Wild Temptation

Riley Woods’ Pov The building had large windows that overlooked the city below them. Individual desks were set up for the hardworking editorial team. Riley Woods chewed on the end of her pen, a nervous habit, while she reread submitted articles. Her boss was in a mood. The whole office was on edge. Riley sighed and tucked a few loose strands of her chestnut brown hair behind her ear. It was looking to be a long day in the office. Riley wished for the day that she could quit her editing job and become a journalist. This was just a stepping stone to her.   Celebrity Scope was a popular magazine that featured all the latest news and gossip on the hottest celebrities. Riley despised the snobby celebrities that the magazine would feature, but the job paid well and she had her foot in the door for a journalist position. She yearned to write something, anything. But for now, she fixed grammar mistakes and harassed journalists to get their assignments to her before deadlines.  “Rachel is chewing out her assistant again.” Riley’s desk neighbor Stephanie whined. “I wonder what’s got her wired this morning.” Riley replied, fixing a few mistakes on the article she was working on. It was common for Rachel to be in a bad mood, and it rarely ever phased Riley.   “I heard that Look Out Celebrity got an exclusive interview with that hot new band Wild Division. Have you ever heard of them?” Stephanie tossed her bleach blonde hair over her shoulder.  “Huh? Oh, no. Not really.” Riley looked up from her desk and glanced towards Rachel’s office. “Poor Barry.” She mumbled, before looking back at the article.  “I don’t know how he makes it through the day.” Stephanie giggled. She liked all of the gossip that came with this kind of work, and constantly tried to talk to Riley to avoid doing her own work.       Riley glanced back at her boss’s office. Rachel was still yelling at her assistant before she retired to her desk chair and shooed the assistant away. To her surprise, he walked out of the office and headed straight for Riley’s desk.  “Riley? Rachel wants to see you right away.” Barry informed her.   “Great. Must be my lucky day.” Riley took a deep breath and prepared herself for Rachel’s wrath. She straightened out her blouse, and tugged on the hem of her skirt. Her heels clicked on the hardwood floor as she walked into the office and closed the door behind her. “You wanted to see me?” Rachel signaled for her to have a seat, and she obliged.    “I have a special assignment for you. If you’re up for it that is.” Rachel didn’t look up from her computer.  “What kind of assignment?” Riley asked hesitantly. She tugged on the hem of her skirt a bit nervously.   “You’re the one that has an interest in journalism, right?” Rachel glanced up at her slightly.   “Yes! Of course!” Riley just about jumped for joy. Any nervous energy she had before, was replaced with excitement. She had been waiting for a chance to prove herself, and this was it.  “Great.” Rachel rolled her eyes. “I need you to get an exclusive interview with an elusive band member of Wild Divisions.”  “But didn’t Look Out Celebrity already do a story on that?” Riley asked, remembering what Stephanie had told her a few moments ago. She didn’t want her first writing assignment to be a knock off of their story.   “They did. But they couldn’t lock down Camron Reed, the drummer, for an interview. Just a photo op. He is extremely hard to pin down, so it won’t be an easy task.”  “Don’t you have a team of journalists though? Why pick me?” Riley wanted to complete the assignment, more than anything, but she was suspicious. This was rather random after all.    “They are already drowning in assignments, and you have a certain amount of potential. But if you mess this up, you won’t get another chance.” Rachel huffed.  “Thank you! I won’t let you down.” Riley was eager to get started and couldn’t wait to prove herself. She buzzed with excitement and couldn’t stop smiling.    “I’ll give your current edits to someone else. In the meantime, you should do whatever research you need in order to procure that interview.” Rachel turned back to her computer and Riley stood up.  “You can count on me!” Riley beamed.  “I certainly hope so. Now go get back to work.” Rachel signaled for her to leave. Riley almost skipped back to her desk, she couldn’t wait to get started. “What was that all about?” Stephanie questioned.  “I just got the chance of a lifetime! Rachel gave me a writing assignment.” Riley swiveled in her chair with excitement.  “Wow. She picked you? You don’t even like all of this celebrity crap.” Stephanie rolled her eyes.   “True, but at least it's something. This could jump start my career!” Riley put the article she was working on in a folder with the rest of her work. Barry walked back over to her desk. “Is this everything you were working on Riley?” Barry asked, reaching out for the folder. Riley handed it over quickly.  “Yes. Thanks Barry!” He walked over to Stephanie’s desk and gave her the folder.  “Wow. Lucky me.” She glared at Riley, who shrugged in response. Barry stifled a chuckle before walking back to his desk.  Riley opened the search browser on her computer and began her research on the elusive Camron Reed. Stephanie grumbled beside her, but she did her best to tune it out. Riley’s fingers flew across her keyboard as she searched for as much information as she could. Camron Reed was the drummer for the popular band Wild Division. There was little known about him, even on fan sites. His band mates however, were very open about their lives.  Riley took notes of everything she thought would be useful. However, she found herself getting distracted on a particular picture. It was the photo that Look Out Celebrity took for their article. All of the band members posed with their instruments as if they were playing. They were topless, and for some reason wet? Riley felt her cheeks go warm.  “Hot aren’t they?” Stephanie giggled, catching a glimpse of Riley’s screen. She quickly closed out the picture.  “They’re a bunch of show offs if anything. They are always seen at the hottest clubs and parties. Attention seekers.” Riley quickly defended.  “Ah huh. Sure…” Stephanie teased. Riley tried to hide the embarrassment on her face.           The sun started to peek through the large windows, and shone in Riley’s green eyes. She looked at the clock. It was almost six. She started to pack up her things for the day, and got up from her desk. She was usually the first one in the office and the last one to leave. Riley wanted to prove herself to everyone. Her boss, her coworkers, and especially her parents.  “Heading out for the day?” Barry asked as she walked by his desk. It was unusual for her to leave this early.    “Yeah. I’ll probably continue my work at home though.” She admitted sheepishly.  “Good luck with that article Riley. I’m rooting for you.” He smiled lightly.  “Thank Barry! Have a good one.” Riley walked to the elevator and rode down to the main floor. She walked outside, the fresh spring air whirled in her face. She took a deep breath. The air was still cool, but everything around her bloomed with color. Riley took her time walking to her car, appreciating the change in scenery. Being in the office all day became dull after a point.  The drive home was a quick one. However she found herself thinking about that picture of the band members. How the water dripped from their pecks down to their solid abs… Riley shook her head. They were attractive, she would give them that. But they were probably arrogant and entitled like all of the other celebrities that her magazine featured. She parked her car in her assigned spot at the apartment complex and walked up the stairs to her apartment. Her neighbor walked out as she was unlocking the door.  “You’re home early.” He sneered. He was a bit of a creep and Riley tried to avoid him at all costs.   “Um, yeah just a bit.” Riley fiddled with the lock for a moment before it finally clicked. She rushed inside and locked the door behind her. She shuddered slightly. She couldn’t wait for her lease to be up so she could move. Her quiet home greeted her as she walked in the living room. She enjoyed the silence, but it did get lonely from time to time. She thought of getting a dog or a cat, but she spent so much time at the office that she didn’t think it would be fair. Riley dropped her things by the couch and tugged her long hair free from the messy bun it was in all day. She ran her fingers through it, untangling some knots. She headed to the kitchen to start prepping dinner. Riley loved to cook. Her parents wanted her to go to culinary school, but it wasn’t her passion. Just a hobby. She searched for some music to play on her phone, and to her surprise found an album by Wild Division. She wasn’t really a fan of pop rock, but her curiousness got the best of her and she played it while she cooked.  They weren’t half bad, and their songs were pretty catchy. She danced around the kitchen while she chopped up veggies and stirred a sauce on the stove. Riley could see the appeal, but she wasn’t about to fawn over them like everyone else. The picture flashed in her mind again, but this time it was only the drummer that came to mind. He wasn’t smiling in the picture. He seemed… Focused? Riley almost forgot about the chicken she had baking in the oven and pulled it out just before it burnt.  After she ate and cleaned up the kitchen, Riley took a hot shower. She tried to think of something other than her assignment, but her mind buzzed with different ideas and approaches she could take. She could do an expose. What is Camron Reed really like? Riley wondered why he avoids the press so much. The other band members seemed pretty open with sharing their private lives. The press catches them at all the hot spots in town. But Camron seemed to slip by, unnoticed.  Riley got out of the shower and got dressed for bed. She snagged her laptop and crawled under the covers. One thing that was nice about living alone, was having the bed all to herself. She turned on her laptop and continued to research the infamous Camron Reed. There wasn’t a lot she could find though. Mostly just pictures of him and the other band members. She wondered how much time they had to spend at the gym to look the way they do.  Camron was always in the back, behind the other members, as he looked to be the tallest. His arms were always crossed against his chest and he held his drumsticks. Riley found herself biting her lip and clicked away from the pictures and onto a fan site. The site was a bit on the stalker side, since it logged the whereabouts of the band members. Like she suspected, there wasn’t much on Camron. Riley was about to retire for the night when a new post popped up on the site.  Camron Reed will be hosting interviews for a staff position at the famous restaurant The Hideaway tomorrow at noon. Riley wondered what if this was legit. It was at least worth checking out. She hoped that this weird fan site was right about The Hideaway. There weren't really a lot of options or information on this mysterious drummer. She wondered what staff position Camron could be interviewing for. A publicist? Personal trainer? His body plagued her mind once more. The way his jeans hung low enough on his body to show a perfect v that trailed further down…Riley wondered if he looked that good in person. Photoshop can do wonders.  She felt her face warming up and her heartbeat quickened at the thought. Riley closed her laptop and shook her head. She would check out the restaurant tomorrow and get her interview with Camron Reed. No matter what. This was her chance. She wouldn’t lose it. Riley got comfortable and her eyes fluttered closed. She dozed off into sleep, her mind on one thing only, Camron Reed.