The Sweetest Mistake

by Layla Valentine

  Edward raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I? Is that weird?”

  “Are you going to go, Dominic?” Juliette asked, shaking her head in amusement as she stood up, rearranging her clothes.

  She hadn’t realized how twisted they’d gotten during the scene they’d just finished filming. Dominic raked her body with a glance before he looked away. The tension hadn’t faded from his posture.

  “Do you really think I could get out of it?” he asked, his voice still on edge as well. “I’ll see you there. From a respectful distance, of course.”

  With that, he stalked out, leaving the studio through the opposite door from the one that Albert had used. Juliette tucked her shirt back into her skirt and then tucked her hair behind her ears. Edward was still standing there, watching her almost curiously.

  “Mr. Price didn’t seem happy with the scene,” Juliette said. “Is there anything I should have done differently?”

  Edward shook his head. “No, please don’t feel that way. It’s not you that Albert has a problem with.” He dropped back into his chair and rested his chin in his hand, propping his elbow on the arm of the chair. “He keeps a close eye on you because he doesn’t trust himself to know what Dominic is up to.”

  “So he’s trying to see if I look like I’ve been recently seduced?”

  Edward gave a half smile. “I’m afraid so.” His expression turned thoughtful, and he sighed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have insisted on working with Dominic, but no one else would have been right. Especially since you’re here.”

  “Me?” she asked. “What do I have to do with it?”

  “You’re perfect together.” When she simply stared at him, he hurried on. “Cinematically speaking, of course. You see, the reason that I wanted you for this part is that you’re the strong kind of delicate. It matches the vulnerability that he can project when he wants to. He’s strong, but he’s not an idiot, and that comes through in every role he’s ever played. I know that the two of you are going to produce something amazing.”

  As Juliette walked out, she couldn’t get his words out of her head. “You’re perfect together.”

  At least she wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

  In desperate need of a distraction, she called Tami.

  “So I’m going to a party at a Hollywood Hills mansion tonight,” she said without preamble. “Are you up for helping me find a dress? Preferably a cheap yet stunning one?”

  “Meet me at the studio,” Tami said.

  “The studio?” Juliette repeated. “Why?”

  “Just trust me.”

  Taking her friend at her word, Juliette cranked her truck and headed for Tami’s photography studio. When she got there about thirty minutes later, she saw an incredibly good-looking guy sitting behind the reception desk.

  “Hey there,” he said, standing up. “Are you the Juliette that I’ve heard so much about?”

  “I—yes, I am.” She shook the hand that he held out. “It’s nice to meet you…” She trailed off to let him fill in, and he did so obligingly.

  “Jason.”

  Good God. She hadn’t known that the Jason who had been so helpful to Tami looked like this.

  “There you are!” Tami called from down the hall. “Come on in. I’ve got something to show you.”

  Juliette walked down the hall, really wondering if Tami had misheard what they needed to do. She had a little under three hours to find a dress and get ready to be at Albert’s party. Why on earth were they at the studio? And why did Tami look so excited?

  “Here you go,” Tami said, flinging open one of the doors on the left. “Take your pick.”

  Juliette’s mouth fell open as she looked at rows and rows of formal wear. “What—where did all of this come from?” She wasn’t a complete fashionista, but she recognized some of the brands. They weren’t cheap.

  “Huge fashion shoot in a few days,” Tami said simply. “I’m gonna stick my neck out and let you borrow one of these dresses for the night.”

  Juliette pressed her hands to her mouth. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope. But if you get anything on it, I’m gonna freak out.”

  “I won’t!” she said quickly. “I won’t even eat anything. I’ll drive standing up if you want me to. I’ll—”

  “You can’t drive to that party,” Tami said with a laugh as she flicked through the rack, pulling a few dresses free.

  “What?”

  “Get a driver,” she said. “Trust me.”

  “I guess I can afford it now that I’m not going to have to buy a dress,” Juliette conceded. She pointed at the gown Tami had just pulled off the rack. “What’s that one?”

  “The last one that you’re going to try on,” her friend said. “Jason will you get the equipment out of that little room by the—”

  “Already did,” he said. “Go on in.”

  “Okay,” Juliette said when they were in the makeshift dressing room. “Why didn’t you tell me how cute Jason is?”

  “Are you ready to move on from Dominic so fast?” Tami asked with a laugh as she held the first dress out to Juliette.

  “Ha-ha. Don’t try to distract me. He’s adorable, and he’s so nice! Why don’t you—”

  “Why don’t I what?” Tami asked. “Ask him if he wants to take on a pregnant woman and help her raise the baby?”

  “That might be a lot for the first date,” Juliette said.

  Tami rolled her eyes. “Look, we work together. It’s not like that.”

  Juliette would have argued, but she was too busy pulling the dress over her head. She made a mental note to pursue the subject later, though. There was way too much potential there to be ignored.

  Chapter 12

  Juliette was glad she’d taken Tami’s advice and hired a car to take her to Albert Price’s mansion in Hollywood Hills—she never could have parked her truck here and gotten away with it.

  She slid out of the car and smoothed her dress carefully. She’d chosen the cerulean blue satin, and she was relieved to find that it hadn’t wrinkled during the ride. It was still hard to believe that she was wearing something so expensive.

  There was a brief moment of nerves once she was out of the car as she realized that she recognized everyone milling around. Not from her personal life, of course. No, she recognized them from television, magazines, or movie screens. Edward hadn’t been kidding. The place was packed with influential people.

  Juliette edged through the crowds, looking into corners and hoping to get a glimpse of Edward. They could be wallflowers together. She was looking so intently for the director that she walked right past Dominic.

  “Too good to talk to me?” he asked over the music.

  She turned and gave him a smile. It wasn’t returned. His eyes skimmed her, and he swallowed hard.

  “How long have you been here?” Juliette asked.

  Dodging her attempt at small talk, he reached out a hand and caught her upper arm, surprising her. “Come outside with me.”

  “What?” she asked blankly. “I just got here, Dominic. I have to find Mr. Price and then—”

  “It won’t take long,” he said.

  Before she could object, he pulled her out a side entrance and into a dark, secluded corner of the garden.

  “Where did you get that dress?” he asked. His voice was just as tight as it had been earlier. Juliette could barely see him in the dark, but she could feel the tension radiating off of him.

  “From Tami,” she said. “Why?”

  “You wear a dress like that, and then you just walk right past me?” he went on, moving closer. “Like you’re not thinking about what happened today?”

  Juliette looked up at him as he towered over her. His body just barely brushed hers. She wondered if she should be intimidated, but she wasn’t.

  “Or are you going to say that it was just work?” he asked, tracing her cheek with his thumb. “That you don’t want me like I want you?”

  Juliette barely had
time to catch her breath before he’d pulled her against him and covered her mouth with his. There wasn’t even time to analyze what he’d just said. She grabbed the lapels of his jacket and stretched up to meet the kiss, needing it with her whole body. She’d felt like a live wire since the scene they’d done together earlier that day.

  He moved forward quickly, pressing her even further back into the dark. Her back met the base of a huge stone statue, and as she was caught between it and his body, she moaned and worked her body against his. She wanted to feel even more of him. It was more than a want. It was a need.

  Dominic groaned against her lips as his hands slid into her hair. She parted her lips, allowing him to tease her tongue with his. The kiss slowed down, becoming languid as they allowed the desire to flood through them. This was something that they couldn’t do in the studio. Not without giving away just how much they really wanted each other.

  A twig snapped somewhere close by, and they jerked apart. Drunken voices cut through the air around them—a man’s raucous laughter and a woman’s joking admonishment in response.

  Dominic swore under his breath and pushed his hands back through his hair in frustration. Juliette was trembling so hard that she could barely stand. The kiss had been so sudden and so unexpected. It had ended the same way, and her shocked system couldn’t seem to help its reaction.

  He looked like he wanted to speak, but when he noticed how hard she was shaking, he led her out of the hidden corner he’d pushed her into. No one was around to see them exit, and she thanked God for that. She was sure that her face would give everything away.

  Dominic waved to the people standing on the patio a few yards away. The group greeted him cheerfully.

  It took Juliette a second or two to realize that they were all members of the crew. She blamed the kiss. What in the hell had he been thinking? More to the point, what had she been thinking?

  As they stepped up onto the patio, joining the group, Dominic looked around. “Where is everyone getting the booze?” he asked. Juliette marveled that his voice could be so level; anyone would think that nothing had happened between them just now.

  “Inside and to the left,” Rhonda said. “Price didn’t skimp, but don’t get a big head about it. There are a ton of backers here tonight too.”

  “Figures,” Dominic said. “He never misses an opportunity to self-promote.”

  There was a murmur of agreement about that.

  “I’m going to get a drink,” Dominic said. “Do you want anything, Juliette?”

  “Sure,” she replied, glad that her numb lips formed the word just fine. When he gave her a questioning look, she realized that she hadn’t told him what she wanted. Maybe she wasn’t doing so well after all. “Anything is fine with me.”

  As long as it was strong.

  Juliette didn’t usually drink. She’d seen what it could do to people. At the same time, however, it was pretty much the only way that she was going to get through this party.

  “We heard about the contract clause,” Rhonda said when Dominic had disappeared into the house. She gave Juliette a conspiratorial grin over the rim of her champagne glass. “That must be rough.”

  Juliette was glad that it was too dark for them to see how her face had heated up. It was humiliating that everyone knew she’d been asked to sign something that promised that she wouldn’t sleep with her co-star.

  “I don’t know about that,” she lied. “It’s just a job.”

  “Then you’re a stronger woman than most,” one of the men who ran the sound said. “Do you remember how Mackenzie used to follow him around? Like she was a puppy and he was a big strip of bacon.”

  The group laughed. “Mackenzie,” another woman said after taking a sip of her champagne. “I’d forgotten about her. She was a little embarrassing, but she was nothing compared to Elena.”

  “Oh, did she have a thing for him?” Rhonda asked, leaning forward.

  “Are you kidding?” the other woman replied with a laugh.

  Names began to fly around like confetti. Mackenzie, Elena, Lexie, Jennifer, Madison, Tamara. None of the gossip was malicious, but it was thorough. The list seemed to go on and on and stories of Dominic’s late nights and late days to set flew too.

  Juliette rubbed her forehead. God, and she’d felt like she was special. Dominic really had been to bed with literally every woman he’d co-starred with. It wasn’t just gossip magazine fodder.

  “I hope you like champagne,” Dominic said from behind her.

  Juliette reached out and took it with a nod of thanks. Then she leaned carefully on the railing and let the conversation flow around her. Most of it involved the upcoming trip to Mexico. She was content to listen.

  The strange thing was how normal it all seemed. Their conversation could have been any other group of people talking about work. It was almost a letdown from what she’d expected from a real Hollywood party, but it was also nice to feel like part of the crowd.

  Eventually, the night got colder, and people began to disperse, heading indoors to rejoin the hub of the party. By midnight, she was left alone with Dominic.

  There was no chance of anything happening between them. A huge plate glass wall overlooked the patio, and anyone inside could look out and see them. Juliette was glad. It felt safer that way. She tossed back the rest of her drink, but she couldn’t resist looking at him over the rim of her glass as she did so.

  “I shouldn’t have done that,” Dominic said lowly. “I shouldn’t have kissed you, Juliette. I’m sorry.”

  She nearly choked on the last swallow of alcohol. She hadn’t known what he would say when they were finally alone, but she hadn’t expected that.

  “No,” she agreed. “You shouldn’t have. But it wasn’t just you. I didn’t exactly push you away.”

  Dominic gave her a half-grin. “Sure, but how could you? Since I’m so perfect and all.”

  Juliette swatted his arm.

  He leaned against the wall that she’d backed up against. “The trouble is that I never get a chance to talk to you alone. Albert’s over my damn shoulder all day long most days.”

  “And you think that the best place to talk to me without Albert Price noticing is in his backyard?” Juliette asked. “Seems counterintuitive to me.”

  Dominic nodded. “I can see why you think that, but he’s way too busy keeping his guests happy and his backers interested to give a shit what we do.”

  She had to admit that his statement seemed like the truth. She’d barely seen the producer all night, and when she had, it was at a distance as he glided through the party, speaking with the best-dressed people there. Juliette didn’t take it personally. There were way more important people than her at the party.

  Dominic cleared his throat. “I have something that I’d like to ask you. I’ve wanted to talk to you about it for a while, but like I said…I can never find a time that Albert isn’t staring us down.”

  She turned to face him. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Once filming is over, how would you feel about seeing where this goes?”

  Juliette couldn’t do anything but stare at him for a moment. He couldn’t actually be asking her what she thought he was asking. Could he? It would go against every single thing that she knew about him if he was.

  “What?” she finally asked, deciding that it was better to get clarification than make a complete fool of herself by assuming. “Where what goes?”

  He shrugged, but she could tell he wasn’t coming off quite as casually as he probably wanted to.

  “I think there’s something here,” he said. “It’s really damn hard for me to keep my hands off of you, in case you haven’t noticed.” He stared into her eyes. “It seems like you might feel the same way, so I figured that I’d see how you felt about it. I’d really like to see where it ends up.”

  Juliette’s lips parted, on the very verge of saying yes, that was exactly what she wanted. Then the litany of names poured through her mind, and sh
e stopped. Dominic had had a relationship with every woman he’d ever worked with. Maybe this was just his way of ensuring that he kept the streak going since he couldn’t do anything on set.

  She cleared her throat. “I’ll have to wait and see where we are when the movie is wrapped,” she said. “But…thank you for asking.”

  “Uh, sure,” Dominic said. “No problem.”

  For lack of anything else to do, Juliette handed him her empty glass. “I’d better go inside,” she said. “I should probably do some of that mingling that Edward was talking about.”

  Dominic remained where he was. Alone on the patio. Holding an empty champagne glass and wondering just how the hell things had gone so far south so damn quickly.

  Chapter 13

  Juliette leaned back against the seat as the airplane began to taxi. She hadn’t been worried about the flight at all until she saw the plane. It was a perfectly normal plane. Probably. But it was so much smaller than she’d expected. It made sense when she thought about it.

  Obviously, they wouldn’t take a big commercial jet to a small private island, but she still wished that someone had thought to bring that up to her before she’d seen the thing. Even for an actress, it hadn’t been easy to pretend that she was okay with boarding the Lilliputian aircraft.

  She’d managed it, but she could tell that Dominic had noticed her hesitation. He hadn’t said anything, and she appreciated that immensely. She’d also felt his eyes on her as they’d boarded and taken their seats.

  The ground that she could see from her window began to blur as the plane picked up speed. She held her breath. Any minute now, the small craft would lift up into the air and who the hell knew what would happen while they were up there? This could be the very last thing she ever did, and she hadn’t even called her parents first!

  Her hands were clenched so tight around the armrests that they were aching, but she couldn’t relax her grip. Her whole body was equally tense; she had to force herself to remember to breathe.

  “Hey, you okay?” Dominic asked from across the aisle, perhaps prompted by the fact that she was pressed as far back into the seat as she could manage to get.