by Haley Travis
A-Hole to A-List
OMYW Instalove Romance
By Haley Travis
Copyright 2020 Haley Travis. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted or duplicated in any form whatsoever without express written permission of the author. This book is intended for sale to adults only. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to actual people or specific locations or details is completely coincidental, or intended fictitiously. All characters are over 18, no sex partners are related, all sex is consensual. This is fantasy. In the real world, everyone practices safe sex at all times. Right? Right.
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CONTENTS
Chapter One ~ Jenna
Chapter Two ~ Andrew
Chapter Three ~ Jenna
Chapter Four ~ Andrew
Chapter Five ~ Jenna
Chapter Six ~ Andrew
Chapter Seven ~ Jenna
Chapter Eight ~ Andrew
Chapter Nine ~ Jenna
Chapter Ten ~ Andrew
Chapter Eleven ~ Jenna
Chapter Twelve ~ Andrew
Chapter Thirteen ~ Jenna
Chapter Fourteen ~ Andrew
Epilogue One ~ Jenna
Epilogue Two ~ Andrew
Other Stories and About the Author
1
_____
Jenna
My high heels clicked along the marble floor as I walked down the long hallway of JT Strategy Group, further rattling my already jangling nerves. Clutching my notepad and pen, I forced my shoulders to lower, attempting to fake an air of confidence, even though I was slightly irritated.
Why would anyone suddenly push a meeting three hours earlier, leaving me with no time to prepare?
It was just another client, I kept telling myself. Just another meeting. I’d done this dozens of times before, even if this was the first time without my boss beside me. Jeremy had trained me to listen to my gut. Everything was going to be fine.
Being naturally shy was an obstacle to overcome, but nothing would ever get in the way of my chosen career. Humming for a few seconds to loosen my voice, rolling my shoulders back, I readied myself.
I exhaled swiftly, pasted on a bright smile and channeled my inner super professional energy. Striding into the glass and steel boardroom, I turned as the tall gentleman in a dark suit stood up and reached out his hand.
“Hello, Mr. Harper,” I said, setting my things in front of the seat beside him. “I’m Jenna Meyers.”
My eyes met his at the exact second his hand touched mine. An electric prickle danced between my shoulder blades, and my knees felt unsteady for a couple of heartbeats.
I was expecting a random stuffy business type. This was the most exquisitely handsome man I’d ever seen in person. My eyes raked along his sculpted jaw, his perfect full lips, his devilish, nearly black eyes. For a moment, I wanted to step through our handshake and into his arms.
Then I took in his stylish suit more critically. He was obviously obscenely wealthy, and wanted that point to come across clearly. He sat down in his chair, leaning back as if he owned the place.
Privileged. Cocky. His flashy watch likely equalled three years of my salary. He even had monogrammed gold cuff links that said, “AH”, which might as well have stood for “asshole”.
“Andrew, please. Lovely to meet you, Jenna. Thank you for taking on this rather unusual case.”
His voice was deep and gravelly. I would have guessed that he was in his mid-thirties, but his tone seemed a bit older. The kind of voice that made my thighs quiver and nipples tighten. My breath hitched, but I forced myself to sit in my chair, bashing my knee awkwardly on the table leg, but ignoring it.
“You say case as if I’m some sort of detective,” I said, forcing a smile.
“Whatever you call it, I’m in trouble,” he shrugged, his broad shoulders moving inside his perfectly cut suit jacket.
Be professional , I mentally screamed at myself. Stop looking at his lips.
“Jeremy doesn’t have a file on you yet, and just gave your account to me this morning, before you bumped up this meeting,” I said quickly, “So I’m afraid we’re going to have to start from scratch.”
“I actually didn’t tell Jeremy anything yet. But I know him from school, slightly, and hope that I can trust his firm.” Andrew nodded casually, lounging in his chair as if he were posing for a fashion catalog. “It’s a bit of an unusual situation,” he said. “Basically, the tech media thinks I’m an asshole, and I have to change that opinion in the next week so that I can get into the VIP area of an exclusive event.”
“That’s a pretty tight timeline,” I said, briskly taking a note on my yellow legal pad.
“See, it is a case,” he chuckled. “Don’t lawyers use those for their notes?”
“So do comedians,” I said. “Why does the media hate you?”
Andrew paused, staring out the window for a moment, giving me a moment to study his profile. It was interesting that he was rugged and beautiful at the same time. But right now he also looked slightly uncomfortable.
“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me everything,” I said. “And if it’s something seriously creepy, I can’t guarantee that I can fix it in a week.”
He looked at me sharply. “I punched a photographer who was harassing my little brother outside a gamer conference. Is that creepy?”
“Was it a fan or professional paparazzi?”
“Paparazzi.”
I shrugged. “We can probably spin that. Especially since you were protecting your brother – that always looks good. People love close-knit families.”
“You can’t mention my brother in anything publicly, though,” he said.
“Why not?”
He shook his head, running a hand through the slightly sun-kissed top of his thick brown hair. “Just don’t.”
I sighed loudly, taking another note. “Okay, why do you need to get into the VIP area of this event?”
“I can’t tell you the exact details yet.”
My pencil tapped against the pad as I stared at him, waiting. He met my stare, unflinching.
After an uncomfortable moment where I couldn’t stop my eyes from dropping to those luscious lips, I blurted, “Well, can you tell me what business you’re in?”
“Computer processors specifically designed to improve the rendering of first-person shooter video games,” he said, as if he were reading it from a brochure, “But it will make nearly all games better.”
A tiny laugh bubbled out of me. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that.”
“You assumed I was a stockbroker or something?” he smirked.
“No offense, you don’t look like the video game type.”
He leaned toward me slightly, as I caught a faint whisper of a warm, forest scent. “In this strange world, we often have to be all sorts of different types,” he said quietly. “We often surprise ourselves. Don’t you think so?”
The way he looked into my eyes was strange. Too intense. It was thrilling and disturbing at the same time.
“I don’t know,” I finally stammered. “But if you want me to help you, I’m going to need to know where to start.”
Andrew shook his head, staring at the ceiling, then he eventually nodded. “I’m going to have to trust you, I guess, Jenna. That doesn’t come easily to me.”
“You came to this
PR firm needing assistance,” I said. “Let us help you.”
“Only you,” he said, nodding sternly. “Nobody else on this account.”
“All right, sure.” It would be strange not being able to bounce ideas off my colleagues, but I’d manage.
“Okay. We’re one of the sponsors of the Lightspeed Games huge season launch event next Wednesday. There are over a dozen sponsors, so that doesn’t really make us stand out. There will be a ton of industry people there, but I need to get into the VIP area to speak directly with FlashFleaze and SnakeRunzz. If I can just get them to actually try our system, I know they’ll come on board as spokespeople.”
“Hmm.” I sat back, nodding. I didn’t know much about professional gaming, but I’d heard of FlashFleaze and SnakeRunzz. They were the two most prominent names in that world right now. “I heard those guys didn’t speak to each other. Some sort of rivalry, right?”
“Yes. Which is why I need to speak with them both about this new system. I need at least one or the other to personally recommend us, and hopefully make an endorsement deal.”
“Can’t you just book a meeting with them?”
Andrew snorted. “I wish. These guys don’t work like that. They’re surrounded by their entourage of buddies and social media managers. A flock of people who think it’s their job to keep anyone uncool away.”
It was tough not to smirk at the thought of this tall, broad-shouldered man being denied entry anywhere. But this particular crowd would never allow a corporate type in their midst. Andrew wasn’t uncool, exactly, he was just too authoritative to be edgy. He was “the man” that the cool kids rebelled against.
“They don’t take meetings,” he continued. “FlashFleaze goes with the flow and thinks that the world is random chaos, so if he runs into people, it’s a sign from the cosmos or whatever. SnakeRunzz is slightly paranoid and doesn’t talk to people unless he thinks it’s important, and it’s in an exclusive environment.”
“It sounds like you’re a bit paranoid as well,” I said, “if you can’t even tell me what you really do.”
He actually smiled broadly at that. “The last of the legal paperwork is being signed at the lawyers’ offices right now. I’ll be able to get you some information tomorrow.”
I made a note, then we exchanged cards. “I’ll look into Lightspeed Games and do a little research. I’ll see who is running their event and if I can pull any strings. In the meantime, I’ll try to find a way to get you noticed in that circle in a positive way before next week.”
“I’ll see if Terry has any ideas as well. When he’s not totally immersed in a project, he’s aware of that scene.”
“Who’s Terry?”
Andrew’s eyes crinkled adorably when he gave a genuine smile. “That’s my little brother. He’s a computer, engineering, and tech wizard. But he’s sensitive, and a bit...quirky. So it’s best to keep him away from strangers.”
“Got it.” I made a note to see if there was anything I could find about him online. Andrew’s deep chuckle made me glance up.
“Terry’s not online anywhere, except with extensive code names that only he could remember. He’s even more into tight security than I am.”
My lips pursed. “You can read upside down.”
“Yes.”
I wasn’t sure why that annoyed me. “Any other spy secrets I should know about?”
“If they were secrets, I couldn’t tell you.”
He seemed to enjoy smirking at me, which annoyed me even more. There was a strange tension in the back of my neck, and I wasn’t sure why. “Mr. Harper, we need to be on the same team here, with the same goal.”
“Andrew, please.”
As I licked my lips nervously, his eyes followed the motion. His gaze had barely unlocked from my face through this entire meeting. Was he trying to study me, or intimidate me somehow?
“I’m not a video game expert, so if you could please start me off with a list of social media and relevant websites, it would kick off my research a bit more quickly. Especially since you don’t want me utilizing the rest of the staff here.”
“Sure. That’s something I can email within the hour.”
“Great,” I said, standing up. “I’ll look into the event and the pro gamers. I think that’s all I can do until you can share more information.”
“Wonderful. Thank you, Jenna.” As he stood up, he seemed so imposing, and oddly close.
“I’ll walk you out,” I said quickly.
As we went out to the lobby, he commented, “That’s not a bad poster print over the sofa there.”
“How do you know it’s not the original?” I joked as I pressed the elevator button for him.
Andrew turned and raised an eyebrow. “Because the original is in my office at home.” As he got onto the elevator, he actually winked as the doors slid shut, leaving me standing in the lobby with my mouth half-open.
Shuffling back to my office, I honestly didn’t know if he was flirting with me or just enjoyed watching me squirm under his examination. I knew that I’d seemed nervous, and it was evident that I was relatively new here. Maybe he was the kind of guy who liked the power trip. Feeling superior.
Or maybe the way I’d been staring at him had fed his already considerable ego.
Whatever it was, my only option was to impress him, and my boss Jeremy, by finding a way to get him the coverage he needed. Taking a few deep breaths, I looked around my office, relieved that I had a reasonably-sized space so I didn’t feel closed in. The posters of oceans and forests surrounding me usually kept me grounded, but today I felt like I was floating.
Chugging the dregs of my now cold coffee, I got down to business. The rest of the day was spent lost in the strange world of professional video game media coverage, while trying not to picture Andrew’s gorgeous face.
2
_____
Andrew
Having Jenna working on PR for my company was going to be a problem.
She seemed young, maybe only twenty-three or so, although in the video game industry, that could only be seen as an asset. Her limited experience might mean that she was open to new ideas. What about open to a man who was ten years older?
I hadn’t been able to stop myself from staring at her, desperately needing to reach out and touch her delicate skin. My heart was still beating erratically as I exited the elevator and strode through the parking garage to my car.
How the hell was I going to maintain my focus and get into that VIP room to talk to the significant gamers if I could barely string two words together in front of Jenna? She didn’t seem to notice that I was practically stuttering. I’d felt like an awkward schoolboy, wanting to reach across the table to take her hand to see if she’d blush.
Pulling out of the lot, I headed to the warehouse that Terry referred to as our mad scientist lab. I tried to recall if I’d ever had a reaction like this to a woman before. Sure, I’d dated a bit here and there over the years, but there hadn’t been anyone exceptional. Momentarily entertaining at best. For the past five years or so, I just hadn’t bothered.
From a distance, Jenna almost looked mousy. But as soon as she came closer, she was so softly pretty my mind couldn’t process it all. Her silky light brown hair fell in waves around that perfect heart-shaped face. Her gentle blue eyes were so sweet as she looked up at me. Those barely contained sensual curves, so luscious and sexy. Her innocent nervousness, even though she was trying so hard to seem experienced.
I’d never felt such an immediate, dominant instinct around a woman before. I needed to wrap my arms around her, protect her, tell her that I would take care of her no matter what happened.
Yet there was one tiny sticking point that left me feeling irritated. Driving quickly through the streets, I realized that it wasn’t that she annoyed me. It was that I was clearly annoying her.
I was used to people not liking me. Inheriting a family fortune tended to make people assume you were spoiled and stupid. And running a tech co
mpany where you couldn’t precisely explain what you did in an elevator pitch made people afraid you were shady. Punching out the photographer had been the final straw.
There had always been many assumptions about me, which was why I needed some serious PR help. Since it was finally time for our company to go public about what we’d been working on this year, it had to be done right.
I needed Jenna to like me. Not just so that she could get me invited to the VIP room at the Lightspeed party, but so that...I didn’t even know what I was thinking. Could I ask her out? Was I too old for her, or was it inappropriate for me to ask out a colleague like this?
Many of my friends mentioned meeting women at work. Although to be honest, that was a while ago. Since my parents died in a car accident three years ago, I’d been taking care of the business and my brother. My friends had all more or less disappeared because I didn’t have time to call them.
