“Yes, I’m starving! Let’s go across the street. Have you ever had their Mahi tacos?”
“I have. They also have the best martinis in town.”
She grabs a string bikini top off a chaise and holds it up in front of her chest. “Will you tie this for me?”
“Sure.” I glide my hand across her soft, bronzed shoulder. “You’re beautiful,” I whisper.
“Are you putting the moves on me? You’re the big shot movie producer, shouldn’t I be trying to sleep with you?”
“You slept with me last night,” I tease as I slowly touch her back, while tying the bottom string. “This too tight?”
“No, it’s perfect. Riley, I don’t date people I work with. And I’d never have sex with someone to get a role.”
“Hold your hair up,” I tell her, as I tie the string around her neck. Then I turn her around to face me. “I don’t date anyone I work with either. And, although I may have a well-deserved reputation for sleeping around, I’ve never hired someone I’ve slept with.”
She smooshes up her nose. “Really?”
“Really,” I state, kissing it.
“You’re too cute,” she says, causing my frozen heart to melt a little. She grabs my hand and leads me out the door. The lust I wish she felt for me fills her eyes when she sees my car again. She pretends to pet it although, thankfully, her hand never touches the paint.
“Oh, baby, I’ve missed you,” she says to my car.
I lean her against the side of the car, wanting nothing more right now than to forget about the paint and do her on the hood. This girl has my blood running hot. Probably, because she acts like she’s not interested.
The last time I wasn’t sure a girl wasn’t interested in me was . . .
Shit.
I shake my head. I’m not thinking about Ariela today.
I give Jennifer a rough kiss. She grabs my neck and shoves her tongue in my mouth like Ariela did at Keatyn’s.
Fuck!
Stop. Fucking. Thinking. About. Her!
I kiss Jennifer back, using my skillful tongue, but trying to play it cool. I even stop the kiss before she’s ready for it to end. When I pull my lips away, it takes her a few moments to open her eyes and look at me.
“Damn,” she says. “You might cause me to rethink my rules.”
“I’ve already been rethinking mine. In fact, if you sign a contract to do Daddy’s Angel, I’ll let you drive my car. No girl has ever driven her.”
“Oh, now you’re just fucking with me,” she laughs, grabs my hand, and leads me toward the restaurant.
After the short walk there, we make ourselves comfortable in the bar and order drinks and lunch.
She crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at me. “Are you serious?”
“About which part?”
“The car part, silly.”
“You mean, you really don’t want to sleep with me?”
“I haven’t decided yet. Look, I know I’m kinda crazy. A little wild. But I love life. I’m having a blast. I’m making amazing money doing something I love. But that doesn’t mean I sleep around.”
“You kissed every man standing at the last Academy Awards afterparty.”
“Yeah, because I fucking won. I still can’t fucking believe that. I was drunk, happy, and high on life. I’m affectionate. I kissed some girls too, by the way.”
“Do you remember kissing me?”
“I kissed you?”
“Yep. Right in front of my mother. Tongue and everything.”
She covers her face with her hand. “Oh shit. I’m so embarrassed.”
I smirk, but try to hide it by taking a drink.
“Aww, you’re fucking with me again.” She shakes a finger at me. “Riley Johnson, what am I going to do with you? Tell me the truth. Did I kiss you?”
“Yes.”
“Was your mother there?”
“No.”
“You’re bad. Good thing. I wouldn’t want to have to be embarrassed when I meet her.”
“You’re planning to meet my mother?”
“Sure, I’ll drive your car there.”
“My parents live in the Hamptons.”
“Shit! That’s awesome. That’d be so fun. Let’s do it!”
“Wait. Do what?”
“Drive your car there. Road trip!”
“It’d kill the car’s value if I put too many miles on it.”
“Oh, come on, Riley. It will be fun. That’s how we’ll celebrate. We’ll go tomorrow morning to talk to Keatyn about the role. You can bring your attorneys or whatever and I’ll sign. My agent will kill me because I won’t ask for enough money, but if the show does well, you’ll promise to pay me more for the next season.”
“If only all contracts were that easy,” I laugh, knowing how Dallas goes over every minute detail to protect us.
“It can be for this. Seriously, Riley, when’s the last time you had a vacation?”
“I visited my family this summer.”
She looks up at the ceiling and bites her lip, trying to come up with a different excuse to talk me into it.
“I’ll tell you what,” I say. “If we have a done deal by Friday, we’ll go somewhere to celebrate.”
She gives me a broad smile, leans across the table, grabs my shirt, and kisses me.
Bar Marmont - Hollywood
DAWSON