rose petal,” Jessie began to read from the paperback she held, “her skin lured me with its softness, urging me to stroke my fingertip over the silky smoothness, urging me to bring her bud to full bloom.”
She looked up, met Colin’s gaze, then read more. He decided right then and there that he’d been wrong about Ichabod and his talents. Or perhaps it was the way Jessie’s sultry voice caressed each word the man had written and made it feel as if she were a part of the story, as if she were the blooming rose.
Tension filled the studio. A tension Colin could almost wrap his fist around. A tension that twisted itself in his gut and reminded he was a man and Jessie was a woman. A woman like no other.
The tension seduced each and every person in the audience. It was as if they, along with the crew, held their breath, waiting for Jessie’s next word, waiting for her to blossom.
Hell, someone should give Ichabod a Pulitzer or something.
“Wow, Mr. Smith,” Jessie gushed. “That’s beautiful.”
The man’s cheeks glowed a bright red. “Thank you.”
“Tell me, the woman who inspired this, you love her that much?”
Ichabod nodded, shifting in his seat.
“What does she say about this wonderful dedication?”
“Oh, she doesn’t know,” Ichabod assured, looking quite disturbed.
“No?” Jessie’s eyes widened. “You haven’t told her that she inspired this?” Jessie turned to the audience. “Can you imagine a passion so strong it inspired this beautiful work and yet she doesn’t know how you feel?”
Ichabod squirmed in his chair and Colin felt sorry for the poor guy. Enough so that he came to Ichabod’s rescue, by asking a question about the writer’s future works.
Ichabod sighed relief and answered Colin’s question.
The moment the show ended, Jessie turned on him. “Why did you interrupt? Mr. Smith needs encouraged to tell this woman how he feels.”
“That isn’t your place to decide.”
“True, but an attraction that strong shouldn’t be hidden away.”
“There could be other factors, reasons that make it better for his affections to be kept hidden.”
“Like what?”
Colin shrugged. “What if the woman is married? Has children?”
“I never thought of that,” Jessie admitted. “Still, it’s a shame if they could be together that he hasn’t told her how he feels.”
“As I said, that isn’t for you or me to decide.”
“I still say he just needs a little encouragement.”
“The guy was ready to crawl under his chair when you put him on the spot like that. Let it go.”
Jessie sighed. “I should have known you’d say something like that.”
Colin put his hands on his hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You figure it out.”
* * *
J.P. sank into his chair and watched Colin pace back and forth across the tiny office.
“Those wires were tampered with,” Colin said. “You know it as well as I do.”
“We don’t know anything. I’ve talked to the maintenance guy. He says any number of things could have stripped the cord.” J.P. bit into his cigar.
“We should stop the show. Or at least have Jessie sit out until we know what really happened today.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Hell yes, but this has nothing to do with my not wanting her to be a part of Causing A Commotion and everything to do with safety.”
“I’ve ordered for the entire studio to be given a complete safety check. Everything’s fine.”
“How can you say that after all the mishaps we’ve had over the past few months? Hell, things were going wrong before the show evolved into this massacre of a talk show. But missing schedules and damaged cameras don’t fall in the same league as intentionally frayed electrical wiring.”
“You’re making some wild assumptions, boy.”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re wrong.”
Colin threw his hands into the air. “You know I’m right. Jessie could have been hurt. We’re lucky she wasn’t.”
J.P.
She looked up, met Colin’s gaze, then read more. He decided right then and there that he’d been wrong about Ichabod and his talents. Or perhaps it was the way Jessie’s sultry voice caressed each word the man had written and made it feel as if she were a part of the story, as if she were the blooming rose.
Tension filled the studio. A tension Colin could almost wrap his fist around. A tension that twisted itself in his gut and reminded he was a man and Jessie was a woman. A woman like no other.
The tension seduced each and every person in the audience. It was as if they, along with the crew, held their breath, waiting for Jessie’s next word, waiting for her to blossom.
Hell, someone should give Ichabod a Pulitzer or something.
“Wow, Mr. Smith,” Jessie gushed. “That’s beautiful.”
The man’s cheeks glowed a bright red. “Thank you.”
“Tell me, the woman who inspired this, you love her that much?”
Ichabod nodded, shifting in his seat.
“What does she say about this wonderful dedication?”
“Oh, she doesn’t know,” Ichabod assured, looking quite disturbed.
“No?” Jessie’s eyes widened. “You haven’t told her that she inspired this?” Jessie turned to the audience. “Can you imagine a passion so strong it inspired this beautiful work and yet she doesn’t know how you feel?”
Ichabod squirmed in his chair and Colin felt sorry for the poor guy. Enough so that he came to Ichabod’s rescue, by asking a question about the writer’s future works.
Ichabod sighed relief and answered Colin’s question.
The moment the show ended, Jessie turned on him. “Why did you interrupt? Mr. Smith needs encouraged to tell this woman how he feels.”
“That isn’t your place to decide.”
“True, but an attraction that strong shouldn’t be hidden away.”
“There could be other factors, reasons that make it better for his affections to be kept hidden.”
“Like what?”
Colin shrugged. “What if the woman is married? Has children?”
“I never thought of that,” Jessie admitted. “Still, it’s a shame if they could be together that he hasn’t told her how he feels.”
“As I said, that isn’t for you or me to decide.”
“I still say he just needs a little encouragement.”
“The guy was ready to crawl under his chair when you put him on the spot like that. Let it go.”
Jessie sighed. “I should have known you’d say something like that.”
Colin put his hands on his hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You figure it out.”
* * *
J.P. sank into his chair and watched Colin pace back and forth across the tiny office.
“Those wires were tampered with,” Colin said. “You know it as well as I do.”
“We don’t know anything. I’ve talked to the maintenance guy. He says any number of things could have stripped the cord.” J.P. bit into his cigar.
“We should stop the show. Or at least have Jessie sit out until we know what really happened today.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Hell yes, but this has nothing to do with my not wanting her to be a part of Causing A Commotion and everything to do with safety.”
“I’ve ordered for the entire studio to be given a complete safety check. Everything’s fine.”
“How can you say that after all the mishaps we’ve had over the past few months? Hell, things were going wrong before the show evolved into this massacre of a talk show. But missing schedules and damaged cameras don’t fall in the same league as intentionally frayed electrical wiring.”
“You’re making some wild assumptions, boy.”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re wrong.”
Colin threw his hands into the air. “You know I’m right. Jessie could have been hurt. We’re lucky she wasn’t.”
J.P.
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