Page 47 of Tuxedos and Tinsel
“Michael? No way. He’s got a publicist on staff who knows her stuff. Bailed me out of public embarrassment more than once, she has.”
“If something’s going to happen, it’s going to have to happen soon. According to the clock, there’s only twelve minutes left in the game.” She pointed to the center screen which was playing a highlight from a few minutes earlier.
When the highlight ended, an electronic Santa Claus came bouncing across the screen. He stopped, pointed upward and the wordsMistletoe Camerascrolled by. The image fizzled away and suddenly, there was a view of the crowd. People cheered and waved as the camera zoomed in tighter and tighter until it focused on an unsuspecting couple. The pair laughed and shared a kiss.
“Mistletoe Camera?” She’d never heard of such an idea.
“An American thing,” Lewis told her. “Big hit over there from what I hear. The promoters thought the gimmick might be fun to do here, as well. Crowd seems to be enjoying it.”
The camera moved on, this time to a pair of middle-aged men who were clearly not together. Oblivious, they faced away from one another until the cheering crowd forced them to look up. As soon as they realized, they too broke out in laughter. The camera remained on them until they shared a bro hug.
“So it appears,” she remarked. “Nothing says romance like thousands of people watching you kiss. Wait a second…?” How did Lewis know what the promoters had planned?
Her question was cut off by the crowd suddenly roaring louder than ever. She looked up at the screen to see why and her stomach dropped.
The Mistletoe Cam was pointed atthem.
CHAPTER FOUR
“YOU…” THEREWASa smile on her face, but Lewis could see the muscles twitching in her jaw. She was gritting her teeth.
“Wasn’t me, luv. It was my agent.” He murmured the words in her ear so that on camera it looked like they were sharing a secret.
While he was speaking, he slipped an arm around her shoulder. He knew as soon as Michael mentioned the promotion that Susan would hate the idea, which was why he’d kept the plans a secret. He didn’t want to risk her looking annoyed for three periods. Or worse, walking out on him.
“You said yourself, nothing says you’re in a relationship like kissing in front of ten thousand people.”
“I was being sarcastic. I didn’t mean we should follow suit.”
“Why not? You’ve got to admit, it’s a great idea. At least the crowd thinks so.” The egging on had gotten louder when he put his arm around her. Lewis leaned in closer. They had a limited window before the camera moved to another couple. “They’re getting restless. Better give them what they want.”
Her eyes widened. “You…you don’t mind?”
Why would he mind? It was just a kiss. And she was an attractive woman. He’d been watching her smile and laugh all night long. When she relaxed, her softness came out. There was real vulnerability beneath the armor. The kind that made you want to treat her special. She really was adorable and begging to be cuddled.
“I’m game if you are,” he replied. “What do you say? Ready to tell the world we’re together?”
“Um…” She licked her lips, making them shiny and enticing. “Okay.”
Good answer since he planned on kissing her anyway. Cupping her cheek with his free hand, he bent in for what he meant to be a gentle kiss. The crowd responded with applause. Emboldened by their enthusiasm, he let the kiss linger. Susan tasted delicious. Salt, artificial butter and something indefinable that had him tempted to lick his way past her lips.
When he finally did end the kiss, she looked up at him with what he swore was wonder in her darkened eyes. The look caused something primal to click deep inside him, and for a crazy second he thought about finding some dark corner where he could demonstrate how he really kissed a woman.
If they were in a real relationship, he would. In a heartbeat.
But they weren’t. The kiss was simply a hook to sell a story, and what he thought was wonder in her eyes was probably nothing more than the arena lights reflecting in their greenness.
“What do you think?” he asked, leaning back in his seat. He’d keep his arm around her shoulders for now. “Believable?”
For the rest of the game, Susan tried her best not to look as stunned as she felt. If that was Lewis’s idea of a casual first kiss, what did he do when he gave his full effort? It was all she could do not to crawl into his lap and beg for more.
Sheshouldbe angry that he kept the plan a secret. If she had known his plan involved the two of them putting on a public display, she would have…
What? Refused? Then she would have missed out on the most amazing kiss of her life. God bless the Mistletoe Cam, she decided. Were kisses like this what she could expect over the next few weeks? Well then, Merry Christmas to her.
Over her lifetime, Susan had grown accustomed to walking in on whispered conversations. It started at age five when her mother would end telephone conversations abruptly upon Susan entering the room. At the office, she could count on finding at least one or two employees with their heads together, usually complaining or gossiping. Whenever they saw her, they would break up and pretend they had been talking about work.
Today there seemed to be more heads together than usual, starting with a small group by the reception desk. Every single one of them had turned to look at her when she stepped through the front door. That could only mean one thing: There was a mention of last night in the paper.
