“She was doing her job just fine,” Gavin interrupts, a note of anger entering his tone. “I was asking her for help. You said she’s missing her name tag?”
Vandenburgh nods, suddenly very docile.
Gavin shakes his head and takes a small metal tag out of his pocket, handing it to me. “It’s my fault, Brianna. I bumped into you in the hallway and it got caught on my sleeve. Sorry about that.”
I reach out and take it, unsure of what to say. “Th–thank you.”
“You see?” Gavin asks, looking at Mr. Vandenburgh. “All my fault.”
Suddenly, Vandenburgh’s trying hard to kiss Gavin’s ass. “Of course it was just a misunderstanding, Mr. Adams. Miss Sayles has just proven to be a bit of a problem in the past.”
“She’s been very helpful. And my room is in perfect order,” Gavin says, cutting off Vandenburgh and crossing his arms over his chest. “In fact, I’d like to speak with her. I need her help with something. Mind if I borrow Brianna here for an hour or so?”
I gape in disbelief. This isn’t going how I expected it to.
Vandenburgh glances over at me. It’s clear he doesn’t want to let me out of his sight and wants me to continue scrubbing the floor. But Gavin is a celebrity. Vandenburgh might despise me, but he can’t afford to not kiss Gavin’s ass.
Still, I know it irks him when he forces the next words from his lips. “Of course not, Mr. Adams. I’ll just make some adjustments.”
“Thank you,” Gavin says with a smirk.
Vandenburgh looks like he’s been bitch slapped when he rushes off, muttering to himself under his breath. I would laugh my ass off at him if I weren’t so shocked and if I knew it wouldn’t get my ass fired.
Gavin watches for a moment before he turns back, holding his hand out to me.
I stare at his hand for a moment before taking it. A spark of electricity shoots up my arm as he pulls me to my feet with ease, his grip strong and firm. I’m disappointed when he lets go, but I don’t let it show.
“There,” he says, flashing me a charming grin. “I just had to do something. You’re too pretty to be scrubbing floors.”
Warmth flows through my chest at his words and I almost forget that I’m supposed to be on guard.
He’s only trying to be nice cause he wants something, a voice in the back of my head warns.
“Thank you,” I tell him. “But you didn’t have to do that for me.”
Gavin waves me away. “Sure I did.” He nods toward the coffee shop, glancing at his watch. “Come on, let’s get some coffee and a bagel. I have a few minutes to kill before I head off to the set, and you look like you could use a break.”
I glance with uncertainty toward Vandenburgh’s office. While I appreciate Gavin’s standing up for me, I don’t know if I should be going anywhere with him. Especially when I know what he’s really after.
Gavin doesn’t give me a chance to say no. “Come on,” he says, taking my hand in his and leading me toward the cafe. “My treat.”
Dumbstruck, I let him lead me halfway to the door, my heart pounding every step of the way, before I stop and pull my hand out of his.
“Wait,” I say, looking down at my jumpsuit. “I can’t.” I know we’re not going anywhere special, but I look like shit. And I don’t want to be seen with Gavin with this outfit on. Who knows if paparazzi are lurking around, waiting to take an embarrassing picture? “Vandenburgh will kill me. And I look awful,” I add.
Gavin scowls. “Don’t worry about shorty. I’ll take care of him, trust me.” He gives me a smoldering look that makes my heart do a backflip. “And you’d look beautiful even if you were wearing rags.”
A furious blush comes to my cheeks and I lower my head as a warm, fuzzy feeling flows through my chest. I shouldn’t be listening to anything he says. Knowing what I know about him, it should go in one ear and out the other. But I can’t help but be flattered.
“Thank you,” I say softly.
He winks at me, taking my hand in his again. I don’t even bother objecting this time. And I allow him to lead me across the lobby, where he opens the cafe door for me.
Mindy’s eyes practically pop out of her head when we walk in, like she can’t believe what she’s seeing. After she recovers, she walks over, looking as if she’s going through great pains to keep a straight face, and hands Gavin a menu. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Adams. Is this the girl you’ve been looking for all this time?”
Careful, Mindy, I warn her with my eyes. Hers are sparkling with mischief, and I know she’s just itching for a chance to say or do something silly that will embarrass me.
“The very one,” Gavin says easily, leading me to a corner table. Mindy follows us over as he helps me slide into my seat before sinking into his.
Mindy smacks herself against her head, playing dumb. “Damn! I wish I would have known you were talking about Brianna when you came into the coffee shop. I would have gone and gotten her out of the back.”
Amusement sparkles in Gavin’s eyes as he waves away her faux concern. “It’s not a big deal. I’m just glad I found her.” His eyes turn on me, and I feel my cheeks heating all over again. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Mindy tosses me a playful wink, her eyes screaming, Girl, you’d better let him have his way with you. Or else!
“That’s so sweet,” Mindy says, grinning. “It’s not every day a big sports star comes waltzing into our hotel. On a date with one of my co-workers, no less. I must say, I’m a little jealous.”
“We’re not on a date,” I say so quickly I almost don’t understand myself.
