Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
I dried off and flung myself onto Kassie’s welcoming mattress, burying my face into her pillow and inhaling deeply, her soft scent washing over me, calming me. I was tired. That bone-deep, emotionally depleted sort of tired. I shut my eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.
At some point, I felt the bed dip beside me, and without opening my eyes, I reached out and dragged Kassie nearer, nestling onto her lap—crowding myself onto her completely. I needed to be close, and I needed her.
She ran her fingers over my head and down my back in long, gentle strokes.
“Mine,” I muttered, tightening my arms. “All mine.”
And I was out again.
The next time I woke up, evening was setting. Kassie was beside me, but I was no longer smothering her. She smiled at me. “Hi.”
“Hey,” I replied, then cleared my throat. “Sorry. I sort of helped myself to your shower and bed.”
She ran her fingers through my hair. “I really need you to get up.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, hearing the anxiety in her voice.
“Your agent is in my living room. I had to stop her from coming in here and dragging you out of bed.”
“Shit. Was she rude?”
“Define rude.”
I flung off the blanket and reached for my shirt, pulling it over my head. “I’ll take that as a yes. Did she scare you?”
“No, but she is direct, isn’t she?”
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to bring some semblance of order to the mess. “Like a bullet to the brain.”
She nodded. “Sounds about right.”
I pulled her close and kissed her. “I’ll deal with her.”
“She’s getting fidgety.”
I grimaced. “Ah, the vaping thing. I’ll talk to her.”
“Oh, she’s been polite and not used it. I’m thinking she needs it, though.”
“I’ll take her out back. She can have as many hits as she wants.”
“Okay.”
Annie stared at me over a plume of vapor. “Napping now, Oliver?”
“I was exhausted, Annie. It’s been a day, okay?”
She sipped the vodka Kassie had brought her, before muttering an excuse about dinner and leaving us alone. I watched her go, hating to see her leave.
“Quite the speech earlier in Davis’s office.”
“I had nothing to lose, and I was sick of listening to her whine.”
“You’re very protective of your landlady.” She inhaled again, peering at me with one eye open. “But she’s way more than that, isn’t she?”
I leaned close. “Did you know, Annie?”
“Know what?”
“That you rented me a place owned by the girl I’d left behind?”
“At first, no. Then Davis mentioned you were wanting to go elsewhere, and I looked up the lease agreement and checked out her name and realized who she was. But you didn’t say anything, so I left it.” She took a sip of vodka, the ice clinking in the glass. “So, you’re back together?”
I sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to lie to Annie. “It’s a ‘for now’ sort of thing.”
“I see. Is that a fact?”
“Yes,” I replied wearily. “What’s happening with Flynn?”
“Sheri is meeting him tonight. She has her script, and she’ll stick to it. It’s being filmed. His paper will have it, plus a copy of the lawsuit we’ll launch unless they agree to fire him and kill the article with their deepest apologies.” She waved her hand in the air. “They’ll spin it. Say he lied to them, falsified documents, statements. They are horrified, yada yada yada.”
“And that’s it?”
“Oh no. Hush money can go to whatever charity you want.”
“Hmph. Feels like they’re getting off lightly.”
She smiled one of her scariest smiles in my direction. “I have other plans.”
“Ah.” I didn’t need to know what they were. Pissed-off Annie was the most terrifying of them all. Well, that, and out-of-vaping-supplies Annie.
“It will be over by tomorrow. Yesterday’s news by the next day. Forgotten next week.”
“Good,” I grunted, sipping the water Kassie had given me. “So I’ll…”
“…Finish the film. With your full salary.” She glared at me. “You never work for free. Not when I’m getting my cut.”
I chuckled. “I would have paid you anyway, Annie.”
“Damn right you would have.” She paused. “Davis was very impressed with you.”
I wasn’t sure what to say, so I nodded.
“I’m going to stick around for a couple of days. Make sure she stays in line.”
I grinned and leaned forward. “Aw, Annie. You care.”
She snorted. “Not likely, kid. Protecting my investment, is all.” But she winked and looked past me when the gate squeaked. “I want to get to know your girl a bit.”
I turned and saw Kassie coming, carrying a tray. “Not mine for long,” I muttered. “Filming will wrap soon.”
Annie blew out a long plume and grinned. “And you can walk away?”
“I have to. She has no interest in my life in LA.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “I thought you were a smart man.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s more to life than LA.”
Then she turned and greeted Kassie, leaving me wondering what she meant.