on the tour bus and writing about the behind-the-scenes action you observe firsthand for our readers. Write the story as if the readers are there with you.”
“This sounds like a great idea,” Tamara said. “Samantha, I’m all for it. I’m glad I overpacked for this trip.”
“Great. You’ll e-mail the series of articles as you finish them.”
“You said Micah Ross is fine with this?” she asked. Tamara was surprised, considering that she hadn’t been able to catch up to him. Why didn’t he call her directly? She wondered.
“It was actually his idea,” Samantha responded. “This article will let us know if you’re ready to become a feature writer for the magazine. This is your shot, Tamara.”
“I realize that. I won’t let you down, Samantha.”
“I know that. Enjoy yourself, Tamara, and e-mail those articles as soon as you finish them.”
Tamara broke into a smile. Even though she hadn’t heard a word from Micah, it seemed as if he were trying to keep her around for a little longer; however, she wished that he had called her directly to discuss his thoughts.
Another thought struck her. Maybe he was deliberately avoiding her.
“I called Micah’s office earlier but haven’t been able to speak to him directly,” Tamara stated. “I’m assuming we’ll touch base sometime tomorrow.”
“Oh, he did tell me that he’s going to be in meetings all day tomorrow but said that he’ll see you at the release party.”
Tamara hid her disappointment. Micah’s schedule was so tight that she wondered if she would have the chance to apologize. The party just was not the place to bring up the past.
She and her editor discussed one of her other projects before ending their conversation.
A commercial flashed across the television. A thread of jealousy snaked down her spine as she watched a smiling Sunni saunter across the screen wearing the newest bra from Victoria’s Secret.
What does Micah see in her? Tamara wondered. She’s tall, thin and beautiful, but is she truly in love with him? How does Micah feel about her? Did he love her, too?
She couldn’t tell from the many photographs she had seen of the two of them.
Micah rarely made eye contact with the media. They considered him aloof and even a bit eccentric.
Tamara knew that Micah wasn’t aloof—just shy and had always been uncomfortable in the spotlight. She wondered if any of the reporters knew that he could sing and that he played the piano, drums and sax. He also loved computers and could write software programs. Even though he studied business and computer science in school, Micah’s first love had always been music.
She was pretty sure that those same reporters also didn’t know how much he loved reading, his tastes varying from Shakespeare to James Patterson. Micah rarely granted personal interviews, instead focusing on his A-list of performers and pushing their careers forward. He was an astute executive and knew the music industry inside and out.
While the media and other industry professionals considered him a man of mystery, they held him in high regard.
“How could I have been so stupid and so insensitive?” she whispered. “How could I ever have thought he was like…” Tamara shook her head and rose to her feet.
She opened the floor-to-ceiling curtains and stared out the window over the city of Los Angeles. It was so beautiful at night. Tamara loved California and often came to visit her family living in Oceanside, a coastal town near San Diego.
She could not fully enjoy the night air, the shining stars and the moon because Micah dominated her thoughts.
Tamara spent the rest of her evening editing and revising her article about a woman who had overcome breast cancer and was now inspiring others.
An hour passed and still no word from Micah.
Then another.
When the clock struck eleven, Tamara gave up and decided to go to bed. She was still on East Coast time and feeling weary.
Tamara vowed she would not leave Los Angeles until she and Micah had a chance to sit down and talk.
Micah eyed the telephone, still warring within himself whether or not to call Tamara.
She was probably in bed by now he thought and mentally let himself off the hook.
Old feelings that he thought were long buried had resurfaced after seeing her today, and he had not been able to get her off his mind.
Along with those feelings came another emotion—resentment. He hungered to make Tamara pay for the way she used him back then. Micah believed that the only reason Tamara was reaching out to him now was the interview he had arranged.
He wondered what would happen if she didn’t deliver the interview as promised and if it would hurt her career.
Micah’s lips curled upward at the thought.
Tamara needed this interview to take place if she ever wanted to be considered for something other than writing fluff on debutante balls, charity events and flower shows.
His stomach growled, reminding him that he had missed lunch. It was after eight and he didn’t like to eat heavy when it was late so he made himself a salad and heated up a piece of leftover grilled salmon.
Sunni called Micah, wanting to know if she could come over to spend the evening with him. She had been trying to seduce him for months now. He wasn’t about to let her into his bed because Micah didn’t have any idea what it would eventually cost him to get her out.
“Not tonight. Sunni, I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on,” Micah told her. “I need to stay focused.”
“Micah, you’ve been a real party pooper lately. You used to have time for me.”
“Sunni, I have a business to run. You know that.”
“You have very capable people working for you, too,” she retorted.
“I’ll give you a call later,” he stated.
Micah knew that she was not happy with his response, but the truth was that he really did not feel like having company tonight. He wanted to spend the rest of his evening deciding exactly what to do about Tamara Hodges.
Tamara called and left another message for Micah after she ate her breakfast. His secretary told her that he was in a meeting and would not be returning calls until later in the day. She did not expect any other response.
She was sure that Micah was avoiding her. If he were not, Tamara was positive that she would have heard from him by now. This was not her first trip to Los Angeles, so Tamara decided against leaving the hotel for sightseeing or shopping. Instead, she spent her day in the hotel room working on another project until it was time to dress for the party.
Tamara’s nerves had been on edge all day long. She even took an instant dislike to everything she packed for the trip and now wished she had gone shopping earlier.
After her shower, Tamara changed into a black Tadashi dress with a sheer top, sleeves and shutter pleating from bodice to the hem.
“This is so not me,” she mumbled as she stared at her reflection in the floor-length mirror. The dress hugged her body lovingly, but Tamara wasn’t comfortable when it came to showing off her curves.
Next, she slipped on a Proenza Schouler georgette dress that she’d snagged on sale for two hundred seventy-two dollars at Sak’s Fifth Avenue department store the day before she left Atlanta.
The black-and-white print, dramatically gathered shift draped at the back with a floating train. The dress looked great with the opaque black stockings and Christian Louboutin open-toe patent-leather pumps.
“Not