Meeting His Match

Chapter 8-1

Chapter 8

Nat ran a hand down the short skirt she wore while she waited for Ashley and Malcolm. After their chat the other night, Nat and Mac had decided to meet Ashley together. If anything could create a spark between them, Ashley could. The techs all walked around adjusting lighting and microphones. When the door opened again, Nat knew it was Mac without turning around. She felt his gaze on her, and she was glad she chose these heels to wear.

Mac strode up beside her and handed her a cup. “Feeling better?”

She took the cup, lifted the lid, and sniffed. Tea. “I am, thank you.”

“You definitely look better.” Without shifting, he ran his eyes all over her.

“Careful. You might give a girl a complex.” She took a sip of the hot tea. She’d spent the last couple of days in bed, well medicated, so she was almost back to normal. The tea soothed her dry throat.

Moments later, Ashley came in. Her smile was broad and friendly. “So how do we do this?”

Mac raised a hand. “We’ll explain everything once we’re in front of the cameras. The producer gets irritated if they miss anything good.”

He led Ashley over to the conference table. Mike directed people and then started rolling.

Mac cleared his throat. “Ashley, Gem and I decided we might try something different. Instead of meeting with you separately, we thought we’d talk to together.”

“Cool,” Ashley said. “Where do we start?”

“I have a mixer set up for you. I’ve invited twenty men who I believe might be a good match for you.”

“Okay.”

“My concern lies in how you conduct yourself at the mixer.”

“How do you mean?”

Nat watched as Ashley’s defenses came up. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Nat, on the other hand, leaned forward to make sure she heard every silly syllable dripping from Mac’s lips.

“You project a certain amount of casualness based on your dating experience. I think you need to soften some of that to project the right level of responsiveness to the men at the party.”

Nat snorted. She could’ve kept it in check, but both Brad and Mac had told her not to hold back. Mac shot her a look from the corner of his eye, one eyebrow twitched.

“So she shouldn’t be herself?” Natalie asked.

Ashley’s face tightened.

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Really? I just heard you tell her not to be herself. You said she needs to project the right image.”

“That’s not what I said. She’s dated a lot of men. She said she doesn’t take dating seriously. If that’s the attitude she has at the mixer, that’s how the men will treat her.”

“What way?” Ashley asked.

“As someone who’s looking for a good time, not a relationship.” He clasped his hands on the table in front of him.

The crew around them shifted, but Nat didn’t know what they were doing. What she did know was that she was getting angry on Ashley’s behalf. “That’s BS. She needs to be herself. Having a string of casual relationships has played a role in developing who Ashley is. She can’t just forget, pretend they didn’t happen. And if your guests can’t see that, maybe you’re working with the wrong guys.”

“I know what I’m doing. The men I’ve invited are of the highest caliber.”

“Highest caliber of what? Man w****s? You just said if Ashley appeared to be looking for a good time, they’d treat her like a slut.”

“What?” Ashley shot up out of her chair.

“I said no such thing.” His voice was low, but his cheeks were flushed.

Nat began to think maybe she’d gone too far. “Ashley, what you need is a man who won’t be bothered by your past. Preferably one who won’t even ask about it.”

“Am I supposed to be embarrassed about my past? About the guys I’ve seen and slept with?”

“No. Of course not. I’m simply voicing my opinion about how to handle the mixer with Mr. Sterling.”

Mac’s shoulders stiffened at her use of his name. He turned to face Nat, fury in his eyes. “You need to stop putting words in my mouth. At no point did I even insinuate Ashley should be embarrassed by her social life. I wouldn’t look down on any woman for enjoying her life.”

Nat’s breath hitched because suddenly, it didn’t feel like he was talking about Ashley anymore.

With his eyes locked on Nat’s, he continued, “But I do know a thing or two about people and the judgments they make. First impressions matter. It’s where the first decision is made. If she appears flighty and cute, no man is going to consider her a serious prospect.”

Now Nat really didn’t know if that was supposed to be a dig at her or not.

Mac startled her further by leaning close and getting in Nat’s face. “And furthermore, as a professional matchmaker, I spend a lot of time making sure I’ve chosen men who are worthy of my client.”

Ashley’s hand came down hard on the table. “You’re both jerks. I’m not sure either of you knows what their doing. I’m done.” She unclipped her mic, spun, and stomped out the door.

“Cut!” Mike yelled. “What the hell was that? What are we supposed to do?”

Mac and Nat looked at each other and both started laughing. They had gotten completely carried away. Nat rose. “Don’t worry, Mike, I’ll go talk to her.”

Mac stood and rebuttoned his jacket. The man looked damn fine in a suit. The smile he sent her made her question all the thoughts that had run through her head during their argument. His mouth was soft and his eyes friendly. Maybe she imagined the attack.

With a small wave and a promise to be right back, Nat rushed from the room. It didn’t take long to find Ashley. She stood in front of the vending machine contemplating poor choices. Nat knew what Ashley was thinking because Nat had found herself in the same position many times.

“Can I talk to you?”

Ashley didn’t speak, but she didn’t walk away either.

Nat took a deep breath. Honesty was the way to go. “What happened in there had nothing to do with you and the way you live your life. That was about me and Mr. Sterling.”

Ashley turned. With a snap of her fingers, she smiled. “I knew it. I knew you guys had a thing.”

“No, it’s not—”

“Even so, he was still being a d**k. Kind of misogynistic, don’t you think? I mean, I suppose he has some good qualities, but…”

“Ashley,” Nat said quickly before anyone could hear Ashley’s theory and spread rumors. “That’s not what I meant. What I was getting at is that this is TV. The producers wanted some more conflict between Malcolm and me. That’s all.”

“You were just playing it up for the cameras?”

“Yes. Things might’ve gotten a little more heated than we planned, but we’re hoping the executives will be happy. For the record, I’ve seen nothing in Malcolm to make me believe he’s misogynistic. He does know what he’s doing. And while I might not agree with his methods, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”

Nat paused and waited for a reaction, but when Ashley finally spoke again, it wasn’t what Nat had expected.

“You guys don’t have a thing going?” A look of confusion filled her face. “I’m not usually that far off base.” Then she waved a hand. “I suppose I was tuning in to the passion. You’re both passionate about your work. That must’ve been it.”

“Must’ve been,” Nat replied. “So you won’t quit, right? I kind of promised I’d get you to come back.”

“Of course I’m not quitting. I’m having a great time. You two aren’t the only ones with a flair for the dramatic.”

Tension seeped from Nat’s muscles. “That’s good.”

They went back into the studio. The rest of the prep time with Ashley was calm. No more accusations were handed out and although Nat and Mac continued to disagree on what Ashley should do to find her happily ever after, they managed to keep their tempers in check.

They responded to each other with friendly banter, which left Nat more confused than she’d been in her kitchen the other night when she’d thought Mac was going to kiss her. They were attracted to each other, he as much as admitted that. He just didn’t want to act on the attraction.

Then why the hell did it feel like he was goading her into something?