Happily Ever After: A Contemporary Romance Boxed Set

by Piper Rayne

  My life flipped and went full circle and with it complete, I was able to sit back and enjoy it all. And that was exactly what I was going to do. The bad dream I had almost nightly about killing my stepmom even went away after confronting her. The only dreams I had after that were of good things.

  But nothing was as sweet as what I was living when I was awake.

  About the Author

  Olivia Marie has a passion for books and animals. She lives in the central Midwest with her husband and two rescue dogs. She spends her free time reading, writing, listening to music and enjoying the outdoors with her family.

  Mr. Hotshot

  By D.R. Love

  Mr. Hotshot: The Bully Who Loved Me Book 1 © 2019 D.R. Love

  * * *

  Copyright notice: All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  D.R. Love

  The Bully Who Loved Me: Book 1

  He was my new boss, but he was also a bully from hell. Somehow he turned out to be the bully who loved me. So begins our story.

  * * *

  I was the lowly temp who only wanted a job at the hottest PR agency in Hollywood.

  * * *

  I didn't expect that the gorgeous guy whose suit I accidentally spilled on, and then whose shoes I accidentally stepped on, would be the hotshot boss of the PR agency.

  * * *

  I didn't expect him to turn out to be the boss from hell that I couldn't stand, but somehow felt irresistible.

  * * *

  He was a bully, and if there was one thing I couldn't stand...was a bully. But somehow he turned out to be the bully who loved me.

  Prologue

  Lily

  As the baggage claim area at LAX Airport emptied, a pretty young woman walked out into the hot night air and waited for a taxi. It had been a long flight from New York to Los Angeles, with delays in between, and she was exhausted.

  * * *

  Lily Talbot could fall asleep right where she was standing in the musty night air, but she was alone, thanks to the already red eye flight she took, and then the delays which caused her to land at a time far pass the regular landing schedule. She only hoped there were taxis still around.

  * * *

  She stood as close as she could to the doors near the baggage claim, but the waiting area for taxis were a couple of doors away. It was now early Monday morning, about 4 am. She hoped there would be taxis still making their rounds. She doubted it since no flights were coming in at that time.

  With a sigh, she pulled out her phone and began looking for a Lyft, Uber, or whatever car pick up companies there were in Los Angeles. At least there would be a car on call. As she was tapping away on her phone, searching for the contact number to call one of the car services, the doors of the baggage claim opened, and a large group of people walked pass her. She didn’t pay much attention to them.

  * * *

  She finally reached someone.

  “Hello? Yes, I need to be picked up at LAX. In front of Terminal B. Going to Hollywood. Hollywoodland Apartments. When will you be here? Great. I’m the woman dressed in a brown poncho cape sweater. See you soon!”

  She couldn’t believe her luck. There was a car ready to pick her up in 5 minutes. She barely had to wait. At least that was going well. As soon as she get to Hollywoodland Apartments, her new place for the summer, she could catch some much needed rest before getting up in a couple of hours to get to her new job. It was the job she had wanted to have since starting her senior year at New York University. Now that she had graduated, made Summa Cum Laude, she was now finally going to work at the famed Slade Public Relations or Slade PR, the hottest public relations agency in Hollywood, possibly the U.S. Most of the A-List Celebrities worked with Slade Public Relations. They were known to have made complete unknowns into stars, and stars into icons. They were so good at spinning the news, they count political figures and heads of states as their clients. Lily Talbot knew how important and privileged it was for her to land her first job out of college with them. It would set her up for a successful career in Hollywood and public relations in general.

  * * *

  Lily looked into her crossbody snake print purse to see if she had cash for the driver’s tip. Barely. She was looking forward to starting soon. As an entry level job, it didn’t pay much. But she needed any pay it would provide. Her move and flight from New York to Los Angeles already cost her most of her savings. Her mother was already financially stretched living in New York City on a small nurse’s salary.

  * * *

  A small blue car came into her view and slowly parked next to her. It was her driver.

  “Hi!” she said, relieved to see the car and eager to finally make a start to her new career. “You’re quick.”

  “Yes, I just dropped someone off,” the driver said, a woman around Lily’s mom’s age. Lily was a little surprised.

  “Listen,” she said, “I’ll get my own luggage. I only have this big one. Hopefully it’ll fit into your trunk.”

  The woman got out of her car to go up to Lily. She looked around. “What luggage?”

  Lily said, “This purple one right next to me.” She turned around and saw nothing. Her luggage was gone.

  * * *

  The driver’s face fell into sympathy as she looked around.

  Lily’s face fell. “I don’t know what happened. It was here next to me, and then when I made the call…Oh no. That crowd. Someone stole my luggage when I wasn’t looking. Oh no no no!” She felt like crying. “I couldn’t even tell you who could have taken it.”

  * * *

  “I’m so sorry,” the lady driver said.

  Lily didn’t know what to do. “Maybe someone would find it. I have my name tag on it.”

  * * *

  ‘What do you want to do?” the lady driver asked.

  * * *

  “I’m so tired already,” Lily said. “I can’t think right now. Can you get me to Hollywoodland Apartments? At least I can get some sleep. I’ll tackle this later.”

  * * *

  The lady driver smiled. “Sure. Hop in. My name’s Sandy by-the-way.”

  “Lily,” Lily said as she buckled up.

  When they reached Hollywoodland Apartments, Lily had fallen asleep. Sandy had to wake her up. It was further than she had expected, but Sandy said it was fine. By the time Lily checked into her new apartment, she didn’t care her unit looked like some creepy cockroach-infested place from a horror film. She didn’t care about the strange smell that permeated the room. At least the apartment was furnished with old furniture. They were dusty and dirty, but it meant she didn’t have to buy any. “I’ll tackle this tomorrow,” she said before she covered the stained mattress with her sweater, and fell asleep face down on it.

  1

  Lily

  “Do you know which way to Slade Public Relations?” I asked the blonde with the bright red lips at the lobby’s reception desk. Her hair was pulled up into a neat chignon, and she was dressed in a crisp classic white button down shirt with black pencil skirt. She looked like a throwback to any cool attractive blonde from Old Hollywood.

  By contrast, I was wearing an oversized brown plaid shirt and brown cargo shorts with tan hiking boots. The same outfit I
had been traveling in since New York. At least my reddish-brown hair which hung down in long thick waves around my face was combed, and I had minimal make up on. It was the best I could do, considering everything that happened a couple of hours ago.

  The cool attractive blonde who could have been an ex-model for Vogue, pointed to the elevators and said, “It’s on the top floor.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “Know of any place I can get coffee in this building?”

  She looked at me curiously and said, “You can get coffee at Slade PR, where you’re heading.”

  “No, before going in. I need to wake up,” I said, clasping at the edge of the reception desk with a death-like grip.

  She raised a perfectly trimmed eyebrow and pointed to the coffee stand to the end of the first floor.

  “Ah, thank you thank you thank you,” I said. “You don’t know what kind of a day I’ve had.”

  I made a face, and the cool blonde burst into a smile. “I’ve had some of those.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “By the way, I’m Lily. Hope to see you around. I just started at Slade PR today.”

  “Really?” the cool blonde asked. “Good luck. You may need it. I’m Maggie.”

  “Nice to meet you, Maggie,” I said. “I’m going to be late so I’d better go.”

  Maggie nodded as I made my way to the coffee stand.

  After I’ve had a few sips, I was at least half awake as I held my warm paper foam cup lovingly in my hands and stepped into the elevator. Surprisingly, it was empty for a Monday morning. Was it because I’m way early or way late, I didn’t know. All I knew was that I nearly killed myself getting up in time to make it here this morning. With only two hours of sleep and no time to get breakfast because I had to rush over to the beautiful glass and chrome building which housed Slade PR, I was pretty much functioning from sheer adrenaline.

  It was no wonder that my senses were off.

  Nothing was opened by the time I had to make my way to Slade PR. I was expected at 7 in the morning, which meant I was up by 6. Already rattled from losing my luggage and having to deal with the less than unsanitary conditions of my new apartment, I was in serious need of coffee.

  I was relishing the first couple of sips from my coffee, closing my eyes as I let the warmth of the hot liquid course through my body when something big and solid, bumped into me, knocking my cup out of my hands.

  My eyes flew open widened in shock as the lid of the foam cup flew off, and hot coffee splashed onto the cream-colored expensive suit of the gorgeous man in front of me. When did he appear in the elevator?

  “Now you did it,” he said with a clipped British accent. He turned towards me fully so that his light green eyes the color of summer grass fringed with dark envious lashes glared down at me, while he dropped his leather briefcase to the floor to take out a handkerchief from his blazer pocket.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” I stammered, an instinctual response to someone who appeared to be an authoritative figure. I hated that. The man was maybe five to eight years older than me only, but he had an air about him which seemed worldly and experienced. Biting my tongue, I said, “let me help you.” I tried taking his handkerchief from him, but he waved my hands away.

  “If you weren’t making love to your cup, and had kept your eyes opened, you would have seen me getting into the elevator and politely moved over,” he said, looking me up and down.

  “I wasn’t…” I started. I blushed. Did he just said I was making love to my cup?

  “Yes, you were,” he said, his eyes looked from my blue eyes to my full lips. “You were indeed making love to your coffee. The way you looked with your eyes closed, and your face in pure ecstasy as you wrapped your lips around the cup, it would make any man hard watching you.”

  My face flushed as I stared at this man’s sultry delicious lips, not able to believe those words just came out of his mouth. “Pardon me?”

  “You heard what I said,” he said. He had finished wiping his blazer with the handkerchief. Then he took off his blazer. “I’m afraid I have to get this jacket to the cleaners.” He took a step closer to me, bent towards me and said, “You, Ms. Full Lips, just set me back an hour this morning.” He glared at me again until I started backing up. But my adrenaline level was high, and I wasn’t going to let some handsome hotshot man ruin my first day on the job at Slade PR.

  Anger surged through me as I came up to him, and said, “Well, you could have gone around me. You didn’t have to bump into me. There’s space around me in this elevator. What made you think I have to make way for you so you can hog up the entire space?” I stepped up to him so we were nearly face-to-face, although I had to step up very close and tip toe up to see him. On tip toes, my face reached his broad chest. My eyes trailed up his chest to his neck and to his angular jaws, full tasty-looking lips, high cheekbones, soulful eyes and mocha chocolate-colored hair. He was the most gorgeous man I’ve seen…

  “Seen your fill?” he asked, a small smirk on his face.

  …and the most arrogant perhaps rudest man I’ve met too.

  Flustered, I jumped, and my heavy hiking boots ended up slamming down onto the top of his shoes.

  He bent over before letting out a painful breath.

  I was about to say, “I’m sorry,” but the elevator came to a stop, and the door opened.

  Mr. Hotshot shot up, straightened himself and said, “I hope I don’t see you on this floor again. You’re trouble.”

  “I’m so…” I began.

  “Save it,” he said, wincing as he stumbled out of the elevator, hobbling down the hall.

  I backed into the elevator, but realized this floor was my stop. And down the hall where Mr. Hotshot had hobbled down, was where I was headed.

  Slade PR. The modern chic logo against a steel background was plastered along the entire wall in front of me. Even if you were almost blind, you couldn’t miss it. In fact, if you were blind, you wouldn’t miss it.

  Along the railing of the walls were braille indentations.

  “You guys think of everything, don’t you?” I said, walking up to the reception desk in front of the massive metal wall. I couldn’t help admiring it. The wall was sculpted into a large slate, like a director’s slate.

  The attractive brunette in her early thirties whose hair was knotted into a bun, pulled her red lips into a perky smile as she looked me in the eye with clear blue unwavering eyes. “Yes, we do. At Slade PR, it’s our job to anticipate everything…that’s why we are the number one public relations firm in Los Angeles.”

  She could’ve delivered that mission statement straight from a commercial. “Braille on the wall…” I said, a little moved. “That’s so thoughtful.”

  “That’s Mr. Slade’s touch,” the pretty brunette said. “One of his charities that he support is the Children’s School for the Blind.”

  “He really is that amazing,” I said softly, almost talking to myself.

  “Well, his clients think so,” she smiled.

  “And that’s pretty important,” I said.

  “Yes, that’s how we all can keep our jobs,” the brunette smiled again. “Now, how can I help you?”

  “I’m starting today at Slade. I’m Lily Talbot.”

  The brunette looked down at some grey folders on her desk, flipped through them, and looked at me. For a brief moment, her eyes squinted. “You’re Lily Talbot?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  She said, “Oh, sorry, it says you are fresh from New York University. Our new intern.”

  “I am,” I said.

  “You had blonde hair in this photo,” she said, “And a bolder look. I mean, you wore makeup. It brings out your features. Striking,” she said.

  “I know. I look different from when that photo was taken and when I first got the job,” I said. “It was the middle of the year, and I had blonde hair then. I am supposed to start after I graduated so it’s been about seven months since I got the internship. Now I just let my hair stay its natural col
or. And my bold look? I…didn’t bring any make up with me except for what I had in my purse. Mascara and eyeliner. Clear lipgloss….” I stopped, realizing how underdressed I really was. I wished I had my cup of coffee.

  “You didn’t have anything else?” she asked.

  “Well,” I began. “I did, but my luggage was stolen as I got in from the airport. I didn’t have the chance to pick up anything before this morning. All the stores were closed.”

  She looked sympathetically at me and said, “That explained your look. And,” she leaned in close, “If it’s one thing Slade PR wants, it’s for everyone here to look extra polished.”

  “What can I do?” I asked.

  “Call me Trish,” she said. “I help interns get settled in. Believe me, even interns have to have that Slade image. Here,” she handed me a lipstick she pulled out of her purse. Bright red. “I don’t have another shirt, but I do have a black cardigan that I keep here when it gets cold. If you can take off your brown sweater, you can wear this over your shirt. At least it looks more professional.”

  I took off my sweater and pulled on her black cardigan. Taking my belt from my shorts, I belted the cardigan. “How do I look?” I asked Trish.

  “Much better,” she said. “Mind if I fix your hair?”

  “No. Go ahead.”

  She came to me and pulled my hair into the same chignon as hers.