End Scene
Page 16
Did you miss any of the other Love, Camera, Action series books? Check out excerpts from the series below or find the full series at http://elisefaber.com/LoveCameraAction
Dotted Line
Love, Camera, Action #1
Get your copy at books2read.com/DottedLine
Olivia
The cold voice hit my spine before I made it to my chair.
“What did you say?”
Cole McTavish.
A tall hunk of a former hockey player, all muscled thighs and towering height, with a face that would have been classified as beautiful if not for the several-times-broken nose, the jagged scar along his jaw, and the small, smooth one bisecting his left eyebrow.
Further that, he was about as opposite from me as anyone I’d ever met.
Relaxed, always ready with an easy smile, Cole never raised his voice—at least off the ice. On it, he’d been a terror, a virtually unstoppable force who’d fought when needed and didn’t back down from protecting a teammate.
I’d also been his agent while he was playing.
After he’d retired, I’d transitioned him over to Devon, who’d helped him refine his brand for post-playing opportunities. Now, he was the face for a few hockey companies and one well-known corporation that sold watches. Though, to my and the rest of the female populace’s dismay, he’d turned down the swimwear ads.
I’d been with him in the locker room enough to know what was under those flannel shirts and jeans.
It was definitely billboard worthy.
Lane started to push by him, but Cole grabbed his shoulder and stepped into my office, forcing Lane back.
Devon Scott trailed them in, a stormy expression on his face.
I glanced at my boss and shook my head, silently telling him I’d already handled it, but Dev shook his head firmly back at me. Which was when I realized that what Lane had said must have been worse than I’d thought. Normally, Devon would never get involved in an argument between my employees and myself unless I asked him to.
Which I didn’t.
Since I handled my own shit.
“Tell her what you said.”
My gaze flashed to Cole and his darkened face. “It’s—”
Emerald eyes locked onto mine, sparking fire. “Tell her,” he said, and Lane must have realized exactly how deep of a pile of shit he’d dived into because when I broke Cole’s stare to glance at my assistant, his face had gone pale.
I rested my hip against my desk. “I don’t need to hear it. Lane, get the file.”
Devon crossed his arms. “Tell her,” he said. “If you’re man enough to mutter it under your breath, you’re man enough to say it aloud.”
Lane shook off Cole and spun to face me. “Fine,” he snapped. “I said that you’re such a fucking bitch.”
My lips curved and I huffed. “Okay, great, thanks. Now, back to work.”
Lane’s jaw fell open.
A curl of amusement crept onto Dev’s face.
Cole appeared even more infuriated.
Lane somehow went paler. “Wh-what?”
“I’ve got a ton of work,” I told him, “and you say bitch like it’s a bad thing.” I transferred my gaze to Cole and Dev. “All of you are acting like it’s the worst insult in the world.” I laughed. “Believe me, I’ve been called worse.”
“It’s unacceptable,” Dev said, and I loved the guy for it.
But this was also the way of the world.
Most men despised strong women. We were told to smile or look happy or be fine with the scraps they tossed our way. If I’d had an issue with men calling me a bitch, I would have quit this male-dominated field ten years ago when I’d been a lowly assistant like Lane and my boss had been a lot worse than a bitch.
But I hadn’t.
I’d put my head down, got my shit done.
And I’d learned to not give two craps when a man thought I was a bitch.
Because it had become my anthem.
When I negotiated my client to have equivalent perks in their contract, I was a bitch.
When I demanded a different client have access to the same off-season training as the rest of the team, I was a bitch.
When I secured a bonus that was similar to the rest of the big names on the roster, I was a bitch.
So, fine.
I was a bitch.
Great. Congrats. Moving on.
—Get your copy at www.books2read.com/DottedLine
Action Shot
Love, Camera, Action #2
Get your copy at books2read.com/ActionShot
Artie
“A lady doesn’t give away her secrets.”
Stormy gray-blue eyes went hot. “I bet I can convince you.”
My pussy clenched. Straight up, right then. With a single look. Uh-oh. “I don’t date children.”
He laughed. “I’m twenty-two. That’s hardly a child.”
“Pierce. I’m thirty-seven.”
“So?”
He meant it, too, I could tell.
“So, I don’t date people who work with me.”
His laughter burned a hole straight down to my middle. “I think we’ve quite established the fact that we’re not going to be working together.”
He had a point. And the stink knew it, given the way those hot eyes traced me up and down.
“Eat your pasta,” he ordered huskily. Normally orders from men pissed me off, especially men who were many years younger than me, who deigned to think they had a right to give me orders, but there was something about Pierce’s gaze, heavy with approval and desire, that made it less annoying and more . . . promising.
I lifted a brow. “And if I don’t?”
“I’ll just have to—” He broke off and waggled his brows, making like he was going to grab my plate.
I lifted my fork threateningly.
He laughed, went back to his own entrée. “Thanks for lunch.”
My carefully constructed bite of pasta fell onto my plate. “I thought we’d established you were paying,” I said and when he did nothing more but chuckle and then smolder at me again, before continuing to devour his lunch, I knew I was in trouble.
Then deep shit when he snagged the waiter and handed him his card.
And then falling down into a crevice of even deeper shit when he gently tugged my ponytail out from underneath the collar of my jacket when I slipped it on.
Between the table and front door, I considered my options.
At the front door, I made a decision.
I took his hand and pulled him over to my car.
—Get your copy at www.books2read.com/ActionShot
Close Up
Love, Camera, Action #3
www.books2read.com/Closeupef
Eden
Smiling to myself, I reached into my purse for my keys then promptly dropped them to the ground.
Ugh.
I bent—
“I know that ass.”
A gasp of outrage on my lips, I straightened and whipped around, ready to tell off the arrogant bastard who’d dared—
Damon Garcia.
Photographer extraordinaire and—
He grinned.
Man who still wanted to get into my pants.
Now, I wasn’t a prude. I slept around enough to have been called a whore by more than one publication. It wasn’t like my activities between the sheets were more than most men in Hollywood, but because I was a woman, it was noticed and frowned upon.
I just couldn’t bring myself to care.
I practiced consensual, safe sex.
If we both were attracted to each other and it was safe, then I didn’t hesitate to go for what I wanted.
Maybe that made me a whore.
Maybe I didn’t care what other people thought about me.
But Damon?
Damon, I didn’t sleep with.
Damon, I didn’t fuck or kiss or touch.
Because I knew if I allowed myself a taste, I would never have enough
.
I was frozen in place when he bent in front of me and picked up my keys, extending them toward me. That was when I made my first mistake. My fingers brushed his as I took them back. Heat exploded up my arm, my stomach went tingly, and my voice was breathy as I asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I live here now. Well, not the hospital—I’m visiting a friend—but here in town.” He smiled, and that paired with the news of him being in L.A. hit me hard upside the head. So hard, it knocked my common sense loose and allowed me to make my second mistake.
Because I didn’t run after I’d said, “Oh, that’s great.”
My third came when he asked, “Want to grab a drink tonight and catch up?”
To which I said, “Yes,” instead of “Absolutely not.”
My fourth?
Well, my fourth came when I finally gave in to the draw that was Damon Garcia and woke up naked in my bed beside him.
And then he wouldn’t leave.
—Get your copy at www.books2read.com/Closeupef
Also by Elise Faber
Billionaire’s Club (all stand alone)
Bad Night Stand
Bad Breakup
Bad Husband
Bad Hookup
Bad Divorce
Bad Fiancé
Bad Boyfriend
Bad Blind Date
Bad Wedding
Bad Engagement (October 12th, 2020)
Bad Swipe (March 1st, 2021)
* * *
Love, Action, Camera (all stand alone)
Dotted Line
Action Shot
Close-Up
End Scene
Meet Cute (2020)
* * *
Love After Midnight (all stand alone)
Rum and Notes
Virgin Daiquiri
On The Rocks (September 27th, 2020)
Between the Seats (April 2021)
* * *
Gold Hockey (all stand alone)
Blocked
Backhand
Boarding
Benched
Breakaway
Breakout
Checked
Coasting
Centered
Charging (December 28th, 2020)
* * *
Life Sucks Series (all stand alone)
Train Wreck
Hot Mess
Dumpster Fire (February 15th, 2021)
* * *
Roosevelt Ranch Series (all stand alone, series complete)
Disaster at Roosevelt Ranch
Heartbreak at Roosevelt Ranch
Collision at Roosevelt Ranch
Regret at Roosevelt Ranch
Desire at Roosevelt Ranch
* * *
Phoenix Series (read in order)
Phoenix Rising
Dark Phoenix
Phoenix Freed
* * *
Phoenix: LexTal Chronicles (rereleasing soon, stand alone, Phoenix world)
From Ashes
To Smoke (January 25th, 2021)
In Flames
* * *
KTS Series
Fire and Ice (Hurt Anthology, stand alone)
Riding The Edge (December 7th, 2020)
* * *
Stand Alones
Someday, Maybe (YA)
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author, Elise Faber, loves chocolate, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and hockey (the order depending on the day and how well her team -- the Sharks! -- are playing). She and her husband also play as much hockey as they can squeeze into their schedules, so much so that their typical date night is spent on the ice. Elise changes her hair color more often than some people change their socks, loves sparkly things, and is the mom to two exuberant boys. She lives in Northern California. Connect with her in her Facebook group, the Fabinators or find more information about her books at www.elisefaber.com.