Page 88 of Embracing the Beat
“Thursday can’t come soon enough.”
“And neither can I.” His joke surprises a laugh from me. “But I’d rather not do that in a high school parking lot.”
“Call me later?”
“You couldn’t stop me if you tried,” he answers. “And, Michaela?”
“Yes?”
“No touching yourself until I call you.” His tone is firm, and I drop my hand from where I was sliding it down my stomach.
“How did you—”
“I didn’t for sure. You just told me. Hands off until tonight.”
I huff. “Fine. Tonight.”
“I’ll talk to you later, baby.”
“Drive safe, West.”
“Bye.”
Setting my phone down, I consider continuing the exploration I was getting ready to take but ultimately shake my head with a sigh.
I can wait for him.
I’m still thinking about phone sex with West when I leave the hotel the next day and walk the few blocks to California Burger Bar, where my meeting with Michael Pryce is scheduled. My dark glasses and fedora blend with the styles around me, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I don’t draw attention to myself.
Reaching the door to the restaurant, I take several deep breaths, checking my phone when it chimes.
WEST: You got this, rock star. *wink emoji*
MICHAELA: I’ll text you after.
Squaring my shoulders, I open the door and walk in with as much faux confidence as I can manage. I give Michael’s name to the hostess, and she leads me to a table where three men are already seated.
Despite the baseball cap pulled low over what I know are green eyes, I recognize one of the men and hesitate one table away.
“Ms. King?” The middle-aged man stands to greet me, but my eyes flick to his two companions before coming back to him.
“Yes. Mr. Pryce?”
He nods, gesturing to the table. “Please, call me Michael.”
“Jax,” I say, taking the open seat next to Michael. “This is a surprise.”
“You’ll have to excuse my son and son-in-law,” Michael says, and my mouth drops open in shock.
“Son?” I squeak out.
“Almost. I’ve known him since he was born.” He points to Jax before motioning to the other occupant. “And since Nick married my daughter, I now have two men to shout at football games with.”
“Oh.” I’m trying to process all this information as quickly as I can.
“I apologize for the surprise,” Michael says. “But these knuckleheads were over for dinner when Meredith asked me about my experience with record contracts. It seems her boss, Garrett, was searching for some expertise for you.”
Suddenly everything makes sense. For being such a big city, the connections between people in LA are eerily close. Especially in the entertainment world.
