LITMIR.BIZ

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hopes of waking him up to the fact that she was a reasonably attractive woman who was, after all, only five years younger than him.

      “You’re not putting on the glam for Nick, are you?”

      Erica was so startled by this suggestion she dropped the tube of lipstick. As she chased it around the sink, she shook her head violently. “Nick! No way. What made you think that?”

      “You’re doing that furniture store promo with him tomorrow aren’t you? I thought you might be trying to butter him up so he’d throw some more work your way. Maybe make you a regular part of his show.”

      She stared at Bonnie. “But Nick’s show is all about him being a player. Having a female sidekick wouldn’t fit very well with that.” Except for the times when they had to be together to do promo stuff, she’d made it a point to avoid Nick. He’d made a few suggestive comments on his show but then, Nick was always making suggestive comments. It was part of his whole shtick.

      Bonnie narrowed her eyes. “Since when does anything in this business make sense?” She tapped Erica on the shoulder. “Us girls have to stick together. And we do whatever it takes to get ahead, right?”

      “Uh, right.” Except that she couldn’t see herself posing for Playboy anytime soon. Or going after Nick Cassidy. Ick!

      Bonnie smiled. “That’s right. You just remember that.”

      “I will. I better get back to work.” Erica was already late for her chat with Adam.

      He was coming up the stairs from the basement as she was descending. Man, he was hot! While most jocks were behind a microphone instead of in front of a camera for a reason, Adam had a rugged, outdoorsy look that was definitely easy on the eyes. “Hi, Adam.” She flashed him her warmest smile.

      “Hey, Erica. How’s it going?”

      “Great. Everything’s set for my big debut tomorrow.” She wasn’t counting her ill-fated intro of the car dealer ads. That was a last-minute fill-in. This was her real chance to star.

      “What’s with the pink?” He gestured toward her hair.

      She put one hand to her shoulder-length locks. “Just something fun I did, something different for my debut.”

      He nodded. “Looks good. Hey, I saw the new billboards for the furniture store promo,” he said. “That’s a good picture of you.”

      “You think so?” She flushed, pleased that he’d noticed. She’d seen the ads for the first time that morning and had almost run off the road. The first ads had referred to her only as Nick’s “mystery woman” but these new spots had her picture as well. There was something disconcerting about seeing her face twenty feet high looming over the roadway.

      “Yeah. Too bad Nick’s ugly mug was spoiling the picture.”

      She laughed. “Not everyone can be as good-looking as you are,” she teased.

      He looked away from her and cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. I shouldn’t be so harsh on Nick.”

      “What’s on the schedule for your show this afternoon?” she asked, anxious to keep the conversation going.

      “It’s Friday, so we have the trivia contest.”

      Adam was the station’s rock trivia expert. Every Friday listeners had the chance to stump him with questions. Winners earned cool prizes.

      “Nickelback’s doing a live performance at two to promote their concert tonight at the Pepsi Center,” he continued. “We’re giving away tickets.”

      “Are you going?”

      “No, Nick is doing that one. We’ll have the station trailer set up and he’ll be giving away swag before the show, then he’ll take the winners of the drawing for backstage passes to meet the band.”

      “He’ll be a bear in the morning, then. He hates those late nights.”

      “That’s life in the radio biz.” He glanced her way again. “Maybe you want to rethink your career.”

      She shook her head. “No. This is what I really want to do. When I was little, other kids played CDs—I had to put on a whole show, with commercials and everything.”

      “I used to do that, too. I’d forgotten all that until now.” His watch beeped and he glanced at it. “I have to go now. It was good talking to you.”

      “It’s always good talking to you, Adam.” She tried to put a little extra sultriness into the words, but he’d already turned away and was heading up the stairs, two at a time.

      She sighed. Her seductress skills definitely needed work.

      On the way to her cubicle, she stopped to talk to her best friend at the station, the production secretary, Tanisha. “How long have you worked here, Tanisha?” she asked.

      “Fourteen months, twenty-two days and six hours. But who’s counting? Why?”

      “I was just wondering. Do you know if Adam Hawkins has dated anybody since Bonnie?”

      “Mr. Handsome Hawk hasn’t dated much of anyone since the Bombshell exploded,” she said. “Of course, with Carl’s rule against the on-air personalities dating, he’d almost have to find a girlfriend outside of work. But I haven’t heard about anyone.” She grinned. “And I make it my business to keep up on all the gossip.”

      “That’s interesting.”

      “I saw you two talking together just now. That’s more words than I’ve seen him exchange with anyone in months.”

      “It took me weeks to get him to say even that much to me.” A man who kept his emotions reined in so tightly must have all kinds of passions bottled up inside, just waiting for the right woman to unleash them.

      Of course, she could be all wrong. Maybe Adam was horribly repressed and not the demonstrative type. But she’d love the chance to find out.

      “So are you interested in him?” Tanisha asked.

      She checked to make sure they were alone, then leaned closer to Tanisha. “Let’s just say I could be.”

      “Well good luck. He’s a tough one to figure. I mean, we know he’s not gay, we’re pretty sure he’s available, but why is he available?”

      “Maybe Bonnie broke his heart.”

      “Hmmph.” Tanisha sniffed. “I was here the day it all went down. He’s the one who tried to break up with her. I don’t think he was all that sad to see the back of her.”

      “Then I’d say it was time for a new woman in his life.”

      “But how are you going to get around Carl?”

      “I’m not on-air talent, remember? This promo thing is just a temporary assignment.”

      Tanisha laughed. “You go. Of course, you might have to fight off Naughty Nick first.”

      She made a face. “Don’t remind me.”

      “I don’t envy you three days in bed with that octopus.”

      “I’m thinking about arming myself with Mace and a stun gun. Think that would stop him?”

      “Better bring some earplugs, too. I never met a man who liked to talk so much—about himself.”

      “Earplugs. Gotcha.” She mentally added these to her list. This was going to be the longest seventy-five hours of her life, but she was going to make the most of the time. By the time it was over she’d have a gig as the station’s newest jock and Naughty Nick would have learned to keep his hands to himself.

      BONNIE GLARED at the billboard looming over the Englewood Light Rail Station. Five years she’d been with KROK and her face had never been on a billboard. Little Miss Muffet had worked there a lousy six

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