Damage Control (The Hollywood Series Book 2) (46 page)

“I told her that Ms. Pearce has been taking advantage of your vulnerable emotional state,” her mother said. “She’s not the kind of person we want as your publicist.”

“Taking advantage?” Grace repeated, her voice becoming louder. “That’s not true! Lauren and I…we’re in a relationship.” She glared at her mother. “A consensual relationship.”

“Lauren cleared that up already,” Ms. Chandler said. “Listen, Ms. Durand, whatever is going on between the two of you is none of my business, but Lauren can’t continue as your publicist. She knows that too. She quit her job this morning. But that doesn’t mean we want to lose you as a client.”

A roaring started in Grace’s ears. Lauren loved her job. She’d worked hard for many years to be where she was today—and now she had lost everything because of her mother.
Because of me.

Her mother reached over and patted Grace’s arm. “I’m sure CTP can offer us the services of a publicist who’s just as good if not better than Ms. Pearce.”

Ms. Chandler nodded. “I could even take over your account myself.”

The white-hot anger was replaced by cold determination. She had to pry apart her gritted teeth before she could speak. “With all due respect, Ms. Chandler. I’m sure you’re really good at what you do, but I don’t want you as my publicist. I already have one—Lauren Pearce. If CTP can’t offer me her services, I’m done with your firm.”

“My daughter doesn’t mean that. She’s just upset. Maybe you could—”

“I mean it more than I ever meant anything in my life.” Grace whirled to face her mother and shoved her patting hand from her forearm.

“You’re not thinking clearly, darling. As your manager, I advise you to—”

“You’re no longer my manager. You’re fired.”

Silence descended on the room.

Even Grace was shocked by what she’d just said, but she refused to take it back.

Her mother’s strangled gasp echoed through the office. “You can’t do that! Just think about where you’d be without me—probably waiting tables, like so many other struggling actresses!”

“Maybe,” Grace said. A strange calm settled over her, giving her the strength to face her mother and go on. “Maybe not. I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me over the years, Mom. But somewhere along the way, you being my manager stopped being good for me. You’re my mother. You should be concerned with my happiness, not with my box office numbers or—”

“How can you say that I’m not concerned with your happiness?” Big, fat tears smudged her mother’s mascara.

“Because Lauren is what makes me happy and you just got her fired.”

“She resigned,” Ms. Chandler said, as if that made any difference.

“Then hire her back.” Grace stood. Her legs were shaking, and so was the rest of her, but she ignored it and tried to keep her voice steady as she said, “I’m leaving. Are you coming, or do you want Ms. Chandler to call you a cab?”

Her mother looked at her as if she were a total stranger.

Forcing herself not to look back to see if her mother would follow, Grace strode to the door.

For once, the Siamese fighting fish didn’t flare his gills when Lauren walked past the aquarium a few hours later to hand over her resignation letter. Maybe he wasn’t as good at predicting the atmosphere in Marlene’s office as everyone thought.

Her heart tightened at the thought that this was the last time she would ever walk past the fish, would ever be in Marlene’s office. Still, she wasn’t as devastated as she had thought she would be. As long as she had Grace, she would be fine.

When she reached the desk, she held out the envelope. “My resignation letter. All of my files are in order, and I left detailed instructions for my replacement.”

Marlene took the resignation letter and studied it for a moment before tearing it into little pieces. She swept them into her garbage can and looked up at Lauren with a grim expression. “There.”

Lauren stared at her. “I thought you wanted me to resign?”

“You know what I always say: the customer is king. Ms. Durand insists on keeping you as her publicist.”

Grace knew about all of this—and had put her foot down and stuck with Lauren, against her mother’s wishes? Elation swept through Lauren.

“Make no mistake about it; I don’t appreciate being blackmailed into making personnel decisions that go against company policy, but we can’t afford to lose Ms. Durand as a client.” The hard lines of Marlene’s face softened a bit. “And, to tell you the truth, I wasn’t happy to lose you as an employee anyway. But maybe you could talk to your…to Ms. Durand. I’d like to make Tina her official publicist while you supervise behind the scenes.”

It sounded like an acceptable solution. Lauren hesitated. Did she really want her job back under these circumstances? She had worked hard to earn a reputation as a publicist who was not only competent but highly professional too. If she now got to keep her job just because the woman she was involved with had blackmailed her boss…

She slowly shook her head. “I’m not sure staying would be the right thing to do. I think I should take this as a chance to think about where I want to go with my life.” She stood and clutched the back of the chair with both hands. “I’ll go print out my resignation letter again.”

“People will want to know why you’re leaving CTP,” Marlene said.

“I know. I’ll think of something we can tell them. Something that won’t harm your reputation—or my own—or make people suspect what’s really going on.” The first step toward the door felt shaky, but with every further step, she gained confidence in her decision.

“Lauren,” Marlene called.

A little warily, Lauren turned.

Marlene regarded her across the room. “If you ever need a referral, let me know. I’ll highly recommend you to anyone.”

Lauren nodded and walked out. Before she closed the door behind her, she caught a glimpse of the Siamese fighting fish. The male and his harem floated peacefully, as if agreeing that it had been the right thing to do.

CHAPTER 34

For once, Lauren sped up the dirt road to the cottage, not caring about any damage it might do to her car. She couldn’t wait to find out exactly what had happened and how Grace was doing. After parking next to Grace’s SUV, she hurried to the front door and rang the doorbell in a rapid rhythm.

Grace opened the door, looking pale and beautiful. She was wearing Lauren’s Boston University sweatshirt as if she’d needed the comfort.

Wordlessly, they came together in a tight embrace, clinging to each other. Lauren felt Grace tremble against her and held her tenderly. “What happened?” she whispered into Grace’s hair.

“My mother called your boss and accused you of—”

“No reason to repeat it,” Lauren said quickly. “I know what she said. My boss called me into her office and confronted me with her accusations. I’m so sorry, Grace. I tried to call you afterward to tell you…to warn you, but my calls kept going to voice mail.”

“I turned my phone off after Ms. Chandler called. I could tell something serious was going on, and I didn’t want to be interrupted.”

“I’m sorry,” Lauren said again. “I know it should have been your decision, but I had to tell Marlene about us or she would have thought—”

Grace squeezed her softly. “I know. It’s okay. I’m so sorry for what my mother did. After I talked to your boss, she hired you back, right?”

“She wanted to, but I resigned anyway.”

“You did…what?” Grace let go of her and took a step back to stare at her.

Lauren entered the cottage and closed the door behind them. “I don’t want to keep my job because my girlfriend used her influence with my boss.” She faltered when she realized what she’d just called Grace, but when Grace didn’t object, she continued. “Can you understand that?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Besides,” Lauren reached out and tucked an errant strand of hair behind Grace’s ear, “it’s almost never a good idea to mix business with pleasure. Just look at what having your mother as your manager did to your relationship. I’d rather be your partner than your publicist.”

“But…but I need a publicist—and a new manager.”

For a moment, Lauren thought she had misunderstood. “You fired your mother?”

Grace nodded. “I should have done it a long time ago. So you can see that I need a good publicist by my side—especially now that I’m thinking about coming out to the public.”

Lauren felt her mouth move, but no words were coming out. She gaped at Grace for several moments. Her head was spinning. She stumbled over to the couch, pulling Grace with her, and plopped down on it. When she was safely sitting, she clutched Grace’s hand with both of hers. “You’re thinking about coming out?” Her voice squeaked like that of a teenager whose voice was breaking.

A faint smile ghosted over Grace’s face. “Jill says if my fans and the studios don’t like it, I could always retire and take a hot lover to keep myself busy.”

“Grace, you and I…we’re still pretty new. I don’t expect you to make such a life-changing decision right now.”

“I don’t think I can avoid it for much longer,” Grace said. She looked resigned but not upset.

Lauren’s brow furrowed. “Why not?”

“Because I’m head over heels in love with you, and unless I want to do some serious acting in my spare time, anyone with eyes will soon figure it out.” As soon as she’d said it, Grace sat stock-still, not even breathing while she waited for Lauren’s response.

Any thought of their jobs withered away. A strangled sound of joy escaped Lauren. She felt as if her chest would burst with happiness. Her vocal cords refused to work, but her lips were still functioning, so she did the only rational thing—she pulled Grace close and kissed her.

Grace’s hands came up, cradling Lauren’s face as she opened her mouth and their tongues made contact.

Nothing had ever felt so good as kissing Grace, knowing she returned her feelings. Lauren shifted on the couch, never interrupting the kiss, to bring their bodies even closer. Her fingers slipped beneath the sweatshirt Grace wore, encountering warm skin.

Grace sighed into the kiss.

When the kiss finally ended, Lauren cradled Grace’s face between her palms and looked deeply into her eyes. “Just in case my body language didn’t make it one hundred percent clear—I love you too.”

Grace’s face shone with happiness. She ran her fingers up the back of Lauren’s neck, threaded them through her hair, and pulled her down for another kiss.

This time, Lauren let her hands explore a little more, caressing the smooth skin of Grace’s back and sides.

Grace moaned and then gasped when Lauren slid one hand up Grace’s belly, brushing the underside of her breasts.

The erotic sounds made Lauren’s head spin. She pulled away but kept one hand resting on the small of Grace’s back. She searched Grace’s face, trying to find out whether she was going too fast, but all she saw was the passion smoldering in her ocean-blue eyes. “God, Grace. I want to make love to you. But I know that after everything that happened today, you might not be ready or in the mood to—”

Grace shook her head. “If we wait any longer, I’m going to spontaneously combust.”

A smile grew on Lauren’s lips. “Well, in that case, what do you say we move this to the bedroom? I want to do this right, and I’m too old for the couch.”

Instead of a verbal answer, Grace got up and pulled Lauren by the hand to the ladder leading up to the loft.

Lauren gripped her hips from behind, steadying her for as long as possible as Grace climbed up. She let her hands trail over Grace’s shapely ass and then down her long legs until Grace disappeared over the edge of the loft. Quickly, she followed her up.

They stood in front of each other in the small space under the roof. It felt as if they had entered a world completely of their own, where nothing existed but the two of them and the love they shared.

Lauren trailed her fingertips down the side of Grace’s face and then cradled her cheek in one palm. She took in every inch of Grace in breathless awe. “I had no idea I could love someone this much. Let me show you.”

Looking into Lauren’s eyes, Grace nodded.

Grace had heard words of love from Nick and from the few boyfriends before him, but this was different—not just because Lauren was a woman but because, for the first time in her life, her heart reflected what she saw in Lauren’s eyes. It was wonderful and scary at the same time.

The confidence she usually felt when making love was gone. Every muscle in her body trembled.

Then Lauren slid her hands down, over Grace’s shoulders and along her arms until she grasped her hands and tenderly pulled her closer. She rested her forehead against Grace’s. “You’re not scared, are you?” she whispered.

The warm breath bathing her face made Grace shiver. She started to shake her head but then stopped herself. No acting. Not with Lauren. “A little. This is so…overwhelming.”

“Being with a woman for the first time?”

“No.” Grace licked her lips. “Being with you for the first time.”

Lauren tugged her even closer by their entwined hands and kissed her, just a short touch of her lips to Grace’s. “This is new for me too. I’ve never been with someone I cared for so much.”

This time, it was Grace who pulled her closer and kissed her.

The kiss started out slow and tender but quickly grew demanding as Lauren took charge.

Grace had appreciated Lauren always letting her make the first move and set the pace, but now she realized how hot it was to have Lauren take the lead. She groaned in protest when Lauren broke the kiss. It turned into a sound of pleasure as Lauren traced a line up the side of Grace’s neck with her lips and then nipped at her earlobe.

“As much as I love seeing you in my sweatshirt, it has to go,” Lauren whispered against her ear.

A shiver went through Grace’s body. She reached down to grasp the edge of the sweatshirt and pull it over her head, but Lauren covered her hands with her own and stopped her.

“Let me.” Lauren stripped off the sweatshirt and dropped it to the floor. She bent her head and again kissed Grace’s neck while her fingertips slid over Grace’s back, her arms, and then up her side, leaving goose bumps in their wake. With one hand, she cupped Grace’s bra-encased breast and stroked the nipple through the lacy material.

It hardened instantly. Grace swayed and clutched Lauren’s shoulders with both hands. Aching for more, she reached back to unhook her bra, but again, Lauren took over.

“Mine.” She growled against Grace’s neck. One flick of her fingers opened the clasp of the bra. It fell on top of the sweatshirt. Lauren’s heated gaze swept over Grace’s body.

The awe in her eyes made Grace’s cheeks flush.

Lauren slowly lowered her head and kissed the slope of one breast. “Beautiful,” she whispered.

“I want to see you too,” Grace said.

Her air of confidence seemed to waver as Lauren paused and hesitated. Her fingers retreated from Grace’s body and played with the collar of her blouse. “Just don’t expect me to look like an actress, okay? I can’t compete with—”

“Shut up,” Grace said, her voice low and rough, but her hands gentle as she pulled Lauren close and kissed her. “I don’t want an actress. I want you. You’re perfect to me.”

Lauren claimed her lips in a heated kiss. When the kiss tapered off, Lauren took a steadying breath and started to unbutton her blouse. One button refused to cooperate, so she pulled the blouse up over her head and tossed it on the growing heap on the floor.

Without thinking, Grace reached out and ran her fingertips along the edge of the plain, white bra, fascinated by the goose bumps that rose beneath her touch. She only realized that Lauren had opened her bra when it fell, baring small but perfectly shaped breasts to Grace’s gaze. God, how could Lauren think she was anything but beautiful?

Gathering her courage, she touched one of Lauren’s breasts. She slid her fingertips over its side, following the pleasing curve, then cupped it in her palm experimentally. “Oh. This is…”

“Weird?”

Grace shook her head. “Wonderful. I never got what’s so special about breasts, but now…”

“Breasts are wonderful—especially yours.” Lauren bent and nuzzled Grace’s cleavage. She kissed a trail down Grace’s breastbone and then, after a quick peek up at her face, flicked her tongue over one nipple.

A jolt of arousal hit Grace right between her legs. She arched closer and groaned.

“Is this okay?” Lauren whispered.

Her breath brushed over Grace’s wet nipple, making her shudder. “God, do you really have to ask?”

“Guess not.”

Grace felt her smile against her skin; then Lauren took her nipple between her lips and sucked gently. Grace’s vision went out of focus. With a gasp, she raked her nails down Lauren’s bare back.

A low, hungry sound escaped Lauren. She swiped her tongue over Grace’s nipple again. With one hand, she held Grace against her, while the other hand slid down Grace’s quivering belly and unbuttoned the fly of her jeans. Her fingertips grazed the upper edge of Grace’s panties, dipped below, and then paused.

Grace reached down and grasped Lauren’s wrist, not sure if she wanted to pull her away or push her hand down. She felt too close to losing all control already.

As if sensing her conflicting urges, Lauren slid her hand around to Grace’s hip and let it rest there. “Are you okay?”

Grace nodded. “You just make me feel so much. I’m this close to losing control already.”

“You don’t need to control yourself. Not with me.” Lauren caressed Grace’s belly. “Just relax and enjoy. Why don’t we move this to the bed?”

Grace’s legs felt wobbly, so the bed was definitely a good idea. She nodded.

But instead of moving to the bed, Lauren first sank to her knees and eased down Grace’s jeans, taking the panties with them and leaving them in a puddle at her feet. She leaned forward and kissed Grace’s belly.

The hammering beat of Grace’s heart thudded through her body. She wove her fingers through Lauren’s hair and held her against her. The whispers of kisses against her overheated skin were driving her crazy.

Lauren’s lips wandered lower, brushing the curly hair at the apex of Grace’s thighs.

Heat shot through her.

Lauren pressed a kiss to Grace’s lower abdomen and then stood, dragging her hardened nipples against Grace’s front.

When their bare breasts touched, a low, guttural sound escaped Grace. She had dreamed about this the past few weeks but had never thought it would feel this good.

Their mouths found each other again, and their moans mingled.

“Bed,” Lauren whispered urgently.

“Wait.” Grace pointed at Lauren’s slacks. “These need to come off first. I want to feel you. All of you.”

Lauren’s slacks hit the floor in less than two seconds. Her panties followed. Then Lauren reached for her.

The intimate contact of skin on skin made Grace suck in a breath. She strained against Lauren, feeling as if she couldn’t get close enough.

Lauren walked her backward and eased her down onto the bed. For a moment, she knelt on the bed and looked down at her with an expression of wonder.

Grace reached up and drew her down.

Balancing on one arm, Lauren settled on top of her. One of her legs slipped between Grace’s thighs.

Both of them moaned.

Grace pressed herself against her, aching for her touch.

Lauren leaned down and kissed the hollow of Grace’s throat, then her neck, where her pulse thudded, and finally her lips.