“You want more?” he said with a grin.
“I want all of you, Hunter.”
When I said that, time seemed to stand still between us. The grin faded from his face and his expression changed into something that was more intense than I’d anticipated.
“All of me, Julia?”
“Every ounce of you, Hunter.”
When I said that, he kissed me in such a way that was so lingering, gentle, and sexy, it stole my breath away. I felt his hands grip my ass, he lifted me onto his lap, and after he’d positioned himself inside of me, I started to ride him.
The feelings of ecstasy that consumed me were so strong, I didn’t know where or who I was as he maneuvered me around the bed like a puppet, shifting me this way and that into more positions than I thought possible. And I delighted in all of it. I let him have his way with me—and often I had my way with him.
In my gut, I knew that this was right. I knew that I was his and he was mine. And I also knew that as he made love to me and whispered things to me that were at once erotic and loving, that there was no turning away from this now.
He seemed to intuitively know exactly how to position his body so I would receive the maximum pleasure. And so for the next hour, each of us gave ourselves over to the other as Hunter proved true to his word—he’d told me that he was going to make me come many times, and he did.
Later, when he sensed my exhaustion, he pulled out of me, turned me onto my side, came up close against my back, and wrapped his arm around my waist as he kissed my neck while I fell into a deep, satisfied sleep, grateful that I’d been given a second chance to find love—and fall hard into it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Nine months later
March
OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL months, my life changed dramatically and for the better.
As we continued to work on and then finish the second season of the Teens, Hunter and I became as inseparable as our jobs allowed.
True to his word, he’d signed on to direct the third season of the show, but with a major boost in salary after the network saw a rough cut of the second season. Knowing how big it was going to be when it aired—and not wanting to lose Hunter—they’d offered him a deal that stunned him. It would keep him in New York for two more years, which made both of us happy because we were so happy.
During that time, I’d come to know his friends, I’d spent more time with his parents, whom I adored, and in turn, he’d come to know my friends, particularly Sienna and Austin. Was there a weekend when the four of us weren’t somewhere in the city having dinner together? Maybe a few, but not many, because Sienna and Austin had seriously taken to Hunter. And since Sienna was shooting her next movie in the city, the four of us had found time to become something of a unit—and it was fantastic.
In fact, since Sienna had to shoot this weekend, the four of us were going out to dinner tonight. It was a Friday, and Hunter had suggested db bistro moderne. He and I hadn’t been back since our first time there ten months ago, when I had squared off with him to get Pepper the best deal possible. And since Sienna and Austin also loved that restaurant, we were all in.
Dinner at eight it was.
Now, it was eight in the morning. I didn’t have to be in the office until eleven for meetings with Harper, Pepper, Savannah, and others, so I’d chosen to sleep in—with Hunter right at my side.
Today, we were in my apartment. Depending on our schedules, tomorrow morning I might be waking in his apartment. That’s how we lived now—always spending as much time as possible with one another. Would we live together at some point? I wasn’t sure, but I was getting really used to this. I liked this. In fact, I loved this. So?
Let’s hope so . . .
“Morning, beautiful,” he said when I turned to him.
“How long have you been awake?” I asked after I reached out and placed my hand on his chest before I gave him a kiss.
“Thirty minutes?”
“You’re in the middle of casting the third season of the Teens,” I said. “I know that’s been weighing on your mind. I’m surprised you can even sleep.”
“Actually, I wasn’t thinking about that. I was thinking about how much I love you, Julia. And how lucky I am to have you in my life.”
My heart melted when he said that, because I knew from the serious expression on his face that he meant it.
“I think the same about you all the time, Hunter. How did we get so lucky?”
“I grew up, you took a chance that my past wasn’t my present, and thank God you did, because here we are now.”
“Would you like some coffee?” I asked.
“In a bit. You’ve got a pretty big meeting today . . .”
“Probably the biggest yet,” I said. “If Pepper hits it off with the team at Seed Beauty, she might be getting that cosmetic line of hers. I mean, Seed partnered with Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian for their lines. And just look at how well those two have done. Kylie, for God’s sake, is worth a billion dollars now. And she’s the ripe old age of twenty-one. Harper and I are meeting with Pepper and Savannah first, and then at noon is the big meeting, with the team at Seed Beauty joining us at the table. To be honest, I’m kind of stressed out about it, because if I can get her this deal on the heels of signing her to do the third season of the Teens? It’s going to be major, Hunter—for her and for me.”
“I know it will. So, how about if we take a shower first and you let me rub some of that tension out of you . . . ?”
“As if I’m saying no to that,” I said.
He smiled at me and took my hand as we hopped naked out of bed and walked into the master bathroom. When the shower was warm enough for us to step beneath it, yes, Hunter and I showered. And then he gave me a fabulous massage. And then he made me come twice when he pressed me against the shower’s tiled wall and made love to me.
“Relaxed?” he asked me with a bemused smile on his face as he toweled me off.
“My legs are like rubber, Hunter . . .”
He smoothed the towel down my damp legs.
“Your legs are as beautiful as you are, Julia.”
“With or without makeup,” I joked. “I mean, you’ve seen what Pepper has turned me into—a cosmetic whore.”
“With and without—doesn’t matter to me.” He stood before me, handed me my robe off the back of the bathroom door, then put on his own after he’d toweled off. After we shared a long, lingering kiss that touched my heart and my soul, Hunter offered to make coffee and breakfast while I got ready for the day.
“You’re the best,” I said.
And then he surprised me.
“Just so you know it, Julia—you’re the love of my life.”
LATER, WHEN I ARRIVED at CAA with my head still spinning after Hunter’s admission to me, Harper’s first words when she saw me were classic Harper: “Well, look at you, darling—glowing from the top of your head straight down to your vagina. I’m assuming by the looks of you that you had a festive morning with Hunter . . . ?”
“You don’t even want to know what that man did to me,” I said after I gave her a quick hug.
“Well, at least you smell freshly washed, because after your sordid morning of wanton lust, anything else would have been unacceptable . . .”
“Hilarious.”
Her face softened when I said that, then she reached for my hand.
“In all seriousness, I’m glad he’s making you happy, Julia—just as I’m glad that I was wrong about him.”
“That would make two of us.”
“I know I’ve asked you this many times over the past several months, but are you sure you’re in love with him?”
“I am. More than you know.”
“And you feel he’s equally in love with you?”
“Harper, before I left him today, he said that I was the love of his life.”
Her eyes widened when I said that.
“Has he ever said anything like that to you before?”
/> “Never.”
“Well, hell . . .” she said.
“Right?”
“So, what are you going to do after that statement of his . . . ?”
“Just to continue to love Hunter and be with him . . .”
“You don’t feel pressured to make any bold statements of your own . . . ?”
I shrugged at her. “I mean, could Hunter be the love of my life? Maybe. Likely. Hopefully. But who knows, especially after what Michael did to me. What I do know at this moment is that Hunter is the man Michael never was. I can honestly say that to you. I hope I can say it ten years from now. And if I’m being honest with myself? I think I will be able to say that to you, because Hunter is that great.”
“Let’s hope that’s the case, love—because what I want for you to have in your life is all the love in the world. If Hunter is the man who brings you that time and again, I say good for you, darling. Good for you.”
She glanced down at her watch.
“Pepper and Savannah will be here shortly,” she said as she moved toward her desk. “Let’s sit down, run through our strategy again, then we’ll lay it all out again for Pepper and Savannah when they arrive.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“What you don’t know is that there’s been a little twist when it comes to Seed Beauty . . .”
“What little twist?” I asked as I sat opposite her.
“We won’t be dealing with the Seed Beauty team today.”
“I’m sorry?” I said in alarm.
“Settle down, because this gets amazing. This morning I received an email that it will be just the founders joining us today—Laura and John Nelson. In person. Just them. What that tells me is that they are excited enough about Pepper that they want to meet her in person. And if Pepper manages to win them over?”
She held out her hands to me.
“I think they’re going to make her an offer she can’t refuse.”
AT ELEVEN SHARP, OPAL showed Pepper and Savannah into the room. I thought they looked fabulous.
Pepper was wearing a black Dior suit jacket with dark skinny jeans that made her look at once savvy and sophisticated, and because of the angular way her jacket was cut, also youthful and on-trend, which was critical when it came to her brand.
My girl had nailed it.
As for Savannah, she looked chic in her red power suit. She wore daytime diamonds at her throat, wrists, ears, and fingers, and on her feet were a pair of red Louboutins I’d kill to own myself. She wore her golden hair up in a tight chignon, and I thought her skin looked fresh and young, which hadn’t been the case when she’d been drinking.
I was still struck by how far she’d come after working hard to remain sober since leaving rehab. And she’d done it—she’d finally gotten her life together, her relationship with her daughter was tighter than it ever had been, and it was clear that the friendship Pepper once told me she’d shared with her mother was back in full force. I was beyond happy for them, especially since each of them seemed so happy. Pepper could still cut a bitch to her core, but that behavior now was only for the trolls who dared to slam her on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram.
Otherwise, over the past several months, she’d turned herself into a young professional. From the moment we first met with the team at Seed Beauty, she’d proved to me and to them that she was far more than a social media phenom. Pepper had clear ideas for supporting underserved markets, and concepts for improving current products already on the market. She had a plan and a vision, she’d delivered it to them with impressive clarity, and here we were today—about to meet the founders themselves, which Pepper and Savannah needed to know before the meeting began.
“You can’t be serious . . .” Pepper said after I told her and Savannah the news. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“Harper just got the email this morning,” I said to her. “There was no time. But what you need to know is that both of us agree this is great news for you. If you blow their socks off with your personality and your ideas, we think they’re going to offer you a hell of a lot of money and sign you to a deal with them. But before they do so, Harper and I believe they want to meet you first. You are the brand, after all, and they’re going to want to see how you come off in person. So? Oh, girl, you already know how to play this game. Be professional, be yourself, let them see some of your sass, and in the end? Leave them with a sense of mystery, because mystery lingers—and it also sells.”
“I can do that,” Pepper said.
“I know you can.”
“As do I,” Harper said.
“Look at you,” Savannah said as she wrapped an arm around her daughter’s tiny waist. “I’m proud of you, Pepper. Look at all you’ve accomplished on your own. You turned the lemons my father and I gave you into lemonade. That’s a tired cliché, but in our case, it’s true. And I have to agree with Julia and Harper—the founders of Seed Beauty wouldn’t be coming here if they weren’t on the cusp of going all in with Winter Cosmetic.”
“Have you settled on that name?” I asked Pepper.
“I mean, Winter Cosmetic. It literally sounds cool. Do you like it?”
“I do—Harper?”
“J’adore it. But if they don’t, my best advice to you, Pepper, is to be flexible. The end game today is signing a deal, and not allowing the name of your line to get in the way of anything. Because if they don’t like it and want to brainstorm with you about another name? Agree, so you don’t sideline a potentially lucrative deal.”
“Agreed,” Pepper said. “Because I want that deal.”
Three hours later, after our meeting ended with Laura and John—who were lovely people with great interest in and enthusiasm for the social media empire Pepper had built on her own—we came to terms, we struck a deal, and it was massive. After some serious negotiations on my part, the Nelsons had agreed to offer Pepper twenty-five million dollars for a two-year licensing deal designed to sell her own exclusive line of cosmetics through them. Naturally, Pepper would take the role of spokeswoman. When the license ran out—and if the line proved to be a success—the deal could be renegotiated at the end of the second year for a higher sum of money.
The conditions attached to the deal were more than fair. Just as she’d agreed to use her social media megastardom to spread the news about her role on the Teens, she’d need to do the same to sell her new line of cosmetics.
In the end, it was decided that her line would indeed be called Winter Cosmetic, because Laura and John loved how it spun off Pepper’s last name, which all came down to branding.
Since Pepper was best known for creating a pouty lip in her YouTube makeup tutorials, the Nelsons wanted to get a new lip line out just before the second season of the Teens hit the airwaves. They had only four months to pull that off, but they said if they started working with Pepper at once, they could have it ready for retail just before the second season of the Teens went live. And then more products would follow in the ensuing months while the Teens was still on air.
In the end, Pepper, Savannah, Harper, and I were thrilled.
“You did it!” Pepper called out as she ran over and gave me a hug after Laura and Nelson had left Harper’s office. “Thank you, Julia. Thank you! I mean, I totes want to scream right now! Mom, can you believe this?”
“Come over and give me a hug, love—because I can believe it. You’ve worked hard for this moment. And you deserve all of it . . .”
As Pepper and her mother hugged it out, the transformation in their relationship filled my heart to the point that I practically wanted to cry. I thought back to the first day these two had walked into this room, I contrasted it to where we were now, and it was enough to make me reach out for Harper’s hand, which she squeezed back hard.
Together, the four of us had done it. The road had been tough, but just look at where we were now. A mother and daughter embracing one another, two best friends still holding each other’s hands, and a bright future facing all of
us.
To say the least, I was moved and grateful. But I had no idea just how grateful I was about to become when Pepper and Savannah left the room, saying they’d be in touch soon.
“Sit down,” Harper said to me.
“All right.”
“I’m making a phone call . . .”
“To whom?”
“You’ll see.”
“What’s it about?”
“You’ll see . . .”
“Harper . . .”
“Shhh . . .” she said as she reached for her phone and pressed a button. She leaned back in her chair, crossed one leg over the over, smiled mischievously at me, and then brightened when I heard a deep male voice answer the call.
“Andrew!” she said while looking straight at me. “Mission accomplished, darling. Julia did it again. Two days after nailing down a five-million-dollar deal for Pepper’s second season of the Teens, Julia just finalized a twenty-five-million-dollar deal with Seed Beauty for Pepper’s new cosmetic line.”
Is she talking with Andrew Simms? I wondered. Otherwise known as the head of CAA? She must be, but why? Just to make me look good? But if that’s the case, why is she looking at me like she just swallowed a bird . . . ?
“Look, darling, in the wake of that kind of success, I have a proposal for you,” Harper said to Andrew. “Julia’s been an assistant agent for ten months now. We all know that CAA has a policy that she should remain in that position for another two months at her current salary before she can become an associate agent. But, listen, love—doesn’t that sound a bit unfair after scoring those deals? Yes? I’m glad you agree with me. So, how about this . . . How about if we just welcome Julia fully into the family today and make her the associate agent she’s longed to be at CAA? Can we do that, love? We can? And at what salary? Oh, my dear, that’s fantastic, Andrew—I know Julia will be delighted. And can we please have her office moved next to mine?”
She paused as I heard Andrew say something to her.
“Yes, I understand that poor Clay will have to be moved,” she said. “But if you have a look at his track record over the past several years, perhaps he should be moved. You know, for motivational purposes. All of us need to gather around Clay and get him back into the game! Moving his office to the first floor would be motivational for him, don’t you agree? You do? Perfect,” she said. “I’ll give Julia the good news now. Thank you, darling. I appreciate it, and I know she will too. Talk soon. Let’s lunch!”
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