The Billionaire’s Bun In Her Oven - Ellie Rowe Page 0,29

well, Nadia-ish.

Hovering constantly over all that though, is the worry that Cynthia won’t want to have anything to do with me after this.

Reality TV is made in the editing room. I get it. Hell, I’ve helped throw a couple of episodes together myself, but they really outdid themselves with this one.

It’s as if everything has been taken out of context. The takedowns I threw Nadia’s way have been re-cut to make it seem like I was attacking Cynthia.

A clip of me laughing – which I know was at a joke Cynthia made – is spliced in such a way as to make it seem like it’s directed at one of Nadia’s snide comments.

It happens over and over again.

To either her credit or horror, Cynthia watches the entire episode without leaping off my couch and smashing my TV.

As the credits roll though, I can see her struggling to hold her emotions together. Some mix of rage and humiliation plays across her face as she stares at the floor, barely moving, uncomfortably quiet.

I watch her carefully. Finally, I say, “It’s only one episode.”

She keeps staring at the floor. “Mm-hm.”

“They’ve gotta create all this drama. Make it seem like there are big rivalries.”

“Mm-hm.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“OK.”

“It’s not even a big deal, y’know? Just one episode.”

“OK.”

“You just keep doing what you’re doing because you’re great. You’re incredible. Just buckle down and –”

“Please shut up.”

I do.

She blinks twice, quickly. A tear rolls down her cheek. She hurriedly brushes it away. A second later, she’s completely composed again.

“All right,” she says, as if nothing’s happened, “time to go. Thanks for having me over to watch. It was… informative.”

It’s hard to tell what’s more unsettling – her quiet breakdown after the show ended, or this sudden pretense that everything’s fine.

She’s already off the couch and grabbing her things.

I follow, saying, “You’ll see. As the show goes on, they’ll tip the scales more toward you and not Nadia.”

Somehow, Cynthia’s already at the door. I put my hand on the knob before she can.

“It’s going to be fantastic. Origin’s going to be fantastic. You –” this comes out before I can stop myself – “are fantastic.”

There’s a moment when I think her professional veneer might slip away. The comment has clearly affected her. But, just like she did on my couch, she quickly shifts gears and back into composed and professional.

“That’s sweet of you, Stephen, thank you.”

She reaches for the door, then pauses. She teeters away from the professionalism again for a moment and sweetly adds, “I appreciate it. I know you’re trying to help. It does mean a lot.”

A wave of relief passes over me. But it’s quickly followed by a wave of another feeling, as I suddenly become aware of how close we are to each other. I remind myself that we’re being professionals. Then I remember professionals are still human.

So, I give her a tender kiss on the cheek, letting my lips linger on her skin just a little longer than would be considered professional. I barely pull away, keeping my face close to hers.

Maybe that’s why, a second later, we’ve got our arms wrapped around each other and our lips pressed together. We kiss ferociously.

She drops her things to the floor and our hands explore each other’s bodies, quickly working at buttons and zippers.

She presses me against the wall, kissing my neck and undoing the buttons of my shirt. I slide one hand up her skirt and feel her bare ass, the top of her thong. She licks my nipples, sending a little thrill through me and forcing my cock upright.

Then I pull her mouth back to mine as my hands slide up her side, slip over her breasts. I can feel her nipples poking through her bra and shirt. I yank her top off, then pull the cups of her bra down to suck on those nipples. She arches her head back and undoes her bra.

It falls to the floor, and I make my way down to my knees. I push her skirt up and pull the thong aside from her wet pussy. I tease her clit with my tongue, putting my entire mouth on her. She moans in pleasure. Her fingers tangle in my hair and she pushes me harder against her. I let my tongue explore deep inside her, then slide back to her clit.

She throws a leg over my shoulder and I put my tongue into action, teasing and sucking her clit. Her hips tremble with pleasure. Just as she’s getting