Page 56 of Reckless

“I’ll happily be reminded of that tomorrow when you wake up. Wake me up too.” He paused. “How long do you think we have until Nora and Brian return?”

She put her plate aside after taking another bite of her pizza. “I think we have an hour or so.”

One handed, he pulled his shirt off and put his plate next to hers before using his body to take hers to the mattress.

“Let’s get to work, shall we?”

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

The last interview Harlow needed to do before the show that night was with some up and coming new music and media magazine. Women in rock and roll or something. As it was something she and Nora believed in and were a part of, they had agreed. Brian, at the merest suggestion he didn’t have to be there, jetted so fast if he was a cartoon there’d have been little puffs of smoke at his heels, headed for a comics store near the townhouse.

Their names were at the front desk, so the guard swiped a card through the elevator panel and unlocked the fifth floor, sending them on their way.

The offices weren’t huge, but the vibe was edgy and young, and they were offered fresh pressed juice or coffee when they were seated in a smallish conference room and told Sophia would be in shortly.

Though shortly meant twenty minutes late and tried not to let it show when their interviewer finally came in.

Tall and blonde, she looked very much like one of those perfect Manhattan influencers. Cute and slightly quirky outfit that Harlow was certain came straight from a designer showroom. Perfect hair and makeup that had to have been done professionally because she refused to believe anyone’s eyeliner could be so flawless done on their own. Her entire being was a production and no lie, Harlow couldn’t help but be impressed with what had to be a great deal of effort to be so put together.

“Thanks for your patience,” she told them as she settled in.

Harlow’s aunt had counseled her years back to never apologize for being late or whatever in a business context, but to thank the other party, so she saw it for what it was, and appreciated it just the same.

It wasn’t like she could make a scene. Good press was important and if they were impatient or acted like assholes, that would come out.

“I’m Sophia and you’re Harlow and Nora, right?” After they nodded and said their hellos, Sophia got right into it.

There were leading questions really designed to make the person asking look good and once Harlow figured out who this interviewer was, she adjusted her replies and persona to fit.

There was talk about their recent release and the themes of strength through vulnerability and both Harlow and Nora warmed up to that. The songs and the music itself were a love letter to messing up and being better and the power of female friendship.

“And you two are friends then? For real?” Sophia asked.

“Yes. Since we were thirteen or so. She’s my human.” Harlow smiled at Nora.

“Never fought over boys?”

Boys? What were they, twelve?

Nora cocked her head. “We don’t have the same taste in romantic interests. Even if we did, I hope we could avoid being a cliché.”

“So, you’re not jealous over Harlow’s new man candy?”

Well. That was unexpected. She’d been asked about Miles in interviews since they’d more or less gone public with their relationship, but the way Sophia was acting right then was over the top.

“I’m good, thanks,” Nora said, and Harlow barely smothered a laugh.

“I guess that means she can share details. Miles Brown is incredibly inventive in bed, don’t you think?” Sophia leaned toward them with a predatory smile, and Harlow realized she’d let the other woman fool her into believing she was generally harmless.

Thiswas the ex-girlfriend everyone made a sour face about. Clearly, she hadn’t gotten over Miles and frankly Harlow could understand that. However, Miles wasn’t a piece of pizza she would fight over like a seagull.

And it wasn’t that this person had sex with Miles before he’d even come back into Harlow’s life. It was the way Sophia seemed to delight in this gossip. That they’d either bond over Miles or fight?

“I mean. A penis piercing. I did enjoy that. The septum piercing though, meh. He’s more handsome without it don’t you think?” Sophia said.

Nora stepped on Harlow’s foot, and it surprised her enough to bite back what had been her first instinct. Sophia was a complicated little monster. And she’d feed on Harlow’s response if she allowed her buttons to be pushed by this dumbass.

So she just looked at Sophia until the other woman cleared her throat.

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