Julian
ONE OF THE many benefits of dating my roommate is that I no longer worry about freeballing in my home. A second benefit: She appreciates it, too. After the long day I’ve had, diving into my sweats sans underwear and sitting in front of the couch with my woman by my side sounds like heaven. Bonus points if it leads to lazy sex followed by at least six hours of sleep.
The front door to my condo flies open before I can fit my key into the lock. Ashley pulls me inside, her eyes flickering with excitement. “You’re exhausted, aren’t you?”
“Well, hello to you, too,” I say as I open my arms out for a hug.
She snuggles into my body, cups my jaw, and plants a soft kiss on my lips. When she pulls back, she bats her eyelashes. “I know you’re tired, but I’d like to show you something.”
I like the sound of that. Waggling my eyebrows, I walk her backward and ease out of my jacket.
Her eyes sparkle with amusement as she laughs. “Not inside our place. We need to go out for me to show it to you.”
Hmm. I don’t like the sound of that. But then my attention snags on something she said. Our place. She thinks of this as our place, and I love the sound of that. This weekend, sometime when we’re lazing on the couch, I’ll broach the topic of making our living arrangement a permanent one. It’s a selfish move, sure, because I want her with me all the time, but I’m hoping she feels the same way. “Do I have time to change at least?”
She eyes her slim platinum wristwatch. “Nope.” And then she pulls me out the door.
“Okay, okay.” I try to ease back into my jacket while she tugs me to the elevators. “Where are we going?”
Her mouth curves into a mysterious smile. “It’s a surprise.”
A TAXI DROPS us off in Silver Lake, a trendy neighborhood known for its hipster grunge and artisanal coffee shops.
After stepping out of the car, I study the lamplit street and turn to her. “This is where you wanted to take me?”
She bounces in place, her eyes glittering with excitement, and I can’t help soaking in the positive vibes. Whatever the surprise is, it’s making her glow. She takes my hand and points across the street. “There.”
A brick-front establishment with a sign that reads Musicology sits in the middle of the block. “What am I looking at?”
She blows out a breath as though the answer is obvious. “It’s a music store. Come.”
We run across the street, and I follow her inside. She strides to the back, confidence in her step. Obviously, she’s been here before. Soon, we’re passing a dozen small music rooms, until she stops in front of one. “This is my room,” she says with a smile. “Well, not my room all the time, but as of today I’m renting it, and I’ll be offering guitar lessons here starting next week.”
I’m so blown away by her announcement that I step back and lean against the door across from hers. “Wait. You’ll be teaching music here?”
She nods, her eyes wide and bright. “Yes, a few days a week until I phase out my job with the airline.” She worries her lip and watches me. “And I chose this location because the indie music scene is great in this neighborhood, or so one of my coworkers tells me. Figured I could see about getting a few gigs at bars and coffee shops in the area. Oh, and I signed up for open mic night at Muddy’s tomorrow night. Think you could come and cheer me on?”
“Definitely.”
She breathes out. “So that’s the surprise. I might go broke within a few months, my savings will only take me so far, and I’ll need to pay rent at some point, but I’d like to try.”
My heart expands in my chest, full of happiness for her. She’s tamping down the doubt and aiming for the life she wants. I push off the wall, take her hand, and pull her close, my fingers tipping up her chin. “I’m so proud of you, baby. And don’t worry about rent. My place is bought and paid for.”
She looks up at me, her brown eyes blinking. “Wait. You want me to stay with you? Indefinitely?”
“I do. Would you like to?”
She rises on her toes and leans in for a kiss. It’s tender and sweet, the latter because I can taste traces of sugar and berries on her tongue.
“Someone had dessert already.”
Her cheeks turn rosy. “Cherry hand pie from Whole Foods. It’s my new favorite.”
I lick my lips as though I’m tasting her on my tongue. “You’re my new favorite.”
Her eyes gloss over, and she gives me a sultry smile. “Let’s go home, then. I’d like to verify that fact.”
I mimic a robot, my voice and movements stiff and measured. “Commencing verification process in T minus twenty.”
WE DON’T GET beyond closing the door before we’re smashed together in a tangle of chests, arms, and mouths. She pulls down the bodice of her sundress while I chuck my shirt and jacket behind me.
I’m toeing off my shoes when her tits appear in my line of vision. “Holy shit, Ash. No bra? If killing me was your goal, consider it done.”
She laughs against my shoulder, her hands working quickly below her waist. I take a step back and see her panties drop to her ankles. They’re peach colored, just like the nail polish on her toes. I scramble to unbutton my slacks, but her hands get there before mine.
She’s panting as she gives me instructions. “I’ll get the zipper. You get the condom. Please be quick.”
My hand flies behind me to my wallet. If I don’t have protection in there, I will beat the shit out of myself and then turn my body over to her for a second pummeling.
“Hurry,” she says as she pulls down my zipper and tugs my pants down my thighs.
I’m still riding the high of her new venture. To me, it’s one of the hottest things she’s ever done. I want to be inside her and show her how fucking proud I am of her with each stroke. My fingers, the stupid fuckers, don’t want to cooperate, though, and I’m having trouble sifting through my wallet. Finally, I see the packet, and I actually think I might cry in relief.
She sees the condom at the same moment she pulls my cock out of my boxer briefs. “Oh God, oh God, oh God.” She grabs the packet out of my trembling fingers and sheathes me in seconds, shouting “done” like she’s just completed a Quickfire Challenge on Top Chef.
I grab the skirt of her dress and bunch it up to her waist. “I’m sorry if I ruin it, but I need it out of the way.”
Her eyes are drowsy and hooded, her cheeks suffused with heat. “S’okay. Don’t care.” I lean into her and slide a finger up her slit, but her hand comes down on me like a band of steel. Her eyes are fiery with determination. “No, I want you, not your fingers. And not in five minutes, not even in five seconds. Now.”
More than happy to give her what she wants, I hook her leg over my arm, stretching her wide, and press my chest into hers until her back hits the door. She grasps my shoulders, her gorgeous breasts bouncing as she adjusts to the position. With my free hand, I guide my cock to her entrance, bend my knees, and push up into her in one fluid movement.
Her high-pitched cry fuels me. So I pull out slowly and slam back into her.
“Yes, that’s it, Julian. That’s it.”
“Holy fuck, Ash. Your pussy is hot and tight, and I cannot believe how fucking good it feels to be inside you.”
Her hands slip to my waist as I fuck her harder and faster. I can’t get enough of her, and I’m determined to make her come hard. I trail my free hand up her body and slide my thumb inside her parted mouth. “Bite down if you need to.”
Her love-drunk eyes widen as I slam into her over and over again, and then she clamps down on my fingers, a whimper escaping her throat as she convulses around me. When Ashley’s coming down, I begin the climb, my finger still stinging from her bite. She leans over, that left-of-center smile turning wicked. “This pussy is yours.”
Just as she expected, I detonate, my body shuddering against her as I grip her thigh. Several explosive aftershocks hit me before it’s over. Breathless, I lazily roam my hands over her body as we right ourselves. I try to catch my breath while I ease out of her, but it’s a challenge. “That was incredible.”
She meets my gaze, her eyes soft and her mouth plump and relaxed. “It was.”
Can it get any better than this?
IT CAN’T.
In fact, within a few days I discover it can only get worse.
Fresh from his honeymoon and at my request, Carter saunters into SCM in the late afternoon wearing a hoodie, jeans, and his Blackfin sunglasses. The office stops churning, and half the personnel scramble to get a glimpse of him.
I can easily picture his scrawny teenage chest as he dribbled a basketball in front of his house. My, how times have changed.
He smiles at everyone and shakes a few hands as he approaches my office, his trademark charm in overdrive. We give each other a pound, and then he flops down onto one of the two armchairs facing my desk.
“So now my best friend, the big agent, is summoning me to his office to update me on business matters?”
I round the desk and sit. “Chill. I have reasons. And you’re going to thank me when you hear what I have to say.”
He sits up. “You have my attention.”
“First, how was your vacation?”
He smiles, and his eyes light up. “Perfect. Spent most of it in bed. Hence, the perfection.”
“And Tori?”
“Back to work. And trying to convince Eva to move to LA.”
“Good Lord. Those two together in this town?” I pretend to shudder. “Pray for everyone.”
“I thought the same thing. Tori wants her here, though, and I want what Tori wants.”
I grin. “Because you’re whipped.”
“Definitely.” He looks around the office, impatient as usual. “So why’d you need to see me?” He tucks his chin into his chest, looks up at me, and bats his eyelashes. “I mean, other than wanting to see my handsome face.”
I shake my head at him before speaking. “It’s confirmed. Barry Sanderson wants you to be the leading star in his next big-budget project, one the studio execs hope will be a franchise. Think The Matrix meets The Hunger Games with a little humor thrown in. He wants you to read the script, and you’ll need to do a few reads, of course, but he says he knows enough about your work to be confident you’re his top choice.”
Carter leans forward and widens his eyes. “Holy shit.”
“Holy shit, exactly. This is huge, man.” It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us both. Given that he’s uncharacteristically silent, I suspect he understands the significance of this development.
Carter leans back in his chair and stares at me. “You read the script?”
I shake my head. “No. We’d both have to sign a nondisclosure agreement before we can even see it, which is why I brought you in. Once he receives our NDAs, Sanderson will send a courier with two copies. Nothing’s definite, but this is the first step in a major deal if you like what you read.”
He massages the back of his neck as he processes the news. After several seconds, he swipes his hand down his face and gives me a wow-this-is-happening smile. “Okay. Where do we go from here?”
I pick up the folder with the nondisclosure forms. “I’ve read through them, and the legal department says this is standard verbiage, so take a look and if you’re cool with it, sign on the dotted line. I’ll get them faxed to Sanderson, and we should be good to go.”
He rubs his hands together while he shakes his head. “Man, this is incredible.” He reads through the one-page agreement and signs it.
“Give me a sec,” I tell him, and then I step out of my office and arrange for Marie to fax the agreements to Sanderson. Within a minute, I get an email from the director’s assistant letting me know a courier is on the way.
When I return, Carter’s texting.
“I’m going to pretend you’re not texting Tori after signing a nondisclosure agreement.”
“You do that,” Carter says without looking up. “And there’s nothing incriminating in this text anyway. Just checking if she’s up for celebrating some undisclosed major news.”
“Hey, you could do that at Muddy’s in Silver Lake. Your sister’s performing at open mic night.”
He looks up from his phone. “She is? She didn’t tell us.”
“Yeah. She figured you’d be wiped out and wouldn’t want to venture out. I promised I’d be in her cheering section, though.”
He nods absently. “That’ll work.”
And this will give us the opportunity to let him know Ash and I are together now. It’s a perfect setup.
“What time?” he asks.
Before I can respond, Sooyin rushes into my office without knocking, her expression grim. She skids to a stop when she spots Carter. “Oh shoot, sorry!”
I dismiss her apology with a wave. “Don’t worry about it. We’re just finishing up.”
Carter rises while she holds out her hand and introduces herself. “Carter Stone, it’s great to meet you. Sooyin Liú. I’m an agent in the Film Group.”
“Hey, Sooyin. Good to meet you, too.”
“Sanderson is sending the script over,” I tell her.
It’s not a fact I’d publicize to any other agent here, but Sooyin’s my friend, and she’s walked me through the potential pitfalls of a deal with the studio, so she’s fully aware of the stakes.
“Hey, that’s great news,” Sooyin says. “I’ve worked with him before. An upstanding guy in a sea of assholes.” She lowers her voice. “Just so you know, Sanderson is very protective of his ideas, and he’s a bit . . . well, let’s just say he’s eccentric.”
“We’ve heard,” Carter and I say in unison.
A rat-a-tat knock causes all of us to spin our heads toward the door. Without waiting for me to answer, Quinn sticks his head in. “Heard one of our favorite clients was in the hizzouse.”
Sooyin and I glance at each other, our version of a mental eye roll.
Carter reaches over and shakes Quinn’s hand. “Hey, how you doin’, Quinn?”
“Great, great.” He points at me. “This guy taking care of you? Because if he isn’t, I’ll throw him out on his butt in a heartbeat.” Then he roars with laughter. But he and I both know he’s not joking.
Carter’s bland expression matches his monotone. “Julian always takes good care of me. You have nothing to worry about there.”
I’m relieved he kept it professional and didn’t refer to our friendship in some way. That would have irked me, and he knows it.
Quinn’s smile slides off his face when he realizes Carter isn’t amused. “Well, glad to hear everything’s going well.” He peers at me. “We’ll talk later.” Then he rushes out the door.
Sooyin slaps the tops of her thighs before she pushes her butt off the edge of my desk. “I need to get back to work. It was great meeting you, Carter.”
Before she disappears down the hall, I poke my head out of my office. “Psst, why’d you stop by?”
She spins, shuffles back to me, and drops her voice to a whisper. “More gossip. As expected, Quinn canned Manning late last night. The scuttlebutt is that they’re looking to fire three more in your group by the end of the quarter. Just wanted to give you a heads-up, but with a Sanderson deal in play, I’d say you have nothing to worry about.”
Damn. Poor Manning’s fate was sealed the minute he embarrassed Quinn. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Now go celebrate. We’ll talk next week.”
“Thanks.”
After I sit back down in my chair, Carter pulls out his phone. “Pictures of the honeymoon.” He hands it to me. “Check ’em out.”
I bet he can’t fathom that I don’t have any interest in looking at them. He gets this bad habit from his father. Reminds me of my sister, Nicole, who shares photos of my niece with me while Sophia is sitting on my lap. Thankfully, the gods take pity on me and Marie rings to let me know the courier’s here with the Sanderson scripts. Soon I’ll be able to send Carter away and finish my work in time to get over to Muddy’s.
Less than a minute later, Sanderson himself is at my office door.
Well, shit. This changes everything.