Rock My World (3 page)

And now for the next three days she’d be sharing that bed with Nick. Of course, they wouldn’t be doing anything. For one thing, even at night there were security guards and cameras everywhere. But still, the thought was unsettling.

He supposed he could hope for a flood to wash out the Furniture Gallery and make the whole bed-in thing impossible. The way the skies had opened up, it was a remote possibility.

“Naughty Nick here, reminding you that starting tomorrow, I’ll be broadcasting live from the showroom of Mattress Max’s Furniture Gallery, Wadsworth and East Six. Stop by and see me and my lovely sidekick, Erica, as we begin our seventy-five hour bed-in to raise
money for the Salvation Army’s new homeless shelter. Bring your donation by in person. And give me your ideas for what you’d do if you had seventy-five hours to spend in bed with a good-looking co-worker.”

He punched off the radio and glared up at the billboard again. It was going to be a very long three days.

R
ED FLANNEL
pajamas with cartoon puppy dogs all over them—check. Red fuzzy slippers—check. Teddy bear—check. Sleep mask—check. Earplugs—check. Toiletries, throat lozenges, water bottle, makeup, clean underwear—check. Civilian clothes to wear home—check. Erica zipped the duffel and dragged it toward her car. She had twenty minutes to make it to Mattress Max’s, ten minutes to change once she got there and no time at all to calm down and convince herself that she was, absolutely, doing the right thing.

At least there was no traffic this time of morning, and the rain had stopped for a while. She raced her neon-green Volkswagen up the entrance ramp to Interstate 70 and headed toward the Furniture Gallery. She hadn’t slept much the night before, having been tortured by doubt and by erotic dreams starring Adam. Too bad he wasn’t her partner in this crazy promo. She’d have definitely found something sexier to wear for him, and would have done her best to make sure she didn’t have to wear it very long once the lights went out.

Though the surrounding businesses were dark, Mattress Max’s Furniture Gallery was lit up like a fair-grounds. She spotted the KROK production van near the front door. Mason, a production tech, waved at her as she drove past and parked the VW around back.
Then she grabbed her bag and raced toward the private rest room that had been set aside for her and Nick to share. It was Mattress Max’s executive washroom, complete with shower. Fortunately Max himself wasn’t there this time of morning, so she didn’t have to deal with him.

Nick was nowhere in sight, either. She changed into the flannel pjs, already rehearsing the speech she’d prepared for Carl, who was sure to complain. Her angle was that showing less skin was actually more enticing, because it left things to the imagination. Plus, she’d noticed before that the furniture showroom tended to be cold. He wouldn’t want her getting sick, would he?

She didn’t really expect him to buy it, but she had to try. She would compromise with a KROK T-shirt and boxers, but she drew the line at Victoria’s Secret or Fredericks’s.

Carl had explained everything to her multiple times—the remote mini-transmitter on the truck would send the signal to the transmitter at the studio for broadcast. A board op there would run the production board during the morning show, with the regular staff taking over at nine o’clock. The main thing she and Nick had to do was listen for their on-air cues.

The production crew had been busy, setting up the mics and other equipment around the bed. It was some bed, too—a king-size brass number with a fake mink spread and blue satin sheets. Half a dozen of the fluffiest pillows she’d ever laid eyes on were piled at the head, and twin black lacquer nightstands were already stocked with water, tissues and matching brass lamps.

“Erica! There you are.” Carl spotted her and hurried
over. He frowned at the pajamas. “Puppy dogs? You couldn’t come up with anything better than that?”

“I didn’t want to be cold.” She hugged her arms over her chest.

He shook his head. “That’s the least of my worries right now. Here, you go ahead and get into bed.” He escorted her to her home away from home for the next three days. “We’ll get started in a minute here.”

“Sound checks out okay, Carl.”

The familiar voice sent a warm tingle through her and she froze in the act of climbing into bed and stared at the man who’d appeared on the other side. “Adam? What are you doing here?”

“Morning, Erica.” He cut his eyes to the station manager. “Didn’t Carl tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

Carl coughed. “Nick was in a car accident on the way home from the Pepsi Center last night. He’s going to be all right, but he’ll be out of commission for a while, so Adam is filling in.”

She turned to Adam again. For the first time she noticed that below the KROK T-shirt, he was wearing blue plaid pajama bottoms. A warm glow settled over her and she couldn’t hold back a smile. “That’s great! I mean, that’s really nice of you.”

“In the bed, both of you,” Carl said. “We’re almost ready to go live.”

They each turned back the covers and settled awkwardly on either side of the bed, careful not to touch. “You ready?” Adam asked.

She took a deep breath, immediately aware of the scent of his aftershave and the underlying aroma of
him. Her stomach fluttered. “I guess so.” No way was she going to screw up this time. “Are you?”

Worry lines fanned out from his eyes, but he nodded. “I guess so. It’s been a while, but I think I remember how.”

She gasped. Wow, get the man in bed and he turned into a completely different person. “It’s been a while?”

“Yeah, I used to do a morning show in Carmel, but that was years ago. I hope my mouth still works in the morning.”

“Oh. Oh, I’m sure it will.” She pulled the covers up a little more, hoping he’d been too busy setting up the equipment to notice her grinning. It was all she could do not to pump her fist and shout out “Yes!” She couldn’t believe she was here. In bed. With Adam Hawkins.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he settled his earphones into place and adjusted the microphone. What had Bonnie said about taking advantage of every opportunity? Well here was a golden one to let Adam know exactly what she thought of him.

A lot could happen in three days, couldn’t it?

“T
HIS IS THE
H
AWK
coming to you live from a king-size bed in the middle of Mattress Max’s Furniture Gallery.” Adam tried to get comfortable in the big bed, despite the distraction of the woman beside him. He nodded to her, her cue to get ready for her morning show debut. “With me is the ever-effervescent Erica.”

“Good morning, everyone.” Erica smiled into the mic, living up to the nickname he’d just saddled her with.
Did she always look this good at a little after six in the morning? And since when had flannel been so sexy?

“We know you were expecting Naughty Nick,” she continued. “But unfortunately, he couldn’t be with us this morning.”

“Just as well,” Adam said. “I’m not into threesomes myself.”
Aaargh. Where had that come from? This was not the time for sexual wordplay.
“Seriously, folks, Nick was injured last night in a traffic accident on the way home from the Pepsi Center concert. The last report we had he’d just come out of surgery and was doing well. We wish him a speedy recovery.”

“That’s right, Nick. Get well soon.” Erica’s eyes lit with mischief. “Meanwhile, I’m going to do my best to make do with the Hawk here.”

“Make do? Woman, that is harsh. I’m wounded.” Was she really disappointed to be spending the next three days with him instead of Nick?

She laughed and sat cross-legged in the bed, her knee brushing his. “I don’t know. Are you really an early-morning kind of guy?”

You’d think in a king-size bed they could avoid contact. He moved over a little. “Every man is an early morning kind of guy. Didn’t you know that?” There he went with the double entendres again. Was it his years in rock radio, or merely the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about sex around her?

“And I thought Nick was going to be a handful.”

And just what did she think her hands were going to be full of? He dropped his voice to a seductive rumble. “Don’t think you’re up to spending three days in bed with me?”

The look she sent him made his temperature climb. “The question ought to be, is the Hawk ready to spend three days in bed with
me?
”

No. Yes. Would he really last three days?
Considering the heat they’d generated in less than ten minutes he was liable to self-combust long before their seventy-five hour deadline was met.

He adjusted the microphone on his headset. “That sounded like a challenge to me, folks. Did it to you? Come on down to the Furniture Gallery and place your bets.”

“I think you mean make your donations.”

“You use your terminology, I’ll stick to mine.”

“However you put it, the bottom line is we’re here raising money for the Salvation Army’s new homeless
shelter,” she said. “Stop by and add your cash or check to our collection bin. And while you’re at it, add your get-well wishes to the giant card we’ve posted for Nick.”

“For those of you still lazing around in
your
beds, here’s a little rock and roll to get you going.”

As the music started, Erica ripped off her headset and leaned back against the pillows. “How’d I do?” she asked.

“You sound like a pro.” And she looked almost too tempting, half-reclining in the bed, her hair spread out on the pillow behind her. He swallowed hard and looked away, attempting to focus on the few Furniture Gallery employees who’d started to gather. “I still can’t believe Carl agreed to this. How can anybody spend three days in a bed?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe under the right circumstances. With the right person.”

There was a definite seductive purr in her voice. Was
he
the right person she wouldn’t mind in her bed?

“We get to take breaks,” she said. “I mean, you can get up and walk around.”

“Right. To go to the john. I guess I ought to be grateful for that.”

She stretched her arms over her head, a movement that brought her breasts into sharper focus against the flannel. “Well, I’m going to find a way to have a good time with this. I mean, how many people get paid to basically have fun in bed?”

There his mind went again, reading more into her words than she probably meant. He could certainly think of a few ways to have fun with her in bed…. He
tried looking away again, but his gaze insisted on wandering back to her. She was unbuttoning her top now. “What are you doing?” he asked, alarmed.

“It’s a lot warmer in here than I thought.” She stripped off the shirt and tossed it aside, revealing a red tank top underneath.

Only when his vision blurred did he realize he’d stopped breathing. He turned his back to her. “Can we get some coffee over here? And some ice water.” If all else failed, he could dump the water in his lap.

“That was Maroon 5 with ‘This Love,’” she said, right on cue. “If you’re on your way into work this morning, stop by and say hi. The Hawk and I are broadcasting from Mattress Max’s Furniture Gallery at East Six and Wadsworth.”

“If you bring us a donation this morning, we’ve got free T-shirts and CDs to give away.” Adam checked his clipboard and saw that it was time for a plug for Mattress Max. “And while you’re here, try out Max’s own line of Therapedic bedding—the most comfortable mattress you’ll find anywhere.”

“This one certainly is comfortable.” Erica bounced up and down and grinned at him.

He couldn’t help but notice that the mattress wasn’t the only thing bouncing, and almost forgot his lines. The engineer hissed in his earphones, reminding him to avoid the broadcasting sin of dead air. He forced himself to focus on the clipboard. “Max is running a special right now. Buy a mattress during the K-Rock bed-in and he’ll throw in a frame and two Therapedic pillows absolutely free.”

“The pillows are definitely very comfy.” She smiled
at him and beads of sweat popped out on his forehead. He’d have to talk to someone about getting a fan or something.

Was she deliberately flirting with him? Maybe she thought that was what was expected of her. Later, when they were off the air, he’d explain to her that she didn’t have to act that way with him. He wasn’t Naughty Nick. They would just do the show the way he always did, ask for donations and forget about all the flirting and sexy talk.

If only he could convince his body to do the same.

A
T
9:00
THE MORNING
show ended and Erica and Adam were off the air. Now their job was to talk to the people who stopped by to donate, take turns answering the phones for people who wanted to make pledges, and do the occasional live call-in throughout the day.

In between times they were free to take a break to eat or freshen up in the bathroom, though they weren’t supposed to get too far from the bed.

Erica watched as Adam signed autographs for a trio of smiling women. She didn’t really blame them for smiling. Dressed in rumpled pajamas, his hair tousled, he looked like a man who’d just rolled out of bed. And one who hadn’t spent his time there working
or
sleeping.

Flirting with him had come naturally. But then she’d decided to try turning up the heat a notch. Why not? There was no way he could pretend she was just another co-worker when they were so close together—both in nightclothes and in a bed. Why not take advantage of that to let him know how she really felt? And if she was
lucky, one thing might lead to another and they’d never be “just friends” again.

She was busy reviewing the schedule on the clipboard when Carl stopped by. “How’s it going?” he asked.

“Good. How did I sound?”

“Great. You got everything you need here?”

Adam turned away from his admirers and joined them. “We could use a fan,” he said. “It’s too warm in here.”

Carl looked at Erica. “She said she was cold earlier.”

She coughed, recalling the excuse she’d made up for wearing the flannel. She wished now she’d packed sexier clothes. She’d had to settle for the tank top but it had served the purpose and gotten Adam’s attention. “I’m fine now,” she said.

“You did good,” he said again. “Keep it up. I like the sexy stuff. The listeners love it, too.”

Adam frowned. “About the sexy stuff,” he said. “Nick’s not here, so we don’t have to do that.”

“Didn’t you hear me?” Carl said. “I said keep it up. Besides, you two sounded like you were having fun.”

Adam shifted from one foot to the other, avoiding looking at Erica. “Sure. I just don’t want people to get the wrong idea.”

She laughed. “Don’t worry about me. And hey, maybe my reputation could use a little spicing up.”

“Great. Now some big bruiser of a boyfriend will come looking for me with a baseball bat.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t have a boyfriend—big bruiser or not.”

“Then see, no problem,” Carl said. “Have fun with it. But not too much fun.”

She made a face at him. “Aren’t you the spoilsport.”

“There’s security cameras all over the place.” He pointed to opaque plastic domes in the ceiling. There was one directly over the bed. “They’ll record everything you do.”

“Everything?” So much for her plans to seduce Adam.

He winked. “Everything.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Adam said. “But it wasn’t necessary. Erica and I are professionals.”

“Yeah, well last time I looked you were a man and a woman, too.”

Adam’s frown was a real scowl now. “I won’t get out of line.”

Carl shrugged. “I didn’t say anything, did I?”

Had they forgotten she was here? What if
she
wanted to get out of line? “How’s Nick?” she asked, anxious to change the subject.

“Okay. I saw him after he came out of surgery. They had him on a morphine pump and he was feeling no pain. He’s got a pin in his leg and a cast up to his thigh, and his shoulder’s all bandaged up.” He wiped his face with an oversize green bandanna. “He’s lucky he wasn’t killed.”

“Poor guy.” She shuddered. “Funny how a few minutes can change everything, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Adam was looking at her. Was he thinking about how this changed things between them, too?

“Now get back in bed.” Carl shooed them toward the bed. “We want some photos for the Web site.”

She settled back against the pillows beside Adam, smiling for the camera, all her senses focused on the
man beside her. They were almost touching, but not quite, the satin sheets bunched up between them.

“No, no, no. Act like you like each other.” Carl stood beside the cameraman, motioning for them to move closer together. “This is supposed to be sexy. Attention-getting. You’re having a good time, remember? It’s for a good cause.”

She glanced at Adam, who wore a pained expression. “Carl, I—” he began.

She couldn’t decide if he was shy or simply had an overdeveloped sense of propriety. She absolutely refused to consider that he might not
want
to get closer to her. She couldn’t be that far off in reading the signals he was sending out when no one else was around.

Fine, then. She’d be happy to help things along a little. She pulled the sheets from around them and slid closer, her hip snugged up against his, his arm brushing the side of her breast. “How’s this?” she asked, and threw both arms around him.

“Great! Great! Adam, put your arm around her. That’s it. Now big smiles!”

The flash blinded them, but it did nothing to dim her awareness of Adam’s arm around her or the warmth of his body against hers. He’d gotten over his reluctance quickly enough, his fingers kneading her waist, his body angling toward hers slightly. Only a half-turn and they’d be facing each other, looking into each other’s eyes, their lips almost touching….

“That’s great. You look hot. We’ll get a million hits on the Web site with these.”

“I think a million’s a little optimistic,” Adam said,
his arm still wrapped around her. “It’s not the Paris Hilton video.”

“Now there’s an idea.” Carl’s eyes took on a wicked gleam. “Video. I’ll have to talk with the Web designer about that.”

“Hey, Adam, come over here and check this schedule, will you?” their production assistant, Mason, called.

Did she imagine his reluctance to pull away from her? She hugged a pillow to her chest and watched him climb out of bed and cross the floor to speak with Mason. Obviously Adam had enjoyed the cuddling as much as she had. If she could only figure out a way for them to enjoy it when no one was looking…no one but all those security cameras.

She glanced up at the smoked plastic dome. Was there someone sitting at a console somewhere, monitoring them right now? She stuck out her tongue just in case. That’s what they got for spoiling her fun. Wonder if she could cover them with a sheet…?

“What are you looking at?”

She started as he joined her in the bed once more. “I’m thinking how boring it must be for whoever monitors those cameras,” she said.

“This is probably more exciting than staring at screens full of furniture all day, which is what they usually do.”

She laughed. “So far it’s been fun.”

His eyes caught hers and lingered. “Yeah. It has been fun.”

There was no time for further conversation, as Adam was called on to do a public service announcement for
the Salvation Army and Erica did a quick interview with the entertainment columnist for the
Post
. The rest of the day was a blur of talking with fans, posing for photos, signing autographs and making regular on-air appeals for more donations. Before she knew it, they were well into the afternoon.

“Time to do a call-in, folks.” Mason held out their headsets and motioned for them to get ready.

“How are you two doing out there?” Audra’s voice came through loud and clear. “No napping on the job, now.”

“Nobody told
me
that,” Erica said. “I was hoping to catch up on my beauty sleep.”

“She doesn’t need it, folks, trust me,” Adam said.

She gave him her most killer smile. Maybe she’d been wrong about him not seeing her as an available woman. He didn’t seem to be having that problem now.

“We’ve raised over two thousand dollars in our first eight hours,” Adam said. “Let’s double that by nine when we say good-night.”

After-work traffic brought a rush of donations and visitors. For a few minutes, Erica even had a line of people waiting for her autograph. Talk about a rush. “I could get used to this celebrity business,” she told Adam when the crowd had dwindled.