Movie Merger (Bad Boys Billionaire Bachelors Club #2)

by Angel, Rachel

  “Good. I’m starting to run out of little projects to keep you here as much as possible. I know that I’ll need you when the merger meeting comes up, but that isn’t for a week or so yet.”

  “I’ll be here; ready to help you take care of business in a way that’s beneficial for you and Foothill Studios.”

  “Thanks. I know I can count on you. Really I do, even when I don’t show it and act…what were the words…arrogant and demanding.”

  “I can guarantee you that I am going to get to the bottom of this merger. Even though the prospectus is done there is still more to the puzzle, things that we don’t want in that as much as to have for the heat of the moment.”

  “I like a woman who talks battle. It’s kind of sexy.”

  “That’s me, the sexiest friend you ever had,” I said. I smiled. I guess being a friend was a start even if it wasn’t what I ultimately wanted. I had to start somewhere though and figure out how to help Marshall heal all the anger and hurt he harbored inside of him for so long now. It must be tough and I didn’t want to be the one to walk away if I could help.

  Marshall leaned back to look me in the eyes. “Thank you for everything, Becca.” Then he leaned in and kissed me on the forehead, before announcing that he had to go take a shower and get ready for some meetings.

  A half hour later Marshall was out the door and I was all alone in the office, thinking about what he’d said and what I wanted to do to help him heal from that pain. It was obviously holding him back on an emotional level. Suddenly my broken heart from Brandon seemed pretty minor and I knew that I had to get over it before it overtook me.

  Marshall’s words about Mandi and Sophia seeing that lighter happier side of him got me thinking. I reached out for my cell to call Sophia. I was hoping that we could have a little get together in LA so I could see Marshall open up and relax with people he’d known for a bit longer. It would do me good to see, but more importantly, it would be great for Marshall.

  My cell phone buzzed before I could dial and I looked down at it, seeing that it was Sophia. What a fantastic coincidence.

  “Hi Sophia. I was just about to call you. What’s going on?”

  “Lots. First, what’s going on with you and Marshall? You two were pretty hot and steamy that night at Melé.”

  “You don’t beat around the bush do you,” I replied, laughing.

  “Not when I want to know something like that,” Sophia countered.

  “We had a very fun night and that’s about it. Let’s just keep it at that,” I said, feeling my cheeks flush. We really had put on quite a display for the BBBBCers and anyone who’s who within sight.

  “Okay,” Sophia said. “So, what were you getting ready to call me for? You go first.”

  “I was hoping that we could arrange a get together in LA sometime soon for everyone, you and Mandi, plus the BBBBC boys. Marshall needs to have some fun and relax a little bit. It’d do him a world of good I believe.”

  “Well, that’s right in line with why I was calling you. Marshall’s birthday is on Saturday and we wanted to coordinate a little party for him. We were hoping you’d have his schedule to make sure it would work.”

  “I don’t, but I can get it easily enough. He loves hanging out with his BBBBC friends, knowing he can trust them more than the people around the studio, so I think he’d be up for it. Have them call him casually to bring it up. I’ll do the rest,” I said.

  “Great. This is going to be so much fun and maybe we’ll have a chance to chat a bit more.”

  “We should have it here on the newest set. It would be the perfect spot.”

  “Oh, I love it! You’re good,” Sophia commented.

  “And afterward, I can grill you about what’s going on with Andre. It seems inevitable that you are about to take it to the next level.” It seemed that all my friends were finding happiness and great relationships with the men of the BBBBC, but I was the one destined to be the friend.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. Not that I haven’t suggested,” Sophia said, laughing. I always admired her determined spirit and ability to remain so optimistic through all her endeavors. I could learn from that.

  After Sophia and I were done talking I already had to call Tyler and tell him that I had to cancel for Saturday because something came up. It was a bit odd to me. I was attracted to Tyler and now that I knew Marshall and I were only friends I had every right to go out on a date with him without feeling guilty. Yet, the thought of causing Marshall more pain than what he’d already experienced in his life was not something I was willing to do either. For this weekend, Marshall’s needs won out.

  Chapter 16

  I was at the office when Saturday came, pretending to work busily, but actually coordinating for the surprise at the set behind the scenes. Thank goodness the stage hand at the set Marshall was at was cooperative. Without him this wouldn’t work. The last thing I had to do was get everyone cleared at the front gate. When doing that, I noticed that the slow paced security guard moved with a bit more hustle for me. It cracked me up, but I didn’t care. I know it came because rumors started flying around that I was looking through the books of the studio and that made people fear that their jobs were in jeopardy. I really didn’t care though. Even if that wasn’t true it was a great perk.

  Marshall came back to the house for lunch and chatted with me some, talking about how he was eager to go out with the guys later and catch up, asking what I was up to. I know he was hinting about the date with Tyler, but I didn’t tell him it had been cancelled. It was a convenient way to ensure that the surprise remained on his birthday day.

  “So, you set to hang out with your friends and relax tonight?” I said.

  “It’s certainly getting easier to relax more than anything else. They all seem to be settling down and starting to behave,” Marshall said.

  “Same with my friends. I guess it’s just the two of us that are free spirits, huh?”

  “Hardly words that describe me, but with you, I see it in you,” Marshall said. He looked at me and his blue eyes looked so soft and tender. It made me want him so badly. I just couldn’t shake that feeling.

  “Well, either way it’ll be a great day.”

  “I suppose. Well, back to the set. It’s coming along great. You’ll have to come see it later.”

  “I think I will. It’d be interesting to see what all goes into creating one,” I said. Yes. He gave me the reason to show up. This is working perfectly.

  With that, Marshall left and I made a quick call to Sophia, making sure her end of coordinating all those people was going along well.

  I went back to work and before I knew it 2:00 arrived. It was time for some fun. I’d changed into some other clothes at the office that I’d brought that morning. At 2:05 the guard buzzed up, saying that everyone was on their way.

  When the limousine pulled up I got into it to find Mandi, Sophia, Andre, Sergio, and Sylvain’s smiling faces. They looked as excited as me. Marshall wasn’t an easy man to fool and if we pulled this off it would truly be a noteworthy accomplishment.

  I walked out onto the set and Marshall waved me over and smiled. I saw the stage hand that had been helping me in the corner and nodded to him. He went right into action. I walked through the door and was followed by everyone else, who all shouted out, “Surprise!” at the same time.

  Marshall’s face showed that he clearly was surprised. Everyone on the set, along with us, began to sing Happy Birthday to him and he looked a bit embarrassed by the attention. It was definitely an emotional response that I’d never seen in him before. I couldn’t quite place it.

  Within minutes, everyone had the champagne, appetizers, and a large cake was wheeled out, making it a full out surprise party on the set. I noticed Marshall seemed awkward though, as if he didn’t like being exposed to people at the studio. I looked at it differently though, believing it would be great for them to see what a special guy he was and how much those closest to him cared about him.

/>   Marshall stayed close to me during his party and I could tell that he’d liked my dress choice, although that hadn’t been my original intent with it. I was really just thinking of a fun party dress. He whispered, “I cannot help but enjoy sitting next to such a beautiful woman on my birthday.”

  “Thanks Marshall. I really want today to be special for you.”

  “Is anyone else coming?”

  “In a bit, there’ll be some other people dropping by to say hello. Not too many though, as I knew that you really can’t relax when too many people are around. This is your birthday. I want you to enjoy it.”

  “Will you be staying for the entire party, Becca?”

  “Why don’t you just ask me what you seem so curious to know?”

  “You’re being stubborn. Fine, I will ask. Are you still going out with Tyler tonight? If you are, I’d suggest you wear something a little less…appealing.”

  “Like a turtle neck sweater?” I replied, laughing.

  “Yes, that would be brilliant,” Marshall said.

  “I cancelled that date to coordinate your party.”

  “Suddenly this party doesn’t seem so awkward then. I can put up with the surprise thing, which I truly was by the way, in order to keep you safe from the shark that I’ve brought to this studio.”

  “How heroic,” I said. I looked over by the entrance then and saw a few people that we’d invited. They were also BBBBCers and other acquaintances of Marshall’s that I didn’t know formally. He went over to greet them and as soon as he slid out, Sylvain slid in.

  Sylvain hadn’t been around a lot in Vegas so I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk with him at all. He sat down and started talking casually, apparently remembering me.

  “If I recall, you were drinking martinis that night in Vegas,” Sylvain said.

  “Yes.”

  “Shall I get you one?”

  “I’ll stick to champagne. The martinis were very tasty, but they went right to my head.”

  “Yes, I recall,” Sylvain said. He made me feel a bit embarrassed, knowing that he must have been one of the people that witnessed Marshall and my hand fest on the dance floor. I figured that I’d better play coy back and quickly too.

  “That was a once in a lifetime experience for me. Incredible, but no need to repeat.”

  Sylvain seemed to accept my statement and immediately turned to more friendly conversation. We were talking about clubs and what it took, actually discussing business and I got the feeling that there may be a need for a business relationship there. I’d have to keep that in mind when I was done with all of Marshall’s projects.

  Every once in awhile Marshall would come up to me and whisper something in my ear, making me laugh. He was acting like a protective older brother, ensuring that nothing that I didn’t want to happen was going on with Sylvain, reminding me that he was another man who appreciated women for a night at a time rather than for any length of time. I whispered in his ear, “I’m beginning to think all men are that way.”

  “Stop,” he whispered back. Then before he could do anything else or sit down someone would be coming up to him and distracting him.

  Sophia and Mandi came up and the three of us went to stand outside and talk in privacy a bit. It felt great to be by them again and everything seemed like it had a few years back for a brief moment. Or at least the topic was the same—men.

  “I trust everything is going good with Marshall,” Mandi said. She looked so happy and I could see that being in love suited her perfectly. She was lucky.

  “It’s going as good as it can be for friends,” I said.

  “Friends? Come on,” Sophia said. “He is all over you and can’t take his eyes off you. I’ve never seen him be so attentive to a woman the way he is to you. It’s definitely more than friendship.”

  “Not according to him,” I replied. “He stated it pretty directly and Marshall’s not really the type of guy to mix words.”

  “In this case, you’re wrong,” Sophia continued.

  “I have to agree,” Mandi added. “He is definitely drawn to you and everyone can see it.”

  “Sometimes I think he is, but then he distances himself. It’s way more than I want to deal with; especially after Brandon.”

  “Brandon was a fool. Marshall isn’t. He’s just confused,” Sophia said.

  “I think Sophia’s correct. Sergio did the same thing to me and once he came to terms with everything in his mind things changed in an instant. Now it’s effortless,” Mandi said.

  “Well, I won’t hold my breath waiting for that,” I said, laughing. Deep down I was hoping Mandi was right. I knew that’s what I wanted, but I wasn’t about to let it show since Marshall wasn’t on the same page as me when it came to our emotional connection.

  We continued chatting for a bit, watching the DJ come in to the party to set up some music. When the music started we all headed back in, knowing that we’d been away long enough.

  I was no sooner in the door when Marshall came up to me. “Is everything good?” he asked.

  “Yes, just talking with my friends. It was great to catch up with them.”

  “Is there anything you need, Becca?”

  “I’ll take a refill on the champagne, I guess, but it’s your party and I should be waiting on you,” I offered.

  “If it’s my party I should do what I want and right now I want to take care of you,” Marshall retorted.

  “Well, far be it for me to argue with the boss,” I said, laughing.

  As soon as Marshall left, Sylvain came right up to me and asked if I wanted to dance. At first I said no thank you, but he was insistent. I agreed to one song.

  On the dance floor the music was fast and it was fun to move around a bit. I was starting to feel the champagne and hoped this would help wear off that slight buzz I sensed was coming. Then it turned to a slow song and without thinking twice about it, Sylvain pulled me into his arms and we began to slow dance.

  “You really are so beautiful and sexy, Becca. You know that though, don’t you?”

  “That’s a bizarre question to ask,” I said, not willing to answer him directly. I knew that men were always drawn to me, but I didn’t necessarily flaunt it; or did I?

  “Not really. I can see why Marshall enjoys having you work for him. Hopefully I can persuade you to come help me with some legal matters.”

  “Sure, set up an appointment at my office and I’d be glad to get over there or send an attorney from the firm who might be more equipped for your line of business than I am.”

  “Aloof…interesting.”

  “Not really. I…” My words got cut off by Sylvain suddenly being yanked away from me. I saw that it was Marshall and he was raging mad.

  “Leave her alone!” Marshall shouted. Before Sylvain could even respond Marshall went off and smacked him one across the jaw.

  “Marshall, stop it,” I shouted. “He’s not doing anything wrong.”

  Marshall’s disruption had cleared the makeshift dance floor in an instant and Sergio and Andre were at his side, pulling him away from Sylvain, who was still on the floor trying to figure out what had just happened to him. There was a trickle of blood on his lip, which must have cracked from the unexpected punch.

  I stood there, shocked and embarrassed by the scene, and Sergio and Andre pulled Marshall away, making him go outside for some fresh air.

  Sylvain got up and had a flock of people tending to his needs. His jaw was bruised, but I sensed his ego was even more so. It really had been unwarranted by Marshall and I couldn’t help wondering what his angle was. As a friend he shouldn’t be so agitated if I chose to date or dance with someone. It really wasn’t his business, plus I’d had Sylvain in control. He was good looking, but I wasn’t interested in him in any other way than just a friend—a legitimate friend.

  * * *

  “Marshall, what the hell is wrong with you?” Sergio asked. “You’re acting like an irrational fool.”

  “I don’t know. I jus
t had too much to drink I guess.” Marshall rubbed his hands through his hair, acting as confused about his actions as everyone else had been.

  “Look, I’m going to state the obvious,” Andre began. “You obviously have it bad for Becca and you’d better just admit that before you go off the deep end. Stop being so damn stubborn, thinking that you can never love anyone again. Go for it. You take risks with business all the time and succeed. Risking it with Becca seems to be a safer bet. It’s obvious that you two are nuts about each other.”

  “You’re wrong. She’s just a friend and very valuable to me. I don’t want to see her get hurt by anybody,” Marshall said.

  “Or let anyone else have her apparently,” Sergio added.

  “Well, if you two will excuse me, I have to go make amends with Sylvain for clocking him one. Hopefully he doesn’t want to clock me back. He’s a strong bastard.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be fine, not that we could blame him if he wanted to,” Sergio said.

  “Just remember—stop acting like a caveman and get your act together,” Andre added.

  Marshall turned to look at the two and walked back in to his party, feeling a bit foolish about what he’d just done.

  * * *

  “I cannot believe that just happened,” I said, looking at Sophia and Mandi. I was so confused and honestly, getting more concerned about Marshall’s mental stability. He was so on and off constantly, making it hard to gauge what was going to happen at any given moment. There was good spontaneity and then there was the bad kind—what he’d just done to Sylvain definitely fell into the bad kind.

  “If he’d just stop denying that he’s in love with you, things like that wouldn’t happen,” Mandi said.

  “And Mandi’s talking from experience about that one,” Sophia said.

  “What do you mean, Mandi?” I asked.

  “Sergio did the same thing and I went back to New York early from Italy. Leroy had given me a ride back and we were…well…starting to get intimate and he finally came in and confessed. It had been driving me crazy too. I have a hunch that Marshall’s pulling a Sergio,” Mandi said.