Meeting His Match

Chapter 9-4

Mac had experienced two of the most restless nights of sleep he could remember ever having. He knew he was right in turning Natalie down, but he knew she didn’t fully understand why. He’d hoped to be able to talk to her before meeting with Brad again, but she’d dodged his calls. Turning her down also made him miserable.

He got to the studio before Natalie, waiting outside until five minutes before they were expected, and she still hadn’t arrived. Surely she wouldn’t blow off the meeting. After letting the receptionist know he was there, he went back to the door to look for Natalie. She whipped into a parking spot with a minute to spare. When she walked up to the door, he held it open for her. “Can we talk?”

“We’re supposed to meet with Brad.”

“I know, but since you’ve avoided talking to me since you left my house—”

“I haven’t been avoiding you. I have a life, Malcolm.”

“Mr. Winford is ready,” the receptionist said.

“See? No time for chatting.” Natalie waved and ducked past him.

She was back to being Gem full-time and it was killing him. He didn’t like full-time Gem, but worse was the toll he knew it took on her. She didn’t like it either.

With a deep breath, he followed her into Brad’s office. Mac didn’t know what to think. They’d been meeting in the conference room because it allowed for more space for cameras and crew to film. Natalie had the office door open and had already gone through when he’d caught up.

Mac glanced around the office. No crew. Just Brad, Mike, and a lone cameraman.

“Gem. Mac. Thanks for coming in.” Brad pointed to the two chairs in front of his desk.

“What did we screw up now?” Natalie asked.

“Nothing,” Mike said. “You’ve seen the footage we’ve got, right?”

They nodded.

“It looks good. By the time we finish editing, it’ll be great.”

“So why are we here?” Natalie asked.

Brad leaned his arms on the desk. “We need to move things faster. All of the work you did with the women this week will be boiled down to a couple of episodes. We need to get steamier stuff on screen. That’s what’s going to draw in viewers.”

Mac had been afraid of this since the beginning. “You can’t rush this. Falling in love takes time.”

“Definitely,” Natalie agreed.

Mac froze for a second. He’d thought she would disagree just to oppose him. Her agreement was odd.

Brad said, “Look. We don’t necessarily need to see a wedding. Not that I would say no. But I’m trying to be realistic. We need to see enough romance between the women and whoever they pick. We need some steam on the screen.”

“We can definitely get that going. I’ve said all along they should kiss their dates. The first kiss is so important.”

Mac didn’t have the patience for Gem to push his buttons. “Rushing to kiss a man isn’t going to lead to lasting love, just a lot of sampling. They want more than that.”

Natalie slapped the arm of her chair and stood. With a finger pointed at him, she railed, “That’s enough. What is with you and the s**t-shaming? I’m not talking about a gangbang for the cameras. It’s kissing. A kiss is the fundamental basis for finding chemistry. A kiss can tell you everything you need to know about a guy.”

When she stopped for a breath, Mac stood. With his eyes on Natalie, he said, “Can you give us the room for a minute? My colleague and I have something to discuss.”

He felt them shifting around the room. When the door clicked, Mac looked around to make sure everyone was gone, including the cameraman. When he turned back to Natalie, she had her arms crossed.

“That’s rich. You’re afraid to lose it in front of the cameras.”

“I don’t lose it.”

Her arms waved wildly. “That’s part of your problem. You’re too buttoned up to enjoy life and go after what you want.”

Mac stepped forward and she backed away, bumping into the desk. But now she was fully within reach. He burrowed his fingers deep into her hair and brought her mouth to his. He started slow, brushing her lips with his and she sucked in a breath.

She was exactly where he wanted her—no longer talking like Gem but acting like Natalie. When her eyes fluttered closed, he angled his head and took the kiss deeper, opening her lips and sliding his tongue into her mouth.

Then she sighed and her hands found their way under his jacket and circled his back. Time stood still and the world faded to background around them. Why the hell hadn’t he done this sooner?

Natalie was right. A simple kiss did tell him everything.

In that moment, he decided Natalie would be his.