After they’d wrapped for the evening, she went to the bathroom to slap a little bit of makeup on. She didn’t have much with her anyway – just the small amount that she carried around in her bag, so she was essentially just topping up on her basic look. In a way, she was relieved. She didn’t want to make a big effort for Francis, or make it seem like she was going out of her way to look good for him.
When she returned to the office, she was surprised to see he was already waiting there for her, obviously having left the set early, and had gotten changed into a shirt and tie, a sort of smart, casual appearance.
“Where are we going then?” she asked as they set off walking together and he led her out the front of the studio to the parking lot, and his Mercedes.
“There’s a small Italian place I know. Very intimate. Only enough space for twenty people or so, but the food is delicious, and I’ve reserved a table. We don’t need to be all dressed up, it’s not that kind of place. Family owned, very relaxed atmosphere.”
She nodded, and he opened the passenger door for her to get in. The way he described this restaurant…it did actually sound really nice, and the kind of place she’d probably enjoy going with Rico. Maybe they could have an enjoyable evening after all. Good food, chat about movies. It would be fine. She kept telling herself this as she did up her buckle, and Francis got in the other side.
“You don’t seem like the kind of girl who is lured by fancy restaurants, fine diamonds, and fast cars,” he chuckled as he started up the engine and set off driving.
“I’m not,” she answered. “You’re right.”
“I’m a good judge of character. I could tell right away what kind of a girl you are. What were you doing out with Rico the other week?”
Wow, that question suddenly came out of nowhere, although she suspected he’d been wanting to ask it for a long time.
“Have you two been seeing each other a lot?” he continued.
She shrugged and tried to play it down. “Now and again. We discovered we have a lot in common. We’re kind of friends, I guess.”
He glanced across at her as he drove, a serious expression on his face. “I’d be careful of Rico, if I were you. Don’t trust him. He has a bad reputation with the girls. A very bad reputation indeed.”
“I’ve heard a bit about that, yeah…”
“He loves ‘em and leaves ‘em. He’s not interested in relationships.”
“I know.” And neither are you by the looks of things, she felt like saying, remembering that young, pretty girl he had on his arm the night they’d first spoken in the restaurant.
“A pretty girl like you doesn’t have to worry about impressing movie stars to get where you need to be,” he continued. “Just stick with the producers… we’ll look after you, ha.” He pointed at his own chest smugly and chuckled.
She smiled and tried to join in with the humor, if that’s what it was.
She was relieved when he eventually pulled up at the restaurant. At least now they could talk about the food or what they were going to drink, and maybe with other people around them he wouldn’t be so crass and obvious.
He came around the other side of the car and opened the passenger door, offering out his hand for her.
She didn’t want to accept it, but she did, getting out of the car and allowing him to lead her into the restaurant.
The proprietors recognized him immediately, having obviously eaten there many times before, and they were led straight away to their table in the corner.
Francis was right about the place. It was very small, and had a warm, homey feel to it, with cheerful Italian music playing in the background, lots of candles and pictures on the walls, and moody red lighting that matched the red tablecloths and napkins. Ashleigh liked it straight away; she just wished she wasn’t there with Francis.
Of course, he acted like the perfect gentleman: pulling her chair out for her, helping her off with her jacket, but all of it seemed kind of creepy coming from him.
“This candlelight makes you look even more beautiful,” he remarked once they were seated, diving straight in with the compliments and flirting. She wished the same could be said for him. He was still just as ugly, outside and in.
“What can you recommend off the menu?” she asked, ignoring his comment and looking down at the food choices.
He told her a couple of his favorites, then asked what kind of wine she’d like.
“Maybe if I get you drunk, it’ll loosen you up a little,” he gave a laugh. “You seem a bit…tense.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted.
“It’s acceptable to be nervous. I suppose it’s not every day you get to go for dinner with Hollywood’s top producer.”
And so modest too, Ashleigh thought to herself sarcastically.
“But then, it’s not every day that I get to go out for dinner with someone as beautiful as you,” he added, throwing in another flirtatious comment. His eyes glanced her up and down hungrily. “You don’t need dresses or makeup. You’re just perfect already.”
“Thank you,” she smiled stiffly. All the compliments were making her uncomfortable; it was just too much.
“What brings you to the movies?” he asked once they’d ordered, wanting to know her story and background; why she was here, what she wanted to do with her life, what her plans, hopes and dreams were for her future. She was used to answering those kinds of questions by now, and didn’t mind talking about it.
He nodded and though he seemed to be listening, she could clearly see his eyes were on her cleavage and not her face.
When the food arrived, she stuffed a napkin down the front so he couldn’t look anymore, pretending it was just to catch potential spillages.
“Do you have a boyfriend back home?” he asked, as blunt as anything. “Someone as pretty as you must have guys after you all the time.”
“Not really,” she answered with a shrug. “I think I’m happy being single at the moment.”
“Tsh,” he tutted and shook his head at her. “What nonsense. You deserve romance. You deserve someone who can take care of you. Someone strong and influential.”
He sat up a bit and adjusted his shoulders. It was fairly obvious he was talking about himself, and then as if to make it even clearer, he leaned forward in his seat and whispered conspiratorially.
“I can help you. I can get you so far in this industry, Ashleigh, all you have to do is stick with me. Do you think you can do that? I think you can.”
He didn’t give her chance to respond before carrying on:
“I think you’re the kind of girl who will make the right choices when it comes down to it. You’re smart. You know what the right choice is for your career, don’t you?”
He paused, as if wanting her to respond, but thankfully the food arrived and she was saved from the awkwardness of a potential reply.
“Oh, wow, this does look good,” she gushed over the steaming pasta, trying to turn the conversation away from the sleazy direction she felt it was going. “How many times did you say you’d been here?”
But Francis seemed to have a one-track mind, and didn’t even answer her question about his number of visits to the restaurant, instead choosing to focus on her first remark by responding, “It doesn’t look as good as you do.”
And just when she was wondering whether his chat-up lines could get any worse, he added, “I could eat you all up right now.”
Her cheeks flushed, but out of embarrassment, not flattery. A part of her just wanted to get up and walk out. This was so inappropriate of him. He was her boss and in a position of power. She felt incredibly uncomfortable, and didn’t even know how to respond.
She decided to just try and change the subject again.
“There’s so many restaurants in LA, it must be hard to decide where to go.”
He didn’t reply, just staring across the table at her with his beady, predatory gaze as he began to eat.
Ashleigh kept her eyes on her food and twirled h
er spaghetti around her fork, taking a mouthful and concentrating on eating.
“Mmm, it’s really nice…” She nodded after her first mouthful, glancing up at Francis to see he was still gawping at her.
“I’m so glad we finally got to spend some time together,” he declared after he’d finished his first mouthful. “I can’t wait for your audition.”
Literally everything he said seemed to make her more uncomfortable.
Would it be rude of her to just finish her food really quickly and then walk out? Could he really have her fired over something like that or ruin her career if she didn’t comply with him? What kind of power did he have?
Probably a lot.
She didn’t want to risk making him mad, so she endured his constant compliments and invasive looks, which continued throughout the whole of their meal.
When he asked what she wanted for dessert, she told him she was full, just wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible so she could go back to her hotel.
He paid the check and they left, with Francis once again acting like the gentleman, putting her jacket on for her and then grabbing her hand, holding it as he led her out. He didn’t give her much choice about that one; he’d literally just snatched it.
Once they were outside and over by his car, he paused before opening the door for her, letting go of her hand and then placing his own on her waist.
It was very personal. Too personal. She wanted to push him away.
“Perhaps you’d like to come back to my place for coffee…”
And there it was. The moment she’d been dreading. She couldn’t think of anything worse than going back to his place, and she knew it wasn’t coffee he wanted.
“I’m…really tired,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “Thank you for the offer, but I need to get back to my hotel and rest so I can be fresh for tomorrow.”
She was worried he was going to be disappointed, angry, or insistent, but he merely raised an eyebrow at her, then smirked, and dropped his hand from her waist, then opened the passenger door.
“Very well. You’re playing hard to get. I like that. I like it a lot. Maybe next time, Ashleigh. There will be a next time.”
She gave a little nervous giggle, trying to laugh the whole thing off as she got in the car. In truth, she was disgusted by him. He made her skin crawl and she couldn’t wait to be rid of him.
The whole car ride home, he talked about how they’d have to do this again very soon, and make more of an evening of it…spend more time together…get to know each other very well…etc, etc. She smiled and tried to be polite, but as soon as they arrived at her hotel, she thanked him for the meal and rushed out into the lobby.
Once she was in her room, she showered, feeling dirty just for even being with him, then got herself to bed.
Chapter Sixteen
The following day, she was actually glad of her old position back in the offices. At least it meant she didn’t have to see Francis, and she did her best to avoid him over breakfast and at lunch too, rushing her meal when she saw him, and heading back to her office as quickly as possible.
Thankfully, she had her date with Rico to look forward to that evening, and as usual, he allowed them both an hour or so to get freshened up and changed back at the hotel, before he came to collect her on his bike.
They went for Japanese, which was unusual, but she appreciated the opportunity to try something different and this time, unlike their previous conversations about movies, music, books and TV shows, they went a little deeper and a little more personal. Much to her surprise, Rico began opening up to her, and telling her some incredibly private things about himself.
It all began when Ashleigh asked him what made him want to get into acting. He hesitated, pausing before he answered, leaning over the table towards her and lowering his voice a little.
“I was just asking myself…whether I should give you the answer I normally give in interviews, or the answer that’s most real to me.”
Ashleigh raised one eyebrow slightly. “Just tell me whatever you’re comfortable with.”
“I want to be honest with you,” he insisted. “I feel you deserve that. Honesty.”
“Well…thanks.” She smiled.
“I always tell people that I got inspired by the movies I saw as a kid, that I wanted to be like my heroes…and that’s true, that’s all true. But there’s something else as well. The real reason I pursued my career in acting with such determination and conviction is…I had someone relying on me…”
Ashleigh leaned in a bit, as Rico was talking fairly quietly now, and she couldn’t pick up on every word, especially over the noise of the restaurant.
“My mother,” he continued. “She was very sick. It was up to me to support her. All the money I earned from acting, it went to pay her bills and for her treatment and care.”
Ashleigh’s eyes widened. She had no idea Rico had this whole other, caring side to his personality. He was such a sweetheart underneath that suave, smooth exterior.
“That’s really kind of you, Rico.”
He shrugged. “She was my mother. It’s not a big deal. Any son would have done the same. Or at least, they should. Family is important to me.”
“Why don’t you tell people that in interviews though? It might make them think differently of you.”
“I don’t want them to think I’m just saying it for sympathy, or to try and make myself look good. That wasn’t why I did it.”
“I know it isn’t.”
“I know you do. But other people might not see it that way. Especially if I start talking about it publicly. Do you understand?”
She nodded sadly. “Yes…I do think it’s really sweet that you care for your mother though. You guys must be really close.”
Rico’s demeanour changed slightly at her words, and he sat back, looking down at his plate. “Well…we were. She passed away last year.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Ashleigh gasped, covering her mouth with her hand and feeling bad for having said something.
“No, no, don’t worry, you couldn’t have known,” he insisted, shaking his head then reaching out and gently taking hold of Ashleigh’s hand, removing it from her mouth and holding it on top of the table. “But thank you.”
“I’m still sorry. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been. I’ve never lost a parent.”
“Yeah,” he mumbled, looking away again. “It was hard. It still is. I’m still…pretty broken up over it sometimes. I think about her a lot.”
She squeezed his hand gently, honored and surprised that he had chosen to share so much and really open up to her like this, but she appreciated it.
“Hey, we can…we can talk about something else, if you like,” she offered softly.
He glanced up at her and smiled, returning the small squeeze to her hand. “That might be a good idea.”
“Honestly though,” she added. “I think it’s so sweet of you to be able to admit something like this to me, and I’m…I’m grateful. Seeing a softer side to you is really…heart-warming.”
She felt herself blushing a little bit and she could have sworn that Rico was too, although it was hard to tell with that beautiful swarthy skin, and in the flicker of the light from the candle on the table.
“I’ve never told anyone before,” he admitted with a shrug. “And I don’t even know why I told you exactly, I just…I find you easy to talk to. I can just blurt stuff out to you and it doesn’t feel weird.”
“I feel the same way,” she gushed, still holding his hand. “I really love spending time with you, Rico. I really value our time together.”
She was getting pretty sentimental and soppy now, and she felt that Rico sensed that. He gave her hand another small squeeze, then slowly retreated his own and picked up his glass of sake, taking a little sip as he glanced around the restaurant. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk with you, Ashleigh,” he began. “About…about us…”
And suddenly, she knew w
hat was coming.
It made her heart sink in sadness and disappointment, but she’d known all along that she shouldn’t get too attached to him.
“It’s fine,” she interrupted, before he could say anymore. “I know. You don’t want any strings attached, I know.”
He swallowed and looked across at her. “Is that…okay? It’s just…relationships…”
“Aren’t really your thing. I know. They’re not really my thing either.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’ve had a couple of not so great experiences in the past so…I think I’m probably done with relationships now.”
“Yeah, me too,” he nodded. “I’m glad you understand.”
“It’s fine,” she said again.
But was it?
Later in bed that night, at Rico’s hotel room, as he was pounding into her and making her scream with pleasure, the last thing on her mind was a relationship. She was perfectly happy with the hot, sweaty sex and the dinner dates.
She scratched her nails down his back and clung to him, her legs wrapped around him as she felt him deep inside her, each thrust sending her closer and closer to the edge, the top of his dick rubbing at her clit every time he moved due to the angle.
She whimpered and moaned, leaning up and biting down on his shoulder, sucking at the skin and marking him. They were both covered in a shimmery film of sweat by the time, a few moments later, he finally exploded, his thrusts becoming irregular and jilted in their rhythm, and she was sent over the edge too, her vision blurring to white for a split second at the intensity of it, screaming out his name.
In the aftermath of their heated sex, they lay curled up in each other’s arms as if they were boyfriend and girlfriend, not just two casual lovers who wanted the cheap thrill of an orgasm, and it was moments like that that she realized she was falling for him. When her heart beat in time to his, when she could feel him so close to her, smell him, taste him, when all she ever wanted was his arms around her, and when she could drift off to sleep so easily just knowing he was there.
Stroked by my Dad's Best Friend_A Billionaire Secret Baby Romance Page 44