His Leading Lady (19 page)

Meg opened the door for them, letting in a
chilling wind. Something smelled good.
Meg’s chili.
The men
plopped down on the sofa in front of the fireplace to thaw their
bones. Mark lived there alone, except now, when graduate school was
on spring break. Harley was visiting while he hammered out a deal
to join the Demons when his contract with the Gamblers expired.
Mark had invited him to stay until formal training started, and
Harley had taken him up on the offer.

Harley joined Meg in the kitchen. Mark put
down his packages to warm his hands by the fire when he heard a
door slam. Turning, he spied a strange car in his driveway. He
grabbed his down jacket and went out to investigate.

There stood Penny, her blonde hair shining
despite the dreary day. Bundled up in a pink down coat, her
mittened hands framed her face. On closer inspection, Mark saw
tears running down her cheeks. He walked up cautiously, not knowing
what to expect. His heartbeat kicked up, and his mouth went dry.
Is she here to stay? Will she marry me now?

“I didn’t know when you were coming back.”
Mark wiped his hands on his jeans. “If you’d told me, I could have
met you at—”

“The movie is finished,” she said in a small,
shaky voice, interrupting him.

He hesitated at the end of the stone walk.
What do I do?

“You did it,” she said.

“Did what?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Bought a house with a white picket
fence.”

A lump formed in his throat.

“Did you buy it for me?”

He nodded.

“And a fireplace?”

“Why don’t you take a look inside?”

She ran to him, leaping into his embrace. “I
love you so much, Mark.”

“Do you? Is this a pit stop on the way to
another movie?” He tightened his arms around her.

“I don’t want to do another movie. I want to
be here with you.” She squeezed him harder.

“Then, stay.”

“I want to get married,” she whispered.

His eyes got round, and he stared at her.
“Why didn’t you say so?”

She cried into his chest. “I was waiting for
you to ask.”

He put her down and dropped onto one knee.
“Penny Thatcher, will you marry me? I love you more than life
itself. Stay. Be my wife. I’ll pay for school. Have your dream.
Have it with me.” He stood up and threaded his fingers through her
silky hair.

“I will, oh, God. Mark, yes. I will, oh,
damn. I will.”

Mark picked her up and carried her inside. As
he put her down, he yelled into the kitchen, “Set the table for one
more, Meg.”

She and Harley peeked out from the archway.
“Oh, my God, Penny!”

“We’re getting married,” Mark said, beaming
first at his sister then at his fiancée.

“It’s about time.” Megan said, licking the
wooden spoon in her hand.

Saturday, May, A year later. The Royal Apartment
Building on Central Park West, Manhattan.

Penny Thatcher Davis stood in a short, filmy
negligee in the kitchen of the spacious, luxury, two-bedroom
apartment. The big windows hugging the breakfast nook didn’t
distract her. Bacon was frying, and she mixed eggs with a little
milk to make them fluffy.

Her husband, Mark, star quarterback for the
Delaware Demons, wrapped his arms around his wife, pulling her
tight against him as he nuzzled her neck. Penny eased her head
back, moaning softly as his hands closed over her breasts.

“Ouch!” She pushed his hand down. “Take that
off when you’re with me.”

“Sorry. I forgot.” Mark slipped his Super
Bowl ring off and tossed it in the ceramic bowl on the kitchen
counter. With Penny by his side, his first season with Delaware had
been golden. While he didn’t win every game, he won most. His fame
grew.

Even when they traveled to their apartment in
New York City, Mark was accosted by fans and had his picture
snapped by photographers. He appeared in all the papers and sports
magazines. With his beautiful wife by his side, he even made a
brief appearance in
Celebs ’R Us,
in a section called
“Notable Newlyweds.”

Penny attended every game and learned
football, inside and out. She bought a fancy sewing machine and
began to experiment with designs. She had fixed all Mark’s
decorating mistakes made in their house in Delaware. When the
season was over, she had created a beautiful and comfortable home
in their spacious, New York City apartment as well, with help from
Meg.

Mark replaced his hands and massaged her
while his lips lightly brushed her throat. The phone rang.

“Put it on speaker,” Mark whispered. Penny
pressed the button and returned her attention to her husband’s
large, seductive fingers.

“Lug, it’s me!”

Mark raised his head. “Squirt? What’s
up?”

“I got the job.”

“What job?” He went back to kissing Penny’s
neck.

“The job at Dillon and Weed. There were at
least five people vying for that job, and I got it.”

“Congratulations.”

“You don’t sound very interested.”

“There are all sorts of things we do on a
Saturday morning, Squirt, and being your cheerleader usually isn’t
one of them.”

“Get your mind out of the bedroom for one
second, will ya? Dillon and Weed is big, and the salary is
terrific. I can come and rent your condo while you’re in
Delaware.”

“Wasn’t that the plan, all along?” he asked,
lifting his head.

“I know, I know. But it’s actually gonna
happen. I’m so pumped.”

“Congratulations, Megan. That’s awesome.
We’re really proud of you.”

“Thank you, Penny. It’s nice to be
appreciated,” Meg sniffed.

“Okay, okay, I get it. I’m proud of you,
too.”

“I’ll be managing rich people’s money. You’ll
be my first client.” There was a
ding
in the background.
“Wait. Email from them. I hope I’m not fired before I start.”

“Don’t be paranoid, Squirt.”

Silence from Meg got the attention of both
Penny and Mark, who stopped their foreplay and stared at the
phone.

“What is it?” Mark asked.

“Oh, crap.”

“Meg?”

“They’re putting me in charge of their
brand-new, celebrity division.”

“Celebrities? You hate the limelight.”

“And I hate celebrities. Wait. Another
email.”

Again silence. Penny and Mark moved closer to
the speaker.

“Oh, my God.”

“What?”

“Guess who I’m pitching to become my
client?”

THE END

Meg’s potential client is revealed and her
story is continued in IF I LOVED YOU, the first book in the
Hollywood Hearts series. Find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All
Romance eBooks, Secret Cravings website and Bookstrand, in eBook
and paperback. Read more about Jean Joachim’s books on her website:
http://www.jeanjoachimbooks.com
She loves to hear from readers. Contact her here:
[email protected]

Author Biography

Jean Joachim, wife and mother of two sons, is
owned by a rescued pug, named Homer. She’d been writing non-fiction
for what seemed like forever until she got up the nerve to try
fiction. It was love. Now she spends her days in New York City in
the company of her characters, with a cup of tea and a secret stash
of black licorice. She has 18 romance books published and seven
non-fiction books.

Moonlight Books