nearly imperceptible change in their cadence when they spoke. There was almost always a tell of their awareness of being ‘on.’
But not Josie. Nothing about her changed when a camera was pointed at her. Not one thing. I’d never seen someone so authentic. So real. So endearing.
And that authenticity transferred to whoever she was speaking to. Her genuineness put all of the people that she spoke to at ease. No matter how nervous, or scared they obviously were, she somehow distracted them with her voodoo magic of pure realness. She had such a way of making everyone we met feel immediately at ease.
I’d worked with a lot of on-air talent and producers over the years and she was different. She was special. People gravitated to her, but I could honestly see that she had no clue that it was happening. She had a magnetic pull that she was completely unaware of. She was one of the few people that I’d met that absolutely did not think the world revolved around her.
And that made her even more attractive.
When she crossed the room to me, I put my camera back inside my bag. I wasn’t sure she’d appreciate the fact that I kept snapping candid photos of her, but I just couldn’t seem to stop myself.
When I looked up, the wide smile that she wore as she started to take her mic off had my heart pounding hard against my ribs. I didn’t think as long as I lived, I’d ever grow immune to its potency.
“Okay, that’s a wrap for this location.”
My heart was still pounding as we made quick work of striking the set. I could’ve easily done it on my own, but Josie made sure that if there was something to do, she did it. It was just one more thing that surprised me about her. Not so much because that wasn’t the traditional role of a producer or talent, mainly because of her upbringing.
She’d been primarily raised by her grandmother, who was Hollywood royalty. She’d lived in a penthouse in a high rise in Manhattan. I was certain that Josie must be accustomed to staff.
But you would never know it to be around her. She was down to earth, hard-working, and fucking gorgeous. I’d been doing my best to ignore that particular adjective, but it was the truth. She was stunning. Breathtaking. And totally and completely unexpected.
I held the door for her as we exited the Dreamy Bean Coffee Shop.
“Thank you, again.” Josie waved to the owner, who had allowed us to use the location.
When we reached the car, we loaded the equipment. Once we were done, I opened the passenger side door and did my best not to inhale the intoxicating floral aroma that she always left in her wake. But I couldn’t help myself. The scent overwhelmed my senses as I closed the door and moved to my side of the car.
“Where are we headed?” I asked when I climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Southern Comfort. It’s the bar that the brothers own. It’s just down the road about a mile on the left.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Josie flip the visor down. She started retouching her makeup. “I think Nadia liked you.”
“Who?”
“Nadia.” She ran her hand down her hair. “The pretty blonde with huge blue eyes.”
When I didn’t answer she glanced over at me. I had no idea who she was talking about. All I could think of was how good Josie smelled, and how badly I wanted to kiss the lipstick, she’d just applied, right off of those sumptuous lips.
“She came in and got a to-go order. We talked for a few minutes. I introduced you to her, she asked if we were staying in town tonight.”
I’d always been an observer of people, but when Josie was around, it was like I had tunnel vision. I wasn’t aware of my surroundings. She was all I could see.
And my attraction to her was reaching critical mass. I’d almost kissed her twice now. Once at the water tower and then again after she’d had a panic attack. How fucking inappropriate was that? Not only was she in a vulnerable place; we were at work. I wasn’t sure which one was worse.
But damn, I was only human. When she’d looked up at me like I was her hero, it made me feel like I’d just slayed a thousand dragons and rescued her from the tower.