left the warmth of the bathroom, hair dripping chill around his shoulders. He used the towel from around his waist to dry the worst of it, then threw himself under the covers of the empty bed before turning out the light.
As he lay there, he realized the most infuriating and intriguing thing of all about Gwen Tennison was that she had said no.
Chapter Three
âGwen!â Sam took her call right away. âHow are things going?â
âSamantha. When I get home, we need to have a long discussion about what the word âdifficultâ means.â Gwen breathed slowly through her nose. Sally was out of the room they were sharing, off getting breakfast. Gwen was trying not to pace.
âWhat?â
âLucas Wheeler is not
difficult
, Sam. Lucas Wheeler is bloody
impossible
.â
âWhatâs happened now?â
Gwen lost the battle and started to pace. âI can deal with the constant sarcasm that comes my way. I can deal with the fact that he thinks Iâm incompetent and doesnât hesitate to tell me. I can even deal with a little bit of groping now and then. God knows itâs happened before.â
âBut?â
âBut he seems utterly determined that Iâm going to be a notch on his proverbial bedpost.â
âAre you complaining, or bragging?â
âAm Iââ Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose, before dissolving into laughter. Sam started giggling with her on the other end. âI hate you,â Gwen finally said.
âNo you donât,â Sam said. âYouâre having the time of your life. I can hear it.â
Gwen tried to catch her breath, tension melting. âNo, really, Sam. That would be the worst idea ever.â
âTour manager sleeping with the star? Wouldnât be the first time itâs happened,â Sam said. âTo be fair, I didnât think it was something heâd try more than once.â
âWell thanks,â Gwen snorted. âI feel really special now. How have you lot not been sued for sexual harassment? Seriously?â Gwen sat on the edge of her bed.
âBut things
are
going all right, otherwise?â
âYeah. Getting better, I think.â
âYou are,â Sam agreed. âIâve been hearing good things. Craig says youâre catching on beautifully.â
âOh good. Heâs a good guy.â
âHe is.â Sam paused. âListen, there is one concern. The merchandise revenues are running a lot lower than they should be. Sally mentioned there were some issues in New York with table placementââ
âI triedââ
âI know, Iâm not blaming you.â
Gwen wondered how much pressure Sam was getting, and her palms started to sweat. âHow bad is it?â
âItâs . . . pretty bad, but fixable.â Gwen heard the sound of typing. âIâve sent you some ideas via email. Mostly, work with Sally. She knows her stuff. Check with her first, make sure sheâs always got what she needs.â
âIâm sorry. I donât want to cause trouble for you.â
âCome on, Iâm tougher than that. Itâll be fine.â Samâs tone softened, turning her back from boss into sister. âHow are you getting on with the rest of the crew?â
âTheyâre a good lot. More clean-cut than I expected.â
âDo you think that was accidental? While Lucas was in rehab, we made some major staffing changes. At the request of Lucasâs familyâand you are not to repeat any of thisâwe swapped out any crew member with a drug habit.â
âHis family. And you just . . . went along with it? Is that even legal?â
âNo one was fired, just transferred. Except for your predecessor, and there were . . . extenuating circumstances. As to his family, Lee Wheeler can be quite persuasive where his little brother is concerned.â
Gwen thought about the man
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley