L.A. Fire (11 page)

  I let out a long, shuddering
sigh, and moaned softly under my breath. A flicker of triumph passed through
his eyes. He knew he had me. Without even needing to touch me, he knew he had
me. No man had ever had this kind of an effect on me before. My sex was aching,
my nipples were hard, and I felt as if I might orgasm just from the deadly
seductive look in his eyes. “Are we clear?” he asked in a stern, demanding
tone.

  “Clear,” I said, sounding
breathless.

  “Good,” he said, pulling himself
off me, then reaching out his hand. “It’s time to take you home.”

  When we exited the club, there
was still a long line up of people trying to get in. I looked at my watch. It
was only 11pm. But then again, it was a school night. Apparently not for some
people. A long stretch limo with tinted windows was waiting by the curb, and a
middle-aged man, wiry, tall, and muscular, emerged from the driver’s side, and
came to open the back door. Julian guided me toward him. “Thank you, Dave,” he
said, and the man gave him a quick nod.

  I gave Julian a questioning look.
“You came here in a limo?”

  He shrugged his shoulders, then
guided me into the back of the limo and slid in after me. The partition between
the front and the back slid down, and Dave asked, “Where to, Mr.
McGregor?” 

  “Chase Avenue,” he said, namely
the short little street in West L.A. I lived on.

  “Thank you, Mr. McGregor,” Dave
said, and the partition slid back up.

  I looked at Julian in wonder.
“And you also know where I live?”

  He looked down and flexed his
feet in his black Italian leather shoes. “It’s on your resume, Sarah. I didn’t
have to do any digging.”

  I nodded slightly, and then
turned my attention to the view outside the window. The streets were slightly
wet. It had obviously been raining earlier while we were in the club. People
were out on the streets, hidden beneath umbrellas of every size and color. As
we slid along Sunset, I noticed the light from the neon signs reflected on the
wet pavement; streaks of purple, white, and blue, with the reflected letters
glistening and all distorted, making me feel like I was in a noir movie. At
some point, Julian reached over for my hand, and though we barely spoke a word,
he held my hand firmly for the rest of the ride to my apartment.

  When we reached my street, Julian
gave Dave the exact address, and soon enough we pulled up in front of my
building. “Well, this is me,” I said, almost shyly. “I’ll see you tomorrow at
work” I added, quickly opening the door. Julian grabbed my hand and pulled me
back inside.

  “I’m walking you to the door,” he
said.

  I shook my head. “It’s not
necessary. I’m just a few meters away.”

  He gave me another one of his now
infamous stern looks. “I’m coming with you. I want to make sure you get in
safely.”

  I let out an exasperated sigh,
and let him come over to my side of the door and help me out of the limo. It
was raining harder now, and I started to shiver. Julian noticed, and draped his
arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. We quickly made our way to the front
door of my building. Just as I was about to key in my code, Julian grabbed me
and pushed me up against the wall. Lightning flashed, searing the stark image
of his features overtaken by a ferocious lust indelibly into my brain. Then his
lips were on mine, probing my mouth earnestly, almost roughly. I moaned as
those soft, tantalizing lips started kissing down my throat, and roughly
threaded my fingers through his hair, grabbing fistfuls of it, urging him
closer. Julian let out a low groan. “I can feel your pulse in my lips, Sarah,”
he said pausing at the top of my throat right below my jaw. “I can’t wait to go
down on you and feel it throbbing in your clit.” I gasped, then started
panting. I couldn’t take this anymore. I needed him here. Now. Everything in me
ached for him. “Take me right here,” I said hoarsely, not caring that we were
out in the open and someone could come by at any minute.

  He came back up to my mouth, just
hovering over it, letting me feel his quick, hot breaths. His blazing eyes
stared into mine, and he gently ran his fingers along the exposed wing bones of
my back. “No,” he said, decisively. “Not tonight.” But then his lips were on
mine again, hot, insistent, and his tongue thrust into my mouth; stroking me,
exploring me, teasing me until I moaned so hard I could feel it vibrating
through his lips. But then he pulled back. I gave him a hot and hungry look,
and tried to pull him close again. He grabbed me gently, but firmly by the
wrists, then stepped forward and gave me a gentle peck on my lips. “That’s
enough for tonight.”

  I looked at him in frustration.
“You’ve got to be
kidding
me,” I said, feeling sexually charged and so
needy for his touch.

  “No,” he said, simply, but I
could tell by the look on his face that he was pleased I wanted more.

  I narrowed my eyes at him, and
crossed my arms over my chest. “You are such a tease,” I said.

  He grinned at me. “I told you I’d
tease you. But I also plan to please you.
After
we go on an official
date.”

  I gave him a funny look. “Then
what was tonight?” I asked.

  His eyes twinkled. “Me stalking
you, and then conducting a successful negotiation.”

  I smirked at him. “Smooth, Mr.
McGregor. Real smooth.”

  He shrugged his shoulders, his
expression showing he was still pleased with himself. “Now get safely inside,
Ms. Stevens. And get yourself to bed. You have a busy work day ahead of you
tomorrow.”

  Realizing that he wasn’t going to
budge, that he was definitely going home, I let out a long sigh, then keyed in
my code. Before I let the door close behind me, I turned to Julian and said.
“You’re going to be the end of me.”

  His eyes twinkled some more.
“Pleasant dreams, Ms. Stevens.”

  I smirked at him again. “You mean
pleasant wet dreams.” I winked at him over my shoulder, and let the door click
behind me. Then I turned toward the elevators, realizing that the only way I
was going to sleep tonight is if I had either a cold shower or a hot date with
my vibrator.

 
The next day I woke up with a wicked headache. I kept hitting the snooze
button, until I realized I only had forty-five minutes to get to work. Then the
adrenaline kicked in, and I busted out of bed. Jason, the potential new client
I’d discovered, was coming in today to sign. He was coming in at 9:30, so I
couldn’t be late for work. There was just no way.

 
Coffee was a must. There was no way I could function without it, but I realized
I’d have to skip my shower. I got the coffee machine running, then dashed into
my closet and grabbed the first outfit I could find: a black pencil skirt, a
purple silk blouse, and a pair of low-heeled black suede pumps. Once I finished
dressing, I quickly checked myself out in the mirror, and realized that the
silk blouse was quite wrinkled. I frowned at my reflection, but there was
literally nothing I could do about it. I had to get out the door immediately,
and do my makeup in the car.

  Traffic was brutal. I was stalled
on the freeway, literally bumper to bumper. I took the opportunity to put on
lipstick and mascara, but by the time I was finishing the final touch up on my eyelashes,
the traffic had started moving again, without me noticing. A guy blared his
horn at me, then pulled out from behind me and gave me the finger. As I eased
into the flow of traffic, I cringed a bit. Yes, this morning I was
that
girl.
Sitting in my blue Mini Cooper, a Britney Spears song blasting, doing my makeup
behind the front wheel because I was late for work. 

  When I pulled into the Cooper
McGregor lot, it was already 9:40. I cursed myself internally, and ran as fast
as I could to the elevator bank. Annabel saw me coming through the glass doors
to the office two minutes later, and she had a worried expression on her face.
“Mr. Burns is already here,” she said. “I took him to the boardroom. Mr. Cooper
and Mr. McGregor are already in there as well.”

  I bit down on my lip hard. This
was not good. “Thanks for stepping up, Annabel. I really appreciate it. I’m so
sorry.”

  She gave me a soft, genuine
smile. “Being late. It happens to the best of us. I’m sure it will all work
out.”

  I smiled back at her, so grateful
for her kindness. “I sure hope so, Annabel. Thanks again,” I said, rushing
through the door into the office, grabbing a folder from my desk, and almost
sprinting for the boardroom. I swiftly, but quietly opened the door and walked
in.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late,” I said.
“There was a major traffic jam on the freeway.”

  Paul glared at me, and started
tapping his pen. I watched him take in my wrinkled blouse, and frown lines
appeared on his forehead. Julian gave me a worried look, then took a sip of his
coffee. Jason was the only one who didn’t seem to mind. He gave me a broad,
lazy smile and said, “Hey, no worries. It happens.”

  Paul’s shoulders immediately
relaxed, and I shot Jason I grateful smile. Then I quickly took a seat, and
turned my attention fully on Jason, still scared of seeing either worry or
disapproval on either Paul’s or Julian’s face.

  “Jason has decided to sign with
us,” Paul began, getting me up to speed. “I trust you brought a copy of the
contract,” he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. Luckily it was in the folder
I’d swiped from my desk.

  “Here it is,” I said, a little
too proudly, and everyone smiled at my eagerness. I could feel myself flush
slightly, and I tried to hide it by busying myself with retrieving the document
from the folder and sliding it down the mahogany table toward Jason.

  He looked at it briefly, then
turned his attention back to me. “Did you draw this up?” he asked.

  I shrugged slightly, and shook my
head. “No, not really. I just followed instructions.”

  He nodded, and then gave me a
funny look. “So I looked into you. And I found out you discovered a lot of
really great scripts.”

  I suddenly felt uncomfortable
with the attention on me. “Well, not really that many. Only three” I said, and
shrugged.

  “No, forget the modesty, you’re
really good. You have excellent taste in movies,” he added. “And it’s not
three. It’s four. You discovered mine as well.”

  I bit down on my lip, feeling
self-conscious. Julian suddenly gave me a hard look, but I ignored him.

  I heard Paul clear his throat.
“Are you happy with the terms of the agreement?” he asked Jason, clearly
wanting to get on with business. “As you can see from the contract, we will
take fifteen percent of your earnings, and will fight really hard for you to
retain moral rights.”

  Jason looked confused. “Moral
rights?” he asked.

  Paul took a sip from his water
glass. “You will have a say in how much your script gets to be altered, and
have cause for legal action if the artistic integrity of your script is
severely compromised.”

  Jason’s face lit up. “Okay,
perfect,” he said. “That’s exactly what I asked for.”

  “Do you have any questions?” Paul
asked.

  Jason shook his head. “No. I
trust that I’m in good hands. You guys are the real deal. I’m happy to be
signing with you.” And as if to prove his point, he picked up his pen and
signed the contract.

  Everyone immediately looked
relieved and pleased. “Fantastic,” Paul said, rising to his feet and walking
over to shake Jason’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to be working with you. We’ll have
your back, I can promise you that.”

  “Hey, I know,” Jason said. Julian
stood up to come over as well, but then Jason turned to me and asked, “Hey, can
you walk me out to the elevators? There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask
you.” Julian immediately froze in his tracks, and his eyes narrowed and became
icy. Jason didn’t seem to notice. He also didn’t seem to notice when Julian
left the boardroom without shaking his hand.