Jules threw her head back and laughed. “It’s not considered sexual harassment when you like what’s being done to you, Letti.”
I scowled at her. She was right, but I wasn’t going to admit it. I liked it too much and that was the problem. After being set up with five guys I had no sexual connection with, it figured that my libido would wake up for someone like Kade; although, I’m sure it happened to a lot of woman.
“Oh my God, where is he? I want to see that fine ass.” I rolled my eyes at Jules just as Jessica made an appearance at my desk. My case in point.
Jessica was the only other female agent we had here. She was a tall, skinny blonde, and had huge boobs. They weren’t natural either. I tried not to be judgmental, but I didn’t like her at all. There was just something about her that bugged me, like the first time you meet someone and you just know from that first meeting that you’ll never like that person. I tried to keep my distance from her.
“He’s in the meeting room, filling out his questionnaire, Jess. Please don’t trample him,” I begged, looking back at my computer screen.
She let out a little laugh, which Jules and I both found annoying. “I just want to meet him. It’s not every day a client actually comes to the office.” She leaned up against my desk. “Did you even know who he was before he came here? I mean with you being from a small redneck town in Alabama I wouldn’t think you’d know who Kade Evans was, right?” She threw her hand up like she was just playing with me, but Jules and I knew better. She was being a total bitch. This was why I didn’t like her. She acted sweet and innocent, but she was anything but that.
Her appearance at my desk was obvious. She was going to try and throw herself at him, just as she did with most of our male clients worth looking at when she got within two feet of them.
I ignored Jess and turned to Jules, who was leaning on the other side of my desk. “Have you seen Keith? I need to talk to him and get Kade’s itinerary so I can go talk to Steve.”
“Nope, the last I saw him, he was heading out the door with his phone attached to his head.”
What else was new? I’d never met an agent who didn’t need his phone surgically removed. The itinerary would just have to wait. I needed to go back and check on Kade.
“Were you able to get all the information put in the computer?” I asked Jules as I locked my computer. It was mandatory to lock it anytime you left your desk. We had a lot of personal information stored in our computers. God forbid that any of it got out. That would be one hell of a lawsuit.
“Yeah, Matt had a little chat with me after I left the meeting room. Apparently, Keith contacted him after he went to four other companies to get coverage. That’s why everything is being rushed,” Jules said, looking over my shoulder at Jess, who I assumed was just standing there listening to a conversation into which she was never invited.
“Yeah, I figured as much.” I got up from my desk and grabbed my file. I needed Kade to sign some paperwork, and then he’d be free to leave. “I’m going to go check on Kade and see if he’s done.” I looked over at Jess who was still leaning up against my desk. “Don’t you have something to do?”
“Not yet, but I’m sure I will soon,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows at me as she skipped her way back to her desk. I hated to say it, but she really was a slut.
“Whatever,” I mumbled as I made my way back to the meeting room.
As I approached the door, I could hear a muffled voice coming from behind the wall. The closer I got, the louder the voice became. It sounded as if Kade were having an argument, but since I knew no one was in there, he must have been talking on his phone. I decided to wait a few minutes before entering so he could finish his call, and I couldn’t help but overhear his conversation.
“. . . told you to stop calling me. I don’t want anything to do with him or what he’s involved in.” I could hear him pacing around the room. “I don’t give a fuck. I’ve told you multiple times that I’m not. You need to stop fucking calling me. I’m not going to change my mind.” It sounded as if he were trying to be quiet and not doing a good job of it. I wasn’t usually one to eavesdrop, but he really sounded pissed off, and my interest was piqued. I moved closer to the door.
“Are you threatening me?” he continued. “I don’t care who the fuck you say you are. You can tell him exactly what I said and tell him to go fuck himself.” I heard what must have been his phone hitting the table. I couldn’t even imagine what the conversation was about.
I opened the door quietly to see Kade standing on the other side of the room, running his hand through his hair. “Fuck!” he shouted as he balled up his fist and reared back to punch the wall. My eyes widened as I caught a glimpse of his huge bicep. He stopped just before he made contact. He let out an exasperated grunt. As he turned around, his eyes met mine.
I stood there wide-eyed and frozen. It was obvious he wasn’t expecting anyone to hear his conversation or see his actions. I could tell he was pissed. His chocolate eyes looked almost black as he looked at me with fury. His hands were balled up in fists at his side. I could see his chest rising and falling at a rapid rate. His face was red, and I could see his jaw ticking. “How long have you been standing there?” he asked through clenched teeth. Our eyes stayed locked as my heart rate picked up. He was waiting for an answer.
I was starting to sweat. I cleared my throat in order to find my voice. “I just walked in, as you said, ‘Fuck.’” I broke eye contact and slowly made my way to the table. “Is everything all right?” I was trying to act calmly, but, in reality, his fierce expression and tense stance scared the hell out of me.
He unclenched his hands and closed his eyes as he bowed his head. I watched as he took a deep breath in order to calm his nerves. “Everything’s fine. I just had some business that I needed to take care of. Sometimes things don’t go the way I want them to go,” he said calmly as he made his way to his seat at the table. I observed his every move.
I could tell he was lying. I could still see his jaw ticking as he sat down. His eyes stayed focused on the paperwork in front of him as if his mind were going a mile a minute. He looked almost in a daze.
“Did you have any problems with the questionnaire?” I asked.
It took a minute, but he finally looked up at me as he adjusted himself in his seat. “No, but what the hell is up with some of these questions?” He started looking through the questionnaire again.
I actually giggled. “I told you some of the questions were unorthodox. Some of them do seem stupid, but in the film industry, you never know what you are going to be put up against, so these questions are necessary.”
As I was grabbing his paperwork from across the table, his hand shot out to cover mine. I looked up at him with stunned eyes. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I’m not usually like that. I just . . . I’m sorry.” He looked so stressed. I could tell he was sorry.
I moved my hand out from under Kade’s and laid his questionnaire in front of me. He frowned at me as if he were upset to lose our connection. I wasn’t happy about it either, but I really needed to keep my distance. Just having his skin touch mine sent jolts of excitement through my body.
“It’s okay, really. I just hope everything is okay.”
He looked at me with a blank expression. I knew he wouldn’t say anything more about it. He expressed his apology, which I was actually surprised about, and that was that.
I looked down at his paperwork to start reviewing the questions to make sure he answered everything. I flipped to the page with the questions about his drug and alcohol usage. He listed marijuana and cocaine. The last time he used them both was three days ago. I looked up at him, and he was staring at me while I read, as if waiting for me to say something. He must have anticipated this meeting because it usually takes around three days for cocaine to leave your system. I looked back down and kept reading. He listed that he drank Grey Goose Vodka and quite often. I’d noticed that with most of the clients we had who were known for drinking,
vodka was the alcohol of choice. One of the reasons was because you could put it in a water bottle and no one would ever know you were carrying it around. I’d have to keep an eye on his “water” bottle.
I flipped to the next page, which pertained to health. This was one page on which I didn’t agree with some of the questions, but they needed to be asked for the client’s health. It was another reason why we required our clients to get all kinds of testing and go through a physical before they got coverage. I skimmed down to the question that asked how many sexual partners he’d had. I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. He was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, giving me his signature grin. He knew what I was looking at, and it made me blush. He’d actually written “unknown” in the blank. I would’ve been surprised if he did actually know his number. If the fantasies I’d had all day Sunday had come true, I’d have been just one of many who had been bedded by Kade Evans. Good to know.
I looked through the last two pages and noted that he’d filled out all the questions. Closing the packet, I looked up at the door just as Keith entered. He was a short man—about five foot eight—probably in his early thirties.
“Mr. Stanton, you are just the person I was on my way to go find. Mr. Evans has finished his questionnaire and needs to go get his physical and his testing done,” I said, looking through my file. I pulled out the form Keith would need with the location where Kade was scheduled to be tested and handed it over to him. “Matt has already arranged for everything. All the information with the location and the testing that will be done is here.” I pointed everything out for him then handed Keith and Kade my business card. “If you guys need anything, my cell number and my email address are listed on my card. I turned to Keith. I’ll also need Mr. Evans’ itinerary; if you would please email it to me, I would appreciate it. Also, since Kade starts filming tomorrow, I’ll need you to leave a stage pass for me at the gate so I can retrieve it in the morning.” I pulled out two more forms that Kade needed to sign.
When he was done signing the papers, I gathered up all the paperwork and started putting them in my file. Kade stood up and walked over to Keith to whisper something in his ear. Keith nodded and exited the room. I stood and started walking toward the door that Kade held open for me. As I passed Kade, I couldn’t help but notice how intense he was. He had such a commanding presence, it gave me goose bumps. I looked up at him with a smile and thanked him.
I made my way toward my desk, and I looked behind me to see if Kade were following me. His eyes looked up to meet mine as he grinned after being caught checking out my ass. I couldn’t help but laugh as I got to my desk. Opening my file cabinet, I placed his file in the drawer then closed and locked it as Kade leaned against my desk with his hands in his jean pockets.
“Do you need something?” I asked with a grin. “You should really be going. You have a long day ahead of you.” I took my seat and looked up at him.
He let out a short laugh. “You’re right. I do have a long day. I wanted to ask you if you had any plans tonight.”
Was he serious? I looked around to see if anyone had heard him, and, of course, his commanding presence had captured the attention of everyone who was at their desks. I couldn’t help my embarrassing blush as I looked at my lap and smiled.
Before I could say anything, Jules skipped over to my desk and answered for me. “No, she doesn't have any plans—none at all.” She grinned as she stood behind my chair.
I turned to look at her with a frown on my face. That little bitch! She was the one who told me to stay away from him. So what the hell was she doing?
I turned back to look at Kade, who was smiling at Jules. He looked back at me with a sparkle in his eyes. “Great, I want you to come to my show tonight,” he said as he straightened himself from my desk. “We’re playing a show at The Sinners Club, and it’s our last show for a while.”
I was in shock. Was Kade Evans really personally inviting me to one of his shows? The smile spread across my face before I could stop it, and then it immediately disappeared as I saw Jessica come around the corner and place a hand on Kade’s bicep. “Is that an open invitation for all of us, sexy?” She stuck out her boobs to get his attention, as if they weren’t out there enough for all of us to see. Kade turned with a smile and looked straight at her cleavage, which earned a bright smile from Jess.
I rolled my eyes and looked up at Jules who was scowling at Jess. The bitch couldn’t miss her opportunity. She was like a vulture looking for her next dinner.
“Yeah, sure, you can come too,” Kade said looking back at me. “I’ll put your name on the list and tell them to let anyone in that’s with you.” He looked at me with a raised brow. I smiled and nodded at him. “Great, I’ll see you at nine,” he said as he made his way to leave.
Thankfully, Jessica retracted her claws and went back to her desk with a huge grin on her face. Hopefully she’d get lost on her way so I wouldn't have to see her for the rest of the day.
I stood from my desk to watch him leave. Just as he made his exit to the waiting car out front, he turned and winked at me. I turned to look at Jules, who was watching me with a smile. I looked back at the door, but the car was already gone. Did he really just wink at me?
“What the hell was that, Jules?” I shot at her as I sat back down and turned my chair toward her. “I thought you said to stay away from him, unless I’m looking for a good time. Going to a show isn’t staying away, Jules.”
She just looked at me with a smile. “You only live once, Letti. It’s not every day you have a hot ass rock star grabbing your ass.” She winked at me before walking back to her desk with a laugh.
What was she playing at? It was never going to happen. Getting involved with Kade in any way was like playing with fire.
Chapter 6
After Kade left to get his testing done, I met up with Steve to work out a schedule that we both could handle. As it turned out, Steve had some big client he’d been working to obtain and was going to talk to Matt about getting out of safeguarding. I wasn’t happy about this turn of events, but there really wasn’t anything I could do. Steve had been there longer than I had. I’d just have to suck it up and do what was needed to be done. It shouldn’t be too hard, right?
The good news was Kade passed his drug test and his physical. That was one less thing I had to worry about with him. We just needed to make sure he stayed clean for filming, and we’d be good to go.
I looked at the clock on my computer and realized it was almost five. Thank God. I usually went to lunch with Jules, but since she left early to get documents signed, I skipped lunch in order to get more work done as Kade took up most of my morning. So when she sent me a text asking me if I wanted to meet her to get something to eat, my stomach was grateful.
I met her at a family-owned Italian restaurant named Lou’s, which was just a couple of blocks from the condo. I’d driven past it a couple of times since I’d moved here, but never took the opportunity to stop in there. The place had a diner feel to it, and the smell of fresh dough was making my stomach rumble.
We took a seat in a red vinyl booth in the front by a picture window and picked up the menu.
“So,” Jules said, looking at me over her menu. “You haven’t talked to me all day since Kade left. What’s up your ass?” She had both of her eyebrows raised at me, as if she had no idea what she’d done or if she were just playing dumb, which she usually did when she wanted to get her way.
“You know exactly what you did, Jules,” I said, not bothering to look up from my menu. I thought I’d get the stromboli: stuffed Italian bread filled with all kinds of pizza toppings and then baked to a crispy golden brown. My mouth was watering.
“Letti, it’s not a big deal. It’s just a show,” she said, just as a blond waitress arrived at the table to take our order.
“Hello, ladies, what can I get you?” she asked as she held her pencil to her order pad.
“I’ll have the supreme str
omboli with a Coke please,” I said, handing her my menu.
“I’ll have the same thing,” Jules said as she handed off her menu.
Jules leaned forward and folded her hands together on the table as the waitress scurried off to fill our order.
“I would have gotten you to go either way, you know,” she said with a smirk.
“Oh yeah? How’s that?”
“I knew about the show yesterday.” She shrugged her shoulders as she leaned back to rummage in her purse in search of her phone.
My mouth dropped open. “And you didn’t think to tell me about it.” I wasn’t really surprised. She did stuff like this all the time.
She looked up at me. “I didn’t see the point, Letti. Brent told me about it ’cause it’s at his club, and if I had told you who was playing, you wouldn’t have wanted to go.” She put her phone on the table. “You only go out when I set you up or I make plans for you. You need to go out and meet people.” I shrugged my shoulders at her. “Ugh, you’re such a hermit.”
She knew I was a hermit. I’d always been. I never had money to go out when I was in high school or college, and I definitely didn’t have anyone to go out with, not until Trey. We all knew how that turned out. I’d rather have stayed home and read. What was wrong with that? I had many book boyfriends to keep me company.
“Well, at least with him asking you to go, I don’t have to talk you into it,” she said as the waitress set our food down.
“Can I get you anything else?” the waitress asked.
“No, thanks,” I said as I grabbed my fork and knife.
“I’m not going,” I mumbled as I started shoveling food in my mouth. I was starving and no longer in the mood to talk, so I focused my attention on my stromboli.
“What do you mean you’re not going?” Jules slapped her hand on the table. “You have to go.”
I swallowed my food and picked up my Coke to wash it down. “I meant exactly what I just said.”
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