“Yeah, I’d prefer to avoid being locked in your disappearing act box again.” I laughed softly and shook my head.
Julian sat on the edge of the mattress and slid his shoes on his feet after putting his shirt on. “I’m sorry about that, sweetheart. Desperate times called for desperate measures.”
Considering all the pleasure I would’ve missed out on if he hadn’t pulled that stunt, I was now willing to forgive him for it. “If you can get a replacement blouse up here that I like in the next fifteen minutes, I promise to never throw that incident up in your face in the future.”
“Consider it done,” he promised before smacking one final, brief kiss against my lips, then heading toward the door.
While he was gone, I used the bathroom and cleaned up a bit. Then I called my boss. “Hey, Anna. How’s the special project going?”
I glanced at the rumpled sheets on the bed and blushed. “Great, but I’m done earlier than anticipated so I thought I’d check in with you to see if you needed me for anything today.”
“You have fantastic timing. I just got a tip that we’ll have an A-list celebrity in the audience during Julian’s show tonight. I’d really appreciate it if you’d pop in and see if his team is okay with us taking some photos for social media.”
Her request was awfully convenient for me since I was already going to be at his show. “Sure! Who’s the celebrity?”
“I don’t know. He registered under a pseudonym, and his team didn’t reach out to us. I wouldn’t have even known about his visit except we got a tip from someone over at McCarran airport. Unfortunately, they weren’t willing to give us his name off the manifest from the private jet. Sorry, you’ll have to figure it out on your own.”
“Will do, boss.”
* * *
Five hours later, I was headed toward Julian’s dressing room with an overnight bag. I was still wearing the gorgeous emerald green blouse he’d bought for me—the one he’d said he picked out because it was a perfect match for my eyes—but I’d paired it with a form-fitting black skirt and a pair of strappy, three-inch heels. I felt super sexy in the silky shirt, knowing Julian had selected it specifically for me.
There was an extra spring in my step as I neared the door with Julian’s name on it, but I paused when I heard the murmur of his deep voice. “Fuck no! It doesn’t matter what kind of publicity I’d get. I’m not interested in fame, and I belong in Vegas at the Lennox.”
“I don’t understand how you can turn down an offer like this, but I guess I have to take no for an answer.”
Oh, crap! I recognized that voice, too.
9
Julian
I glared at the pretty boy movie star giving me his megawatt smile as though that would convince me he wasn’t a total slimeball. Dirk Carlson had been going through my agent for months, trying to convince me to take a role in his next movie. Apparently, the main character and his best friend were world renowned magicians. Dirk wanted me to teach him my tricks and to play the supporting role. One of his tactics was to promise that the part would catapult my career, leading to bigger roles and more spectacular stages. I’d informed my agent to politely decline. Repeatedly. It wasn’t as though I needed the money, my contract at the Lennox made me a very wealthy man. And, even before I met Anna, I knew that life wasn’t what I wanted. I was already where I belonged.
The offers had continued to come, getting more elaborate and promising ultimate fame and fortune. It was obvious that this guy wasn’t used to being told no. My agent eventually stopped being nice and got firm with them. We thought that was the end of it, but clearly, we were wrong. The tool had come here personally to make another offer. Why he thought that would make a difference was a mystery to me.
“You may think you belong here, but you’re the best in the business, Storm. You could have the world at your feet.”
I sighed, and my hands curled into fists as I imagined knocking a few teeth out of his artificially perfect smile. “Look, Dirk, I’m tired of repeating myself. I’m not fucking interested. Now get the hell out of my dressing room. I have a show to do. And if you’re here when I get back, I’ll have you thrown out of the hotel.”
Dirk’s expression slipped for a moment, and I got a glimpse of the anger simmering beneath the surface. The asshole really hated being told no. A second later, his congenial attitude was back, and he shrugged with a rueful smile. “I had to try. If you change your mind…”