Page 2 of The Publicist

You will meet him tomorrow at Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Room 7250 at 9 in the morning. You’ll accompany him to and from the event. Make sure he stays sober enough to get through the evening without ruining his reputation. Steve booked you a room next to his.

Thad

P.S.- You would look ravishing in anything red.

I hit reply on the email and think about the perfect snarky remark. It’s going through company email, and while Thad doesn’t seem to care what he says, I don’t want my ass wrapped up in human resources.

Thad,

I’ll make sure it’s green then.

Quinn

He laughs from down the hall in his office, and I smile to myself. I go back to looking at pictures of Caleb and reviewing anything that could cause issues—past girlfriends, crazy fans, illegitimate children. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of information about his relationships. The only thing I can find is a small article about a girlfriend when he went to his first movie premiere. I double click the image, and it expands to the size of my screen. I smile as I look at the picture; they looked happy together and he looked excited, a huge smile plastered on his face. So different from the brooding pictures of him that currently grace the covers of magazines.

I study his look, how he held her. He was in love in this picture; there’s no doubt about it. His left arm was protectively wrapped around her waist and he was leaning in toward her. She was looking up at him like he was her everything. She was a little big for normal Hollywood actresses, and I don’t recognize the name. She must have been his girlfriend from wherever he grew up.

I close the picture and scroll to his demographics. He grew up in Winslow, Arizona, with one brother named Gabriel, his mom Margaret, and his dad Anthony. The page talks about his early career—the small movies and TV appearances, up until his latest movie that launched his career,Keep HerHidden. The movie is based upon the hit book seriesUnderground Royalty.I saw it when it premiered last summer, and I would never admit it to anyone, but I went back and saw it three more times.

It’s part one of a series of books that I drooled over. I couldn’t put them down. The typical dominant male and submissive girl, except this girl had a backbone. I feel that’s why I enjoyed it. She could handle herself and she gave him a run for his money. Just like any woman who saw the movie, I instantly fell head over heels for Caleb—until I learned what type of person he is. The partying, alcohol drinking, bad boy. The guy who has a string of one-night stands but can never commit. He is the type of man you date when you’re in your early twenties and you want the adventure. He’s not the type of man you settle down with and bring home to your parents.

After looking at a little more information, I unhook my laptop and shove it into my bag. I stop at Julie’s desk, and she smiles up at me.

“Hey, Julie, I need anything in a size twelve.”

Chapter 2

I wakewith a pounding headache and a naked, sexy, blonde snuggled up on my chest. I drank way too much last night, and it is way too bright in the room. Glancing at the clock, it reads seven-thirty-three.Yep, way too early. My head stops pounding for a minute and then starts again.

“Caleb, open up.” I hear a muffled voice from the other side of the door.Guess it’s not my head, after all.I peel myself out from under the blonde and throw on a pair of boxers. I glance back to see her blinking her blue doe eyes at me.

“Come back to bed, handsome,” she coos. What was her name again? Angela? Maybe Scarlett?

“Gotta get the door. You better get on some clothes; otherwise, my manager is gonna see you naked, babe.” She gives me a small pout but goes about pulling her skin tight dress up over her curves.Damn, she is hot as hell! I feel my dick twitch, wanting to be nestled inside her again, but I push the thoughts aside and make it to the door.

“Caleb, wake the fuck up and open the damn door,” Steve shouts through the door.Impatient as always.

When I unhook the latch and open it, the heavenly scent of coffee fills my senses. I take the cup from his outstretched hand and move to the side to let him in. He takes a look at the blonde and rolls his eyes. He points to her. “Out.”

“I don’t have to listen to you,” she replies and crosses her arms, jutting her hip out to the side with some attitude.She has a little backbone; maybe I’ll keep this one for a while.

“Now!” Steve practically growls. I watch her shrink into herself and head toward me on her way out.Maybe not.

“This was fun, maybe we can do it again sometime? Can I give you my number?” she asks, looking up at me from under her lashes.

“You gave it to me last night, babe. I’ll call ya.” I walk her to the door and give her ass a smack as she exits. I close the door behind me and take a sip of coffee while watching Steve. “What?”

“Did you actually get it last night? Her number?” He cocks his eyebrow and tosses a pair of sweatpants at me. I catch them and pull them up my legs.

“No. I don’t even know her name. Why are you here so early anyway? I thought I wasn’t needed until tonight?”

“You have to get a workout in, and then your new PR consultant will be here at nine to meet with you.”

I let out a frustrated groan and rake my hands through my hair. “Do I have to do this? What if I promise to party less or sleep with less attractive women? I don’t need a fucking babysitter Steve; you handle that just fine on your own.” I smirk at him. He knows I like to rattle his cage a bit, but it’s always in good fun.

“Yes, you do need one because you don’t listen to what I tell you any more. You’re getting a reputation as someone that directors don’t want to work with. You need to change this around or your fifteen minutes of fame are going to be over a lot sooner than you think.”

I know he’s right. I’ve read the buzz and heard the rumors through the grapevine. The problem is I just didn’t care. Everyone says they want a piece of therealme, but no one gives a shit about who I actually am. What people really want is abad boy. They want me to be just like my character, Antonio Donato. So, I give them what they want. If I were to change how I act, I’m sure all the Hollywood assholes would comment on that, too. It’s a no-win situation. So, I opt for the one that gets me laid and keeps me in the eyes of the paparazzi.