eyes nearly popped out of her head. ‘You mean you tipped a cup of coffee in Bryn Dwyer’s lap? Bryn Dwyer, the Bachelor of the Year and multimillionaire playboy prince of radio?’
‘That’s the one.’
‘Oh, my God, your career is over.’
‘Not if I can help it,’ Mia said determinedly, jangling her keys in her hand.
Gina gave her a worried look. ‘What are you going to do?’
‘Like I said—I’m going to see him and tell him exactly what I think of him. He told me to call him if I was dropped from the company, but I’m going to see him in person.’
‘Do you think that’s such a good idea? He probably has bodyguards or something. He had a stalker before. I remember reading about it in all the magazines. A crazy woman was following him for months, turning up wherever he was, threatening him all the time. His minders might think you’re just like her and going to do him some harm.’
Mia gave her a glittering look over her shoulder as she opened the front door to leave. ‘I am going to do him some harm,’ she said. ‘And I don’t care who tries to stop me. The upsized egotist Bryn Dwyer has finally met his match. You just wait and see.’
The studios of Hot Spot FM were in the leafy suburb of Lane Cove. Mia parked in a side-street and approached the security check-in point.
‘I’m here for a live interview with Bryn Dwyer,’ she informed the attendant assertively. ‘Mia Forrester. I’m an actor.’
The man looked down at his schedule for a moment. ‘I’m afraid I don’t have you marked down on my sheet. Are you sure your interview is for this afternoon?’
‘Yes, I spoke with Mr Dwyer this morning over coffee,’ she said and, taking a risk added, ‘He asked me to come and see him in person. Perhaps if you could call his studio and check, I’m sure he will verify it for you. We’re—er—old friends.’
‘Just a second.’ The man pressed some numbers and had a brief conversation with the producer before he turned back to her and handed her a security pass through the booth window. ‘Here’s a security tag.’ He activated the boom gate for her and added, ‘Go right through, Miss Forrester; it’s studio number five, the third one on the left. The producer will let you know when it’s time for your interview. Mr Dwyer’s been expecting you.’
Mia walked through with forced casualness while her brain was shooting off in all directions. What did he mean, Mr Dwyer was expecting her? How had he known she’d be storming over here to have it out with him?
The two-part studio was where the boom operator had indicated and one of the crew opened the door at her knock and ushered her through. Mia could see Bryn sitting in the transmitting studio next door, his headphones and mouthpiece in place. As if he sensed her presence he swung his chair around and mouthed ‘hello’ to her, his eyes glinting with something she couldn’t quite identify.
She pursed her lips and, although she was seriously tempted to give him a very rude sign with one of her fingers, somehow she resisted the urge and sent him a frosty look instead.
‘He’s got one more song until the news and weather and then he’ll be able to speak to you,’ the producer informed her from where he was sitting behind his computer console.
‘Thank you,’ she said and took the chair he offered.
She could hear the sound of Bryn’s deep, mellifluous voice as the show was broadcast around the studio. There was a seven-second delay, which she found a little unnerving because inside the glassed-in section she could see he had stopped speaking to swivel his chair to look at her again.
She gave him another cold look but just then she heard his voice announce his next guest.
‘Right after the news and weather I will have with me the utterly gorgeous Mia Forrester, whom I met for the first time this morning when she accidentally spilt a cup of coffee in my lap. Hey, all you out there in radio-land, I’m in love.’
Mia’s eyes went out on stalks as she sat forward on her chair, her stomach tripping over itself in alarm. What on earth was he doing?
He gave her a quick, confident grin and his voice continued, ‘So call me after the news, all you lovers out there in listener-land, and tell me about your most romantic meeting.’
‘On air in three minutes,’ the producer informed Mia as he flicked another switch on his console.
‘But I—’ She clamped her mouth shut when she saw Bryn’s lazy smile. All right, she thought. I’ll do it. I’ll go on radio and tell him exactly what I think of him. You just see if I won’t.
She was led into Bryn’s soundproof studio, fitted with a pair of headphones and seated opposite him in front of a microphone. She could hear the news segment coming to an end and then Bryn smiled as he spoke into his mouthpiece.
‘Thank you for joining me in the studio this afternoon, Mia. This is Hot Spot FM and I have with me here the beautiful Mia Forrester, whom I met by accident this morning. And I can tell right my life will never be the same again. I’ll take caller number four, who wants to tell us about how she met the love of her life. Hello, Jennifer from way out at Campbelltown. Tell us about your romantic meeting.’
Mia swallowed as a young woman’s voice sounded in her ears. ‘Hi, Bryn and Mia. I met my husband when he ran into the back of my car at the traffic lights. I was so furious with him but after I’d vented my spleen I suddenly realised how gorgeous he was. He asked me out and the rest, as they say, is history.’
‘Thanks, Jennifer, what a great story. Now we have Andy from Castle Hill on the line. Hi, Andy; how did you meet the love of your life?’
This time a male voice sounded in Mia’s ears. ‘I met my fiancée when she waxed my legs in preparation for a triathlon I was competing in.’
‘No kidding?’ Bryn said, winking at Mia. ‘So how many waxes did it take to ask her out?’
‘Five, but it was worth the pain.’
Bryn laughed. ‘Way to go, Andy. Who says men have no sense of romance? Now I think it’s Mia’s turn to tell you about how she met me this morning. Mia?’
Mia met his dark blue gaze and tightened her mouth. ‘I met Bryn Dwyer in the café where up until this morning I was employed part-time. But as a result of my—er—spilling a cup of coffee in his lap I lost my job on the spot and—’
‘And lost her heart as well, isn’t that right, sweetheart?’
‘I—’
‘You know the number.’ Bryn cut her off as he addressed his listeners. ‘Call in and tell us if you agree with the concept of love at first sight.’ He took the first caller.
Mia listened with one ear as she tried to make sense of what was going on. Was this some kind of joke? What the hell was he playing at, pretending he’d fallen in love with her?
The switchboard was buzzing with incoming calls and the producer gave Bryn a thumbs-up sign from the studio next door, his face beaming.
‘Now
