Billionaire's Kiss

by Sloan Storm

  It was scheduled across town at Trevor’s office for two o’clock in the afternoon. It seemed pretty weird it wasn’t being held at the studio, but I shrugged it off and figured there must have been a reason. Anyway, it didn’t matter, because it had been hot as hell over the past week or so and on top of everything else, I worried myself sick I’d show up looking like a sweaty mess.

  So, at half past one, I climbed into the front seat of my car and without thinking, wrapped a hand around the sun-heated steering wheel as I reached for the key in my purse.

  “Ow!” I yelled, as I released my grip from the wheel. I shook my hand and blew on my fingertips in an effort to take the edge off my burgeoning third-degree burn as my back touched the seat behind me and scalded me once more.

  “Shit!” I moaned, balling my fists. “You cannot be serious!”

  Since I was running out of time, I leaned forward in the seat, pinched at the sides of the steering wheel and managed to get the key in the ignition. Turning it, the engine started and the vents blew near-volcanic temperature air in my face.

  “Oh my God,” I said, as I groped for the controller and turned it to the off position.

  After I’d handled that, I reached to my left and palmed the controllers for the car windows. I rolled them all down at once and pulled out of the parking lot. As I gained speed, hot midday air rose up from the asphalt. It swirled around the inside of the vehicle, creating a sauna-like effect, which instantly caused my already glistening skin to moisten further.

  After about five minutes or so, the air conditioning mercifully began to cool. Once I rolled up the windows, I turned the vents up to full blast and pointed all of them in my direction. As a final sweat removal strategy, I leaned forward at the waist, propped my elbows up on the steering wheel and exhaled as Freon-cooled air chilled my sticky armpits.

  Totally gross I know, but uh, I was desperate.

  Anyway, it worked.

  Fifteen minutes later, I arrived at Trevor’s office, peeled my backside from my car seat and headed inside. As I mentioned, the audition was at Trevor’s studio office instead of the studio itself. For a production that’s already underway, that’s pretty unusual.

  Even more strange though, was the parking lot was nearly empty. I counted barely a handful of cars, including my own. Walking inside, I confirmed my suspicion. I was the only one there for the audition. Even though Trevor mentioned he’d be able to have a good deal of influence on whether or not I got the role, I found the fact there were no other girls well, really bizarre.

  As I walked in, Trevor greeted me.

  “Maddie, hey!”

  “Trevor,” I said, as I scanned the office. “Where is everyone?”

  “Hmm?” he began, as he swung around behind me and placed his palm in the small of my back. He started to guide me down the hallway towards a conference room at the end of it. As we walked, he continued, “What do you mean?”

  Something didn’t seem right. Not at all. I stopped walking and as I did, Trevor’s momentum carried him past me.

  “Maddie? What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

  I grimaced at him. “Trevor. Why aren’t there any other girls here for the audition? And why aren’t we at the studio for it?” I paused and looked around. “And where is everyone else? Are we the only ones here?”

  “Maddie, just relax, would ya? Now, come on. Let’s go in the conference room and get this going.”

  With his right hand, he gestured for me to follow him. As he spoke, I studied him for any signs of deception. But for now anyway, he appeared to be sincere. So, with reluctance, I did as he asked and followed him into the conference room.

  Once there, we sat on either side of a large computer monitor and I performed my reading, alone, with Trevor and the only other person present during it — one of the Assistant Directors via video from his home in Malibu.

  I’m just saying, the whole situation was about the weirdest thing I’d ever experienced.

  Twenty minutes later, we’d finished the reading. Trevor seemed pleased, but I’d be lying if I said I was. I started out nervous and even though having him there calmed me down a bit, I still wasn’t certain how I’d done.

  This was made doubly confusing by the strange circumstances surrounding the whole situation. So as we exited the conference room, I didn’t know how to feel about any of it. This was in spite of Trevor’s assurances that things went better than he hoped.

  MADDIE

  In fact, as we exited the conference room, Trevor moved in my direction as if he were about to hug me. I straightened my arms, locking them in place, and pressed them against his chest.

  “Whoa there,” I began. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Well, congratulating you, of course. What else?”

  I wrinkled my brow at him. “I don’t understand. Why are you congratulating me?”

  “What do you mean?” he said with an excited tone in his voice. “What else should I do? You got the part, Maddie!”

  What started as confusion a moment earlier turned into downright bewilderment as I stared at him.

  “How do I have the part? None of the execs are here. No one else even auditioned.” I gestured back towards the conference room. “The only other person involved at all was the Assistant Director and that was by video chat. I’ve been holding my tongue since I arrived Trevor, but something strange is going on here and I want you to tell me what it is.”

  “What’s strange?” he replied. “I called you up for the audition. You came in and nailed it. As the decision maker, I make the final choice about who to recommend to the Executive Producer. And Maddie, I’m saying that it’s you!”

  Horror swept over me. Was this the other studio Harvey mentioned? The one where I had to sleep with the Executive Producer to get the role?

  “Wait, so you’re going to recommend me to the Executive Producer, Trevor?”

  A grin spread across his face. “Yep.”

  It couldn’t be. Even Trevor wouldn’t stoop to such a level just to get in my pants. If he thought he could convince me to have sex with both him and the Executive Producer to get the role, he was crazy. Yet, as I looked at him in silence, he stood in front of me rubbing his hands together and smiling like a hungry cat looks at a canary cage.

  “Well? Time to get down to it. Wanna go to my office, Maddie? I’ve got a couch in there. We can get started right away.”

  “What!” I exclaimed.

  Primal urges welled up from deep within me. If I could have willed him to spontaneously combust, I would have. Instead, my jaw clenched, my hands balled together into fists and I marched straight up to him, ready to unleash hell.

  “You mother fucker!” I yelled as I waved my arms. “You sneaky, vile, disgusting… creep! You’ve done some lowdown dirty shit to me, Trevor, but this… this takes things to a whole other level of depravity.”

  As I scolded him, Trevor’s eyes widened and he began to back away from me, holding his arms up in a gesture of mock surrender.

  “Maddie,” he began. “You don’t understand. You’ve got this all wrong.”

  “Shut up!” I screamed. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!”

  I’d gotten so upset screaming that I bit into the side of my cheek by accident. He fell silent as I seethed. The salty hint of blood in my mouth penetrated my awareness. Swallowing my pain and traces of thick liquid down, I continued to berate him.

  “You know how much this meant to me and for you to say the things you did and use this as nothing more than an opportunity to fuck me? Jesus, Trevor! What the hell has happened to you? Your mother would be disgusted at what you’ve become.”

  Bewildered, he interrupted. “Fuck you? Maddie, what are you talking about?”

  “Just spare me, Trevor. Okay?” I gestured in the direction of his office and continued, “Uh! Go to your office? You’ve got a couch in there? Get started right away? I see right through your pathetic charade, Trevor. Let me save you the trouble, as well a
s my own breath. God, I can’t believe I trusted you when you said you were sorry. I am not having sex with you. Not now, not ever! Do you understand me, you bastard!?!”

  By now, my breath had reached a cadence that bordered on panting. As I paused for air, Trevor jumped in to fill the silence.

  “Maddie,” he pleaded. “Look, you’ve got this all wrong. I am not trying to have sex with you, okay? I mentioned my office and the couch so we could sit somewhere in silence and comfort and talk about the part. That’s it. I promise.”

  My rage slipped. My guard didn’t.

  “What about the Executive Producer?” I scoffed. “The one I have to sleep with? And why aren’t we at the studio? Like, what the hell is that all about?”

  “Maddie I don’t know anything about the producer, all right? Maybe it’s another studio or something. I couldn’t say. As far as why we aren’t at the studio. It’s being painted right now, so we’ve shut down production for a few days until it’s completed. Look, all I do know is that I am not trying to do anything of the sort to you.”

  I broke my gaze on him as his words sunk in. The heat I’d built up during my outburst remained, but now as shame instead of anger. Balling my fist, I raised it to my mouth and felt a sudden swell of emotion rise up inside, causing me to shake as I fought to restrain it.

  “Maddie?” Trevor said, as I stood in front of him, unable to speak. “What is going on? This isn’t like you.”

  It took everything I had to hold back the tears. I wasn’t even upset at Trevor as much as I was at myself. Trevor was right. What the hell was happening to me? I didn’t just go off on people like this. With a hard swallow, I managed to stifle my frustration and disappointment with myself long enough to muster a well-deserved apology to him.

  “Trevor,” I began. “I don’t know what to say, except thank you and I’m sorry.”

  “Hey, it’s okay, Maddie,” he said, as he reached towards me and placed his hand on my shoulder. With a soft squeeze, he continued, “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want to sit down for a minute? Can I get you anything?”

  A few minutes later, I sat in Trevor’s office as he returned with a glass of water.

  “Here,” he said, as he came in and handed it to me.

  “Thanks, Trevor.” I replied, taking the glass from him. It was cold to the touch and soothed my palms as I wrapped both hands around it. As I took a sip, the clear liquid ran down my throat. In the heat of our argument, I hadn’t realized how thirsty I’d gotten. It was just what I needed. Exhaling, I leaned back into the soft fabric of his couch and closed my eyes.

  As I rested, I heard a stack of papers crinkle on the edge of Trevor’s desk as he sat down on them.

  “Wanna talk about it?” he asked. “Is it your business?”

  I exhaled, lifted my head forward and looked in his direction. “No, it’s nothing. Really. I am so sorry, Trevor. You didn’t deserve that from me.”

  Placing his palms flat, Trevor gripped the edge of his desk and nodded.

  “Thanks Maddie. And you’re right I didn’t. Question is… how are you gonna make it up to me?”

  I drank the last of the water as he spoke.

  “Make it up to you?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Did you conveniently forget about me asking for another shot with you? Now that you’ve gotten the part I mean?”

  I thinned my lips as he finished. The truth was I felt terrible about what I’d said to him. After all this time and everything he’d put me through, Trevor had managed to surprise me. And for once, it wasn’t in a bad way. I had a suspicion I would still regret what I was about to say, but I went ahead with it.

  “Okay, Trevor. Um, can I call you later this week? I’m just busy with a bunch of stuff at the office. I really shouldn’t even be here right now.”

  Trevor shoved himself up from his seat. A huge grin splashed across his face.

  “Maddie, you have no idea how happy this makes me. Of course, yeah, give me a call when things settle down a bit.”

  After an uneasy hug goodbye, I thanked Trevor once again for the audition and of course, the part. As I drove back across town, I felt as though I ought to be happier. When it came to getting the part, I was. Yet, my joy was bittersweet. Even though he’d assured me it wasn’t the case, I had my doubts that Trevor would keep his word and give me the part unless I did give him another chance.

  For now, I’d have to trust him and hope for the best.

  GREY

  After a brief period of relative normalcy, Maddie started acting flaky again. The gaps between the times I’d call and when she got around to getting back to me widened as each day passed. To make matters worse, Carmen wouldn’t fess up. However, unlike the last time Maddie behaved this way, I had a feeling she wasn’t bullshitting me now. The woman really had no idea what Maddie was doing when she wasn’t around the office.

  And let me tell you, that was a goddamn deal breaker for me.

  Not only that, but my thoughts drifted from concerns about the damage Maddie did to the business to a much darker suspicion. Of course I didn’t think that was likely, but she’d been desperate recently and goddamn emotional. And in my experience, an emotional woman is just as likely to stray as a neglected one.

  Oftentimes, even more so.

  In any case, it wasn’t something I could prove at the moment, so in practical terms it didn’t matter. What did matter to me was the continued lack of focus Maddie dedicated to the business, an undertaking she’d convinced me to invest in, and I’d be damned if I’d stand by and watch her piss my money away.

  No chance.

  Before leaving the office that afternoon, I picked up the phone to give her one more try. To my surprise, she picked up the phone instead of Carmen.

  “Well, hello there.” I said. “Cat got your tongue again?”

  “Hey!” she replied with a chipper tone in her voice. Frankly, her mood caught me off guard. Far from being dour, she seemed upbeat. Hell, giddy. I ignored it for the moment and instead pressed her on her disappearing act.

  “What’s going on with you? Why haven’t you been returning my calls?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I’ve been busy. That’s all.”

  She sounded sincere but something didn’t sit right and although she hadn’t come out and said so, I had a pretty good idea of what the problem might be.

  You see, since my last visit, I’d put pressure on her to put together a plan to delegate a larger portion of the office management to Carmen. I wanted to free Maddie’s time up so we could expand the business into other cities around the country. We’d done so well in Los Angeles, I’d become convinced duplicating the success in other major metro areas would be a lay-down deal.

  My guess was she’d been dragging her feet. I suspected as much, since she didn’t seem too enthusiastic about the idea when I proposed it. That didn’t matter to me. This was the best plan and the only way for the business to grow. I’d drag her along kicking and screaming if need be and if past history was any guide, that’s exactly what I’d have to do.

  “So,” I said, as I sat in my chair. “Where do things stand with the transition plan?”

  “Hmm?” she muttered, half-listening to me.

  “Maddie,” I said in a firm tone.

  The sound of my voice brought her attention back to our conversation.

  “What?” she said. “I’m listening.”

  I clenched my jaw in response to her attitude. “No, you aren’t, Maddie. Now have you gotten the transition plan together or not?”

  “Yes,” she replied. “I was just finishing it up when you called.”

  I’ll tell you. If I hadn’t been sitting down, I would have fallen down. In the couple of months I’d worked with her, I’d never known Maddie to put together something like this so quickly. Maybe she’d turned another corner.

  “Um, good,” I replied, still in disbelief. “Send it over.”

  “I will.”


  “And what about your schedule? You’ve broken out the plan in a way that gives you maximum flexibility, so you can travel? Right? To do this correctly, you’re going to spend a good deal of time on the road, Maddie. There’s no substitute for hands on when it comes to getting things up and running.”

  As I finished speaking, a noticeable silence rose between us.

  “Maddie?” I said, as I pulled the phone away from my ear to see if I’d been disconnected.

  I hadn’t.

  “Maddie?” I repeated. “You have planned to allow for travel, correct?”

  Her silence lasted for a few more seconds until, after an audible hard swallow, she replied, “Grey, I have something to tell you.”

  Over the next few minutes, Maddie recounted to me the story of how she’d landed a role for an upcoming film. I listened in stunned disbelief to her as she chatted away. You could hear the joy in her voice. She was thrilled, finally getting to live her dream and all that shit, which doesn’t amount to squat in the real world.

  What she failed to understand, and has since we began this enterprise together, is that this isn’t just about her. When you’re three years old, it’s normal to believe the world revolves around you. But when you’re twenty-three, well, that’s just asking for a huge fucking disappointment.

  As she finished telling me her story, I realized that once again she’d put me in a position where I’d have to help her get her priorities straight. Tiresome fucking chore though it was, she left me with little choice. She was the face of this fledging brand we were building and like it or not, her dreams would have to wait.

  “Maddie,” I said as I exhaled. “I am going to tell you this as plainly as I can. You will not be acting in this or any film. Do I make myself clear?”

  Hardly a second passed from the time I finished speaking when she replied.

  “I assumed as much from you, Grey.”

  I leaned forward in my chair. “Don’t force my hand, Maddie. Trust me. You won’t like the outcome.”

  “Are you threatening me, Grey?”

  “Yes,” I said, as I resisted the temptation to smash the phone on my desk. “You bet your sweet ass I am. And if you don’t believe me, Maddie, try it and see what happens.”