Page 23 of Solid Foundation
“If it’s not, are you prepared to fight off a serial killer?” I turned the corner into the kitchen to find him eating a cup of yogurt.
Sterling laughed and shook his head. “Not at all. What kept you out all night, hmm?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“Yes, I would like something to eat. Thank you for asking.”
He laughed again, tossing his empty yogurt cup in the trash. His spoon clattered loudly as he dropped it into the empty sink. “Help yourself. Are you wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday?”
I glanced at an imaginary watch on my bare wrist. “Oh, look at the time. We’re going to be late if we don’t hurry.”
“Production doesn’t start until the producer arrives. Everyone knows that. Besides, what are they going to do without the host?”
“I’m sure they can make do without you,” I said dryly.
He flipped me off. “Seriously though.”
“Alright, alright. Give me a minute to change, will you?” I hurried into my bedroom and cleaned up, tossing my day-old clothes into a hamper, tugging on clean ones, and doing some basic hygiene in the bathroom. I made my way back to the kitchen to find Sterling waiting patiently, scrolling on his phone.
“Now. Spill.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “So impatient.” He shrugged, so I went ahead. “I’ve been working on a side project for the show.”
“Wait, do you mean that mystery box, or our sexy foreman, Jake?” Sterling put his phone face down on the counter so he could listen without distractions.
My cheeks heated. “Both.”
He leaned forward, eyes wide. “Oh. My. God. You hooked up with Jake.”
The heat in my cheeks burned hotter. There was no denying it. “Maybe.”
The squeal he let out sounded very much like it came from an enthusiastic teenager rather than an adult man. “Tell me everything.”
I swallowed hard, not wanting to spill all of Jake’s secrets. “It’s really not a big deal. We were hanging out, working on this sideproject—the box, I mean—and we just sort of kissed. And then it went from there.”
He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Did you fuck him?”
I shook my head. “No, of course not.”
“I mean, that’s not a dumb question.”
“Fair, but the answer is no. We didn’t sleep together. I mean, I did spend the night and we slept in the same bed, but we didn’t do much else.”
Sterling snorted. “Much.”
“Look, I’m not going to kiss and tell.”
“If you did, it wouldn’t be the first time.”
I sighed in defeat. “This time’s different. He’s… inexperienced. I don’t want to rush things and Idon’twant to make it a bigger deal than it needs to be.”
He frowned, a furrow forming between his eyebrows. “Inexperienced? That sexy mountain of a man?”
“It’s all new for him. He’s been alone for a long time.”
He nodded slowly. “Got it. Well, I’m happy for you. But…”
“But?”
“Isn’t it a little bit of a conflict of interest? I mean, should you really be hooking up with him?”
