Nerdy Girl Nation (Nerdy Girl #1) (15 page)

“Good evening, Mr. Breyer.”

“Oh, so all business tonight, Miss MacLean?”

“Yes. What can I do for you tonight?” She hoped he would catch on to the fact the cameras were still rolling even though it was past their regular eight o'clock cut-off time.

“I needed to confirm some details for the photo shoot tomorrow. Gwen wants us there at seven, right?”

“I believe so. Oh, and I talked with your mother this morning. Kelly has set up the travel arrangements for your parents to be in Chicago on Monday.”

“Yes, I got an earful from my mother already. She can't wait to meet you.”

Emma bit down hard on her lip to keep herself from slipping up in front of the cameras. “I look forward to meeting her as well.”

She heard Rob laugh on the other end and gathered he understood she was stifling her answers.

“While I have you,” she said, “I was wondering if you were free Friday afternoon. I was hoping to get some of the wrestlers together to visit the wrestling team at my old high school.”

She heard him flip a couple of pages. “Nothing I can't move around. Chance is in town. Who you like me to see if he can join us?”

“Yes, please check with him. I'll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Emma.”

“Good night, Rob.”

Emma ended the call and found the twins smiling at her again.

Annie turned to Nell. “Can you say triangle?”

“Tri-an-gel,” Nell stated in three separate syllables.

“No triangle.” Emma set her phone down on the table. “Derek and I are just friends and Rob's . . .” She tried to think of a way to explain the situation in line with Aaron's plans. “He's growing on me.”

“Bet you'd like him to grow something in you,” Annie added with a laugh.

“You are terrible,” Emma retorted with an embarrassed laugh of her own. “I think you should go home and back to your hubby. Maybe you'll stop thinking about my love life and focus on your own.”

“Believe me, there is nothing wrong with my love life. God, Harry can still go for hours. And his tongue—”

Emma clasped her hands over her ears. “No. No. No. That's my brother you're talking about.” She removed her hands and shuddered at the thought.

“Fine. You get yourself a hottie so we can talk about him. Bachelor number one.” Annie pointed to a table by the door where Derek sat with a friend. “Or bachelor number two.” Annie pointed to Emma's phone.

Emma never saw herself with Derek again. She knew it wasn’t even possible. As for Rob, he was the one setting her on fire. His touch, his kiss, his whispered words during their late night phone calls. She wanted to share all those details of with her two best friends, but she wasn’t sure how.

“Seven AM looks good on you,” Rob remarked when he sat down in the stylist chair next to Emma.

“Thanks,” Emma snorted. She wore a hoodie with her favorite pair of worn jeans and a purple tee shirt with
Bazinga
printed across the front. With little sleep and even less time, she threw her hair up into a messy bun. Along with her black framed glasses, she seemed more like a nerdy teenager than a sophisticated reality star.

“I just wanted to say sorry about the question the other night. I really wasn’t meaning to stir anything up with Big Bobby. Bill is a good friend and I have a lot of respect for him.” Emma gave the entire speech while playing with her hoodie strings and avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.

“You know Bill?” Rob asked.

“Um, yeah.” She glanced up to see the confusion on Rob’s face. “He owns a gym in LA. I’ve been training there for about five years.”

“So, Harry really wasn’t kidding when he said you have skills in the ring?”

“Bill seems to think I’m pretty good. I just do it for me mostly. It’s hard enough going into the ring in a skirt and heels. I don’t think I could do it in the scraps of material the Bombshells do.”

They both turned when the door opened and saw their photographer, Gwen, approaching.

Rob leaned in close enough to whisper. “We will talk about this later.”

“You two ready to do this?” Gwen asked when she approached them.

Emma leaned in to check herself out in the mirror. “Might take a couple of hours and several layers of makeup. Hope you cleared your schedule.”

Gwen laughed along with Rob. “Don't worry. Angela has everything she needs to get you together. Tom is getting your suit, Rob. Make yourselves comfortable.” Gwen patted both of their shoulders and left to set up her equipment for the photo shoot.

“I need coffee to get comfortable,” Emma moaned while she rubbed her temples.

“Lucky for you, I picked some up on my way over.” Rob held out a large to go cup of coffee to her.

She turned and accepted the drink with a smile. “Thanks.”

One sip of the warm, rich liquid calmed her nerves.

“Ahhhh. I didn't drink any this morning. I could kiss you for this.”

“I wouldn't be opposed to kissing you. I’d kiss you even with coffee breath.”

She turned to Rob and took in his smile with his dimpled, unshaven cheeks. Beyond him, she saw the camera lens. The early hour and his alluring blue eyes made her forget millions of people would eventually see their exchange.

“Not today, big boy.” She attempted to laugh it off.

“That's not never.” He winked at her.

I’m so screwed.

The black Gucci suit, white shirt, and black tie suited Rob better than anything he'd ever worn for a photo shoot. Yet when he saw Emma walk on the set, his collar and pants tightened.

She drove him crazy with all the purple she wore. The tee shirt and matching tennis shoes at the workout facility, the purple blouse on Mayhem, the
Bazinga
tee shirt, and the gown she just walked out wearing.

She seemed a little uncomfortable with the slit up to her mid thigh on the left side of her dress. She kept patting her thigh in what he assumed to be an attempt to preserve her modesty.

“You are stunning.” Rob took Emma's hand and twirled her around. He heard a few clicks and assumed Gwen already snapped a few photos.

Emma let out a squeal before Rob brought her into his arms. “You’re pretty sharp yourself.”

“Perfect,” Gwen called. “Now, let's get some with the bell.”

Rob led Emma over to stand in front of a white wall where a cherry red ring bell hung. They each took turns ringing it, moving and turning when Gwen instructed them to. Some stern glares toward each other and away mixed in with a few shots of Rob acting smitten while Emma's back was turned to him made a perfect first shot of the two of them together.

Time flew and Rob was sad to see Emma walk back to the dressing room to remove her dress.

“Come see some of these shots,” Gwen called to him.

Rob loosened his tie and walked over to where she had set up her laptop. A few clicks and Gwen brought up a proof sheet of the photos.

“Holy shit!” Rob focused on the first several shots Gwen had taken before she posed them. The way Gwen captured the image of Emma's dress floating through the air mesmerized him. The ease and joy on her face, as he held her hand above them, was priceless.

“Pretty fine, Rob,” Gwen commented while she enlarged the shot he’d admired.

“Me? No. She's . . .” He brought his hand to his throat and rubbed while he swallowed hard.

“Well, well, well. Is Bobby breaking his dry streak?” Gwen chuckled and she crossed her arms in front of her.

“For her, absolutely.” Rob’s last serious relationship was so long ago. At least before he met Gwen three years before.

“You're serious?”

Rob turned to catch her surprised expression. “Do you think I'm incapable or something?”

“No, I thought this thing between you two was part of the story. From what I see here, I can honestly say I've never seen you look so good. Happy is new for you.”

“I think I like it too.”

“Go get changed. My sister is going to work her magic on these real quick to give you and Emma an idea of what we're going for.”

Rob turned around to walk back toward the dressing room and froze at what he saw. He had assumed the cameras had followed Emma, so the sight of the lens fixated on him caught him off guard. After a few slow steps in the right direction, he hurried along wondering how much the camera caught.

“This thing between them is real?” Troy asked Ben when he called to relay how the photo shoot went.

“It appears genuine. Al and I agree there is something more here.”

“Fantastic! This is going to make the season finale ratings go through the roof. Film as much of the two of them together as you can. You know how to push the envelope, don’t you Ben?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Send me all you have by the end of the day.” Troy hung up with a huge smile on his face. A juicy romance was just what
Hunt for Life
needed after the whole firing thing blew up in his face.

Irene assured him Emma’s employment contract was unbreakable. Firing the nerdy girl was sure to be gold and skyrocket the ratings. Things didn’t turn out quite the way they planned. Emma was supposed to make a fuss and come back, fueling the rift between her and Irene, not quit. Thankfully, Irene spent plenty of time on her knees or in his bed to make up for it. Now, if he could just find a way to spin Emma’s latest romance, things might get back on track.

“You are amazing, sis.”

Gwen stared at the computer screen where the photos were displayed that her younger sister, Ellie, edited.

“You wanted the best on this one. I had some time. Not a problem.” Ellie clicked a few more places on the screen and adjusted a few things at Gwen's instruction.

The shoot was special in more ways than one. Not only was Gwen able to document a blossoming love story, she was able to share it with her little sister.

At nineteen, Ellie Stanton was the most sought after graphic designer in Boston. A college graduate at seventeen, Ellie had started a graphic design firm and garnered praise from all over the world. Gwen had tried to bring Ellie with her on several important shoots to help edit some of the photos as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, this had only been the second one Ellie attended. Gwen was glad Ellie had chosen to come for this particular shoot, one where she would finally meet Emma MacLean.