Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
FALSE ALARM! OUR BOY IS BACK, AND THE TEA IS HOT
GREER
“What do you need?”
I knew what Tripp was going to say by his wicked smirk and his hooded gaze as he scanned me up and down.
Or at least what kind of answer he was going to give.
“You.” He touched the cuff bracelet I wore.
“Secured to the bench. With your pretty dress around your waist while I make your ass red and raw.”
I had to lock my knees to stop myself from swaying into him. Despite that reaction, I infused sternness in my tone that I didn’t feel. “Hey. No flirting.”
“I can’t help it when you look like that.”
I choked down a scoff as I rolled my eyes.
Like the rest of the assistants, employees, and entourage members, I was dressed to blend into the background as I trailed Tripp down the lengthy red carpet from a distance.
I remained in my relegated area.
He also tried to remain in my relegated area.
I offered him a bottle of water. “You seem thirsty.”
“Damn right, I am.” He took it and held eye contact as he drank. It shouldn’t have been hot.
It very much so was.
As was the way he eyed me like he wanted it to be my wetness dripping down his throat.
Like I was dressed in something far more alluring than the simple black cocktail dress.
Like there weren’t starlets and models on his side of the velvet rope, with bodies and faces that were deservedly plastered on screens, runways, and advertisements.
Like he himself didn’t look every bit the star in his expertly tailored black suit and dark gray shirt that was undone at the collar to show off his muscular neck and a hint of his chest hair.
His hair was pushed back, but each time he looked down at me, pieces would fall across his forehead.
And each time, he would push them back into place in a way that was effortlessly cool and ridiculously hot.
And since he seemed to always be looking at me, that meant I got to enjoy that view over and over again.
That didn’t stop me from rolling my eyes as I took a step back.
He took a step forward, the menacing look in his eyes sending a tremble down my spine. I had no doubt he would duck under the barrier if I tried for more space.
Taking the cowardly way out, I averted my gaze to check my notes and refocus. “You’re almost done. JoltNews is next.”
“Name?”
I scanned the info I’d compiled. “Nia. Make sure you mention the fan edits. They’ve been hyping them up, and that’s great for you and the small creators.”
“Got it.”
And he did have it.
When he approached the next interviewer, Tripp was perfection.
He greeted her like they were old friends catching up before asking about her night.
When her voice cracked from all the talking she’d been doing, he didn’t get annoyed the way she said some of the other attendees had.
He backtracked to me to get one of the unopened bottles of water I held in case he needed them and offered it to her.
Then he effortlessly sank back into the rhythm of banter and charming humbleness while naturally working in details that teased future roles as a romantic lead, even referencing their article as inspiration.
Everyone was smiling when he walked away.
And moved right back to me.
“You’re really good at that,” I said, in awe of how easy he made it look. I wasn’t anywhere near the action, and my hands hadn’t stopped trembling with nerves all night. If I had to talk to anyone other than Tripp, I would be a stammering mess.
He shrugged. “Some kids do Boy Scouts, I did media training.”
“Seriously?”
“Yup. Clark wanted to make sure that I never said or did anything that would embarrass him.” He smirked. “Some of it stuck. The rest? Not so much.”
And I thought my dad was image-obsessed.
Okay, he was, but not that bad.
“Last up is the slow-motion camera,” I told him after checking my notes.
“Yeah, I’m not doing that.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a pain in the ass, and only one percent of people get the timing correct enough to look good.”
“I don’t think you could ever look bad,” I said honestly. “You’re so hot, you could be actively trying to mess it up, and you would still come out looking good.”
He grinned. “Now who is flirting?”
“It’s just facts.”
He held the intense eye contact until I was having trouble remembering why letting him touch me was a bad idea.
I broke it before I did something stupid—like beg for a kiss—as I dropped my head to scan my small pad.
“If you’re sure you don’t want to do the camera, then you’re good to go inside.
I’m pretty sure that Tony is at the entrance with the head of Hullywod.
” I flipped the pages to find his name, but Tripp beat me to it.
“Isaac.”
“Right. Stop and say hi, then I’ll meet you inside.”
“Come with me.”
“Nope.”
Maybe if it was a more lowkey event, I could be persuaded. But despite all the lines we’d already blurred, I needed to keep some semblance of professionalism.
In public, at least.
I looked up at him. “Want me to get you a bourbon? Champagne?”
His gaze heated as he slowly shook his head. “We have plans later that I want to be sober for. Or do we need to find a bathroom so I can remind you?”
Yes.
I didn’t say that, of course. “Nope. No. I remember.”
“Damn.” He let out a deep sigh. “Let’s get this over with so we can get to the fun stuff.”
I watched as he set his face in a charming smile. It wasn’t the kind that crinkled his eyes or even reached them, but it was still undeniably attractive.
As he started for the star entrance, I made my way through the area meant for everyone else.
The interior of the building was just as breathtakingly surreal as the exterior.
Round tables and chairs filled the space that looked like it would be an amazing venue for a concert or award show.
Two long bars edged the sides of the room, leading to a massive stage at the far end.
Intricate decor was dotted around the room as centerpieces, including gorgeous plants and gleaming mirrors—the latter of which reminded me of the room at Gilded.
Maybe I should ask Tripp to take me in there.
I thought about what angles I might see of myself and shuddered.
Maybe not.
A screen that was at least double the size of a normal one in a movie theater spanned the length of the stage. A slideshow set to instrumental music played, showing photos of Hullywod, their agents, and their clients. I smiled when I saw one of Tripp.
And then I smiled wider when I saw the real thing.
He scanned the room before heading my way the moment his eyes landed on me. When he reached me, he jerked his head to the side. “Tequila and lime?”
I shook my head as I shot his own words back at him. “We have plans I want to be sober for. Or do you need the reminder?”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time. I’ll throw you over my shoulder right now.”
I passed on the alcohol, but I did order a Diet Coke for some caffeine. Otherwise, there was a good chance I’d be sleeping on whatever surface Tripp secured me to at Gilded.
Once I had my drink and he had a water, I looked to the side. “I’m going to go take my spot with the other assistants.”
“No, you’re sitting with me.”
“We talked about this, Sir,” I said softly. I should’ve called him boss to reinforce our roles, but I couldn’t help playing with fire.
Fire I saw mirrored in his gray eyes. His shoulders went back as he loomed over me. “Correct. I treat you like any other assistant and let you do things for me. Won’t it be easier for you to do those things if you’re not all the way across the damn room?”
He had a point.
One I didn’t feel like arguing against since being near him would allow me to do my job better. And I would feel a lot more comfortable sitting silently with him than I would making small talk with other people.
Not all of us had media training, and I didn’t want to say something wrong that would look bad on him. I also had no interest in listening to more of the humble brags or complaints I’d overheard from others while I’d waited for Tripp.
“True.”
His brows rose with surprise that I wasn’t putting up the expected fight.
“Let’s go sit.” He moved in close but kept his hands to himself.
“But we’re out of here early. Because when the clock strikes midnight, I’m going to be buried in your pussy.
Or your ass. I haven’t decided which. But I’ll be in you with your taste on my tongue. ”
He walked away like that wasn’t an unhinged thing to say in public.
And I stood and watched him, liking the idea of all of that far more than I thought I would.
It took my brain far too long to kickstart again, and my gaze darted around to make sure no one had overheard him. The coast seemed to be clear, so my short strides rushed to catch up to his long ones.
It’s like that, huh?
Two can play at that.
It was a dangerous game. A stupid game. One that went against all the rules and boundaries I’d worked so hard to enforce.
But that didn’t mean it wasn’t fun.
Brushing his leg under the table.
A quick but seemingly innocent arm touch.
Resting my foot against his.
Calling him Sir as often as possible while I forced my expression into the picture of innocence.
All the while, other celebrities stopped by to talk to him, chatting about projects and not seeming to notice or care that they didn’t have his attention.
Tony visited for the longest, and I eased back my stealth teasing to be professional. I used the time to snag whatever hors d’oeuvres went by, setting the small plates wordlessly in front of Tripp.
He passed any cheese focused ones back for me to eat.
I was nervous, not dead.
I figured Tony would leave after a bit to make rounds, but he didn’t. He stayed where he was as an EGOT award winning actor that’d been with Hullywod since its conception gave a moving speech to introduce Isaac.
The head of the agency’s speech was better still, appreciative and light as he thanked everyone in the room for the success they’d reached in their twenty years of business before promising—or threatening, as he joked—many more years to come.
He cued up the montage Tony had mentioned in his texts to Tripp, and he wasn’t wrong.
Tripp was featured a lot.
I split my focus between watching the expertly cut film and watching people’s reactions to it.
Some had the same awe I felt. Some looked one yawn away from passing out.
And a few looked irked about their lack of screentime.
A nearby character actor glared each time Tripp was on screen, despite the fact he’d been kissing my boss’s ass less than an hour before.
My gaze went to Tripp with the most frequency as he smiled or laughed or whatever the clip called for. He wasn’t resentful or fake. His joy was as genuine as his love of movies, and it hit my chest in a way I didn’t expect.
As did the way he kept looking at me when he was on the screen. Like he wanted to see my reaction. Like it was important to him.
Like it truly meant something to him.
I didn’t have to fake my enjoyment. Seeing him switch from cocky superhero to cool, sophisticated spy was incredible.
But the best came at the end when his handsome face was twisted in psychotic obsession.
Since Old Flame still took up far too much of my brain’s capacity, I recognized the scene from outside of the cottage instantly.
His eerily muttered, “There’s more to come, love,” was the perfect ending for the shocking, poignant, funny, heartbreaking, and steamy montage.
The room erupted in applause as Isaac took the stage again to kick off the party portion of the evening. As he spoke, a band quietly assembled behind him. Music swelled as soon as he wrapped up.
The night continued on like that. People dancing. Laughing. Drinking. A lot of that last one.
If Tripp was already popular before the video, it skyrocketed after. The frequency of his appearances made it obvious to everyone that he was someone to befriend.
Whether they were doing it to network or to keep their enemy close was a different, exhausting matter altogether.
But he didn’t seem surprised or fazed by his two-faced peers. He gave them all the same surface-level friendliness.
And I did my best to swoop in with some question or interruption that gave him an out.
I was rewarded for the effort with the same subtle touches I used to tease and distract him.
Though the more I did it, the more I was just torturing myself. My body was restless and desperate for more than secret grazes. At least it was a mutual destruction.
I knew it for a fact when Tripp shot me a look before shifting in his seat to give me a quick glimpse of the hard-on that tested the confines of his slacks. He’d barely moved to hide the evidence before Isaac took the seat on the other side of him.
I used the opportunity to refresh my drink since I was suddenly the thirsty one. I barely stood before his hand shot out to grab my wrist. He was quick to release it, though he didn’t look happy about it or me standing.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Just getting another drink, Sir.” I offered a smile to Isaac even as I scrambled to remember his last name. Coming up empty, my polite words tumbled free out of years of habit. “That was a wonderful speech, sir. Congratulations on such a big anniversary.”
The older man offered his own polite gratitude, likely not caring about the opinion of a nobody but experienced enough to fake it.
Tripp cared, though. His heated stare at my words to him turned to a narrowed eyed glare the moment I called the other man sir. With a single look, he conveyed his displeasure.
And I knew my ass was going to take the brunt of it the second we were locked in a room at Gilded.
Better hydrate while I can.
I get the feeling I’m going to need it.
With a bland smile at them both that turned into an apologetic one to Tripp once Isaac all but dismissed me, I made my way to the bar to wait.
And wait.
And wait some more.
Since I wasn’t one of the recognizable faces that kept cutting in, it took a lot longer than I expected to get the two waters. When I finally had them, I started back to the table before pausing.
That is where we were sitting.
Right?
I scanned around, confirming that was, in fact, our table. I scanned again to see if I could spot Tripp.
Where did he go?