“Did you fuck your employee and then fire her?”
His expression remains neutral. “Why would you ask me that?”
“Because I need to believe in you for this to work. David assures me you didn’t, and I trust him, but I need to hear your own words. Did you do it?”
“No, Avery, I did not. I have strict rules about crossing that line, and I adhere to them. We were at a work related event, and as the evening progressed, suddenly it was just her and I. We shared a drink, and then I waited with her for a taxi. Before she got in, she leaned in for a kiss, and I pushed her away. I honestly thought nothing of it.”
I nod. “How did she get fired?”
“It was months later, nearly half a year. I’m called to Human Resources to review all pending terminations, as is our policy. Her manager showed me the documentation of her poor performance. She hadn’t met her sales goals in over six months. A few days after that, my internal publicist came to me with the news that she was accusing me of these things. I thought it would pass quickly, but the rumors persist.” He sighs. “As you’ve likely figured out, I am not known for my humility or warmth, but that doesn’t make me the type of man who would exploit a woman in that way. Whilst I don’t lack for female companionship, I assure you, I keep my interactions firmly away from my workplace. I’ve worked hard for that company’s success, and I would never do anything to jeopardize it. So there you have it. My version of events.”
I nod, believing every word he said. “Okay. Thank you. Would you like a contract?”
“Given the shared relationship we have with David I don’t think one will be necessary. I trust David’s judgment, and although difficult for me, I will trust you if you will trust me.”
“I’ll trust you, Mr. Worthington.”
“Ellis, and thank you.” He leans back in his chair. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into. Many have failed.”
“Well, none of them were me. I don’t fail often, and when I do, it’s not because I gave up. I never give up.”
“Neither do I, so I guess we do have scotch and tenacity in common.”
“We do.”
“I’ll expect you in my office on Monday at nine. We can discuss details.”
“I’ll be there.”
He stands, setting his napkin on the table. “I’ll see you then.”
“Wait. You’re leaving?”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t mix business with pleasure with the exception of David. Now that we’ve established a working relationship, it’s best if we keep it formal. It was a pleasure to meet you, Avery. I’ll see myself out. Do give my regards to your sister and David.”
He walks out leaving me dumbfounded. A few minutes later, David and Annabelle join me looking around for Ellis.
“He’s gone,” I murmur, leaning back in my chair.
“Gone?” Annabelle questions. “What happened?”
“He agreed to work with me then said he wanted to keep our relationship formal so he left.”
David chuckles. “He’s a strange one sometimes.”
“He sure is,” I agree. “Well, I’m still hungry. Let’s eat.”
Annabelle laughs. “Let’s eat.”
At least I got through the initial meeting. Earning his trust will be a challenge, but I can do it. I have to.
Chapter 3 Ellis
Sitting in my car in front of David and Annabelle’s home, I take a moment to breathe. That woman, that insanely sexy, sassy woman, just pulled the rug out from under me. I was planning to seduce, take her to my place, and fuck her and her smart mouth until morning, then…
Rubbing my forehead, I put the car in gear. Now that I’ve agreed to work with her she’s hands off. She’s one of the sexiest women I’ve ever met and I can’t touch her. How the bloody hell I plan to pull that off is beyond me at this point, but I'll figure it out. For now, I had to put some distance between us.
As I drive, I chuckle to myself. The moment I saw her, my dick stood at attention. My physical reaction was visceral. I’ve seen David’s wife a thousand times and never thought anything of her beyond the fact that she’s sweet and pleasant, reasonably attractive, and seemed like a good match for my friend, but Avery, although a mirror image of Annabelle, is totally different. She exudes sex appeal and just from looking at her, I can imagine what she’s like in bed. I’d bet she’s a wild one, tossing all that dark luxurious hair around. She looks like a woman who knows exactly how to get what she wants, leaving the lucky bastard who got her a sex addicted fiend in her wake. My god how I’d like to prove my theory correct.
It doesn’t help that she’s clever and headstrong, two traits that drive me absolutely mad in a woman. Quiet and polite does nothing for me, but give me a woman with fire in her eyes and I’m hooked. The flame in Avery’s eyes could make the sun jealous.
Pulling into my garage, I park in my space, then exit the car, my mind still clouded with thoughts of her. The attraction was palpable. Working with her won’t be easy for me, but that’s okay. I can tell it won’t be easy for her either. I’m not exactly known for being easy to get on with, but if she can do what she says she can, it’ll be worth it. I might just owe David one.
Inside my flat, I toss my keys on the side table, then walk to my bedroom, unbuttoning my shirt. I’m still completely turned on from that all too brief interaction, and there’s only one remedy. After undressing, I lie in bed, fisting my cock with visions of the dark haired beauty with bright blue eyes dancing in my mind. A moment later, as I explode in my hand, I exhale as a smile spreads across my lips.
◆◆◆
My phone rings as I sit in my living room sipping my morning tea and reading the paper.
“Ellis here.”
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Good morning, David.”
“Are you still speaking to me?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? Because you invited me to your home for dinner only to stage some sort of reputation intervention with a saucy American? Why would I be upset about that?”
He’s silent for a moment. “Are you interested in how this all occurred?”
“Oh, immensely.”
“Annabelle wanted her sister to come for a visit and when she told me what she did for a living, and that she was currently available, I thought why not see if the two of you could work together.”
“So it was your idea?”
“It was. You know why, right?”
“Because you’re just as tired of the negative press as I am?”
“Because it’s not fair and it’s not true. You need someone to help right this ship, and Avery seems more than capable of that. Furthermore, she’s not afraid of you, a trait that has not been an easy find.”
Chuckling softly, I reply. “An excellent point.”
“I hope you’ll be open and give her a chance. What’s the worst that can happen?”
“At this point, I can only go up.”
“Exactly.”
“My apologies for rushing out last night, but to be honest, I originally thought I was being fixed up.”
David laughs. “A fair assumption. She’s lovely, isn’t she?”
“She is. The same, yet entirely different than her sister.”
“I know. Odd, isn’t it, since they are identical.”
I laugh softly. “Yes, but they carry their beauty differently.”
“I agree.”
“So her plan is to stay in London for six months?”
“At a minimum. She’s ready for a change in her life. If all goes well, she’ll stay here.”
I nod, sipping my tea. “Between us, I find her enchanting. Not only her considerable beauty, but her challenging personality lights a fire in me.”
“Understandable. Will working with her be a problem?”
“I’m certain I can put aside my attraction and focus on the goal, but I am indeed attracted. She’s truly singl
e?”
“Yes. Annabelle tells me that Avery is highly pursued and always has been since they were young girls, and as a result, she’s become very picky with her choices. She knows she’s stunning and can have any man she wants, so in that regard, she’s met her match.”
I laugh at his comment. “She has, but I will not pursue. How would that look whilst trying to prove I’m not some bastard who can’t work with an attractive woman without taking her to my bed? I can’t exactly seduce my own publicist.”
“No, you shouldn’t, but even if you tried, I believe Avery would shut you down. She’s not easily wooed. Not even by you.”
“That much is obvious. I do love a woman who doesn’t need a man to shine.”
“Yes, it is an attractive trait. One I recognized in Annabelle as well, although displayed quite differently than Avery.”
“Ah, if only more women understood how incredibly attractive independence is.”
“If only more men encouraged such. Annabelle tells me many men she’s met were intimidated by both of them. Beauty and independence is a lethal combination not every man can handle.”
“Obviously Annabelle found the right one. Perhaps Avery will as well.”
“But not you?”
Smiling, I imagine her in my life for just a moment. “Not now, but I fully planned to get her in my bed until I learned she had a different arrangement in mind.”
David laughs. “I won’t tell her sister that. It will certainly make it to her ears.”
“You best not.”
“Promise. See you tomorrow?”
“Yes, see you tomorrow. Oh, and David?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for caring. So few in my life do.”
“You’re welcome.”
After hanging up, I return to my newspaper reading, trying to ignore the images of Avery in my mind. I don’t know how I’ll fight the attraction, but I will. I have to.
Chapter 4 Avery
Sitting in the lobby of Equis waiting for Ellis, my patience is running thin. It’s twenty past nine already, and I’m more than a little irritated that he’s late. As I tap my foot on the floor, his assistant smiles politely but nervously. Finally, I stand and stomp over to her desk.
“Does he have someone in his office?”
“No, ma’am, but as I understand it, he’s still tied up.”
Glaring at his door for a moment, I look back at her. “Thank you.” Without another word, I march toward his office despite her polite protests. Swinging his stainless steel door open, he looks up at me from his desk, where he’s leaning back reading a newspaper.
“Ah, good morning, Miss Kennedy.”
“Good morning? How dare you keep me waiting twenty minutes while you read the paper. My time is valuable, Mr. Worthington, and if you can’t respect that, then we aren’t going to do well together.”
He puts the paper down, folding it slowly and narrowing his eyes at me. “When did you plan to tell me that you were dismissed from your last client? Hmm?” He stands, walking toward me. As he comes to a stop, he’s so close, I’m forced to tilt my neck to keep eye contact with him. I’m also forced to ignore the intoxicating scent of his cologne.
“That isn’t relevant to this situation.”
“No?” He cocks his head. “I read that you were incompetent, incapable of handling minor details, and in her words, a tragic mess to work with. How is this not relevant?”
Glaring at him, I cross my arms to put distance between us. “Should you always believe everything you read? Should I believe what I’ve read about you?”
Ellis fixes his eyes on me as I try not to gawk at the perfection of his mouth. It would be a lot easier to hate him if every cell of my body wasn’t longing to touch him.
“Convince me you’re everything you say you are and I can trust you with my brand.”
Part of me wants to tell him to go fuck himself, but remembering that my foreseeable future is on the line, I acquiesce and sigh. “Fine.”
He steps back, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. “Please sit.”
I do, collecting my thoughts for a moment, before looking up at him. “Atlanta Page has to be the most difficult woman in Hollywood. I was hired because she wanted to reinvent her image after being fired from the set of a movie. She couldn’t stop fighting with the director and her costars, finally culminating in her slapping her male costar across the face, causing him to walk off set. The director chose him over her, and I was brought in to clean up the mess.”
He nods. “Okay.”
“That’s what I did. I arranged several events where she could demonstrate a softer side. Mostly charitable events, and it was going well as far as the public knew, but it was a constant battle. She’s hateful and unhappy and fights with nearly everyone she meets. I was constantly issuing statements trying to downplay some negative report. This went on for months, but finally she landed a much sought after role, and I thought things had finally turned around. I coached her daily on how to interact with her costars, how to turn down the diva behavior, how to seem nice. It was going fine, but then a man from her past, and I use the term man lightly since she regularly dated men half her age, came forward with a story about their sexual antics. Then another came forward, then another, and by Monday morning, I had a full on scandal on my hands.”
“So an attractive older woman shags a bunch of young blokes and this is a scandal in the U.S.?”
“It’s a scandal when one of those young blokes is your ex-husband’s son.” Ellis’s eyebrow rises. “It’s a scandal when one of those young blokes just turned eighteen and insists he was only seventeen at the time of their affair. It’s a scandal when those young blokes reveal you have a penchant for anal sex when the roles you typically play are wholesome, motherly types.” I smile sarcastically. “Needless to say, the damage was done. I couldn’t stop the barrage of male lovers, all of whom wanted their fifteen minutes in the sun, coming forward with stories ranging from drug use to orgies. Somehow, she decided I was to blame. I should’ve been prepared knowing her habits as I did. I should’ve been able to make the men look like liars. Now her reputation was in shambles, and it’s my fault because apparently not only do I not have psychic ability, but I’m not a cougar whisperer. I had no idea the things she did in the privacy of her bedroom. I knew she enjoyed young men and that caused some tongues to wag, but I didn’t know the extent of it. Once the bandage was ripped off, the wound gushed and no amount of triage could make it stop.” I fold my hands in my lap. “So, you see, Mr. Worthington, I was collateral damage. She needed someone to blame, and I looked like a good target.”
He sighs. “I don’t understand. If she is all of these things, how are you to blame? Why did people believe her?”
“She’s an Oscar winning actress. She can make anyone believe anything. She took all my coaching and made it work for her. The craziest part is without all the work I did to fix her image, she wouldn’t have been able to twist this around on me. Her story is that I mismanaged her brand, creating a vulnerability that encouraged the blatant lies these men brought forth. She and her team of lawyers quickly shut them down, got them to retract their statements, and basically make her look like the victim in all of this. I can only imagine how much money it cost her, but in her eyes I didn’t do my job. I didn’t protect her. So I became the scourge of Hollywood and her precarious stock rose a little higher. So there you have it. My version of events.”
Ellis nods, holding my gaze. “So the way I see it you need me as much as I need you.”
“That’s correct,” I admit as much as I don’t want to.
“Well, that certainly clears up a few questions in my mind.”
“Like?”
“Why you’re here. Why you want to take me on. What’s in it for you.”
“Now you know.”
“The good news is you won’t have to combat any dirty stories about my sex life. I don’t do drugs and I don’t do orgies. Oh, and I de
finitely don’t do underage women.”
Fighting a grin, I respond. “Good to know.”
“In fact, I imagine any of my previous lovers would have only positive things to say about my performance.”
I don’t doubt it. “You’d be surprised how the truth can be twisted. Especially in anger. You’ve heard about scorned women, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but I don’t leave scorned women in my path. Any woman I share my bed with is handsomely rewarded.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You pay women to fuck you?”
A smirk spreads across his lips. “No, Avery, I don’t. It isn’t necessary to pay them. Their reward is being seen with me, having their name in the papers, enjoying my attention.” He leans across the desk. “When I make love to a woman, or to use your crass word, when I fuck her, I make it well worth her time and energy. Her reward, Avery, is me.”
Swallowing hard, I can only hope my intense attraction to him isn’t as obvious as it feels.
“You’re so full of yourself.”
“Yes, I am, and for good reason. When I say goodbye, I do it gently, kindly, making her feel like the time we shared was the best of my life.”
“Perhaps you should be nominated for an Oscar too.”
He chuckles softly. “Perhaps I should be. My intention is never to hurt or use a woman. I’m just not a relationship kind of man. I don’t have time or energy for that pursuit. Every woman I’m with knows this. She knows her time with me is limited, and she accepts that as part of the deal. Sometimes it lasts a few weeks, sometimes a few months, but when I’m done, I go peacefully. Until this unfortunate event, I’ve never had one negative word uttered about me as to how I treat women, and trust me, there are plenty of women to choose from that could claim falsehoods if they desired.”
“If you’re trying to convince me that women find you attractive, don’t bother. I don’t give a shit. All I care about is what they say publicly.” His grin while I speak indicates that he knows I do give a shit. Dammit.
“I like you, Avery. You know why?”
Crossing my legs, I smile. “I’m sure you’ll tell me.”
Mind the Line Page 4