And the Winner Is

by Olivia Jaymes

  And the Winner Is

  The Hollywood Showmance Chronicles

  Book Five

  By

  Olivia Jaymes

  www.OliviaJaymes.com

  AND THE WINNER IS

  Copyright © 2018 by Olivia Jaymes

  Kindle Edition

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  And the Winner Is

  Sierra Oliver’s flirting skills are virtually non-existent. Married young to her high school boyfriend, she hasn’t had much experience with men. Now single, she’s vowed to have some fun and do all of the things she’s missed. Falling in love and getting serious are not on the agenda. Casual relationships only.

  When she meets a handsome and charming man in a bookstore it’s nothing more than a pleasant encounter. She never expects to see or speak to him again so it’s a surprise to find out that he’s the director on her new movie. Ryan Ward has a well-earned reputation as a ladies man, dating one beautiful actress after another. She’d do well to stay far away from him.

  But the air crackles with electricity whenever Sierra and Ryan are in the same room. Her sister is encouraging her to go for it. Have a fun fling and then move on. No looking back. No hard feelings. Sierra is tempted but she has a feeling that Ryan is completely out of her league. A man like that is a sexy motorcycle while she’s still in training wheels…

  Does she dare take a chance on the hottest director in Hollywood?

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Book

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  About the Author

  Other Books by Olivia Jaymes

  CHAPTER ONE

  Sierra Oliver ducked into the bookstore and shook out her wet hair, the tendrils already curling from the humidity. It was raining cats and dogs and guinea pigs out there, and the cold wind was nasty as well. They were lucky it was only a rainstorm. In the Midwest in the middle of March it just as easily could have been a blizzard.

  The four walls of her temporary lodging had felt like they were closing in on her and she simply couldn’t stay inside any longer. That’s how she’d found herself battling the elements and walking to the bookstore. First stop was the little cafe that took up the corner of the shop. The whole store smelled of delicious coffee and chocolate and her stomach growled in protest, reminding her that she hadn’t yet eaten dinner. Her desire to get out of the same four walls had been greater than her hunger. The food smelled delicious, but she managed to talk herself out of the yummy pastry and only ordered a latte before heading to her favorite section.

  She didn’t need any more books. Not really, but one or two more wouldn’t hurt. Buying books wasn’t the worst habit in the world. Pulling one from the large selection, Sierra flipped through the hardbound book and then placed it back onto the shelf. It wasn’t quite what she was looking for.

  Strolling the aisles of the local bookstore on a stormy Friday night wasn’t the most exciting activity but it was more than fine as far as she was concerned. It was quiet here, just a few patrons browsing while others sat in the cafe section reading or chatting. A few tapped away at their laptops, ignoring everyone around them.

  She’d pick up a book or two then stop by that funky restaurant on the corner and order some takeout. While the rest of the cast was out drinking and partying, enjoying their time off, she was happy to putter around the downtown area of the small town she’d inhabited for the last six weeks making a movie.

  A movie that had come to an abrupt halt three days ago when the director crumpled to the floor with a heart attack right on the set. He’d been taken away in an ambulance and word was that he wouldn’t be returning. The studio was dispatching a replacement as soon as possible to finish the filming but until then she was at loose ends. She’d spent the last few days happily ensconced in a comfortable chair by her front window reading a book and sipping hot chocolate but she was anxious to get back to work and finish.

  She loved to read and if she had her way she’d buy a stack of books she didn’t need. Already, she had a to-be-read pile in the dozens weighing down her luggage when she traveled. There was always downtime between scenes and picking up a good book was an excellent way to pass the time and keep the boredom at bay. She really needed to pick up one of those e-readers so that she didn’t have to drag paperbacks around the globe.

  Now this one looks interesting.

  The cover was dark and hinted at a delightfully gruesome murder between the pages. She liked mysteries the best. After working through all of Agatha Christie’s novels as a teenager she’d been well and truly hooked on the genre. She loved it when an amateur sleuth solved the murder in the last chapter. It was even better when she figured it out before the main character.

  Another cover caught her eye, an author she’d read before and liked. Moving her coffee to her other hand and hitching her handbag higher on her shoulder, she reached for the title but at the same time another hand reached for it as well. Both of them jerked their arms back quickly when their fingers lightly brushed. The skin was warm despite the chilly temperatures just outside.

  I just touched a stranger.

  Clutching her coffee to her chest, she took a deep breath, looking up to see the person who had the same taste in books that she did.

  A male. Handsome, too. If you liked the rugged type. Dark hair that looked slightly windswept from the rainstorm outside. Tanned skin that was definitely out of place in the middle of winter. Was he naturally like that or had he been to some warm and exotic locale recently?

  White teeth and dimples. She could tell because he was smiling. It wouldn’t hurt to smile back, would it? Being friendly was a good thing.

  “Sorry about that,” the man said, waving a hand toward the shelf. “You can have it.”

  Maybe that smile hadn’t been such a great idea. She hadn’t thought he would speak to her. Was he flirting? She felt a moment of panic as she studied his face more closely, looking for a clue. She didn’t know and she didn’t have the experience to figure it out. Flirting was something she’d never learned, not that she wanted to do it with him. But it was a female skill she’d missed out on. Like so many other things.

  Just be nice and friendly. It’s no big deal. People talk to each other all the time.

  “No, you take it. I think I’m going to look at this one instead.”

  “There’s more than one copy if we both want it.” He moved a step closer and that’s when she noticed how tall he was. At least six foot and maybe more. At five-seven she wasn’t exactly short but he made her feel tiny.

  That internal warning voice was talking in her ear. Telling her that she didn’t know anything about this guy and he could be a real asshole.

  Sierra took two steps backward, puttin
g space between them. He was a stranger and although he seemed perfectly harmless, he could be a crazy serial killer for all she knew. She had terrible judgment about people. Especially men. She had a bad habit of thinking the best of someone when they were actually a horrible human being.

  “Thank you,” she replied politely. “But I’m going to pass on that one.”

  She didn’t want to be rude. Turning back to the shelves, she perused the titles, hopefully letting the gentleman know she wasn’t interested in starting a conversation.

  He didn’t get the hint, however. If he did, he was ignoring it.

  Instead he also began to study the bookshelves, his body parallel to hers. “I don’t suppose you could recommend one of these? I’m not much of a mystery fan but I kind of need to study one.”

  He looked too old to be a student but this was a college town in the Midwest, so it was possible. He held up the book they’d both been interested in.

  “What about this one? Is this a good author?”

  It wouldn’t hurt to talk to him. Give advice. No one ever asked for her opinion so this was something new. She didn’t have any education after high school, so most people simply assumed she didn’t know much. In fact, she didn’t think she was all that smart but she did know her mystery novels.

  “It is.” Sierra nodded, her cheeks warm with embarrassment. She didn’t know why she was embarrassed to talk about her favorite authors and books but she was. She’d tried to read the literary novels, the classics, but she liked these better. It was more fun to work out the puzzle. “I haven’t read that particular novel but the author is excellent. She knows how to keep you guessing the whole way through. Lots of twists and turns.”

  “That’s exactly what I need.” He paged through the book and then turned to the back. “Do you ever cheat and read the ending first?”

  Eyes wide, Sierra shook her head, slightly scandalized by the mere suggestion. “No! That would ruin all the fun. You can’t do that.”

  She had an urge to reach over and slam his book shut so he couldn’t read the ending but she didn’t give in to it. It wasn’t really her business but it seemed so wrong.

  “No one would know.”

  “I’d know.” She wasn’t the rebel type but he clearly was. “Do you do that a lot?”

  “Do what?”

  “Break the rules.”

  This time he did laugh, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth. “I don’t think there’s a rule about reading the end of a mystery first.”

  Maybe, but…

  “It’s an unwritten rule,” she argued. “Everyone knows you’re not supposed to do that. Why read the book if you already know the ending?”

  He seemed to consider her question, rubbing his chin in thought. “Have you ever seen a movie based on a book?”

  “Yes.”

  He grinned as if she’d admitted to stealing the family silver. “But you already knew the ending.”

  From the smirk on his face, he thought he was so clever.

  “It’s not the same. When you see a movie based on a novel, you’re going to see the filmmaker’s adaptation of the story. His or her vision. When you read a book, you’re still in the discovery stage. It’s different.”

  “You’ve given this a lot of thought.”

  Not really. Or maybe she had. Either way it only seemed logical. But she had sort of climbed up on a soapbox and there was no real reason he should care about her opinions.

  “I apologize. I don’t mean to go on about it.”

  “It’s fine. It’s actually quite refreshing to see someone that’s so passionate about stories.”

  The director hadn’t thought so. He’d basically told her she was pretty scenery and she needed to shut up and just do her job. She wasn’t paid to have ideas or suggestions.

  He held up the book. “So I should get this? Maybe we both should.”

  The author was excellent… Sierra plucked the book from the shelf.

  “I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”

  “I appreciate your help.”

  They’d run out of conversation and the moment had become slightly awkward. She didn’t want him to think she was interested or that she was the type of woman that could be picked up in the mystery section of a bookstore.

  “Well, have a nice evening. Hope you enjoy the book.”

  “You too.”

  For a moment she thought he might say something else but then he turned and waved as he headed to the front of the store and the cashier. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he paid for his book, all while pretending that she was studying a stack of books on a table.

  He really was quite handsome. Not that she cared.

  She wasn’t looking for a man. Not one special man, anyway. She was looking for…life. Or better yet…experiences. She’d missed out on so much. She wanted to travel and date and flirt and eat strange food. She wanted to drive too fast and stay up all night without worrying about getting up for work the next morning. She wanted to learn to play guitar and dance like no one was watching. There were so many things Sierra hadn’t done because she was too busy simply surviving.

  She wanted to make up for lost time.

  * * *

  I should have asked her for coffee or something.

  Ryan Ward wasn’t a man that came on to strange but lovely women in bookstores. He simply wasn’t the type. For the last several years the women had come to him. It wasn’t vanity or ego, either. A successful movie director that didn’t have two noses and three eyes was in demand with the female species. They all wanted to be stars and they thought the road to fame and fortune led straight through his bedroom. Those ladies were destined to be disappointed. He wasn’t the kind of guy that slept with women and then gave them movie roles. The two activities were kept separate in his life.

  He’d taken one look at the woman in the bookstore and become instantly smitten. He’d seen women more beautiful but there had been something about her that captured his attention and held it. Maybe it was the way she’d pinched her brows together when she’d read the back of the spine or how she’d smiled when she’d found a book she’d liked and then tucked it under her arm so protectively. Or perhaps it was the keen interest and intelligence he’d seen in the depths of those gold and green eyes. She was more than just a pretty face, and the rest of her wasn’t anything to sneeze at either.

  Slim but with some curves. She was wearing a tight pair of blue jeans that hugged those long legs and cute little bottom. It was hard to tell how long her hair was since she was wearing a thick coat with a hood, but it was at least shoulder length with a mix of brown and gold running through it. Her skin was creamy with just a touch of pink on the cheeks from the cold without a trace of makeup. So different from the women he usually spent time around.

  Which automatically made her fascinating. That’s why he’d almost gone out of his comfort zone and asked to buy her a coffee. And he didn’t even know her name.

  Too late. Your chance has passed.

  With a sigh, he picked up the bag containing the mystery novel she’d recommended and headed back out into the rain, sheltering his purchase under his jacket as he hurried down the sidewalk. He’d go back to the condo he was staying in temporarily, fix a bite to eat, pour a glass of wine, and then get ready for work in the morning. He was here to do a job, not meet pretty girls. It wouldn’t be a good idea anyway to get involved with a local. It wasn’t a good idea to get involved with anyone. Period. His career was finally going the way he wanted it to and he wasn’t going to be sidetracked by love. He’d seen enough movies to know that love could make a man behave like an idiot.

  I don’t need any help acting stupid. I’ve got that covered.

  Besides, picking up a girl in a bookstore was too cliché. Too romantic comedy. Too Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

  He certainly wasn’t going to find Ms. Right in the local bookstore. Frankly, if he hadn’t found her yet, he doubted she really existed.

&nb
sp; CHAPTER TWO

  “I heard the new director is Ryan Ward. He’s a notorious hard ass. I heard he’s made grown men cry.”

  That declaration was made by Tony Gillette over coffee the next morning as Sierra and the rest of the cast gathered to meet the new director who was going to finish the film. She’d received the message last night that she needed to be on set by eight. It would be good to get back to work.

  Tony was playing the lead actor’s best friend and the person he was talking to was Angela Brenner, the lead actress. The fact that Tony knew and Angela didn’t surprised Sierra. If anyone should know about a replacement first it should have been the leads. Of which Sierra was not one. In this romantic comedy, she was playing one of Angela’s friends. It was a small but rather juicy role as she had some smart and funny lines. She’d been fortunate to get the part. The former director had reminded her of this fact almost daily.

  “That’s good news. Are you sure?” Angela asked, filling her plate from the craft services table. Absolutely no carbs. It was all protein, all the time for the leading lady. Sierra often felt like she had to hide in the bathroom when she ate a piece of bread. She’d get dirty looks from the cast and crew. “I wouldn’t mind working for him. He’s won an Oscar, you know.”

  Ryan Ward? Sierra knew that name. He’d directed a film last year that had snagged several awards. A modern day take on Macbeth. She’d never read the play but she’d watched the movie twice. It had been that good. She’d also heard that he was dating the leading lady. She’d been nominated for Best Actress.

  Tony rolled his eyes and snorted. “I don’t think his mere presence on this film is going to get any of us an award. This isn’t his usual highbrow stuff. Someone must have called in a favor to get him to do it.”

  Angela didn’t get a chance to reply. The assistant director Burt was waving his arms and calling to all of them to gather on the soundstage. It looked like it was time to meet their new director.