That's all it was.

At least that's what he told himself. Because God knew he didn't want to do this show--hell, any show. And this wasn't about the chance to touch her again, no matter how much his body might tighten in response to the thought of having her in front of him, her eyes bright as she looked at him with longing, her lips parted with pleasure. And that low, sensual buzz that ran through him at the knowledge that she wanted him. Him.

He swallowed, his skin a little too warm and his jeans a little too tight.

Except she didn't want him. Never had. Not really.

And that's why this wasn't about romantic bullshit. This was about retribution. Revenge. It was about making her feel so damn good she wanted to scream, and then clearing the fuck out.

He needed to remember that. He needed to keep that at the forefront of his mind.

"Fuck," he said, turning away from the window. "Where the hell is she?"

"I'm here," Brooke said, stepping over the threshold and into the room, her business suit perfectly pressed and her chin held high. "Let's get to work."

Chapter Nine

Brooke barely looked at Spencer as Molly and

Andy took them through the terms of the contract one more time, then had them both sign on the dotted line.

"This is going to be wonderful," Molly said. "Brooke, you'll let the folks at The Fix know that everything's in place?"

Brooke nodded. "I'm having lunch with Jenna Montgomery. I'll tell her. And I'll ask Tyree about having a small film crew there tonight for the first calendar contest."

"Just handhelds," Andy reminded her. "Totally unobtrusive. For that matter, tell him that when the remodel starts, we'll still be unobtrusive. This crew's worked several reality shows. They know how to blend."

Brooke nodded. The network wanted the Man of the Month calendar contest to be going on in the background of the show. That made sense, but considering the late start in getting the show off the ground, there was no way to include the contest for Mr. January during the renovations. So the crew was going to shoot footage now, and the editors would work it into the show. They didn't need much for the January contest, but at the very least they wanted shots of the contestants on the stage and the winning guy strutting his stuff.

And while they might not need Brooke for that, she fully intended to be there. Spencer, she assumed, would pass. He was a reluctant participant as it was. She figured she'd see him tomorrow at breakfast--their first official meeting.

And then, presumably, he'd want her to make good on his demand. Or condition. Or promise.

Or whatever the hell you wanted to call it.

Not that he'd said anything about that yet, but that wasn't surprising. He could hardly stop the meeting, point to Brooke, and tell her to be naked in his bedroom that night at midnight. Andy and Molly might not understand.

Dear God, she really needed to get out of her head.

The truth was, he might be planning on catching her after this meeting for that very thing. Which was why she pointedly glanced at her watch, then stood up with an announcement that she was late for lunch, and that since they all wanted to stay on the good side of everyone at The Fix, she really should run.

Then she bolted.

The coward's way out, perhaps, but she'd take it.

She met Jenna in the bar, then grinned like an idiot at Jenna's gleeful response to the news that everything was signed and ready to go. "And all I had to do was sell my soul."

"What?"

"Ignore me." Brooke waved the words away. "I was just trying to be funny."

They lingered a bit longer, then Jenna took Brooke to the owner, Tyree, a huge man with a kind smile who seemed genuinely grateful that The Business Plan was going to focus on his bar. "I've got my son, my friends, and this place. Losing any one of them would just about kill me. I'm doing whatever I can to make sure The Fix stays in business--and I think this show of yours is going to go a long way to making that happen."

"I hope so," Brooke said, touched. "That's certainly my plan."

She explained about the cameras that would be in place that night, and he told her that they could go anywhere and film anybody. "Jenna's a clever thing," he said. "For that matter, so is my lawyer, Easton. The contest is by ticketed entry only, and that ticket serves as consent to be filmed."

"Excellent." They talked over a few more details, including the mechanics of having the network confirm that Easton had covered all the legalities. Then she told him that she needed to go dive into prep, but that she'd be back that evening to watch the contest. "I wouldn't miss it even if I didn't need to see how the guys utilize the stage in order to better plan the renovation. I mean, a stage full of hot men? As far as I'm concerned, it's a no-brainer."

Tags: J. Kenner Man of the Month Romance
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