Hollywood Hearts (Steamy Standalone Instalove)

“Ma, you mean if it wasn’t for you suing the papers every time they published a photo of me without paying.” I remind her.

“Do you know what time it is?” I add, growling a little once I see it’s four a.m.

“I need my beauty sleep,” I yawn. Trying to remember if it’s “never work with kids or animals.” Or “never work with family?”

I think it’s all three, and my mom who is also my agent, bless her. Is all three most days, depending on what mood she’s in at any given hour.

I have to hear her out though, she’s never been wrong about anything so far. Over twenty years in this business together and I owe her a lot more than the twenty percent she gets as my agent.

But a contest with me as the prize? Even for my mom, that’s pretty out there.

“Listen Jack. It’s not just an idea, I kinda forgot to tell you I already promoted it. The winner’s being announced tomorrow morning. Technically this morning our time.”

I bolt upright in my bed, gripped by the panic that only my agent can give me. The things she signs me up for, and her habit of forgetting things is really getting out of hand.

“You’re kidding, right?” I hear myself ask. Knowing she’s not. Knowing it’s why she’s calling me at four a.m.

“I may have forgotten to mention it, Jack. But this is a good idea. You need to be in the spotlight, your fans need to see you at your best. Not hamming it up in some sickening Rom-com. Jesus! What have I told you about signing movie deals without me, Jack?”

As my agent, Denise has always made sure I get top dollar flaunting what God gave me. Action-comedy, lots of shirtless stuff.

But the romance movies, the ones where I find love? They’re my favorite.

Even if they are a bit corny and don’t pay well enough at the box office.

They let me live out my own dream. The one thing that nobody else could ever understand.

Just how lonely it really is being Jack Mercury, everyone thinking I’m happy enough to have the world at my feet.

Thinking I could content myself with just anyone who comes along and wants to share my bed.

No.

I’m an old fashioned romantic at heart, something even my agent mom would never understand.

I’ve searched for ‘the one,’ god knows I have. I’ve waited and waited. And maybe just like my career as an actor on the silver screen, I think my chances of ever finding my queen are all but finished.

Maybe it’s the price of success. Maybe I made a deal with the devil and forgot about it somehow.

Maybe I’m destined to be alone in this life.

“You still there, Jack?” Denise asks. I grunt in the affirmative, taking a long breath as I prepare for her to spell out exactly what it is I’ll be doing for this so-called contest.

“I’ve just sent you the email I used for the press release,” she starts, talking so hard and fast that all I can do is listen.

Listen while I roll over and push myself up out of bed and power up my laptop.

If I know Denise, she won’t rest or let me sleep until I know everything she has to tell me.

“They have to call a toll number?” I ask, butting in just the once when I see it’s one of those four ninety-five a minute numbers.

“How else do you think we’re gonna make anything out of it otherwise?” she asks, sounding insulted.

“If not for your time, Jackie boy, what about mine? All this effort and not so much as a thank you, Denise, love you mom from my only son,” she chides me before rattling off a dozen more details while I tune out.

Staring at my own reflection in the huge balcony window in front of me.

I’ve still got it, I tell myself. Flexing a little as I stretch, adjusting myself under my boxers before tufting my hair out of habit. Glad I can’t see the streaks of silver in this light.

Always feeling like I have to look my best even when my agent’s on the phone.

A bad habit, but it’s made us both incredibly well off and showbiz is the only thing my mom and I have in common, truth be told.

“I guess there’s no way I can back out of it now?” I tell us both, not wanting to see any more bad press with my face on it.

“Nope,” Denise says swiftly. “It’s gotta bring in some better offers, Jack. I’m not sure how many more movies you have in you,” she says point-blank.

I shake my head to myself. “And what about you, Ma? How much more of this lifestyle can you handle?” I challenge her, knowing it’s the one thing that keeps her going.