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Driven and ambitious, Andi McFadden has wanted to be a television producer for as long as she can remember. She was fortunate enough to be mentored by one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, and after paying her dues she’s now the producer of her own show. Just before accepting the new position she had what she thought would be a one-night stand with Harley Joseph, one of the hottest actors in town. Now she discovers there’s been a last-minute change and he’s been cast as the star of her new show.
Harley uses his considerable sensual talents to seduce Andi back into his bed, but because of their working relationship she insists that they keep their relationship a secret. However, it’s almost impossible to keep their passion concealed in the close confines of a busy production studio, and they have several close calls. Meanwhile Andi discovers that she’s not Harley’s only secret.
Can their fragile relationship with stand the business, or it will it crumble...along with her career?
Andi locked eyes across a crowded room with what had to be the most fuckable man in the entire Western Hemisphere and had to struggle to look away. She knew it was a damnable cliché, but the attraction was just that instantaneous. Of course, she wasn’t the only woman to have that reaction. After all, the blond stallion she was exchanging heated glances with was Harley Joseph, one of the hottest actors in town. Every woman there wanted a piece of that, and she’d never been one to join a queue. Though there was something about this one that made her question her long-standing policy. However, in a roomful of starlets and other hotties-of-the-week, she didn’t have a chance of attracting his attention in the first place. She took another sip of her champagne and tried to think about something else. Attendance at the annual Christmas bash thrown by her boss, Myron, was mandatory, and she had looked forward to the opportunity to let down her hair a bit and have some fun. His wife, Bunny Ellison, was an avaricious bitch, a puma in pearls, but Andi had to give credit where it was due -- she threw a helluva party.
She glanced at Harley again, panicking a bit when she realized he was headed her way. It had been a long time since she’d been so strongly attracted to a man. If the way he was cutting a smooth swath through the crowd was any indication, he felt the same magnetic lure she did. That was more than a little bit scary. Harley Joseph had a reputation as a player extraordinaire. She was no slouch, but he was totally out of her league. He moved like a professional dancer or the wiliest athlete. Even in the mad crush of the party, it seemed that the crowd just parted for him with minimal effort on his part.
When he finally reached her side, he just stared down at her for a long, intense moment. Feeling light-headed, Andi realized she’d stopped breathing as she fell into those peridot green depths. She inhaled, trying to regain her bearings; instead she got a lungful of his tangy scent, which only increased her arousal. His lips moved into a slow smile, drawing her attention to the sensuous curve of his full bottom lip. Andi felt chills up her spine when he followed that smile with a low chuckle. God, the man was almost inhumanly sexy! She could tell from the long muscles displayed by his expertly tailored Prada tuxedo that he was physically active, tall, with an athletic build. He had a thick head of the type of overlong, tousled blond hair every male actor in town spent thousands of dollars to achieve with the latest celebrity hairstylist -- but somehow she suspected that his was natural. It looked as though he simply could not be bothered to have it cut and styled on a regular basis. There was something incredibly appealing about a man who made sure that his tuxedo fit to a tee, yet didn’t really give a damn what his hair looked like.
His lips were moving again, and Andi realized he had asked a question. Like a gauche schoolgirl, she was forced to ask him to repeat it. His smile widened; he obviously realized why she was so distracted. He repeated the question for her.
“Who are you, and why has Myron been hiding you from me?” He paused for a moment, stroking his chin. “Actually, scratch the second part of that question.” He made an encompassing gesture toward her. “I think the answer is obvious.”
Andi shook her head and was unable to resist giving him her best smile. “He doesn’t hide me anywhere. I’m a writer on one of his shows.”
“Well, hell. All the writers I know are potbellied old farts with red noses from too many three-martini lunches. Myron’s been trying to get me down there forever. If I’d had any idea he had writers like you hanging around…”
“I’ve been known to enjoy a martini or two myself, but despite the season, I don’t think my nose has turned red yet.”
Harley smiled again. “I guess I need to grow some manners and introduce myself. I’m Harley Joseph. And you are?”
Andi nodded. “Yes, I recognized you from Myron’s pilot a few years back. Too bad that show wasn’t picked up. I think it would’ve been a winner.”
“No, I’m not exactly mourning that. I don’t think I’d particularly like doing television again. I got enough of that doing soaps, and you still haven’t told me your name.” He raised an inquiring brow.
Andi was stunned to hear herself giggle. Where the hell had that come from? She wasn’t exactly the giggling type. No more Veuve for you, girl. She scolded herself sternly as she extended her hand to Harley. “Andi McFadden. I’m Myron’s protégé and the assistant producer of High School Blues.”
Harley lowered his head, raising her hand to his lips. Andi gasped as a shudder coursed through her body when he stroked his full bottom lip across her palm. She bit off another exclamation as he raised his eyes to meet her own. Their bright color had deepened to an almost emerald green, and he made no attempt to hide the desire shimmering in their depths. He moved in closer, and she realized that he intended to kiss her right there in the crowded room. Though tempted to throw caution to the wind, she had enough presence of mind to realize that drawing attention to themselves was not a good idea, and suggested that they step into the study.
She was immediately glad that she had, because the minute they entered the empty room, Harley pulled her into his body and lowered his lips to meet her own. Harley was an expert kisser, and she felt his growl before he covered her mouth with his, sucking strongly on her tongue. She blinked, then gasped in response as pure heat surged from her lips straight to her clit. She’d never been so aroused in her life. Her response couldn’t be denied, and she practically launched herself at him, trying to get as close as possible to the thick erection that promised the relief she sought. Before she knew what had happened, she found herself pinned against the mahogany-paneled wall, one leg raised to Harley’s hip as he alternated between nipping and laving her neck. She could feel the heaviness of his arousal against her thigh and couldn’t resist the urge to rub against it. The only things keeping him from being inside her at that very moment were his trousers and a pair of very thin and very wet panties. She realized that they wouldn’t be a barrier for long when she felt him shifting her skirt even farther up her hips while fumbling for her panties. Andi reached for Harley’s hands; even in her severely aroused state she knew this wasn’t a good idea.
Harley raised his head from her neck, his face flushed and his voice so guttural with arousal, she could barely understand him. “What’s wrong, babe?”
Andi made a gesture toward the room and grabbed her glasses, knocked askew during the tempestuous kiss. “I can’t believe you’re asking that. We’re in Myron’s study, for Pete’s sake!” She lowered her leg, attempting to move away from him. He tightened his arm around her waist, preserving the contact.
“I locked the door when we came in here.”
Andi rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Harley, I don’t make a habit of having sex in my boss’s study!”
“Is that all? Ah hell. Myron won’t mind. We’re good friends. Besides, that old boy’s been around.”
Despite the difficulty presented by the difference in their heights, Andi forcefully extricated herself from his arms and moved away a safe distance. “Myron might not care, but I do.”
Harley took a moment to absorb that statement and paused, wiping his hands over his face. “Okay, now that the blood has returned to my brain, I’m capable of seeing your point.” He moved in closer and whispered, his voice a low and husky timbre, “Andi, do you want to be with me tonight?”
Andi’s eyes widened, and she bought some time to think by readjusting her glasses. “I don’t usually --”
Harley placed two fingers across her lips, shaking his head. “I don’t care about what you usually do. The only thing I want to know right now is: do you want to be with me tonight? Because I sure as hell want to be with you.”
Andi slowly nodded, unable to resist such a sensuous request.
Harley took her hand, raising it to his lips again before tucking it against his body as he raised his eyes heavenward. “Thank God. I really hate like hell to take cold showers this time of year.”
Andi found herself giggling again. Then, before she even had time for self-recrimination and doubt, he had maneuvered them out of the insanely crowded house and into his disreputably battered Jeep. The trip to her house wasn’t particularly long, but she couldn’t keep her hands off him for the relatively short trip. She explored the throbbing length of his cock through the lightweight wool of his tuxedo, squeezing her legs together in anticipation of feeling that thickness thrusting deep inside her. At each traffic light he grabbed her face and devoured her mouth again and again, until finally he pulled her hands away from his body.
“If you don’t stop right now, you’re going to find yourself getting the fucking of your life right here on the 101.”
Andi wasn’t necessarily opposed to the idea. In fact, only the very real possibility of arrest compelled her to keep her hands to herself. She stayed on her side of the car until they reached her condo in Echo Park.
“You know, you might want to consider moving back to civilization,” Harley mused as he helped her out of his Jeep.
“What can I say? I’m just an urban pioneer. Besides, unlike the talent, I can’t afford West Hollywood.” She took his hand and led him up the stairs to her third-story condo. Even before the door closed, she was back in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist.
Harley raised his head with a gasp. “The bedroom, Andi?”
Andi gazed back at him, her mind in a fog. “Huh?”
“The bedroom. Where’s your bedroom, babe?”
Andi gestured in the general direction of her bedroom, and he moved that way, her legs still wrapped firmly around him. As he walked, his erection rubbed against her clitoris, and she groaned aloud. She’d never been this close to coming just from making out. Then she realized that Harley was growling something against the side of her neck.
© Roslyn Hardy Holcomb, September 2009
All Rights Reserved
