by J. J. Scotts
“That’s really not so bad, right, Cosmo?”
She snuggled deeper into the curve of my arm. I stroked her soft ears.
“I mean, sure, it’s awkward. But he’s mostly going to be holed up writing his next book. Eli said so. Even Josh says he barely ever sees him and he’s his brother!”
So, I reasoned, all I really needed to do was avoid Chase. I’d get to keep my job and stay in this really nice place. I just had to keep our interactions to a minimum. And really, there was no reason we needed to interact at all. He’d written up a detailed packet of information just so I wouldn’t have to bug him while he was writing. I would stick to studying, reading the books, and doing whatever else Eli and Landon required of me, and I wouldn’t worry about the real Chase Preston and his hard body…and his smoking hot kisses… Fuck.
Get the fuck out of my head! I ruffled my hair with my hands in frustration.
After I calmed down, I looked at Cosmo. “Shouldn’t be that hard,” I murmured. She lifted one eyelid and gazed at my face for a long moment.
Yeah, I wasn’t sure I believed me either.
Chapter 9
The knock on my bedroom door an hour later made my heart seize in my chest, but it was only Eli.
He popped his head in when I told him he could enter, his usual broad grin splitting his beard. “Ah, Liam! Good, you’re still here. And you’re already up and showered! Landon and I need you in the living room. Join us?”
I didn’t miss the ‘you’re still here’ comment. Had he expected me to bolt in the middle of the night? Maybe he knew about the kiss?
No, I thought, trying to curb the rapid beating of my heart. There was no way he could know. Unless…that kind of behavior was typical of Chase? I bent to tie my shoes, taking my time to tighten the laces of the polished Oxfords I’d found in the closet. It was still weird to me that everything in that closet fit me perfectly.
“So...um...what exactly do you do for Chase?” I doubted Eli would spill the beans about his employer if he made a habit of making out with his male staffers – or his female ones for that matter – but maybe I could get a better sense of Chase’s personality, especially if Eli had worked for him for a while.
“Oh, well, technically Landon and I work for the Prestons.”
I looked up at that. “By ‘the Prestons’ do you mean the family?”
Eli chuckled. “Yes, those Prestons. Landon and I do a bit of this and that. PR, mostly. We’ve been assigned to help Chase deal with the publicity for his books. Rubix Publishing is actually owned by the Preston family, so we deal with other authors as well. But obviously, Chase is the main priority, not just because he’s part of the family, but because his books sell the best.”
Wow, so they owned the publishing company? I shouldn’t be surprised considering all the stuff around me screaming ‘wealthy.’ I just nodded in understanding.
“That’s why we were in charge of hiring you,” Eli continued. “We also handle his interviews and now his public appearances, of course. Did you have a chance to read over the ones I included with the books yesterday?”
In the two years since Rubix had published the first book in The Dreieck Series, Chase had only done a handful of print interviews, either over the phone or, more often, via email. Eli had provided me with copies of all of them.
“Yeah, I skimmed them. I spent most of the time on the stuff from Chase about the books.” I’d meant to start the first book last night too, after dinner. Remembering what I’d done after dinner instead, I felt heat burning my cheeks. I coughed and changed the subject, hoping Eli wouldn’t notice my sudden discomfort. “Oh, uh, is he here?” I tried to make the question sound as casual as possible.
I wanted some warning if I was going to walk out into the living room and see him. Maybe that would help me brace myself.
“Locked up in his study writing, as usual.” I felt a wave of relief. “Not that we mind, since he’s earning our paychecks, eh?” Eli chuckled. I wondered how true those words were. He’d said he and Landon ‘technically’ worked for the Preston family. Did Chase pay them, or did his parents?
Still, I was glad to hear I wasn’t going to run into him first thing this morning, before I’d even had a cup of coffee.
“Didn’t I tell you you’d rarely see him?” Eli beamed. I resisted the urge to point out that I’d seen him pretty up-close last night. Felt him too.
“Do you know what he does when he’s not writing? I mean, if he doesn’t really go out in public...” Eli chuckled again, but the sound was a little strained. “Oh, you know. Just goes out to clubs like most young people.”
I thought of the mask and raised my brows. “What kind of clubs?”
“Why do you ask that?” Eli’s normally grinning mouth puckered a little. He seemed a little uneasy.
I wasn’t about to tell him the whole truth, but... “I saw him come back last night. He had a sort of a mask, or something?” I tried to make it sound like I hadn’t gotten a real good look.
“Oh.” Eli coughed into one pudgy fist. “Oh, that. Well, they’re sort of underground clubs, you know? Unique places where all kinds of people meet up. It’s considered normal to wear a mask because others do too. They don’t know who he is, and he can interact without worrying about people staring at his scar. He says it’s mostly for research. For the books and all!” He was grinning again.
I nodded. I wasn’t sure I believed that whatever Chase was doing was strictly for research, though. ‘Mostly research’ sounded like he did a little more than that. Last night he’d reeked of liquor and cigars, and he’d been tipsy, perhaps drunk. Why else would he have gotten all up in my space?
Some of the ‘unique’ people he met at whatever weird places he was going to no doubt ended up in his books, but I didn’t think that’d be why he was hanging out there. No, it was obvious to me that the main draw for Chase Preston was a good party.
“And you and Landon are okay with him frequenting these...clubs? What if someone recognizes him? I mean, I know it’s not likely. But it’s not impossible, is it?”
If Chase was drinking and carousing, he might tell someone who he was, too.
Eli frowned. “No, it’s not impossible. But very, very unlikely. Like I said yesterday, he hasn’t been in the public eye, and he knows that he has to be careful with his publicity.” Eli was uncharacteristically very serious. “And I know it may seem like it, and we do care about Chase, but we aren’t his guardians.” His smile once again returned. “Our main concern is marketing and publicity. So long as he’s keeping out of trouble, what he does at night is of no concern to us. He can do as he likes really!”
His laugh this time was boisterous. I chuckled along politely, but I wasn’t feeling it. For one, I couldn’t help but wonder what his PR gurus would say if they knew that Chase had engaged in a thoroughly hot makeout session in the kitchen…with me.
For another, Eli’s comment about guardians served as a somewhat painful reminder of my own father.
I didn’t want to remember that.
“Hey, is the farm boy awake yet? We’re burning daylight here!” Landon’s impatient voice managed to sound both bored and aggravated as it drifted down the hallway.
Eli’s face suddenly transformed to worry and he turned quickly, hastily beckoning me to follow. As I hurried to follow him down the hall, I couldn’t stop from flicking a quick glance behind me toward the study and Chase’s bedroom. Both doors were shut tight. I could see a little light glowing under the study door, so Eli had been right. He’d locked himself up to write.
I breathed a small sigh of relief and moved purposefully into the living room. Landon was once again sprawled on the couch, looking as if he owned the place. His suit today was a very light gray, and he wore a shirt the same shade as his arctic eyes beneath it.
He scowled at my jeans-and-t-shirt ensemble, but if I wasn’t going out anywhere I didn’t see the need to dress up. The outfit was, after all, almost exactly what Chase had been
wearing yesterday. If I was supposed to be Chase Preston, it seemed a good place to start.
“God, you look like hell.” His eyes shifted to Eli. “Did you tell him he looks like hell, Eli?” Landon looked appalled. It was almost funny to see such a strong reaction on his stony face.
Eli, still with a kind smile on his face, motioned me to the kitchen counter. “Go ahead and get yourself some coffee.”
The rich scent of dark-roasted coffee permeated the warm air. I passed Landon and made a bee-line for the kitchen to fix myself a cup. I was surprised to see breakfast burritos steaming on the island, and I wondered if Josh had been in this morning.
I looked at the burritos and then at Eli.
“Go ahead, help yourself!” Eli said, waving his hand like he was shooing me away.
I bit into one, groaning at the mixture of egg, cheese, bacon, and spicy potatoes inside. It was definitely made by Josh.
“Chase takes his coffee black, three sugars,” Landon called from the living room. For a moment, I stiffened, thinking he meant I should get one for the writer too. “Just so you know,” he added. I breathed a small sigh of relief. He was just informing me for my role. “Lots of interviewers like to ask idiotic questions like that, so we’ll be sticking with that answer.”
I normally didn’t take quite as much sugar in my coffee, but I did drink it black and was grateful I wouldn’t have to drink it with milk in public.
I hurriedly consumed my breakfast, aware of Eli and Landon murmuring to each other in the living room. When I was done, I refilled my coffee and carried it back into the other room.
“Finally. Christ.” Landon frowned, looking me over. “We’re going to start practicing the acceptance speech for when you go accept this award next week. This is going to be your first public appearance, so you need to be ready to hit the ground running.”
“Right. Okay.” I felt ready.
Landon pressed his lips into a thin white line. “First of all, Mr. Preston, you need to learn to stand up straighter.”
“What? Why? Don’t I stand fine?”
“We don’t have time for you to question me.” Landon’s eyes narrowed. “Now, Mr. Preston, shoulders back.” Landon kept staring hard at me, waiting for me to obey.
With a sigh, I did. I remembered back to debate prep and straightened my spine, squared my shoulders, and lifted my chin. Relaxed but aware. Direct, not haughty. For a brief moment, I considered tilting my nose up the extra bit to go for ‘haughty.’ I was aiming to be Chase here, right?
I bit back the snicker that snaked up my throat at the thought. Considering the death glare Landon was shooting me, it was probably best to shut up.
“Jesus, who are you, Captain America? We’d be better off with a cardboard cutout.” Landon rubbed one of his temples like he had a headache. He sure was demanding. I wondered who gave him instructions and got to boss him around. They were lucky as hell. “You’re supposed to be a confident, successful author, Liam.”
I paused, thinking about Landon’s words. “Wait, aren’t I trying, specifically, to be Chase?”
“No. Absolutely not. You’re a more PR-friendly version of Chase.”
Eli contorted his face a little at Landon, and then tried to turn it into a smile. “Why don’t you try relaxing just a little bit more, Mr. Preston?”
I was still getting used to hearing and responding to a name that wasn’t mine. It needed to become second nature, and we only had one week. But still, it sent a weird twist through my chest every time Eli or Landon said it.
Heeding Eli’s advice, I shook myself out a little, relaxing my shoulders a tad more. I turned to Landon and raised my brows.
“Well, you don’t look like you’re about to salute now, so I guess it’s an improvement.” He shifted his mouth to one side and pointed with his bony finger. “Go over to the mantle, turn around, and walk back. Stop at the end of the coffee table as if it’s the podium. And try not to look like you’ve got a stick up your ass.”
“Ease and confidence is what we’re looking for, Mr. Preston.” Eli’s smile got wider with each insult Landon lobbed at me, as if he could make up for the slights with more visible teeth.
Landon snorted and rolled his eyes. “He heard what I said, Eli. You think he can’t understand me?”
I sighed, strolled to the fireplace mantle, turned toward the two men, and strode back. I stopped when I reached the coffee table, trying to look relaxed and self-assured. I looked expectantly to Landon. I thought I’d done a pretty good job.
He lifted one brow. “What? Do you want a treat? Do it again.”
Landon and Eli made me walk back and forth across the living room for over an hour, until both of them were satisfied that I could walk onto the stage at the award ceremony without tripping and falling on my face. Actually, Landon probably would’ve kept me at it for another hour if Eli hadn’t convinced him to move on.
After walking around stupidly, Landon handed me a sheet of paper with a short acceptance speech typed on it.
“Now, walk from the mantle to the table again, only this time when you get there, deliver the speech…and look happy to have received it, obviously.”
It was a fairly short paragraph, pithy, with a few jokes. I stumbled at first, but by the end of the speech, I thought my delivery was pretty smooth.
Or not.
Landon frowned at me. I had never felt so self-conscious about my speaking in my life – including when I first started debate!
“Nope,” he said with a sigh, losing his patience.
“What?” I asked genuinely. The delivery was fairly clear.
“It sounded a tad bit memorized,” Eli said, inclining his head slightly. “Try it again from the top, please?”
“Naturally this time,” Landon commanded. “With natural pauses.” He eyed me standing in front of him and rubbed his chin in thought. “Also, rub your hand through your hair or scratch the side of your head like you’re at least a little nervous and embarrassed. This will be your first appearance in public. You should look somewhat endearing.”
It was strange to hear Landon say ‘endearing.’ But what he said made sense, so I did what he asked. Again, and again, and again. And again. I went through another cup of coffee and a bottle of water as Landon and Eli both directed me in how to speak, where to put my hands, and when to smile at the audience. Some of Landon’s insults went right over my head, but that didn’t seem to bother him.
“Slower,” Landon enunciated the word. “The audience needs to be able to follow –you’re not a salesman.”
“Try taking a little longer pause after that joke, Mr. Preston,” Eli offered with a smile. “I think it’ll land bigger if you give them a second to appreciate it.”
I realized that the good cop/bad cop routine I thought Eli and Landon had going was actually their real personalities.
And so it went until lunch time.
***
Landon reluctantly let me take a break to eat the delicious smoked turkey, apple, and cheese sandwiches that Josh had left. I had two, plus some of the carrot sticks with a tangy homemade ranch dressing.
“Have you started reading the books yet, Mr. Preston?” Landon asked as he watched me eat. Eli had joined me, but his counterpart apparently ran on jet fuel or something and didn’t require sustenance.
“Uh, no. Not yet,” I confessed. I sniffed and rubbed my nose in nervousness thinking that maybe I should have done that first. “I meant to start the first one last night, but I got a little…uh…caught up…” I’d almost forgotten about what had happened last night. “…in the other paperwork.” Not at all because of kissing and grinding with the author I had been hired to represent.
Landon cleared his throat. “You should start with the latest book. That’s going to be the one freshest in people’s minds, since it’s the most recent. If you have any questions about it, ask Chase before next week. I want you confident at that ceremony and at the after-party.”
I swallowed, try
ing not to think about getting together with Chase. “After-party? I thought it was just the awards thing?”
“The after-party is part of the awards thing. The most important part.” Landon shook his head in exasperation, cutting a sidelong look at Eli. Eli busied himself by patting his mouth with a napkin.
“You’re going to mingle with the other winners and nominees,” Landon continued. “And the press will be there looking specifically for you since it’s your first appearance.”
Landon tugged at his cuff. “Eli will see to it that you’ve got something suitable picked out to wear. You don’t want to look like…you.” I refrained from pointing out that the clothes I was wearing were ones they’d purchased for me, but I doubted that would sway Landon’s opinion.
