L.A. Fire (5 page)

  I started rubbing my temples,
then squeezed the bridge of my nose. “It was a total psycho freak out, Ange. I
watched it over and over, somehow hoping to prove to myself that it wasn’t as
bad as it looked. But it was brutal. There’s no denying that.”

  Angela’s eyes became deadly
serious. “You have to let it go, Ser.”

  I nodded, even as the memory of
that night made me cringe in horror. I shook it off, and looked at Angela with
what I hoped was a bright expression. “Hey, how ‘bout we finish off this bottle
and then get out of here? I could use some fresh air and a literal change in
perspective.”

  Angela nodded her head, then
reached over for the champagne bottle, and poured the last of it into both of
our flutes. “To new beginnings,” she said, raising her glass in a toast.

  I smiled at her, because she’d
nailed it. That’s exactly what I needed. A new start. Letting go of the past,
and just moving on with the present, and building a great future. And for me a
great future meant focusing on my career, and leaving my love life well alone.
I was finally happy being single. I didn’t realize how dependent I’d become on
Rob until I had to face letting go of him. I think I cried for a month straight
after we broke up, feeling needy, betrayed, in pain, and deeply embarrassed. I
was never going to lose control like that again. I’d learned to rely only on
myself, and I wanted to keep it that way.  

  I clinked my glass against
Angela’s and gave her a huge smile. “That’s a toast I can definitely drink to.”

***

  “Hi Sarah.” It was Annabel, the
receptionist. “Mr. Jason Burns is here for the meeting.”

  “Thanks, Annabel. I’ll be right
there to get him.” I quickly buzzed Paul and Julian’s assistant to let them
know Mr. Burns was here. Then I took a deep breath, and made my way toward the
office lobby. My stomach was tied in a tight knot, and my palms were sweating.
There’s no way I could shake Jason’s hand like this. Luckily I had on navy
slouchy trousers, with a jeweled leather belt, so I could actually get away
with wiping my hands on my thighs and having no one notice. When I passed
Amanda’s cubicle, I felt icicles form on the back of my neck. I turned around
to give her a quick glance, and sure enough, she was giving me the death stare.
Never mind. I didn’t have the time or energy for this. I held my head up high,
put on what I hoped was a bright face, and marched through the door to
reception.

  Annabel gave me a quick,
professional smile, and gestured with her hand toward a guy sitting on the
leather couch. Everything about Jason Burns exuded bad boy. He had on a black
battered biker jacket with zippers just about everywhere, a black t-shirt,
faded oversized jeans, and motorcycle boots. He quickly rose to meet me. With
his deep brown eyes, curly jet black hair, and tanned skin, he was a real
looker. And then there was that smile. Soft and warm, and totally at odds with
the tough guy image. Something about that smile reminded me of Rob, my 
ex, and for a brief moment, I felt my stomach sink. Then I got a hold of
myself, flashed him my most winning smile, and held out my hand. “Nice to meet
you, Mr. Burns. I’m Sarah.” When our hands locked, I noticed his handshake was
firm and warm, and it immediately put me at ease. “Mr. Cooper and Mr. McGregor
are waiting for us in the boardroom. Please follow me.”

  He shrugged slightly and squinted
his eyes at me. “The boardroom?” he asked. I noticed how awkward he suddenly
looked, and realized he was uncomfortable with the degree of formality.

  I gave him a coaxing look, and
returned his half-shrug. “It’s not as intimidating as it sounds.”

  I saw relief cross his face, and
he finally nodded. “Okay. Let’s do it,” he said.

  I briefly knocked on the imposing
mahogany doors of the boardroom. We waited for a beat, and then the door
cracked open, and Paul was standing there smiling at us. He ushered us into the
room, and proceeded with introductions. The moment I stepped into the room, I
felt Julian’s eyes on me. I glanced at him briefly, flashed him a quick,
nervous smile, and then looked away. But I didn’t look away fast enough. His
effect on me was instantaneous. The moment those majestic, shrewd blue eyes
locked with mine and scoured every inch of me, my heart jumped up into my
throat, and tingles shot up my spine. I could even feel my lip starting to
tremble again. “Morning, Ms. Waters,” he said, in a smooth, commanding voice,
willing me, beckoning me, to take another look at him. And I did. And again my
heart lurched and slammed hard in my chest. His gaze, so intense, so magnetic,
demanded me to give him my full attention. This time I couldn’t look away. I
felt my lips part, and my breathing become ragged. The man was absolute
perfection. He was leaning back in his chair, dressed in a black silk suit,
with a white linen dress shirt. I noticed his gold cufflinks, and when he
picked up his coffee mug, his cuff slid up to reveal a matching gold Rolex that
probably cost more than I would make in a year. His dark wavy hair was still a
bit wet from a shower, and I could tell by the color in his chiseled cheeks
that he had just recently worked out. Every inch of me yearned to run my
fingers through his hair, unbutton that crisp linen shirt, and slide my hungry
hands over the thick muscular chest that I knew was lying beneath all those
sexy threads.        

  No. No. No. I had to keep it
together. I quickly pulled myself out of my trance. I desperately needed
something to busy myself with until I could calm myself down. “Jason, can I get
you a coffee? Or water?”

  Jason smiled at me gratefully.
“Coffee sounds perfect.”

  “I’d like a refill too.” I looked
back at Julian, his gaze steady, unrelenting. I gave him a quick nod, tore away
my eyes, and looked at Paul expectantly. “Refill for you as well?” he nodded,
but his expression was slightly solemn. I grabbed the carafe from the mahogany
bar at the far end of the boardroom, a cup for Jason, and some sugar and milk
packets.

  He gave me another grateful smile
when I placed his steaming mug before him. I quickly filled up Paul’s mug, and
then Julian’s. When I leaned over Julian, my hair fell forward, and brushed his
face. He inhaled sharply, and I saw his whole body stiffen. “That’s enough,
Sarah,” he said in a raspy voice that sent a charge of electricity shooting
through me.

  “So, Jason,” Paul began once we
had all settled in. “That’s quite a script you wrote.”

  Jason glanced at Paul, his
expression unsure at first, but then it became confident. “Thank you,” he said
forcefully. “I kinda killed myself putting it together.”

  Both Paul and Julian chuckled.
“The writer’s curse,” Paul finally said. “But the final product is absolutely
brilliant.” Paul leaned forward and looked at Jason intently. “I’m sure it
comes as no surprise to you that we want to sign you. To say the least, we’re
impressed with your talent. But we also both need to figure out whether we’re a
good fit.”

  Jason nodded, took a sip of his coffee,
and looked deep in thought for a moment. “The thing for me is, it’s not all
about the money. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I want to do this for a living. If
I could give up bartending and take this up as a full time gig, well, man, I’d
be stoked.” He drummed his fingers on his coffee mug, then grabbed it between
both hands and leaned forward. His expression became intense, earnest. “The
thing is, artistic integrity is also important to me. I want the right director
for the script. Someone who believes in the project, and won’t just buy it up
and leave it sitting in development indefinitely while he goes on to do other
projects.”

  Paul nodded decisively. “Okay.
I’m with you. I have three directors in mind right now who I think would be
thrilled to take your script all the way to the finish line. But I can’t
promise anything. I have to check in with them and see what they’re working on
now, and whether they have time to invest in something new.”

  Jason’s brow scrunched up, and
his expression became slightly pained. “I get that you can’t give me a
guarantee, but before I sign on with you, I’d like you to contact those
directors you have in mind. You know, to see if they’re likely to be serious.”

  Paul frowned slightly, and sat
back in his chair. “We usually only seek out script sales for people who are
already our clients.” Jason’s face closed off, but Paul caught his eye with an
honest, earnest look, and Jason’s face opened up again. “You have to understand
our position,” Paul continued. “If we get a director sold on a project that we
don’t even have the right to represent, we’ll look like fools if you turn
around and decide to go with someone else.”

  Jason nodded, and ran a hand
through his hair. Then he let out a long sigh, and locked eyes again with Paul.
“What made my script stand out?” he asked. “I mean, what is it that grabbed
you? I need to see where you’re coming from, you know? To know that you see the
same thing in it that I see.”

  Paul grabbed his pen, and started
tapping it against the boardroom table. He glanced over at me, caught my eye,
and then looked back at Jason. “Sarah here discovered your script. She can tell
you exactly what about it stood out.”

  I inhaled sharply, and squirmed
slightly in my seat. Paul looked at me expectantly. He was trusting me with
this. I couldn’t blow it. I cleared my throat, and looked over at Jason, who
was staring at me in awe.

  “You discovered my script?”

  “Yes,” I said, my voice firm, yet
excited. “The thing that first drew me in was your writing style. Your crisp,
clean images. And not a word wasted. And then there were those unforgettable
characters. The fierce dialogue. Overall, I loved that even though it’s a
blockbuster concept with a unique twist, it’s also very artistic. Few people
can combine all those elements successfully, but you more than pulled it off.
Really, it’s pure genius.” I beamed at him, and his eyes lit up.

  “You totally got it,” he said,
looking at me with admiration. “You totally got what I was trying to do.”

  Jason drained his cup, and placed
it back on the table with decisive force. “I’ll be honest. I have another agent
interested in the script, and I’m going to a meeting with him tomorrow. But I
really like what I’ve heard here today,” he said, shooting me a warm smile.
“Just give me a couple of days, and I’ll let you know my decision.”

  Paul shot Julian a look, and he
gave him an almost imperceptible nod. “Sounds good to me,” Paul said, getting
up. “Sarah will see you out of the office. I trust you have her contact
information.”

  Jason eyed me flirtatiously.
“Lucky for me, I do,” he said, following the sexy look up with a sly smile. I
laughed softly under my breath, but felt Julian’s eyes on me. I turned to look
at him, and his eyes had narrowed slightly, and turned icy, angry, even
possessive. Like he had a claim on me. Well he didn’t. I tore my eyes away from
him and made my way over to Jason. “I’ll see you to the lobby,” I said.

  He shot me another sexy grin.
“Ladies first.” I marched ahead of him, still feeling Julian’s icy gaze on the
back of my neck. I could feel him willing me to look at him again, but instead
I pushed through the boardroom doors, and never once looked back.

  The rest of the morning was
hectic. Paul had several clients coming in this week, and he needed me to type
up a whole bunch of contracts. By noon, I was starving and beat. I decided
hitting the taco stand just down the street was a great idea. Just as I grabbed
my purse, the phone rang. I groaned internally, and then picked it up.

  “Sarah.” I inhaled sharply, and
felt a surge of hot tingles spread through my body. It was Julian. I’d know
that smooth, powerful voice anywhere. “Meet me in the lobby right now. I’m
taking you to lunch.”

  Before I could even answer, he
hung up the phone. I stood there for a moment, frozen, holding the phone in my
hand. Lunch with Julian? Just the thought of it was enough to make me weak in
the knees. As I walked toward the lobby, I felt myself becoming strangely aroused
by the fact that he had ordered me to join him, without even waiting for my
answer. The man was clearly used to getting his way.

  When I entered reception, I found
him standing by the front desk, making conversation with Annabel. For a moment before
he turned his attention to me, I was able to admire his profile. I noticed his
strong, aquiline nose, and the chiseled perfection of his jaw. His skin was
tan, and he had the slightest bit of stubble on his cheeks, just a hint of it,
which made for a sexy contrast with his otherwise smooth appearance. He looked
both cultured and a little rough, a combination that drove me absolutely wild.