Careless
A Movie Star Accidental Marriage Romance
Marcella Swann
Copyright © 2019 by Orleans Publishing
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
1. Callen
2. Lyssa
3. Callen
4. Lyssa
5. Callen
6. Lyssa
7. Callen
8. Lyssa
9. Callen
10. Callen
11. Lyssa
12. Callen
13. Lyssa
14. Callen
15. Lyssa
16. Callen
17. Lyssa
Also by Marcella Swann
Good Girl, Bad Boy FREE
About the Author
One
Callen
The air was thick with humidity and the sound of a thumping bass line as we walked toward the nightclub. I couldn’t help but smirk as we passed the long line of people waiting for the bouncers to let them trickle in a few at a time. Their faces were envious as my group was permitted to walk right in.
We were VIP, baby.
The velvet rope was pulled back and I walked into the club, flanked by my co-stars in the new TV series, The Brothers California. We had just wrapped up shooting the pilot and this was our little celebration.
We were led right into the VIP section, which was just off the dancefloor, with the best view of the stage and the band.
A waitress in booty shorts and a low-cut top came sauntering up to our table immediately, swaying her hips way more than necessary. “What can I get you boys?”
“Kamikaze shots all around. And here,” I held out two hundred-dollar bills, “these are for you to keep. Just keep the drinks flowing, you know what I’m saying?”
I winked and she gave me that look, her eyes darkening. It was a reaction I was used to seeing. You don’t get named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive without turning a few heads.
“So, Callen, you going after the waitress now?” Mitchell asked me as she walked away to collect our drinks. “I would’ve thought you had your hands full trying to win over Cheyenne.”
“Nah.” I shrugged. “Sometimes I just can’t turn off the charm. Occupational hazard.”
Mitchell played the youngest brother in our new series, which was about four brothers and their dad living in Southern California. It was a mockumentary, following the drama around a family that was rich, famous, and full of controversies. The network had already ordered a full season even before we finished the pilot.
I portrayed the oldest brother on the show while Eric and Luke played our other brothers. Last, sitting on my right, was Max, the man who played our father. We were quite the crew, cast not just because we could rock the drama but the ladies, as well. At least that’s how the tabloids were describing it.
What can I say? Sex sells.
The waitress returned and I grabbed my shot glass, raising it into the air. “To The Brothers California,” I said loudly.
“To The Brothers California,” the men repeated, and we all downed our drinks together. Our waitress collected the empty glasses and went to get another round. I planned to run up quite a tab tonight.
“Speaking of Cheyenne, what’s going on there?” Luke flashed a wicked grin. He was clearly expecting a dirty story. I hated to disappoint.
“Nothing yet. Just some flirting on set.”
Cheyenne was the daughter of our executive producer. Barely 21, she was all curves and long brown hair. I had noticed her on set over the last few weeks and decided to turn on the charm.
“Didn’t look like nothing to me,” Max chimed in. “It looked like my boy here was falling in loooove.”
The guys laughed as Max wiggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively.
“Yeah, right,” I said, shaking my head. He may play my father on the show, but Max was hardly more mature than I was.
Our drinks arrived, and we tossed back another round. The guys all ordered beers after that, but I went with whiskey.
“Whoa, speak of the devil,” Eric said, his gaze focused over my shoulder. I pivoted and saw that Cheyenne had just walked in with a small group of people from the show, including her father.
Now it’s a party.
We waved the group over to us and insisted the staff push two tables together so we could all sit together. I purposely waited until Cheyenne was seated before making a beeline for the empty chair beside her. Just as I made it to the chair, Cheyenne’s father sat down and glared at me.
I didn’t like the glare, but he was practically my boss, so I bit my tongue and sat across the table.
I nursed my second whiskey when Cheyenne and a few others in our group got up to dance. I popped to my feet, eager to join in, but Bruce, her dad, snagged my elbow as I walked around the table, pulling me into her recently vacated seat.
“Hang on there, hotshot,” he said as I tumbled into the chair, surprised by the older man’s strength. “Let’s have a word.”
He leveled me with a serious look and I straightened myself up. Bruce was the serious type, a committed family man who also happened to be one of the biggest producers in television. The last four shows he produced had gone on to be massively successful. We all stood to make a lot of money because of him. I didn’t like him as a person, he was too much of a sourpuss, but this was business.
“What can I do for you?” I asked, eyeing Cheyenne in my peripheral vision. Her short skirt flared out as she whipped around on the dance floor.
“First of all, stop eyeing my daughter like she’s going to be your latest conquest because that’s not happening,” he growled. I frowned. She was an adult and I wasn’t going to back off just because this guy wanted to be the overprotective dad. “But what we really need to talk about is your partying.”
“What about it?”
“It’s out of control. The last couple of weeks, you’ve been hungover more often than not. You show up unprepared, without your lines memorized, and slow things down.”
“Have you watched the pilot? It’s great. I always give a great performance,” I argued.
“I’m not saying you don’t have talent. That’s why we gave you the part. It’s why your contract is the biggest of any of the cast. But talent isn’t enough. You’re getting a reputation as being difficult to work with and the show hasn’t even premiered yet.”
“Who says I’m difficult?”
“I do. And the director of the pilot has already said he won’t come back for another episode. Your co-stars haven’t complained, yet,” he said, following my line of sight toward my co-stars and guessing at my thoughts, “but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t unhappy. This is no way to start off a new show, especially one with this much potential.”
“What are you saying?”
“Get the partying under control. Or else.”
“Sure thing, big guy,” I said, standing and walking away before he could say another word.
Or else. Like that was supposed to scare me. Or else what? They wouldn’t replace me. So what if I turned up with a headache sometimes? I always pulled it together. Deciding the guy was just mad that I had set my sights on his daughter, I joined the crowded dancefloor and quickly found her.
The music was lo
ud, and the floor under my feet vibrated, probably from the reverberating bass or the many bodies writhing in such a confined place. The whiskey was going to my head and I felt wild as I gyrated on the dance floor. Cheyenne and I were among a large group, but I made sure we were close, her long brown hair brushing my chest as our hips moved in sync.
After a couple of songs, I leaned closer to her, until my lips brushed the shell of her ear. “Do you want to get out of here?”
When I pulled back, she had a calculating look in her big brown eyes. She tilted her head and stepped closer, causing a thrill of excitement to shoot through me. She looked me in the eye when she spoke. “I don’t think so, stud.”
My face must have shown my surprise because she sniggered.
“Come on, Callen. A little flirting is one thing, but I don’t do one-night stands and you’re too much of a good-time Charlie to get into anything long term,” she said and shrugged.
“Nothing wrong with a good time, sweetheart.” I smirked. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
I strode off the dancefloor, the alcohol in my system leading me to the bathroom. Weaving my way through the crowd, I smiled when an older woman reached out to pinch my ass as I passed her. At least someone in here knew a good thing when she saw it. Oh well, Cheyenne’s loss.
Splashing cold water on my face, I thought about her words. She’d called me a “good-time Charlie” like it was a bad thing. Coupled with her dad’s less than glowing assessment of me, it didn’t paint a pretty picture of their opinions. Why were these people so concerned about a grown man living it up a little? I couldn’t even have a few drinks without them persecuting me.
I wasn’t exactly heartbroken over Cheyenne. She was hot, sure, but there were tons of hot girls out there. I could sleep with almost any one of them in the bar right now.
But, for some reason, my relationships were terrible. My bed was rarely empty, but I couldn’t make anything last for very long. The connection was always missing. What was the point in being famous if I couldn’t even hold on to a girlfriend?
I told myself to man up and left the bathroom. If I had to take the hot waitress home to chase away loneliness for one night, that was what I’d do, but hiding out wasn’t an option. It certainly didn’t make me feel better about myself. Walking back to the table, Bruce and Cheyenne were nowhere to be seen.
“They took off,” Max said as he saw me scanning the crowd.
“Good, Bruce was ragging on me,” I said. “I don’t need the hassle.”
“Yeah, sure,” Mitchell said. “Has nothing to do with the way Cheyenne shot you down, then?”
Eric and Luke chuckled.
“How did you know about that?”
“Bruce was interrogating her about it when she got back to the table. I think he was afraid you were going to talk her into leaving with you. Doesn’t want his princess consorting with the playboy,” Mitchell said.
“Plenty of fish in the sea.” I shrugged.
I headed to the bar. Screw it. I was just going to get shit-faced. It was a celebration, after all.
Just then, a young woman staggered into me. I managed to catch her before she went sprawling.
“Whoa. Whoa. Easy.” I got her vertical again and she was about to say something when her eyes grew wide and she quickly turned a few shades of green. I grabbed a trash can a foot away and pulled off the lid.
She bowed and proceed to toss her cookies.
I grabbed a bunch of napkins off a table and handed them to her.
“Been there. Done that,” I said.
I pulled her a chair as she righted herself. By then, her three girlfriends had gathered around her.
“Ellie, what the hell?” the brunette asked.
“I think her night is done,” I told them.
“Hey aren’t you Callen? OMG,” the young woman with glasses said.
“That’s me. And you guys should really should get her home.”
“Aww, it took us an hour to get in,” the brunette said.
“Ellie is it? You’ve clearly had a little too much to drink. So your friends are gonna get you to the bathroom and get you cleaned up.” I leaned in and peered into her eyes. They were still waxy. Her face was now more red than green.
I turned to her friends.
“There’s a limo out there waiting for us, but you guys can take it home. Take her home.” I nodded toward the sick girl. “Cool?”
The women hooped and hollered and gave me a group hug.
If only all my relationships could be this good.
Two
Lyssa
Shifting gears, I guided my cherry red Miata through the traffic in downtown Santa Barbara. The top was down and my engine purred. Damn, I loved this car.
“Where are you now?” the voice of my best friend Shayla asked through the speaker of my phone, which was mounted on the dash.
“Just passed Alameda Park,” I replied. Off to the right, I spotted the gazebo my cousin had gotten married in last spring. “I’m headed to the set now.”
“With that nightmare client?”
“Yep,” I said, popping the ‘p’. I was an assistant to the stars, handling the happiness of big-name celebrities. It sounded glamorous on paper, but the truth was that half the time I was trying to rein in the antics of the rich and spoiled.
“You know, there’s a pretty big movie scene here in New York, too. And I bet someone with your credentials could get a job in no time.”
“This again?”
“I don’t know why you won’t just move here. I love New York. It’s a completely different world.”
“I can imagine,” I said, looking around at the Mediterranean-style buildings surrounding me. There were palm trees along the sides of the road and a mountain backdrop. The smell of the ocean was always in the air and I was currently driving past a line of upscale boutiques, restaurants, and art galleries. New York must be so different, with its towering buildings and big-city amenities.
“Santa Barbara is great, really. But you need a change. Stephanie is moving out,” Shayla said, talking about her roommate. “I want you to take her place.”
“This lifestyle has lost some of its appeal lately. Watching Anjella party it up just reminds me of Brad.” My last boyfriend had been a heavy drinker and it had gotten so out of control that I had walked away from him and all the partying. “Honestly, going sober was one of the best ideas I’ve ever had.”
“Wow, twenty-four years old and all grown up,” Shayla said.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I’m boring now.”
“No, you’re not and I miss you. At least come visit.”
“I’ll think about it.” I wasn’t sure why I was hesitating so much. Maybe it was just fear of change. “We’ll see what my next client is like. One more troublemaker and I’ll just quit and pack my bags,” I said, half-jokingly.
“I’ll hold you to that,” Shayla said.
I pulled up the set location and ended the call. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the vegan protein smoothie in my drink holder and pocketed my phone. Time to face the day.
I had been on a lot of movie sets in the last few years, yet it always amazed me how chaotic they all seemed. There was always a flurry of motion, people running around, sound guys fussing over their equipment, lights guys setting up so many lights that they could guide planes, set people, actors, assistants, the list went on and on.
It seemed impossible that a quality film could come from such a set-up, but I had seen it happen many times. There was a magical power in the word “action” that made interfering sound disappear and drew everyone’s attention to the scene at hand. Even Anjella would pause in her demands until the director called “cut.”
There she was, sitting in the chair with her name on it, sipping a bottle of water and typing away furiously on her phone. Her brow was creased, and her mouth had formed a straight line. I would hate to be the poor soul receiving a text from her right now.
She had sent me a long message about how I should be there before her every day and that she was having to fend for herself while I was off doing God knows what. I clenched my jaw until my teeth felt like they might crack.
I was late because she had texted me twenty minutes ago demanding I bring in a specific smoothie from a specialty shop across town, despite the movie producers providing a huge variety of beverages and there being plenty of places nearby to get a smoothie. Nope, it had to be this smoothie from that shop.
I pocketed my phone and approached her, professional smile firmly in place. Anjella was a big name in Hollywood, with a couple of academy awards under her belt and more money than I would ever earn in a hundred lifetimes. She was gorgeous, with pouty lips, hazel eyes, and cheekbones that could cut glass. The brunette was the stuff of male fantasies all around the world.
None of that meant she was a good person.
She looked up from her phone as I reached her, holding out her hand impatiently.
“Good morning, Anjella,” I said, handing over the smoothie, which she snatched from my hold.
“Took you long enough. Where’s the straw?” I handed her the straw, wrapped in its paper coating. She looked at it like it was a snake about to bite her. “Open it.”
I did as she said without complaint. In this business, you had to pick your battles. With Anjella, you usually ended up biting your tongue fifty times a day.
After watching her gulp down half the drink, I was prepared when she handed it back to me to hold without a word. She wasn’t above dropping a drink on the ground if she didn’t want to hold it anymore, so it was either be prepared or clean up a mess. I had learned that the first day I had met her.
Careless: A Movie Star Accidental Marriage Romance (Santa Barbara Secrets Book 2) Page 1
