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She motions to the glass in his hand. “You need to quit. Vinnie’s worried about you.”
Nico looks at me for help, and I give him a look that says, She’s your problem. Then, his eyes fall back to Ash, over her face, slowly down to her breasts. He licks his lips, and again, I want to beat the shit out of him. A few minutes ago, he upset her by telling her that she has a big ass, and now he’s eyeing her up like he wants to fuck her.
Yeah, not going to happen.
She’s mine.
“It’s going, I guess.” Nico finishes the alcohol in his glass and slams it down on the coffee table. “What scripts did you bring me?”
I set the box on the table in front of Ash, and she smiles at up me. She’s in a much better mood today, despite how our conversation began.
When Ash leans forward to sift through the box, Nico peeks down her shirt. I glare at him, two seconds from knocking him out. If he wasn’t a massive star, I wouldn’t think twice. His eyes meet mine for a split second. He winks, and then a devious expression crosses his face as he watches Ash flip through the screenplays.
Ash collects a few of her favorites and moves them between Nico and her on the couch. She wets her index finger with the tip of her tongue, like an old lady flipping through her coupons, and flicks the top screenplay's pages.
“I like this one for you,” Ash says, handing the script to Nico. “It’s Vinnie’s first choice, too.”
Nico looks at the title page and nods. “The Fallen Empire. Sounds cool. What’s it about?”
“A modernized version of the Roman Empire.”
He perks up at the idea. “Who would I play?”
“His name is Marx Aralia, a spin on Marcus Aurelius.”
“So, I’d be an emperor? Yeah, that sounds cool. What else you got?”
Ash goes over the next two screenplays with Nico, oblivious to his flirting and disgusting stares. He offers me a drink midway through, which I decline. It’s bad enough I had to leave the office midmorning when I have tons of shit to do.
But how could turn Ash down?
I could have paid for her Uber and went back to my day without thinking about her. But I owe her more than a favor for screwing her over five years ago. This is the least I can do.
Thirty minutes later, Ash pushes herself up from the couch. Nico gives her a drunken one-arm hug, and his fingers lightly touch her ass. He’s pushing every single button with me today. Men like Nico make false promises to a girl like Ash, assuming she’s happy to get fucked by someone hot, wealthy, and famous.
But this dickhead doesn’t know Ash the way I do. He would need to do a lot more than flirt and offer her a drink to get her into bed. She could have fucked her way into a movie gig like many other actresses have done before her. Not Ash, though. She would refuse on principle alone.
After we’re in my car and driving off Nico’s property, I turn right and head toward the office.
Ash taps her red nails on the center console. “Can we get something to eat? I’m starving.”
“How about Spago? We’re only a few blocks away.”
Ash looks at me like I’m insane. “Sloan gave me twenty dollars, which wouldn’t even buy a salad at Spago.”
No, it would not.
“We can share a pizza,” I suggest.
It’s not like I am letting her pay.
She shrugs against the seat. “I was thinking something quick and cheap like Chipotle.”
“Is that what you want?”
She nods. “Yeah, that sounds good. I could go for a chicken burrito with lots of rice and sour cream.” Ash turns to the side, lifting her ass, and gives it a quick tap. “Need to add more fat to my booty.”
Chapter Ten
Ash
The house is empty for the first time since I moved to Malibu. Dylan and Sloan went to a friend’s house. So, while the boys are away, I will play.
If I were still living in my apartment, I’d be curled up on my old couch with my notepad, staring out the window overlooking the parking lot, hoping to get some inspiration for another screenplay. People watching is fun. I like observing people from a distance, studying them in their natural habitat. Like they’re fish in a bowl. My neighborhood, with all of its craziness, has a lot of material for my writing.
I swap my jean shorts and tank top for my favorite red bikini. The color is slightly faded, now more pink than red, but I love the way it feels against my skin. I also know it will drive Dylan insane if he sees me in it. Well, that’s if they even come home. Sloan mentioned a party before he left the house.
