This Is True Love (Exclusive! #1) by Jamie Wesley Read Free Book Online

“It’s nice to see you again, Pete.”
    Pete snuck a quick peek at Alex before shaking her hand. “Right back atcha.”
    Fliss turned to the two others.
    “This is Amanda Hughes, the assistant production manager, who started here about four months ago, and you already met Tim. He’s a production assistant,” Alex said.
    Amanda, a petite woman with pecan-colored skin, said, “Hi,” in a soft voice tinged with a southern accent, and Tim waved.
    “We’re a small but mighty staff,” Pete said.
    Fliss nodded. “No doubt. Alex knows how much I admire Crescendo. It’s nice to meet everybody. I can’t wait to get to know you better.”
    “The feeling is mutual, believe me.” A flirtatious grin accompanied the comment.
    “Pete…” Alex warned.
    She stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Pete was harmless. Cute but harmless. Alex was a pain in the ass. “So what’s on today’s agenda?”
    “It’s time for the weekly brainstorming session,” Alex said.
    “Alex doesn’t like to call it a meeting,” Pete explained.
    “It stifles creativity,” Amanda added.
    “Okay. Well, let’s do this.” Fliss took a deep breath and followed the others to a small conference room at the front of the office and held back as everyone else headed for a specific chair. Alex sat at the head of the glass table. Left with few options, Fliss sat in the leather chair to his right. She placed the box of doughnuts at the center of the table. Pete and Tim leaped on them like starving wildebeests and grabbed two each. Amanda followed at a more sedate pace, carefully studying the box’s contents before selecting a chocolate glazed donut.
    “Alex, do you want one?” Fliss twisted toward him. She would be polite even if it killed her.
    “No, I’m good.” He clapped his hands. “Now, if you guys are done feeding your faces, let’s get started. I’ve got some good news.”
    “On the Farrah Blake project?” Pete asked after swallowing.
    “Yes. I’m happy to announce that everything else we’ve been working on needs to be put on the backburner. We, well, actually Fliss secured a meeting with Phillip Mansfield.”
    Tim, Pete, and Amanda looked at her with new respect, sending twin rushes of satisfaction and relief through her.
    “How did you manage that?” Amanda asked. “We’ve been spinning our wheels for months.”
    “He produced a soundtrack to a movie I did a few years ago,” Fliss said.
    “ The Love of Money ,” Tim said, his first words since their initial meeting.
    “Tim is an encyclopedia of movie knowledge,” Alex said.
    Fliss nodded. “When Alex told me he was working on the project, I sent the proposal to Phillip, and he called Alex a few days ago. He obviously enjoyed what he read.”
    “With any luck, he did like the proposal, but we haven’t secured the rights to the project yet,” Alex said. “We know there are at least two other production companies angling to make the movie, but it’s pointless. They won’t win. Crescendo will.”
    So sure. So confident. Fliss didn’t doubt him. Now that he had his chance, he wasn’t going to let it slip through his fingers. It was kind of hot. Really hot. If she were interested in hotness. Which she so wasn’t.
    “With that said, we need to come up with the best pitch possible,” he continued. “What do we know about Mansfield?”
    “Besides the fact that he’s one of the most influential people in the music business?” Pete asked.
    “Yes, besides that,” Alex said dryly.
    Pete shrugged, grinning. “Hey, you asked.”
    “So I did. Does anyone have anything else to add?” Alex looked around the table.
    “I do.” Fliss ordered herself not to fidget as four pairs of eyes swung her way. But surely one crutch would be okay. She grabbed a pen from a silver container at the center of the table and twirled it between her hands. “He likes candy, especially peanut M&Ms.” She shrugged when Alex shot her a come-on look. “What? He does.”
    “That’s