by Audra Cole
“Before we get carried away again, I have something to show you,” he says. He lets go of me long enough to pick up some sort of tablet from the bed. He has an excited gleam in his eyes when he turns back to me. “I called my manager yesterday and he is gonna work it out so that I can have the next three months off before starting my next project. I was trying to convince my mom to come to California and see a specialist for a second opinion, before her surgery, to make sure she is getting the best advice. She won’t go to California, but she did agree to let me get her an appointment with someone here.”
He turns on the tablet and pulls up a webpage for one of the most prestigious hospitals in Seattle. He flicks to a page with all sorts of information about their oncology department and starts rattling off all the different statistics regarding a particular team of doctors and how he pulled some strings to get his mom an appointment a week from now.
I ask questions and he does his best to answer them, as he whizzes around the different websites he has saved. I can’t help but smile along as he speaks. Although there’s still an edge of nervousness to his voice, he seems much more hopeful, and I can tell he feels better knowing he can make a contribution to his mom’s care.
“So you’ll be here for the next three months?” I ask, when he finishes showing me everything and sets the tablet aside.
He nods and kisses me again. “Yeah.”
I smile, practically bursting with happiness.
“And then, after that, maybe you would consider coming to California with me?” he asks.
My eyebrows shoot up. “Really? Brandon I—”
He interrupts. “You don’t have to decide right now, you’ve had quite a night, quite a weekend, really. I just want you to think about it. Please?”
I nod in agreement.
Brandon pushes out of bed and declares he needs to find something to eat.
“Typical man,” I tease as he gets dressed. “All you need in life is food and sex. Not necessarily in that order of course.”
He chucks a pillow at me and laughs. “Hey, I didn’t hear any complaints about my manly ways last night,” he says.
I grin at him. “Yeah, yeah,” I say. I sit up and gather the sheets around me. “Do you want me to go with you?”
He shakes his head and winks. “Nope, I want you to keep your beautiful ass right where it is,” he answers. “They put out a spread in the lobby every morning that’s not too bad. Muffins, bagels, and coffee. I’ll go load up a plate and be right back.”
He drops a kiss on my forehead before pulling on his hoodie. He stands by the door for a moment, just staring at me with a goofy, sideways smile.
“What? Is my hair totally tweaking?” I ask, running my fingers through the tangled bed head mess.
“No, you look perfect. I just can’t believe you’re here…with me,” he answers.
I feel myself blush.
He gives one last look and then turns and leaves, shutting the door behind him.
I sigh contentedly and lean back against the headboard. The last few days have been such a blur of chaos and emotion, but when Brandon and I were together last night, and again this morning, it seemed like everything else stopped swirling around us and the world moved in slow motion.
Life is better than back to normal. It is perfect.
A soft knock on the door interrupts my playback of some of our steamier moments. I laugh to myself, imagining Brandon standing there, his arms too full of food to do the key card for the door. I get off the bed and wrap the sheet tightly around myself, part of it trailing behind me as I cross the room and pop open the door.
I gasp when I realize Brandon’s ex-girlfriend, Vanessa Blair, in all her Hollywood glory, is standing on the welcome mat.
Continued in Seduced — Brandon Book 2
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Acknowledgements
First of all, I’d like to thank all my readers. Without you, my books wouldn’t even exist. I truly appreciate each and every one of you. The words of kindness and support blow me away and I am truly grateful!
I would also like to thank my handsome hubby who makes writing about happily ever after possible!
About The Author
Audra Cole is a romance author. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and three fur-babies, and she adores her eclectic city. When not glued to her keyboard, she enjoys reading, kickboxing, and unwinding with a nice glass of Moscato.
You can connect with Audra on Facebook and AudraCole.com!
Seduced
The Hollywood Tales Series:
Brandon — Book 2
A Billionaire Celebrity Romance
By
Audra Cole
Copyright © 2015 Audra Cole
Published By: Audra Cole
Copyright and Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination and have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 Audra Cole
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Chapter One
“Who the fuck are you?” Vanessa shrieks, ripping the oversized sunglasses off her face.
I panic and slam the door. I’m practically panting as I lean back against it. I only get a split second reprieve before I am flung forward as she barges through the door anyway.
Probably should have locked that, I think to myself as I tumble to the floor.
“I asked you a question!” she yells.
The next few minutes play out like a scene from The Real Housewives of Orange County. As I turn to gather my sheet, she lunges forward, screaming and scratching. I huddle on the floor, trying my best to keep away from her fake nails that seem to double as talons, as she flings her arms in the air.
I can’t understand most of what she is screaming. Something about me being a home-wrecking whore.
Where is Ashley when you need her? Ashley would have thrown this chick out on her ass by now. She has brothers, and grew up learning how to be scrappy and fight dirty.
“What the fuck? Vanessa? Holy shit!” The loud swearing signals to me that Brandon has entered the fray.
Within a few seconds he hauls her off of me and manages to restrain her arms at her sides so she can’t assault anyone further.
“Cherry, are you all right?” he asks over his shoulder.
“Cherry? What are you? A stripper?” Vanessa sneers. “Or is that more of a hooker name?”
My mouth drops open but for the life of me, I can’t think of anything to say. Call me naïve, but I didn’t realize grown women actually talked to each other like this.
“Vanessa, shut the hell up,” Brandon growls. He releases her with a warning look. She backs up, her fists still clenched and eyes narrowed in my direction.
Brandon crosses back to where I am, still sitting on the floor. He squats down in front of me and his eyes search my face, gently touching a scratch on my cheek.
“Brandon, what the hell is going on? Did you invite her here?” I ask.
He speaks softly. “I’m so sorry, Charity, I have no idea how she even knew I was here. Listen, there’s a little bit of a crowd outside and I don’t want to attract any more attention. I’m going to deal with all this.” He turns back to her with a look of disgust. “But I need you to get dressed and once I get
her out of here, give it five, ten minutes and then leave and go straight home. I’ll meet you back there as soon as I have this handled.”
He runs his thumb over my cheek again before standing up. He grabs Vanessa by the arm and starts to lead her out of the room.
“Bye, bye bitch,” she calls back to me.
“Vanessa, I am warning you,” Brandon hisses. “One more word out of you and I am calling the cops and having your ass arrested for assault. You think your daddy is going to be happy if he has to bail you out of jail?”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she says.
“Try me.”
They stare at each other intensely for a beat, and Vanessa seems to back down. She still looks like she could fly into another rage at any moment, but she allows him to steer her from the room without further incident.
I stare her down as Brandon leads her out of the room, one of his hands firmly grasping around her tiny wrist.
Once they leave, it takes me a few minutes to gather myself, still slightly in shock, and get dressed. I take one final look around the room to make sure I’ve got everything. I peek outside the window and don’t see anyone lurking about. Assuming the coast is clear, I hoist my purse up on my shoulder and leave the room.
I try to keep my head up and act like I did not just get beat up by a girl that probably weighs less than a hundred pounds.
There are a few people loitering around, but no one seems to be paying any particular attention to me. I hurry to my car, pull out of the parking lot, and start heading home. I check the rear-view mirror every five seconds, like I’m some sort of paranoid CIA agent. I roll my eyes and force myself to drive like a normal person the rest of the way home.
***
Once home, I shower and change out of yesterday’s clothes. I try to busy myself with cleaning until Brandon arrives a couple of hours later. He knocks on the door, and I let him in after checking the peephole—not making that mistake again.
He immediately pulls me into his arms. I try to relax, but I can’t force it. I push away from him. “What the hell was all that about?” I try—and fail—to keep the anger out of my voice. “You told me you weren’t with her! Were you lying to me? Is all of this a lie?”
He groans and rubs his face with both hands. “Charity, please don’t do this.”
“Do what?” My voice is bordering on hysterical.
“Don’t freak out, please. I know that whole thing was jacked up, and I really am sorry that it happened, but don’t take your anger out on me. I’m on your side, remember?”
“Don’t freak out! How could you even say that to me right now?” I yell. “I just got attacked by your crazy girlfriend, or ex-girlfriend, whatever! And you want me to not freak out?”
“Can we sit down and talk about this? I don’t want to fight with you.” His voice is low and soft.
I cross my arms across my chest. His eyes are soft, and I want to relax into his arms and go back to how things were at the hotel. But, all the events of the last few days are catching up to me and making it hard to think clearly. There is a sense of panic in the back of mind that is trying to convince me that I’ve just made a terrible, costly mistake in even letting Brandon get close again, without really knowing what he wants.
“Please, Cherry?” He says, offering me his hand.
I take a deep breath and nod, doing my best to force away the anxiety building in my chest. He steps forward and takes my hand, and I let him lead me to the couch.
We sit down and he turns to face me. “I didn’t lie when I told you that Vanessa and I are not together. We met a couple of years ago on the set of my first movie and, yes, we used to date, but that’s been over for a long time. We tried to stay friends after the breakup, but it’s been dysfunctional to say the least.”
“How did she know where you were? If you didn’t invite her…”
“I guess my manager told her. I called him yesterday to see about getting a longer break to stay here and be with my mom. Then, apparently, when Vanessa called him to find out where I was, he told her everything. He told her about my mom and the cancer, and gave her my info for the hotel.”
“Why would he do that, if you’re not together?”
He sighs. “I don’t know. She can be very…convincing.”
I wrinkle my nose. Not sure I know what that means. Not sure I even want to know.
“Anyways, I’ve handled it. I put her on a plane back to LA and told her that she is never to come near you or me again.”
“What makes you think she will listen?” I ask. “Call me crazy, but I need a little reassurance psycho bitch won’t be lurking in dark alleys waiting to pop out at me!”
“Let’s just say, I brought it to her attention that I have some very compromising photos of her, and that it would be a shame if those were to fall into the wrong hands,” he says. “Her dad is a very conservative business man who has already been embarrassed enough by her antics over the years. She really can’t afford one more scandal, or she’ll get cut off from him. And bye, bye daddy, means bye, bye bank account.”
I gasp. “You wouldn’t do that!”
I have nothing but ill-will towards this woman, but even I wouldn’t stoop that low and the Brandon I know, or knew, wouldn’t either.
“No, I wouldn’t. I don’t even have the pictures anymore, I deleted them when we broke up one of the million times. But she doesn’t know that,” he answers. “The point isn’t that it’s an empty threat, the point is that she won’t be bothering us again, I promise.”
He takes my hands. “Again, I am so sorry. I truly had no idea.”
Relief floods through me and the tension in my chest recedes. I decide that I believe his story. “Okay.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks. He takes my chin in one hand, and gently turns my head to see the scratch on my face.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little scratched and bruised. I think you got her off of me before she could go for the jugular. Good thing too. Who knew acrylic could do so much damage?” I joke.
Brandon smiles. “I always hated those things.”
“What did you ever see in her in the first place?” I ask.
Now that I have “met” this mysterious Vanessa woman, I can pretty much state that she is my polar opposite. She is a high fashion, full makeup and hair, and probably a sleeps-in-her-stilettos kind of girl. I don’t doubt Brandon’s love for me, but if he’s thinking I will ever be some kind of glamazon woman, he’s going to be very disappointed.My makeup bag has less than ten things in it and I really only fuss with my hair when I’m going somewhere fancy.
“Truthfully, I think the fact that she was different from anyone I had ever met was what initially attracted me to her. But I quickly realized that behind all that…stuff…is a very insecure woman who surrounds herself with people who worship the ground she walks on. Once you stop being good at that, she turns on you. She either cuts you out of her life or tries to make your life hell.”
Listening to him, I almost begin to feel sorry for her.
Almost.
Brandon pulls me close to him on the couch and wraps his arm around me. I snuggle into his side and breathe in his smell.
After a while he tips my face towards him and kisses me slowly.
“Charity, there is something we need to talk about though,” he says when we break apart.
I stiffen and brace myself, suddenly nervous.
“What happened today is certainly not the norm and I don’t want to scare you, but the world I’m from, down in LA is totally different than what you’re used to here. You know that I love you and that I will do everything in my power to protect you and keep you out of that mess, but I can’t guarantee that you won’t get hurt again. Probably not in a catfight, like today, but sometimes words can hurt more.”
He pauses, seeming to think of what to say next. “When I left that room with Vanessa, there were people outside with camera phones. I wouldn’t be surprised if the tabloid tak
es the bits and pieces from today and spins some crazy story. Ultimately you could end up in the middle of that. It could drag up our past and make it public knowledge overnight.”
I feel my eyes go wide as I absorb his words. I hadn’t even considered that.
“I hope that doesn’t happen, but I have to prepare you. Especially if you decide to move to California with me. Which, I really hope you do, more than you even know, but I would be doing you a disservice not to tell you the whole truth. The good and the bad.”
“I understand,” I whisper. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid. But I do trust you to fight alongside me no matter what comes our way. The good, the bad, and the ugly.”
Brandon smiles and holds my gaze for a long minute before kissing me again. “So, we’re in this together, then?”
I stare into his deep green eyes for a moment and the fear and uncertainty dissolves. “Together.”
He smiles and my heart races as he leans in and kisses me softly.
Chapter Two
“Okay, hold on, I’m confused.”
I sigh. “Ash, come on. Please don’t make this difficult.”
Ashley and I are sitting in her living room. After everything that happened with James, and then with Brandon, at the hotel, being attacked by his crazy ex-girlfriend, and then back at my house, I needed to tell someone. I had been forced to suffer all through work, keeping everything to myself, and was practically bursting when I rushed over to Ashley’s after my shift was over.
However, she isn’t taking it as well as I imagined—or at least, hoped.
“Charity, come on! You really thought I would just say ‘oh, you’re back with Brandon? Well that’s wonderful news!’” she asks, launching off of her couch to pace the room. “You seem to have forgotten that I was the one who was there, who watched you go through hell, when he left town! It’s taken you three years to get back to normal and move on. I don’t want that to happen again.”
I know she has every right to feel this way, but I can’t help but feel a little prickle of irritation. Her words sounds so close to what I imagine would be my mom and sister’s roars of disapproval.
