by Alexa Aston
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to be with Randi anymore. In fact, I think I should have my head examined for hooking up with her in the first place. She’s been the biggest mistake I’ve made—and I’ve made my fair share.”
Her insides fluttered. “You’re breaking up with her?”
“The minute she gets back. I don’t believe in break-up by text or else I would’ve done it already.”
Cassie slugged him in the arm without thinking. “Corrigan, that’s plain stupid on your part. Randi’s out of the country, she’s looking forward to getting back and spending the holidays with you, she’s expecting a fabulous present, and you will totally hit her out of left field. You don’t break up with a woman at Christmas, much less leave her stranded with no New Year’s date.”
“Women shouldn’t expect some fabulous present. Not if they really love a man.”
Cassie heard a bitter tone in his words. “You don’t think Randi loves you?”
Rhett snorted. “Not a bit. The only thing Randal James loves is herself and lots of publicity, be it good or bad.” He grabbed Cassie’s arm and stopped her progress.
“I will admit I was foolish enough to let a nice piece of ass distract me but I don’t love Randi. I found out pretty quickly I don’t even like her. She’s the most self-centered woman in Hollywood. Believe me, she’ll milk all the publicity out of this break-up that she can get. Why should I drag her through the holidays and expose my family to her selfishness when I have no intentions of staying in a relationship with her?
“I would’ve done this before but Randi zipped out of town pretty fast,” Rhett continued. “And I mean it. I need to speak to her in person. I owe her that much.”
“You sound pretty sure that’s what you want to do.”
Determination showed in his eyes. “I am. I’ve reached an age where I hope I’m mature enough to live my life doing what I want to do. What’s the right thing to do. I’ve learned I can’t please everyone but I can please myself.”
Rhett’s words got Cassie thinking.
Suddenly, she knew what she really wanted to do, too.
◆◆◆
Cassie showered after their run and puttered into the kitchen to make coffee.
Breck beat her to it. He must have overnighted with Jo.
He sat at the table, a frown on his face, a pencil tapping a piece of paper, as she entered the room.
“Morning, Breck. Thanks for making coffee.”
He jumped like a bee had stung him. “Oh, hey, Cass.” He quickly folded the paper and went to the refrigerator. “Want me to get you some juice? There’s apple and orange.”
“No.” She poured a cup of coffee and added sugar and creamer before taking a seat.
“What’re you working on?”
Breck sat, his hands covering the page in front of him.
“Nothing much,” he said, a little too nonchalantly. “Making a list of errands. Things that need to get done before Jo and I head to see her folks.”
“Hmm.” Cassie sipped her coffee, studying him over the rim. “Whose name did you draw in the Corrigan gift exchange?”
Breck opened the page and scribbled something. “One more present I need to shop for before we leave.”
“That’s okay. Rhett didn’t think you’d bought anything yet. I’m going to be taking your place Christmas Day. Tell me whose name you drew and what they might like.”
Breck made a point of opening the page again and scratching through what he’d written. “That’s great. One less thing to buy. Uh, you’ll need to get Nadine something. Scarlett sort of drew her name but she thinks her mom hates everything she gets for her, so I traded with her. With me shopping for her, Nadine’ll have low expectations anyway.”
“How would she know you have her name? I thought things like this were supposed to be kept secret.”
“Because Suellen drew her mom’s name first and blabbed by accident. So, she traded with Scarlett, who then traded with me. But Suellen told Nadine that, too. I swear Suellen would’ve made a lousy spy. She spills everything she knows.”
He brightened. “Nadine will really be surprised when she gets something from you. It’s about time.” He thought a moment. “She doesn’t like heavy scents, like musk. She does like pastels. Don’t get her anything for the house. She’s way too picky and will take back what you do get her. Her ears are pierced so anything silver’s a safe bet.”
Cassie nodded. “Good advice. I think earrings would be nice.” She pushed her coffee mug aside. “I think I will have some orange juice after all.”
“I’ll get it.” Breck stood and walked toward the refrigerator. The minute his back was turned, Cassie snagged the paper lying on the table. She knew she was invading Breck’s privacy but she couldn’t help herself. She scanned it quickly as he got a glass from the cabinet and poured her orange juice into it.
When he turned to face her, Breck caught her sliding the page back across the table. Cassie gave him a guilty smile.
“Damn you, General.” Breck took two steps and snatched the page from her hands. “You are one nosy Texan.”
“How long have you been writing, Breck?”
He sat and shrugged. “A while. I mean, I’m not really writing. Just playing around with a few ideas. Nothing’ll come of it. I get bored sometimes. Especially when we’re filming. There are hours between set-ups. Some people crochet. Others read or listen to music. Me? I scribble a little here and there.”
“I used to write short stories.”
“Really? Are you any good?”
“I had a few published in the school literary magazine. I let writing drop after I came to California. Funny we should be talking about this because I decided this morning while I was running that I wanted to write again.” Cassie smiled. “I’m going to write a screenplay.”
Breck sat up, interest written all over his face. “A screenplay? I would love to sink my teeth into something like that.”
“You and I are a pretty good team, Breck. We get along well. We’re brutally honest with each other. Why don’t we play the Coen brothers and write a script together?”
He gave her a sly smile. “General, I love it when you talk dirty.”
“I mean it, Breck.” She paused. “I already have in mind the actor we’ll write it for.”
Breck leaned closer. “You’ve got my attention.”
“It’ll be for Rhett.” Cassie propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on folded hands. “We’re going to break Rhett out of his action mold and show America—no, the world—that he’s got real acting chops.”
CHAPTER 16
Cassie drummed her fingers nervously on the steering wheel as she waited for the light to change. Why did Rhett have to mention her accompanying him to Ken’s movie premiere during their poker game last night?
Ken jumped on it, telling Cassie that his wife, Melanie, happened to be shopping first thing in the morning for her own outfit. He volunteered Melanie’s services to help Cassie find something to wear. Ken called Melanie and passed his phone to Cassie in the middle of a hand, calling a halt to play until the women decided on a time and place.
And while Cassie tried to wrap up the conversation quickly, Zak Mercury glared at her the entire time. Once off the phone, Darin Hart was full of advice on how to do her makeup since the red carpet lights played havoc with everyone. He told her he’d been washed out so badly the first time he’d walked the carpet that the tabloids nicknamed him Caspar.
Rhett’s trainer, Leo, suggested Cassie go with something short to show off her toned legs. Leo thanked Cassie again for getting Rhett to run regularly and warned her to lay off anything fatty or salty at least four days before the premiere.
Cassie hated the intense attention focused on her and did everything she could to steer talk back to the game. She found it too hard to concentrate after that and begged off to go home early. Once there, she googled Melanie Cameron so she would recognize her tomorrow morning.
On top of that, Carreen called before poker night, wanting to discuss Rhett’s imminent break-up with Randi. Rhett had shared with his sister what he intended to do once Randi arrived in town and Carreen called Cassie with advice on how things would play out with the press. Carreen stressed how Cassie needed to be prepared for the absolute worst since Rhett would be in a cranky mood. With Rhett being Hollywood’s reigning bachelor, the media would ignite with the news.
Cassie knew nothing could prepare her for this trial by fire but knew Rhett would take the high ground, regardless of what Randi said or did. As Rhett’s assistant, she would keep newspapers and magazines away from him. He rarely got on the Internet so he’d miss all of the media stories there. Becky Bloss could handle the PR nightmare that would erupt. Cassie wished she could give Becky a heads up on the situation but she didn’t want to overstep her bounds. Rhett would let Becky know in his own time what he wanted done.
Cassie cleared her mind from the upcoming scandal and headed to a store she’d never heard of that Melanie swore had chic looks at great prices. Jolene rode shotgun, fiddling with the radio, trying to find a station which wasn’t playing a commercial. She finally gave up and turned it off.
“You need to get in a better mood, Cass. You haven’t said a word for ten minutes. I would think shopping for something to wear to a fancy Hollywood premiere might put most women on the happy cloud. You’re acting as if you’re headed straight to the guillotine.”
She sighed, not sure how much she could even vocalize. “It just feels weird, Jolene. I like Rhett. He’s a great boss. I know a lot of times stars take their publicist or agent or whomever to events. In a way, Rhett’s like some star quarterback dating the head cheerleader, while I’m captain of the debate team who’s his dissection partner in biology. His girlfriend’s out of town at a cheer competition, he has an extra ticket, and he’s sweet enough to drag me along so I don’t sit at home washing my hair on a Saturday night.”
Jolene asked, “Would you have frizzy hair and be wearing braces? Or is this the part where the ugly duckling gets the metal off and has her hair straightened and suddenly the world notices that she’s a gorgeous swan?”
Cassie laughed. “People in Rhett Corrigan’s league would never give me a second glance.”
“Zak Mercury did,” Jolene said. “In fact, he called again. Did you see the message? I left it by the phone.”
“No, and that’s beside the point.”
“Then what is the point? That you feel guilty going out with your boss? Or guilty that it’s to something cool and Randi will throw a shit fit when she finds out? Or that the tabloids are going to have a fucking field day when Rhett shows up with a beautiful mystery date? Or—”
“Pretty much all of the above. Except the beautiful part.”
Jolene leaned back in her seat. “I say roll with it, baby. Go have fun. Mingle. Make some contacts. Wear something new. Have a blast. Who gives a flying fuck what Randi James thinks? That bitch has serious mental problems.”
Jolene pointed to their right. “Hey, there it is.”
Cassie saw the sign for Vanity and pulled the Range Rover up to the curb. A valet met her. She handed the keys over and accompanied Jolene inside, hoping she had enough cash on her to tip the guy. She was sure Jolene wouldn’t.
They walked up a flight of stairs. A petite woman with four-inch heels and dark, shoulder-length hair stood in front of the opaque doors. She had a body that would stop traffic—male or female. When she spotted them, she broke out in a sweet smile.
“Cassie Carroll?”
“Melanie Cameron?”
The woman nodded. “It’s so good to meet you. Ken says he enjoys poker night a lot more now that you’re at the table.”
She laughed. “Ken has the best poker face in the world. He usually cleans everyone out. I’m sure he’s glad to have another sucker donating to his cause.” Cassie indicated Jolene. “Melanie, this is my friend, Jolene Farrell. She lives in Rhett’s gatehouse with me.”
“Nice to meet you, Jolene.”
“Don’t think we’re lesbians, Melanie. Cassie and I just room together. I’m one hundred percent man-loving and have the tales to prove it.”
Melanie burst out laughing. As usual, Cassie was ready to strangle Jolene.
“Ken told me some firecracker had Breck O’Dell tucked into her back pocket. It’s about time some lucky lady made an honest man of Breck. Good to meet you, Jolene.”
Jolene stared at Melanie. “I thought those bedroom eyes your husband has are sexy, but yours are even better. Plus, you have great hair and teeth. You should be the star of the family, Melanie. I’m not kidding. You should be on the cover of People’s Most Beautiful issue. I feel like I should ask you for your autograph.”
Melanie flashed a brilliant smile. “You are too sweet but from what Ken tells me, I should be asking for yours instead. He went with Breck to see you perform the other night and he came home raving. It’s hard to make Ken laugh out loud but he swore his belly was sore the next day, thanks to you.”
Jolene blushed to her roots. Cassie was grateful that Melanie’s compliment rendered her roommate speechless.
Melanie continued. “I haven’t seen Breck in a few months. Maybe the four of us could have dinner sometime.”
Cassie stifled a smile as she watched Jolene’s eyes grow large at the prospect of being seen in public in Ken Cameron’s company.
Jolene finally found her voice. “Could Cassie come along? She could bring Zak. That is, if she ever returned his calls.” She gave Cassie a triumphant look.
Melanie’s eyebrows shot up. “Zak Mercury? He’s asking you out?”
Cassie said, “Yes, but I’m not going, despite Jolene’s fascination with someone famous offering to take me to dinner. I don’t want to mix business with pleasure.”
Melanie shook her head. “No one tells Zak no, Cassie. He’ll drive you crazy until you do go out with him. I mean like stalk you crazy.”
“Then he’d drop her like a hot potato,” Jolene added. “I know the type. I’ve told her to go kick up her heels with him and enjoy her fifteen minutes of fame but this woman has principles.”
Cassie shrugged. “A few. Not enough to keep from using Rhett’s credit card today. He was sweet enough to offer to buy something for me to wear to Ken’s premiere.”
Jolene interrupted. “Oh, come on, Cass. You’re making it sound like he’s some sugar daddy that’ll deck you out from head to toe.” She looked at Melanie. “Cassie insisted that Rhett could only pay for part of it. She said it would count as her Christmas present from him, even though she told Rhett she thought she hadn’t been working for him long enough to deserve one.”
Cassie clenched Jolene’s arm in a Vulcan death grip. “Do you tell everything you know?”
Jolene shrugged. “Pretty much. Come on, ladies. Time’s a-wasting.” She walked into the store.
Melanie touched Cassie’s arm. “She’s a breath of fresh air, Cassie. Don’t worry. I take no offense at someone in this town speaking her honest opinion. And Vanity has some great classic cuts for amazing prices. It’s a little off the beaten path. You’ll be able to find something terrific here.”
“I appreciate you going shopping with us, Melanie. When Ken offered your services, I wasn’t sure if I should take him up on it.”
Melanie smiled. “I was looking forward to meeting you today after all the nice things Ken said about you. It’s wonderful to meet a new friend. Before we were married, people liked me for me. Now that I’m a package deal with Famous Ken, I never know if people are sucking up to me because of him or if they truly find me interesting. It can get pretty lonely,” she admitted.
Cassie slipped an arm through Melanie’s. “I have no hidden agenda. I know Ken’s off-limits because he’s so happily married. All I need is advice about what to wear to his film’s debut. This is just girl stuff. I promise I won’t try to finagle a bit role in his serie
s. I won’t press unsolicited scripts on him. Hey, I won’t even ask you to get me his autograph. Now Jolene, on the other hand, will make none of those promises.”
Melanie laughed. “Come on, Cassie. Let’s shop.”
They browsed together and then separately through the store’s selection. Cassie gave quick glances at the other customers in the boutique. Every woman in the place had the done nails and trendy haircuts that fell messily into place. Seeing the sparkling rings on the hands that pushed clothes around the racks made Cassie realize she was in the wrong place.
She knew the cost might seem reasonable to Melanie but Cassie’s heart palpitations grew as she eyeballed prices that might cause a tsunami. She hoped she could find something decent at an affordable price. She had absolutely nothing in her closet to wear. Rhett assured her that Ken’s movie red carpet would be much more low-key than what people wore to the Golden Globes or Oscars. He said she needed to look stylish but not too dressy. In fact, Rhett was wearing jeans. He said a lot of men did. Cassie knew that wouldn’t be acceptable for a woman.
She bypassed the Givenchy and Versace, desperately wanting to look as if she fit in for once. She started to ask Melanie what she would be wearing but Cassie realized that Melanie would face much more scrutiny being the star’s wife. She might actually need to wear a name designer, unlike others attending.
Flipping through another rack near the back, she found a pearl gray pantsuit. Glancing at the price tag, it was almost doable. If she paid half and Rhett kicked in the rest, Cassie would only have to eat peanut butter sandwiches for about three months to be able to purchase the set.
She found another few items, but looking at their cost, she was ready to hang everything back on the rack and give up. She did find a black camisole that would be nice under the pantsuit and picked it up.
Jolene came over with an armload of clothes. She held up her right arm. “These are for you to try on. There’s a little black number in here that’s to die for. The other side is for me. Ooh, I like that pantsuit. That color would look good on you.”