She moved through them and opened the door only to have ten microphones jammed in her face.
&nb
sp; "Miss Connors, Mr. Reid recently asked you to be his wife, correct?"
"What's your story?"
"Where are you from? Who are your parents? Are you from another country?"
“What did you do to get him to propose?”
“You blackmail him?”
The questions went on and on, and the voices only got louder.
"I'm not interviewing, but Mr. Reid will see the three of you with whom I've scheduled interviews. The rest of you will need to contact me to set something up." She pulled her phone from her pants pocket and scrolled through, calling out the names of those who were scheduled for an appointment. Though it was trying, she kept her calm façade locked into place and moved back when the three who would be following her upstairs moved up.
None of them asked questions, which she was grateful for.
"Good. Follow me, please." She turned on her heel and walked toward the elevator as they introduced themselves to one another. The tallest of the three moved up beside her and offered his hand. "Clay Mills. The Economist."
"Nice to meet you, Clay. Sorry for the madness." She moved into the elevator and introduced herself to the other two as well. One was from GQ and the other from People.
"We're used to the madness. It's all part of the job." A middle-aged Asian woman shrugged and pulled her phone from her pocket. "We do have a few questions for you, at least Time Magazine does."
"I'll answer them as best I can after you talk with Mr. Reid. I'll be sitting in on each of the interviews today." Jamie held the door as it stopped on their floor. "If you'll just make yourselves comfortable, I'll usher you in one at a time. If you need anything, Kristen over there can help you out."
The mumbled their gratitude and walked over to the plush leather couches Alex had in the lobby.
"Just follow the schedule and send them in when I let you know that we're ready." Jamie smoothed her shoulder-length blond hair. "Anything in my teeth?"
Kristen shook her head. "Nope, and that blue shirt looks good on you. Says that you're large and in charge."
"Large?" Jamie lifted her eyebrow. The poor girl in front of her had no way of knowing that she'd been struggling with her weight most of her life.
"It's just a saying. You look great, but obviously you know that." Kristen gave her a warm smile. "It's not like Alex would date anyone who wasn't a complete bombshell, right?"
"Right." Jamie forced herself to ignore the sickness swirling in her stomach. She was no bombshell. Maybe shrapnel from a fall-out, but that was about it. She walked to Alex's office and knocked on the door before poking her head in. "You ready?"
"Was it horrible?" He moved around his desk and motioned for her to close the door.
"What? The press? No. I just invited the three we're speaking with to join me and left the rest salivating." She reached up and brushed her fingers along the dark jacket he wore. "You look great."
"They aren't the only ones salivating for you." He leaned down and brushed his lips by hers. "Sorry I was pissy earlier. I'm a little concerned about what these guys will be asking today. I want to be honest and open, but I'm not playing into anyone’s games."
"I agree. Just stick to the script. We already went over acceptable topics and responses this past weekend. Just stick to those and you'll be fine. If you start to divert, I'll clear my throat." She kissed him once more. "Let's get this over with."
He stopped her by grabbing her wrist as she walked away. "Hey. I love you. I'm glad you're here with me."
"Me too. Stop being sweet or I'll strip you down and make them wait longer than appropriate while I show you just how much you make me salivate."
He growled but released her.
They made a good couple. Him an alpha billionaire with a heart, and her... his personal assistant.
Don't start that again.
Chapter 2