Strictly Seduction: Watch Me

“Your man is apparently MIA, since he’s nowhere to be found,” she said. “And I wasn’t aware you did plumbing.”

“I don’t,” he said, sitting up and leaning against the cabinet. “One of the kitchen cameras is acting up, screwing up the entire link to go live. I’ll need you to outline where the private areas are besides the obvious ones. There won’t be many, still, we don’t want any peep shows.”

She nodded, then surprised him by sitting down on the floor herself, her back to the island kitchen so that she faced him. “The entire electrical system at the auditorium is out of whack. An electrician is working on it. I think I’m beginning to believe in the curse.”

“The ratings don’t seem to be cursed. They’ve been good so far.”

“A blessing for sure,” she agreed. “Nothing is going as I expected but it still seems to be okay.”

He rested his hand on one knee and stretched out the other leg. “Just because it’s not how you envisioned it doesn’t mean it’s not good.”

She studied him. “Like you, Sam. You aren’t what I expected.”

“So you’ve told me.”

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

No one could accuse her of beating around the bush.

“I’ve been busy out here.”

“And avoiding me.”

“And avoiding you,” he conceded. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Apparently not.”

He arched a brow. “Apparently not?”

“I think I miss arguing with you.”

“Think?”

“Okay I do. I miss arguing with you.”

“We’ll have plenty of opportunity when we both move in here.”

“So what’s the scoop? Can we be in this place tomorrow?”

“Looks like. I just want to walk you through the camera setups.” He started to get up.

“Sam.” She spoke softly, his name packed with so much emotion that it might as well have been a shout.

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“I miss you.”

“You made this decision.”

“I really was just trying to protect you.”

“I don’t need to be protected.”

“You’re sure about that? Because I’m not.”

“Completely.”

“But—”

“No buts about it.”

“Then…about that kiss I said no to …” She crawled toward him and pressed her mouth to his.

SAM WASN’T SURE WHAT screamed louder—his desire for this woman, or the warning to stay away from her. His hand slid to the side of her face, his lips brushing hers. He told himself to tread cautiously, that he was getting emotionally attached to Meagan, and while he had no doubt she was truly into him, he wasn’t sure, that emotion had anything to do with him, no matter how much he wanted to be, that he wasn’t simply her escape. Whatever she’d been feeling in the hallway of that club a week before, she was feeling now, too.

But things had changed for him—or at least had become more clear. He liked Meagan. He liked her a lot. And even though Sam was on unfamiliar ground, he wasn’t one to run from whatever came his way. He damn sure wasn’t about to start with Meagan. He had every intention of finding out what was between them, beyond one heck of a lot of smoking-hot attraction.

She pulled back slightly, her breath warm, her mouth still deliciously near and tempting. He knew in his gut that no matter how much he wanted her naked and in his arms, she was hiding—from her true self and from him. He wasn’t going to let her do that.

“Why tonight, Meagan?” he asked. “Why tonight and not last night? Or the night before?”

A door slammed. That they’d been alone this long was a miracle. Now there was no time to talk to Meagan, and make his position clear, though he fully intended to. Just like he didn’t run from things, he didn’t play games, or talk in circles.

“Let’s check out the property,” he said, before they were interrupted. He quickly brushed his mouth over hers, silently reassuring her that he welcomed their intimacy. He then pushed to his feet and pulled her with him.

“Sam—” she started, looking surprisingly vulnerable, an emotion he hadn’t often seen in her.

Josh entered the room. “We’re fine in…Oh, hey, Meagan. I bet you’re glad to finally be moving in.”

“Very,” she agreed and exchanged some small talk with him, before Sam had Josh finish up under the cabinet.

A few minutes later, they’d reviewed the in-house cameras, and were standing on the porch. “If we walk up the beach, I can show you where we set up cameras.”

“There are cameras on the actual beach?”

“That’s right,” he said. “It allows us to ensure we don’t have any trespassers, and it gives you some extra unscripted footage to weed through.”

“That’s more than I could have asked for,” she said. “I know this must be a huge change from the army for you, Sam, but if it’s any consolation, you’re good at what you do.”

“I aim to please,” he said, leaning on the railing. “I’m focused on the future, not the past. I’m simply not one to linger on what I’ve lost.”

“But an injury took your career,” she said. “Doesn’t that ever make you angry?”

“Sure. I was angry when it happened. I was angry as hell. But it happened, and I can’t change history. You climb inside yourself, duke it out, and move on. And is this where I think I’ll end up? Only if I decide I have real value, if I feel I’m contributing. And right now, I’m pretty okay with just helping you succeed.”

Surprise overtook her expression. “Sam.”

“This matters to you on some deep level that I know I don’t understand. But I want to. And things that matter to people the way this matters to you, matters to me.” He realized something that had been in the back of his mind for a while. “What are you having trouble letting go of, Meagan?”

She inhaled sharply. “Why would you ask me that?”

“Because I can sense there’s something you cling to, something that you carry around like a concrete block,” he said. “And because I want to know what makes you tick.”

He half expected her to withdraw, but she didn’t. Instead, still facing him, she pressed her palm against the railing he was leaning on. “This first season is like standing on a rug, certain it’s going to be yanked out from underneath you. For me, I feel like this is it. If this show doesn’t make it, I need to reevaluate and figure out where I fit, if I fit, in this industry.” She paused. “Did you say let’s walk? I think walking would be good right now.”

They headed down the beach. Dim lights illuminated their path, as they strolled in silence laden with unspoken questions and untouched passion.

“You asked why I kissed you tonight,” Meagan blurted, turning to him.

“Tell me,” he encouraged, not surprised by her directness, or how much it appealed to him.

“I like you, Sam Kellar.”

She couldn’t have said anything more perfect. It was exactly what he’d been thinking in the kitchen. “I like you, too, Meagan Tippan.” He stepped close to her, wrapping her in his arms. “So where does that leave us?”

The lights around them flickered, and someone shouted, with footsteps running along the beach. “Apparently,” she said, “with nowhere to hide.”

Good, he thought. Because he wasn’t going to let her hide. She’d opened the door to let him inside her life, and he was coming in, armed and ready to get to know every intimate detail.

“Let me finish up here, and then we’ll…talk.”

She smiled, mischief in her eyes. “Good. I’m up for a good argument.”

“Me, too,” he assured her. “That is, as long as we get to kiss and make up.”

16

MEAGAN WAS NERVOUS. Nervous! How insane was that? But she and Sam had taken their connection to a new level tonight. Meagan had no idea she was going to kiss Sam while they were on the kitchen floor, but she was glad she had. She was so tired of controlling everything around her, and, despite her spent nerves, it was almost a relief to have her wild desire for Sam become a fact.

Her cell phone rang, and she quickly stuck her headset in her ear and hit the answer button without taking her eyes off the road. She was driving back to the hotel with Sam in his vehicle behind her. She’d been trying to reach Kiki or Shayla all evening with no answer, and that worried her.

“Hello.”

“Why do you sound like you want to bite my head off?”

She laughed instantly at the sound of Sam’s voice, which was a testament to how much she needed the distraction that was this man. To think she’d believed it would be a bad thing. “I didn’t know I did. Sorry. I’ve been trying to reach Kiki and Shayla and I can’t. Considering her track record, silence from Kiki still twists me in knots.”

“And you want to let her live in the mother-in-law house with you?” he asked, reminding her of the decision she’d shared with him earlier in the evening.

“I need her under thumb, where I can watch her.”

“If she’s at the second house, she’ll be under my thumb and…on second thought, I think she should stay with you.”

“Yeah, I bet you do,” Meagan said. “I’m not so sure Josh would agree. He seems to get all hot and bothered when she’s near.”

“Josh’s no fool, or he wouldn’t work for me. He knows what Kiki’s really about,” he said.

She sighed and went back to the prior subject. “I can’t believe they aren’t taking my calls.”

“Don’t assume the worst,” he said. “I think we should get your mind off of it.”

“How do you propose we do that?”

“By talking about something else. What’s your favorite color?”

“Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack. So—what is it?”

She laughed softly. “Fine. It’s red.”

“Why?”

“It’s bold and daring like I dreamt of being when I was growing up in a small conservative Texas town. What about you?”

“Orange.”

“Like the Texas Longhorns?”

“Only a Texan would turn orange into Texas Long-horn burnt orange,” he said. “I’m talking California orange—a new day’s sun burning over the ocean. I was born here, you know. Those sunrises were one of the things I missed when I was gone. Us soldiers see more dirt and grunge than we do oceans and sunrises.”

Sam was a soldier, a Special Forces soldier. Who knew what all he’d seen, what he’d lived. “Your job was risking your life,” she said, feeling a heavy dose of perspective. “It makes all my worries about television and ratings so shallow.”

“Soldiers fight for right and wrong, and for freedom. This show, and the kids chasing their dreams, is part of that, too. The land of opportunity, where you dare to dream, and make those dreams real.” His voice softened, husky and male, and oh so alluring. “Don’t start turning yourself into a villain, Meagan. You’ll steal all of Kiki’s fun. Which is a bad subject, so let’s get back to the American dream. It makes me think of apple pie, which I love. Do you know how to make one?”

She laughed. “I know how to buy one at the bakery, which is far better than anything I could ever bake. Though I make a mean pan of Kraft mac’n’cheese, which is, I assume, because I follow instructions well. It’s one of my favorite late-night dinners.”

“Excellent choice. I’m fond of it myself.”

The drive flew by as Sam drilled her with random questions that had her laughing and eagerly waiting for his own answers in return.

It wasn’t until she pulled into the hotel parking lot, and found a spot, with Sam whipping in next to her, that she realized two things. She hadn’t heard from her staff, or even tried to call them during the drive. And she was suddenly nervous again about being alone with Sam. Which was nuts. She’d already slept with Sam. She’d done naughty things with Sam in his truck. But she’d also convinced herself those adventures were just that. Adventures. Until tonight. Tonight “things” had become a relationship for her and Sam.

She shoved open her door to find Sam already approaching, and before she could let her nervousness get the best of her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. A hot, passionate, reassuring kiss.

“I had to do that before we go inside and the insanity of whatever waits for us steals you away from me.”

“Do it again,” she ordered, and when he did, she decided there really was more to Sam than bossy alpha male. She really liked the way this soldier took orders.

THEY DIDN’T HAVE TO AGREE to be discreet, they simply were, and Meagan liked Sam all the more for intuitively knowing what was necessary. And somehow, riding the elevator from the garage to the lobby, with him beside her, looking straight ahead, not touching her, only stoked her desire. They’d switched elevators and rode to their private floor. The elevator dinged and Meagan found herself casting Sam a sideways smile. He arched a brow at her all-too-obvious “I want you” look, the heat in his expression saying he was feeling exactly what she was.

The doors slid open, and he motioned her forward. Her smile faded fairly fast when she found a large group of her crew and almost every dancer in the competition sitting around on sofas and chairs, with food and beverages, in the common area. Several cameras were rolling, one of which singled out her and Sam.

“Off of me,” she told her cameraman. “You know how I feel about that.”

“You’re no fun, Meagan,” the cameraman shouted.

“I’m not supposed to be fun,” she commented. “I’m the producer.”

“That’s why they have me,” Kiki said, lifting her glass.

Meagan gestured to her, and Kiki sighed heavily before arriving at her side. “Before you say anything, we had no brilliant footage ideas for tonight, so we all decided to just chill out and talk, and hope for something good to happen.”

Carrie and Tabitha had Jensen sandwiched between them. The two giggled and hugged him. He was smiling from ear to ear.

Meagan and Sam exchanged a worried look. She sought out her director. Shayla’s expression was one of concern, as well.

“From fight to ménage,” Shayla whispered. “If that isn’t good television, I don’t know what is.”

“Or another fight, and a lawsuit,” Sam said softly, giving the crowd his back.

“Exactly,” Meagan echoed. She wasn’t about to stand by and let Tabitha and Carrie end up in another argument, but she chose her words cautiously with Kiki. “While I reluctantly appreciate what you’re trying to do for ratings, we need to tread cautiously.”

“This is darn good footage, Meagan,” Kiki said in a low voice. “This little romantic drama will make them crazy-popular.”

Meagan bit back her first reaction, which was disapproval. “In that case, we don’t want them to get kicked off the show for poor behavior. We need to get them to go relax and go to bed. We’re moving to the house early tomorrow.”

“Well, that’s good,” Kiki said. “But I really dislike the dance part of this show.”

“That would be the entire show,” Meagan responded.

Kiki snorted and addressed the group. “We’re moving into the new house tomorrow, everyone,” she called out, “so be ready to leave at the crack of dawn. Time for bed.” There were lots of moans and groans, and chaos that followed, but the announcement got everyone moving.

Meagan and Kiki chatted with DJ and Ginger to ensure they were prepared for their lead roles in the move, and then in the new house. Sam and several of his staff ended up in a powwow of some sort by the elevator, and as much as she didn’t want to notice, she could tell the instant Sam stepped away. Once all the contestants were in their rooms, Sam positioned several of his people on the floor to ensure no one snuck out. Sam then disappeared with Josh in tow.

In her room, Meagan fought the empty, disappointed feeling she had. She was alone. As in, without Sam, and she admitted now just how much that wasn’t how she wanted this night to end.

For the first time in three years, Meagan had not only let someone into her life, she’d let another alpha in. That should terrify her, and scream of a mistake. She’d always chosen the wrong men. But Sam didn’t seem wrong. Nor was he some alpha control freak. Sam was …

well, he was Sam, who managed to somehow make being tough and strong so darn alluring and perfect. And now that he was in, she wanted him here, with her. She wondered if he was thinking the same thing, if he wanted to be here. And if he did, why wasn’t he?

She laughed that off, knowing all too well, it wasn’t as if he could just walk up to her door and come in without creating talk. She might have caved to the impossibility of staying away from Sam, but she still didn’t want to paint a bulls-eye on his chest for Kiki. Kiki seemed to be into the show though. Meagan had researched the other programs Kiki had been involved in and this was the first with huge ratings out of the gate. Her hope was that Kiki would believe this show’s success was a bigger feather in her cap than its demise.

She shoved aside thoughts of a failed show, and headed to the bathroom, for her surefire comfort ritual of a hot bath. She was about to step into the tub, when her cell rang.

She rushed to grab it from her purse, saw Sam’s number and smiled. She flipped the cell open.

“And now you know why I kissed you by the car,” he said, without a hello.

She returned to the tub and sank down into her favorite jasmine-scented bubbles. “Now I know.”

“Where are you?”

“In my room. You?”

“On my way back to the hotel from the property. We had a problem with some reporters who managed to find their way out there, but it’s under control. They’re gone.”

“Wow,” Meagan said. “I don’t know whether to be frustrated or excited that the show is getting so much attention.”

“I’ll handle the frustrated,” he said. “You just be excited.”

Warmth filled her. “You keep making me want to say thank you, and I’m afraid it will go to your head.”

“Sometimes you have to live dangerously.”

“Hmm,” she said. “I would rather do that in person.”

“Alone time isn’t going to be easy to come by.”

“Yeah, I know. That kind of stinks.”

His voice softened. “Do you wish I was there now?”

She was done being cautious with Sam. “Yes. I do.”

“I do, too. You want to have phone sex?”

She laughed. “I’m not into phone sex, Sam.”

“Have you ever had phone sex?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know if you haven’t tried?”

“I don’t want to try. Though I can certainly imagine all kinds of things I’d do to you if you were here now.”

“Like what?”

“Sam, I’m not—”

“Humor me.”

“Fine. I’d be in charge. I’d make you undress—as in completely. I wouldn’t undress. Then I’d drop to my knees and lick—”

“Stop,” he ordered. “Bad idea after all. I’m driving, and you’re going to make me crash.”

“Or you don’t like the idea of me being in charge?”

“You want to play dominatrix, bring on the leather and whips. Just as long as you remember whatever torture you dish out, I plan to return tenfold.”

“Promises, promises.”

“That is a promise. You can count on it.”

She was so counting on it. And when they hung up, after talking about everything from Kiki to the odd ménage possibilities between Tabitha, Carrie, and Jensen, Sam’s brother and their relationship, and even how much Meagan had often wished for a sibling, she was still counting on it.

She couldn’t wait to test Sam, to discover her inner dominatrix and see just what his “tenfold” promise would reveal.

17

THE NEXT DAY CAME and the arguments over who got what room, while impossible to avoid, were easy to predict. When it looked as if Tabitha and Carrie might end up rooming together, Meagan vetoed it, in spite of Kiki’s approving the pairing. Ultimately, Carrie would be crushed if she lost this competition, and Meagan saw the writing on the wall—Tabitha would happily manipulate Carrie to ensure that Carrie failed and she succeeded. In the midst of this, Meagan reviewed the locations of cameras, and a list of house rules.

When it was all said and done, what Meagan hadn’t predicted was the somber mood that would overtake the group as they settled into the house. One of them would be gone in only a few days, eliminated at the first live show.

Prior to rehearsal at the studio, Meagan and Sam had managed a few steamy stares with, frustratingly, no hope of acting on the crackling energy anytime soon.

Per Sam’s instructions, at nearly ten that night, Meagan called him to report their approach to the house. He was determined to greet her, and the contestants, at the house, to personally ensure he prevented any problems for their first night’s stay.

The contestants filed up the stairs, with moans of aching bodies, and a need for bed. “I’m going, too,” Kiki said from the doorway. “I’m dead to the world.”

That left Meagan and Sam in the foyer of the main house, staring at one another. Suddenly, her tired body was alive and alert.

“And here I thought we’d never manage to be alone tonight,” he said, for her ears only.

“If only it were so easy.” She had this bad feeling about combusting into flames from wanting this man so badly. She motioned to their surroundings. “I have this terrible fear that this is an alternate universe, and once we step outside it, the real world will erupt around us.” And just like that—as if she had jinxed them—a female scream came from the top floor.

“You had to say that, didn’t you?” Sam asked, even as they charged toward the girls’ side of the house.

They found Tabitha and her assigned roommate—a redhead named Jenny Michaels—on top of the bed. “Mouse! We have a mouse.”

The hall filled with females, followed by shouts from the guys, who were also charging up the stairs.

Sam used a stern “soldier in charge” voice, and ordered them all to their rooms, and boy, was Meagan glad he did. Truth be told, she didn’t have that kind of energy.

And even if she had Sam alone, tonight was not the night for them. She wanted to be everything she could be, when she was with him again.

After they’d calmed everyone down except for Tabitha and Jenny, who were insisting they move to another room, Sam stopped Meagan in the hallway for a private chat. “You know the best answer to catching a mouse, don’t you?”

“If you mean a cat,” she said. “Samantha’s not quite ready for the job. She’s as small as a large mouse right now.”

“Ah, but we don’t need Samantha,” he said. “I found an adult cat today.”

“Really? Samantha’s mother maybe?”

“Maybe. Anyway, I say we put him to the test.”

“Bring on the mouser, so we can try and get some sleep.”

He motioned to the girls. “I’ll leave you to the…fun, while I fetch Mel to help.”

“Mel?”

“I didn’t have the heart to call him Meagan, despite the fierceness so like your own. But a man—even the tomcat version—can be sensitive about a name. And we need him feeling manly right now.”

She laughed and waved him off. “Go get Mel, then.”

Mel turned out to be a big hit, adored by everyone in the house, and reveling in all the praise. Meagan and Sam promised to adopt a friend for Mel the next day, which Sam vowed he’d name Meg. Eventually, Sam escorted Meagan to the mother-in-law house, where they walked up the wooden steps of the rectangular deck, and were, at least, semi-alone.

“Well,” he said, resting his palm on the doorframe above her head as she rested her back on the door. “I guess this is where I say goodnight.”

“Yeah,” she said. “I guess so.”

“I take it goodnight kisses are off limits.”

She barely quelled the urge to push to her toes and take that goodnight kiss. “Probably not the most discreet thing to do.”

“You do know this is killing me,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about our ‘almost’ phone sex all day.”

She laughed and bit her bottom lip. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” His eyes darkened and he pushed off the door. “I better go before I decide not to. Or do something someone will see, and which you’ll hate me for later. And I’m not calling you when I get to the other place, or I might change my mind and come right back here.”