“R-Rico…please go away,” she croaked out, almost on instinct after last night, except she didn’t sound as convincing. Did she really want him to go away? If he’d just come to tell her that she was dumped and he wanted nothing more to do with her, then yes. Why else would he come? Surely, it couldn’t be for–
“No,” he answered firmly. “I’m not going to be sent away this time.”
And with that, he produced a bouquet of flowers from behind his back, and offered it out to her with a small smile, but still a most serious expression on his face as he continued talking.
“I know I’m new to being someone’s boyfriend, but as far as I understand it, it’s my job to care for you, and make sure you’re okay. And if I keep leaving every time you ask me to, then I’m not doing my job. So…I’m sorry…but this time, I’m not leaving. I’m here to comfort you, and that’s what I’m going to do. You don’t have to tell me anything, but I can see you’ve been crying, so at least let me hold you. I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to be ready to talk, and I won’t push you. I promise.”
He stood there expectantly, still holding the flowers out.
How could she refuse them after a speech like that?
Her heart melted and her body almost collapsed into his, the tears welling in her eyes quickly. She wiped them in a hurry and took the flowers, then turned and walked back into the room.
“You can come in,” she mumbled, placing the flowers on the table carefully. She needed to go and buy a vase for them or something later. “They’re beautiful. Thank you. You didn’t have to.”
“I know I didn’t have to,” he replied, sliding both his arms around her waist from behind. “But I wanted to.”
She turned in his arms and leaned against his chest.
He hugged her gently, and together they swayed left and right, just standing there in the middle of the room for a moment.
“Come…come and sit down…” he murmured after a while, pulling back and taking her by the hand, gently leading her to the bed.
They sat together, side by side, and suddenly, Ashleigh realized she couldn’t hold back any longer.
Rico was being so nice to her; so gentle and kind, and he deserved so much more than what she was giving him. Besides that, she needed to tell someone; she needed to get this off her chest, it was crushing her.
She broke down and began to cry, and through her sobs, Rico held her close to his chest, as she explained everything, right from the beginning; from the filthy looks and inappropriate comments to the undoing of his pants and the suggestion that she should trade sexual favors for movie parts.
It was difficult at first, to say those things out loud, but the more she spoke, the more came out, and it actually felt pretty good to get everything out in the open. It was cathartic and cleansing; and afterwards she just curled up in Rico’s arms, on his lap, while he held her gently and stroked her hair, taking in the enormity of what she’d told him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“You’re not…you’re not angry at me…are you?” she asked him tentatively after a while of silence, sniffling and wiping at her sore cheeks and eyes.
Rico placed his hands on her shoulders and slowly helped her back up to a sitting position so that he could look seriously into her eyes. “Baby, of course I’m not. I’m angry at him. What he did was sexual harassment.”
“I…well…I maybe wouldn’t go that far,” she said tentatively.
But Rico held firm. “It was! And we need to go public about it. I’m so sorry that you’re gonna have to share your story again but…imagine if he does this to other young actresses? In fact, he probably already has.”
“Yeah…he probably has,” Ashleigh agreed. “But what’s the point in going public? No one else has come forward so it’s just my word against his, and he’s the most famous producer in Hollywood. I’m just some runner and wannabe actress. No one is gonna believe me at all.”
“But I’ll be there at your side, Ash,” Rico gave her a small, encouraging smile, reaching up and brushing his thumb over her cheek. “My friends and my co-stars will believe me, and in turn, they’ll believe you.”
Ashleigh bit her lip and looked away as she considered it, then asked quietly, “You really think I should?”
“Definitely,” he nodded. “And I’ll be with you the whole time. You’re not doing this alone, baby.”
She blushed a little. She liked it when he called her baby.
“Alright,” she quietly agreed. “We’ll do it.”
And he was right. She wasn’t alone, and at no point did she feel like she was. Rico made sure of that.
The first thing he did was call up his main co-stars, some of whom were also fairly big Hollywood names, although admittedly not as big as him. And straight away it was, “I have something to tell you about Francis.”
“I.” Not “Ashleigh.” He took responsibility for telling the tale, so that Ashleigh didn’t have to, and initially, he kept her name out of it.
“Some allegations have emerged regarding Francis, and I need to speak to everyone about it before we start filming again tomorrow.”
A meeting was arranged at Rico’s lavish hotel room suite a few blocks away that lunchtime.
Word had spread, thanks to Rico and his other co-stars, who had helped him place calls and get in touch with other cast and crew members, and they ended up with seventeen people crammed into his room that lunchtime.
Suddenly it didn’t seem so large and lavish anymore, and suddenly Ashleigh didn’t feel so alone anymore either.
She could have cried with joy. She felt so protected and safe already and they hadn’t even begun to discuss anything.
Rico had ordered up platters of sandwiches, snacks and drinks from the restaurant for everyone’s lunch, and although it wasn’t a party, Ashleigh felt in a surprisingly jubilant mood over the whole thing, especially when Rico clinked a spoon against a glass to quieten everyone down and began to speak. She stayed close to him the whole time, literally hanging off his arm. If people hadn’t already been wondering about the closeness of their friendship before, they certainly would now, but Ashleigh didn’t care anymore, and it looked like Rico didn’t either.
“The reason I’ve called you all here today, and I’d like to thank so many of you for coming, by the way,” he began, “is that some very serious allegations of sexual harassment have emerged regarding Francis Romero, and I felt we needed to discuss them before we went back to set tomorrow.”
“What happened?” someone called out.
“Yesterday, Ashleigh went to an audition… he undid his goddamned pants and basically, in not so many words, told her she could get the part really easily if she did something for him…”
There were a few gasps, then suddenly Ashleigh found her confidence and spoke up.
“That wasn’t the first time something like that had happened, that was just the culmination of it all,” she explained. “He’s been making inappropriate comments, looking at me in a way that makes me feel really uncomfortable, flirting with me, touching my arm and my leg and stuff like that…”
“He’s done that to me too,” one of the costume girls spoke up.
“Yeah, and me,” mumbled one of the other actresses.
There was a general murmur of consensus around the room as more people began to speak up and come forward, other girls who’d had problems with him, who had felt uncomfortable or harassed from his behavior.
“Sometimes I don’t even want to come into work,” one of them admitted.
“Yeah, me too,” agreed someone else. “The film isn’t worth all the hassle of having to deal with his crap.”
“He’s a creep!”
Rico and Ashleigh looked at each other in amazement, and he smiled at her, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.
“See?” He murmured near her ear. “I told you they’d believe us. And I’m proud of you for speaking up.”
She blushed a bit and found his hand with
hers, intertwining their fingers, then Rico raised his other hand for calm, trying to speak up over the din, talking like some motivational speaker at a political rally.
“I propose…that tomorrow morning, on the set, we stage a walk out. To show him we’re not going to accept this kind of behavior. Then we go to the press, and tell them everything that’s been happening! And we expose this guy for the predatory creep he really is! What do you say?”
Everyone cheered, the motion seconded and the wheels set in motion for the downfall of Francis Romero.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Two weeks later, and the entertainment industry was still reeling from the news Rico and the others had gone public with.
The walk out had happened, as planned. The look on Francis’s face was absolutely priceless, and Ashleigh felt triumphant and righteous, no longer frightened and disgusted. It had definitely helped seal her and Rico’s relationship too, as she knew now that she could rely on him, that he would always stand by her and that, together, they could achieve anything.
The filming was put on hold until a new producer could be found, and the press had dozens of questions and requests for interviews with Ashleigh and the others who had allegations against Francis. They all wanted to get the juicy details and hear her side of the story, but Rico stayed close to her the whole time, holding her hand or linking her arm. This, of course, led to questions about their own relationship, and a few days after the walk out, they came public about that too.
The news was generally well received, although it led to reporters and paparazzi camping out both of their hotels, and since there was no real need for them to be in central Hollywood anyway anymore, Rico suggested they withdraw away from the public eye and retreat to his apartment in Palm Springs. It was a proposition that Ashleigh was only too happy to accept, but not before she attended another audition, or rather, a re-audition.
The musical that had ultimately led to Francis Romero’s downfall had been assigned a brand new director, and she’d been invited along for an audition. This time, he didn’t try and solicit sexual favors from her. He was a nice guy, and everything went really well. So well, in fact, that she was offered the part, starting filming in two months’ time. She hoped the other movie would be over by then but, if not, she’d just have to retire from her position as runner. This was, after all, the opportunity she’d been waiting for.
As she lay in bed that morning on another bright, sunny day in Palm Springs, Ashleigh reflected on everything that had happened over the past couple of months, since her arrival in Los Angeles, and how much her life had changed. She stretched out in Rico’s large double poster bed after a peaceful night’s sleep, smiling to herself and gazing out of the window at the amazing view overlooking the valley. She wasn’t sure where he’d gotten to, but she didn’t mind. She knew he’d be back soon.
When she applied for that position as runner, all she wanted was a shot at learning how the movie business worked, getting her foot in the door, and now here she was, dating one of the biggest stars in Hollywood and having landed her first role in a musical film adaptation. It was everything she’d ever wanted, and despite the setbacks she and Rico had gone through, and despite having to deal with creepy Francis, things had ultimately worked out for the better.
She heard the soft creak of the door being pushed open, and rolled over to see Rico walking into the room carrying a tray with some breakfast on it.
She gasped a little and sat up, fluffing the pillows to support her back.
“You brought me breakfast in bed? Are you kidding?”
“Nope. Breakfast in bed for my queen. You deserve it.”
He placed the tray on her lap then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“Wow. You’re doing pretty well at this boyfriend stuff, considering…” She teased him with a small smile, her cheeks flushed.
“It’s different with you,” he murmured, helping himself to breakfast too as he sat down next to her.
“How so?”
He paused for a moment, then looked into her eyes and whispered, “Because I love you.”
Ashleigh felt like her heart just stopped.
She hadn’t been expecting that.
Some carefree, joking remark perhaps, but not that.
When she finally managed to remember to breathe again, she broke out into a happy smile, blushing joyfully.
Rico looked worried for a moment, as if he’d gone too far too quickly, but she reassured him a second later by leaning in and gently pecking his lips with hers.
“I love you too,” she whispered.
His eyes sparkled with affection. He lifted up his arm and wrapped it gently around her shoulders. “What do you say we spend a lazy day in bed together? Just me and you?”
“Mm, sounds like heaven,” she replied.
And it was.
Ashleigh didn’t know what the rest of her life had in store for her, but she knew as long as she had Rico by her side, it didn’t matter. She could face anything.
Her Billionaire Baby Daddies
By: Natasha Spencer
Her Billionaire Baby Daddies
© March 2018 – All rights reserved
By Natasha Spencer,
Published by Passionate Publishing Inc.
This is a work of fiction. All names and characters in this novel are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.
This book is for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Warning
This book is intended for adult readers, 18+ years old. Please close this e-book if you are not comfortable reading adult content.
Chapter 1
The Franklin Brothers. The mention of their name alone turned heads. People associated the name with business savvy and wealth, and the huge offices they inhabited on Wall Street. In business and in social settings, they were the epitome of success. They were squeaky clean in reputation and in appearance. The older brother, Adam Franklin, was thirty-two, but looked like he was in his mid-twenties, with his mysterious dark green eyes , a full head of reddish-brown hair, and the constant playboy smirk on his boyish face. Blake Franklin was only thirty years old, but he seemed older and more mature than his brother. And his shocking dark blue eyes and pure red hair made him the more striking of the two.
Sophia had seen their pictures, of course. Their faces were often in Forbes, a magazine she religiously pursued for business information and opportunity. Sometimes she also spotted them on the cover of Esquire and other men’s magazines in racks all over the city. They were local celebrities, names that everyone knew. Their financial prowess and wealth, their presence in the splashy Manhattan social scene, and their appearances at every big event or party, made them staples in the glitzy New York society.
But Sophia never expected to ever meet them in person. In fact, the Franklin boys were the last things on her mind which was totally occupied by her move to a new condo on the twenty-seventh floor in the Upper East Side and her new life there. Sophia had much bigger things to think about at the moment.
She sighed and shook her long, beautiful black hair over her shoulders as she carried her next load of belongings into the elevator. She had not even bothered to put her hair up or wear makeup today. Though she was lovely, she hardly looked polished or sleek, like the new columnist for the New York Times that she was.
While Sophia was thrilled with her glossy new title, at the job of her dreams, and her new condo, she was not able to shake the sense that she had somehow failed. The dissolution of her marriage and the distracting absence of a wedding band on her ring-finger kept her down. It was hard to accept that her predestined marriage to Tony was officially over. She should have seen it coming, but was in denial. Anyway, she was now a single woman, living alone in NYC. At least she got to keep the condo.
Just as the elevator doors sta
rted to slide shut, she heard two boisterous male voices fill the glossy lobby, talking avidly about some party. She barely caught a glimpse of them running towards her and telling her to hold the doors, before the doors clamped tight shut and the elevator began to ascend. “Great, I hope I don’t have a bunch of boys living in my building,” she thought wryly. “The last thing I need is to be surrounded by partiers. But it somehow made sense that Tony would have bought the place if it was some sort of swinging party pad. Clearly this was why he had moved into the building - , so he could have his own private place to hold parties and entertain his women. Sophia wondered if his mistress, Claire, the one he had cheated the longest with, had stayed with him there. It was sickening, but she tried to put it out of her mind. It was her condo now!
The elevator arrived at the twenty-seventh floor and she stepped out, hefting a box up against her ample chest. Many more such boxes waited in the U-Haul parked down at the back of the building. With a shaky hand, she shook out her keys and fit one into the lock of Apartment 27A. What would she find inside? Had Tony been decent enough to clean the place? Or would she be faced with evidence of his other life?
This place was where the trysts had happened. It was a beautiful penthouse, but could she really live here? Knowing what had gone on behind her back? She pictured Tony laying women across the white leather furniture, or one the counters of the chef’s kitchen. She imagined him showing ladies movies on his entertainment center which more closely resembled a spaceship with all of its switches and lights and devices. She imagined him chopping vegetables by the sink, about to prepare some gourmet Mexican dish that would blow his date’s mind because he really was an amazing cook. Would she find sexy little panties or earrings in the bedroom, left behind after some scandalous escapade performed like a slap in her trusting face?
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