His rules of engagement

Miami’s steamy fashion and beauty scene is finally taking notice of Nicole LeBlanc. She’s just landed a coveted gig as lead makeup artist and hairstylist on a series of Valentine’s Day commercials being shot in Hollywood. And once she locks eyes with the seriously sexy creative director, she’s certain he could fulfill her own secret romantic fantasies. Too bad Kendrick Burrstone doesn’t do relationships, despite their over-the-top chemistry.

After being burned by love, Kendrick lives by two unbreakable rules: dodge Cupid’s arrow and never mix business with pleasure. But both on and off the set, Nicole’s fiery touch is tempting Kendrick to take another chance. Until a vindictive ex and a nasty extortion plot ignite a media frenzy that could end his rising career...and cost him the heart of the sweetest and most passionate woman he’s ever met.

SHERELLE GREEN is a Chicago native with a dynamic imagination and a passion for reading and writing. She enjoys composing emotionally driven stories that are steamy, edgy and touch on real-life issues. Her overall goal is to create relatable and fierce heroines who are flawed just like the strong and sexy heroes who fight so hard to win their hearts. There’s no such thing as a perfect person...but when you find that person who is perfect for you, the possibilities are endless. Nothing satisfies her more than writing stories filled with compelling love affairs, multifaceted characters and intriguing relationships.

Also By Sherelle Green

A Tempting Proposal

If Only for Tonight

Red Velvet Kisses

Beautiful Surrender

Enticing Winter

Wrapped in Red (with Nana Malone)

Falling for Autumn

Waiting for Summer

Nights of Fantasy

A Miami Affair

Her Unexpected Valentine

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Her Unexpected Valentine

Sherelle Green

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08072-9

HER UNEXPECTED VALENTINE

© 2018 Sherelle Green

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

“We crossed paths at the bar for a reason,” he said to her when they neared what he assumed was her apartment complex.

“I know,” she said with a smile. “We are meant to help one another in some capacity. We just have to figure out what capacity that is.”

His eyes dropped to her red-colored lips of their own accord. Per usual, they looked appetizing and very suckable.

“You’re not going to ask me what flavor I’m wearing?”

Kendrick blinked a couple times. “Uh, flavored what?”

She giggled. “Your mind is in the gutter. I was talking about my lipstick. It’s cherry, in case you were wondering.”

“I love cherry-flavored anything,” he said, his eyes dropping to her lips again.

“Good to know.”

They both grew silent again, each staring at the other with a newfound curiosity that Kendrick hoped they’d explore one day. Kendrick, don’t forget that you work together. He’d had good reason for not dating—or kissing—coworkers, but at the moment, he could care less what that reason was.

Dear Reader,

I’m excited for you to get to know Nicole LeBlanc and Kendrick Burrstone. You originally met Nicole in Waiting for Summer. However, what you may find interesting is that Kendrick is the cousin of Imani, Cydney and Lex (the heroines of my Elite Events series).

Both Nicole and Kendrick have been unlucky in love, but it’s their unfortunate circumstances that make them more compatible than they think. Sometimes, love finds us when we least expect it, and no matter how hard we try to avoid it, fate always wins in the end.

I hope you enjoy Nicole and Kendrick’s Valentine’s story as the Bare Sophistication ladies take on Los Angeles, California!

Much love,

Sherelle

authorsherellegreen@gmail.com

To my friend Kaysha for inspiring the character of Nicole. One of the things that I’ve always admired about you is that when you love, you put your all into it. Whether it be friendships or relationships, you are constantly proving that you are someone who lets her heart be her guide. More importantly, you’re a great friend and we always have so much fun together. You also have the ability to style your natural hair better than anyone I know. We’ve known each other for more than fourteen years, and I’m grateful to have you in my life! Thank you for always being a supportive and amazing friend!

Acknowledgments

Thank you to my aunties, Vallerie and Cassandra, for always being there when I need you! As a young girl, I never thought about the fact that my mom’s best friends were always at my birthday parties and special events. It wasn’t until I reached adulthood that I truly began to appreciate that I had two women in my life who loved me like a niece and would do anything to support my dreams and goals. Auntie Vallerie, you and I are alike in so many ways and oftentimes, I feel like even if no one else understands how I feel, you do! Whether it’s a happy dance for no apparent reason or having so much excitement that we can’t even go to bed before a fun event, we’ve always connected on a deeper, emotional level. Auntie Cassandra, I have greatly enjoyed the conversations we’ve had throughout the years about anything from careers and politics, to food recipes and random news. It’s not often that you find someone you can literally talk to about anything under the sun and know that they are as interested in a plethora of topics as you are. You have the unique ability to mix humor with any conversation and I love your positivity.

To two women who mean so much to me, I truly appreciate the love you’ve given me throughout my life. I don’t take it for granted that I can call either one of you at any time and know that you’ll be there. That kind of support is priceless!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Epilogue

Extract

Extract

Chapter 1

“Baby, was that an earthquake I just felt? Because when you looked my way, I swear you rocked my world.”

Nicole LeBlanc cringed when the man wearing entirely too much cologne got a little too close to her personal space. She took a step closer to her friend Aaliyah Bai, who was trying to contain her laughter.

“They call me Romeo,” the man said as he ran his tongue across his teeth.

“Of course they do,” Nicole said sarcastically.

“I bet your lips have been lonely waiting for me to walk across the bar,” he continued. “I saw the way you were looking at me.”

Nicole rolled her eyes as she downed the rest of her drink. It never ceased to amaze her that the sleaziest of men always seemed to approach her when she was out at a bar. Granted, a bar wasn’t the ideal place to find a decent man, but come on. Why did she have to attract the slimy guys?

Nicole turned to face the man. “Listen, buddy, since I’m feeling generous today, I’m going to give you five seconds as opposed to three to get the hell away from me.”

“Damn, you’re feisty.” His eyes brightened, and he placed his unwanted hand on her shoulder. “I can only imagine how you’ll be in the bedroom.”

Time’s up. “You’ll never find out,” Nicole said as she grabbed his thumb and twisted the way she’d learned in her self-defense classes.

“Shit, baby, that hurts,” he whined. Nicole twisted his thumb a little more to prove her point, satisfied when the flirtation left his eyes and was replaced with pain.

“I was just trying to give you a compliment,” he said, shaking the hurt from his thumb when she let go. “Females these days are crazy.”

When he walked away, Aaliyah finally released the laughter she’d been holding in. “It’s only our first night being in LA, and already you’ve almost brought a grown man to tears. Not sure his horrible idea of flirting was worth you almost breaking his thumb off.”

“I didn’t apply enough pressure to break off his thumb,” Nicole said. “He was just being a wimp. I mean, who calls himself Romeo anyway?”

“Oh, my goodness,” Aaliyah said. “Hollywood isn’t ready for you.”

Nicole smiled as she ordered another drink. “I hope I’m ready for Hollywood.”

“You are,” Aaliyah said as she placed a hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “This is an amazing opportunity for you, and although I’ll miss you at Bare Sophistication back in Miami, I’m glad I can visit to help with the pop-up shop in LA.”

“Thanks, Aaliyah.” Nicole took a sip of her delicious cocktail as she thought about everything that was in store for her over the next couple months. She loved being the lead makeup artist and hairstylist for Miami’s Bare Sophistication Boutique and Boudoir Studio in addition to all her freelance work, but now it was finally time to spread her wings.

After making a connection with a television producer who was attending a beauty trade show where she was a vendor, Nicole was given the opportunity to temporarily uproot her life to Hollywood to be the lead makeup artist and hairstylist for a series of Valentine’s Day themed commercial ads being filmed. The commercials would all tie together as advertisements for a Valentine’s Day documentary about love and relationships. Since the previous makeup artist and hairstylist suddenly quit, Nicole had a lot to prove.

The hardest part about coming to LA was leaving behind her friends and business partners, Summer Dupree-Chase and Danni Allison, owners of Bare Sophistication Miami. Fortunately, the women were very understanding of the opportunity and even better, the ladies decided that Bare Sophistication would have a pop-up shop in LA with an opportunity to do a local commercial for the boutique. Kyra Reed, current assistant manager for the Bare Sophistication Chicago location, would be in LA as well to manage the shop. Nicole would assist with the pop-up when she wasn’t filming, while Aaliyah—the Bare Sophistication Miami boudoir photographer—would travel back and forth between Miami and LA to help with the boudoir portion of the business.

Nicole and Aaliyah had arrived in LA hours prior to scope out the location of the pop-up shop and get Nicole settled in her temporary apartment. Her first day on the job didn’t officially start for another couple days, and although she’d never say the words out loud, she was nervous about her first major position on a television set.

Aaliyah hopped off her stool. “I’m going to head to the bathroom. Can you order me another mango margarita when the bartender returns?”

Nicole nodded in agreement before returning to her drink. Just shake off the nerves, LeBlanc. You’ve got this. She had no doubt that she’d spend the entire weekend chanting those words to herself.

She ordered Aaliyah’s drink and began planning her next few days in her mind. Her thoughts were momentarily interrupted when a man approached and sat in Aaliyah’s recently vacated stool.

“Magnificent,” she heard him say when he was seated.

Not again, she thought. Aaliyah hadn’t even been gone two minutes before another guy decided to hit on her.

“I’m not interested,” she said, turning to face him. The man in the sleek navy blue suit looked up from his phone.

“What are you talking about?”

Nicole raised an eyebrow. “I heard you call me magnificent, and although I appreciate the compliment, I’m not interested.”

Instead of acknowledging what she just said, he simply stared at her. Hmm, he is kind of cute. She wasn’t really attracted to the business-suit-and-tie-wearing, clean-cut all-American, but she had to admit that his good looks caught her attention.

“You must be confused,” he said. “I was referring to this.” He turned his phone to show her an image.

Nicole squinted. “You were referring to a wine bottle?”

“Yes, I was.”

Talk about embarrassing. “I’m sorry, I think I misunderstood you.”

“There’s no thinking needed on this,” he said in a monotone voice. “You assumed I was flirting with you and I wasn’t. So, you shouldn’t have said that you think you misunderstood me. You know you misunderstood me.”

It took all her effort not to let her mouth drop open.

“And it’s not just any bottle,” he said. “It’s a rare 1935 merlot that one can only hope to get their hands on.”

“Sounds like one of a kind.”

The man gave her a blank stare. “It is.” He briefly looked her up and down, and Nicole struggled not to fidget under his stare. “Although I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand,” he finally said.

Tonight she’d chosen to wear a pair of high-waisted jeans and a light peach blouse. Her curly dark brown hair was pulled on the top of her head in a high bun, and her jewelry matched her blouse. She knew she looked good, but she also knew that she didn’t seem to fit the type of woman Buttoned-up Suit was interested in.

Is this jerk for real? “Excuse me? Where do you get off making assumptions about me?”

“You’re one to talk,” he said. “Considering you assumed I was flirting with you when I sat down, although I gave you no indication that I was interested.”

Nicole was about to give him a piece of her mind when the man stood abruptly after receiving his drink and walked away.

If she’d been back home in Miami, she probably would have told him off even if that meant yelling across the bar. Given that she was new to LA, she felt it best to compose herself.

Maybe I should wait near the bathroom for Aaliyah before I get myself into more trouble. Grabbing her cocktail and the margarita she’d ordered for her friend, she stood and turned to leave only to bump into a solid six-foot-three-inch wall.

“Oh, crap,” she said as her feet, encased in peach three-inch pumps, slipped from under her and her drinks went in the air. As she tumbled to the hard-tiled floor of the bar and stumbled to catch her balance, Nicole briefly noticed that the solid six-foot-three-inch wall had a good-looking face and arms to match a deep, throaty voice that was currently warning her to watch her step.

“Shit,” he said as part of the liquid in one of the glasses spilled on his white dress shirt. Unfortunately for her, the rest spilled all over her peach blouse.

“Watch out,” he said when the second glass dropped from her hand and clacked on the floor. As the music blasted in the background, Nicole thought about those scenes in movies where a damsel in distress stumbled and tried to catch her balance only to be encased by a pair of powerful arms that caught her and pulled her to safety.

When the tall mouthwatering stranger reached out his arms, only to completely miss her outstretched hands, causing her to land even harder on her backside, she realized just how false those movie scenes were.

“Are you okay?” he asked, trying to help her up.

No, sexy guy, I’m not okay. “I’m fine,” she said, waving away his hands. She knew she should probably accept his help, but a part of her was too over the events of the night to accept any help. I must have done something wrong within the past week because karma is not on my side.

“Oh, God, are you okay?”

She turned to the sound Aaliyah’s voice.

“I’m fine, just help me up.” She reached for Aaliyah, ignoring the smirk on the man standing next to her. She hadn’t even gotten a good look at him, but based off what she’d seen on her journey to landing on her butt, he was delicious. Judging by the wide-eyed look Aaliyah was giving him, Nicole assumed she’d noticed how attractive he was too.

“I thought you didn’t need help,” the deep, throaty voice said.

“I meant I didn’t need your help,” Nicole said, using a napkin she had in her back pocket to dab the liquor from her blouse.

Aaliyah cleared her throat. “Really.”

Nicole glanced at her, immediately recognizing that motherly tone in Aaliyah’s voice. Taking a deep breath, Nicole turned to face the man. When she did, she had to remind herself to breathe. “Thank you for the offer.”

“You’re welcome.” His mouth widened into a full grin. “And I apologize. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Even his pearly white teeth are sexy. “Maybe you should be more careful next time.”

“Seriously?” Aaliyah huffed. Nicole just shrugged. Was she coming across a little rude? Yes. Was the sexy guy standing before her making her nervous? Yes. Did she get a little rude when she got nervous? Unfortunately, yes. She either got rude or extremely quiet. Apparently tonight, rudeness won.

Sexy Guy stepped a little closer to her. “If being reckless means I’ll run into beautiful women such as yourself, then I’ll have to take a pass on being careful.”

Oh, he’s good. Pickup line or not, she had to admit that she liked how good it felt to hear him say those words.

Nicole crossed her arms over her chest, fully aware that she was probably giving him more of a show than she intended since she’d spilled liquor on her blouse. To his credit, he didn’t look down.

“Did you run that line on many women tonight or am I the lucky victim?”

He squinted his eyes before leaning closer to her ear. “I know you don’t know me,” he said in a low voice. “But I’m not the type of man to waste time running lines on women. You’re either interested, or you’re not.” He lifted his head so that he could look into her eyes. “In case you can’t tell, I’m interested, and based off how you were checking me out even as you were in the process of falling, you’re interested too. My guess? This whole diva attitude of yours is a way to redirect your attraction so that you don’t feel vulnerable.”

Nicole sighed. Sexy Guy: one. Me: zilch. She wasn’t sure if it was the trusting look in his eyes or if the fall on her butt had somehow short-circuited her brain cells, but she found herself smiling at his comment instead of denying it.

“Maybe you should buy her another drink,” Aaliyah suggested to the man. She then turned to Nicole. “You should go with him to the bar, and I’ll find someone who works here to clean up the mess.”

Nicole’s eyes grew wide at Aaliyah before she turned to the man. She studied his eyes to see if she saw any hint that he’d rather not buy her a drink.

“Sounds good to me,” he said, ending her observation.

She took a deep breath as she turned to walk toward the bar, fully aware that he was close behind her.

“What would you like?” he asked as they sat down on two stools.

“Rum and Coke.” If he was going to be sitting this close to her, she needed something stronger than a fruity cocktail.

“So, does Miss Slip ’n Slide have a name?”

Nicole smirked. “Cute.”

“I try,” he said with a shrug.

I doubt you have to try very hard. He seemed to be one of those men who women just flocked to.

Nicole briefly thought back to their previous interaction to recall if Aaliyah had stated her real name. She was satisfied when she concluded that Aaliyah hadn’t.

“It’s Bianca,” she said, extending her hand. Nicole rarely gave out her real name at bars, no matter how attractive a man was.

“Nice to meet you, Bianca.” He accepted her hand. “My friends call me KD.”

“Nice to meet you, KD.” Nicole couldn’t help but glance down at his hand, which was still holding on to hers. I wonder what the KD stands for? Even though she assumed it was his initials, the KD made him seem mysterious...edgy.

She immediately missed his hand when he released hers as their drinks arrived. “Are you new to the area?” he asked.

Nicole took a sip of her rum and Coke. “Do I give off a vibe like I’m not from the area?”

“No, you don’t. But I frequent this bar, and I’ve never seen you here before.” His eyes quickly roamed her face. As much as she tried to ignore it, her skin heated under his gaze. “And there’s no way I would have forgotten a breathtaking beauty like you if you were a regular.”

“Here you go with these lines again.” Nicole shook her head. “I hope you realize that I’m not going home with you.”

“I’m offended,” KD said as he placed a hand over his heart. “Can’t a man compliment a woman without her assuming he is only giving compliments to get her naked?”

Nicole contemplated his statement. “Point taken. Sorry for assuming.”

“Apology accepted,” he said as he took a sip of his drink, his eyes trained on hers the entire time. “Besides.” He shrugged. “I at least take a woman out on a proper date before getting her naked.”

Nicole laughed as KD broke out into a smile. “I appreciate a man with a good sense of humor.”

“That’s good, because I enjoy making you smile.” He leaned closer to her, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Just so you know, I consider this a date.”

Her laughter echoed across the bar. He may have been hitting on her, but a man hadn’t made her laugh this hard in a while. It helped that he was extremely attractive too. He was wearing gray slacks and a slightly stained white dress shirt—thanks to her liquor spill—minus the tie. To the eye, he appeared to be one of those corporate businessmen who wouldn’t know how to have fun if it bit him in the butt. But up close, she saw none of that. The sleeves of his shirt were slightly rolled, revealing a smooth chestnut complexion. His hair was thick, curly and faded on the sides in a way that made her want to run her fingers through it.

As her laughter died, she found him watching her intuitively. She’d just met him and albeit he was still a stranger, she was slightly mesmerized by that look. Although his neatly trimmed goatee accentuated his perfect lips, it was his eyes that gave her pause. They were extremely dark—almost black—and for some reason, she couldn’t stop staring at them.

His eyes studied her just as hard, and she wondered what he was thinking about. He opened his mouth to speak when a voice across the room got his attention.

“Bro, we’re headed out.”

Nicole turned toward the voice and realized it was the same guy from earlier. The one who she’d assumed was hitting on her, only for him to tell her that she wasn’t his type.

“That would be my cousin Bryant,” KD said. “I was originally coming over to you to apologize for his behavior since I’d overheard how he spoke to you, but we collided instead.”

So, the only reason he came over was because of someone else? “It’s cool,” she said with a shrug as she tried to hide her disappointment. “Consider yourself and your cousin now off the hook.”

KD squinted. “Let me rephrase that.” He leaned closer. “I came to apologize for my cousin’s behavior, but that’s not the only reason I came over. I’d noticed you the minute you entered the bar. I already had plans to come over, so I was using Bryant as my excuse. We may share blood, but he’s a terrible wingman.”

Nicole smiled. “If he was supposed to be your wingman, then he needs a little work on how to talk to a woman.”

“I’m working on it,” he said with a smile. “In the meantime, can I get your number and maybe call you sometime?”

Don’t forget, girl, you’re here for work! Don’t get distracted by a guy your first night here. “Sure,” she said, ignoring the warning. She rattled off her number as he stood to leave with his cousin and friends.

“I’ll be calling you, Miss Slip ’n Slide.” His lips cocked to the side in a smile.

“I’ll be waiting,” Nicole said to herself once he was out of earshot. A quick glance at his butt proved it was probably just as delicious as the rest of his body. So that’s how they breed them here in LA, huh?

“Earth to Nicole,” Aaliyah said as she approached. “If you stare at his ass any longer, you’ll strain your neck.”

“What did you say?” Nicole asked, turning to face Aaliyah.

Her friend shook her head. “So, I’m guessing your rule about not dating while you were here in LA just went out the window?”

“Girl, please,” she said, waving off Aaliyah’s statement. “Men like KD don’t even call like they promise. LA is big, and there are lots of beautiful women here. I’ll probably never see him again.”

Aaliyah laughed. “I don’t know about that. I was watching you guys from the other end of the bar, and he was staring a hole through you. I’m shocked he didn’t burn you with the fire in his eyes.”

“You’re so cheesy.” Nicole glanced at the door one more time and was surprised to catch him right before he exited. He nodded in her direction, and she lifted her glass to him.

“I may be cheesy, but I’m also usually right. Mark my words. I bet you’ll see him again while you’re here.”

Deep down, Nicole hoped Aaliyah was right. However, she’d never had luck when it came to men, and she doubted that fact was changing anytime soon.

Chapter 2

“I think we’re finally making some leeway with this place,” Nicole said, glancing around the room.

“We definitely are,” Aaliyah said as she came to stand by Nicole. They’d arrived at the location for the Bare Sophistication Boutique and Boudoir Studio pop-up yesterday morning and were pleased with how much they’d gotten done so far.

“Excuse me,” a voice said from the doorway of the shop. “Did anyone order a sexy, somewhat loud and vibrant brown beauty to help run this place?”

Nicole laughed before turning around to face Kyra Reed, the store manager of the pop-up. Kyra was the assistant store manager for Bare Sophistication in Chicago, which was run by her sisters-in-law Winter and Autumn. Although Nicole and Aaliyah worked at the Miami location with the women who oversaw that location—Summer and Danni—employees of the two locations got together twice a year for a sales and marketing summit. Last year, Nicole and Aaliyah had met Kyra, and the three had hit it off immediately. With Aaliyah traveling back and forth between locations and Nicole working on the television commercials and documentary, Kyra would be managing the pop-up day-to-day.

“Hey, lady.” Nicole gave her a hug. “We were wondering when you would get here.”

“You know how O’Hare airport is,” Kyra said. “If you can make it out of Chicago without any delays, then it’s a pure miracle.”

“Yeah, we get delayed every time we fly out of Chicago,” Aaliyah said. “But we figured you were delayed because of that guy you’re seeing. When Winter called the Miami office a couple weeks ago, she mentioned that he’d begged you to stay in Chicago and not manage the LA pop-up.”

“Oh, he did throw a tantrum,” Kyra said. “I told him he was being ridiculous because I’d only be gone for six weeks, and Nicole is only contracted for four weeks to work on the commercials and documentary, right?”

“Right,” Nicole agreed.

“So, I told him that after four weeks, I could fly back for a visit before finishing the six weeks.”

“What did he say?” Nicole asked.

Kyra rolled her eyes. “That jerk said he didn’t think he could be with someone who wouldn’t consult him before moving to another state. So, I kindly reminded him that he wasn’t important enough to factor into my decision.”

“Kyra,” Aaliyah said. “Weren’t y’all together for eight months?”

“We were. But in that eight months we were only exclusive for three. If he thought three months was enough to trap me, he’s sadly mistaken. Anyway,” she said with a shrug. “I told him the sex wasn’t that good and kicked him out of my apartment.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Nicole said, high-fiving Kyra. “Let him know who’s boss. These men think women are fine with settling for bad sex when there is good sex waiting to be had.”

Aaliyah gave them a blank stare. “How in the world did this turn into a conversation about bad versus good sex?”

Nicole placed a hand on Aaliyah’s shoulder. “Girl, you can have all the great conversations in the world, but if he’s bad in bed, all bets are off.”

“Anyway,” Aaliyah said, shaking her head. “Let’s try and finish setting up at least half the boutique today since we open in two days, but won’t have Nicole’s help starting tomorrow.”

“That’s right,” Kyra said. “Miss Big Shot hits the television set tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear all about the cute men on set. I heard LA has some good-looking men if you know where to look.”

“Didn’t you hear?” Aaliyah asked. “Nicole already met an attractive man who spent part of the night at the bar drooling over her.”

“He wasn’t drooling over me,” Nicole said. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Oh, really?” Aaliyah crossed her arms over her chest. “Tell that to all the women at the bar looking at you with envy and the crushed look on Romeo’s face when he saw you talking to KD.”

“Is KD the cute guy?” Kyra asked.

Nicole nodded. “Yes.”

“And who’s Romeo?”

“No one worth mentioning,” Nicole said. “And even though KD has my number, I doubt he’ll use it. Men like him don’t usually call women back.”

Kyra squinted in confusion. “Men like what?”

“You know the type.” Nicole lifted her hands to demonstrate. “Men who look as good as KD have a flock of women waiting for them to shoot attention their way. Hence, he meets a woman and asks for her number because he enjoys the flirtation and wants a bit of a challenge. Once he’s done amusing himself, he goes home, calls one of the many in his herd, and you become the cute woman he met that one night who kept his interest for an hour or two.”

“Wow,” Kyra said. “You got all that from one bar meeting?”

“Sure did. Knowing what type of man he is from the beginning helps ease the disappointment when he doesn’t call. It’s easy for men to ask for your number. The difficult part is actually putting forth the effort to pick up your cell and call the number you worked so hard to get the night before.”

Kyra and Aaliyah shared a look before Aaliyah spoke up. “I told Nicole that she shouldn’t count KD out. Who knows, she may see him again while she’s here.”

“I highly doubt it.” Nicole clasped her hands together. “Come on, let’s finish unloading a few more boxes.”

Just as Nicole went to lift a box, her phone vibrated in her back pocket. When she glanced at the text message, her mouth dropped open. “You’re shitting me.”

Kyra and Aaliyah glanced over her shoulder at the message.

“Is that the guy from last night?” Kyra asked. “The one you just said wouldn’t be contacting you?”

“It is. He wants to know if I’m free for dinner tonight.”

“Say yes,” Aaliyah said. “You know you want to.”

I do want to. That’s the problem. “I’m supposed to be helping you guys set up the shop.”

“We can handle it,” Kyra said. “Tell him yes.”

While she was still contemplating her response, her phone rang. “Oh, my God, he’s calling.”

“Answer it!” Aaliyah said.

“And put him on speaker,” Kyra said. “You’re a terrible flirt, so we’ll coach you.”

Taking a deep breath, Nicole answered and put the call on speaker. “Hello?”

“Hey, Bianca, it’s KD.” Why is his voice so sexy? Nicole giggled when Aaliyah raised an eyebrow and mouthed Bianca.

“Hey, KD. What’s up?” Aaliyah quickly put the phone on mute to tell her friends that she gave KD her middle name as opposed to her first name.

“Nothing much,” he said. “I sent you a message, but then remembered that I told you I’d call you last night before I left the bar. I was hoping I could take you to dinner tonight.”

Nicole bit her bottom lip as Aaliyah and Kyra mouthed the word yes. She unmuted her phone.

“It’s kinda last minute,” she said, ignoring their eye rolls.

“I know,” he replied. “I have a busy week ahead, but I really wanted to take you out on a date. I enjoyed meeting you last night, but our conversation was cut short. I’d love the chance to get to know you more. I could pick you up, as well.”

Nicole smiled when she glanced at Aaliyah, who was making a swoon face. You should just say yes. What’s the harm in one date? “How do I know this is really KD?”

“Seriously,” Aaliyah whispered. “What kind of question is that?”

Now it was time for Nicole to roll her eyes at herself. Oh, how I love that I wasn’t blessed with the art of flirting, she thought sarcastically.

“It’s definitely me, Bianca,” he said in a deep voice. “And I would love to go out with you.”

Okay, enough stalling. “Yeah, I’ll go out with you tonight, but there’s no need to pick me up. Just let me know where we’re having dinner and I’ll meet you there.”

KD rattled off an address, and she jotted it down in the notes section of her phone.

“I look forward to seeing you tonight,” KD said.

“Me, too.” She went to end the call and heard him mention her name. “Yes?” she asked.

“I’m sure you assumed I was just like all these other cats out here asking for a beautiful woman’s number with no intention of using it, but that’s not me,” KD said. “This may be too forward, but if there’s something I want, I typically go after it.”

Nicole swallowed. What am I supposed to say to that? “I understand.”

“Good.” He cleared his throat. “See you tonight.”

Nicole disconnected the call and looked at the big smiles on Kyra’s and Aaliyah’s faces.

“That was almost painful to listen to, but I’m glad you said yes,” Aaliyah said.

Kyra nodded. “I agree.”

“Even though I’m going on this date with KD, I still refuse to get distracted by a man. It’s just one date before I start the journey I came here for. That’s it.”

“I don’t know, Nicole,” Kyra said with a smile. “You definitely have to focus on this television opportunity, but KD sounds like the best type of distraction.”

Nicole sighed. “He does, right?”

“Yup,” Aaliyah said. “But now, we really have to get a lot done before you have to get ready for your date. And no worries, you don’t have to tell me that I was right about you seeing him again.”

“Whatever,” she said with a laugh as she got to work.

* * *

Kendrick Burrstone glanced around the semideserted Santa Monica restaurant as he tried to spot Bianca from where he sat at a table on the outside patio.

While most people preferred the hustle and bustle of LA, Kendrick preferred coastal city living. Santa Monica was less than an hour from LA, but they might as well be different worlds.

“Are you ready to order or are you waiting for someone else?”

Kendrick glanced at the waitress. “I’m waiting on someone.”

“I’m here,” a voice said. Kendrick looked past the waitress to see Bianca walking up in jeans and a sexy black lace crop top. She looks even better than she did at the bar. Her curly hair was pulled atop her head in a high bun and she wore little makeup, showcasing the natural beauty of her velvety chocolate complexion. There were so many things about the way she looked that caught his attention, but what really made him adjust himself in his seat were the heeled boots she was wearing.

Kendrick was a sucker for a lady in some sexy shoes, and the strappy heeled boots Bianca was wearing caused his imagination to run wild.

“You look beautiful,” he said when she approached. He then stood up and leaned in for a hug.

“Thank you,” Bianca said, returning his hug. “You look nice, too.” The temperature was a little chillier than what he was used to in California, so he’d chosen to wear a dark gray sweater and jeans.

“Thank you.” Remembering that the waitress was at the table, they took a seat and ordered drinks.

“I know Sunday night is a weird time for a date, but I appreciate you accepting.”

“It’s no biggie,” she said. “I needed something to keep my mind off my big day tomorrow.”

Kendrick took a sip of his water. “Big presentation?”

“I wish,” she said with a laugh. “It’s my first day at a new job, and I’m a little nervous.”

“Don’t be,” Kendrick said, shaking his head. “I know we just met, but I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

“Thanks.” The waitress returned with their drinks, and they placed their order for dinner.

“So, let me ask you something,” she said. “Was that guy, I believe his name was Bryant, really your cousin?”

“Yeah, he is.” Kendrick smiled. “He’s not too much of a people person, so myself and some of our friends are often apologizing for things that he says.”

She took a sip of her drink, causing Kendrick to advert his eyes from hers to stare at her lips. She was wearing a bright burgundy-colored lipstick, and the color immediately reminded him of red velvet cake.

“What’s that look for?” she asked.

He met her eyes. “What look?”

“The one you’re giving my mouth right now.”

Kendrick laughed harder than he meant to. “Do you always say whatever you’re thinking?”

“Pretty much,” she said with a smile. “My grandmother always tells me that I don’t have a filter. It probably annoys her at times, but it’s just how I am.”

“I think it’s refreshing,” Kendrick said. “I appreciate honesty. For me, I’d rather someone keep it real than lie to make me feel better.”

“Exactly, but I’m a work in progress,” she said. “It’s more difficult to be honest depending on the person. For example, I can be honest with some of my friends, but then I have other friendships that I can’t be as honest with. And relationships are the worst, but I’m sure this isn’t a topic I should bring up on a first date.”

“You can bring up whatever you want around me. There aren’t too many topics that I’m not willing to talk about.”

“Oh, really.” She smiled.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

He glanced down at her necklace. “Does your necklace have any meaning behind it?”

“It’s actually a crystal.” She gently ran her fingers across the stone. “The onyx is good for protection and healing.”

“That’s interesting,” he said. “My mom likes wearing crystals and stones, as well. Did you choose to wear it tonight because it went with your outfit or because you needed to feel the energy from it?”

She opened her mouth to respond just as their food arrived. For a few moments, they ate in comfortable silence.

“A little bit of both.”

Kendrick swallowed his food before responding. “What do you mean?”

She glanced at him over the glass of wine she sipped. “I wore this crystal because it matched my outfit, and I also wore it because of its energy. Not that this has anything to do with you, but the last real date I went on was with my ex. Let’s just say that the relationship was great in the beginning, but ended horribly. In a way, I guess I’m still healing from it.”

“I understand completely,” Kendrick said. “My last relationship was full of lies and betrayal. On her end, not mine. I learned some valuable lessons because of that experience.”

“Like what?”

Kendrick thought about his relationship with two of his exes. “I learned more lessons than I can even remember right now, but one of the biggest was that I will never date someone I work with.”

“I hear you,” she said, shaking her head. “I used to work with my ex before I started my own business and partnered with a few friends. Before that, I had to see him all the time. Even worse, it seemed like all the people we worked with were in our business.”

“It’s a feeling I don’t wish on anyone,” Kendrick said. “And for me, it’s happened more than once, so I now have strict rules against mixing business with pleasure.”

She smiled. “Then I guess we should be glad that we don’t work together.”

“We should,” he said with a laugh. “And be thankful I didn’t ask to see your résumé to confirm that we never would in the future.”

“Can you do hair and makeup?” she asked.

Kendrick shook his head. “I can do my hair, but you don’t want me to try and do a makeup tutorial. Are you a graphic or creative designer of any kind?”

“Not at all,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not horrible at drawing, but I much prefer to creatively make up faces and eccentric hairstyles than try to design anything.”

“Then we’re good,” Kendrick said, clasping his hands together. “Now we can plan the rest of our lives together without any issues.”

She laughed so hard that the waitress came over to ask if everything was okay. In other words, they needed to be quieter so that they wouldn’t disturb others who were eating.

Once her laughter died down, she continued eating. Kendrick observed her, wanting to know more about her, but not wanting to seem too nosy. He wasn’t sure what it was about her, but she intrigued him more than other women had lately. At times she seemed so transparent, and other times she was hard to interpret.

Conversation through the rest of dinner flowed smoothly. As the night neared its end, Kendrick almost hated to say goodbye, but he needed to get to sleep too. She wasn’t the only one with a busy workday ahead.

“Thanks for having dinner with me tonight,” he said as they approached her car, which was parked down the street from the restaurant.

“You’re welcome.” She turned to face him. “Thanks for asking me out.”

“It was my pleasure.” Kendrick studied her eyes, wondering if a good-night kiss was out of the question since this was their first date. “You mentioned that you’re starting a new job, but I’d love to take you out again next weekend if you’re free.”

Her lips widened into a smile. “I think I’d like that.” Her eyes briefly dropped to his lips and had he not been paying attention, he would have missed the longing reflected in her eyes.

He watched the rise and fall of her chest, wanting desperately to see how her lips tasted. What’s the worst that can happen? Just one kiss and I’ll be satisfied...at least for tonight.

Kendrick bent his head toward hers as she stood on her tiptoes, awaiting his kiss. When their lips were centimeters apart, the loud rumble of thunder caused her to jump back from him.

“I forgot it was supposed to rain,” he said. “With this drought, all of LA and surrounding areas have been waiting for this storm.”

She smiled. “Then I guess we should call it a night.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Have a good night, KD.”

“You too. I’ll call you in a couple days with plans for our next date.”

“Sounds good.”

Kendrick watched her get into her vehicle just as the first raindrops began to fall. He was still looking in the direction of her car after it was out of sight. It had been more than a year since he’d had such a good and relaxing time with a woman, and whether she knew it yet or not, he planned on seeing a lot more of her.

Chapter 3

“Kendrick, come over here for a second.”

Kendrick walked over to where his friends Monty and Angelica were standing. “What’s up?” he asked as he approached the group.

“Who do you think is more talented... Viola Davis or Taraji P. Henson?”

Kendrick shook his head. “Another debate?”

“Yeah, man,” Monty said. “Ange always thinks she’s right.”

Angelica smirked. “That’s because I usually am.”

Monty threw his hands in the air. “See what I mean?”

“I don’t know, you guys. They are both amazing actresses.”

“We know that, but you have to have an opinion on it,” Monty said. “It’s a simple question. Which one is more talented?”

“Kendrick, if you don’t answer, Monty will never let me get back to work.”

Kendrick laughed, knowing what Angelica said was true. He’d worked with Monty and Angelica in the movie industry for the past six years. They all belonged to The Gilbert Monroe Agency as did most of the crew. Although Kendrick was a creative director, Angelica was a visual effects editor and Monty was a cameraman, they were lucky enough to have been placed on several projects together.

Most recently, they’d each specifically been requested by a major client to do a series of Valentine’s Day commercials that would tie into the promotion of a documentary on the true meaning of love.

“I guess if I had to answer, both are fierce and leaving a mark in Hollywood.”

Monty sighed. “That’s not an answer, Kendrick.”

“Well, it’s the best one I got.”

A voice sounded on the intercom. “Meeting in ten in the main galley.”

“Let’s go now and make sure we get a seat,” Angelica said. Kendrick couldn’t help but be excited for this meeting since he was itching to get back on set. He hadn’t worked on a commercial since before the Christmas holiday.

Whenever he had too much free time on his hands, he tended to do something reckless. And by reckless, he meant he had a tendency to occupy his time with the wrong type of women.

But Bianca was definitely the right type of woman. She was funny, beautiful, had a great—yet edgy—personality. However, she wasn’t the type of woman he needed to see again. Kendrick had made a vow to focus solely on his career in hopes of landing a director role before the fall. He didn’t have time to date around, especially a woman like Bianca.

Unfortunately, he doubted he could stay away from her. She was the type of woman he always imagined he could be with. He’d been immediately drawn to her when he met her at the bar, and their date last night exceeded his expectations. He realized that he was getting more attached than he probably should.

Another date won’t hurt. Although he didn’t have any time to seriously date, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get to know her more. One could argue that he was thinking too much about the situation, but he’d have to disagree. If anything, he wasn’t thinking enough given all he’d been through with women in the past couple years.

“Look, I spot some seats.” Kendrick followed Angelica and Monty to three open seats in the corner of the room.

“Hey, you never did tell me why you missed poker night yesterday,” Monty said.

“I wasn’t aware that I had to give you a rundown of my schedule when I cancel,” Kendrick said with a laugh. “But if you must know, I had a date.”

Angelica rolled her eyes. “An actual date or a booty call?”

“An actual date.” Kendrick smiled as he thought about the flushed look on Bianca’s face last night when they’d almost kissed.

“I’d say it was a very good date given that smile on your face,” Angelica said. “What about all your nondating rules and avoiding love until you land a lead director role?”

“I still plan on sticking to my plan. A few harmless dates won’t hurt.”

“A few?” Monty asked. “One date and you’re already planning on seeing her again? This isn’t the Kendrick I know.”

“Very funny.” Kendrick shrugged. “I don’t know, man. It’s something about her that’s different. She has this no bullshit attitude that’s kinda refreshing. She says whatever is on her mind without caring what others may think.”

“You got all this from one date?” Angelica asked.

“Well, technically we hung out the first night we met, so I guess it’s more like two dates.”

“Two dates and Mr. Dodge Cupid’s Arrow is already planning on more dates.” Angelica gave Monty a knowing look. “Monty, I think working on these Valentine’s Day commercials is going to his head.”

“It’s not that big of a deal,” he said. “I’m just open to enjoying the company of a woman, that’s all. Nothing serious.”

“So, I take it she doesn’t work in the industry?” Monty asked. If there were any two people who worked in television who knew the drama he’d gone through with his ex, it was his two friends Monty and Angelica.

“She didn’t say what she did specifically, but I know it has to do with makeup and hair because she mentioned enjoying making up faces and designing hairstyles.”

Angelica lifted an eyebrow. “And you didn’t ask to see her résumé just to be sure?”

“I actually said she was lucky that I didn’t ask for it,” Kendrick said with a laugh. “So, no, I didn’t ask. Guys, I’m better than I used to be. Bianca and I just enjoyed one another as two people would on any first date. Nothing more.”

“Except that you want to see her again,” Monty said.

“Which says a lot, considering your past,” Angelica added. Voices in the front of the room interrupted their conversation.

“As much as I enjoy meeting up with women in my black book, it feels nice to go on a date again,” Kendrick whispered. “And this is LA, so the fact that she’s not from here and not in the television or film industry is a good thing.”

“Okay, everyone,” the producer said to the crew gathered in the packed room. “As most of you know, we’re running behind schedule with filming the commercials. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so we only have four weeks to finish shooting the remainder of the Valentine’s Day commercials and documentary to get them out before the holiday. That is not a lot of time, so be prepared to work overtime.”

Movement on the right side of the room got his attention as someone slid through the door, but too many people were standing for him to see who it was.

“Thank you for all your hard work so far on both projects, and now I’d like to introduce you to the new members of our team who will be filling in for the crew we lost to other projects.”

As the producer introduced the new set design team, Kendrick’s eyes were glued to the backside of a woman who felt vaguely familiar. The next moments seemed to happen in slow motion as the woman was introduced to the group, her gaze finding his as she glanced around the room. The widening of her eyes proved she was just as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

The next few minutes of the meeting flew by so quickly that Kendrick didn’t notice the woman was already headed his way until she was standing in front of him.

“Hey, KD,” she said when she approached. “You work in television?”

He didn’t answer until Angelica nudged him. “Um, yeah,” he finally said. “I have for six years.”

“Oh,” she said when he didn’t say more. “Today’s my first day in the industry.”

Of course it is, because the universe had a funny way of making him pay for his past booty calls.

“Hi, I’m Angelica Smith and this is Monty Williams.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m Nicole LeBlanc.”

“Nicole?” Kendrick’s eyes studied hers. “You told me your name was Bianca.”

She gave a sheepish grin. “Actually, Nicole is my first name. When we met at the bar the other day, I didn’t know you so I gave you my middle name. I guess I should have corrected you yesterday.”

“So, you lied?” Kendrick said, a little harsher than he’d planned.

“It wasn’t like that,” she said. “How we met was awkward enough. Back where I’m from, women don’t just give out their name to strangers until they know a little more about them.”

“And where exactly are you from?”

She frowned. “I’m from Miami, but I’m not sure I want to answer any more of your questions based off the accusatory tone in your voice. What gives, KD?”

“KD?” Angelica questioned. When he glanced at his friends, he caught that parental look in their eyes. Angelica and Monty were only a few years older than him, but they never failed to remind him of that fact.

“I guess I can’t get on you about your name when I didn’t give you my full name either,” he said. “KD is short for Kendrick Dominic and my last name is Burrstone. Some call me KD, but most call me Kendrick.”

Her eyes softened. “Guess that makes us even.” She extended a hand. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Kendrick.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Nicole,” he said, accepting her handshake. “I missed part of your introduction. What’s your role on set?”

She smiled. “I’m the new makeup artist and hairstylist for the commercials and documentary.”

“Congratulations,” he said. “Based off our conversation last night, I’m sure you’ll do well.”

She studied his eyes. “Thanks, Kendrick, I appreciate that.”

He didn’t miss the soft way his named rolled off her tongue. Even under the circumstances, he still felt the chemistry between them. Just a few minutes ago, he’d been convinced he’d see her again, but now? Now, those thoughts went out the window.

* * *

He was uncomfortable. She could tell. And he wasn’t the only one. Her morning had already started off rocky when she realized that she’d misplaced her lucky crystal necklace and run out of her favorite lipstick. To top it off, she’d taken the wrong train into work and was almost late for her introduction meeting.

The last person she expected to run into at her new place of employment was KD—or Kendrick, as she’d just learned. The only thing more awkward than spotting Kendrick in the audience during her introduction was speaking to him while trying to ignore the look of surprise and frustration on his face.

The surprise she could understand. But the frustration? She didn’t know what that was about.

She glanced at his friends before setting her eyes on him. “Well, it was nice seeing you again, but I’m going to head over to check out my station.”

“Okay,” he said. “It was nice seeing you too.”

She squinted her eyes before turning to walk away. I mean, do I smell or something? He can barely face me. What happened to the man I went on a date with last night?

“I’ll walk with you,” said the woman who’d introduced herself as Angelica.

“Thanks.”

“Have you gotten a tour?” Angelica asked when they were out of earshot of the men.

“Not yet, but I believe the producer’s assistant said she’d give me a tour in an hour or so.”

“Which basically means you’ll never get a tour,” Angelica said with a laugh. “We’re behind on shooting, so it’s all hands on deck right now.”

“No worries,” Nicole said. “I planned on setting up my station anyway. The assistant pointed me in the right direction when I arrived. Granted, we were walking fast to make the meeting on time, but I think I got the idea.”

“I’ll take you to it just in case.”

Nicole followed Angelica, annoyed that her mind was still stuck on Kendrick. What’s his deal anyway? Did she imagine that he was into her as much as she thought he was? He seemed so forthcoming last night and that night at the bar. But today? Today he seemed like he rather be doing anything other than talking to her.

“Don’t take it personally,” Angelica said, interrupting her thoughts. “Kendrick can be a real sourpuss when he gets his hopes up about something only to have it thrown back in his face.”

“What did he get his hopes up about?”

Angelica smiled. “You.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. Before the meeting started he was telling us how much he liked you.”

Nicole frowned. “He sure has a funny way of showing it.”

“Ignore him,” Angelica said, waving her arms in the air. “Seeing you here just caught him off guard. He’ll get over it eventually. Kendrick is just really particular with separating his personal and professional lives.”

Suddenly, a memory of what he’d said from last night popped into her mind. I have strict rules against mixing business with pleasure. Duh, of course! She didn’t know why she hadn’t remembered earlier.

“He was caught off guard because he doesn’t date people he works with, and as of today, him and I work together.”

“Bingo,” Angelica said as she placed her pointer finger in the air. “Kendrick is my friend and all, but the guy is a stickler for rules. And by you being here, my dear, it puts him in jeopardy of breaking one of his biggest.”

“This is crazy,” Nicole said, shaking her head. “We only went on one official date. The least he could do is be cordial to me. I mean, will we even cross paths that much? What’s his role here anyway?”

“He’s the creative director,” Angelica said. “And you’re right, you both won’t work too closely together, but your paths will definitely cross. Like I said before, we’re all hands on deck right now. Here you are.” Angelica pointed to a slightly ajar door. “Your station will be here, but I assume you’ll be on set when filming for touch-ups on hair and makeup. The producer or his assistant will probably be by soon to give you more details.”

“Thanks, Angelica,” Nicole said. “It was much easier finding this place with assistance.”

“You’re welcome. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

Once Nicole was in the room by herself, she sat in the high styling chair and stared at her reflection in the mirror. This is your day, she reminded herself. It’s the most high-profile job you’ve ever had, and the worst thing you can do is focus on a man.

She knew her warning was much needed, but even so, she couldn’t stop thinking about Kendrick. It was one thing when she was trying to remind herself not to think about a man when she was in the confines of her own solo space. It was another thing entirely when she’d have to see the object of her desire every day when he wasn’t interested in her anymore. This should be interesting.

Chapter 4

“And cut. Folks, that’s a wrap for this commercial. Let’s set the stage for the next one. Filming will begin tomorrow morning.”

“Good job, Nick,” Kendrick said to the director after Nick had given instructions to the crew for tomorrow.

“Thanks, man. You too.”

As he had been doing for the past four days, the minute Kendrick was out of his chair, he headed to his right and out the side door. Typically, he would chat with Angelica, Monty and some of the other crew. However, since he had to see Nicole every time she came on set to touch up makeup for the actors and actresses, he’d gotten out of there.

Unfortunately, today was also the day that Angelica decided to intervene with his new routine.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” she said, following him. “Tonight a few members of the crew are going to the bowling alley down the street. You have to come.”

“I have plans tonight.”

Angelica placed a hand on her hip. “Plans with who?”

“Bryant,” he said, thinking quick on his feet. Anyone else who he normally hung out with lately was part of the crew that he assumed was going bowling.

“That’s funny,” Angelica said, waving her iPhone in front of Kendrick. “Because I texted Bryant a little while ago, and he said you didn’t have plans with him tonight.”

Kendrick shook his head. “I should have never introduced Bryant to you and Monty.”

“Kendrick, you are putting forth so much effort to avoid Nicole. Don’t you think that is a little silly? Monty and I really like her, and so does most of the crew.”

“I’m not avoiding her.”

Angelica quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Is that why you’ve slipped out this side door every day?”

He shrugged. “I have things to do.”

“Liar. It doesn’t matter anyway because you have to go. The production manager isn’t going and said you’d buy a round of drinks for everyone.”

“The assistant director isn’t going?”

“Nope! Neither are any of the producers, so you can stop thinking about the hierarchy of who else could cover a round of drinks because...it’s you...and you’re coming. So, man up! Most the crew is there and the rest of us are headed out soon.”

She’s right, man, he thought after Angelica went back inside. You’re acting ridiculous. He definitely wasn’t behaving like a thirty-five-year-old man, but more like a teenager who was avoiding a woman he had a crush on for fear that he wouldn’t be able to hide his attraction.

Mind made up, Kendrick went back inside to join the remaining crew headed to the bowling alley.

* * *

“Men against women,” someone yelled as they put on their bowling shoes.

“Game on,” another yelled. Nicole laughed at the smack talk going on around her. The television crew had blocked off two lanes at a local bowling alley, and she was honored when Angelica and Monty had invited her to join them.

She was almost finished with her first week with the crew. Although leading the makeup and hairstyles for the commercials and ensuring the actors and actresses were camera-ready had been going amazingly well, she’d been making a conscious effort to be more of an extrovert.

It wasn’t that Nicole didn’t like meeting new people, but oftentimes, she was a little awkward around new people. It was something she’d been working on for years and had only recently gotten better at.

“Ladies, our team captain has finally arrived,” Monty said to the group. Nicole glanced up after she finished tying her shoes. Kendrick. She’d seen him on and off set all week, but he’d barely made eye contact with her since they’d started working together.

As he dapped fists and exchanged hugs with the crew, Nicole took the time to observe him in a way she hadn’t been able to all week. He was wearing dark jeans and a beige long-sleeved button-up that would look simple on any other man, but not Kendrick. On Kendrick, the simple outfit looked a lot better than it should.

She didn’t think it was possible, but he looked even sexier than he had the first night they’d met. And apparently, a lot of the women in the crew felt the same way. She’d walked in on several conversations in the kitchenette of women discussing how great Kendrick looked in his rugged, yet classic, style. Or how easy he was to talk to about their man problems, and that his advice was extremely helpful. It seemed that everyone liked being around Kendrick, and he was friends with most of the crew. Except me... Her feelings would probably be more hurt if another reoccurring topic people discussed about Kendrick wasn’t the fact that he strict rules about dating anyone in the television and film industry. Apparently, quite a few women had tried to get him to change that rule and failed. So instead of being the guy every woman set their sights on dating, every woman aimed to at least maintain a friendship with him. Too bad she couldn’t get anything past a “hello” or “goodbye.”

“Are you doing okay?” Angelica asked as she approached.

“Yeah, I’m doing good. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Anytime,” Angelica said. “Do you like bowling?”

“Actually, I’m pretty good at it. I was in a bowling league in high school and college. Even a little after college before I decided to focus on my career. I have my own bowling ball and shoes, but I left them back home in Miami.”

“You’re a bowler,” Angelica said enthusiastically. “As in, you were in leagues and therefore really great at it?”

Nicole squinted her eyes. “Um, yeah. I guess that’s what I’m saying.”

Angelica rose from her seat. “Don’t be so confident, boys.” She pulled Nicole from her seat so fast that she almost tripped over one of her shoes that she’d just changed from. “We have a semipro on our hands. Nicole is going to be our team captain, and I hope you know that you’re going down!”

“Oh, no no no no,” Nicole stammered. “I’m not a semipro. Not even close. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a good bowler, but I don’t need to be team captain.”

“Relax,” Angelica said. “This is all in fun and games, but if you must know, the women have lost to the men the past three times we’ve bowled, and they won’t let us forget it. I’m not trying to pressure you, but we could use a win or at the least give them a run for their money.”

Nicole followed Angelica to where the other women were standing. They all looked at Nicole expectantly.

“Okay,” Nicole said with a sigh. “I’ll be team captain, but first we need to strategize the order we list the players.”

Angelica gave her a wide-eyed stare. “Picking the order of players takes strategy?”

“Yes, it does. For example, we may want a midlevel bowler to go first to start us off right. Then our weaker players in the middle. Our closers—meaning those who bowl well—will be at the end. So, who’s on what level?”

Nicole glanced around at the other women, who were wearing the same look on their faces as Angelica.

“Okay,” Angelica said. “I’m midlevel, so I’ll go first. And you’re our pro, so you go last.” The other women nodded in agreement.

“Okay, that works. Does anyone know how to throw a good hook?” Nicole asked.

“I do,” said Britt, one of the writers for the commercial series. “I take self-defense classes, and one of the first things they teach you is how to throw a good left or right hook.”

Nicole laughed. “I meant a bowling hook. It’s a technique you use to bowl the ball.”

“Oh,” Britt said in disappointment. “I can’t even throw a curve ball. I once tried and ended up knocking down pins two lanes over.”

“No worries. Anyone else have any bowling skills?”

Each woman sheepishly looked to the floor. Although Nicole took her bowling games seriously, all she could do was laugh. She was sure it sounded like she was speaking a foreign language.

“We’ll make it work,” Nicole said. “Before we start, I’ll give each of you a few pointers.” She couldn’t turn them into good bowlers in ten minutes, but she could at least teach them the basics.

* * *

She’s beating me, Kendrick thought as he waited for Nicole to bowl on her lane before he took his turn on his. Even though she was beating him only by fifteen points, she was still winning, and that fact only made him more intrigued.

“Staring at my ass isn’t going to help you bowl better,” Nicole said with her back still to him. The laugh he released was so loud, he was sure he drew the attention of the rest of the crew. Hell, he and Nicole were practically the entire show since they were the only true bowlers on both teams.

“I beg to differ,” he said, ignoring the warning bells he’d been hearing all week when it came to Nicole. “I think staring at your ass will definitely help me bowl better.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder with a sneaky smirk on her face. They were on the seventh frame, and both were the last to bowl on each team. Until now, they had been shooting discreet glances at each other, but neither had voiced anything aloud. As they neared the end of the game, it seemed all bets were off.

“Try not to look,” she said quietly so only he could hear. He would have asked her what she meant by that, only he found out seconds later when she bent over a little farther than necessary, giving him a great view of her butt in her jeans. He shouldn’t have been staring, but he was a man, after all, and when a man saw a nice ass, he looked. Period.

“Your turn,” she said after bowling a strike. She unzipped the crop jacket she’d been wearing, revealing her tight tank and beautiful round breasts. Shit. He knew she had a pair of delicious breasts, but he had yet to see them on display the way they were now. He didn’t even have to look back at the other men to see if they were admiring her figure, as well.

That wasn’t the only thing that caught his attention. Nicole had three visible tattoos, one of which was on her breast.

“That’s it, girl. Show him what you’re working with,” Angelica yelled from her seat. Nicole laughed, the sound tickling his ears in the best way. Despite her best attempt to distract him, he bowled a strike.

“She’s still ahead,” Monty whispered when he and Nicole were almost up again. “You have to find a way to distract her because she’s only hitting strikes and spares.”

Kendrick glanced at Nicole and caught her staring at him. She raised her drink, obviously satisfied with the fact that she was beating him. Damn, she even looks good sitting there doing nothing. Her curls were pulled up on both sides and flowing down her back in the middle. The curly Mohawk style fitted her personality and tonight she was sporting a bright purple lipstick that matched a design in the jacket she had taken off. Kendrick had never really paid attention to lip colors before, but Nicole’s lips commanded his undivided attention.

When Monty announced that it was time for them to go, Kendrick had a thought. If she likes tats, maybe it’s time I show off a couple of mine. One thing Kendrick rarely did was show off his tats in a work setting. However, this was technically a gathering of friends he happened to work with. Besides, he’d been to a pool party with a few of them before, so it wasn’t anything they hadn’t seen.

Before he stepped up to the lane, he removed his button-up, leaving him in a white short-sleeved tee. May not seem like much, but he had a couple tattoos that were known to get a lot of attention, especially from others in the tattoo community. Just as he’d predicted, Nicole’s eyes roamed over his arms in admiration.

Kendrick stepped up to the lane and bowled another spare, so his only hope in catching up to Nicole was if she didn’t bowl a strike or spare. He turned around in time to catch her biting her lower lip as she continued to observe him. Got her, he thought as he walked toward her.

Leaning close to her ear, he lowered his voice. “Try not to drool too hard, sweetie. You wouldn’t want to slip and fall when you take your turn.”

“Boy, please,” she said, slapping his arm. “You’re not all that.”

“Oh, really, I’m not?” He met her eyes. “Because just a few seconds ago, you were undressing me with your eyes. Unless I imagined it, you bit your bottom lip in a way that proved you liked what you saw.”

“I bit my lip because I was contemplating my next move, not because I was admiring you. I’m surprised you didn’t trip over that big ego when you took your turn.”

Instead of responding, his eyes dropped to her lips. “That color looks nice on you. Some women can’t pull off bright lipstick, but you make it look sexy.”

She gasped, apparently caught off guard by the compliment. “Uh, thanks. It’s one of my favorites.”

He lifted her chin, bringing her lips closer to his eyes. “I can see why. It’s hard not to stare at your lips when they look so delicious. Reminds me of cotton candy.”

“That’s funny,” she said, a little breathless. “Because this happens to be flavored lipstick and the flavor is cotton candy.”

Crap. Time to backpeddle. “You shouldn’t have said that.”

She smirked. “You shouldn’t be standing this close.”

“You shouldn’t have given me a reason to be this close.” His hand dropped from her chin.

“You shouldn’t have been checking out my ass or my chest.”

His eyes briefly dropped to her breasts. “You shouldn’t be wearing those jeans or a shirt cut so low if you didn’t want me to look. But you know what I think?”

“What do you think?” She crossed her arms over her chest, then dropped them to the sides when she saw his eyes drift there again.

“I think you remembered what I said at dinner last weekend about not dating people I work with and decided that you’d test my restraint by flirting with me without saying anything.”

Her eyes widened. “As I said during dinner, I understand your rule about not dating people you work with. And for your information, I don’t flirt. I’ve never been good at it.”

“I don’t believe that,” Kendrick said, shaking his head. “You’ve been doing a damn good job all night.”

“That’s maybe because I know we’ll never go there.”

“Go where?” he asked.

“You know what, never mind.” She picked up her bowling ball. “It’s time for me to bowl.”

Kendrick lifted his hands in a way to let her know he wasn’t going to stop her anymore. He didn’t miss the last glance she gave of the tats on his arms before she bowled.

“It’s a split,” Monty yelled after Nicole had bowled her first ball.

“There’s no way you’re getting that,” Kendrick challenged. “Be prepared to lose your lead.”

When Nicole looked his way, she exuded confidence. “Watch me work,” she said before bowling the perfect hook and landing a spare.

“Damn,” Monty said. “There’s only two more frames left. We’re going to lose to the women, and they will be gloating for weeks.”

“You’re damn right,” Angelica said with a laugh. Nicole brushed past him with a look of satisfaction on her face.

“Don’t worry, Kendrick. Next time, I’ll try to go easy on you so I don’t embarrass you in front of your friends and completely whoop that ass.”

Kendrick quirked an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

Instead of responding, she just smiled and joined the other ladies. After the last frame, Nicole had beaten Kendrick by twenty-one points and secured the women’s win.

“Man, how could you have let them win?” Monty asked. “We always beat the women.”

“Nicole’s on their team now, so we better get used to more competitive games.”

“Now I have to clean Angelica’s condo after work for an entire week.”

Kendrick laughed. “That’s what you get for always making bets with her. Even if it wasn’t bowling, you always lose to her. Wouldn’t it be easier to just tell her how you feel instead of losing all the time?”

“I don’t know, man,” Monty said with a shrug. “Angelica is used to dating those actor types who have starring roles in action movies. She’s not going to date a cameraman.”

“You never know unless you tell her how you feel. You can’t be afraid of entering a relationship with her based off what-ifs. Yeah, it may not work out, but what if it did? What if you miss out on something good because you were scared to make a move and take a chance?”

Monty stood up from his seat and turned Kendrick’s body toward where Nicole sat unlacing her bowling shoes and laughing at something Angelica said. “Seems to me like you need to be taking your own advice,” Monty said. “A lot of the guys like Nicole, and if you don’t make a move, someone else will.”

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