Hot on His Heels (What Happens in Vegas) by Margo Bond Collins Page A

we’ll follow the same rules we did back then. No pictures of your face. Dalton’s doing the photographs, so she already knows the rules.”
    Kamille had picked the one woman at the conference who wasn’t likely to complain about a lack of photographs. On that, he was sure he and Sadie would agree.
    Dalton Saunders had always been his favorite photographer, Jake had to admit. He’d been glad to see her when he arrived a few days ago.
    Still, he wasn’t quite ready to give in. “People will see us. They’ll figure it out.”
    Kamille shook her head. “It’s a publicity stunt, Jake. Everyone knows that. And I guarantee, all these women will be so focused on the date-with-a-model aspect that they’ll hardly pay any attention to who the model actually is.”
    “And if they do? I’ve already had a few people ask if I’m Ian.”
    Well, okay. Just one. The one he was now scheduled to go out on a date with.
    The one who was determined to meet his secret identity.
    She shrugged. “Then you’re a former cover model. How much damage could it really do to Ian’s campaign?”
    I don’t know. Maybe none?
    Jake shoved the errant thought away. “I promised him I wouldn’t let my work interfere with his career.”
    His boss’s mouth twisted. “Interesting how it’s always Ian’s ‘career’ but only your ‘work.’”
    With a wave, Jake dismissed the comment. “I won’t let him down. My family will never have to make up for my mistakes again.”
    One eyebrow went up again. “You think coming to work for Intertwined was a mistake?”
    “Dammit, Kamille. Don’t twist my words. You know what I mean. I won’t put my family in the position of having to scramble to help salvage Ian’s career like they did during his first campaign.” He paused, ignoring Kamille’s exasperated sigh. “I cannot spend any more time with this woman. She’s already starting to notice that I show up every time Jocelyn tweets something, I’m sure of it.”
    “Okay.” Kamille nodded thoughtfully, drawing the word out and worrying at her bottom lip with her teeth. Jake recognized her thinking mode. “This could work to your benefit. If she thinks you have one secret—say, that you’re a former cover model for Intertwined—it might throw her off the trail, keep her from realizing that you’re also Jocelyn.”
    “But I don’t want her to know either of those things.” The next thought almost knocked the breath out of him. “Did you plan this? Is this from some misguided belief that almost kissing her in the elevator actually meant something?”
    She didn’t answer the question. “Which one would be more damaging, really? That you’re currently ‘the most feminist romance novel editor in the business,’ or that you put yourself through grad school modeling for romance-novel covers a million years ago?”
    “It wasn’t that long ago,” Jake muttered.
    With a laugh, Kamille stood and smoothed down the front of her skirt. “Come on. We’re supposed to meet Dalton to discuss your wardrobe.”
    Jake made a show of heaving a sigh, but truth be told, his heart had leapt in his chest when he learned that Kamille needed him to step in.
    The idea of an entire evening with Sadie Quinn appealed to him more than he was willing to admit.
    He was looking forward to this a little too much.
    Really, what could possibly go wrong?
    Nothing, other than my entire life.
    …
    “I don’t think I really need a makeover.” Sadie stared at the two women who had showed up to help her prepare for her date with a model. One of them, a tall, thin brunette in jeans and a T-shirt, carried what looked like an oversize toolbox. The other, a busty blonde wearing a skin-tight, bright-blue minidress and three-inch heels, held several dress bags over her arm.
    “Oh, honey,” the brunette said with a Tennessee twang. “Everybody can use a makeover. Especially when you’re going out on a date with a hot cover model.” She pushed past Sadie into the