Nerdy Girl Nation (Nerdy Girl #1) (29 page)

“Remember, no shaving.”

“Got it.”

Her lips twitched when he laughed and shut the door. With Rob, she hoped the way he talked to her would always leave her with a special kind of tingle only his voice created.

They managed to get to their flight without a hint of paparazzi, even with Al and Ben right behind them. Emma slept for most of the flight with Rob’s arm around her.

She woke as soon as the plane began to descend and slipped into a hoodie she had in her bag.

“How are we going to play this once we land?” Rob asked and slipped his baseball cap on his head.

“I’ve got an interview with Garrett Green at the Nerdy Girl Nation offices. Then a board meeting there this afternoon. Tonight, I’ve got dinner with Troy Banks. I can meet you at the hotel around ten.”

“Busy girl. I need to get this in while I can.” He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her in a way that made her feel like flames were licking at her heels. “Text me when you get done with Troy.”

“I will.”

She tried to make light of their separation, but in truth, she didn’t want to go.

Emma’s regular driver from when she worked at Hunt was at the curb.

“Stavros? What are you doing here?” She hugged the man who had spent hours on end shuffling her from one meeting to another over the years.

“I’m at your disposal while you’re in LA. Mr. Hunt’s orders.” He smiled and opened the door of the black limo.

“It figures he would do something like this. Good to see you.”

“You as well, Miss MacLean.”

Emma got into the limo, followed by Al and Ben. Her shadows began to film when her phone rang. She answered and pushed the speaker icon.

“Terrance.”

“Emma. Glad you’re finally back on the right coast.”

She shook her head at what she assumed was a joke. “I haven’t even been gone two months.”

“I hope you won’t be too busy to squeeze a few hours in to meet with me.”

Emma would love to see Terrance again, but she wasn’t sure why he needed to see her. “Maybe tomorrow. What’s this about?”

“Some loose ends we need to tie up. Lunch?”

“I’ll call you in the morning to give you a time.” She hung up after their goodbye and sank back into her seat.

What the hell is he up to?

Emma’s nerves were at an all-time high when she walked into the restaurant to meet Troy for dinner. Her day had gone remarkably well. Al and Ben got some fantastic footage of her and some of the kids at the Nerdy Girl Nation. She had forgotten how much she missed the place and promised herself she would make a trip out there more often.

This dinner with Troy was different from the usual. They had met before, but never just the two of them. He even told Al and Ben not to come and film their dinner.

“Emma.” Troy greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. “I’ve got a table for us.”

He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to a table on a private terrace.

“This is nice, but I’m not sure what this is all about.”

“Wine?” He lifted a bottle of red, but she put her hand over her glass to stop him.

“I’m still in training mode, so no alcohol.”

“Okay.” He poured a glass for himself and took a drink. “You want me to cut to the quick?”

“Not something you’re used to, but I would appreciate an explanation.”

“The network wants you. Your fans are begging for you to have your own series and we’re listening.”

“But I can’t. I’m working for the IWA now.” She imagined cameras would be around more than they already were. Her own show would definitely mean less privacy.

“I’ve talked with Aaron Russell and he is willing to work with me under the umbrella of the IWA production company. He thinks the show would be a fabulous idea for you and your fans.”

“I love the fans. They are the ones helping the Nerdy Girl Nation thrive, but I don’t think I can.” Nell would never go for cameras in the house all the time. Putting on the mask full time? No, she couldn’t. Her mask vanished the night before with Rob and she felt whole for the first time in years.

“You don’t need to decide today. We wouldn’t even start filming until after the New Year.”

“I’ll think about it.” She would. She’d try to come up with at least ten different ways to say no.

“Terrific. Now, let’s eat.”

“You’re own show?” Rob asked and slumped back on the couch in Emma’s hotel room.

“Yep.” She kicked off her heels and curled her legs underneath her. “We didn’t get into specifics, but he’d already talked to Aaron. He apparently liked the idea.”

“Of course he would. You have seen the numbers since you came on board, right?”

She nodded and scooted closer to him. Rob took the hint and put his arms around her.

“Your presence has injected a new life into the company. You’ve done more in a month than Curtis Sharp had in the last year.”

Emma felt Rob’s muscles tense when he said Sharp’s name.

“I’ve only met him a handful of times and that was too many. Was he as bad off-screen as he was on?”

“Worse,” Rob grumbled. “The guy thought he was God’s gift to wrestling. He’d been around for so long, he believed nothing could touch him. I loved being pitted against him and even getting to throw a punch at him every once in a while.”

“I saw the footage of WrestleCon where you knocked him out cold.”

Rob laughed and seemed to relax a little. “Yeah, I accidentally on purpose hit him harder than I was supposed to.”

“It was pretty hot.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” She turned her head and kissed along his jaw now covered with a soft layer of facial hair.

“I’m worried,” he said and groaned when she licked the shell of his ear.

“Worried?”

“Um, a . . . About Nick and Rick Beeson. They were kind of his little pets. Nick is an okay guy, but Rick is the brains of the two. I’m worried about them keeping Sharp to close.”

“What do you think he’s going to do when you come out on Sunday?”

“I think we need to be prepared for anything. Lazlo is the ref for our match and usually Aaron won’t change things up when he’s in the ring with us. He’s been on Lazlo’s bad side. Not a great place to be.”

“You mean Lazlo has a good side?” Lazlo had worked her ass off while she trained. She wasn’t sure the man had more than one dimension.

“He can. Lazlo is focused. His job is his life and he has made himself irreplaceable. If Aaron pisses him off, another outfit will pick him up in no time.”

“We’ll have to pray Sharp is smart enough to back off.”

“With Curtis Sharp, always expect the worst.”

The way Rob spoke of Sharp gave her chills. She’d make sure extra security was set up. Curtis Sharp would not get the best of Emma MacLean. Ever.

All Saturday morning, Emma gave one interview after another. The process seemed like a condensed version of a press junket for a movie. She sat in a chair while reporter after reporter came in to interview her. Al and Ben were sure to be bored out of their minds after the same questions were asked and answered twenty times.

Kelly came in and handed her a bottle of water. “One more, then you’re done. Stavros is waiting with the car to take you to lunch with Mr. Hunt.”

Emma grabbed Kelly’s hand. “Bless you. I swear my ass has been asleep for the last hour.”

“I’ll show him in.” Kelly went out and Emma took a moment to gather her wits.

“I’m sorry, Emma. The last interview is with Patrick Longwell.”

“Patrick? I don’t think so.”

“He’s substituting for another reporter. Aaron really wants an interview with this website.”

She hated the thought of seeing Patrick, but Aaron’s the boss. “That’s all right. Show him in.”

Emma took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

“Patrick Longwell from Contact Wrestling Forum,” Kelly announced with a quiver in her voice.

“Thank you, Kelly.” Emma hadn’t seen Patrick since she threw his ass out of her apartment almost a year earlier, but none of his actions were Kelly’s fault.

“You look good, Emma.” Patrick smiled and showed his over whitened teeth.

“Can’t say the same for you. Are those hair plugs?”

His hand went up to the top of his head. Emma figured a mention of the recession of his hairline would hit a nerve.

 “Ask your questions, Patrick. I still have several things to get done today.”

He cleared his throat and launched into all the same questions all the others asked. She tried to be as professional as possible but she came off with a little more snark than usual.

“If there’s nothing else?” Emma questioned.

“Just a few more.” Patrick motioned for his cameraman to stop filming. “How do I compare to Bobby Breyer?”

“What?” she spat.

“Size wise. I’ve always heard wrestlers have small dicks and you’ve seen what I’m packing.”

“This interview is over.” Emma stood and moved to take the mic pack off.

“Come on, Emma. You never complained. I want to know how the new boy toy measures up.”

Emma paused to choose her next words carefully. “You want to know how you compare to other men?”

Patrick took a step forward, curled his lips into a grin, and nodded.

Emma thought about telling him the truth for a split second. She shook her head and realized she couldn’t stoop to his level.

“We’re done here.” Emma walked out of the room followed by Kelly, Ben, and Al.