Plucked, polished, and primed, Beth arrived at Wilde’s bistro two minutes late with her heart already racing. She was never late. Never. But she also never strode into a stranger’s room and threw herself into their bed, so if there was ever a month to try out new things, then this was it. She’d stood in the parking lot and counted down. Grim probably wasn’t even there yet and she didn’t want to seem too eager. One minute ticked into two and then she couldn’t stand there any longer. She pushed through the doors into the bistro.

He was there. Sitting at a table by himself, a glass of red wine already in his hand. Beth’s breath caught in the back of her throat like it did whenever she saw him and the cold nerves slid over her skin trying to turn her into a solid ice sculpture. One that would be dripping all over the carpet if she didn’t get her shit together. You got this. The princess always got the prince, right? WWMWD? Mae West would saunter over, run a finger down Grim’s neck, and make sure she got his attention and kept it. Okay. Grow a pair, girl. Time to grab your gorgeous future by its denim-clad balls. Beth pulled at the black-and-red fifties dress she hoped said sultry rather than slutty and straightened her shoulders.

And then five bikers walked over and surrounded him. Damn it.

“You said you had something to share?” It was the guy, Martinez, who had shown up at Rusty’s shop the other day.

Grim nodded. “I’ve heard things. About one of your guys coming from out of town with some links to another gang.”

Martinez sat down on the chair and leaned in. “What other gang?”

“The Reapers.”

Beth stiffened. Was Grim talking about Rusty? She turned slightly and tried to look like she was there to meet someone else. But she must have been more obvious than she realized as one of the other Hell’s boys noticed her and nudged Martinez. He stood. “Looks like you’ve got company.”

Beth closed the distance between then and Grim took her hand. “So you’re Beth.” He looked up at her and there they were, the deep dark pools of his eyes. The gaze that had ripped through her from the movie screen when she’d first realized that Grim was the one for her. The one who held her future in his hands. “We’ve missed you in the bar, haven’t we, boys?” His voice might not be as deep as Rusty’s but it was still bone-destroyingly intoxicating. On film, it was evened out, softer, but in real life it was rough, his consonants broken at the edges as if he smoked a couple of packs of cigarettes a day. Oh shit, Beth realized, he probably did. Cigarette smoke gave her a headache. People work through that stuff every day. Chill.

“Guess we’ll leave you alone, seeing as you’ve got company,” Martinez said. “We’ll talk later. But if what you’re saying is true, and anyone else knows about it, watch yourself.” They left.

Beth was still standing, so slid as gracefully as she could manage into her seat. “Everything okay?”

Grim waved a hand. “It’ll be fine. Sure. Fine.” But his eyes didn’t match his voice. He was worried, nervous, she realized. Time to put him at ease.

“I wasn’t sure if you knew who I was.”

“Of course. You worked in the bar, right?”

Beth beamed. “Yes. But only part time. I’m an actress.” Beth let her shoulders fall back and her girls take center stage.

His eyes traveled down her chest and lingered before heading back to her eyes. Round one to the girls.

“Right. Great. Another actor. Cool.” He sat back in his chair, finally focused on her. “Have I seen you in anything?”

This was good. This was polite conversation, right? So what if they hadn’t ever gotten to talk when she was at Wilde’s. He probably had to ration out what he remembered, given that he was working on scripts all day every day. “Oh, probably not. I only just got to town and they don’t screen any of the stuff I shot in Australia over here.” A white lie but a small one. She’d hardly only just got to town, but telling him all the auditions she’d managed to get to in the last six months had turned to nothing was hardly a great way to start a relationship. The last part was true anyway, they certainly wouldn’t show any of the pet food and dishwasher powder commercials she’d shot in Australia in LA. She toyed with her wineglass, acutely aware that the other women in the restaurant would have sent poison-tipped darts into her back with their eyes if they could. Her skin was alive with the sensation of being watched, as if she was already on-screen.

“Australia. So like Home and Away? I’ve seen old episodes on cable.” He tipped his head to the side, giving her a full up and down and Beth felt the blush reaching up from the bottom of her feet to spread sticky fingers over every part of her. His pupils dilated, making his eyes even darker, and he licked his lips. Round two to the dress.

“They usually have blondes on that show, right? Ever thought of going blond? Have to admit I’ve got a thing for blondes.”

You got him. He was watching her closely, his handsome face open in a smile, his eyes trained on her, and only her. “I’ve thought about it. I could probably go more strawberry blond.” She tried her best sexy kitten purr but it didn’t quite come out right. Probably because what she was saying wasn’t true. She looked awful with blond hair. Her pale skin faded to practically nothing and she looked like a homeless ghost.

Plan A had been to chat with him, get advice, make him realize that she was serious about his world, and get him to invite her into it because of her wit and charm. Plan B had been to let the girls do most of the work and then reel him in with her wit and charm. Looks like plan B and the girls might win the day.

“I’ve just come off shooting a film with an amazing blonde. She’s not from here either. Maybe you know her. Where were you from again?”

“Australia.”

“Maybe that’s it. Started with an A, but she’s got a different accent. What else sounds like Australia?”

Was he really asking her if she knew an unnamed actor because she came from somewhere starting with an A? The warm puddle of honey that her confidence had been feeding on shrank a little. “Austria?”

“Hey, yeah, Austria. Is that close to you? Do you know her?”

OMFG. “What’s her name?”

“Nancy? No, Nelle, no, Nadia. Yeah, Nadia, that’s it.”

She waited but that was all he gave her. “Nadia from Austria. I don’t think so.”

“Well, you guys should definitely meet, she could give you some advice seeing as you’re new in town.”

“Yeah. Sure. Sounds great.”

A waiter approached with two plates of food. “Thank Christ, I’m starving. I ordered a platter to share. Feel free to order some other stuff too. Hope you’re hungry.” He beamed and for a moment, her disbelief at his question faded and she saw the handsome man in front of her as if a spotlight was focused on him. His smile filled his whole face, and his eyes warmed, brimming with laughter. It made you want to be with him, be the one that had brought such light into the world. This was what was going to make him a star. This and his ability to play the bad boy. Then his smile faded and she missed it instantly.

A stack of ribs with all the trimmings was placed in the center of the table and Beth pushed out her own smile, but it felt like it might crack her face right off. She caught the waiter by the shirtsleeve. “Could you bring me some bread, please? And a salad?”

Grim nodded approvingly. “Great idea. I’ll have some bread too.” He lifted his wine to her and ripped a giant hunk of meat from the edge of his first rib. The certainty she’d felt under the full-beam of the smile was gone.

Pecking at the salad greens on the side of the plate then giving up when she realized they’d been drowned in rib sauce too, Beth focused on Grim. Stick to the plan. “You like blondes, red wine, and ribs. Anything else?”

He grinned at her. “Oh yes. Fast cars, mad cash, and rabbits.”

She laughed. “Rabbits?”

His grin got broader. “The floppy-eared kind. I had one as a kid. Big pile of white fluff.”

Just when she was wondering if her Prince Charming was seriously lacking in charm, he pulled that out. This was good. This was flirting, right? “I never had any pets. But I always wanted one. What was its name?”

“Fluffalina.”

“Cute.”

“Sort of. Scratched the fuck out of me mostly. But I’m a sucker for punishment. Especially from cute girls.” His smile was still broad, but it was dirtier. Darker.

She changed the subject. “So, given you’re the Hollywood expert, maybe you could take me under your wing and share some tips?”

He grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth. “Sure. It’s all about being seen. People keep seeing you enough they think there must be something going on. Especially if you’re at the right places.”

“Right places?”

“You know, gatherings. Events. Parties.”

“Of course. Right.” The one Hollywood party she’d managed to get invited to had been full of people dressed as Victorian lords and ladies. Even the poodle had been dressed up. When she’d walked in wearing a bikini and sun wrap, everyone had looked her up and down then turned away. She’d left early.

Beth started toying with a strand of hair and then forcibly stopped herself. This was it. This was when she made her move and made her future happen. Dropping her voice lower she stroked her neck, letting her finger trail down to her collarbone and off to the side. “I do love to party.”

His eyes followed her finger as she took it back up the side of her neck, along her jaw, and ended on her lips. Catching her eyes, he blinked, then smiled, softly. Not the full smile but an echo of it. Then holding her gaze he took another enormous bite of the ribs.

Really? Why did he have to like ribs? Of all the things. But as if he heard her thoughts he set down his food and wiped his mouth again. “Perhaps you, me, and Austrian Nadia could go to a party together sometime.”

Really, really? “Perhaps,” she managed. “But I don’t know Nadia. I do know I want to get to know you better though.”

“I’m sure we can sort that out.” He went back to his ribs and Beth kept the smile on her face, almost devouring the bread rolls in one gulp when they arrived. In between him stripping his ribs bare he told her about his life. Well, he told her about his things. About his car, his condo, his new set of golf clubs. When he moved on to how he was trying to get a sponsorship deal with Rolex and showed her a watch glinting with gold, Beth wasn’t sure she had it in her to hold the tight smile without letting it set her face permanently, as if rigor mortis had arrived early.

“What about when you were starting out?” she asked when he paused. “How did you get your first big break?”

“I slept with the casting director.” He waited and then laughed. “Just joking. I did what you’re doing. I asked around. I went to some parties, then I slept with the casting director.”

She laughed along with him, but the creeping feeling on her skin grew stronger and she couldn’t tell whether he was joking or not.

“And did you always want to act?”

“I knew I wanted my life to be bigger than it’d been back home,” he said. “I wanted to make something of myself, you know, be a name, a someone. Not have to worry about where my next meal is coming from like we did growing up.”

“You grew up in poverty?” Her heart immediately softened. Of course he and Rusty would want to have big shiny things around them if they’d grown up with nothing.

“We weren’t living in a car or anything, but my folks were focused on providing for others. I mean, it’s great and all, but focusing on your family first is what counts, don’t you think?

She nodded like she understood. Family did come first where she was from, but it sounded more like Grim was resentful of his parents for sharing their love, rather than that he’d missed out on any of it. And he hadn’t really answered her question. “But you love acting now? It was the right choice?”

He shrugged. “It’s fun enough. And it’s not like it’s hard or anything. But it’s mostly boring. All that standing around.”

“And it’s not like it’s hard or anything.” His words ran around in her head like it was an echo chamber. Rusty had told her at least three times over the past couple of days how hard acting must be and how he appreciated her helping his team to work out how to be in front of the camera.

“Hey, you haven’t eaten any of the ribs.” He looked genuinely crestfallen and Beth would have sighed in relief if it hadn’t been obvious she’d been doing it. He cared. Obviously he cared about the people around him. He just had to put up barriers about certain things. That’s what anyone in the public eye would do, right?

“I wasn’t that hungry,” she said.

“Oh? You sure?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

“Great. Well, shall we get out of here then?” The crestfallen face fell away as swiftly as it had appeared.

“Absolutely.” She stood, relieved to be moving. “Where to next?”

“Just through to the bar. I need to smooth some things out.” He nodded at someone over her shoulder.

“Oh.” She tried not to let the disappointment through but obviously failed.

“Call it research; that’s what I do. Some of the guys are extras in a film I’m doing next.”

He paid—points to Grim—and when they walked out of the bistro he put a hand on the small of her back. That was nice, gentlemanly.

But in the bar, none of the men really involved her in conversation. She stood, just to the side of Grim, his hand now gesturing wildly about a move he’d had to do on-set rather than resting on her back, and she watched his animated face race through a bevy of emotions.

Standing next to him at the bar, she realized he was a little taller than Rusty. But rather than making her feel protected, she just sort of felt . . . short, next to him.

Watching him talk to the other men she realized why the camera liked him and why he’d fallen into acting. His body moved with a slow grace that was captivating. And in contrast to Rusty, his face told his mind’s story. Was that a talent? Maybe. Certainly helped him look good. It wasn’t like he’d had any big speaking roles yet. She coughed. That was unfair. He was clearly talented and whether he wanted to act or not, Hollywood had come knocking. That counted for something.

The tension of earlier had reappeared. Grim was putting on a good show, but she didn’t buy it, and neither, it seemed, did anyone else. Martinez was stiff, watching, and Grim kept glancing at her and then away. Then he turned to her and brought her into the conversation as if he’d read her mind. The others didn’t say much but they all nodded and grinned at Grim’s story about Austrian Nadia and how she’d managed to ride a bike on-set in a dress without showing anyone her panties. It was sorta funny. Sorta. Kinda. A little bit. But Beth chuckled along in all the right places and watched Grim out of the corner of her eye. When his hand lingered on the small of her back again, her skin tingled and pepped her up. When she knocked back the shot of tequila that he bought her she felt better. He wanted her at his side. For support. For friendship. This was good. She was getting her plan back on track.

“Tell us an audition story, babe,” Grim said and Beth beamed. He called me babe. And she had the perfect story.

“I was in this office full of women, all of them gorgeous, but none of them with quite the same . . . assets . . . as I have,” she started. The bikers grumbled a measure of appreciation and when Grim gave her a little squeeze of encouragement Beth wanted to squeal with joy. She cleared her voice instead. “I get called into the casting room, handed a script, and there’s two dead-faced guys sitting at a desk. ‘If you could read from the top of page two,’ they say. I look at the script, scan the first few lines to get my head in it and realize it’s a kid’s movie. I’m reading a cat. I start giving it my best hellllllo, this couldn’t be more purrfect.”

Beth watched the crowd. Martinez’s eyes flicked between her and Grim, but the rest of the Hell’s boys were avidly waiting for the punchline. “Then one of the guys stands up. Right in the middle of my lines. ‘This is shit,’ he says.”

“What an ass,” one of the younger Hell’s boys said and Beth could have kissed him. “I know, right? But it happens. But the other guy stands up then too. ‘This is not shit. It’s comedy.’ So now I’m interested. They start going at it, turns out they’re the writers and one of them wanted this character to be a cat, the other one wanted it to be a dog. I shit you not,” she said to the smirk from Martinez. “Then, the guy who stood up first grabs the other one and starts kissing him.”

“On the mouth?” The young Hell’s guy’s eyes were wide, he was totally invested in her story.

Beth nodded. “They have this big heart-to-heart about going back to the drawing board and maybe switching out the cat for a mongoose.”

“No fucking way.”

“Yes, fucking way.”

“What did you do?” Grim asked, his eyes bright with humor.

“I put the script down on a chair and started walking to the door. And when I got there I gave them a meow and got the hell out of there.”

Grim laughed sharply. “That’s Hollywood. Nice story, babe.” He handed her another shot of tequila and she downed it, feeling triumphant. This was good. The plan was definitely back on track.

But after her third shot of tequila on a stomach empty of everything except two tiny bread rolls and a sad-looking salad, she wasn’t sure what the plan had been. Grim was her happily-ever-after, Prince Charming and all, right? So wasn’t he supposed to be putting her on a white horse about now? Now, wait, he’d owned a white horse as a kid and wanted her to dress up like a princess and ride it. No, wait, it was a white rabbit, right, in a hat? . . . She closed her eyes to stop herself swaying and for a moment the bar shrank, the blackness of her mind filling up with the contact of Grim’s hand on her back. Only it wasn’t Grim’s hand on her back. It was Rusty’s. Rusty. Was he in the plan?

“You’re sure about everything?” It was Martinez. The other bikers had drifted off and it was just the three of them standing together. Sure about what? She’d missed something while she was daydreaming about horses and rabbits.

“I’m sure. Just keep it on the down-low. Don’t want it getting around. But I don’t want the idiot getting himself into trouble either. This is between the two of us,” Grim said.

“This is bigger than the two of us.”

“Doesn’t need to be,” Grim said.

She frowned, trying to work out what they were talking about. “Whatz did I miiiish?”

Martinez and Grim looked at her as if they’d forgotten she was there.

“This conversation isn’t over. Don’t say anything else to anyone.” Martinez left abruptly and Beth couldn’t work out what she’d missed.

“Few too many tequilas, huh? Think it’s time to get you home.”

Beth opened her eyes and found Grim right in her field of vision. His dark eyes swam before her and she looked to see how similar they were to Rusty’s, a few shades lighter, she realized. More of an amber color at their depths and with flecks of gold. Rusty’s were an oil slick over hot chocolate. Dark, deep, a place to drown, and probably not very good for you.

“Sorry I’ve been a bit distracted all night. Those boys wanted to talk. And it’s not a good idea to turn them down. Need a ride home?” Grim said.

That was nice. Gentlemanly. “I’m . . .” She stopped herself from saying she’d just moved to Rusty’s and focused on making her words come out clearly. “I’m not far away. I’ll call a cab.” She was nervous, now that the evening was at a close. She could feel the tequila rushing around her. It would be too easy to mess this up, and she didn’t want to mess this up. Not with Grim.

“You don’t have to, you know.” He pulled a lock of her hair from behind her ear and wound it around his finger. “We’ve hardly gotten to know each other yet. No more bikers to distract us now. You can tell me all about Austria.”

“Australia.”

“Yeah. You can tell me all about it. I bet the girls over there are real go-getters, you seem like the type to make things happen.”

She smiled, the tequila making her bold. “I came over here to make things happen, that’s for sure.” His hand on her hip was nice. Warm. And the way his fingers toyed at the belt on her dress . . . she realized his thumb was in her belt loop and she was suddenly pulled to his side.

“You sure you need to leave?”

This was it, the moment she pulled his chin down to hers and finished all the things she’d started with Rusty. But Grim beat her to it. His mouth met hers and she waited for the honey-lust to take over her body. There was a stirring, her heartbeat speeding up a little, but she wasn’t ready to rip off his clothes, not like she had been with Rusty. Must be too much tequila.

“Not bad, kitty cat. But I think you can do better,” he growled when he pulled back. His voice held less gravel than Rusty’s, she realized. As if Rusty’s bike had kicked it up into the back of his throat and it got lodged there. Grim’s tone should have been joint-looseningly sexy, no, it was, it was sexy, but . . . but Rusty’s voice makes you melt harder and faster. To shut off her mind she wound her hands around Grim’s neck and pulled him down into another kiss. His lips pillowed against hers, his hands captured her whole waist and brought her closer. It was a nice kiss. A nice kiss.

“I can get us a room upstairs.”

Beth smoothed her hands down the front of his chest and discovered the hard planes that lay under his shirt. Not quite as broad as Rusty’s. She shook her head then looked up into his eyes but had to focus hard to see him properly. “Let’s make sure that happens. But not tonight. I’ll give you my number.” The words rolled out of her easily, the tequila smoothing their way. She’d been ready to do whatever it took to get Grim’s attention that night when she was desperate and scared she’d never get another shot. But now that she had Grim’s eyes on her, watching her, undressing her as she stood there, showing her that he had most definitely noticed her, she wanted to keep them on her. For good. She wanted it all, prince, white horse, the full fairy tale, and that didn’t happen if you fell into bed with a guy on the first date.

“Okay.” He plugged her digits into his phone and walked her to the door, her cab already waiting at the curb.

“I had a really nice time,” she said, aware, even in her drunken state that she was gushing.

“Me too. Sure you don’t want to make it a better time?”

“Good things come to those that wait. I should know, I’ve been waiting for you for a while.”

He grinned. “I’ll see if there’s any jobs going on the film I’m in, shall I?”

“Oh, that would be fantastic!” There, they had a connection already, she could feel it. She smiled up at him and Grim winked at her. “Least I can do for a buddy of my brother’s. I’ll see you soon, babe.”

And he walked back into the bar.

Sliding into the seat of the car, Beth watched Wilde’s slip away into darkness as they drove off. She allowed herself a moment to gloat. She’d done it, she’d kissed her biggest crush, and she was going to see him again. When he’d put her in the spotlight she’d shone and she’d seen the way his face lit up with pride. When he wasn’t distracted by bikers and work, they’d fall into each other’s arms and realize what a great fit they were for each other.

Back at Rusty’s she stole upstairs as quietly as she could. The last thing she wanted was to discuss her night with Grim’s brother. And yet . . . and yet the only thing she wanted was to discuss her night with Grim’s brother. She peered into the living space but the TV was off and there was no light from under Rusty’s door. He was either out or asleep. The thought of him being out, being with another woman, suddenly stuck a sharp pin in her side and Beth rubbed at the spot unconsciously.

She’d dozed in the taxi on the ride home and didn’t feel quite as drunk. Once she’d crawled into bed, Beth pulled her notebook from the dresser beside it.

1. Date Grim McKinley.

2. Get him laughing, show him acting skills.

3. Get involved. Become invaluable, the girl on his arm that he needs.

4. Attend galas with him and get introduced to the right people.

5. Get more auditions with people who already want to give me work.

6. Get more work.

7. Become stupidly successful and make my parents proud.

It was a short list. A plan in bullet points. But Beth smiled as she put a stroke through the first line. Her pen hesitated over the second. They’d made conversation, she’d gotten him to laugh, and her audition story had been a hit.

Just then her phone pinged with a text.

GOOD TO MEET YOU, AUSTRALIAN BETH. WILL KEEP AN EAR OUT FOR ANY JOBS I CAN SUGGEST YOU FOR. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN.

Beth all but hugged the phone and looked at her list. Yes, she drew a definitive black line through number two. Setting her notebook back on the dresser, she pulled her spare pillow to her chest and snuggled under the covers. The tension in her body dissipated. She was on track. She had this. Grim might not have been the most spectacular kisser, and he might have some stuff going on, but they’d both been a bit drunk—first dates were always like that, right? She’d soon learn how to open him up. He’d texted already. He’d even remembered where she was from, unlike poor Nadia. That was good, wasn’t it?

Yes. She rolled over and tried to turn her brain off. Tomorrow was another day.

Another day with Rusty. Sure, it was with Rusty, but she was going to turn the work to her favor. Their show would get aired, she’d get a writer’s credit even while she was on Grim’s arm at all the right parties, she’d get taken more seriously by Hollywood, and the world would start opening up. Beth Ravens was here for the long haul, and becoming part of ElizaGrim was only going to make that happen more smoothly. WWMWD? Mae West would roll up her sleeves and make sure she got what she wanted. Beth checked the text from Grim again and then tucked it under her pillow to keep his promise safe. The plan was on track, and all she had to do was roll up her own sleeves and stick to it.