by Mel Curtis
“Let me take care of that.” Cora had been surprisingly helpful. “My brother may know every woman in Hollywood, but I know every eligible man.”
“Thanks.” Maddy was grateful there was more to the Fashionista Rule than Cora let on to the public. “What’s the possibility your brother can get Kaya a hair make-over?” She’d love to see those spiky points gone.
“Slim to none,” Cora deadpanned. “What’s the possibility my brother will date you?”
Maddy didn’t have to think twice. “Slim to none.”
“Too bad. You seem made for each other.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.”
Chapter 27
L.A. Happenings by Lyle Lincoln
…I’ve heard rumors that the Playboy Avengers are a ruse, a promotional tactic for Blue Rule’s reality show. Not true, according to the Playboy Avengers. However, since some of their members are part of Mr. Rule’s reality show, I’m not sure whom to believe.
“You’re not going to believe this,” Cora said the next morning as she rushed past Maddy into Blue’s office, dodging Brutus and Mr. Jiggles. The two Rules of Attraction beasts were chasing one another around the lobby. “Those bitches. Jenny must have told them how upset she was. Check the Avengers website. They just posted a video.”
Blue felt as if he’d been sucker punched, first by the Avengers, then by the sight of Maddy.
She set down her camera cases and walked toward Blue, not backing down from his gaze. He and Maddy hadn’t exchanged a word yesterday afternoon that didn’t involve the project. Longing for a crumb of Maddy’s affection distracted him, keeping him from reaching for his laptop.
“For the love of God, Blue.” Cora half-turned his computer and took control of his keyboard.
Standing at the corner of his desk, Maddy leaned over to see what Cora pulled up. A lock of her hair swung across her cheek, testing his control. He smelled flowers and Maddy’s unique scent, the one that bypassed logic, shut down painful truths, and urged him to take her. But where once she’d been bright and sunny, no matter what he’d thrown at her, no matter what he’d said, since she’d discovered he didn’t know the Rules, she was all business.
“Don’t be fooled,” Cora read. “We aren’t a promotional stunt.”
He dragged his gaze from Maddy. A slate introduced the clip: How Our Playboy Gets His Rocks Off. It faded to the video of Blue in Winnie’s backyard. The women were bobbing up and down in the spa, throwing their heads back in the tense pleasure that builds before release. One by one, they cried out.
On-screen, Blue looked at the camera, at Maddy, with a lascivious grin. It was hard to remember how excited and powerful he’d felt that night. Now, a fatalistic feeling claimed his limbs, as dense and clingy as swamp mud. It was one thing to tell himself he was going to follow in his father’s footsteps. It was another to actually see himself doing it. And then there was the fact that everyone in L.A. was going to see him this way. A highly-paid pervert.
“That’s my film.” Maddy straightened. “How did they get my film?”
Blue washed a hand over his face as phones started ringing. Phones they all ignored. “Do you have a wireless laptop?”
Maddy nodded.
“And the network you use at home, is it the apartment building’s?”
“Yes, but it’s password protected.”
“Everybody in your building knows the password. You’ve been hacked.”
“That can’t be.” Cora came to Maddy’s defense, finger-combing her long brown hair. “None of the Avengers is good with technology.”
“It’s easy enough to hire someone,” he said wearily.
Maddy frowned at him. “You expected this all along. You mentioned it back at Quinby’s office.” And then her voice dropped to a whisper. “You expected me to sell you out.”
Had he? Not really. But some hardened part of him reared up in anger. He’d told her the truth. He’d told her he wanted to date her. For him, that was huge. But she’d walked away from him.
“Why wouldn’t you sell me out after I disappointed you? Everyone else does.” He shifted his gaze to Cora, who held up her hands as if she was innocent, and edged toward the door. “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t hand the footage over personally. You lack the survival instincts to protect yourself from the sharks in Hollywood. I’d appreciate it if you’d call a lawyer to get an injunction against the Avengers for stealing your film. I’m sure we’ll see Ulani’s footage soon. And Dave’s.”
“You think I’m like them.” Maddy’s voice was anvil flat, having the last drop of optimism hammered out by him. “You probably consider yourself a predator, too.” Her gaze was a kaleidoscope of emotion – hurt, regret, sadness, indignation.
The pain he caused her clawed at his insides. He didn’t want to make her suffer. But he couldn’t afford for her to be so vulnerable to his enemies. “You may not have done this on purpose, but people like us,” he gestured to himself and Cora, “We cross lines all the time. You’re going to have to toughen up, Maddy, if you want to make it in Hollywood.”
What a rat bastard he’d become. He watched Maddy struggle to cloak her feelings. He’d thought she’d run, but she surprised him.
“Don’t leave, Cora.” The expression on Maddy’s face was now fully detached. “We’ve got work to do. We need bachelors for tonight.”
Maddy’s cell rang. She stepped out into the lobby. “Yes, Ivan. I saw it.”
His energy drained with each step she took away from him. He’d win her back. After he survived matching the Avengers, he’d win her back.
“So, bachelors...” Blue forced out the words, dragging his gaze to Cora’s.
Since Maddy had made it clear the other night she couldn’t fuck him anymore, she’d taken whatever poor excuse he had for a heart. The world should have been ending. The sky falling. But traffic still hustled on the road outside his window. The sun was still in the cloudless sky. And telephones still rang.
“What are you doing?” Cora stood in the middle of his office looking like she wanted to be anywhere but in the midst of all that messy emotion.
“Butt out.”
Winnie sent him a text message about needing to talk. He ignored it. He’d apologize to her later.
After a moment, Cora sat down and cleared her throat. She leaned forward. “Are you sure? She’s perfect for – ”
“I’m not perfect for her.” His voice sounded like a parched bullfrog. “We need dates for Jenny tonight.”
After another moment, Cora nodded. “Jenny needs at least one sugar daddy. All those Playmate types seem to have daddy issues and go for older men.” Cora fingered her platinum necklace. “Daddy would have been perfect. He loved younger women.”
“He loved women period,” Gemma said, poking her head into the office. “I could tell you stories.” At their expectant looks, she quickly added, “But that would go against my non-disclosure clause.” She disappeared.
The siblings exchanged glances.
“I was thinking Cal Lazarus or Jack Gordon,” Cora continued. “Sexy, solid bank accounts, and old enough to appreciate a trophy wife.”
Blue shook his head. “Jack’s married.”
“Separated. Vivian’s dating you. Although…how could that be if you’re dating Maddy?”
He shook his head again. “I never dated Viv. She’s a client. And they’re reconciling.”
Cora seemed about to say more, but stopped herself, frowning, as if she was trying to balance what was in the L.A. Happenings column with what Blue said.
“Do you think Gemma has Cal’s phone number on file?”
“I have it,” Cora said absently, falling silent.
The silence stretched. Blue drummed his fingers on the desk and listened to Maddy trying to soothe Ivan. “Our second bachelor needs to be someone who looks good on the surface, but doesn’t have much depth.”
“That’s exactly who Jenny’s been dating,” Cora pointed out, still looking p
ensive. “What about Cy Maxwell? He’s your typical Hollywood agent – smooth, polished, great looking.”
“Who trusts an agent?”
“No one.” Cora perked up, not quite smiling. “That’s why she’ll reject him.”
“Don’t assume. It’s a sign of character growth if Jenny rejects him, but with my luck, she’ll want to sleep with him.”
“So we need a way to make her realize she has to reject him.”
It came to him then, the answer he’d been looking for since Maddy first proposed this madness, a way to make the Avengers see the world differently. Blue raised his gaze to Cora’s. “Do you remember when you started dating? Dad had you ask each date three questions before he’d let you out of the house.”
“God, yes. The only thing I hated more than asking was how disappointed I was in my date when he answered.” Understanding dawned on his sister’s face with a grin.
“Can you be in charge of recruiting the bachelors?” Blue wanted time to sort out his strategy. The questions were the key. But which questions?
“Sure, I…” Cora uncharacteristically stumbled. “Sure. I’ll call Cy…and Cal. What about bachelor number three?”
“That’s a no brainer,” Blue realized. “Do you remember the nursing assistant at the actor’s retirement home yesterday? His name was Marcus.”
“The sweet guy who couldn’t stop looking at Jenny? She’ll eat him up alive and spit out his entrails.”
“For some men, that would be the dream of a lifetime. And if Jenny has a brain beneath all that fluff, she’ll realize – maybe not this week, but soon – that someone down-to-earth like Marcus is just what she needs.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Me, too.” He spun his chair so he faced the window. “Because if this blows up and she chooses Cal or Cy, I’m going to look like an idiot.” An idiot who’d given up the best thing that ever happened to him.
“You look like someone stole your idea again.” Vera was headed out the door when Maddy came steaming in. “What happened?”
Maddy flopped onto the couch face first. Was her heart still broken? It was so numb, she couldn’t tell. Every time she felt her chest crumple in on itself, she went into denial. She didn’t have time to fall apart. She had to be at Javier’s in an hour to set up for filming tonight’s dates. “Someone stole that hot tub video I shot and the Avengers posted it on their website.”
“I take it Blue isn’t happy.” Vera perched in burgundy cocktail dress on the arm of the couch, her purse at her feet. “And he dumped you.”
“I dumped him yesterday.” Saying the words brought some measure of distance. Maddy turned on her side, facing Vera, whose mouth hung open. “What? It was just sex. We weren’t dating or in love.” Oh, the lies she had to tell herself to keep pushing toward her dream. So the earth moved. So her soul connected to his. He’d lied. The Rules had all lied.
Except she hadn’t just lost Blue. She’d lost Dooley Rule as well.
Oh, God.
Her chest started caving in on the broken foundation that was her heart.
This was so going to hurt.
Her heart clambered for recognition of its wound. Blood roared in her ears. She curled in on herself.
Not now.
“Are you okay?” Vera knelt beside her.
“No.” Maddy struggled to breathe like a normal person, not a heartbroken fool. “Do you know what the worst part of it is?”
“No, honey. What?”
“That knowing Blue has made me a better person.” She managed to sit up. “I rocked two pitches. I faced off Dave twice. I haven’t let people push me around, not even Blue.” She gulped in air. “And even though he lied to me, my career is about to take off. I think he finally developed the perfect technique to get rid of a woman.”
“Listen to yourself. You sound just like those Avengers you filmed.” Vera’s voice spiraled angrily up to the next floor. “They thought he made them a better person, too. Maddy, what’s happened to you?”
“I fell for the wrong guy again.”
“Oh, Maddy.” Vera groaned. “I’m going to a dinner with clients, otherwise I’d go with you for moral support.”
Maddy’s phone rang as Vera left. “Hey, Mom.”
“Honey, your father’s Google Alert just went off. That Rule man made a hot tub porno.”
“He didn’t, Mom.” But no matter how many times she said it, Maddy couldn’t convince her mother.
The restaurant they chose for the mini-dates was Javier’s because it had a private room with enough space to set up two cameras. The atmosphere was cigar bar stuffy, but the food was good and the management embraced the extra P.R.
Blue shut off his phone, which had been ringing non-stop since morning. Sex sold. Too bad it didn’t sell to million dollar clients. But he was able to believe once more he could grab that brass ring. He had less than nine months and his client list was growing. But from now on, he’d leave the Freedom Transformations to Senge.
Things were falling into place for the reality show, too. Not because they were well-prepared. They’d gotten lucky. All the bachelors were able to attend. Cal and Cy knew that any press they generated would only help them land bigger deals in Hollywood. Marcus had nothing to gain other than what he’d thought would be a date with a very nice, very beautiful girl.
The men showed up on time. Blue settled down with them in a corner booth in the back, far enough out of sight that Jenny wouldn’t see them when she came in. Blue explained the set up. Cora would bring them into the private dining room one at a time and then escort each of them back. At the end of the interviews, Jenny would decide on her dinner date.
“Jenny’s here,” Cora announced. She nodded at each man in turn, but there was something about the way her gaze avoided the older movie producer that gave Blue déjà vu as he followed her toward the private dining room.
He tugged her to a halt. “When did you date Cal Lazarus? Is this going to be a problem?”
“You know I don’t date anyone.” But her pinkening cheeks gave her away.
“We’re doomed.”
“Far from it. This is kick-ass.” She straightened Blue’s tie. “Who I sleep with is none of your business. I wouldn’t have suggested Cal if I had an emotional attachment. Now when are you going to make up with Maddy? She’s not an Avenger. She didn’t leak that film. She won’t pine over you, hoping you’ll come back. Some guy will snatch her up, pronto.”
“Butt out.” Maddy was sensitive territory. “Tell me about Cy.” The agent.
“Cy is…” She glanced back at him. “He’s more like me. Or you.”
Blue liked to think he wasn’t like Cy anymore, but how could he be sure? He’d rushed into bed with Maddy, just like he always did with women. And she’d dumped him. Karma was an ironic bitch.
Cora hooked her arm in his and headed toward the private dining room, hesitating before the closed French doors. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Doing something Daddy did to us, but to someone else?”
“Yeah.” But it was also an adrenaline rush, much as he hated to admit it.
“Let’s hope Daddy wasn’t full of shit.”
“He was, but look how we turned out. Not so bad, right?”
Cora dropped her veneer of sophistication until she looked like the wide-eyed girl she’d been when she was eight and still thought the world was her fairyland. “Do you really think so?”
“Yeah.” He hugged her. “Wish me luck.”
And she did.
Blue stepped into the private room, now crowded with two tripod-mounted cameras, and two cameramen, one of whom was Maddy. He didn’t look at her. If he did, his mind would drift to what if scenarios and ways to mend fences with her. He had to focus on the task at hand – transforming himself into a believable Dooley Foundation relationship coach. He had to prove Maddy’s faith in him on film. He had to rebuild her trust. Getting on his knees to beg wasn’t an option. He didn’t beg, no matter how much he wanted
a woman.
“I’m nervous,” Jenny admitted, glancing sideways at a camera pointed her direction.
“Don’t be.” Blue sat across from her. “Here’s how it’s going to work. I’ll bring in three men, one at a time. You have up to ten minutes to get to know each one, but you have to ask all three of these questions.” Blue handed her an index card. “At the end of all three dates, you’ll be inviting one of the men to stay for dinner. Sound good?”
She took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”
“Here we go.” Blue nodded at Cora on the other side of the French doors.
Portable mic in hand, she left to get their first bachelor.
“Jenny, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Cal Lazarus.” The mega-successful movie producer was tall, in shape and in his fifties. Silver hair threaded through thick brown. He had friendly, brown eyes. He greeted Jenny with warm professionalism – a handshake plus touching her shoulder with his free hand.
It was hard for Maddy to reconcile the image of this kind-looking man with the cut-throat image he had in the film business. She felt a sudden angst, working under the scrutiny of such a talented man. What if he found her lacking?
“The pleasure is all mine,” Jenny gushed. “Please sit down.”
Blue stood next to Maddy, leaning against the darkly paneled wall, his gaze intent on Jenny. Without taking his eyes off the action, he took her hand and gave it a brief squeeze.
Don’t. Her heart panged. And panged again when he let her go.
“I’ve never been to this restaurant before.” Cal demonstrated his good manners as he pulled out Jenny’s chair for her.
“They have really great chips and salsa.” Jenny smoothed her dress along her rib cage. “Not that I let myself eat it often.”
“I find a good hour on the treadmill absolves me of many sins.” Cal’s smile was golden. He should have been in front of the camera, not behind it.
