Snapped Page 3

  Andrea paled. “Umm, yes. I bought them. Part of design is having an eye for what goes together.”

  I leaned forward, and from that distance I was able to see that the price tag was still attached. “Next time you might want to consider going for quality over value. In this case the cheap finishing touches take away from the overall look. It looks as though you threw this together ten minutes before you arrived. I’m sorry, you don’t get a vote from me.”

  Andrea looked as though she might cry, not exactly the reaction I’d wanted. But I saw how long and hard Sophia worked on her designs, trying to find the balance between value and curb appeal for our clients. The last thing I wanted to do was undermine the people who had a real talent for design by putting through someone who wasn’t up to par. Andrea was escorted off, and I hated to notice the tears in her eyes. Shit, I’d done that to her.

  What the hell was the matter with me?

  Up next was an older woman named Elsie, who looked as though she’d come straight out of the sixties. She’d wheeled in a mannequin that wore a set of drapes and had piles of pillows around its base.

  Rene smiled at her. “Tell me, Elsie, what brings you here today?”

  “I’ve always dreamed of working in a design house. Ever since I was a girl.” Her cheeks twitched as she smiled. “Sorry, I’m a bit nervous.”

  “Why don’t you show us what you have?” I wanted to keep my persona as cool as possible, but it was hard in the face of her obvious nerves.

  “I wanted to pay tribute to my family so I incorporated our tartan colors while bringing the pattern into the twenty-first century.” Elsie’s voice shook almost as much as her hands as she showed us the stitch work and explained how she used her hundred-dollar limit on her supplies.

  Rene and Jennifer smiled, but the questions they posed to Elsie showed they didn’t see her as a contender. Rene went so far as to lean forward while inspecting the drapes. “It’s such an unusual shade of green.”

  “Not something you’d see in a formal living room,” Jennifer said in a tone so dismissive I was embarrassed for the contestant.

  Whether it was from their snark or the pain in my ass, I got to my feet and moved around to get a better look at the display. The fabric was excellent quality and the stitch work was damned impressive. Small neat stitches that had a slightly irregular spacing.

  Straightening, I kept my face neutral as I turned to Elsie. “Did you do this by hand?”

  “Oh yes. I have a machine, but there’s something satisfying about draping the fabric across my lap while I work the needle.”

  “And you said this is your tartan. If you were to take this to market, how would you target your sales?”

  Elsie blinked at me, a vaguely panicked expression on her face.

  “What I mean is, who would you sell this to? Who would be interested?”

  “Oh!” Her grin made her eyes sparkle. “My grandson set up a website for me. I’ve started reaching out through genealogy sites and making my drapes and pillows available to members of our family.”

  I tried to keep my smile at bay, but failed. “That is an excellent strategy. Thank you, Elsie.” I took my seat once more as Elsie was escorted out.

  Brian clapped his hands. “Okay, everyone, let’s take a break for fifteen minutes before the next group comes in.”

  Jennifer turned to me. “I can’t believe you seriously thought that was a good design.”

  “It wasn’t for me, but her idea was solid and the business potential was huge.” I marked Elsie’s file as a possible for the next round of the show. “Our job is to find the savviest new designer, not decorate our homes.”

  Jennifer sniffed and half turned so there was no mistaking that I wasn’t invited to participate in the rest of her conversation with Rene. Sure, I wasn’t the designer from my company, but I wasn’t an idiot, either. I could tell an innovative design, a keen creative eye and solid skill set better than most. So I wrapped my Ice Queen mantle firmly around myself and pretended I didn’t care that I was being ignored. Even though I did.

  I took out my tablet and pulled up my business plan. I’d make use of the meeting delay to continue to fine-tune our proposal. I adjusted my projected budget and timelines, giving us wiggle room while not promising something we wouldn’t be able to deliver. They’d put me off until the day after tomorrow, when we had a break in shooting. Mr. Warner’s assistant had reassured me that none of the other proposals had been seen either, and that this wasn’t a slight against our company.

  A cup of coffee was set in front of me, dragging my attention up from my budget breakdown. I was mildly surprised to see Reid standing there and a row of coffee cups in front of us.

  “Ladies, I thought you could all use a refill. Rene and Jennifer, I wasn’t sure how you take it, so I brought cream and sugar.”

  “Aren’t you a sweetie.” Jennifer leaned forward far enough even I could see down her shirt. “Thank you so much.”

  I was mildly surprised when instead of black my coffee was a milky brown. “Mine’s already dressed.”

  Reid pressed his hand to his heart. “You take it cream with one sugar, right?”

  “Thanks.” I cautiously sipped my offering and sighed as strong, hot coffee washed over my tongue.

  I’d pretty much ignored him since filming had started. Well, as much as I could, given our respective roles as judge and assistant director. Reid was a constant presence on the set, his voice always present even when I couldn’t see him. It was strange how quickly I’d gotten used to hearing him again, how much I’d missed him in my life. Not that I regretted our breakup for a moment. Three years ago we’d been bad for each other, fighting constantly. This Reid was far calmer, happier than he’d been back then.

  He was clearly better off without me.

  “How many applicants do we have left today?” There, that sounded nice and detached. Professional.

  “Not many. Ten more and then you’ll have about an hour to make your decisions.”

  “Then we’ll be free for a night on the town.” Jennifer eyed Reid up and down. “So many options for fun in New York.”

  “There’s something for everyone.” Reid was still looking at me, even though he was clearly talking to Jennifer. It was disconcerting to have his attention focused on me that way, especially when I hadn’t done a thing to encourage him.

  My skin prickled and I stood up so quickly my chair wobbled. “My back is killing me.” I pulled off the wireless microphone from beneath my collar. “I’m going to stretch my legs for a bit.”

  The smell of industrial oil and street meat hit me the moment I got outside. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be sick or go grab a bite to eat. It only added to my aggravation. Reid was annoying the hell out of me. When he wasn’t acting like a kid, relieving the tension on set by making everyone laugh, he was staring at me with a look as though he wanted to consume me.

  “There’s a restaurant around the corner not far from here. They have a great steak and salad thing going on.”

  I jumped at the sound of Reid’s voice. His thumbs were hooked in his belt loops, which drew my attention to his groin. Shit. I jerked my gaze back up, but I could tell from the sparkle in his eyes that I’d been caught.

  “Seafood, too. I remember how much you like fish.”

  “You seem to know your way around here.” Distract him from asking anything embarrassing. “You come to New York often?”

  “Twice in the past year. Amazing things to see here.” He came beside me, and the scent of his aftershave drove away my awareness of anything else. “Times Square will blow you away.”

  “I can imagine.” I didn’t want this, his being nice to me. It was easier to push him away when he was being a jerk or keeping me at arm’s length. It was far harder when his smile made my insides squirm and my pussy
tingle. It reminded me too much of the good times when we were both happy. “I wish I had time to see some of the sights.”

  “I’m sure we can find some time in your schedule for some fun. You work too hard.”

  A light breeze blew across us, sending Reid’s hair whipping across his face. His glasses kept drawing my attention to his face, which in turn had me staring at his eyes. It hadn’t been obvious to me back at the airport, or even at the production meeting, but there was a difference in him. Before we broke up, Reid had been all edges and anger. His temper was the one thing I hadn’t been able to handle. Not because he directed anything at me, but because he became furious with himself.

  I couldn’t handle not knowing what fueled the resentment. Well, that and it was emotionally draining to be with someone who bounced all over the place. The more Reid struggled with his feelings, the more I withdrew. Looking back, I realized it was a shitty thing for me to do. The Ice Queen had emerged to give me the buffer I needed to survive. Unfortunately, she’d stuck around after Reid left.

  At least he seemed far more comfortable in his skin now, more at ease. It reminded me of the transformation some of the women went through at the women’s shelter I volunteered at. The ones who were full of anger, who jumped at the ghosts of the relationships they’d escaped, the ones who couldn’t sleep. Reid had been like that for most of our relationship. I’d simply chalked it up to his time in the army. He never talked about what he’d seen in Afghanistan. Maybe things were worse than he’d led me to believe.

  “So.” I attempted to tuck my hair behind my ear, but the wind kept pulling it free. “Do you do this a lot? Travel?”

  “Not as much as I’d like. Work usually keeps me local.”

  “I still want to go to Europe. See the sights.” My imagination had me basking on beaches in Spain and visiting wineries in France. Though in my dreams I’d been alone. “We’re pretty busy with the business. No time for that.”

  “Success can suck.” He chuckled and stepped closer. “You need to give yourself time to relax. You’re way tenser than I remember you being. I’ve barely seen you smile since coming here.”

  It would have been easy to blame my hardened nipples on the breeze, but I tried not to lie to myself. The proximity of his body made me aware of my own. Reid was taller than me by a good four inches, and he was just broad enough that I’d be swallowed up in his arms if he were to hug me. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing strong forearms lightly dusted with hair. My fingers itched to slide against his skin, feeling the muscles beneath before I encouraged him to move against me.

  “Tamara?” His voice was low and seeped into my chest. “Are you blushing?”

  Turning my face toward the harbor, I tried to push away the sudden onslaught of erotic images that flooded my head. “I don’t blush.”

  “Of course not.” He leaned in, his breath washing over my ear. “You don’t fool me with that act.”

  My eyes slipped closed. “I’m—”

  His tongue flicked across the shell of my ear. “I remember how hot you got when I’d fuck you. How much you loved it.”

  “I didn’t—”

  “Yes, you did. Unless it was all an act. Was it? Were you pretending to want me?”

  He slid his hand up my arm and over to caress my breast. My breath caught and I couldn’t move from his touch.

  “Tell me,” he whispered.

  “I wasn’t.” For the first time in forever, I wanted more.

  “My cock got hard when I saw you at the airport.” He pinched my nipple through the fabric of my shirt and bra. “I wanted to hold you. Touch you. On the plane your perfume reminded me of all the times we’d spent together. Fucking. I wanted that again.”

  This was crazy. My lips trembled and I wanted to lean in and kiss him. For the first time in ages I wanted to lean into someone else’s strength and simply take.

  “I hate seeing you tense.” He cupped my cheek and lowered his face. His mouth was so close to mine, it would have taken nothing for me to kiss him. “This isn’t the lighthearted girl I’d fallen in love with. Where’d she go?”

  “Reid, where are you? Get your ass back here!” Brain’s voice crackled through his walkie-talkie.

  I jumped away from Reid. I didn’t know if I should be thankful for the interruption, or if I should give him hell. Maybe both.

  Reid held his gaze on me as he pressed the button on his walkie. “I’ll be right there.”

  “I hope I didn’t get you in trouble.” Because if the past five minutes proved anything, it was that the two of us together were certainly trouble.

  “We do have to set up the next shot.” Reid reached out and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “God, I’d love to photograph you.”

  Whoa. “Pardon?”

  His laugh wormed its way into my chest. “One of my new hobbies. I’m a photographer. Not professional or anything. You’re beautiful. It would be...special to snap you.”

  I couldn’t find the words to respond, so I smiled and looked back toward the warehouse. “We better go.”

  “Yup.” He looked at me a moment longer before holding out his arm. “Might I escort you?”

  I should be keeping my distance, maintaining a professional demeanor. This was a job, after all. But Reid was right; things had gotten too serious, too stressful recently. I needed to remind myself that it was okay to relax. I slipped my arm around his and let him lead me back. The walk back was far too quick and before I knew it I had resumed my post beside Rene.

  “You look better,” she said to me. “Good walk?”

  I could still feel the warmth of Reid’s body on mine. I smiled and gave a shrug. “The New York air apparently agrees with me.”

  The rest of the afternoon, I had to fight the urge to look Reid’s way and stay focused on the contestants. I couldn’t stop wondering what it would be like to be photographed by him.

  * * *

  I threw myself onto the bed in my hotel room and let my body sink into the thick down of the duvet. The quiet didn’t help me relax. My brain flitted between thinking about Reid and worrying about my upcoming proposal pitch. Reid was a distraction I couldn’t afford, but was unavoidable. I snagged the phone and called Sophie’s cell. If anyone could make me feel better it was my best friend.

  “Dude, have you gone up the Empire State yet?” No hello or anything, just straight into the conversation. Typical Sophia.

  “Not yet, though I wanted to tonight. It’s just...I’m beat.”

  “Push it aside. You’re in the Big Apple! Do something.”

  “I have our proposal meeting coming up. I need to make sure everything is perfect.”

  “Are you listening to yourself? If I know you, you’ve fiddled with that thing at least twenty times.”

  It was more than that, but I wasn’t about to tell her. “Sophia—”

  “Forget the proposal. You have to go out! It’s not like you’re going to have a chance to go back to New York anytime soon. At least go out for supper and don’t get room service. They’re paying.”

  “True.”

  There was a pause on the other end. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Liar.”

  A lump rose in my throat, forcing me to talk around it. “Reid’s here.”

  “What?”

  “He’s the assistant director on the show.”

  “Reid Reid? As in your ex?”

  “The very same.”

  “How is that possible? I thought he was a medic or something.”

  “He was, back in the army. He told me that he’d participated in retraining. He’s a photographer, too.”

  “Wow.” Another pause. “How is he doing?”

  “He’s been good to me if that’s what
you’re worried about.” I wasn’t about to mention the flirting, given I still wasn’t sure what the hell it meant.

  “I was more concerned with how you’d treat him. You weren’t exactly kind the last time you were with him.”

  “I was justified in that. He’d accused me of pulling away from him. Shutting him out.”

  “Which you had.”

  “That’s not fair. He wasn’t exactly giving me any reason to stick around.”

  “I know. The two of you weren’t exactly a good match.”

  My stomach soured. “Regardless, neither of us have time for anything beyond work. When I’m not on set I’ve been working on this damn proposal.”

  “So when will you meet up with them?”

  I couldn’t stop the sigh from rushing out of me. “In a few days. Don’t worry, I’ve been tweaking things and coming up with answers to every possible objection they might have.”

  “Oh good. That’s good.”

  I didn’t need to see Sophia to know she was biting her lip. “Now it’s my turn. What’s wrong?”

  “Umm, nothing really. We can chat about it when you get back.”

  I sat up, ignoring the headache that was threatening to come to life. “Sophie, don’t pull that shit. What’s going on?”

  “Well, the Sandersons are an interesting couple. They have some very specific views of what they think they want and what is the proper way of doing things—”

  “Sophia.”

  “They dropped us. They paid the penalty, but dropped us when I wouldn’t agree to cut a few corners that they were insisting on.”

  I closed my eyes as the headache started full-on. “Shit.”

  “I know we needed them, and I honestly tried to keep them on. But I couldn’t have our name associated with a renovation and design that I knew would have problems down the road. They’re just looking for a cheap fix so they can sell their building.”