Start Me Up (Man of the Month 4)

"They have an app," Celia explained.

"Who?" Shelby asked.

"The show streams live in audio," she continued, not answering Shel. "Sometimes there's even video," she added, as if they were just discussing the weather.

"It's really funny," Kayla added, her tone apologetic as the last strains of Heart's Crazy On You faded out. "I mean, he's good on the air, and it's not like he ever calls you by name."

Oh, God. Shelby trepidation ramped up until it hovered somewhere near terrified. And when Hannah pushed one of the guest chairs up behind her, she sat without question.

"Aaaand we're back!" Nolan's voice filled the room, and even though Shelby was already five thousand percent sure that she wasn't going to like what he was going to say, she couldn't deny the effect that smooth, sensual voice was having on her body--or the decadent memories that rushed to fill her mind.

Casually, she crossed her legs, then clasped her hands on her knees as she breathed deliberately through her nose.

"We've got time for one more request. Remember, folks, after one night, I can't say if she rocked my world, but she definitely rocked me. So that's our theme. So you say it, and if I play it, you get two tickets to the upcoming Pink Chameleon concert in San Antonio--all because I'm in one hell of a good mood today."

"Ooooh, Nolan. Tell me more!"

"Ah-ah-ah. Believe me. It's way too hard to describe how I feel. But then again, maybe that's why we call the show Mornings with Wood. Hey, there, caller. What's your name?"

He was talking about her. The simple reality slammed into her mind as Nolan went back and forth with some guy named Tommy. He was actually talking about her. On the radio.

Not only that, but he was talking about her and about hard-ons on the freaking radio.

"The bastard," she said as she snatched up Celia's phone. "I can just push this little phone icon to call into the show?" she asked, inspecting the screen.

"Are you nuts?" Hannah said. "What are you going to say?"

"I'm going to tell him to stop." Had she told him it was okay to do this? Last night, when she'd joked about their sex being too hot for the radio, had he really thought she meant that this--this--was okay?

"You can't call in," Leslie said. "Someone will recognize your voice."

"Shit." She tossed the phone back on the desk, the cringed at Celia's perturbed, "Hey!"

"Sorry." She drew in a breath and tried to calm herself, but that really wasn't happening. "It doesn't matter if I call in. Everyone already knows. What the hell is he doing? Everyone in that whole damn bar knows it's me."

"No, no," Ria said. "Just us, and we wouldn't tell a soul."

"You never go to The Fix," Hannah added. "No one knows your name."

"And even if the staff knew, they wouldn't say," Leslie assured her.

Shelby looked to Kayla, who shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I doubt anybody knows."

"I could call the studio," Shelby said. "I mean, the office. So I'm not on the air."

Hannah leaned against the side of the desk. "If you really want to talk to him about this, then call him at home."

Shelby licked her lips. "I don't have his number."

She watched as the five women exchanged pointed glances.

"Well," Hannah said slowly, "then my guess is that this is just a riff on his part. Tomorrow, he'll be on to something else, and no one will even remember today."

"Oh." Shelby said, and despite the fact that she'd already told herself that this thing with Nolan was a non-starter ... and despite the fact that his ridiculous on-air announcement really capped that sentiment ... the stark realization that she'd had a one-night stand without even realizing it hit her hard.

A one-night stand with a man who'd made her feel things she didn't know she could feel, and want things she didn't know she could want. Who'd had her begging and laughing. Who'd hands-down shared the best sexual experience of her life. And then he'd gone and used their sexual exploits as fodder for his radio program. The whole thing made her queasy. "This is a nightmare," she whispered. "I mean, it's a nightmare of absolute epic proportions."

"Oh, hell," Leslie said, glancing at her watch. "I've got an interview in ten minutes. Honey, it'll be fine." She gave Shelby a squeeze on the shoulder as she headed toward the door.