CHAPTER 2

         She was tempted to watch him walk away, but that might give all her… steamy thoughts about him and her away. Instead, Samaire grabbed her cellphone and checked her messages as if her life depended on it.

          A text came in just as she entered her password.

          ‘How’s the transformation going?’

          While reading that text for the second time, Samaire grimaced. It was from Brian Connolly, the social media legend to the stars.

“Damn it!”

          At a conference, last month, she’d been flattered that he’d singled her out, and he’d even dangled the possibility of working for him. But first, he’d challenged her to create and manage an image. And he gave her the hardest subject to work on: Samaire Grainger.

          Blond, stylish, and dressed for success, Brian Connolly oozed money and confidence like no man she’d known... Well, almost no man… Dominic was cut from the same cloth as Brian… up to a point.  

          Brian worked for celebrities and A-listers in Hollywood and quite a few people had followed him around the conference like groupies. They’d wanted to know how he got the high-profile clients and what it was like to party with the stars.

          Her peers found him innovative and called him ‘the future of their industry’. They didn’t seem to notice that Brian was brash, aggressive, and always turned the conversation to sex.

          Samaire had no interest in celebrity parties. What mattered to her was that if she tackled his challenge and succeeded, she would get a job working for one of the biggest social media companies in the industry. The opportunity to be Brian Connolly’s protégé would be such a coup. It would prove to her family, and to herself, that she had finally made it.

          ‘What are you wearing?’

          But first, she had to respond to his texts the right way. Samaire knew she should answer it honestly. Show him that she actually couldn’t transform herself into a wild party girl, as she’d boasted at the conference that she could.

          Well, she wasn’t ready to end this pre-interview. She was going to show Brian that she could do this. She wanted to be the best at something and she wanted everyone to know it.

“Okay…” she murmured. “What am I wearing? That’s a good question…”

          Samaire looked down at her blazer and shook her head.

          ‘I’m wearing… Nothing but a satisfied smile,’ she replied.

          She wasn’t sure where that answer came from. Probably from a TV show she’d just watched. She liked the answer, though. It was breezy, flirty, and… so not like her. Samaire wished she could have come up with something this quickly when she’d been face-to-face with Brian, but she always thought of a comeback hours later.

          ‘I’m intrigued,’ he responded immediately. ‘What are your plans for tonight?’

          Her nights were usually filled with work and the occasional outing with friends, but she wasn’t going to tell Brian the truth. This was the guy who’d at first thought she was a woman with no future.

          He’d taken one look at her at the bar during the conference and decided she didn’t have an original or scandalous idea in her head. And proceeded to explain why her small business couldn’t compete with his big company.

          The worst part was that he’d been correct. But she didn’t let him know that. Her ideas were based on what had proven effective for others and her success was built on consistency and hard work.

          ‘She was a grinder, not an innovator.’

          Samaire had wanted to walk away and ignore Brian. But she was proud of her business, and she hadn’t liked hearing him dismiss it so easily. So, she’d looked him in the eye and argued with him about his ideas, horrifying his disciples and fangirls.

          But he’d seemed intrigued and asked her for more details about her strategies. Samaire had been nervous while she told him what she had accomplished since she started her business. She didn’t have A-list clients or an office filled with employees, but something she had said must have impressed him.

          Out of all the people at the conference, Brian had said he wanted to interview her for a job. It had felt amazing and scary to be in the spotlight. She wanted to make the most of it.

          She thought for a moment, wondering how to respond to his question. What could she say she was doing tonight? It had to be wild and fun.

          ‘Defending my title in the wet T-shirt contest,’ she answered. ‘You?’

          That should keep him busy for a while. Samaire bit her lip to contain her smile just as her phone was snatched from her hand. She squawked and whirled around to find Dominic behind her.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a naughty smile,” Dominic said as he held her phone out of her reach.

          It looked small in his hand.

“That’s not true, Dom! You have a mirror, don’t you?”

          Samaire blinked and pressed her lips. Where had that come from? Dominic seemed just as surprised by her sassy response. Samaire decided it was best to ignore it, and she held out her hand.

“Can I have my phone back, please?”

          He shook his head.

“Nope. You spend too much time on it and miss out on everything that’s going on around you…”

“I do not!”

          Okay, maybe she did… But her phone was her lifeline. It kept her focused and on schedule. Her gut twisted when she heard the chime of an incoming text.

“Would you please hand it over?”

          Dominic glanced at the small screen and went very still.

“‘A wet T-shirt contest’?” he asked in a low, gravelly voice, his gaze still on the phone.

          Samaire felt the hot blush spread from her neck to her face. She braced herself for Dominic to double over with laughter. To her surprise, his smile faded as he gave her a piercing look.

“Sam… Who is this Brian?”

“Would you stop being so nosy and give me back my phone?”

          She leaped from her chair and made a grab for the phone but he kept it out of reach. It was just like old times.

“Not until you tell me who Brian is.”

          Samaire glanced around the wine bar, hoping they weren’t causing a scene. To her relief, no one was paying them any attention.

“All right… He’s not someone from around here,” Samaire whispered fiercely.

          She watched in horror as Dominic started typing on the keypad.

          ‘Don’t freak out. He’s messing with you, just like he used to. He’s just pretending. He won’t dare send a text… from your phone,’ she thought completely terrified.

“What did Brian say?”

“Hmm… Something about photographic evidence,” Dominic muttered as he texted a reply. “He sounds charming.”

“Dominic? What are you doing?”

          Samaire grabbed his arm and was momentarily distracted by the sensation of the warm and solid muscle beneath her fingertips. She wondered how it would feel to have his arms around her, holding her tight…

“Don’t you dare!  Don’t tell him anything!” she rasped.

“Wow, you are really panicky with this guy.”

          Dominic squinted at the screen as he continued to type.

“You must like him a lot.”

          Like him? No! Absolutely, not! But Brian Connolly could be her fairy godmother to her job. His approval would make her the belle of the ball instead of the wallflower.

“It’s not what you think… It’s… complicated.”

“Isn’t it always?”

          She gasped when he pressed the send button.

“Oh, my God… What did you say to him?”

          He shrugged.

“Just your run-of-the-mill marriage proposal.”

          Her fingers dug into his arms.

“What…? You did not…”

“Hold your horses… I’m kidding.”

          Dominic’s smile widened.

“So, why haven’t I heard anything about this guy?”

“Because there’s nothing to tell, Dom.”

          Samaire needed to see the text Dominic had sent. She jumped for the phone and collided with him. Her hands flattened against his chest as she inhaled his scent. It was woodsy and masculine… and made her mouth dry.

“Are you really entering a wet T-shirt contest?” he asked quietly.

          She jerked her head up in shock. Dominic’s face was right above hers. His blue eyes were mesmerizing and she hurriedly stepped away.

“That’s what he asked?”

“No, that’s what I’m asking you.”

          Samaire nervously licked her bottom lip.

“Why? Do you think I could win?”

          She should have curbed her tongue. Deep down she knew that question would require Dominic to look at her… REALLY look at her.

          Her skin tingled with awareness as his eyes darkened. Her breasts felt heavy and tight under her printed pink top as his gaze lingered on her chest. She didn’t breathe until his eyes met hers again.

“I don’t think you’re the kind of woman who could enter a wet T-shirt contest.”

          Samaire reared her head back.

“Could?” she repeated.

          What did that mean? Did he believe she lacked the curves or the audacity for that kind of competition?

“I meant would.”

          Her phone chimed again. Samaire held back a panicked whimper. Dominic glanced at the screen but didn’t say anything about it.

“It was supposed to be a compliment, Sam.”

          Of course, it was. She nodded silently. Taking a long look at her and saying she couldn’t enter a wet T-shirt contest could only be construed as complimentary. She smiled and shook her head lightly.

          Her phone chimed again. Samaire wanted to wrap her arms around her. Instead, she bunched her hands into fists. She wasn’t going to react. She wasn’t in a playful mood and Dominic would catch on. He’d soon lose interest and give her back the phone. Dominic read the text and frowned.

“Have you ever been to one of those contests?”

“No,” she admitted reluctantly.

          She didn’t even know where they were held or if there were rules.

“Why?”

“Then you may have a problem.”

          Dominic gave her the phone.

“Looks like Brian is coming for a visit so he can see you in action.”

          What? Visit? That didn’t make any sense. Brian wouldn’t waste his time visiting a rural small town. She read his last text.

          ‘I’m going to be in Seattle next Friday. Would love to meet up.’

          Samaire doubled over as her stomach twisted violently.

“Oh, no… No, no, no…”

          Another text popped up.

          ‘Consider this the last challenge to make it to the interview: transform yourself in one week and then we’ll talk.’

          The panic clawed her chest as Samaire gulped in air.

“God… Tell me this isn’t happening…”