by Love, Lust
He sounded as shocked as she did. She pushed that aside. She was forever getting easily distracted, but right now she couldn’t afford to.
“Yes, thank you so much for calling me.”
There was an awkward silence, causing her to wonder if she’d done the wrong thing by giving him her direct line. She knew Morey was right about her ignorance of this side of her career, but it wasn’t entirely her fault. Anytime she’d tried to get involved, she got the “Be a good girl and let me mind your business” speech.
“Mr. Kiersen?”
“I’m here. What can I do for you, Mrs. Williams?”
Can someone sound handsome?
She shook her head slightly, hoping to clear it. Regardless of whether it was possible to sound handsome or not, it had no bearing.
“I was wondering if I could get a meeting with you. The sooner the better. I usually don’t push my weight around, Mr. Kiersen, but I’m a bit desperate, so today is what I’m looking for.”
There was another strange pause while she bit her bottom lip refusing to back down or apologize. She needed to grow a backbone and she was starting right now.
“Whenever you can get here, Mrs. Williams, I’ll make the time for you.”
She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she held. Handsome sounding was still up for debate, but he did sound capable.
“Thank you, Mr. Kiersen, very much.”
“I look forward to meeting you.”
She flipped closed the tiny cell phone and dropped it back into her purse. She washed her hands in cold water, letting the near-icy liquid flow over her wrists for a minute, and internally chastised herself.
The last thing you need is a man. Ignore the shivers his voice created for crying out loud!
She never wanted another man in control of her life, body, or mind for as long as she lived. This was business. More than that, it was her life. She would find a way to handle Mr. Kiersen and the tingly feeling he gave her.
Returning to the office, she decided it easier to appear to go along than to continue arguing. Besides, her stomach was already in knots and she couldn’t take much more of Morey’s alternating between patronizing her and verbally abusing her.
Also, despite what she hoped, there were no guarantees Darius Kiersen would prove to be the savior she needed. As she rode up in the elevator toward the offices of Kiersen Rep., she chewed the inside of her cheek trying to remember a time she’d been this nervous.
There wasn’t one, and that included her first time at the Academy Awards. Her palms sweated, her stomaching churned and her knees actually shook. She thought about wiping her hands on her jeans, but of course she wasn’t wearing any. In fact, she wasn’t even sure she owned any. Regardless, whatever the material this pink get up was made out of, she imagined the sweat would stain.
“You all right, princess?”
Johnny’s deep baritone startled her. It wasn’t like she’d gone anywhere without him for the past ten years, but she’d been so focused on meeting Mr. Kiersen, somehow she managed to block out the six-four, two-sixty frame of the man beside her.
“Fine.”
She smiled but feared it was more a grimace.
“Oh, yeah, princess, you look fine.”
Johnny was the one guy who never bought into her crap and never cared about her surface persona—the only one who knew her beneath the surface. He felt like home and she loved him more than anyone she’d ever known.
“I am. Just nervous. I mean, can you imagine what Mom and Gabe would say?”
He snorted and rolled his eyes.
“I don’t speak ill of the dead, Ashley, so don’t tempt me.”
She giggled. He always found a way to cut through her nerves, bad moods, fears...whatever. She gave him a quick squeeze as the doors slid opened, and he gave her his patented eye roll, which she knew was all bluster.
“How do you know you can trust this guy, Ash?”
She stopped mid-step not having an exact answer. She gazed up. “It’s a gut thing.”
He scanned her features for a minute and she wondered if he would laugh. She’d never in all her life been allowed to go on her gut, so she wasn’t sure she could actually trust it, but she had to at least give it a try.
Johnny gave her a brisk nod.
“Good enough for me, princess.”
Relief rolled through her veins. She’d never be able to express how much his faith in her meant. He reached in front of her, pulled open one of the frosted glass doors, then held it as she walked inside. A sense of confidence washed over her. It was a new, wonderful feeling. For a half a second, she actually began to think she could do this. That she’d be okay on her own and would finally be able to say, “Told you so,” to all the people who’d constantly told her she couldn’t.
That was of course until they were completely ensconced in the foyer of Kiersen Rep. Then the nerves came back full steam.
She chewed on her lower lip, even though she’d been told countless times not to, and took in her surroundings. It was a nice office, not ostentatious like Morey’s. It didn’t scream of money as much as good taste. The floor to ceiling windows to her right let in rays of glorious sunshine. There were several large potted trees interspersed in the seating area that featured moss green, velvet love seats and chairs.
She had a moment’s hesitation when two women who had been chatting aimlessly behind the marble topped reception desk both stopped and their mouths dropped. She knew all it would take was one disloyal employee’s call to one of the scandal sheets and her incognito scouting mission would be history.
She also knew she wasn’t any good at deception and had no idea how to really pull off any incognito anything, but she hoped to keep this private for at least a day or two. That would buy her enough time to decide if Mr. Kiersen were as good as she thought he was and to deal with Morey. Even though it wasn’t likely to turn out that way, she was in this far and she wasn’t backing out.
She did, however, stand quietly and let Johnny do all the talking.
“Mrs. Williams to see Mr. Kiersen, please.”
Upon noticing she hung back behind the rock of muscle she called bodyguard and friend, she forced herself to remember it was her life now. No one would ever again tell her how to live it. With that thought firmly in place, she stepped out boldly from behind him and added unnecessarily, “He’s expecting me.”
Most people would never understand what a huge step this was for her, nor did she really care. Slowly, one step at a time, she would reclaim her life, or die trying.
A moment later, they were directed down a long hallway to another set of double doors. A queasy sensation gave her a moment’s hesitation. It felt almost as if this walk would be the most important thing she’d ever done. She had a sense of going to meet her destiny down that hallway. She took that as encouragement because her destiny was to become the woman she knew she had inside, even if no one but she had any faith she could do so.
Johnny held the next set of doors open for her that led inside a small outer office.
This is it.
On a leap of faith, she stepped inside.
Chapter 2
This day just kept getting stranger and stranger. Darius paced nervously from the ficus to the hanging Belgium impatiens.
“She’s only a woman. She’s only a woman.”
Man, would his brothers have a field day with this.
He’d had to push around several appointments this afternoon to make room for her but honestly didn’t give a damn what his calendar looked like. No way in hell could he deny this woman anything. He was a red-blooded American boy who had been asked to take a meeting with the top actress in Hollywood.
He ran his hand over his hair again wondering if he had time for a cut before she got here.
Fuck, I wonder if I have time to jack off again before she gets here.
Adjusting what fast became a permanent, painful erection behind his fly, he tried to think of excuses to stay beh
ind his desk once she did arrive, since just thinking about her made him hard.
Hell, her voice practically made him come.
He could only imagine what her actual presence in this suddenly very confined space would do to him.
“Mrs. Williams is here, Mr. Kiersen.”
As Karen’s voice came through the intercom system, a small smile slipped over his lips…until the door began to open, then he turned so fast, he hit his head on the hanging basket holding the fuchsia-colored blooms, causing it to swing and tip from its bracket and land, blooms down, on his very plush, deep-green carpeting.
“Oh, God, are you okay?”
In the next second, the most beautiful woman in the world had her hands on his forehead, brushing against what was probably an attractive red welt about now. For a full minute, he couldn’t get his tongue to work. He looked into those bright aqua eyes, as famous as the woman who owned them, and was lost.
Completely and totally lost.
It helped not in the least when she smiled at him and blushed.
Holy hell, I’m going to fuck her.
It was all he could do to keep his arms from tightening around her waist and pulling every inch of her body against his. He could very easily imagine taking her right there, on the desk, against the wall…the floor was good.
His cock throbbed hard and demanded in no uncertain terms it wanted inside. And heaven help him, he began to justify his actions and formulate a plan for doing so when he heard the very distinct sound of Karen clearing her throat.
He hoped to God his cheeks weren’t as pink as Ashley’s dress, but feared it a real possibility. He gave her a sheepish smile before stepping away carefully.
“Not a very good first impression, I imagine.”
A snort came from the six-foot-four solid mass of muscles that Darius assumed was the bodyguard. He got the impression that was a frequent occurrence.
“Here, have a seat. I’ll just get this and be—”
“I’ll get it, Mr. Kiersen. You can tend to Mrs. Williams and Mr. Tucker.”
Karen Murphy, he was certain, was the best damn assistant a man could have. Darius hadn’t missed how she snuck in the name of the bodyguard so he wouldn’t be off balanced in the conversation. And she always referred to him as ‘Mr. Kiersen’ when he had clients. If felt awkward to him, considering they were quite good friends, but Karen insisted, saying it made a better impression.
Potted plant in hand, soil all over her lovely manicured fingernails, she smiled. “I can get drinks. Coffee, soda…something harder?”
“Bottled water would be fine.” Ashley’s soft voice sent Darius’ cock quivering and up until that moment, he had no idea the thing held the capacity for such an action.
“Nothin’ for me, cupcake.”
Darius hid his smirk behind his hand as Karen flayed the bodyguard with a glance, not that he was looking. Darius met Ashley’s gaze and felt a rush of surprise to see it just as amused as his own. For a brief moment, it seemed as though they were the only ones there. He felt a weird connection with this woman. A wonderful, strange, and unnerving connection he’d never in his life felt. He raptly drew his attention back to Karen.
“Nothing for me either, cupcake.”
He smiled and shot her a wink and watched her literally fume as she left the room with his beat-up impatiens.
“You have great light in here.”
Ashley sounded tentative. Nervous, much the way Karen had described her on the phone. Darius found his mind being yanked back to business.
People fascinated him. He loved watching them, figuring out their motives, what drove them. He believed in reading body language and all the other nuances of communication that weren’t verbal since people were so rarely open or honest.
Ashley wasn’t anything like he’d expected. She sat on the edge of her chair with her hand folded neatly in her lap like a good little schoolgirl. She seemed nervous and unsure, nothing at all like the Ashley Williams portrayed to the world.
Seating himself behind his desk, he waited until she looked directly at him.
“What can I do for you, Mrs. Williams?”
Her cheeks pinked, she drew a breath, and in one sentence, gushed out the last thing he ever expected to hear.
“I want my breast implants removed.”
Darius listened in astonishment. “I’ve already talked to my doctor and he thinks I’ll probably need a lift because of the extra skin, but the whole thing can be handled in his office in less than two hours. I want it done now. Immediately. Today, if I can get in. I watched how you handled that Cheryl Whitecroft fiasco with such sensitivity and I want you to handle the PR for my…uh, removal.”
Clearly winded and with a raging blush staining her otherwise flawless skin, she flopped back in her chair, and for just a second, Darius saw the girl behind the image. She was shy and sweet and…tired.
“Here’s your water, Mrs. Williams.”
Karen handed her a cut crystal glass filled with ice water and lemon slices, and he drew a few comparisons between the drink and the drinker. He wondered if beneath the cut crystal, the fancy lemon garnish, and the sparkly rocks of ice, if it were possible Ashley Williams was merely water—plain, pure and simple.
This thought had as powerful an effect on his heart as the woman’s scent had on his cock earlier.
Why did the one woman who stirred him in such an elemental way have to be the one woman on earth he didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell with?
There was only one solution for his problem—focus. And cold showers.
“May I ask why?”
She glanced at the mountain squeezed into the chair beside her. Could it be for moral support? He supposed it was very lonely for her these days after losing both her husband and her only family. Then the thought occurred to him this man might not be the bodyguard, but the boyfriend, or some hybrid of the two, and that thought didn’t sit well at all.
“I need someone who will listen to me. Please don’t misunderstand me. Morey has been incredible and it’s doubtful I’d be where I am today without him. However, I think he still sees me as a seven-year-old little girl and he isn’t very inclined to listen to my position on things.
“I need someone in my corner who will—and like I said, I was very impressed with what you did for Cheryl—take my side on things even if you disagree with me. I’m not a difficult person, Mr. Kiersen, but I want my thoughts, opinions, ideas, taken into consideration. I want to hold some weight in the decision-making process of my own life.”
Darius had a moment’s weakness when she mentioned weight. He’d love to take her weight, what there was of it, into consideration. In fact, he’d prefer to have her on top of him while he considered it.
Focus, damn it!
He shifted in his chair, leaned back, and crossed one leg over the other. It didn’t help his comfort level one bit.
“Mr. Kiersen, can I be honest with you?”
Her gaze flitted away just as he caught it and damn it, he swore he felt butterflies.
She’s turned me into a woman!
He drew on his discipline and sheer force of will to sound normal when he responded.
“Of course. In a relationship like this, honesty is of the utmost importance.”
She drew a deep breath, slid another glance at the bodyguard, then met his gaze steadily.
“All of my life, I’ve been told what to do. Circumstances for me have changed dramatically recently and I feel it’s time I take control of my own life. Morey has some issues with that. Mr. Kiersen, to be blunt, I need someone who remembers they are my employee.”
Darius considered her words carefully. Sitting up, he slid his chair back under the desk and steepled his fingers, resting his chin gingerly on top while he studied both the woman and the proposition in front of him.
“Would it be acceptable to you, Mrs. Williams, if we spoke alone for a moment?”
He watched her start to look to the mountain bes
ide her but stopped herself. She straightened her spine as she sat in the chair. “Of course.”
Without comment, the mountain left, probably with thoughts of tormenting poor Karen some more.
In the hopes of gaining a more informal feel, he came around the desk and leaned back against it in front of her chair. He watched her struggle to meet his gaze for a moment, and he waited.
“I find you utterly fascinating, Mrs. Williams. You are far more than I expected. Of course, I would love to represent you. Only a complete fool would turn you down. However, I believe business should be about more than just getting the big name and I want to make sure we will be able to trust one another and work together without difficulty. I need to know we’ll be on the same page if I’m to do my job to the best of my abilities.”
She drew a breath and he swore he could see the wheels of her mind turning.
“May I ask you a question?”
“Anything.”
“Why did you get into PR?”
Anything but that.
It wasn’t an uncommon question by any means, but he didn’t feel comfortable giving her his practiced answer. He put his hands on the arms of her chair and pulled it closer so her knees rested between his thighs, not sure at all what he was thinking. He found being this close to this woman more than a little distracting. Since he found it necessary to quickly get very personal with her, though, he needed the intimacy, even if it was forced.
He leaned over, bringing his face close to hers. She smelled of the softest summer roses growing in an open meadow. He groaned internally.
You have it so bad.
Forcing his thoughts back to her question, he knew this would be the moment that would either make or break this tentative relationship, but he felt there was no other option than to be entirely honest with her.
“My father, Mrs. Williams, is in prison. I watched the media disgrace my family name over what he did. Not just him, but all of us. The legacy my grandfather had left us, what the Kiersen name had meant, all erased in a matter of months. We were ridiculed, made a mockery. Both my older brothers have gone into hiding, so I don’t even see them anymore. My mother and sister…well, they’d left a few years before, but sometimes I wonder if she would have come back if not for the press.