Amanda.”
“Will do, and you can call me Kevin. Come on inside. Johnny’s waiting to meet you.”
A jolt of anxiety hit me at his words. I put on my game-day face, and followed him. Inside the house was just as breathtaking as the outside. Kevin led me through the entryway and into the enormous living room. It was flooded by natural light that poured in through the windows. The room was filled with expensive looking art-deco furniture. All of that faded to the background when my eyes landed on Johnny Q Venom. He had been sitting on a mocha colored couch beside a massive fireplace on the main wall. He jumped to his feet when our eyes met, and his face broke into a broad, pleasant smile.
“Amanda!”
The way he said it felt like he was greeting an old friend. I rushed forward to shake his hand, and did my best to ignore the instant sparks flying between us. He had a magnetic energy that drew me in, and took my hand in what I thought would be a handshake. Instead, he grasped my fingers, and oh my God, the man raised my hand and brushed a quick kiss across the tops of my knuckles. As innocent as it might have seemed, my body reacted from head to toe. It was harmless, but felt so…intimate. And my reaction caught me by surprise. My cheeks warmed up, and knew I was blushing.
“Come on, Johnny,” Kevin snapped. He softened his tone as he turned to me. “Amanda, please sit anywhere you like.”
Johnny begrudgingly released my hand and gestured to the sofa.
I smiled at him. “Thank you. It’s great to meet you.”
I sat on the edge of the couch beside him. My nervousness had ratcheted up another degree sometime between walking through the house and feeling his lips on my skin. Kevin was polite. He offered me a beverage and would not take no for an answer. I secretly hoped he would be the same way when it came time to offering me this gig. He made small talk as we waited for his assistant to bring in three bottles of Perrier water. And every time Johnny and I made eye contact, my head would get clouded. I reminded myself I was here on business, and not just to get an eyeful of the delicious man-candy sitting across from me.
Soon, we all got down to business. It didn’t take any effort to know who was in charge. Johnny might have been the rock star, but Kevin was the boss. For that reason—and because looking at Johnny led to fiery, erotic thoughts—I placed all my attention on what Kevin had to share. I nodded and interjected where I felt comfortable, and answered all his questions.
The lustful part of my brain was completely occupied with thoughts of Johnny. He acted nothing like a celebrity rock star. And all the research I had done contradicted what I was starting to sense about him in person. He seemed warmer, softer, more low-key, and sweet Jesus, his smoking hot body oozed sex appeal. I knew he was hot, but getting this extra insight into his personality only amplified my physical attraction.
I didn’t know if I would get the job, but already I could tell that if I did, Johnny was going to make it very difficult for me to keep things professional. I desperately needed to draw the line if I wanted to take full advantage this opportunity.
Chapter Five
Johnny
I studied Amanda’s face intently. Kevin’s voice became a blur as he rattled on about the responsibilities of the job, the timelines, and a detailed breakdown of each stop on the tour. Her expression seemed to default to a relaxed smile. She nodded and took in all the information Kevin shared. And she didn’t try to interrupt his lengthy monologues. That impressed me. I would have jumped in and stopped him ten times by now.
She took notes on a green legal pad in her lap. I was tempted to get up, walk around behind her, and look over her shoulder. I wanted to know what she was writing, what her handwriting looked like, to see if she made any doodles in the margins in between noteworthy thoughts. I had expected it to be overwhelming to meet