On Monday morning, I was back at the office and there was a commotion coming from the back offices. Peeking around the corner, I saw Natalie’s yellow hair bob up and down from inside Levi’s office.

I took off my coat, put my lunch in the fridge and went to my desk, where I turned on my computer.

I tried not to be concerned or interested in whatever was going on with Natalie. People who hit me over the head with bricks were none of my business. I listened to the office voicemail and returned a couple of calls. I checked my email and composed a few responses.

It was past nine o’clock when Levi’s door opened and Natalie came bouncing into the hallway. Whatever had happened, it was in her favor. Keeping my interest to a minimum, I did not see who else had been in the meeting until they had meandered all the way to the front desk.

I glanced up to see the dark hair and striking features of Carver Criche. He was smiling, but it wasn’t the same smile or excitement I had seen on his face the day he kidnapped me with a cookie. It was his work face, a studied smile as part of a permanently interested expression.

“Thank you, again,” Natalie was saying to him. “Being able to go on tour with a DJ like Falconhands is a huge honor.”

“It’s a training ground,” he said optimistically. “If you do it well, who knows where it will take you?”

Natalie squared her shoulders and gave him a confident grin.

I put my pen in my mouth like I was smoking a cigarette and inhaled. It was the only way to watch the events unfolding in front of me and keep my composure. He’d given her a contract? DJ Falconhands was a rising star who used a different soloist for almost every track on an album. When he toured, he took all the soloists with him. Someone must have dropped out and Natalie was going to cover their position. It was the chance of a lifetime, but the position was also precarious, and easy to blow. I wondered if a woman who hit people over the head with bricks could hold that kind of place without blowing it.

It would certainly be interesting to watch.

Then I looked at Carver. I had to look at him. He was staring at me. The last time I saw him I had given him that fake phone number. From his expression, he was finished with Natalie and Levi. He wanted them out of the room so he could have a moment with me.

What could be contained in that moment? I couldn’t guess. The only thing I hoped was that he had arranged for Natalie to have that job because her singing was good enough for her to have earned it. The worst thing I could think of, while she prattled her thanks to him, was that he had given it to her because he knew that would be a seamless way for him to see me again without arousing suspicion and to pump her for information. It wasn’t a completely far-fetched thought. Men had done crazy things for me before when they thought they were losing their chance with me. He probably didn’t know she was the one who made those posters of him and only remembered her from the night we were supposed to kidnap him.

As Natalie talked, he gave her cursory glances, tearing his eyes away from mine whenever the conversation demanded it.

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I stared back at him daring him to make his next move. How was he going to get rid of Natalie and Levi?

I had to admit, I was surprised by the resolution.

“Natalie, don’t you have a million things to do to prepare?” Levi suddenly cut in. “You said you were going to get your blonde touched up and if you’re going to fly to Toronto tonight, then hadn’t you better get going?”

“Ah, yes,” she said, but her eyes fixed on Carver with the same intensity his eyes fixed on me. She was completely star-struck by him and didn’t want to leave his side. After all, he was not going on tour with her. His part in her becoming a star was complete… for the time being. “I’m just so thankful for this opportunity,” she continued as she inched toward the door.

“Shannon,” Levi said, taking a step toward me. “Carver is going to book three solo recording sessions for Jeremy Stevens from Stark Mad. Work him into the schedule, would you?”

Natalie left the building at the same time Levi disappeared back down the hall.

Carver and I were alone.

Averting my eyes, I sat back in my chair and pulled up our booking app. “What times did you have in mind, Mr. Criche?”

He covered the space between us like a jungle cat stalking its prey, which was hilarious because we were in a well-lit office before noon, but men who lived in clubs couldn’t really walk any other way. He leaned against the high edge of my desk like he was leaning against a bar about to order drinks.

“We don’t have vodka or soda,” I said playfully before I could hold it back. I bit my tongue with my side molars. I was going to have to learn to rein myself in if I wanted to date Fletch exclusively.

“The number you gave me the other night. It didn’t make sense,” he said.

It was the one I had printed on dozens of posters. “What didn’t make sense?”

“Why did you and Natalie want to kidnap me?”

“You could have asked her. She was just here,” I deflected.

He smiled. “I did. She said it was because you had a thing for me. She said you’d seen me numerous times because of your work and you wanted to meet me. She said she was doing what you asked her to do when she hit you over the head with the brick and handcuffed you to that guy in the camp kitchen. She said you weren’t even hurt. It was all part of your plot to meet me.”

Whatever Natalie did in the future, nothing would surprise me. She had turned that story upside down, blamed everything on me, and let herself off the hook for assault. What did it matter to her? She was flying out to join DJ Falconhands’ tour.

I smiled patiently. “I’m afraid that is a bit of a distortion. I’m sorry your name somehow got mixed up in our games, but…”

He leaned further in and interrupted me. “I want to get mixed up in your games.”

I continued speaking like he hadn’t said anything, “But if what Natalie told you was true, then why didn’t I give you my real number when I had the chance?”

“That’s why this doesn’t make sense,” he said smoothly.

“Well, whatever was going on that night, the situation has changed.”

“How?”

“Well, that guy I was handcuffed to in the camp kitchen?”

“What about him?”

“I ended up really liking him. I liked him so much I’m dating him exclusively now, so can I book you those times for Jeremy Stevens?” I said, trying to end on a professional note.

When I looked back to Carver for an answer, he was removing a pair of sunglasses from the case and placing them on his face like his job was to preserve the lost art of being cool. “I’m not sure when Jeremy can fit a recording session into his schedule. I’ll have to get my assistant to call you with his availability.” With that, he swept from the building.

I was glad he was gone, but Levi wouldn’t like that Carver had put off booking. I bet his assistant never called. I bet the whole thing was a lame ploy so he could talk to me and if I was in a relationship then none of it was worth it to him.

I went back to doing my regular work.