Page 31 of Beautiful Storm

As I pick up my pacing again, waiting for my dad to get home from his business trip so he can give me a piece of his mind, my thoughts stay firmly locked on Amelia. On the feel of her lips pressed against mine. The taste of her. The moans. Her warmth.

In that moment, I wanted her. All of her.

But that feeling has well and truly passed. I will never touch her again.

Unless, of course, I get a chance to fuck with her like she fucked with me.

If that day comes, I’ll bask in the glory.

CHAPTER NINE

Luke

Amelia’s resting bitch face is on point when I walk into the room, and I can’t help but smirk as it slips into a scowl. It’s not like I wasn’t expecting this reaction after our moment in her office last week, but I couldn’t leave it alone. I had to make sure she wasn’t going to use the fire as a ratings grab. It would make a damn good story, but I have no plans of letting one stupid mistake takeover my life again.

I’ve already spent years haunted by that night and I thought I was finally free.

I raise an eyebrow and pretend not to care what Amelia thinks of me until I realize her expression isn’t aimed my way. She hasn’t noticed my arrival. She’s glaring at some guy I don’t recognize as he chats with Keeley on the other side of the room.

From my position by the door, I can see Amelia’s leg bouncing under the table and hate that it has my hackles rising. She used to do that when she was anxious and I doubt that’s changed.Who the fuck is this guy?And more importantly…Why do Icare?She’s more than capable of handling herself. I’m just here as the entertainment.

I clear my throat to get their attention and all eyes flash my way. “Luke, welcome.” Amelia stands, gifting me with a warm smile, convincing me that something isn’t right. She must really hate this guy if she’s being nice to me, unless she’s taking professionalism to the next level. “Please take a seat.” She gestures to the chair in front of her. “Today we’ll be joined by one of Brighton Productions’ other directors, Jake. He—”

“Brighton Productions’ moreseasoneddirector, she means. I’m sitting in on today's session while I wait for my production to start next week. To help Amelia if she needs it. In case any of the guys prefer talking man-to-man. I’m sure you don’t mind. You get it.”

What a fucking douche.Who does this guy think he is?

“And if I do…mind?” I deadpan, folding my arms over my chest. No matter my feelings toward Amelia, sexism is bullshit.

The guy, Jake I think she said, stares at me for a minute before belly laughing out loud. “Good one. That’s why everyone likes you. You’re funny.”

Yeah, and we’ll see how funny you find it when I drive my foot up your ass.“That’s me. The comedian. Amelia,”—I turn back to Amelia, directing my attention to her and her alone—“I’m ready to begin whenever you are.”

Amelia’s eyes widen but she recovers quickly. Apparently my hate for her isn’t as deep as my hate for assholes that like to belittle their colleagues in front of others. It’s a touchy subject for me since my sister went through some things in college, and I won’t put up with it.This is going to be fun.

Amelia dives straight into the standard interview questions, asking me things I have no doubt she already knows the answers to as “the more seasoned director” huffs and puffs beside her.

“What age did you start playing football? Have you played anywhere else other than San Francisco? Do you have any siblings? What’s your family like? Are there any family members that you’d prefer we didn’t talk to?”

To the douche’s credit, he keeps his muttering relatively quiet, but when Amelia announces we’re moving on to more personal topics, he cuts in before she begins.

“If you have any skeletons in your closet that you don’t want us to find, I suggest you disclose them now, or bury themdeep. At the end of the day, this is a TV series and the producers want ratings.”

My eyes flash to Amelia as she cringes. She’s too nice for this. My secrets aside, I can’t imagine her airing someone else’s dirty laundry without permission. Although, I never would have thought she’d turn on a friend so easily, without tellingsaidfriend what they did wrong.

“I’m not worried about my skeletons,” I say confidently, now that I have Amelia’s word that she’ll keep the fire out of the show. “Something tells me that even if your team of detectives or whoever discovers something they think is ratings worthy, you won’t use it.” I’m being a dick and pushing Amelia, but for some reason I trust her and this guy deserves it.

“Okay. I need to cut this off,” Amelia says as if to prove my point. “Jake’s trying to get you to spill your secrets by pretending we have investigators. This isn’t that kind of show. If something comes up when we’re talking to your teammates, or friends and family, then we have your permission to include it in the show. It was mentioned in the contract that you were incredibly quick to sign.” She pauses as though giving me a moment to let her verbal jab sink in, but I smile and own it. I was quick to sign because deep down, I knew Amelia wasn’t going to fuck me over before I confronted her about it. She can hate me as much as she wants,but I’ve got just as much dirt on her as she’ll ever find on me. Only like her, I’d never use it. Unless she forces my hand.

“Anyway, Luke, I’m sure you have a clear conscience, so it’s fine.”

“Exactly.” I grin. “So…hit me with the personal questions.”

Amelia hesitates before she picks up the folder in front of her and begins reading. Her eyes briefly close, and it doesn't take much to guess what’s coming next, so when she finally looks up, I almost laugh. She’s about to ask me about my sex life.

“Are you okay with us discussing your…eh…sexual habits? It’s not a secret you…ah…sleep around—”

“Stop, stop.Amelia. What the hell was that?“ Jake cuts in, rolling his eyes, and he walks over and rips the folder from in front of her. My fists clench but I wait for him to finish. “I can’t believe you got chosen for this project,” he mumbles before standing tall. “Luke, let’s chat openly instead of tiptoeing around things. I’m sure you know, there are some roles that women shouldn’t be appointed to, and a television director is one of them. Especially the director of a football series. I’m sorry you’ve been put in this situation. Amelia, I’ll take over from—”

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