Chapter 18

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

A makeup artistlightly brushed some bronzer over Trey’s forehead. From his perch on the stool, he watched in awe as London whirled around his kitchen, adjusting the cameras and lights for the commercial shoot. She shared a laugh with the food stylist who was arranging a platter of fruit and cheese with exacting precision. The rest of the crew joined in on whatever the joke was.

Her enthusiasm for this project made Trey smile. He was glad he could do this for her. Not just because this campaign would advance her career, but for the opportunity to witness her delight doing something she loved and was clearly very good at.

“I thought I was paying those big shots from Nolan and Hemphill to shoot these commercials,” Seth Gunther grumbled from beside Trey. “Instead, I get Bennie’s pet project. That girl might be good at promoting parties, but social media is not the same as network television.”

Trey jerked his head around to scowl at the man who’d turned out to be a massive pain in the ass. If Trey found Gunther’s micro-management of every aspect of his cheese campaign annoying, he could only imagine how stressful it must be for London. He opened his mouth to chew the guy out, but his agent beat him to the punch.

“Actually, social media is where it’s at these days,” Collin chimed in, not even bothering to look up from his phone screen. “There are more eyes on ads online than commercials on the old-fashioned boob-tube you love so much, Gunther. And ‘that girl’ is killing it.”

Mumbling something under his breath, Gunther stalked over to the counter to inspect the cheese.

“You’re welcome,” Collin said.

It was bad enough having Gunther in his house, but Collin insisted on tagging along to today’s shoot, as well. Since arriving in Milwaukee ahead of yesterday’s game, Collin had been Trey’s shadow. And try as he might, there was no way of shaking the guy.

“Gunther is already taking advantage of you,” Collin maintained this morning when he’d railroaded Trey at the training camp hotel. “You’ll need backup to make sure he doesn’t do it again. I should be there.”

Trey disagreed that anyone was going to take advantage of him, least of all Seth Gunther, but he had to begrudgingly admit Collin had earned his keep with his remark.

“Thank you, Collin,” Trey replied.

Collin shoved his phone into his pocket. “Don’t mention it. It’s not every day I can make two clients happy with one putdown.

“Come again?”

“I get Gunther off your back and protect the reputation of Bergeron’s girl all in one move. I ought to bill you both.”

Trey didn’t bother laughing at Collin’s attempt at a joke. Still, his lips turned up at the corners anyway. Probably due to the relief of knowing something Collin didn’t.

London was not “Bergeron’s girl.”

At least she claimed not to be. And given the way she’d kissed Trey at the stadium a few weeks ago, he believed her. He knew now she wasn’t the duplicitous women he’d thought her to be all these years. Not only that, but according to Trey’s sources, the hockey goalie hadn’t been back in the country since the day he’d left London’s office. His sister had eventually had her baby, allowing Bergeron to make the rounds at other hockey camps. He wasn’t scheduled to return to the States until the Mayhem started camp next month.

And that left the playing field wide open for Trey. He was fairly sure he still didn’t have a fairy tale to offer her. But he did know that if he didn’t get whatever was between them out of his system before the season began, he’d never be able to concentrate on football. She still felt something for him, too. London might not admit to it, but her body spoke volumes every time they touched. The only problem was the sticky issue of her not trusting him.

“Is he camera ready?” she asked from across the kitchen.

“Always,” Collin quipped.

Trey thanked the woman with the bronzer as he removed the cape that she had put on him to protect his jersey and white uniform pants from harm. He made his way behind the island, stopping to stand on the piece of red tape indicating his mark. One of the two cameras being used for the commercial was mounted on a tripod directly in front of him. The other was braced on the shoulder of one of the cameramen. The sound tech maneuvered the boom microphone hanging overhead into position.

London pulled on a pair of headphones and stepped behind her laptop. “Okay, let’s go for a quick sound check. Trey, can you read that first line from the cue cards?”

He glanced at the young woman standing beside London who was holding the large white cards. She smiled coyly at Trey.

“I don’t need cue cards,” he said. “I memorized the scripts.”

London’s eyes twinkled. “I have no doubt you did. The cards are there for backup, just in case. But could you humor me right now and read from the first card so we can check the microphone’s sound levels?”

Please,she mouthed with a teasing grin.

He’d do anything to keep that smile on her face.

“You know, in football, we’re always looking for the perfect play, and in my kitchen, it’s all about the perfect cheese,” he recited into the camera.

The sound tech gave a thumbs up.

London looked up from her computer. “Is there anything you’re not good at?”

He met her amused eyes head on. “I told you before. I give everything one hundred percent of my effort.”

Their gazes locked for a long moment before she dragged hers away.

“Uh, Cliff,” she said. “Can we adjust the bounce on that light over there slightly? There’s a shadow on his face I don’t like.”

The lighting guy did as she asked, but London still wasn’t satisfied.

“I’m going to have to move his mark.” She stepped around the island to stand beside Trey. “Come this way a smidge.”

He moved an inch closer to her.

“More,” she demanded, before placing her hands on his waist to position him where she wanted.

They both started at the contact. Even through his clothing, her touch ignited a firestorm along his nerve endings. Not only that, but his head began to spin as soon as she uttered the word “more.” The unbidden image of her naked and writhing beneath him as she cried out “more” had him sucking in a ragged breath.

She dropped her hands and her chin instantly. But not before he caught a glance of her pink cheeks. Good. At least he knew she was just as affected as he was. He moved closer, glad for the high countertop hiding everything below the belt.

“How’s this?” he asked softly.

“Mmm.” She nodded and began to turn away.

“Is there anything you’re not good at?” he whispered.

Her chin snapped back up as she shot him a questioning look.

He gestured with his hand at the scene in his kitchen. “You’re a natural at this, London.”

The flush was back on her cheeks. She sank her teeth into her bottom lip before nodding swiftly. “Thank you.” The smile she gave him was effervescent. “Okay, team. Now that we’ve established that we’re all good at our jobs, let’s get on with it.”

She settled back behind her laptop and pulled on her headphones.

“Mike, let me know when we are speeding,” she said.

“At speed,” one of the cameramen said.

London nodded to the woman who had done Trey’s makeup. She held the clapper in front of the camera.

“Gunther Cheese spot one, take one.” She clapped the board together.

“Action,” London called out.

Trey responded as if the referee had blown the game whistle.

It took them less than two hours to film the five different commercials. Trey only had to rely on the cue cards twice. When London wasn’t behind her laptop monitoring the footage, she was wandering around catching the action with the camera on her cellphone.

“For B-roll,” she explained. “We’ll use it for the social media posts.”

“When can I see the finished products?” Gunther asked as soon as London called cut on the final ad.

“I can send you some rough cuts tonight,” she replied. “The voiceover actor isn’t available until next week, so we won’t have the final package until then.”

“Fine. I’ll be expecting them this evening.” Gunther turned to Trey. “And I’ll look forward to seeing you on opening day. My grandsons are excited about being able to toss the football around with you.”

Collin moved closer as if to interject, but Trey waved him off. He’d fulfilled his part of the contract, but London still had to deal with the asshole. He hadn’t agreed to do any such thing with the man’s grandsons. It didn’t matter though. He’d do it anyway, if only to make her life easier.

“It’ll be my pleasure.” The fib rolled off his tongue easily.

Gunther slapped him on the back and without so much as a thank you to London and the crew, he exited the kitchen. If London noticed, she didn’t react. Instead she joked with the sound guy as he packed up his equipment.

“You ready to head out, too?” Collin asked. “I know you’re chomping at the bit to get back to the hotel meeting room and break down film from last night’s game.”

Trey was eager to get back into training camp mode. Even though he hadn’t touched the ball, several of his best receivers had played the first half. Kessler held his own, but two passes had slipped through McGraff’s fingers, and that was two too many as far as Trey was concerned. He needed to study the game film to figure out what was up with the young receiver’s timing.

Unfortunately, the crazy pull he felt toward London was keeping his feet rooted to his kitchen floor.

“You’re done with him, right?” Collin called over to where London was packing up her computer.

God, I hope not.

He still had a photo shoot left to do for the Gunther campaign. The shoot was scheduled to take place at an actual grocery store the following morning at five am to avoid attracting a throng of customers. After that, she would be “done with him” professionally. He only hoped she wouldn’t want to be done with him personally.

“Actually—” There was a pensive look in her eyes. “I was wondering if you have a few more minutes to shoot a couple of posts for social media?”

“He doesn—” Collin began before Trey interjected.

“I can spare a bit more time.”

Collin shot him the side-eye, but Trey ignored it.

“What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking a little ten second segment with a one liner. You’d have to take a bite of cheese at the end, though.” She arched an eyebrow at him.

It was on the tip of his tongue to remind her he’d do anything for her. Only there were too many ears listening in on their conversation.

“Challenge accepted,” he said instead.

There was that grin again. The one that made his chest feel tight and his head feel light.

“Okay.” She spun on her heel looking around his kitchen. “Hm. The light is fading in here. Did I read somewhere that this place has a wine cellar?”

“It does.”

“Please tell me you have wine in it?”

“My dad wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She clapped her hands together. “Perfect! Cliff, can I borrow the light?”

“I live to serve, my queen.” Cliff winked at London.

Trey led them toward the stairs at the back of the kitchen.

“Do you need a camera?” Mike asked.

London shook her head. “I’ll film on my phone. That way it will have the look I’m going for.”

Collin followed them downstairs. “Wow, this is pretty bougie,” he said when Trey pulled open the heavy iron door and ushered them inside.

The twelve-by-twelve-foot room had been carved into the home’s stone cellar a century ago. Nearly two hundred bottles of wine were housed in the small area, all of it stored in simple floor-to-ceiling racks. A wooden tasting table took up the center of the space, with leather wing chairs sitting at two of its sides. Beneath it was a colorful Turkish area rug. Another smaller table sat in a corner, while an intricately carved chest Jay had brought back from China was nestled in the other corner.

“It’s stunning.” London scanned the room slowly. “Cliff, can you set that up here?” She indicated a spot in front of the larger tasting table. “That way we’ll get those cobwebs reflected behind him.”

Trey hadn’t even noticed the spiderweb. Leave it to London to find the most unique aesthetic possible. The food stylist placed the tray of cheese and fruits on the larger table before exiting the crowded room.

“Striking,” Cliff warned them before bright light flooded the space. “You want a scrim?”

“Yes.” London nodded as Cliff placed a metal grated circle over the light, immediately softening its output. She motioned for Trey to sit in one of the leather armchairs closest to the cheese tray.

“This is going to be pretty simple.” She pulled a piece of paper from the back pocket of her black pants and handed it to him.

It was still warm from being held so close to her body. Ignoring the shiver of lust coursing through him, he unfolded the sheet and read what was on it. He laughed.

“So this is how you want to handle it?”

She shrugged, still fiddling with the settings on her phone. “Seth didn’t want to address the elephant in the room that is your strict diet. Bennie and I thought it would be better to meet it head on.”

“Well played.”

“Mm.” She pointed her phone at him. “That works. Can we clear the room, please?”

Cliff stepped outside the wine cellar with Collin following reluctantly.

“Don’t shut the door all the way,” Trey cautioned him. “It can get a bit twitchy if it isn’t closed properly.”

Collin saluted him and left the door open an inch.

“We can do this in as many takes as you need,” London said softly. “Just look right at my phone and say the lines as if you’re talking only to me.”

He let out a long breath and settled into the chair, telling his body to ignore her bedroom voice.

“Whenever you’re ready,” she coaxed.

Focusing on her lips, he recited the lines from memory. “You might have heard a rumor about me adhering to a strict diet during the season.” He let the corners of his lips turn up slightly. “Well, it’s true.” He reached for a piece of cheese and brought it to his mouth. “So let’s keep this just between you and me.” Without taking his eyes from London’s, he bit into the cheese, chewed, and swallowed, letting his eyes drift closed with a soft moan of pleasure. He had to admit, Gunther did make mean cheddar.

London was still filming, her lips parted in what looked like awe. Trey winked at her, and she seemed to come to her senses. Collin whooped it up from outside the door.

“Holy shit, that’s brilliant,” he shouted. “No wonder my dad wants to hire her.”

The expression of horror on her face made Trey laugh. He was so distracted that he didn’t notice Collin shoving the door the wrong way until it was too late.

“Collin, wait!” he yelled.

But his words were drowned out by the groan of the big iron door locking them in.