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Keep reading for an excerpt from Off Limits Attraction by Jayci Lee.
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Off Limits Attraction
by Jayci Lee
One
Jihae Park nodded even though she couldn’t hear a word Rotelle Logistics’s CEO and CFO were saying over the din of the helicopter. The two men were fighting to put an arm over her shoulders to lead her away from the gales blowing from the propellers. Ultimately, they both grabbed a shoulder each and rushed her into the building.
She huffed impatiently as the two men continued to fight for her attention. Her father’s people behaved so ridiculously around her. What would they do in the presence of the almighty Chairman Park? They would probably freeze and pop out an egg. Or they would throw out their backs, bowing so low that their noses bumped their knees. The second option was a definite possibility, but the first one was so much more amusing to imagine.
In Los Angeles, she was more than the daughter of Rotelle Corporation’s chairman. She was the hardworking and competent vice president of Rotelle Entertainment, and was respected by her employees. She wasn’t just the chairman’s daughter.
She exhaled and drew back her shoulders. She shouldn’t get herself worked up. It wasn’t worth it. She was probably jet-lagged from her flight to New York last night, and the helicopter ride to New Jersey had been a bit bumpy.
“It’s a tremendous honor to have you with us, Vice President.” The CEO spoke in Korean once they were inside, bowing ninety degrees at the waist. Well, what a nob. The bowing was fine, but the CFO, a US native, clearly didn’t speak Korean.
“I’m glad to be here,” Jihae replied in English, giving Mr. CEO a pointed look.
She generally didn’t mind these visits to various subsidiaries of Rotelle Corporation. It gave her a chance to show them that their contributions mattered. What she did mind was the fact it took time away from her work at Rotelle Entertainment. Luckily, she had competent employees who could cover for her during her trip.
But her father might not be as fortunate with Mr. CEO. He’d been transferred to the New Jersey office from Korea and would sit as the CEO of Rotelle Logistics as long as he remained in her father’s good graces. Unfortunately for him, her father couldn’t care less about Jihae or her opinions, so the ass-kissing was wasted on her.
Rotelle Corporation had been founded by her great-great-grandfather soon after the Korean War. Its revenue, reputation and political power had grown exponentially until it had become what it was now—one of the biggest conglomerates in Korea with businesses in various industries including food, pharmaceutics, biotechnology, entertainment, media and logistics. She probably missed one there. Yes. Home shopping. She didn’t know why she kept leaving that one out.
“Would you be amenable to a quick tour of our office, Miss Park?” Mr. CFO bowed repeatedly to her with prayer hands like a Buddhist monk.
Why do people do that? Jihae wasn’t even certain where the custom originated. Did it belong to a country or a religion? She’d only seen the prayer-hands-and-bow thing during yoga and at Buddhist monasteries. When people randomly bowed to her that way, she felt mildly confused and quite offended by the caricature of Korea’s culture of bowing at the waist, which was a show of respect used to greet others or to thank them. And it didn’t involve bowing ten times at once like an unhinged marionette.
With a resigned sigh, Jihae smoothed her hands over her pristine white suit and schooled her expression into a polite smile. The two men were irritating her to an inch of her life, but there was no need to let on.
She survived the office tour led by the two bickering executives and ate an overpriced meal that didn’t come close to filling her up. After acknowledging their hard work and their important contributions to Rotelle Corporation, she bid them farewell.
Despite her assurances that she could find her way back to the roof without assistance, both the CEO and CFO followed her up to say their goodbyes. The CFO repeated his frantic bowing and the CEO held his ninety-degree bow the entire time it took her to board the helicopter. Once the helicopter took flight, they switched to waving so enthusiastically that their hands blurred. They soon disappeared from sight.
Jihae sighed and settled back in her seat, relieved to be finished with her latest heiress duties. The flight back to her hotel in New York City wasn’t long, but she had a hard time staying awake. The remarkable view that revealed itself as they approached the city saved her from falling asleep, and possibly drooling, in the pilot’s presence. That would’ve been very unheiress like.
The helicopter came to a smooth landing on the hotel roof, and Jihae rushed to the privacy of her room. By the time she let herself inside the presidential suite, she was exhausted and starved. After kicking off her snake-print stilettos, she made a beeline for the hotel phone.
“Yes, Miss Park.” Her butler picked up on the first ring.
“Could you send up a double cheeseburger with extra jalapeños, some curly fries and three bottles of ice-cold lager?”
“Do you have a preference for a specific brand of lager?” he asked with his usual fake not-so-British accent.
Jihae had lived in the UK for close to a decade and it was obvious her butler never had. But she would never burst his bubble. If he got a kick out of using a British accent on the job, then by all means, why not let him speak with a fake accent?
“Anything local is fine. Surprise me.”
She hung up the phone and took stock of her evening. Her schedule was gloriously empty. Since she didn’t need to leave her suite until tomorrow morning, she headed for the bathroom for a proper hot soak. The food wouldn’t arrive for at least thirty minutes, and she was dying to scrub off her makeup and let her hair down. Literally.
Princess Jihae, as the Korean media called her, hadn’t been born into this world. She’d been meticulously created by the Park family’s PR specialist and stylists when the real Jihae was about seventeen. Her parents needed a persona worthy of being a part of their pseudoroyal family—the almighty jaebul. She had preferred the prior seventeen years of neglect by them compared to the constant reminders of her responsibilities to her family and the importance of maintaining a perfect image.
By then, she’d already been tall, close to her current five foot eight. They couldn’t work the lovely, delicate-flower image on her, so the team decided she would be presented to the world as the picture of aloof elegance. Other than when she was home, Princess Jihae always wore her hair up in chignons, buns or elaborate updos befitting the occasion. And her entire wardrobe consisted of finely cut clothes in various shades of white—all selected by her stylist during the private shows that fashion designers hosted for her family. She’d fought tooth and nail for her right to choose her own shoes as long as they were appropriately upscale.
People probably thought she wore a billowy white nightgown with a chignon to bed. Ha! She plopped down on the
couch in her French terry joggers and a baggy T-shirt, and draped one leg over the arm of the sofa. Tonight, she was dressed from head to toe in pink. Unsurprisingly, her home-alone clothes were the colors of the rainbow. And her hair was falling freely over her shoulders, brushed but damp.
She grabbed the remote and raised it toward the TV when a familiar “British” voice said from the hallway, “Your dinner, miss.”
“Please leave it outside the door. I’ll serve myself when I’m ready. Good night, Timothy,” she said in rapid succession. He couldn’t see her out of character.
After a slight pause, he replied in a slightly miffed tone, “Very well, miss. Please let me know if you need anything else. Anything at all.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
When she heard his receding footsteps, she scrambled off the sofa and rushed to the door to listen for the ring of the elevator. She waited ten more seconds before opening the door a sliver to check the hallway. All clear. There were only three other suites on the floor, but she couldn’t be too careful.
Once she grabbed the cart, she headed straight for the couch and TV, and opened her first bottle of beer. She closed her eyes and took a long swig of beer. Heaven. With one hand, she clicked until she found the channel showing The Bachelor, and grabbed the burger with her other hand. The first sloppy bite of the juicy, oozing cheeseburger was probably the best thing that happened to her all day.
By some miracle, she finished her burger without getting any of it on her clothes, and leaned back on the sofa with her second bottle of beer. Her favorite part of watching The Bachelor was the commercials. American commercials were so different from the Korean ones. She loved the outrageous humor in many of them.
“Tomorrow on Hollywood Insiders,” the voice-over bellowed from the speakers, “does Sandy Lim have a new suitor? The mystery man with his arm full of Sandy has been identified as an up-and-coming film producer, Colin Song. We’ll tell all...tomorrow.”
Jihae set down her bottle on a coaster and lowered the volume. She reached for her laptop and powered it up. A film producer dating an actress always made her a little wary, but she didn’t jump to any conclusions. After all, love conquers all.
Oddly, her heart was doing an intense HIIT workout behind her ribs, and she couldn’t figure out why. Maybe it was the film producer. He was by far the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. But that was nonsense. She’d only had a passing glimpse of him on the screen. She was just excited about getting back to Rotelle Entertainment business.
They had been making connections in Hollywood and getting a decent lay of the land, but there was still so much to learn. Rotelle Entertainment had some clout in the international film industry through Cannes and other international film festivals, but she was the first to admit that they were newbies in Hollywood.
They’d been searching to partner with a US-based production company to even out the handicap. Ego had no place in business, so she’d asked for help where help was needed. Producing and distributing a successful Hollywood film was not child’s play, and Jihae was determined to do a damn good job, which meant she had to find a damn good partner.
Could Colin Song be a potential candidate? Just thinking about the handsome producer made soft trembles course through her body. He was so gorgeous. Gah. If a glance at him on TV did this to her, she might spontaneously combust if she met him in person. She would never be able to work professionally with him. He would be too big of a distraction.
But what if his production company was exactly what she was looking for? She should look him up. It would all be for business, of course. She couldn’t discount him just because of his good looks. That wouldn’t be fair.
* * *
Springtime in Los Angeles was a ridiculous streak of one beautiful day after another, and today was no exception. It set the perfect scene for the conversation Colin Song was having with the author Jeannie Choi at a cozy little coffee shop filled with fresh flower arrangements.
“I know you could option your manuscript to another production company or even a studio for much more money, but I believe in your story and your vision,” Colin said, his voice rising with excitement. He always got this way when he spoke with Jeannie about her book. “I want you to have maximum creative control of the script and you will benefit from a higher percentage of revenue from the box office, DVD, TV, merchandise and the works. You just have to trust CS Productions and be a little patient for the payout.”
“Colin, we’ve chatted a few times now, and I know we’re on the same wavelength,” Jeannie said with laughter in her voice. “Honestly, you had me at ‘maximum creative control.’”
“You won’t regret this.” He held her hand in both of his and shook it vigorously. “Thank you for trusting CS Productions.”
“I’m taking a chance on you personally. I don’t want anyone else leading this production. I want you to remain my main contact person until the end. Are we clear on that?”
“Crystal.” Colin grinned broadly. He liked Jeannie. She was funny, fair and sharp, and she also had that no-nonsense-mom thing going on. She had three little boys, so she probably couldn’t help it. The woman laid down the law and accepted no half-assed crap. He was delighted to work with her. “We’ll need to partner with a studio for the film’s theatrical release, but I will always be your point person.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” she said with a wink.
They walked out onto the sidewalk and said their goodbyes. It wasn’t even noon yet; they’d had to meet before Jeannie’s kids got out of school. Talk about starting the day off on the right foot. This was a huge win for CS Productions, a company he’d been dreaming of starting since he was a high-school kid. With this option, more opportunities would open up for the company, and the momentum could move CS Productions out of obscurity.
Founding CS Productions hadn’t been an easy road for Colin Song. His first business had been a nightclub in LA called Pendulum. He’d started out working there as a server during college. Soon after graduating with an economics degree, he went on to become a manager. When the owner decided it was time for him to retire, he decided to become a silent partner and gave Colin a chance to buy out a small share of the business.
Colin had sold off most of his belongings and emptied his savings account to buy in to the business. He worked his ass off to grow the business, and bought Pendulum outright by the time he was twenty-three.
His grandmother, the formidable Grace Song of Hansol Corporation, had allowed him to become a nightclub owner without censure—not because she approved of his plan, but because she always stood by family. She didn’t approve of his choice, but she’d understood why he wanted to branch out on his own, and succeed through hard work, not through his name and connections. He wanted to be a self-made man who never needed to depend on anyone but himself and prove that he was nothing like his father.
His father was the proverbial trust-fund baby who’d never done an honest day’s work. He was too busy burning money on expensive cars and women, and jetting all over the globe. His grandmother, and his uncle and aunt—before she’d passed away from cancer—had raised Colin. He had grown up with his cousins, Garrett and Adelaide, who were more like an older brother and a little sister to him.
He now owned several popular nightclubs in Koreatown and West Los Angeles, and business was flourishing. He didn’t exactly have a party-animal reputation, but it was his business to ensure that the real party animals had a good time. That didn’t make Grandmother very happy with him, especially since he was running his clubs rather than working at Hansol. But his clubs had allowed him to save up enough money to open CS Productions.
His grandmother, the family matriarch, hadn’t given up on Colin’s joining Hansol one day. So far, she had him on a long leash, but he didn’t know how long she would let him go on like this. No matter how hard he tried to distance himself from Hansol and the Son
g family name, she found ways to hold on to him. In a way, he appreciated that. He avoided all association with Hansol Corporation in public and kept his identity a tightly held secret, but he loved his family and needed to be a part of it.
He revved his engine and drove out of the café’s parking lot with a cheek-cramping grin on his face. Jeannie Choi had optioned Best Placed Bets to CS Productions. He could hardly believe what had just happened. They only had three employees so far, including him, but they were a tightly knit group. They had a critically acclaimed TV series under their belt, but this would be their first full-length film. He couldn’t wait to tell his team members about the news.
Colin had set up the company in a small office in West LA, and he got there in about forty minutes from the suburbs where Jeannie lived. When he opened the office door and entered like a superhero, Kimberly and Ethan jumped up from their desks and ran to him.
“You won’t freaking believe this,” Ethan said before Colin could open his mouth.
“Rotelle Entertainment is looking to partner with a US production company for their first Hollywood venture,” Kimberly blurted as soon as the words left Ethan’s mouth.
“This could put CS Productions on the map.” Ethan was practically bouncing on his feet.
“Totally!” Kim shouted. Then she clenched her hands into fists, and her expression hardened in steely determination. “We have to lock this in.”
Colin still hadn’t gotten a word in. He had very mixed feelings about working with Rotelle Entertainment. Even so, he didn’t want to dampen morale, so he added his good news to the excitement. “I have something that could help with that.”
Both his employees turned to him with blank eyes, as if they’d forgotten he was even there.
“What was that?” Kim said with a confused frown.
Colin chuckled, shaking his head. “Do you remember where I was this morning?”
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