Page 30 of Turning Up the Heat

“Yeah, anything wrong with that? What’s with the tone?”

She realized that she was about to step in it. She had little of the enthusiasm she’d once had for the plan. “Why do we bother?” she asked. “Why are we in the business destroying others? We make a superior product. Why don’t we just focus on doing our best and let the customers decide?”

That got Quin’s attention. He looked up from his email. “That isn’t what you said before.”

“Maybe I’m tired of this rivalry,” she admitted with a sigh.

“It’s business, Gem,” Quin told her. “Taking out our competitors. That’s how this works.”

She wanted the conversation off Cain Rum, because the more they talked about Tom’s family, the guiltier she felt. The meeting reminded her that her illicit weekends with Tom were essentially a betrayal of her family. She needed to get out of the room and away from her brothers, so she headed back to the distillery.

Gemma crossed the floor, her heart still heavy with guilt. Her crew was working diligently on the various steps in rum production. She checked in with a couple. They were a capable group, and it felt like some days she was barely needed in the place. She went into her office to work on some new ideas for their upcoming summer campaign. But not until she finished her coffee.

She sat at her desk, and her thoughts turned to the magazine shoot. It would be fun to come out of her shell a little. She could put a little more sex appeal out there. Gemma couldn’t wait to tell Tom.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Speak of the devil. It was Tom. “Hey, you,” she answered.

“Hey. We just landed, and I figured I’d give you a call.”

She could hear the pilot in the background. “Are you taxiing?”

“Yeah.”

He’d never called from the plane before. Sure, he would text to let her know he was home, but this was new. “How was your flight?”

“Pretty smooth. I’m beat, though. I was hoping to get a little sleep on the way. But it didn’t happen.”

Gemma thought about how tired she was and how that was a direct consequence of the man she was speaking to. She didn’t feel bad for him. “Well, I’ve got some news,” she teased.

“Yeah?”

“I was asked to take part in a feature for Men’s Lifestyle magazine.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. An interview and a sexy photo spread.” He didn’t say anything for a while, and she wondered what was going through his mind. Did he not want her to do it? “Hello?” she asked. “Are you still there?”

There was a knocking sound on his end of the line. “Sorry, I was getting my bag,” Another pause, and she could hear him thank the flight crew. “So,” he continued, and she could hear the mischievous smile on his lips. “Tell me more about this sexy photo spread.”

There was an email notification on her computer. She opened it, and it was already information for the photo shoot. She had to be in Los Angeles in a few days. “Well, it’s in L.A. in three days. Want to meet me there?”

“Tell me where and I’ll be there.”

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