“Good luck, Katie.” He kisses me on the cheek, taking me by surprise, before sauntering off stage. The whole process seems completely natural to him.
“Just relax.” Lynn smiles. “We will lead you through it.”
10, 9, 8...
You’re on the air.
“Welcome back to The Morning Show.” Kes looks like his lips barely move as he speaks with his false smile plastered across hisface. “Now, Lynn, I know you’re going to enjoy speaking to our next guest. She’s taking the erotic fiction world by storm. Katie Clark is with us to discuss her best-selling book and her future plans.”
I wring my hands together; they are slippery with worry. My breathing quickens, and focusing on what they’re saying is difficult as my nerves peak.Just answer their questions simply, without too much detail.
“So, Katie,” Lynn begins. “Tell me, do you get inspiration from your past lovers for your characters?”
My eyes pop wide. A flash of Lance hits, so vivid my pulse trips. Hell, not now.
If this is the first question of the interview, heaven help me. Normally, hosts will ease into these things. A soft laugh escapes. Celia told me that laughing is a good strategy to buy yourself some time in an interview.
“You crack me up, Lynn. As much as I’d like to have a lover like Satan, unfortunately, no man’s up to his standard.” I give her a withering look, and she smirks.
The interview only lasts ten minutes, but I’m glad when it comes to an end. Overall, it went well, and after my initial shock at the opening question subsided, it was fine. Standing on cue, I pat down my technicolor skirt. It is held out with a tulle petticoat that swishes as I walk, teamed with a white blouse and kitten heels. My look is 1950’s librarian—all that is required is a pile of books to carry. My followers like my eclectic taste in clothes: the brighter the better.
Brad is waiting for me as I walk off the set. He flashes me a megawatt smile and pretends to clap. Taking my hand, he leads me to a room at the back of the set. Celia follows us, scampering along behind.
“Well done,” he declares. “Would you like a coffee?”
I nod, and he hands me a small white teacup filled with strong black coffee. My stomach lurches as our knuckles brush.
“Sugar? Milk?” he asks, and I smile gratefully.
“Both, please.”
Celia clears her throat. Brad’s eyes slide to her as if he forgot she was there. He hands her a cup of the tar-like substance without a word, then turns back to me.
“Katie, what are your plans while you’re here?” he says.
“You’d be better asking Celia. I just turn up where I’m told.”
He lifts his eyebrows, and a sexy smile plays on his lips. “Okay, Celia, would Katie like to go out to dinner with me? Is she allowed?”
I practically spit my coffee out. He laughs, deep and jovial.
“She would be mad not to. Give her your number, and she’ll call you,” Celia purrs.
Brad passes me his card, winks, then struts out of the room.
I stare at it.
And all I can think is… why do I feel nothing?
Chapter twenty-eight
Katie
My hotel is in the center of New York, twenty stories tall and ultra-modern in appearance. From the outside, you know this isn’t a fifty-dollar-a-night kind of place. People with money stay here, and I’m one of them. Strictly speaking, it isn’t my money, as my publishing company is being very generous, but my finances are in the best shape they’ve ever been in.
Back in my room, I collapse on the bed.
On the stark white ceiling, the fan spins around, circulating the air. The motion is calming, and I drift off to sleep, exhausted from my busy day.