A-Hole to A-List (PR Girls & Instalove 1)

“Fine. I’ll send the info. It starts at nine, so I’ll meet you out front at nine-thirty.”

“No, send me your ad

dress, and I’ll pick you up. That way, we can make a grand entrance.”

“You’re right. We should get your photo taken on the way in. I’ll take care of it.”

“Great,” I said. “See you tonight.”

It wasn’t a real date, but it was a situation where we’d have to fake it a bit. This would give me every excuse to stay close to her. I didn’t even know what my angle was going to be. She seemed to like me, but was more concerned about her job.

If I could convince her that being close to me all night was part of her position, I could find a way to spin it until we were really together. In a flash, I had to wonder if I was getting the hang of this PR stuff, or if I was really just a selfish creep who couldn’t leave a sweet girl alone.

Digging through my closet, I found the right combination of cool, casual, exclusive, and expensive items that stylists loved to write about. Part of me hated that I actually looked into these things a few weeks ago.

As I finished getting ready and went out to my garage to jump in my flashiest car, I couldn’t help wondering whether I was being too aggressive with Jenna.

She seemed thoughtful and delicate, but at the same time feisty enough to hold her own. At least, I hoped so. I had to be careful not to be too pushy with her. The last thing I’d ever want to do would be to make her uncomfortable, no matter how much I needed to pull her into my arms and cross every single line.

I’d always been incredibly forthright with people. I didn’t have the patience to play games and fake being nice to anyone. My life was my job, and that was that.

Jenna was already making me second guess the things I wanted to say, trying to be softer and more polite for her, and somehow, I didn’t mind at all.

7

_____

Jenna

The past few hours were a blur of studying. Stalking the attendees online, I had to memorize dozens of critical faces. And I had to have a protein-rich snack in case there was no food there.

By the time I was tucked into Andrew’s dazzling red car on our way to the Sky Lounge, my brain felt like it was about to burst.

“Are you alright?” he asked as we turned the last corner, driving down the street to a massive crowd of people lined up to get in.

“Yes, sorry,” I muttered automatically. “I had to cram like crazy before we left. I hope I remember it all.”

His hand reached out to gently pat my knee. “Well, I’m already having a great time. I’m about to walk in with the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen on my arm.”

Turning to blink in shock at him, he’d already pulled his hand away, gliding smoothly right in front of the building. “Stay put,” he said, dashing around to my side of the car to help me out. After tossing his keys to the valet, he took my arm, looking pleased as punch.

It was hard not to stare at his snug designer shirt that showed off every muscle to perfection. He hadn’t shaved today, his dark scruff rugged against his tanned skin.

“Over here!” yelled one of the photographers, and I gave him a wave as I recognized him. Cliff often took photos of our events too, and I’d sent him a text earlier, tipping him off.

Guiding Andrew closer, we posed right in front. As soon as some photographers saw that Cliff was zooming in on us, others took note and followed suit.

“This is crazy,” Andrew muttered through his smile.

“Yes,” I murmured, trying to put a few inches of space between us, but his arm wouldn’t budge.

“Hey, Cliff,” I called out, loud enough for the others to hear, “This is Andrew Harper of HarperTech. Big news coming soon – I’ll tell you next week.”

The flashing increased until I was nearly dizzy. Andrew noticed and guided me toward the door.

Corina was standing just behind the official-looking people with tablets who were checking people off. She wore a plain black dress that made her look efficient, but nearly invisible if she wanted to be. Even the clips keeping back her dark hair were black.

She gave me a subtle nod as I barely smiled at her, but inside I knew that we were laughing together.