Page 44 of On the Power Play

She tucked her hair behind her ear. "You and me?"

Jack flattened against the seat as they passed the hoards of people outside the cafe. "They don't know it's not real. Which means they think I not only got my dream job, but also immediately hooked up with a girl they fantasize about." Delia's cheeks stained pink, and Jack backpedalled, "Not fantasized in a creepy way, just—you know."

"No, I don't know, Jack. Please, explain it to me."

Jack scoffed. "Stop. You know men find you attractive."

"What's funny about that is they never used to. Now they hear my music on the radio and assume I have money, and suddenly I'm a ten out of ten."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "They never used to?" He glanced out the window over her shoulder to make sense of where they were headed. He'd scouted out the location of the recording studio in relation to their breakfast spot that morning, and it seemed like they'd already gone too far.

"I think he's circling. Leading off any people who might've followed us from the restaurant," Delia said. "And no. Men have always gravitated more toward Mary than me, which is why it was so exciting to get that kind of attention at first. But then it became obvious what they were after. Ironically what you didn't want initially."

"What, a contract stipulating mutually consensual PDA and no sex? I didn't know those were such hot commodities."

Delia snorted. "Status, Jack."

"I'm betting it was actually sex."

"You don't ask if you can take nude pictures with someone on a first date unless you're hoping to get mileage out of your experience."

Jack looked skeptical. "A guy did that?" The idea of walking up to a girl and asking for naked photos made him want to throw up. Growing up with a sister and a few years of being engaged had that effect.

"Not one guy. All of them."

And with that comment, Jack started to get pissed off. "How are you meeting these douchebags?"

"Online."

Jack drew a breath and unclenched his fists. "Well, there's your problem. You need to wait until people's publicists phone you up like the rest of us."

Delia laughed out loud. "If I only would've been patient, I could've signed my own contract for PDA and no sex. Instead, I had to write one myself."

"We're the lucky ones." He grinned, and Delia settled back in her seat, a smile still on her lips.

The car pulled up to the curb, and Jack scanned the lot next to the studio. That was becoming automatic, especially with Delia there next to him. There were people sitting in cars, a few people with cameras standing next to the corner. Jack reached for the door handle. "If we go fast, they might not realize we're here until all they can shoot is our backs."

Delia nodded, but before she could push open her side of the vehicle, Jack opened his. There was no way he was going to let her step out alone. "Follow me. I'll block you." She did as he said, allowing him to stand between her and the paparazzi to their right. Without thinking, he put an arm over her shoulder and angled his body around her. They rushed forward together toward the building, and the shouts and shutter clicks barely caught up when they were a few paces from the entrance.

Mary pushed the doors open from the inside and ushered them through.

Jack pulled his arm off Delia’s shoulders. “Sorry if I?—”

“No, thank you. It was . . . logistical.” She straightened her jacket.

Logistical. Right. He would’ve done something like that for anyone, wouldn’t he? Jack thought back to the time he shared a ride with a woman in Boston back from a restaurant after a game. It had started raining, and he’d pulled his jacket over both of them as they ran into the hotel.

That counted. He didn’t know the woman and hadn’t been looking for any kind of reward for that act of kindness. True, she’d walked with him to the elevator and didn’t hit the button for her own floor, but that had seemed like a coincidence. It wasn’t until she tried to hold his hand that he’d panicked and picked up his phone with a loud, “Hey babe, I’m almost to the room.”

Smooth.

Jack shoved his hands in his pockets, and Mary reached for Delia’s coat.

"Ugh. So glad you made it! I was starting to worry there for a second, especially since you didn't text me back."

Delia pulled out her phone. "Oh, I didn't even check. Your hired driver was quite thorough."

"You enjoyed your city tour?" Mary grinned. "Sorry, I just didn't want to add to the mayhem over here by making it obvious you were recording, and, before you ask, I did just hire a company to provide security from here on out. For both of you. I think Jack met them at the airport?”

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