Hollywood Playboy (Hollywood Royalty 1)

“That was me making sure she knew not to fuck up or cross the line.” Cassie now sits up and forward. “That was me taking care of you because that’s my job.”

I look at her now. “There is a way to do that without being a bitch, Cassie,” I point out to her. “It’s one thing for you to do your job, but it’s another for you to be rude. I don’t like it.”

She gets up now, grabbing her purse. “Well, I don’t like her. She is sneaky and a snake. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. And when you least expect it, she is going to fuck you over, and I’m going have to clean it up.”

“She hasn’t done anything since she’s been on this tour. She’s been straight and to the point, and she has never, ever crossed the line like you did tonight.” I walk to the bar, grabbing a glass and pouring some scotch, hoping that it helps to calm me down. I take a gulp, hissing as the brown liquid burns going down. “Knock it off,” I say, and she turns and huffs. I go outside and sit on the balcony, listening to the honks and sirens that are Paris. I finish my drink, and my phone never rings or beeps. Well, not from Jessica. My mother does text me pictures of her during the different stages of her glam squad.

Her smile makes me laugh, and then I think that it was Cassie who made her smile like that. I’ve never seen her so cutthroat like this before. I walk back inside and take a shower, my fingers itching to call Jessica or send her a funny text, but I know I’m going to see her in less than an hour. I walk out of the shower, towel drying my hair. There is a knock on the door, and I walk to it, my heart beating, expecting it to be Jessica, but it’s my father.

“Hey,” I say, opening the door.

He walks in. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” I say, moving out of the way and watching him walk in.

“Your mother has all those people over there primping and priming and oohing, and now Cassie showed up with her dress, and there was shrieking going on,” he says. Walking to the bar, he opens it and grabs a beer. “I can do a lot of things, but I can’t handle all the shrieking and all that fussing.” I laugh at him and walk into the room, putting on boxers and then a robe, then walk back out. “So what’s up with Cassie?”

I look over at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

“She came in and said you were having a hissy fit.” He laughs, taking a pull of his beer. Looking over at me, he sees the fury on my face now. “Is this going to be a problem?”

“Not on my end,” I tell him. “She was out of line today, and it wasn’t cool.”

He nods, waiting to ask me something more or see if I give it to him. When I don’t say anything else, he changes the topic to the ranch, and I finally relax. After my mother calls him and tells him it’s time to get dressed, I walk to my own room, getting my black suit out. I’m shrugging on my jacket when I hear voices coming from the living room. Walking out, I see Cassie in a long black dress. “Oh, look, we match,” she says, and I don’t say anything. My mother comes in totally glowing, her blue gold dress fitted with gold high heels. My father walks in with a scowl as he tugs on the tie around his neck, making me laugh.

A butler comes in with a silver tray with four glasses of champagne. “We might need an extra one,” I tell him, grabbing two and handing them to my parents. Cassie grabs her glass, and I grab my own. I don’t know if she is coming or not, but I really hope she is.

“Shall we toast?” Cassie asks with a huge smile on her face, putting her glass up in the air. “To Tyler and his crazy adrenaline rush.” My mother smiles at her and then looks at me, smiling even bigger when she holds her glass up.

“To Tyler.” We clink glasses, and I take a sip. I look at my wrist, checking my watch. “What time do we have to leave?” my mother asks, setting the glass of champagne down.

“The car is picking us up at six fifteen. The press is leaving at six,” Cassie says, and I see that it’s almost six. “I arranged for the driver to give us a tour to show your parents a couple of the stunt locations.”

I nod my head, my stomach giving me an uneasy feeling. When five minutes go by, and I don’t hear from Jessica, I get worried. “What time is Jessica due to get here?” I ask Cassie because I know she knows.