Jane Millionaire (6 page)

“Good thing there aren’t more people like you in the world or I’d be out of a job.” He grinned and the tension from moments before eased. “What kind of volunteer work?”

“I teach self-defense classes to women and am involved in San Padres High School’s after school drug-prevention program, among other things. But somehow I think you already know all these things about me. They would have been listed in my bio information, right?”

“Yes, I read about your extracurricular activities.” He grinned. “Still, I find your volunteer work interesting. Noble, even.”

“Necessary.”

“In quiet, family-oriented San Padres?” His tone teased. She reached out and punched his shoulder without putting any force behind the blow.

“Even in the most serene of settings, you just never know when someone’s going to knock you off your feet.” She tossed him a challenging look, like he’d better watch out or he might find himself on the ground. Of course, that being the case, she’d be right there with him. “I’ll race you back. First one to touch the castle wins. Loser has to buy the first round at the tavern tonight.”

“You’re on.”

They bolted toward the castle.

After slapping her hands against the cold stone wall of the castle, Jill doubled over with laughter and the need to catch her breath. “Who won?”

Her hands lifted. Oh, she bet she made a pretty picture all hot and sweaty. She looked at Rob and realized he stared at her clingy T-shirt, not that he could see much through the material and her sports bra. But it didn’t matter. Her nipples budded, straining toward him in a manner where he didn’t have to see through her clothes to know she was physically aware of him. Heat of a different kind spread through her.

Maybe she didn’t look as bad as she’d imagined. Or maybe it was because she was the only high estrogen producing body he’d seen in over a week.

Jill glanced around the tavern, eyeing a pay phone at the far end of the room. Apparently, all phones had been removed from the castle. It was unlikely she’d get another opportunity to make a call home.

What was Jessie doing?

She slid out of her barstool and smiled at the seven men sitting at the two pushed together tables. She grinned. Jane Millionaire and the seven studs.

“Be right back.”

Rob’s hand shot out and grasped around her wrist, stopping her departure. Zing. Zing. Zing. Electricity shot through her. “Where are you going?”

“The ladies room.” And she’d make a detour by the phone on her way out.

“Just give a shout if you have any problems.” JP raised his mug in salute.

Jill smiled. She doubted JP would be able to do a thing if she had problems she couldn’t handle, but it was sweet of him to offer.

“I’ll do that.” She winked at him, eliciting a lot of good nature ribbing from the crew. Rob watched without commenting and Jill scooted away before he saw she had duplicitous motives.

Three minutes later, she hid behind a burly man as she charged a call to Jessie’s cell number. Ring. Ring. Ring.
Come on, answer
.

Jessie’s voice mail picked up.

“Jessie, where are you?” she mumbled into the phone. “I’m not sure when I’ll get another chance to call, but if you need anything, call Dan.”

She hung up the phone, snuck a glance at where the crew sat. No one had noticed her. She eyed Rob for a moment, enjoying soaking up his features unawares. In his usual garb, he wore snug blue jeans and a T-shirt depicting a superhero character from a film she’d read that he directed a couple of years ago. JP had kindly provided her with an entertainment magazine that had done an unauthorized spread on Rob.

As if sensing he was being watched, Rob scanned the room. Jill ducked back out of view.

She needed to quit dallying and check on Jessie. She grabbed the phone back up, punched in Dan’s cell number and her pin to charge it to her home number.

“’Lo,” Dan answered on the third ring. His voice sounded muffled. Still the familiarity of his voice felt good. She hadn’t realized she was homesick. Maybe she was just a little.

“Catch you at a bad time?”

“I was sleeping.” Sounded like he still half was.

Jill did a quick calculation of the time difference. “Oops. Sorry about that. Wasn’t sure when I’d get another chance to call.”

“It’s okay. What’s up, Your Royal Pain in the Butt?” he teased, sounding more awake. She could picture him scooting up to a sitting position in his bed, blond hair tousled and a sleepy look on his face.

“You’re her sister, not her mother, Jill. For once why don’t you worry about yourself and the mess she’s gotten you into this time. You should have made her go.”

“Actually, it’s not been too bad so far. I’m staying at a castle surrounded by lots of men all catering to me. What more could a girl ask for?”

“Trying to make me jealous?” he joked.

“Could I?” she asked, not sure why. She’d already worked out that Dan had done the right thing breaking off their romantic ties. She valued their friendship, but wouldn’t take him back as a lover, would she?

“No. Nor do you want me to be.”

She sighed. He was right. “Yeah, I know that and you know that, but does the perfect girlfriend from Hell know that? I take it she’s there with you?”

Jill snickered. “Okay, you’re right.” From the corner of her eye she noticed one of the crewmembers standing from the table. Uh-oh. “Look, I’m going to have to go in just a sec. Have you checked on Jessie lately?”

“Saw her yesterday, and she’s fine. Quit playing mother hen.”

Was that what she was doing? And of all people, he should know why she had to look out for Jessie. He’d worked on the force during all those legal fiascos. For that matter, without Dan she might not have ever made it through Jessie’s rebellion after their parent’s death. He’d been at her side from the beginning.

“Dan,” she started and glanced up to look directly into Rob’s tawny eyes, not two feet from her. Uh-oh. “Speak up a bit, please. You’re calling for a Dan Jones? Just a minute and let me see if there’s someone by that name here.” She placed her hand over the mouthpiece and called out, “Is there a Dan Jones here? There’s a call for Dan Jones.” She met Rob’s narrowed gaze and shrugged as she spoke into the phone.

“Someone’s there, but you’re ‘quite alright’,” Dan correctly guessed. “If I didn’t think it was good for you and Jess for you to be out of pocket for six weeks, I’d strangle her for getting you into this mess.”

“Oh, he’s not your friend?” Jill waved her hand at Rob, acting as if she were just being polite. She needed to know Dan was going to look out for Jess. “A brother? Wow, I always wanted to have a big brother to watch out for me. Little sister’s need watching out for, you know.”

“Hint taken, Your Royal Pain in the Butt. Take care of you, and I’ll keep an eye on Jess. No worries.”

“Well, good luck. Bye now.” Her heart squeezed from missing Jess and Dan, but she carefully kept her emotions checked as she replaced the handset and smiled at Rob. “Sorry about that.”

“Just what was that about?” He looked suspicious as a man could get.

“The pay phone rang as I was walking by so I answered it.” She shrugged, reminding herself that he couldn’t tell that her heart raced. “I think the poor guy had the wrong number.”

“Now that you mention it, you’re right. Still, that’s who he asked for.” She reached out and ran her finger down the front of his shirt, knowing she had to distract him before he pried the truth from her. “Wanna dance?”

Not that she knew how to dance to the wild rhythm music playing in the background, but she’d figure it out if he said yes. The prospect of being in Rob’s arms threw her heart into a wild rhythm of it’s own.

An odd look passed over his face, as if he wasn’t sure what to make of her. “No, we don’t need to draw any more attention than two tables full of Americans in the middle of a European bar already does.”

She laughed, hooked her arm with his, and enjoyed the oncoming zings as they walked back to their tables.

“You think everyone in this tavern doesn’t know an American film crew rented that monstrosity where we’re staying?” Jill asked. “I promise you, they all do.”

Yeah, that’s what she was worried about, because she’d already met the man she wanted to romance her. Too bad he was plotting for another man, actually a dozen men, to do the job instead.

Chapter Four

“The bachelors will be here tomorrow night. I’m so nervous. Will they like me? Will I be attracted to any of them?”

Rob watched the video clip of Jane contemplating the bachelors’ arrival. She sat next to him in the cluttered with equipment studio, leaning in as she pointed at her image on the screen. She wore jeans, a t-shirt, and one of the headsets so she could listen to the recordings. Her hair was swept up in a ponytail. She’d apparently scrubbed her face clean because she no longer wore a drop of the make-up Gregory had painstakingly applied prior to a photo shoot and filming the scene they watched. Most of the women he knew would rather be shot than be seen without their armor of paint.

Mandy sure hadn’t let him see her sans her war paint. Apparently, Jane couldn’t rid herself of Gregory’s artwork soon enough.

“I feel ridiculous watching myself think out loud,” she mumbled as she stared at the monitor in obvious distaste.

“Just don’t do it in front of the bachelors.” Rob grinned. JP was right. America was going to love Jane. And when they did, Gambler would really happen--if he could keep his hands off of his current star. Which he would. Somehow. No woman was worth losing this shot at success.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” she assured. Something in her tone made Rob wonder what he’d learn if he could hear her thoughts out loud at this moment.

“Are you excited about tomorrow night?” he asked. Most of the crew had traveled an hour away to the hotel where the bachelors roomed for the evening. They were being filmed in the hotel’s bar discussing the princess.

She shrugged. “I’m meeting twelve men who are competing for my affections so they can dump me for a hundred grand. What’s not to be excited about?”

“You’re too young to be so cynical.” Not that he necessarily believed his own words, but the phrase seemed like an appropriate response.

“What about you? Do you think one of these guys is really going to fall in love with me while all of America watches?” Her emerald eyes challenged him to be honest.

Rob adjusted the earpiece he wore. What could he say? He wasn’t an advocate for love or reality TV. Most of what he’d seen when researching this project was about as bogus as television got.

Love. Reality television. Ha, what was the difference?

He knew just how
real
love was. It lasted just as long as you could help a woman one more notch up the proverbial ladder of success. Once she’d clawed her way up your back,
love
lost all its allure.

“It could happen,” he said, after all, stranger things had.

“But it won’t.”

Why did she make comments downing her appeal when she exuded confidence in so many other ways? Hell, he was pretty sure he’d never met a more together woman than the one sitting next to him. Too bad she wanted Hollywood’s glitter. Lust for stardom would ruin her.

Not that any of his ramblings mattered. Jane was hands-off in so many ways somebody should post warning signs. Certainly, the prospect of her finding love on a reality show warranted a “Danger Ahead” notice.

Distracted, he said the first thing that popped into his head. “The question is whether or not
you
will fall in love with one of them.”