Page 36 of The CEO I Hate

“Yes, let’s get moving,” I said.

Paula walked out to the center of the room where she was joined by Ian Gillespie, the director for episode one. He’d shot the original pilot for season one and was my first choice to kick off this season. They made a quick round of introductions before jumping into the read.

Jerome acted as the narrator, reading out the action lines in between cast dialogue. Mia’s eyes flicked around the room with every new voice, her bottom lip caught between her teeth in a way that was distractingly sexy. I knew she was hanging on every reaction, eager to see what the cast thought of the first draft.

At one point, she clasped her pen so tightly, I thought she might snap it in half. Mia and Jerome had tackled episode one together—literally a trial by fire—along with some input from Paula, and I could tell she was nervous by the way her leg bounced beneath the table.

I imagined myself over there, sitting next to her, running my hand along her thigh, stilling her fidgeting with my touch. I imagined the startled gasp that would spill from her lips and the flick of her eyes as she looked at me long and hard. My hand would tighten around her leg, my fingers inching along?—

The sound of applause ripped me from the fantasy.

Jesus Christ!I’d gotten so distracted I’d lost track of everything else—including the fact that the reading was wrapping up. This was exactly what it was like at Jake’s New Year’s Eve party two years ago, when I’d been so wrapped up in staring at Mia that I hadn’t realized Jake had caught me at it. He’d promptly smacked me upside the head and said, “Don’t look at my baby sister like that, you perv.”

He’d been tipsy and probably didn’t even remember saying it, but I sure as hell remembered. The words echoed in my head every time I got within ten feet of Mia. And yet I couldn’t help myself from staring, every chance I got.

“Let’s have a special round of applause for our writing team,” Paula said, waving Mia and Jerome to their feet. “I think they absolutely crushed it.”

A few of the actors whistled loudly. Mia smiled, flushing a delicate shade of pink all the way down her neck, and I couldn’t help but wonder just how far down it went. My thoughts skittered back to my fantasy. Fantasy me didn’t care about what Jake had said. But the real me, the one who had to look my best friend in the face every week, couldn’t do it.

Couldn’t make a move on his little sister.

He’d hate me, like he hated every guy Mia got involved with, and I couldn’t let that happen.

“Liam,” a voice called, and I turned to join the execs as they chatted about the episode.

“What’d you think?” I asked, waving over my PA. Carl popped up at my side, his phone already open to take notes.

“I think we gotta cram a little more action in there,” Stan Helms said. He’d been with the show from the very beginning. “This episode is very character heavy, which is great to start things off. I’m really liking all the development we got. And I know we’re coming off the back of that massive season finale, but it’s a show about fire, so we need to see some more fire.”

I nodded. “Agreed. Let’s give the people what they want.”

Stan clapped me on the shoulder. “Can’t wait to see the audience reception to this season. Great find in that new head writer.”

I almost scoffed. If he only knew. Instead, I turned to my PA. “Get those notes to Paula. Let me know what she says.” Carl nodded, hurrying off across the room.

“You ever have that pitch meeting with Damien Alverez?” Stan asked.

I nodded, my eyes wandering across the room to Mia again. She’d been nabbed by Leo Sinclair, the actor who played Cade, the character Mia was planning to feature far more heavily in season two.

Figures.

“What’d you think?” Stan continued.

“Uh—” I said, losing my train of thought.

The meeting with Damien had been fine, but I couldn’t focus on that just now. Leo had been dubbed the eye candy of Firehouse 14 by all the online reviewers, and he was currently flirting with Mia, if the way she was giggling was any indication.

I tried not to crush the coffee cup in my hand. It was bad enough watching some moronic twenty-year-old flirt with her the other week, but at least with Earl, I knew Mia wasn’t the slightest bit interested.

This was way worse.

This was a grown man whoknewhow to flirt, and who had the experience to back it up. Moreover, Leo was one of those pretty people Paula had been talking about. His dark features were striking, his smile the right amount of crooked, and the way he was leaning across the table toward her…He knew exactly what he was doing.

“Is VeriTV getting behind a space drama?” Stan said.

I turned back to him. “Not sure yet,” I said flatly. “Interesting premise, but a big departure from a grounded firehouse show.”

“End in Firewas a big departure from reality TV,” Stan said. “And look how that turned out.”

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