Page 46 of Playing a Player (Sweet Cravings 1)

My cell phone started to ring. I looked down at the display and saw that my editor was calling. That was fast. "Hi, Judy," I said.

"Love, love, love the idea."

"Great. I have a ton of notes about different things I can try."

"What's the ultimate goal of the piece?"

To make him fall in love with me. "To get him to change his ways. To prove that women can change this new norm. One night stand are a terrible..."

"Not sexy enough," she said, cutting me off. "Get him to commit to being friends with benefits. The readers will love that. Friends with benefits is in right now."

"What?" That's not the direction I wanted to go in at all. It was the complete opposite of what I wanted to accomplish.

"Sex sells, hon. Make it happen."

"But I..."

"This will be great. Let's do a series of articles showing your progress. So we'll need something juicy by Wednesday."

"Okay." I searched through my notes. "I was planning on dressing up really sexy and going on a pretend date. I could do that tonight. Try to make him jealous..."

"Well, what is he doing right now?" she asked, cutting me off.

"Umm..." I pulled the phone away from my ear. The shower had just started. "I think he just got in the shower."

"Perfect! Join him."

"What?!" I shouldn't have told her about the shower.

"Just hop in and act like you shower with other people all the time. Ignore him completely. Our readers will eat this up."

"Judy, I can't do that." Was she high or something?

"You can. And you will. I know you heard the rumors that we're overstaffed. Well, they aren't rumors. Freelance writers are first on the chopping block. Don't make me bring your name up to the board. I expect the first draft by tomorrow morning." Judy clicked off.

What did I just do? Why did I pitch that idea to her? I couldn't write an article about seducing my roommate. Rory knew I wrote for The Post. He might read it. Shit!

But I couldn't lose my job, either. It had taken me three years to work my way up to actually getting to write. I didn't want to start over at a different newspaper. Rory probably wouldn't read it anyway. He wasn't even interested in me. And that was the problem. Regardless, I wanted that to change. I wanted him to notice me. But I never intended it to be like this.

I threw my phone down on my desk and walked out into the hallway. Before I could change my mind, I grabbed the handle of the bathroom door, but it was locked. Last time I had walked in on him in the bathroom I had freaked

out about him needing to lock the door. He was actually being a really good roommate. I ran into the kitchen and started opening up drawers. The key to all the locks on the doors in the apartment was somewhere in here. Shit, where is it?

I pushed aside some of the items in the last drawer, but still couldn't find it. I laughed and ran into my room. Right before Rory had moved in I had hidden the key in my room. I had been so worried about living with a guy. Yet I was the one being insanely forward and awkward, not him. I grabbed the key out of my nightstand and ran over to the bathroom door.

I took a deep breath, unlocked the door, and walked in. The bathroom was full of steam. I was glad the mirror was foggy as I undressed. If I had to see myself stripping I was pretty sure I would chicken out. I can't believe I'm doing this.

I pulled the curtain back. "Hey, roomie, do you mind if I join you?" I asked and climbed in behind him without waiting for a response.

"Whoa!" Rory put his hand over his penis.

He looked so fucking sexy with his skin glistening from the water. Beads of water cascaded down his muscular abs and perfectly sculpted torso.

"What the hell, Keira?" He really didn't sound mad though. His eyes drifted to my breasts.

It was hard to focus on what he was saying when he was standing there naked. "I just really needed to take a shower. I have a meeting I have to go to." It was tempting to cover my breasts with my hands, but I resisted the urge.

"Can't you wait like five minutes?"

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