Page 39 of Hot Mic

‘You don’t know the half of it,’ Sienna told her as they walked out.

They parted ways outside with a brief, warm hug on the street, and Claire jumped into a waiting taxi. Sienna immediately scanned the street, hoping irrationally to see Robin walking, alone.

But Robin was gone. And Sienna was left to spin out about where she was and what she was doing and who she was doing it with.

Thirty-Two

‘—which brings us straight to the vote for the winner of Date Four,’ Zoe was saying, excitedly. She tapped the tablet propped on her desk. ‘Robin, you and Valeska officially took sixty-four percent of the vote. The consensus in the chat was that you two seemed to be having the absolute time of your lives.’

‘Well, Valeska’s energy is contagious. It was hard not to have a good time,’ Robin bullshitted. It was hard to have a good time when your focus was halfway across the room, getting charmed by a real adult with proper shoes.

Zoe leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands with a sly grin. ‘Okay, but I have to ask… You two weren’t sitting that far apart. What did you actually think watching each other’s dates unfold in real-time? Sienna, how did Robin look?’

Sienna didn’t miss a beat. ‘Robin looked entirely in her element. I thought her date appeared to be going exceptionally well.’

Zoe turned her attention to Robin. ‘And Robin? What about Sienna and Claire?’

Robin forced her sweetest, most magnanimous face, pushing down the memory of watching Claire laugh at Sienna’s quiet jokes. ‘Sienna was incredibly attentive. Claire looked totally charmed.’

Zoe blinked, clearly hoping for at least a tiny spark of drama. ‘So... just entirely supportive and happy for each other? Sienna, you’re not bothered by the loss of the vote?’

‘Not at all,’ Sienna said smoothly. ‘I had a nice evening, so I won in my own way.’

‘Absolutely. Belter of an evening,’ Robin agreed, laying it on thick with a wide, innocent smile.

Zoe’s eyes lit up in a way Robin didn’t like. ‘Well, my producer mentioned that you didn’t just wrap things up at the table! You and Valeska walked out of the restaurant together. Did you two end up booking a second date, or maybe heading somewhere else after the tape stopped rolling?’

Robin caught Sienna’s eyes flicking toward her for a fraction of a second.

‘Yeah, I walked her to her car,’ Robin said breezily.

‘And was there a kiss goodnight?’ Zoe asked.

There had not been. But Robin wasn’t about to admit that she was relieved when the date ended, so that she could head home to fantasise about throwing Claire’s drink in her face. She couldn’t let Sienna know her own evening had been anything less than stellar.

‘A lady doesn’t kiss and tell,’ Robin said. She revolted herself.

‘So, did you arrange a second date?’

‘We’re keeping it loose,’ Robin said. ‘But I’d certainly be open to it.’

Now that was a lie.

‘She certainly seemed made for you,’ Sienna said. ‘Must be nice to meet someone as, well, casual in your attitudes as you are.’

Robin looked at Sienna. She looked normal. But Robin could hear the edge in her voice. She had been taunted.

That familiar old need to bat it back rose in Robin.

She leaned her forearms on the console, tilting her head toward her mic. ‘You know, one thing I did notice, Zoe, when I listened back to the episode... Sienna didn’t really ask Claire many questions. Which kind of surprised me, considering she’s usually all about running a full background check.’

Sienna waved a hand dismissively. ‘I didn’t need to. Claire was entirely forthcoming. There was no necessity to interrogate her.’

Then, she looked up, her dark eyes locking onto Robin’s across the mics with a razor-sharp, passive-aggressive glint.

‘Besides,’ Sienna added, her voice dangerously sweet, ‘Plenty happened outside of the edit you heard. And it seemed you were far too busy enjoying yourself to monitor my interview techniques at the date itself. Did you have a good laugh with your date?’

Robin went still, sensing the sudden shift in the air. She braced herself, silently waiting for the hit she had known was coming ever since she listened to the final cut of the episode.