I said. I’ll pay you, of course. What was Frankston’s company giving you?’
She told him and he gave a snort. ‘What a joke. No wonder you didn’t put your heart into that role. I’ll pay you four times that much, plus expenses.’
‘Expenses?’
‘Hang on a minute.’ He turned his headphones back on and began to speak on air. ‘You heard it first on Hot Spot FM. Bryn Dwyer the confirmed bachelor is in love with a little lady who has promised to be his wife. You know the number. Give me a call to congratulate me. This is one very happy man.’
Mia sat silently fuming. This was getting ridiculous. Surely he didn’t expect her to take him seriously?
She chewed her lip for a moment.
It was a lot of money he was offering. Besides, it might only be for a week or two, maybe a couple of months at the most. And it would certainly solve Ellie’s problems, which was her biggest priority right now. And she was an actor, so it shouldn’t be a problem playing the role, but still…
She stole a covert look at him as he chatted with another caller. He was smiling, which made his eyes crinkle up at the edges in a rather attractive way.
‘So what do you say?’ he said as he went off air again.
‘What if I don’t agree to this?’ she said, not wanting to feed his ego by sounding too keen.
He shifted his lips from side to side as if he was thinking about a suitable plan of action. Mia felt distinctly uneasy. She felt as if she was now under his control and she didn’t like it one little bit. She had come storming to the studio to tell him what she thought of him but somehow he had turned the tables on her.
‘There were witnesses to your assault on my person this morning,’ he said into the little silence. ‘And, like you, I have a lot of friends, several of them with impressive law degrees. All it would take is one phone call and you could be in very hot water, even hotter than the liquid you tossed in my lap.’
Mia’s throat moved up and down. Surely he wouldn’t press charges if she didn’t fall in with his plans?
She met his midnight-blue eyes and swallowed again,
Yes. He would.
She lowered her gaze. ‘You mentioned something about expenses…’
‘Yes. You’ll need to have nice clothes and get your hair done occasionally. I don’t expect you to pay for that out of your own pocket. I’ll make sure you have a substantial clothing and grooming allowance. So have we got a deal?’
‘How long do you expect me to play this role for you?’
‘Not long; a week or two, maybe longer.’
She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘How much longer?’
‘What say we give it a month at the most and then we’ll call it off?’
‘What will happen to your ratings then?’
He gave her another grin. ‘They’ll probably increase due to my heartbroken state. Everyone will feel sorry for me being dumped.’
Mia rolled her eyes.
‘I’m off air in thirty minutes,’ he said, flicking another switch. ‘Wait for me in the cafeteria and we’ll go somewhere where we can have another chat about the deal. But in the meantime, don’t let the cat out of the bag. I don’t want anyone at the studio to suspect this is a stunt.’
‘What about your publicist?’
‘I’ll tell her only what she needs to hear but no one else is to know, not even your family and friends.’
‘I can’t lie to my family and friends!’
‘You’re not lying, Mia. You’re acting. There’s a difference.’
She opened her mouth but he went back on air before she could get a single word of protest out. She blew out a breath of frustration and, snatching up her bag, made her way to the cafeteria she’d seen on her way in.
CHAPTER THREE
MIA was almost relieved when Bryn finally joined her half an hour later. She’d been practically besieged by staff rushing up to congratulate her on her impending marriage to Sydney’s crown prince of the airwaves.
‘Sorry about that,’ he said as he led her to an office down the hall. He smiled at her as he pushed open the door marked with his name. ‘See what a sensation you’ve caused?’
‘I’ve caused?’ Mia swung around to glare at him once they were alone inside. ‘If you hadn’t rubbished me the way you did none of this would have happened.’
‘You were the one who told everyone we were engaged,’ he pointed out.
‘I only did that to get back at you for saying we’d fallen in love this morning.’ She gave him a disparaging glare and added, ‘As if I’d ever fall in love with someone like you.’
‘I don’t know why you’re so upset,’ he said. ‘Your season with Theodore would have ended in two weeks anyway—then what were you going to do? Wait on tables until something else turned up? I’m doing you a favour, Mia. I’m giving you the sort of exposure most wannabe actors would give a right arm for. Your face will be on every national paper tomorrow. The Press will want interviews, magazines will carry your picture on their covers and before you know it every film or theatre producer in town will be begging you to audition for them. You’ll have agents falling over themselves to represent you.’
Mia frowned as she thought about it. It certainly would get her name out there, but at what cost? How would she ever explain it to her family?
‘I don’t like the idea of being used as a marketing ploy, especially without consultation with me first,’ she said. ‘And I don’t appreciate being blackmailed.’
‘Yes, well, I don’t appreciate having my groin soaked with hot coffee,’ he returned with a glint in his eyes.
Mia’s eyes went to his groin. He was leaning against his desk, his long legs outstretched, the fabric of his trousers pulled tight over his…
She wrenched her gaze away and forced herself to meet his laughing blue eyes. ‘I’m sure no permanent damage was done and even if it was I’m sure the rest would do you good. It’s a wonder it hasn’t dropped off by now from overuse.’
‘Maybe you should check it out just to make sure it’s still on active service,’ he suggested with a lift of an eyebrow.
She gave him a withering look and folded her arms across her chest. ‘I don’t think so.’
He laughed and pushed himself away from the desk to stand right in front of her. He tipped up her chin with one long finger and looked into her eyes. ‘You’ve got such an expressive little face. I can’t stop looking at you. Those big grey eyes of yours remind me of a stormy afternoon sky, one minute dark and brooding, the next flashing with lightning sparks of fury.’
Mia held her breath as he began to trace his thumb across her bottom lip, back and forth, back and forth until she could feel her mouth tingling. She knew she should have at least made a token effort to move out of his reach but somehow his touch was totally mesmerising. Her heart began to hammer behind her chest as he placed his hand on her hip and brought her even closer.
‘Wh-what are you doing?’ she croaked.
He held her firm, his long fingers splayed over the slim curve of her hip, his mouth tilted in a little smile. ‘I thought we should get this bit over with in private. That way when we have to do it in public it won’t feel so strange. It’s like a rehearsal, if you like.’
‘A rehearsal?’ She gave a quick nervous swallow. ‘A rehearsal for what?’
His head came down,