Chapter 6

      The first day of taping had been long and drawn out. By the time Ayana returned home, she was exhausted. After showering and putting on her favorite pink Hello Kitty pajamas, she climbed into bed. She then pulled the comforter up to her chin and shut her eyes. An hour later, she was still wide-awake, sleep eluding her. Ayana tossed and turned, switching from her left side to the right, in an effort to get comfortable, but it wasn’t working. Ayana sat up and attacked the pillows, punching them with her fist, trying to soften them. Satisfied that she had loosened the down feathers sufficiently, she laid her head back on the creased pillows. The moment she closed her eyes, visions of Brandon appeared. Ayana could see him walking toward her with a sexy strut. Her body’s memory could still feel his strong hands taking hold of her shoulders, pressing her against his body and giving her a sensuous kiss. His lips touching hers had been a welcome surprise. The last thing Ayana expected was to be lip-locking with the new director. She could tell from the way he introduced his lips to hers—purposeful, yet gentle—that he was an experienced lover. He had turned her on with only one brief kiss, and now her body craved more of his touch.

      Ayana bolted straight up. “Get that man out of your mind,” she said quietly, underneath her breath, in the darkened room. She inhaled several times, fast at first and then slowly in a Zen-like effort to calm herself. As Ayana was going through the breathing exercises, her cell phone rang. She froze, and her heart started beating fast. Her mind instantly flashed to Brandon. I wonder if that’s him calling? A phone list with all the cast and crew’s home and cell numbers had been passed out before rehearsals began, so it wasn’t unlikely that he could be calling.

      She turned over, looked at the nightstand and saw her cell glowing in the dark. As Ayana reached for the phone she glanced down and was disappointed to see Reese’s name on the screen. Ayana didn’t really feel like talking. She wanted to focus on going to sleep, but she knew if she didn’t answer, Reese would only call back in a few minutes. Reese didn’t leave messages; she was a repeat caller, and she hit Redial until she got an answer.

      “Hey,” Ayana said without an ounce of enthusiasm in her voice.

      “Are you asleep already? It’s only nine o’clock,” Reese said, full of energy.

      “No, not really. I’m just lying here.”

      “What’s wrong? You sound agitated.”

      “Nothing.”

      “Come on, now. I know you better than that. Something must have happened on the shoot today if you can’t sleep.” Reese and Ayana had known each other since high school, and they were adept at reading each other, much like an old married couple.

      “Well, something out of the ordinary did happen, but it was no big deal.” Ayana was reluctant to tell Reese what had happened because she didn’t want her friend blowing the incident out of proportion, trying to make a love connection like she had done so many times in the past.

      “Do tell. I like hearing about the action on the set. It’s like watching the show before it airs. Did you get into another catfight with Petra? Or did Brooke piss you off with her hoity-toity attitude?” Reese knew the antics of each cast member as if she were part of the show.

      “No, it had nothing to do with either of them. It’s the new director. He kissed me today.”

      “What! Are you kidding? Why did he kiss you?”

      “He was demonstrating how I should’ve kissed one of my dates,” Ayana said, as if kissing the director was an everyday occurrence.

      “Why do you sound so matter-of-fact about it? Was he a bad kisser?”

      Ayana closed her eyes, reminiscing. “On the contrary—the kiss was awesome. I can’t stop thinking about him,” she said, unable to hide her feelings any longer.

      “Girl, you sound like you have a crush on him!”

      “You see, this is why I didn’t want to say anything. I knew you were going to blow the whole thing up. I’m not in high school, and I don’t have a crush. I was just surprised at his bold demonstration, that’s all.” Ayana had said enough and didn’t want to fully admit how much the kiss had affected her, so much so that Brandon and his lips were on repeat in her mind, playing over and over.

      “Yeah, right.”

      “I’m serious. I don’t have time to get involved with anybody, let alone someone I work with. I’m concentrating all of my energy on the next phase of my life. I don’t plan to be on Divorced Divas forever. My focus is on branding myself, not on romance,” she said, redirecting the conversation.

      “That’s a good speech, but what’s wrong with having a relationship and working on your career at the same time? I’m working on my gemology certification and taking care of my husband at the same time.”

      “Well, that might work for you, but for me romance is often a distraction. Remember when I started working for Benjamin? My plan was to climb the corporate ladder at BL Industries. Instead, I ended up dating and then marrying the boss. Look how that turned out. I don’t plan on making the same mistake twice. I’m not getting any younger, and I need to secure my financial future while I can.”

      “My point exactly. You’re not getting younger and you need to find a man so you won’t grow old alone. Don’t get me wrong—I understand your financial concerns, but love is important too. Money won’t hug you around the waist at night and keep you warm.”

      Ayana sighed. She was tired and ready to end the conversation. She had heard Reese’s speech on