Jonas?”
“Yeah, the director, right?”
She nodded and smoothed her palms along his rough jaw. “He gave me that broach you’d found earlier...it’s not just a cheap piece of jewelry, it’s a spy cam.”
As her words sank in, he frowned. “Why would he need a spy cam with all the cameras around during the dates? There wasn’t anything on the dating schedule Danny emailed me that had you having alone, off-camera time with me or any of the other bachelors.”
“True, but I think Jonas might find a way to make that happen. He wants the spy cams to capture footage of me being intimate with you and the other guys.”
“For what?” He adjusted his hands and gave her rear another squeeze, and not gentle, either, but more along the lines of possessive.
“Ratings,” she said, while all she wanted to do was forget this entire conversation and pick up where they’d left off, kiss him, strip him naked and lose herself in his body.
His jaw ticked beneath her palms. “What did you tell him?”
“No.” When relief softened his face, she had a moment of hesitation, but knew she’d gone this far, she might as well tell him the rest. He deserved to know. “But, he threatened me.”
“That bastard, I’ll—”
“Colt, stop. Let me rephrase that, he threatened us.”
He set her feet to the floor, smoothed her dress down, but kept his hands secured around her waist. “ Us? ”
“There was a security camera in the parking lot that filmed what we’d done against my car. Jonas has it and said that if I didn’t wear his stupid spy cams and give him something he could use to help his ratings, he’d use the tape of us on the show. He also said if I told anyone about this, he’d splash it on the internet.”
Instead of walking away in disgust, or ranting and raving over the bomb she’d just dropped, he kissed her forehead with such tenderness, she wanted to cry. “When I was parking my truck, I saw you in the window earlier.”
“Is that why you shut my drapes?”
“Yep. I could see you clear as a bell. You’d thrown the broach across the room, then slammed your cell phone on the table. Had you been talking to Jonas?”
“Yes,” she hissed, her Bonasera temper igniting. “He threatened me with releasing the tape on the internet again if I didn’t give him something he could use from my date with Brad, who I’m scheduled to see tomorrow night.”
“Did you see the tape?”
She nodded. “It’s in black and white, grainy and while it’s difficult to tell the couple in the footage is us, I still don’t want it out on the worldwide web or used on the show. Colt, we both have careers and families to think about.”
“You’re right. I’m not worried about my career, though, but I’m sure this tape would make it difficult for you to find another teaching job.”
Damn, just when she was finally being honest, he reminded her of another one of her lies. “Now I don’t know what to do. I refuse to act like Jonas’ whore so he could have his precious ratings, and I refuse to secretly film you or the other bachelors, it’s just not right.”
“Then let’s quit the show,” he suggested with a shrug.
She masked her panic. Quitting the show had been her first thought, too, but if she quit, the show would be cancelled and people would lose their jobs—including her. If she didn’t meet her contractual agreement and finish Pick Me, she’d lose the promotion Derek had offered her, and if Jonas grew spiteful enough, he could still air the sex tape on the internet. No matter which way she sliced it, she was screwed.
“No, I don’t want to quit. I need to finish the show,” she said honestly.
“C’mon, Valentina. Is it really worth it? I mean, how much are they paying you?”
“Thirty thousand dollars.” Another honest answer considering Derek promised to double her measly salary. “I need the money, Colt.”
“But like this?” He blew out a deep sigh, his warm breath grazing her
“Yeah, the director, right?”
She nodded and smoothed her palms along his rough jaw. “He gave me that broach you’d found earlier...it’s not just a cheap piece of jewelry, it’s a spy cam.”
As her words sank in, he frowned. “Why would he need a spy cam with all the cameras around during the dates? There wasn’t anything on the dating schedule Danny emailed me that had you having alone, off-camera time with me or any of the other bachelors.”
“True, but I think Jonas might find a way to make that happen. He wants the spy cams to capture footage of me being intimate with you and the other guys.”
“For what?” He adjusted his hands and gave her rear another squeeze, and not gentle, either, but more along the lines of possessive.
“Ratings,” she said, while all she wanted to do was forget this entire conversation and pick up where they’d left off, kiss him, strip him naked and lose herself in his body.
His jaw ticked beneath her palms. “What did you tell him?”
“No.” When relief softened his face, she had a moment of hesitation, but knew she’d gone this far, she might as well tell him the rest. He deserved to know. “But, he threatened me.”
“That bastard, I’ll—”
“Colt, stop. Let me rephrase that, he threatened us.”
He set her feet to the floor, smoothed her dress down, but kept his hands secured around her waist. “ Us? ”
“There was a security camera in the parking lot that filmed what we’d done against my car. Jonas has it and said that if I didn’t wear his stupid spy cams and give him something he could use to help his ratings, he’d use the tape of us on the show. He also said if I told anyone about this, he’d splash it on the internet.”
Instead of walking away in disgust, or ranting and raving over the bomb she’d just dropped, he kissed her forehead with such tenderness, she wanted to cry. “When I was parking my truck, I saw you in the window earlier.”
“Is that why you shut my drapes?”
“Yep. I could see you clear as a bell. You’d thrown the broach across the room, then slammed your cell phone on the table. Had you been talking to Jonas?”
“Yes,” she hissed, her Bonasera temper igniting. “He threatened me with releasing the tape on the internet again if I didn’t give him something he could use from my date with Brad, who I’m scheduled to see tomorrow night.”
“Did you see the tape?”
She nodded. “It’s in black and white, grainy and while it’s difficult to tell the couple in the footage is us, I still don’t want it out on the worldwide web or used on the show. Colt, we both have careers and families to think about.”
“You’re right. I’m not worried about my career, though, but I’m sure this tape would make it difficult for you to find another teaching job.”
Damn, just when she was finally being honest, he reminded her of another one of her lies. “Now I don’t know what to do. I refuse to act like Jonas’ whore so he could have his precious ratings, and I refuse to secretly film you or the other bachelors, it’s just not right.”
“Then let’s quit the show,” he suggested with a shrug.
She masked her panic. Quitting the show had been her first thought, too, but if she quit, the show would be cancelled and people would lose their jobs—including her. If she didn’t meet her contractual agreement and finish Pick Me, she’d lose the promotion Derek had offered her, and if Jonas grew spiteful enough, he could still air the sex tape on the internet. No matter which way she sliced it, she was screwed.
“No, I don’t want to quit. I need to finish the show,” she said honestly.
“C’mon, Valentina. Is it really worth it? I mean, how much are they paying you?”
“Thirty thousand dollars.” Another honest answer considering Derek promised to double her measly salary. “I need the money, Colt.”
“But like this?” He blew out a deep sigh, his warm breath grazing her
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