Heartless: Episode 1

She laughed again. “Not in those words necessarily, but yeah.”

“Of course I’m okay with that. I just don’t get why it seems like that’s every girl’s main goal in life. I mean, I get why they want to find love, but what I don’t get is the priority of it. You know, that urgency—if it doesn’t happen by a certain time or date, their lives are essentially over.” I looked at her for confirmation that what I was saying wasn’t completely asinine.

“You know it’s your fault,” she said matter-of-factly.

I guffawed. “My fault?”

“The entertainment industry—the movies we see, the books and magazines we read and the music we listen to. It all perpetuates this subliminal message to girls and boys and their roles in life. You know that.”

I sighed. “I know, and I don’t even want to get into that subject today. My brain already hurts. Plus, I’m pretty sure my girlie DNA is busted somewhere along my genetic path, and that’s why I don’t have this overwhelming desire for love in my life right now.”

“You’re definitely busted all right.”

“I don’t even care.” I smiled. “Busted and successful. Busted and wealthy. Busted and happy. Alone. Without a man. Imagine that,” I teased as I pushed up from the couch and walked toward my desk. Why was it so hard to believe that someone could be happy alone?

The sound of my office phone ringing caused Barbara to jump up and run out to her desk. “Elizabeth Lyons’s office. This is Barbara.”

I waited to hear what she would say next, as I looked at my calendar for the meetings of the day. I had one hour until the first one, and I still needed to prep the latest box-office numbers, double-check the movies in preproduction, and meet with my managers to make sure our own production schedule was on track.

Barbara’s giggling voice filtered into my office.

Who the hell was making my assistant laugh like that? I had an idea, but why would he be calling me?

“Stop it, Mr. Alexander. Let me see if she’s in. Would you mind holding?”

I heard another giggle as she peered through my open doorway.

“Daniel Alexander’s on the phone for you.” She was practically foaming at the mouth.

“I’m busy,” I said, pretending not to be the least bit interested even though my entire body flushed with excitement.

“Seriously? You don’t want to talk to him?”

Yes. “Nope.”

“I don’t think playing hard to get is going to work on him.” She rolled her eyes before disappearing.

“I’m not playing,” I said out loud to my empty office.

But I was, and I damn well knew it.

11.

ELIZABETH

I sorted through the paperwork currently shooting out of my printer when a new email pinged. Spinning my chair around to face my desk, I noticed the sender’s name right away, and chills raced through my body.

From

: Alexander, Daniel

To: Lyons, Elizabeth

Subject: Still thinking…

Miss Lyons,

I can’t stop thinking about that kiss last night. Tell me we’ll get to do it again—soon.