Page 4 of The Playboy
Quinn:Yes, he is. I’ll talk to you later about it. Behave! I don’t want to have to kick your ass when I get there.
I laugh. I bet she would kick it, too. That girl’s got balls.
Me:You like when I misbehave though. I’ll show you how fun it can be to be bad.
There’s a knock at my door and I stride toward it, opening it wide. Rory, my manager, is standing there in a pair of jeans and a polo shirt.
“Hey, man, how’s it going?” he asks with a smile before stepping into the room.
“Good. I’m just reminiscing about the last time I was here. What’s going on?”
“Need I remind you we don’t need another maid telling her story of what it’s like to sleep with the infamous Tait Flanigan? Keep it in your pants, kid.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. She was still an excellent lay though. I’ll remember to have the next girl sign a nondisclosure agreement so the studio doesn’t chew my arse again.”
He motions toward my black eye and clicks his tongue. “Looks like that’s healing well. You ever going to tell me what you did to deserve it?”
I smirk and respond, the sarcasm dripping from my voice, “Caleb’s aim sucks. He was swatting a fly away and caught my eye instead.”
“Whatever you say. You don’t owe me an explanation; just don’t do it again.”
I place my hand over my chest. “Who said it was my fault? I take great offense to that insinuation.”
“Bullshit. I know you well enough to know you were probably behind it all.” He shakes his head but smiles. “Anyway, I want to go over some upcoming events with you and see if we can work any of them into your schedule.”
It’s part of the job. Suck it up and act like it’s important.“Sure. What’s on the agenda? Movie premieres? Fashion shows? Be someone’s arm candy?” I raise my eyebrows. I wouldn’t put it past the studio to set me up as an escort for some hot, new Hollywood A-lister. It’s not the first time I’ve been asked.
“No, actually—” He’s cut off mid-sentence as someone pounds on the door.
“What the fuck?” I get up, look through the peephole, and see my good luck charm, Emily. I give her my best panty-dropping smile as I open the door and she steps into view.
“Ugh, gross. Keep it in your pants, Romeo!”
“Cheeky bitch.” I pull her into a tight embrace and spin her around. She’s so small compared to my six-foot frame and feels like a rag doll in my arms. I put her down inside my room and let the door swing closed behind me.
“Hi, Emily,” Rory calls out to her, giving her a small wave.
“Hey, Ror. What’s going on?”
“I was trying to go over some events with Tait that I want to schedule in between filming.”
“Oh, hoping to be someone’s arm candy, Tait?” she jokes, wrinkling her nose in distaste.
She settles in on the small couch next to Rory, and he goes over the events at hand. Everything sounds dreadfully boring, but I nod and agree to everything he wants me to do. A late-night talk show to promote the new movie, a charity event, and a date.
Hollywood is like a game. If you continue to make appearances and seem like you care about humanitarian causes, you will stay on top. Throw in a small amount of scandal or a co-star love interest, and you’ll be in the spotlight for as long as you can make it last.
Rory excuses himself from my room, leaving Emily and me here alone.
“Okay, so the rules while we are here are as follows. One, when I tell you to meet me downstairs at a certain time, you are to be there dressed and ready. Two, I am not helping you get rid of any girls in the mornings. You bring them here, you get rid of them.”
She points to each finger as she gives me a new rule to follow, but I stop listening after the second one. They are all the same in essence. She’s basically trying to tell me if I bring a girl back to my room, it’s my own fault and I still better do my job.Easy!I just have to sneak out of the room in the morning, and the girl will leave on her own.
She waves her hand in front of my face. “Tait, are you still listening to me?”
“Yes.” I smirk at her. “Don’t make an arse out of myself and we’re good.”
“Good. Now, I want to relax by the pool and hopefully find someone handsome to sweep me off my feet. What time are you getting me for dinner?”