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Chapter 14: Six Days Remaining (And Things Are Getting Real)
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The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Secret to Seduction Chapter 15: I Am So Not Ready For This
Roman's assistant seems to realize that this is his cue to leave. He stacks all of the files in front of him and gathers them up, and he shoots me a strange glance as he leaves the room. I suddenly wonder if I should be worried.When I turn back to Roman, I find him looking me up and down. He frowns slightly."Did you run all the way here?" he asks."Just up the stairs." I grab my hair, suddenly aware of how much of a mess I must look. My hair tends to go frizzy under the best of conditions, and when I reach up, I realize that sprint up the stairs didn't help. I quickly comb my fingers through the strands, trying to tame them and wishing I'd had the foresight to grab a hair tie or at least a couple of bobby pins.Roman has risen from his seat, and he walks slowly over to me while I try to make myself presentable. When he gets to me, he reaches out - and my breath catches as his hand moves past my breast and under my arm, as if he means to draw me toward him.Instead, half a second
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Secret to Seduction Chapter 16: Roman Gives Me A Pep Talk
At any other time, I would've enjoyed that compliment, especially from him. Right now, though, it only makes my panic worse."I can't do this," I say."You can," Roman assures me. "Think of it as a challenge."Why do people always say that when they're trying to convince you to do something you know you can't do? But it's clear that no amount of begging will get me out of this, not on Roman Everet's watch. I throw another glance in the mirror and run my fingers through my hair again. Up ahead, Hallevern's restaurant has already come into view. We definitely made good time.Please, please, please, don't let him be there, I pray. Maybe he's a fast eater. Or maybe Roman's tip was incorrect. I'm due for some good karma from the universe, aren't I?But any hopes I have of escaping this "lesson" are dashed when I see the photographers lingering outside the restaurant's doors. There are only half a dozen of them, but it's clear they're waiting for someone. A couple of them appear to be t
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Secret to Seduction Chapter 17: My First Encounter With A Fontaine In the Wild
Roman's mouth curls up - his first smile of the day - and he gives me a nod. "Lead the way."I turn and head back toward the restaurant before I have a chance to lose my nerve. Roman follows, a shadow on my heels. I'm not sure whether his presence reassures me or makes this harder. I can almost still feel his fingers in my hair, touching me so delicately, so deliberately. Better not to think about that right now or I'll never work up the courage to approach Dante Fontaine.When we get to the front of the restaurant, Roman reaches around me and grabs the door."I thought I'd get us a table," he says in a low voice. "It will be easier to watch you, and you'll have a place to sit if you need a moment to collect yourself. Besides, I haven't eaten since breakfast."I nod, hardly registering his words. My eyes are on the photographers we just passed. One of them is leaning against the wall and smoking a cigarette, and his eyes rise to mine. I quickly look away and follow Roman into the r
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Secret to Seduction Chapter 18: How Do I Recover From THAT?
It's a perfectly executed landing. Hell, a little too perfect - as I start to sit up, stunned and thrilled that I managed to pull this off, I realize that my left hand is right on Dante's crotch.I freeze. Dante Fontaine's cock is right beneath my hand. Dante Fontaine's cock. This is... This is... terrifying. Thrilling. Insanely awkward. Absolutely amazing.And I have no idea what the heck I should do.I'm definitely touching it. Oh, God - it's right beneath my fingers. If I try to get up, I'll be pressing against it. If I move my hand at all, even to pull away, my hand will brush right over it. He'll think I'm trying to feel him up. I'm already feeling him up, even though it's an accident. And now I've been frozen for an ungodly long amount of time and he probably thinks I'm some sort of freak.There are hands on my arms. Dante Fontaine's hands. He's trying to help me up, trying to get me back on my feet."I - I'm so sorry," I say quickly. "I'm so sorry." God, his hands are so...
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Secret to Seduction Chapter 19: Whoa, Boy.
Hope rises in my chest as I turn around. My heart is skipping.Dante is bent over, scooping something up off the ground. In my mad rush to get back up, I must have missed something. I smile as I step forward, already imagining how I might brush my fingers against his as he hands it back to me, but then my eyes fall to the object in his hand.Shit.It's my press badge. My fucking press badge. With "Celebrity Spark" printed in clear letters right on the front.There's a frown on his face now."You're a reporter?" He looks up at me.Oh, shit. Just... shit. I've blown it yet again. But there's no lying. No escaping the truth."I... Yes," I say, shuffling forward and continuing to curse silently at myself. "But obviously not a very good one."Before he can reply - oh, God, I don't want to hear his reply - I snatch my badge out of his grip and turn and run into the bathroom.For the second time in a handful of days, I lock myself in a bathroom stall. I'm shaking, but I can't even bl
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Secret to Seduction Chapter 20: Did I Actually Do Something Right?
I don't know what's gotten into Roman, but I don't like it. He seems angry with me, but I have no idea what I've done. He was the one who dragged me here and told me to flirt with Dante Fontaine. He was the one who, just moments ago, was telling me the whole incident went better than I thought.If there's one thing these last few days have taught me, it's that I really, really don't understand men. And I'm not sure I ever will.Those thoughts circle through my mind as I make one last attempt to fix my hair. When I've finally gotten myself under control, I turn and walk back out into the restaurant.I have to walk right past Dante Fontaine if I want to leave. For a moment, that thought freezes me in my tracks, but then I shake my head and force myself to move. There's no escaping it, and I might as well get it over with. It's not like I can climb out the bathroom window or anything, not with these hips.I walk quickly around his table. Don't look at him, don't look at him, don't loo
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Secret to Seduction Chapter 21: Five Days Remaining (And Apparently It's Time For A Makeover)
I've been at work for six hours and twenty-seven minutes, and Roman hasn't said a word to me.Counting the minutes is a little obsessive, I know. But I sent off the final version of my Emilia interview this morning, and I've had a hard time concentrating on my work ever since. I know we didn't exactly end things on a good foot yesterday, but there's no reason for him to ignore me now. He's walked past my cubicle half a dozen times today - not that I've counted - and he hasn't even acknowledged me.I lean and look around the edge of my cubicle. I can just make him out through the blinds on the conference room window. He's bent over his laptop, and he's got a headset in his ear. He appears to be on a call. After a couple of minutes, he starts shaking his head violently, as if arguing with the person on the other end of the line. He says something to his assistant, and the young man jumps up and dashes out.Maybe it's for the best that he's ignoring me. It doesn't look like he's in a p
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Secret to Seduction Chapter 22: Keeping It Unprofessional
The absolute last thing in the world I want to do is drag Roman around with me as I try on a bunch of dresses."I... I was just going to order a couple of options online and return the one I didn't like," I tell him.He frowns. "Felicia, Hollywood Saves! is less than a week away.""And we live in a world where one-day shipping exists.""Do you really want to represent yourself and this magazine in something you ordered off of some discount site?"I know I shouldn't be getting prickly over this, but I can't help myself."Not all of us are billionaires," I hiss, praying my few remaining coworkers around here aren't listening in. "Some of us aren't even sure if we'll have a job next week, and we can't afford to blow our entire savings on a dress. Not if we want to make sure we can eat next month."For a second - a split second - he looks properly admonished. Or maybe that's just my overly optimistic imagination, because just as quickly, his expression is as controlled as it ever wa
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