by Unknown
“Consider me one of the Avengers. I’ve come to save the day.”
“Well, I certainly hope so,” a voice said from the doorway. Carl hadn’t come home by the time they’d gone to bed last night, so Kim hadn’t seen him yet. In fact, she’d only met him the weekend of the wedding. After the ceremony the couple had gone off to their month long European honeymoon. Yeah, she’d see one of those in her dreams too.
“How are you, Kim?” Carl came into the room and hugged her. He was close to sixty, medium height and on the skinny side. His brown eyes seemed to sink into his head and he kept his thin hair spiked in some attempt to look rock-star cool. Carl swore every gray hair on his head came from years of hard work. He’d always struck her as a bit cold and his hug didn’t change her perception. Her heart went out to Stephanie a little bit more. Kim may have wanted to marry for money, but not at the cost of love. She’d thought falling for a rich guy would be as easy as falling for any man, but she’d learned the hard way when no one fell for her. Oh, they were happy to get lucky, but when it came to the morning after, they were more concerned with getting out the door.
Yes. Ouch. Repeatedly.
So she’d learned. After taking multiple bats to the head, figuratively speaking, of course.
“I’m fine, Carl. Sorry I was asleep last night when you got in.”
He waved a hand as he leaned toward Stephanie and pecked her cheek. “Don’t think twice about it.”
“If you lived here, you’d know it’s a common occurrence,” Stephanie said. The undercurrent in her tone put Kim on guard.
Carl gave a deliberate look to the cup in Stephanie’s hand. “Is that your second?” He lifted gray eyebrows. “We’ve talked about your caffeine intake, Stephanie.”
Kim wouldn’t have put up with that tone for a million bucks, but Stephanie took a measured breath and tossed the rest of her coffee down the sink.
Trouble in paradise. Damn. She hated being in the middle of it.
“Stephanie told me you want to go to Nathan’s office this morning. Are we picking up files or just hoping to see him?” Kim asked.
“Both if I can manage. He won’t answer his phone, so I have to stop by the office. I don’t know why Bonnie, his secretary, hasn’t returned my call either. It’s all a big mystery.”
“Who doesn’t love a mystery?” Kim hadn’t meant to blurt that aloud and when Carl frowned, she felt two inches tall.
“I, for one, could do without it,” he snipped. “Especially when it concerns my money.”
“Of course. Sorry. Didn’t mean to imply otherwise.” It wasn’t as if Kim didn’t understand the meaning of a dollar.
Stephanie gave her a small shake of her head. A gesture that said, don’t let him bother you.
Kim crinkled her nose in return. Not a problem. It took a lot more than Carl to scare her. No one ever thought she was tough. She probably perpetuated that notion with her wardrobe, but just because she liked beautiful clothes and frilly girl things didn’t mean she wasn’t tough.
“Stephanie, I don’t imagine you’d want to come with us. We’ll be going from Nathan’s office to my office. I’ll bring Kim home tonight.”
That news came as a surprise to both of them since they’d discussed Kim using their extra car…a convertible Mercedes she was dying to drive. They shared a glance. Apparently the king had spoken.
“I thought Kim and I might be able to catch up at lunch,” Stephanie said.
“I’m not paying her to have lunch with you.” Carl finally looked at his wife and sighed as if she’d just dropped a two-ton load of crap on his shoulders. “You can have lunch with her this weekend. It’s not long off. Don’t pout. You know how I hate that.”
Stephanie’s look could have frozen the sun. Kim bit her tongue—literally—to keep from saying something to Carl. Nothing about Stephanie indicated a pout, which probably accounted for the steam coming out of her ears. As each minute went by, Kim hated that she’d agreed to help the man.
“Okay then.” Stephanie’s voice was as icy as a shallow pond in a Montana winter. “I’ll see you later, Kim. Don’t let him work you too hard. Especially since you left your own job to come help us.” That last bit was directed completely at Carl and he nodded to confirm Stephanie’s message.
It was going to be an interesting stay.
Leo made a trip home to take off his makeup from the morning show and change into some more comfortable shoes. Slipping on the new Nikes he’d picked up at a recent gifting didn’t help his pissy mood nearly enough. His phone call to the bank to transfer the funds didn’t really go as he’d hoped, especially when the representative told him he didn’t have enough funds for the transaction. After a fifteen minute argument, Leo gave up. Time to go to the source. A few minutes later, he was out the door and ready to confront Nathan.
As he waited for the green wrought-iron gate to slide open, he revved Stella’s engine. She was the only female on the planet who didn’t give him shit and he loved every sleek inch of her. “Stella, my love, you are sounding awfully sexy this morning.” He revved the engine again just to let the neighbors know he was taking off. That must have caused a few eye rolls. Smiling, Leo slapped on his Maui Jim shades, pulled onto the street and headed into Beverly Hills.
He almost never went to Nathan’s office. Nathan usually came to him. But Leo had already wasted too much time and if the man thought he could dodge trouble a minute longer, then he was wrong. Oh so very wrong.
Leo might’ve been a lot of things to a lot of people, but he was never late with a payment on anything. People often billed him as a ladies man, but just as often, an egomaniac, sleazeball or scumbag. They either loved him or hated him. He didn’t run into too much middle ground. Most women liked his fast moves and others weren’t fans, but he rolled with the dice and didn’t really care what anyone thought about him. After years of setting up Leo Frost, he’d gotten what he wanted with amazing results. It didn’t take away from his talent, but it occasionally made it hard to be taken seriously by people on the business side of his life.
Everybody had a breaking point though, and Leo was just about at his. Nathan had seen to that.
Leo pulled into the small parking lot of Nathan’s stand-alone building where two cars were already parked. The single story building itself wasn’t any great shakes, but the real estate it occupied was prime Beverly Hills. An old white Honda that desperately needed a wash took the corner spot and a gorgeous maroon Bentley Rolls Royce had the primo space by the door. He whistled as he unfolded his six feet two inches out of Stella and took a stroll around the Bentley. It must have been shipped from England because the steering wheel sat on the right. Nice. It was old, too, but in mint condition with a tan canvas convertible top. Must have cost a quarter of a mill’ easy. He could’ve afforded one for himself, but Stella was more his style. Sleek, shiny and untouchable on the road if he wanted to let her out to play.
“Don’t go away, Stella. I’ll be fast.” He hit the alarm and Stella double chirped her reply.
“Nathan, you jackass, ready or not, here I come.” Leo swung open the front door and three heads turned his way. Bonnie, Nathan’s assistant, stood behind her big cluttered desk on the right. With her frizzy red hair and glasses, she looked wigged out. Four large windows showed that the offices in back were currently unoccupied. The two people in front of him didn’t look familiar. Although why the blonde was spending time with a guy old enough to be her father was beyond him. Stiletto heels accentuated her outstanding calves and a short black skirt clung to her perfectly curved ass. A long beaded necklace cut the divide of her full breasts beneath a turquoise silk shirt. What a waste of a gorgeous woman. Did the old guy know how good he had it? Probably.
Bonnie’s eyes widened at the sight of him. The blonde cocked her head just slightly as she, too, recognized him.
Leo stepped behind them and waited his turn in line.
The old guy didn’t bat an eye and just turned back to his conversation
. “When was the last time you talked to him?” he asked.
Bonnie’s attention zeroed back on the man. “I don’t know. Yesterday morning, I think. It’s been a little busy.”
Was that because Nathan was dodging all his clients? Interesting. No, disturbing was more like it.
“I want my files,” the old guy said. “Now.”
Bonnie shoved her glasses farther on her nose. “Um. But…I don’t think I’m supposed to.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck what you think you’re supposed to do. I’m telling you what you’re going to do. Go into Nathan’s office and get my files. Carl Wyncott.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Now.”
No reason not to get on this boat. “Me, too, Bonnie. I’ll just take my files.” Maybe the old guy had info that Leo didn’t. Something was definitely fishy. Leo needed his money and he needed it now. At least a chunk of it. He needed to access his investment accounts. Nathan had handled all things financial for almost twenty years. Leo just wanted to ream out the jerk before he actually left him.
“Why don’t I text Nathan and see—”
“Why don’t you get your fat ass into the filing ca—”
“Hey!” The blonde faced him, hands on her hips and murder in her eyes. “I’ve had just about enough of the way you treat people.” Her green eyes sparkled with fire. “If you don’t apologize to her this instant, you can kiss my help goodbye.”
Leo hid his smile. He liked this chick. Fluff on the outside and steel within. She reminded him of a stuntwoman he worked with a few times over the years. That blonde also had green eyes. Leo still felt like shit when he thought about her. Years ago, he’d misread her signals big time and made a move when he shouldn’t have. He’d paid the price with a bruised rib. Laughing had hurt like a bitch for a week. Hell, taking a deep breath had hurt. He’d stayed seriously clear of her after that incident. Later he wanted to apologize to her in private, but she never gave him the chance.
The old guy, Carl, clenched his jaw as Bonnie scurried to the back office. He headed toward the door and spoke to the blonde over his shoulder. “Get the file, I’ll wait for you in the car.” Poof, he was gone, out the door in two seconds flat minus the apology she demanded.
The wide-eyed surprise on the blonde’s face told the story. She probably felt all of two inches tall right about now. Leo checked out her ring finger, relieved to see it empty. At least she wasn’t married to the asshole.
“Who peed in his Wheaties?” Leo asked, hoping to elicit a smile.
Her flat stare landed on him. No smile for miles. Ah…she was one of those. That fraction of the population who hated him because of who he was, a single, wealthy, famous actor who had the world at his feet, not a care, without a shred of commitment, or drop of conscience in any of his marrow. Times like this he wondered if he’d gone a little too far with his act.
He gave her his best smile and stuck out his hand. “Hi. I’m Leo.”
She sighed, looked at his hand and considered something before shaking it in a brief hard squeeze. “Yeah, hi. I thought so.” Then she turned back to the desk and waited for Bonnie.
Leo leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling for a second. Uncomfortable much?
“Usually, when someone introduces themselves, it’s customary for the other person to reciprocate.” He really did want to know her name. Any time he made a boner move, he thought about Ellie Morgan, the stuntwoman, and her right elbow. Now anytime he saw a green-eyed blonde in fuck-me stilettoes, he’d remember this chick.
She faced him. “Is it really necessary? We’ll never see each other again.” It wasn’t so much her tone that irked him as the thought that she didn’t even want to give him her name.
“Exactly, so I’d like to know the name of the woman who put Carl Wyncott in his place.” Leo had never heard of the guy, but obviously he had importance to someone somewhere.
She looked toward the back office where she found no sign of Bonnie to save her, before facing him again. “Kim. My name is Kim. Happy?” She gave him her back. And a very nice back it was. A year ago, Leo would’ve been working hard to score with this woman, but now, he couldn’t imagine it. Strike that. He could imagine it; he just didn’t want to.
He had to laugh. The times had changed.
Kim turned back around. “Did I say something to amuse you?” She had not one inch of playfulness in her and if she did, she hid it well.
Leo shook his head. “Nope. Not a thing. I was just thinking you really must have disliked my last movie to hate me bad enough that you can’t even look at me.”
A faint blush crept up her cheeks and an equal dose of retribution filled Leo’s chest. He should be used to the judgmental looks he got on a regular basis, but sometimes they hurt just like anything else. Granted, he usually received adoration from pretty women, not condemnation, so maybe that’s what pricked at him.
She sighed and her eyes didn’t waver. “Actually, I loved the last movie I saw you in.”
This was more like it. “Yeah, which one was that?” He’d had two releases in the last eight months.
“Dangerous Race.”
Huh. He shot that film years ago. He must have had five or six movies released since then. “Wow.” Okay, so there had to be a reason she quit seeing his movies, even though she said she liked it. “If you liked it so much, how come you didn’t see any more recent films?”
“The movie was based on true life incidents. My business partner was one of the people involved.”
“No shit?” Now this was interesting. “Who’s your business partner?”
“Chelsea Harding. She’s Trace Bradshaw’s—”
“Twin sister,” he finished for her. “I know. I did my homework.” Even though they’d used a different name for her in the film, he knew the players. “How is she anyway? That was a pretty rough time she had.”
“She’s fine. About to have a baby. She’s living the dream.”
Leo held back a snort. “Her dream maybe.”
“But not yours, I take it?”
He shook his head. “Not in this lifetime. Some people are meant to be parents. Others are meant to make fun of those people.” He raised his hand. “I’m the latter.”
She glanced up at the ceiling, so he apparently said something wrong. Nothing new there, but he usually did it on purpose. For the second time, she gave him her back. “You’re going to be one lonely man,” she muttered under her breath.
This time he did snort. He was already a lonely man. “Was I not supposed to hear that?”
She sighed. “Does it matter?” She craned her neck, clearly looking for Bonnie.
“I guess not. I mean, it’s not like I have any feelings or anything. Why don’t you go ahead and tell me something else about my future. I’m interested to hear it.”
Kim turned around again, her head canted to the side. “I only know what your reputation tells me.” Her eyebrows lifted. “Oh, and I know that you cornered a female crewmember while you were filming Beyond the Realm and held her against her will against one of the trailers.”
Jesus, he’d just been thinking about that encounter. How the hell did this woman know about it? “She’d been flirting with me until that point,” Leo pointed out. “If I’d known she didn’t want to play, I wouldn’t have touched her.”
“Right. I believe you.” With her arms crossed over her chest, her body language said something very different.
“How’d you find out about that?” he asked. It happened at least seven years ago, maybe eight. Talk about a skeleton in the closet. It shouldn’t bother him, since he’d worked for so many years to cultivate the bad-boy-without-a-clue persona. Maybe Ellie had said something to someone after all. But this many years later and he was just finding out about it made him rethink that idea. Shit, he should’ve found the privacy to apologize to her.
“The production coordinator on Dangerous Race was a P.A. on Beyond the Realm. He saw the incident. Chelsea overheard him telling someon
e at the premiere party. She told me.”
Leo shook his head. This town was too damn small. Hell, the world was too damn small, and he was getting tired of playing the sleazeball.
“For the record, I never make moves on married women and I don’t tangle with anyone who doesn’t want to play, but I can’t help it when they make passes at me.” Usually, he never asked about relationships. It was easier to not know. He also stayed clear of anything younger than twenty-two. He’d learned the hard way to check for ID.
She opened her mouth to say something, but Bonnie reappeared with a few files and a flash drive. “Sorry it took me so long,” Bonnie apologized. “Here you go.” She handed everything to Kim.
“This is all of it, right?” Kim asked. She clearly didn’t want to face the wrath of Carl.
“Yes.” Bonnie put her palms up and spread her arms wide. “I promise that’s everything.” She looked at Leo. “Mr. Frost, I’ll get yours next. Just give me one minute.” She disappeared behind the same door.
Kim juggled the files and the drive, and Leo sprang to open the door for her. “I’ve got it,” she grumbled, just as a loose note from inside the top file slid out. Leo caught it before it fell on the floor, but the move brought them up close and personal. She had the most amazing eyes he’d ever seen. Not sea green as he originally thought, but a bright emerald green.
“Anyone ever tell you how beautiful your eyes are?” he asked.
“Oh for God’s sake.” She sidestepped him and elbowed her way out the door. Leo smiled as she strutted toward the Bentley, her ass swaying with each precise step, her back straight and killer legs that he imagined would feel like perfection wrapped around his hips.
Good bye, Kim. Nice to meet you. Too bad he’d never see her again. She was worth a second look.
As she headed to the car, the trunk on the Bentley rose. At the same time, a black GTO pulled in and parked next to Stella. Leo went back into the office to wait for his files. A minute later, a man came in. He was big and black. As the door closed, a breeze blew his shirt up and the gun handle sticking from his waistband made Leo wary. His research for roles had taught him that most undercover officers or PIs used some type of holster for their weapons. The man looked around the office with hard eyes.