Page 7 of How Jenna Became My Dilemma

“Why would I be nervous about the table read?”

“I just assumed you’d be nervous because this is your first time acting.”

“I’ve acted before. My modeling career started with a Coca-Cola commercial, but I wouldn’t expect you to remember that.” She’s smiling at me, but I get the sense it’s a false positive.

“I remember the Coca-Cola commercial, but you weren’t acting. You were posing…in a bikini.” My brows lift, and my lips curve. Jenna’s eyes narrow as if she’s prepping for some chauvinistic comment about how good she looked in the bikini, but I’m not going to give her the satisfaction.

“You drank the heck out of that Coke.”

She exhales, relaxing her expression. “I guess.”

“Anyway, don’t be nervous.” My smile turns teasing, and I hope she picks up on it. “We can always put you in a bra and panties if things don’t go well with your acting.”

“I’m surprised they haven’t tried that tactic with you yet. Maybe then you’d finally get a decent movie review.”

I laugh, throwing my head back. “Touche´.”

Our disastrous beginning can be salvaged.

I’m sure of it.

JENNA

* * *

“Now, let’s get to the question everyone is dying to know.” Nina lifts her shoulders in excitement, turning her eyes to me. “What was it like kissing Cody Banner? Were you nervous? I mean, he’s kissed a lot of Hollywood’s A-list actresses on and off the big screen?”

“Yes, I’m sure his kiss count is higher than the Himalayas.”

“Very funny,” Cody mutters.

“I wasn’t nervous at all.”

Cody chokes on his laugh, morphing it into a cough.

I raise my chin with perfect confidence. “It was all very professional.”

JENNA: THREE MONTHS AGO

“CUT!” Quinton leaps out of his director’s chair. His momentum and anger propel him forward until he’s standing on the dock right in front of us. “Do you two even know how to kiss? Or how to pretend to kiss? Because this scene only calls for a peck. A peck!”

“I think we can all agree that I know how to kiss a woman.” Cody’s mouth hitches up at the corner. A multimillion-dollar celebrity brand was built off that exact smirk.

My jaw goes slack. “So do I.”

“You know how to kiss a woman?” Blue eyes swing to me as amusement rounds his smirk into a full smile. “I’d like to see that.”

“You know what I mean, but you can’t go two minutes without saying something inappropriate.”

“And you can’t make it through a simple kissing scene without breaking into hives. How many times have we had to stop and call makeup over to cover up the red blotches on your neck and arms? I lost count at sixteen or seventeen.”

Yes, it’s true.

I’m the girl with the skin rash.

I’m not proud of it.

But even though this is just a short kiss, I’m so nervous I can’t help how my body is reacting. I’m vulnerable here, and nothing about the situation feels safe.

---