“Liss?” I hear footsteps stop behind me, and I lower my head. Of course Liam would walk in while I was in this position. “Is this some new form of workplace yoga? Or are you dropping the hint that you’d like me to do something very unprofessional with your ass? Because, honestly, the signals you’re sending right now are kind of confusing.”
I can hear the smile in his voice, and it makes me bristle. After awkwardly pulling myself upright, I turn to him. “Can you please stop smirking and pick these up for me?”
“I’d rather not. Watching you attempt it again seems like much more fun.”
I scowl. “I have no idea what I used to see in you. Funny how you go off people.”
He chuckles as he walks over, and in one fell swoop grabs all the papers, shuffles them together, and hands them to me. “Care to tell me why you’re moving like Frankenstein’s monster? It’s not still your hip.”
“No. I made a stupid mistake yesterday and now I’m paying for it.”
“What was the mistake?”
“Jogging.”
He genuinely looks shocked. “But your aversion to exercise—”
“Is well-founded. Clearly, I’m allergic to it.” I move stiffly to the desk and shove the papers into a folder.
“You didn’t stretch afterward, did you?”
“Josh told me to stretch before, not after. Some best friend he is.”
“You have to do it before and after. You could have come to me if you wanted advice. I’m kind of an expert on exercise, you know.”
“Really? I had no idea. You’re such an unfit schlub.” I take in his ridiculous physique. “I don’t know how you cope with that grossness. Thank God I don’t have all those weird bulges.”
He gives me a long, slow assessment, up and down my body. “No. You don’t need bulges when you have those killer curves.” As soon as he says it, he drops his head. Like he knows this sort of flirty banter is exactly what we should be avoiding. “I’d offer to train you, but I guess that’s not something we could do, right?”
“Nope. Besides, my jogging style can be defined as ‘a lumbering seizure.’ Don’t really need you laughing your ass off at me.”
He frowns. “Elissa, you’d be in workout gear. Believe me, I wouldn’t be able to laugh if I tried.”
A shiver runs through me, and I curse it. I’m trying to suppress these types of reactions, but it’s tough when he insists on being so damn sexy. I move away from him and open my laptop. “Uh, anyway, why are you here so early?”
He looks over his shoulder. Angel appears at the far end of the hallway, talking to a good-looking man with dark hair. “Angel and I have an interview this morning. Just for something different.”
“In the rehearsal room?”
“Yeah. It was kind of last-minute, but Mary said she’d organize it with you.”
In my back pocket, my phone buzzes. When I take it out and look at the screen, I see a text from Mary.
<Forgot to tell you about an interview this morning in the studio. Journalist plus photographer from Moda arriving at 8. Please provide three chairs. I’ll be there soon to supervise.>
I smile and hold out the phone. “Well, now she has. Better go get set up, I guess.” I grab my folder and move past him.
As I come out of the office, Angel sees me and waves. “Elissa! Over here. I have someone I want you to meet.”
I try to look normal as I make my way to her, but I can tell how amused Liam is by my stiff-legged walk as he follows behind me.
“Nice work,” he whispers. “Toy soldiers everywhere would be proud.”
I give him the finger behind my back as I reach Angel and the man she’s with. The man looks to be in his mid-thirties, and his handsome face lights with a smile as he turns to me.
“Elissa, this is our agent, Anthony Kent. He’s in town for a few days to make sure we’re behaving ourselves, which of course we are. Anthony, this is one of the most fabulous women you’ll ever meet. Elissa Holt.”
I hold out my hand to Anthony and he clasps it. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kent. I’m sure keeping these two in line is like herding cats. I know of some excellent treatments for stomach ulcers, if you need them.”
Angel rolls her eyes as he laughs. “Please call me Anthony. And, yes, as long as those ulcer treatments don’t interfere with my blood pressure medication, I’m in. A pleasure to meet you, Elissa.” His hand is warm, and he gives my fingers a gentle squeeze before he lets go. “Let me guess. You’re playing Bianca.”
I shake my head. “Thankfully, no.”
Anthony frowns. “Really? Why not? Who’s your agent? And why the hell aren’t they getting you better roles? You’d be perfect for Bianca.”
“Anthony,” Angel says. “Elissa doesn’t have an agent.”
He looks at me, then back at Angel. “Bullshit. She’s working on Broadway without one?” In a flash, he pulls a card from his pocket and hands it to me. “Well then, this is my lucky day. Sign with me and I’ll have you on movie screens in record time. That beautiful face needs to be shared with the world, and I’m just the man to make it happen.”