Hollywood Hearts (Steamy Standalone Instalove)

Completely at the mercy of Olivia Fanning, super fan cum contest winner.

“No,” I tell her quietly. “You’re not going anywhere.”

We both sit for a while, staring. Smiling, until she finally speaks.

“I guess I should do some work. Send some articles through to Naomi, along with my resignation?” she finally adds.

Music to my ears, just knowing she’ll at least try something away from her current job. Trust in me to support her for a while.

“Like I said,” I remind her. “If things go south, I can always beg for your old job back.”

“I don’t think that’s gonna happen somehow, do you?” she asks, reaching over to pull me closer. Her legs opening again to wrap around me as my hands move up her thighs, making us both groan loudly.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Olivia

“I’m supposed to be working,” I gasp, Jack’s hands finding more than just my thighs once I agree to stay.

I’ll never get anything done at this rate, but maybe that’s his plan?

“You’re right,” he admits bashfully, slowly moving to stand up and not needing to hide anything from me anymore, but I don’t make it easier for him when I reach out for his straining erection with both hands.

Rubbing a flat palm up and down one side of him while my other hand tries in vain to grip him through his pants.

“Quite a pair we make,” he groans, motioning to unzip himself before we both groan again.

This time when the door buzzes loudly, making Jack roll his eyes as if he knows exactly what’s going to happen next.

“Sorry,” he murmurs awkwardly, straightening himself quickly and striding over to the doorway, taking a minute before he swings the huge steel and glass archway open.

I’m surprised, but not shocked.

From everything, Jack’s told me so far. Plus the day we’ve had, I don’t think anything could really surprise me anymore.

Before she moves over to introduce herself, I know it’s Denise.

To even think someone so young looking, so small and trim could be Jack Mercury’s mother is strange.

I’m glad he told me beforehand or I know I would be hella jealous right now, but her thin hand is out, searching for mine even as she crosses the room.

She’s pecked her son’s bowed cheek, whispered something into his ear, and is making a beeline straight for me, gushing like the stereotypical Hollywood agent.

“I know you’re busy, but I just had to see you myself,” she declares, taking my hand in hers warmly and leaning over to kiss me shamelessly on the cheek before setting herself on the edge of the huge leather chair closest to me.

“I’m Denise, Jack’s agent, and manager, how do you do?” she gushes, keeping my hand in hers and making me feel strangely relaxed where normally I’d be petrified.

“It’s alright Mom. She knows.” I hear Jack chime from behind her, not even changing the expression she has on her face, other than a slight cocking of her brow.

“I see,” she murmurs to herself, not missing a beat of her own prepared Hollywood style entrance.

“So does she also know about the urgency regarding the studio contract? The meetings that are waiting for you both?” she teases Jack without turning to look at him.

“The Hollywood career that awaits?” she asks me in a lower tone before Jack shifts across the room and extracts her from me.

“Okay Denise, what gives? I thought it was pretty clear before that I’d let you know what was gonna happen. And how’d you get here so fast anyway?” he protests, making her lip curl with its own sense of satisfaction.

I can see where Jack gets it from.

“I wasn’t far behind you both,” she almost purrs. “But recent developments and the fact that our young friend here refuses to switch her phone on,” she adds, making me blush with embarrassment.

“What’s happened?” Jack interrupts again, moving towards me defensively, wanting to get between us both, I can tell.

There’s a dramatic pause any director might be proud of, but Jack’s got no time for games now.

“What’s happened?” he asks her firmly, his voice straining into a near growl as he looms over us both.

“Oh you may as well know,” Denise sighs, rolling her eyes and abandoning her own attempts at drama, her high heels clipping on the tiled floor between thick rugs as she paces.

“Goodwyn’s lawyers called. A complete retraction from all papers and magazines concerned with a full apology, and you’ll be pleased to know,” she adds, shooting a glance exclusively for me.

“Your former employer, Naomi what’s her name has been fired. No rush on the next articles you might have been pounding out,” she adds quietly, turning only to gauge Jack’s response more than mine.

“But, what happened?” he gasps. “What started all of this, surely not just what happened yesterday at the studio?”

Denise shrugs, shifting her attention to me again, that slight, knowing smile returning.