Page 3 of The Publicist
I finish my workout at the gym downstairs and unlock my room. Steve is still there, now on the phone with someone. He glances over at me and motions toward the bathroom to shower.Aye, aye, captain.I give him a salute and close the door behind me. Starting the water, I strip out of my t-shirt and shorts. The spray of the hot water feels good on my tired muscles. The workout routines provided by the studio trainer are intense. I need to keep myself as fit as possible for the next two movies. Filming begins forKeep her Safein another week, and there are several almost naked scenes.I want to look good naked!
I zone out in the shower. Steve bangs on the doormoments later.What is with him and pounding on the damn door?“I’ll be out in a minute. Hold your horses!” I yell, turning off the water. I step into the room with just a towel wrapped around my waist, my hair dripping water down my face and back. I open the door and lock eyes with him in the corner. “Did you miss me, Steve?”
“Ha. Ha. Get dressed. She’s going to be here in a few minutes, and I don’t want you in just a towel. You’ll give her a heart attack.”
“Or I’ll make her whimper. Have you seen my muscles?” I ask, flexing my left arm, kissing my bicep.
“Yeah, Caleb, I’ve seen your muscles; you practically walk around naked as it is. Is there anyone whodoesn’tknow what you look like?” He looks at me and I give him a huge grin. “Just throw on your sweats for now. You don’t have to be dressed for the gala until five tonight, and there aren’t any interviews planned for today.”
I pull on a fitted t-shirt and my grey sweatpants that sit low on my hips then rub the towel over my hair. I throw the towel back into the bathroom. Hearing a quiet knock, I look back at the clock. Nine on the dot.At least she’s punctual.I open the door and stare into her vibrant green eyes. I allow myself a moment to roam over her form. She is around five-foot-two with a beautiful, curvy figure you don’t see in Hollywood anymore and light brown hair. I lock eyes with her again, giving her a smug smile and lean against the door, my arm bent above my head.
“You’re not normally my type, but damn. I’ll give it a go.” She rolls her eyes at me.Fucking rolls her eyes. This girl has spirit.
“I’m Quinn Harrison. You’re going to be stuck with me until you can pull your head out of your ass and act decently in public.” A smirk pulls at her lips as she pushes her way into the room.Well, I’m screwed!
Chapter 3
Caleb Evanstan is even moreattractive up close, and I can’t help the hitch in my breath when he opens the door. He’s wearing a tight t-shirt which shows off what I assume is a perfectly chiseled body. I have an itch to reach my hand out and touch him. He thinks I don’t notice how he raked his eyes over my body, but I do. I’m wearing my favorite pair of skinny jeans, a V-neck blouse that shows off a modest amount of cleavage, and a pair of Toms. I don’t want him to be put off by dressing too stuffy.
“I’m Quinn Harrison. You’re going to be stuck with me until you can pull your head out of your ass and act decently in public.” I smirk. His expression changes from cocky to apologetic in a flash.Good boy, at least you understand you said something inappropriate.When I push past him, I make sure to knock my shoulder into him so I can get a feel without being obvious. This man is six-feet two-inches of pure sex; he even smells amazing.I’m storing this look and his scent in my brain for later use.I turn my attention to the other man in the room.
“You must be Steve Powell.” I extend my hand as I approach the tall, medium build man. He has to be in his mid to late forties, and I’m sure the grey hairs have formed because of Caleb. He takes my hand and gives it a firm shake.
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Harrison. Thank you for agreeing to this with such short notice.”
“Please, call me Quinn. It’s just for one weekend, so it’s not a problem.”
He cocks his head to the side. “I think you must be confused. The studio hired you for the next few months, up until the new movie is done filming.”
Fucking Thad, he’ll be getting an earful from me later today.I school my features and paste a polite smile on my face. “I guess I wasn’t told everything. That’s not a problem.” I turn my attention back to Caleb and find him watching the exchange like a ping pong match. “Mr. Evanstan, you have several fans outside that would enjoy meeting you. I suggest you get on something else. We’re going for a walk.”
He looks at Steve, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. “I don’t have time for that.”
“Sure you do. I’ve already received a copy of your schedule and the events for the night. You have nothing to do for several hours, and it would mean a lot to your fans and help with your image. You can go downstairs, smile, sign a few things, take a few pictures, and come back up. I’ll meet you in the hallway in ten minutes.” Turning on my heel, I walk toward the door. I can hear Caleb begin to argue with Steve behind me, and I want to make sure I get my point across. I call over my shoulder, “Ten minutes, Mr. Evanstan.”
“Quinn,” he calls out, and I turn to look at him. “I’m not going down there.”
Steve groans. I knew this wouldn’t be as easy as that. I’m going to have to pull out the big guns. I walk back toward him. He stands as still as a statue with his arms crossed over his chest and a defiant look on his face. I stop directly in front of him and tilt my head back to meet his eyes. Then I smile.
“Caleb. Can I call you Caleb?” He nods, and I continue. “Let me tell you something about me. I don’t give a shit about what youdoordo notwant to do. I’m here to make you look good and to change your image with the general public. You’re paying me a lot of money to do this, and I’ll get paid even if I can’t do my job. Do me a solid and cooperate with me.”
“You haven’t given me any reason to cooperate. What’s in it for me?”
“Besides saving your acting career?” He rolls his eyes. “I have access to everything you do, and I’ll cock block you so bad you’ll be using your right hand for the next several months. I’ve seen the type of women you bring back to your room, and I have no problem making sure you can’t get rid of me.” My heart is pounding being in such close proximity to him. And the way he is staring daggers at me makes it difficult to breathe.Oh yeah, I will definitely be thinking about this man later.
We stand there staring at each other until he finally gives up the tough guy act and throws his hands in the air. “Fine, I’ll get dressed, but I’ll be out in fifteen”
A victorious smile spreads across my face. “You’ll be out in twelve.” I turn and exit the room, leaving no room for discussion. When the door closes, I lean against the wall across from it and catch my breath. He is not going to be easy at all. Thad was correct in that aspect.Thad.I need to call him and rip him a new one. I know I don’t have time to make the call. I don’t want Caleb to come out to me yelling at him, so I settle for an angry text and a promise to call him later.
Me:You sold me for the next couple of months?! What about my other clients? We WILL talk about this later. I should have sprung for a pair of Louboutins, too.
I look at my watch; he has two minutes left until I start throwing punches. The thought of my punches doing anything to that man of muscle makes me chuckle, and I shake the thought from my head. I look back at my phone, a new text from Thad coming through.
Thad:I knew you wouldn’t have taken it. Think of the positives. You get to hang out on a movie set with Hollywood’s hottest stars. You’ll thank me one day.
Caleb opens the door with Steve hot on his heels. I glance at the time and raise my eyebrows at him when he comes out on time. I know that was more of Steve’s doing, but it makes me happy nevertheless. He’s wearing a pair of dark wash fitted jeans, a tight black t-shirt, and a brown biker jacket over the shirt.
“Gonna be a little hot with the jacket, don’t you think? It is around seventy-five degrees out there right now.”