Courting His Royal Highness Read Online Free PDF Page B

meet EVE’s next big star.”
    Chloe blushed. “Oh, I doubt that, but thanks for saying so.”
    “Well, these reality television stars are hugely popular. I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended up winning an Oscar someday.”
    Chloe laughed. “Now you really are dreaming.”
    Karen shrugged one slender shoulder. “It never hurts to dream. And sometimes dreams turn into reality—especially here in L.A.”
    Her innocent optimism was refreshing. Chloe hoped Karen’s dreams—whatever they were—would come true.
    “Yeah, sometimes dreams do come true.”
    Karen grinned. She was rather pretty, with wide green eyes and flaxen hair. She was also incredibly tall—definitely model material. Chloe guessed she’d find an up-to-date portfolio behind the desk, just in case someone important walked through the elevator doors.
    She followed a talkative Karen down the hallway covered with glossy posters of favorite EVE programs and shows, paying little attention to what the cheery young girl said. She could only think about the meeting with Mr. Carridine and Ms. Lewis. She had never been so nervous. Her belly butterflies were now swarms of locusts, and she felt sick to her stomach. She hoped she wouldn’t embarrass herself by upchucking all over her new bosses. That would not be a good impression to set the first day of the job.
    They paused before Conference Room #1.
    “Ready?” Karen asked.
    Chloe nodded.
    “You’ll do fine. Besides, they’ve already hired you.”
    “That doesn’t mean they can’t fire me.”
    “Don’t worry. They aren’t going to can you. They like you. I’ve heard good things.”
    Chloe wasn’t sure how a receptionist knew so much, but Karen’s comment softened the nerves pinching her stomach.
    “You should be a professional cheerleader,” she commented as Karen rapped lightly on the heavy oak door.
    Karen flipped a long strand of blonde hair over one shoulder. “I was.”
    “I’m not surprised,” Chloe chuckled. Yep, Karen was definitely a half-full type of gal.
    Mr. Carridine opened the door. He was a tall, stately man in his early 60s, with salt-and-pepper hair and a dazzling smile. He was an important man at EVE Network, second only to Ms. Lewis.
    “Chloe, how nice to see you again.”
    It surprised her when he grabbed her hand and brushed a feathery kiss across her knuckles. She didn’t really mind. It was nice to be treated like a lady for once. Some feminists would be outraged by such treatment, but Chloe still appreciated a man who opened the door for her and placed a protective hand on the small of her back.
    “I’m looking forward to being part of the EVE team, Mr. Carridine.”
    He took her elbow in his palm and steered her inside. The door shut softly behind them. The room was simply decorated in soothing tones of blue and green. A long table lined with twelve green leather chairs highlighted the middle of the room, while a comfy couch hugged one wall. A couple of overstuffed matching chairs took up space in one corner.
    “I insist that you call me Lester. Being addressed as Mr. Carridine makes me feel so old.”
    A light, feminine chuckle resonated throughout the room. “You are old, Les.”
    Chloe turned to face Ms. Antonia Lewis, EVE Network’s charismatic CEO. She was a decade younger than Lester and had been in the biz since the age of four, when she’d starred in a popular television commercial. She had worked her way up the ladder, and now she was one of the few women at the top in the business.
    Chloe knew all about Toni Lewis. All of tinseltown knew how the silver-haired woman had managed to single-handedly turn EVE into a profit-generating phenomenon. Cable television had never seen anything like it before. The ratings were through the roof. Women programmed EVE into their TiVo, addicted to the emotional dramas, light-hearted comedies, biographies, fashion shows, talk shows, and soap operas that rivaled General Hospital and The Young and the Restless in