Hollywood Playboy (Hollywood Royalty 1)

“Shouldn’t we shake hands or something?” he asks me, and I stop halfway out the door to turn to look at him.

“You’re sweaty as shit and so am I. How about we shake later?” I tell him and walk away from him to the elevator. My head comes up when I hear the elevator ding. The door opens, and Cassie is there in workout clothes with a water bottle under her arm while she texts. She looks up and is surprised when she sees me, but I don’t have a chance to say anything because Tyler is there at my back, putting his hand out to stop the door from closing.

“I thought we were working out this morning,” Cassie says to him. “You said we would start at seven thirty.”

“Yeah, I got up earlier,” he says, now trying to get into the elevator around me, and I step to the other side, sneaking in. “You do your workout and then text me.”

“Are you sure you don’t need anything?” she says, looking at him and then turning to glare at me.

“I’m good, Cassie, stop worrying about me,” he tells her and smiles at her. “Press tour starts at two, right? Text me the location and I will meet you there.”

“Sure thing,” she says, turning to walk away from the elevator, and he presses his floor, which is, no surprise, just one floor down.

“See you later, Jessica,” he says when he gets out. I don’t have a chance to answer because I’m still not sure what the fuck just happened, and I’m not really sure if I agreed to whatever it is we are doing.

Chapter Nine

Tyler

A pop star rushed to the hospital from an apparent accidental overdose. Sources are saying she partied way into the night.

“We have five rooms set up, and the reporters will be moving around,” Cassie tells me while I shrug on my jacket.

“Why do I have to wear a suit jacket with jeans?” I ask her and then shrug the jacket off, tossing it on the table. She leans over and grabs it.

“I’ll bring it for you,” she says. “You have interviews for three hours, then you have a wardrobe change, and then we head out to the premiere.” She gets up and tucks her chair back under the table, then comes to stand near me. “I will have your stuff packed up by the time you get back from the premiere.” I nod my head and turn to walk out of the room, tucking my phone in my back pocket. “The flight takes off tomorrow at ten a.m. Flight is about two hours, give or take,” she says, and I press the button, waiting for the elevator. “We have to meet the press from four to six.”

When I step into the elevator, Cassie hasn’t stopped talking as she looks at her phone. “Then dinner if you want. If not, I can cancel it. I did also send out a request to have a treadmill brought to your room.”

“What?” I look at her confused as the elevator brings us to the floor where the press tour is going to happen.

“They said they would look into it, but worst case is they can close off the gym while you’re in there to give you privacy.” She continues, “I suggested it also for the duration of the trip.”

“Cassie, cancel that request please. I don’t mind working out in the hotel gym, and also, I’m more than okay if other people come in and use the gym. I’m in there so early, and no one is usually up.” I look at her, getting a touch annoyed with the way she just went over my head. We step out of the elevator and make our way down the hallway, seeing that the doors to five rooms are open, and the beds and furniture have been emptied out of each room. In their place now are two chairs facing each other, and a camera is set up to tape us. In the corner of each room is a desk where someone can sit and a table of refreshments.

Yolanda approaches me right away. She is wearing blue pants and a white top, and a headset on her head with the mic to her mouth. “Perfect timing,” she says and then presses the button on her headset. “Mr. Beckett has arrived,” she says in the mouthpiece, informing whoever that I have arrived.

“You will be starting in room one,” Yolanda says, guiding me to the first open door. I peek in and see it’s Jonathan. “Each interview will be about fifteen minutes, give or take. Depending on how we are doing for time.”

“That’s fine.” I smile at her and walk into the room. When Jonathan sees me, he stands. I walk over to him but turn to hand Cassie my cell phone. She grabs it and tosses it into her purse, then goes to sit in the corner of the room. I shake Jonathan’s hand, and the interview gets under way. We are getting through the questions at a good pace when I finally see Jessica in the corner of the room. Her white pants with a black stripe fit her perfectly; the black sweater she is wearing with the sleeves pushed up. The black sky-high heels make her lean legs even longer. She stands with her phone to her ear, talking in hush tones to respect that other journalists are interviewing me.