Hidden Hollywood

Unfortunately, his natural reluctance to commit just made women try harder. In the past year, he’d had three women file paternity suits in a blatant grab for his money. Two of them he hadn’t even slept with. Ridiculous. And not great for his reputation either. The third woman he had slept with, though he was sure she must’ve tampered with the condom because he never had unprotected sex. He’d been ready to step up with child support—he’d never make a kid suffer for the sins of the mother—but the paternity test proved he wasn’t the father.

He just couldn’t trust anyone anymore.

He raked a hand through his dark brown hair. He almost missed those early days in the business, seven years ago, fresh out of the army and working hard on this idea he’d had to make information sharing easier around the world. Now life was a plateau, no challenge, same old stuff. He turned away from the view and back to the party, thinking he should just bail. He didn’t even know half the people here, and he wasn’t up to small talk. Shit. He caught Priscilla’s approach, someone he’d slept with once and couldn’t seem to shake, and made a quick sideways move toward his friend and second in command at Dat Cloud, Steve Nelson. He was sick of glamorous, superficial women like her. Priscilla changed course and followed him.

“I’m taking off,” he told Steve.

“Already?” Steve looked around Jake’s shoulder, smiling in appreciation at Priscilla. She was a former bikini model, as she liked to tell everyone she met. Steve spoke under his breath. “Don’t let Priscilla scare you off. I’ll take her off your hands.”

Jake grinned. Steve was wealthy, thanks to Dat Cloud, but he was also short and round with a preference for Grateful Dead shirts and Birkenstocks with socks. Women weren’t throwing themselves at Steve. Though they should because he was a helluva guy with a good heart. He spent every other weekend with his sister’s kids ever since their dad had taken off.

Priscilla wrapped sharp manicured nails around Jake’s bicep. “There you are,” she purred. “Let’s get out of here.”

“You remember Steve?” Jake asked.

“Sure, we’ve met a few times,” Steve said with a big smile.

Priscilla looked at Steve blankly before turning her attention back to Jake. “I miss you. Always so busy. All work and no play is no fun at all.” She made a small pout with her jumbo Botoxed lips. He stifled a smart-ass remark. He missed regular girls like the kind he’d grown up with, natural beauties ready for fun. At least they had been when he was in high school. Damn, he was getting all nostalgic. He was thirty-two, it wasn’t like they’d be home waiting for him after all these years.

He peeled Priscilla off his arm. “I’m heading out.”

“He needs his beauty sleep,” Steve told Priscilla with a wink. “How about we…”

She frowned and stalked off.

“Another time,” Steve muttered.

“You don’t want her,” Jake said. “Trust me.”

“I’m doing shots,” Steve said, heading to where a bar was set up complete with a thatched roof.

Jake inclined his head and left him to it. He headed home in his eco-friendly electric Tesla Model S to his modern concrete and glass house. When he got inside, he wandered around, feeling restless. The house was all one level, an open floor plan with black leather sofa and chairs, glass tables, and steel accents. A large patio led to a pool and hot tub. He’d had an architect and interior designer execute his idea of luxury living. But now when he looked around, it felt kind of sterile and cold. A wave of homesickness hit him. His house growing up, a modest three-bedroom colonial, had always felt alive, crowded with people. He hadn’t seen his family—his dad, four brothers, sister, and a tight group of blood brothers—in way too long.

It was near midnight back home in Eastman, Connecticut. His identical twin, Josh, would just be getting off work as a bartender with pockets full of tips from the ladies. His twin was the Sexiest Bachelor in Eastman—self-appointed—in response to Jake’s sexiest bachelor title. As Josh put it, what woman could resist the allure of thick dark brown hair, deep brown bedroom eyes, wickedly sexy stubble, charming smile, and muscular athletic bod? Idiot.

Jake smiled to himself and pulled out his cell to text Josh only to find a text waiting for him. Spooky how “twin sense” could work on opposite sides of the country.

Josh: Twin sense tells me u need a place 2 crash.

Jake grinned. Whether it was twin sense or Josh was inviting him for a visit, it didn’t matter. He’d take the jet first thing in the morning. His thumbs flew over the keys.