Page 56 of The VIP Doubles Down

Gavin rolled onto his back. “I knew you were thinking.” He turned his head to look at her, so close that she could see the separate rays of green and gray in his irises. “You’ll be assisting me. That’s what assistants do.”

“Where will I be working? In your office? Along with you?” She shifted to her side and propped her head on her hand.

He reached out to wind a strand of her hair around his fingers. “In my writing office, not my business office.”

“You have two separate offices?”

He released her hair and stacked the pillows so he could sit up against them. “I own the house next door. It has space for my business manager, my marketing manager, my bookkeeper, and my other assistants, as well as my security team.”

Allie pushed herself upright beside him, grabbing at the sheet as it started to slip downward. Gavin was quicker, tugging it to her waist so he could drag his fingers along the swell of her breasts. She’d thought her nerves were fried, yet electricity zinged straight to her core, wringing a tiny gasp from her throat.

She pulled his wrist away and tucked the sheet under her arms. “How many people work there?”

“About ten, I guess.”

“So you don’t need me.”

The wicked little smile hovering around his lips vanished. “It depends on how you defineneed.” He flexed his neck to one side and then the other. “You’re going to help me write again.”

Allie’s throat tightened with anxiety. “How?”

“I don’t know.” He frowned at the wall. “But since we started talking about Julian, I’m getting fragments of ideas. Nothing I can hold on to, but more than I’ve gotten in months.”

“So I’m supposed to just talk to you about Julian.”

He levered himself away from the pillows to give her a heavy-lidded look. “Between other activities.”

“That’s what I mean. We can’t dothiswhile you’re paying me. You have to give me an actual job or I can’t accept your money.”

He sighed. “You’ll be updating the series bible. We’ll talk about Julian while you’re doing it. I promise you that’s real work.” His voice deepened. “Once you’re off the clock, though, I can’t be responsible for what might happen.”

She eased her grip on the wads of quilt she’d clenched while they talked about her job. This time when he tugged at the sheet, she threw it aside so his lean, gorgeous body was bared, too. That ended the discussion.

Chapter 15

The next morning, Allie sat in a high-tech ergonomic chair at a sleek modern desk that had been installed in Gavin’s private office. She scrolled through the series bible, trying to figure out the best method for entering names, places, and events. She was determined to earn her pay by being the most thorough, meticulous assistant he’d ever had.

“Where’s Gavin disappeared to?”

The voice was weirdly familiar, and Allie spun around to see Julian Best stroll into the room.

Her heart did a cartwheel in her chest. This was the man who’d starred in her adolescent dreams of dangerous, exotic romance.

“You must be Allie.” Julian scanned her with his brilliant turquoise eyes.

“You know who I am?” She rose out of her chair.

“Gavin told me you’re working as his assistant. I’m Hugh Baker.” He walked forward with his hand extended.

Hugh Baker, not Julian Best. “I know,” she said as she shook his hand. “I just had a moment of ...” She wasn’t sure what to call it.

He flashed that famous, sinful smile. “Of thinking I was Julian Best.” He shrugged with an offhand grace. “It’s one of the hazards of playing a cultural icon.”

“I just wasn’t prepared, although I knew you were visiting Gavin.” She waved at her computer. “My excuse is that I was immersed in Julian’s world.” And Gavin had said the actor was starring in a public-service commercial, so she’d assumed he’d be filming by now.

“My apologies for interrupting you. Ludmilla said Gavin might be here.”

“He went to his business office next door for a conference call.”