Page 24 of The Close-Up
“It doesn’t matter. Simon and I aren’t going to sleep together. I don’t even think of him in that way anymore.”
The lie dances like fire on my tongue.
“You’re a god-awful liar, you know that?”
I sigh. “Okay fine, yes, I still think he’s super hot and I’m attracted to him, but like I said, I’m not going to do anything about it. You know how straightlaced Fiona is. If she thought I was screwing around with Simon, she’d lose all respect for me. I’ve got a promotion on the line with this series. I’m not going to let a little bit of flirting and attraction get in the way of that.”
“Aha! So you twohavebeen flirting! I knew it!”
I groan as Harper giggles.
“Good thing I packed those condoms,” she says. “You’ll thank me later.”
I shake my head at her smug tone. “Good-bye, Harper. I’ve got a ton of work to do.”
“Oh, and I packed a little something else for you right next to the condoms—to help you blow off steam while you work up the nerve to pounce on your dream guy.”
She says a quick good-bye before hanging up, and I immediately dig into my suitcase once more. As soon as I feel the long, thick rectangular box, my lips purse in irritation. Of course she would pack this. I should have seen it coming.
But as I pull the brand-new pink vibrator tied with a red ribbon out of my suitcase, I have to bite my tongue to keep from screaming. My annoying meddling cousin. Once I’m back in San Francisco, I’m going to kill her.
Chapter Six
From the massive mahogany desk in my bedroom of the vacation rental, I clean up an audio clip for episode one ofSimply Simon. I probably could have gone with the one I saved two versions ago, but I’m a perfectionist—I always have been. And I want everything about the premiere episode to be just right. I save it, then I check the views on Simon’s videos that are posted on Dash. It’s the last day of the retreat with everyone taking off tomorrow morning. All the couples are out for a hike near the lake and Simon took off for a jog, leaving me some quiet time alone to work. All three segments from the very first interview I did with him at his apartment are live and every single video has garnered thousands of views in the first few hours of being up on the site. Everyone adores getting to know the Bay Area’s most sought-after relationship expert, it seems.
I check my calendar on my laptop and see that I have a week untilSimply Simonairs. I pause and take a deep breath, equally excited and nervous. I’m thrilled with how Dash viewers have fallen in love with Simon—and I want the series to be a huge hit that meets all of their expectations.
I silently tell myself to stop worrying. I’ve gotten loads of great footage on the couples’ retreat. It’s going to make a killer premiere once I’m done editing it. Viewers will love seeing Simon in his element as a therapist. In every email Fiona has sent me, she’s been so supportive and positive about my work. I’m going to knock this out of the park.
I’m going to knock this out of the park.
“I’m going to knock this out of the park,” I whisper to myself.
When that does nothing to calm the nerves whirring inside of me, I gaze out the window right in front of my desk. Since I’m on the back side of the house, I can’t see the lake, but I’ve got a killer view of the lush green yard and the trees lining the edge of the property.
A few seconds of gazing has me a bit calmer. I turn to my laptop and check the comments section on Simon’s videos. I don’t normally care to check comments, but the one time I did it with Simon, I saw just how overwhelmingly positive the feedback was and want to see if it still holds true. I let out a soft squeal when I see that the majority are raving about Simon and expressing their interest in the upcomingSimply Simonseries, which Dash just started promoting on the site. Of course, there’s a smattering of comments about how hot Simon is. He’s a good-looking, charismatic, and intelligent guy who’s just been delivered to the online masses. There’s guaranteed to be some fawning.
But then one comment catches my eye.
Hot damn the pussy whisperer grew up nicely. Though I do miss his old work.
I don’t have to click on the link to know what it is. One of Simon’s many fans has linked to one of his old camming videos. I roll my eyes, annoyed that someone thought it was appropriate to bring up Simon’s past in his present career.
I click on the comment to delete it, but my fingers slip on the keyboard of my laptop. I accidentally click the link instead and am taken to a page where a video screen pops up.
“Shit!”
I absolutely did not mean to click. To watch an old video of him right now, even by accident, crosses every single professional boundary I’ve set for myself. Yeah, I used to watch him years ago, but that was before I knew him personally, before we started working together.
As fast as I can move my fingers, I go to close the tab, but a low, breathy moan hits my ears. It’s deep, throaty, guttural...male.
My hand stills as my eyes drop to the image on the screen. It’s a naked, younger Simon sitting on the edge of a bed, his partner kneeling in front of him, her head between his legs. You can’t see her clearly. But Simon is on full, unobscured display. And judging from the caveman-like sounds he’s making, he is having a hell of a good time.
My lips part as I inhale sharply. Somehow I missed this camming video all those years ago because I don’t remember watching it. My jaw plummets to the floor as I take in the visual. His bare, muscled chest that heaves with every desperate breath he takes. The sunlight from a nearby window that paints him in a light glow. How his long, sculpted arms tense with each second that passes. That delicious way he white-knuckles the edge of the bed, a clear sign that he can barely take the pleasure he’s receiving.
Seconds pass. My brain scolds me that I shouldn’t be doing this—I shouldn’t be gawking at this incredibly hot video of twenty-something Simon getting it on with his lady at the time. But I’m hypnotized. I couldn’t peel my eyes off the screen if someone waltzed in and offered me a million dollars to move my eyes six inches to the left.
Because there’s something addictive about the presence Simon has when he’s on screen. It’s the same presence he possesses in everything I’ve seen him do. Whether he’s receiving pleasure, delivering it, or conducting a therapy session or seminar, his energy is always the same. Confident, but gracious. In control, but not a control freak. Selfless, yet self-assured.
