Chapter 28
twenty-eight
. . .
Grant
I'm on mile five, and this pent-up desire for Sophia still hasn't subsided. It's been two days since we gave in to each other, and I haven't been able to see her between her production schedule, my insane calendar, and spending time with Hazel.
I slam the stop button on the treadmill and click the off button on the remote, turning off the TV hanging above me in my home gym. I know this is casual, but maybe I should schedule a date night or something. We could do it here or in the guest house.
"Dad, I'm leaving for school. Bye! I love you!" Hazel yells out as she runs past.
"Wait!" I step out and follow her to the kitchen. "Don't I get a hug and kiss?"
"No way. You're sweating. I'm all ready for school, and you're going to mess up my outfit if you touch me."
I pull my arms up to imitate an ogre and make a funny face with my tongue hanging out of my mouth as I take heavy, exaggerated steps toward her.
"Must hug Hazel."
The scream she belts out has my shoulders crawling up to my ears as they ring. But the giggles that escape after are the sound of pure joy and life. I'll never tire of hearing her laugh. It creates a deep sense of peace and happiness within me.
When I found out Geneva was pregnant, I'll admit that I went through some dark days.
I never wanted kids. I never wanted to get married.
And I still don't. But when they placed Hazel in my arms, life changed.
Yeah, I know everyone says that, but what they don't say is that once you see this reflection of flesh that has pieces like a puzzle of your exact features, an instinct kicks in.
You know right then that you can't imagine ever having lived life without this child.
Seeing eyes that look like mine and a nose that looks so much like my mother's was—still is—surreal.
The lips and face shape—that's all her mother, and no doubt she'll be a knockout just like her.
Geneva and I discussed how we wanted to parent when she shared she had a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity.
I didn't hesitate to accept full custody.
We have an agreement in place, but we don't need it.
The greatest thing about Geneva is that she's a lot like me.
She didn't want to get married, and I'm pretty sure she didn't want kids—at least at that moment.
We work well together as co-parents. She calls and visits Hazel as often as she can, and we've never missed a chance to share how much we love her and our role as co-captains of Team Hazel.
"Dad, no, no, Dad, stop," Hazel sputters as she tries to catch her breath while laughing.
"Ok, you two," Sarah says. "We gotta go, or you'll be late for school." She's been a lifesaver since Josie decided to take a leave of absence to stay for a few more months with her daughter in Nashville. We miss her but we’re learning to survive on our own too. Kind of.
"Ok, nugget, I love you so much. Have the best day ever!" I smack Hazel on the cheek with an over-exaggerated kiss and run my hands over her hair before I add another kiss to the top of her head. "Love you, too, sis."
She and Sarah head out the garage door, and I run upstairs to get ready for the day—and maybe to relieve a little of this tension that's backing up.
"Sophia's still in the guest house?" Lucas says as he walks into the small conference room across from my office.
"She is. Why?"
"Oh, you know. Just trying to keep straight all the information you've hired me to manage."
I release an annoyed breath and look back down at the stack of folders in front of me. He's right. I need to fill him in on the latest decision that Sophia will stay in my guest house until her house is ready. What I'm not ready for is the question that's going to follow.
"She'll be there for at least another month. Until her house is ready."
"Hm. Ok. Can I ask why she's staying with you when she could get a hotel, rent another house, stay with her brother, or a dozen other scenarios out there?"
"Lucas."
"Grant, I just need to know what to say."
We're both quiet for the longest minute in history.
"It's a matter of convenience."
"You want me to tell the press it's convenient for her to stay with you."
I run my hand down my face. He knows why she's there. I don't have to say it. I just need to figure out a way for us to spin it.
"My house is close to the studio. Her brother lives all the way in Santa Monica. You know that drive is a nightmare."
"So, it's a logistical solution."
"Yes. Practical. Logistics. Oh, and maybe safe, too. Staying with me eliminates the need for additional security that could be needed at a hotel or rental house."
"Ok, I can work with this. But we're going to have to do some proactive press drops of normal shit happening in your lives—separately—to help deflect and defuse any drama around this."
"Thank you."
"It's what you pay me the big bucks for."
We discuss a few ideas that Lucas can share with friendly reporters to make it seem like business as usual in my life, even with the extra mouth to feed, before the room fills with my marketing and finance teams for another long day of promoting our next blockbuster.
An hour later, I'm headed back to my office when I spot a tiny brunette from the corner of my eye.
"Sophia?"
"Hey!"
Lucas walks past me, giving me a knowing look that I ignore.
"What are you doing here?"
She looks back at the receptionist and then back at me.
"Um, I had an update about our production schedule I wanted to walk you through if you have a minute?"
I look at her, totally confused. "Sure. Come on back." I lead the way back to my office, and once we're in the doorway, I stand aside so she can enter ahead of me, and then I shut the door behind us. As soon as she hears the click, she spins to face me.
"Hey."
She walks over to me. My dick perks up, and I mentally flip through all the reasons why I shouldn't take her right here on my desk.
"Hey."
She stops just short of pressing up against me.
"Um, how are you?"
"I'm good. How are you?"
"I'm good."
"So, you wanted to walk me through production schedules?"
I watch as she glances around the room and brings her hands together, twisting her fingers.
"No. That was just something to say so nobody up front would think it's weird for me to follow you to your office."
"I don't think anyone is going to think it's weird that one of my producers wants to meet with me."
I step a little closer to her.
"If you aren't here for production schedules, then why are you here, Sophia?"
She looks up at me, and her eyes hold mine, causing a bolt of electricity to run through my spine.
"Don't you watch the dailies at three?"
I glance up at the clock on my wall, which reads 2:55 p.m.
"I do."
"I thought I might join you today if you want. You know. No expectations?"
And that's all it takes for my will to snap.
I grab her hand and lead her through the door connected to my office, which takes us down the hallway to the private theater.
I lock the door behind us, turn on the screen, and scroll to play today's recordings from the shared drive.
I don't even care which ones. I just need some sound to drown out all the moans I plan to steal from this gorgeous woman beside me.
As soon as the first clip plays, I turn back to Sophia.
"Strip."
And then she does.