Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
The woman in charge of the seat fillers gripped my elbow and led me toward the front of the ballroom. Her voice was low as she informed me, “See that empty seat? You’ll be there.”
Having been instructed multiple times to be as quiet as possible, I simply nodded to let her know I heard her. When she released my elbow, I started to make my way toward the table she’d pointed out. But my steps slowed as I neared the empty seat. I’d done the seat filler gig before, but the closest I’d been assigned to a major celebrity had been up a row and several seats down. This time, Gustavo Duarte was sprawled in the chair next to where I’d been directed to sit.
The Brazilian star had played a major role on a wildly popular telenovela for the past five years. There had been a ton of media coverage about who would attend the ceremony with him because he had recently ended a long-term relationship and his show was up for the Best Telenovela award again this year. Since the woman on his other side was old enough to be his mother, I assumed the empty spot was his current girlfriend’s, and I would only be there until she arrived.
Determined not to fangirl too much, I flashed him a small smile as I sat down. With his dark hair and eyes, square jawline, and athletic build, Gustavo Duarte was more attractive in person than on-screen…but he did nothing for me. The only man who I felt that magnetic pull toward still hadn’t called me.
Rigby Hunt had been on my mind ever since we met at the store yesterday. Although I had watched more Nighthawks games with my dad than I could count, it took me a minute to recognize him since I was too busy drooling over the tattoo on his veiny forearm. Then I had to properly appreciate his broad chest, neck tattoo, five o’clock shadow, plush lips, blue eyes, and dark hair. And how freaking tall he was.
It wasn’t until I had finished checking him out and got a good look at his face that I realized the guy I’d been ogling was the punter for the Nighthawks. When he’d offered to help me and then struck up a conversation, I almost fell over from shock since Rigby had a reputation for being a grump who rarely spoke to fans. Then he’d been all flirty, asked for my number, and walked me back to Meredith’s apartment. I thought for sure he’d call or text me today. But there wasn’t a single missed call or message on my phone any time I’d checked, which was a lot more often than I should have.
My thoughts were so focused on Rigby that I didn’t notice Gustavo had leaned forward until he whispered, “I hope you don’t mind staying in the same seat for the duration of the ceremony, linda.”
I turned my head and blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what he just said. “The whole event?”
“Sim.” He nodded with a shrug. “I cannot be seen attending by myself, so I asked for a beautiful companion to stop questions from the media.”
“What about your date?” I wanted to snatch the words back as soon as I asked the question. Seat fillers were supposed to be seen and not heard, and digging into the personal life of one of the nominees was definitely against the rules.
Luckily, Gustavo didn’t seem to mind. “We had an argument, and Beatriz was still angry when it was time to come. She is…how do you say it? Impulsiva.”
I grimaced, thinking about how awful it must be for all of your romantic relationships to play out for the entire world to see. “I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe she’ll arrive just a little late?”
He shook his head. “Não, she is still in Rio. She called while I was on the plane to the States and broke up with me because I left without her.”
“Ouch.” Thinking about the articles I’d read that tossed out names of who his mysterious girlfriend could be, I grimaced. “Breakups are never fun, but that sounds especially awful considering the circumstances. I’m sorry.”
“We weren’t together for long.” He waved off my concern. “And once her anger dies down, Beatriz will probably want to take back her angry words.”
I smoothed down the skirt of my dress. “I hope it all works out when you get home.”
“If not, at least she signed the papers not to speak to the press.” He gestured toward the man seated two chairs away on his other side. “I am sure my agent will ask you to sign them too, now that I’ve told you all this. He will not want more stories to come out.”
I mimicked turning a key in a lock over my mouth. “No need to worry, my lips are sealed.”