so much. “That’s all great but, what in the hell were you thinking talking to Samantha Stevens that way?”

I knew there would be trouble by the way his jaw twitched at her question. “I was thinking that some things just aren’t other people’s business Michelle. But I could have handled it better.”

She nodded, lips pursed and I knew she’d be the one to try and make a few headlines. “You’re a public figure.”

“So are you,” he glared, “and I seem to remember you paid a pretty hefty fine for punching a cameraman. All I did was ask a personal question in return. Maybe if she had answered, I would have.”

There were quiet murmurs in the audience and one lone woman yelled out, “That’s right Ethan!”

Bless that woman because it broke the tension in the studio. For everyone but Michelle fucking Trent. “And you thought that was appropriate?”

“No more than pressing me on a question I said I wouldn’t answer.” His blue stare was fierce and I held my breath, waited for Ethan to unleash the fury held within the depths of his eyes. They were locked in an intense stare down when Meredith Kincaid spoke up.

“After the break let’s talk about how much we can expect to keep quiet in this age of celebrity.” They broke for the commercial and Ethan stood, removing his microphone and politely thanking each woman. Even Michelle. But rage rolled off his shoulders as he stalked towards me and then past me.

I finally caught up with him outside the studio and I stopped, watching him yank the door open with enough force to rip it off at the hinges. So that was his mood. I gingerly slid into the back of the limo, keeping my distance as the traffic merged into the noisy New York City. I knew he was upset and I understood why. What I didn’t get was how it was my fault.

“I can’t believe that happened! Some help you were back there!” He shook his head, disgust replacing the anger, not fully but enough that his expression twisted with it. “All of this shit and it didn’t help at all. Michelle made me look like an asshole!”

I sighed, letting him get it all out because until he did he’d be in no place to listen. I sat there like a bump on a soft leather log while he gave me a tongue lashing to rival all tongue lashings. Eventually I got mad. A woman could only take so much shit, especially when the fault didn’t lie with her. “How is it my fault that you didn’t do what we talked about?”

He froze, frowned and twisted his mouth in an adorable pout that I almost didn’t want to shake loose. “I don’t know! It just is.” He fell back against the seat and raked a hand through his hair.

“No need to yell,” I told him quietly, stifling a snicker at how ridiculous he was being. But it wouldn’t stop coming and I covered the laugh with a cough that convinced absolutely no one. His look darkened and I lost it, laughing so loud and so hard my whole body shook. The more I laughed, the harder it became to stop until Ethan was laughing too.

“I really fucked that up, didn’t I?” He wore a sheepish grin that was equal parts adorable and sexy.

I lifted my shoulders and let them fall dramatically. “I wouldn’t say fucked up , per se. But I do think we can use this situation to our advantage.” I told him about the idea swirling in my head and the wider his grin spread the more I wish I knew every word in the English language so I wouldn’t have to stop talking.

That. Fucking. Smile.

“That hippie girl exterior of yours is misleading as fuck, Misha.” He laughed and shook his head. “You’re some kind of sorceress, right? That’s the trick to your fixing people, magic?”

“Me?” I laughed at his bewildered expression, feeling a little lightheaded under the power of his smile. “I’m just Misha.”

“You are many things sweetheart, but you’re not just anything.”

Damn that was a surefire way into a girl’s heart and her panties. “Just think Ethan. We have nine whole days before we have to do it again.”

He groaned.

I laughed.