AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But then I heard, “Harper, let me introduce you to Danielo Silva. He’s been dying to meet you.”
I leaned back in my seat to get a better look at the breathtakingly handsome guy shaking Harper’s hand. He was tall and willowy with shoulder-length dark hair, and he said, with a sexy accent, “You can call me Dani,” as he flashed a perfect smile and practically batted his eyelashes. I rolled my eyes so hard that I almost tipped over backwards.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dani,” Harper said. “Why do you look familiar?”
Jared chimed in, “Uh, maybe because you’ve read a magazine or attended a fashion show in the last two years? Dani’s a model, and his career is red hot right now. He moved here from Brazil and my agent took him on as a client, because he wants to make the transition to acting.”
Dani moved closer and ran his fingers down Harper’s arm as he said, “I’d like to talk to you about acting if you have the time. Maybe tomorrow night over dinner?” That was what he said, but what I heard was, “I want to seduce you, then use you for your industry contacts.”
“I’d love to,” Harper said, “but I’m actually going out of town for a week, beginning tomorrow.” To his credit, it just seemed like he was being polite, as opposed to actually flirting with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Do-Me.
Jared’s friend, a blond named Raymond, asked, “Going anywhere fun?”
“Yeah, I’m spending a week in Hawaii. Come and sit down.” Harper gestured at the table, then returned to his seat while the three visitors joined him.
“I’m totally down for a trip to Hawaii,” Jared said. “Where are you staying? We’ll meet you there!”
“It’s actually a private residence,” Harper said. “It’s kind of…a Zen retreat.”
“Dude, that sounds boring,” Jared grumbled, as he slid his sunglasses to the top of his head. “Is like, some chick making you go and do that shit?”
Dani had taken the seat closest to Harper, and he sounded surprised. “Chick? You aren’t the gay?”
I chuckled and whispered, “The gay.”
“He’s bi, Dani,” Jared explained. “That means he likes boys and girls. So, if you want to get Harper’s attention, you have a lot of competition.”
Dani slid his chair closer to Harper and flashed a dazzling smile as he purred, “That’s not a problem. I am very competitive.” Jesus. Why didn’t this guy just whip off his skinny jeans and display his ass like a horny baboon? He was that subtle.
Raymond asked, “Who are you taking to Hawaii, Harper? Do you have a new girlfriend or whatever?”
I sighed at the “or whatever” part. It made me think these dude-bros were only cool with Harper’s sexuality to a point. I wondered why he even put up with them, although I knew they weren’t close friends of his. They were just a part of a huge Hollywood social circle where everyone knew everyone and pretended to be besties for the sake of their careers.
“No,” Harper said, “I’m just going with a friend.”
Ouch.
I sat there for a moment and let that sink in. Then I got angry with myself for eavesdropping and got up to close the window. What did I think, that he was going to call me his boyfriend and announce his undying love for me after three nights together? Yeah, right.
Because of the way the light reflected off the glass, I’d been invisible to the quartet sitting around the table until I stepped right up to the window. When Jared saw me, he called, “Hey, can we get some drinks out here? Imported beer would be great, preferably Belgian.”
Harper’s back was to me, and he glanced over his shoulder to see who Jared was talking to. Then he told his visitor, “No, that’s my assistant.”
“Great,” Jared said. “So, he can assist us in getting some beers.”
“It’s not his job to wait on you,” Harper said, as he got up and headed to the outdoor bar. “I’ll get us some drinks.” He glanced at me as he crossed the pool deck, and I slid the window shut, then reached over and unceremoniously dropped the blinds, instantly blocking Harper and his cronies from view.
All of that left me feeling angry and depressed, and I didn’t really know why. His friends were just like all the other rich, privileged assholes I’d been dealing with since I started working as a personal assistant. I should have been used to that shit by now.
I tried to push my emotions aside as I went back to work. Sometime later, Buddy came into the office, climbed onto one of the upholstered chairs on the other side of my desk, and curled up with a sharp exhale that sounded a lot like a sigh. A moment later, the chicken ran in after him. Loco circled the chair like she wanted to get up there and apparently forgot she could fly, at least a little. Then she ran around the desk and stared up at me. I’d never noticed it before, but when you looked at her straight-on, it seemed like her eyes pointed in slightly different directions.
