Free Tell Me You Love Me by Kayla Perrin Page B

desk full of pictures, she smiled.
    “Hey, you,” she said.
    Phil looked up, greeting her with a grin. “Wendy.’’
    They walked toward each other, meeting for a hug. Wendy savored it, inhaling his distinct masculine scent mixed with a light hint of cologne. Man, did it ever feel good to be in his strong arms.
    Just as she closed her eyes, Phil pulled away. It was as jarring as a douse of cold water. She popped her eyes open with lightning speed, hoping he hadn’t noticed that she was enjoying the hug just a little too much.
    Flustered, she looked up at him. “It’s so good to see you again, Phil. You’ve been keeping way too busy with work.’’
    “I know. But business is booming.’’
    “That’s always positive.”
    He nodded. Then, he gave her a quick once-over. “You’re looking good.’’
    “Thanks.” But Wendy felt a tickle of disappointment in her stomach. He’d said the words in much the same way one would say, “Nice weather we’re having.” Like it was mandatory conversation, but not necessarily true.
    “Let’s sit down.’’
    Phil walked back to the desk and Wendy followed him. He pulled a chair up beside his and patted the seat.
    Sitting down next to him, Wendy glanced at the array of headshots on his desk. “What’re all these for?’’
    “We’re shooting a music video for a local rap group. They want women—hot women—and these are the headshots we’ve gotten from agents.’’
    Wendy nodded her understanding. “They’re pretty.’’
    As Wendy watched him, Phil lifted one picture for closer examination. His eyes narrowed; he was suddenly in work mode. “Ginelle’s a definite yes.” He placed her picture to one side. “She’s gorgeous.”
    “Hmm,” Wendy replied. For some reason, she felt a twinge of jealousy. Not in a possessive way, but she suddenly wondered if Phil saw her as pretty.
    Considering the way he had looked at her—or rather, the way he hadn’t—Wendy couldn’t help wondering if he thought of her as pretty in a sisterly-type way.
    Which would suck.
    “Anyway,” Phil said. He slapped a palm on the table and turned his attention back to her. “I know you didn’t come over to discuss headshots.”
    “No.” Wendy chuckled softly, then leaned backin the chair. She crossed one leg over the other, giving Phil an ample view of her thigh.
    If he noticed, he didn’t show it. “Give me the details of the project.’’
    “Like I told you, Tyanna and I need to shoot a fitness video. We hadn’t thought we would be doing one so quickly, but we heard back from Ronnie Vaughn’s office sooner than expected. Anyway, we’re hoping to shoot this video as quickly as possible. It’s not going to be the best, we know, but hopefully good enough to get him interested. I know we have to work around your schedule, so we’ll have to be as flexible as possible. If need be, Tyanna and I can reschedule our shifts at the gym. But if you can work it for a Sunday, that would be best, since Tyanna and I are both off on Sundays.’’
    Phil pursed his lips, deep in thought. “And how soon is ‘as quickly as possible’?”
    “Hopefully in the next couple weeks. I still need time to figure out what our routine will be.’’
    Phil nodded, still thinking.
    “But if that isn’t doable—’’
    “No,” Phil said, cutting her off. “I’ll figure something out. You know I’ll always be there for you, any way I can.” He gave her a soft smile. “Let me see what my schedule looks like for late next week. I should be able to do Sunday for sure. Even if it means bribing my guys with a few incentives.”
    Wendy leaned forward in the chair. She reached out and placed a hand on Phil’s leg. “I will love you forever if you can work this out for us.’’
    “Yeah, that’s what they all say.’’
    But they don’t all mean it , Wendy thought.
    Silence fell between them, and Wendy pulled back her hand. Had Phil even checked out her cleavage? She wasn’t sure.
    Phil turned