Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
The arctic conditions did the trick…mostly…so I got out and dried off, then donned a pair of boxers. As I padded out to my kitchen, I debated how early I could call Cleo without seeming too eager. Except I didn’t give a fuck about appearing overly interested in her, so I decided I would call first thing in the morning and make a date for that night.
I had just climbed into bed when my cell phone rang, and I glanced over, hope rising in my chest until I remembered that I hadn’t given Cleo my number.
It was my baby sister’s face flashing on the screen though, so I hit accept and put the phone on speaker.
“What’s up, Nat?”
“Soooo…” Natalie stopped and sighed. I knew her well enough to recognize she was about to ask me for a favor I wouldn’t be happy about.
“Raymond canceled on me.”
I flopped back onto my pillows and rolled my eyes but held in my grumble of disgust at the name of her co-star.
Natalie was an actress and had just wrapped up acting in and producing a miniseries in London before returning to New York to star in the hottest musical on Broadway. Raymond was a pompous ass and had nearly driven her to quit. However, she was a professional and refused to let him ruin her career. Unfortunately, they shared an agent who frequently booked them at the same events, then talked them into attending together to keep them in the tabloids with rumors about their “relationship.”
In this case, however, Natalie and her show had been nominated, and she would also present an award. I wasn’t surprised to hear that her ego-driven, narcissistic co-star had backed out on attending with her. All the limelight would be on his date.
“Please come with me, Rigby,” she begged. “I can’t go alone. If they see him out with another starlet, and I’m at the award ceremony alone, I’ll have to deal with all of the bullshit tabloids saying I’m heartbroken over him and blah, blah, blah.”
I hated celebrity bullshit, and I rarely used the perks that came with being a famous football player. I preferred not to be in the spotlight unless I was on the field.
And I didn’t like most people—which would be harder to hide if I was under the microscope of the press.
I would do anything for my little sister, though, so I swallowed my growl of frustration and grumbled, “Fine.”
Natalie squealed happily, and I pulled the phone away from my ear to keep my eardrum from bursting. “Thank you! Thank you! I owe you, big time!”
“Yes, you do,” I muttered. “And I’m going to collect.”
She laughed, knowing that my payment was usually in the form of home-cooked meals. “You have a tux fitting at nine tomorrow morning. Then we’ll go to the pre-luncheon and a press conference before heading to the award ceremony. We have to be there early enough to walk the red carpet before I’m briefed on the award I’ll present.”
Fuck. That meant my entire day was being hijacked. I couldn’t take Cleo out, and I had a late practice the following afternoon. Our date would have to wait until later in the week, which made me even grouchier.
“You’re going to have to suck it up and pretend not to be such a grump,” Natalie warned.
“No promises, sis,” I grunted. “Just be glad I’m agreeing to go at all.”
“I’ll take it!” she chirped. “Love you. See you at the fitting tomorrow.”
“Love you, too,” I murmured before hanging up. I put my hands behind my head and stared up at the ceiling.
At least the next couple of days would be busy. I hoped it would help keep my mind off the woman who was suddenly all I could think about. Until I could do something about it anyway.
2
CLEO
Going to college in New York City presented tons of amazing opportunities for majors in drama and design. Not only was the Tisch School of the Arts one of the top arts programs in the country, but it also provided some incredible chances to network with people in the industry.
Being a seat filler was another way for me to network, and I loved attending the award ceremonies like the one I was going to tonight. The International Emmy Awards were a huge deal, recognizing the best television programs initially produced and aired outside the United States. There were fifteen categories, and the nominees were from over twenty countries.
I was so excited to experience the event from the audience, even with all the standing around I needed to do before the ceremony began. I arrived hours ago with my hair and makeup done, and dressed in a black ball gown as directed. I waited in line after line and was finally shown into the banquet hall only fifteen minutes before the ceremony began.