Page 34 of Get Undressed With Me

“More like you’re a head case, but I’m not judging. You’re fun to be around.”

Gus snorted. He had been called a lot of things in his life. Dependable. Trustworthy. All the boring adjectives that made women fall asleep once they started dating. He had never been called fun in his life.

Brittany heard him snort and eyed him, curious. “Do you not think you’re fun?”

“I’ve been told on numerous occasions that I’m pretty boring.”

“By who, Robbie?”

She was laughing when she said it, but when Gus didn’t respond, she sobered up. He kept walking, eyes scanning the streets for anything out of the normal.

“Gus, wait.”

He turned to find Brittany had stopped walking. She had her hands on her hips, her ponytail and her socks making her look more cute than fierce. But her eyes were showing the beginning of her temper.

“Robbie’s an idiot,” she said. Gus opened his mouth, but Brittany held up her hand, stopping him. “Just listen. Robbie is loud and extroverted and thinks everyone has to be like him in order to have a good time. But he’s wrong. You’re kind and funny and sexy and a hell of a lot more fun to be around than him. Don’t let him and his bullshit convince you otherwise.”

Gus stared at her a moment, not sure what to say, not sure what to do about this weird feeling blooming in his chest.

“Did you just call me sexy?”

She rolled her eyes at him, moving past him toward the convention center.

“Moderately attractive if I squint in the sun and am feeling slightly nauseous. Now hurry up, buttercup. I got a full day of panels to get to.”

Shaking his head, Gus could only follow.

CHAPTER 8

BRITTANY

Brittany was completely exhausted. She had been on a number of panels all day, answering questions, bantering with her fellow influencers and panelists, and interacting with fans, all while moving from one end of the convention center to the other. Brittany wasn’t really a big name, not compared to some, but her fans had come out in force, and she could only be grateful.

All during the day, Brittany’s mom had been calling and leaving messages for her. After the last panel, Brittany finally plopped herself onto a chair in relief just in time for her phone to ring, yet again, with her mom. With a sigh, Brittany answered, Kathleen somehow already mid-conversation with her.

“Finally, Brittany, I swear you’re purposefully ignoring me.”

“Mom, I was in panels all day. You know this. I sent you my schedule. This is my first break.”

“Champagne called, they moved up the deadline.”

Brittany froze. “Moved it up?”

“They want to see designs on Monday.”

Brittany’s jaw dropped. “Monday?! Did you tell them I’m out of town this weekend for work?”

There was a pause on the other side of the conversation and Brittany knew, without a doubt, that her mother absolutely did not mention it. She groaned.

“Mom, I’m already swamped here.”

“This is a big opportunity. Champagne is high end, this is everything we’ve been waiting for, so no, I wasn’t going to tell them that you were too busy for them. I thought this was what you wanted.”

It was what she wanted. But Brittany was also tired and feeling uncreative after her mother had hated yet another round of designs. Impostor syndrome was drifting in, making her feel like a fraud. And that made her angry. But getting angry with Kathleen was never productive.

“Of course it’s what I want, Mom. I’m just out of town, and you’ve hated everything I’ve sent you so far. I don’t see how I can meet this new deadline.”

“You’ll figure it out.”

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