Give Sofia King two weeks and she can turn any strung out star’s career and life around. She’s got it all—the career, the shoes, the glamour—and her plans don’t include a man unless he comes with a guaranteed toe-curling orgasm. But when her father, head of Maxximum Studios, calls in a favor, she’s forced to take on the one bad boy she has no interest in reforming.

Isaac Blue.

With box-office bankability and a new woman in his bed every night, Isaac seems to have it all. Except happiness. So when his latest antics threaten to shut down a summer blockbuster and his producers decide to send in Sofia King, Isaac may have a shot at getting what he really wants. The one woman who got away. Sofia’s icy attitude about their past only makes him want to turn up the heat. And Isaac isn’t about to say no to Sofia’s proposed plan of action, especially if it gets her back in his bed.

Sofia is sure a week with Isaac will get him out of her system and keep him in line until filming is over.

But as on-set supervision becomes in-trailer flirtation, and wild sex turns into sensual lovemaking, Sofia might just be the one whose life is turning around...

Contemporary, sexy stories for sassy women

Cosmo Red-Hot Reads from Mills & Boon

www.millsandboon.co.uk/cosmo

To Elise, who has fun and fearless down to an art.

Dear Reader,

I’ve been reading Cosmopolitan since long before I should have been, but maybe that’s why I’ve surrounded myself with fun and fearless woman in my real life and in my stories. So when I had the opportunity to write a Cosmopolitan Red-Hot Reads from Mills & Boon story, I was beyond excited.

Sofia King is a true Cosmo girl. Daughter of one of Hollywood’s most powerful producers, Sofia left the spotlight behind to focus on an unusual business venture: saving celebrities from themselves. But when her father calls in a favor, her reputation as one-woman-rehab magic is put in jeopardy by the last man she ever wanted to see again: Isaac Blue—Hollywood sex god, out of control bad boy and her first love. Sofia’s confident she can turn Isaac’s life around, but when sparks fly between ex-lovers, Sofia discovers Isaac might be too hot to handle.

Check out genevalee.com for information about my books and drop me a line. I love to hear from readers! You can always catch me on Facebook, where I love to share what inspires me (spoiler: pics of shirtless men and coffee).

Xoxo,

Geneva

Two Week Turnaround

Geneva Lee

Contemporary, sexy stories for sassy women

Cosmo Red-Hot Reads from Mills & Boon

www.millsandboon.co.uk/cosmo

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Dedication

Dear Reader

Title Page

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

About the Author

Copyright

Chapter One

Outside the window the Hollywood Hills stretched across the horizon. Not the glittering lights of Los Angeles, but the wild, arid Santa Monica Mountains with their dusty patchwork beauty. Sofia approved of the view. Growing up in these hills, she had an appreciation for any vantage point that offered respite from the hectic, cutthroat city below, and it was exactly what Georgia Andrews needed to ensure a successful turnaround.

Checking scenic view off the list on her iPad, she dropped the tablet into the Birkin bag she’d left on Georgia’s bed. The actual room needed some work. Tabloids littered the bedside table along with dirty wineglasses. Between the view outside and the clothes scattered across the floor, it looked like a high-end dorm room. Sofia would definitely have to call in her interior decorator to do a quick flip.

A couple of solemnly clad men exited the attached en suite and nodded to her as they carried bags of god-knew-what for disposal. Sofia made it a point to handle turnarounds personally, but she always brought in a team of experts to handle the spring-clean after encountering one too many dildos in drawers. It was hard to look someone in the eye when she’d been wrist-deep in their sex toys, especially her male clients.

But everything was right on schedule with Georgia. The assessment had been a breeze. Like Sofia, Georgia had grown up in LA among the paparazzi and fame hungry. Unlike Sofia, Georgia had fallen victim to the glitz and glam. At twenty-four, she had ten movies to her name and twice as many trips to rehab. She’d gone from a Hollywood darling to a cocktail party punch line in the past three years—and that was where Sofia came in.

She had taken the actress on less than ten days ago, and in the next four days Georgia’s life and reputation would be completely turned around. All thanks to Sofia.

Right now while strangers removed all the temptations of her former life, Georgia was getting a head-to-toe spa day at Girgio’s. Not only would her life suddenly be polished, orderly and genuinely glamorous, she would be, too.

“Miss King?” Karin poked her head in the bedroom door, chewing on her lip as she waited to be acknowledged. The nervous gesture only drew attention to her assistant’s fresh-faced youth. Karin wasn’t helping herself out with that ponytail either.

Sofia cocked an eyebrow, shaking her head. “Ms. King, please. I’m not defined by marital status.”

“I’m sorry. I forgot again.” Her apology was genuine, which betrayed her short time in LA. Sofia had a soft spot for the starry-eyed girls who sent her emails asking about work. Karin, like many others, had been sent her way by a producer friend, because she had all the makings of an excellent assistant—punctuality, work ethic, a submissive personality—and none of the it-factor to be an actress. She wouldn’t last six months. None of them had, which was what made them ideal candidates for the position. They never stuck around long enough to see the potential blackmail material they encountered on a daily basis.

Still a new assistant twice a year meant coping with the little nuisances.

“You have a phone call,” Karin informed her.

“I don’t take phone calls during cleanings,” Sofia reminded her in a gentle voice. “Please take a message.”

“It’s your father,” Karin said timidly.

“Put him through,” Sofia said, clinging to the last shred of patience she could muster, “and next time mention that right off the bat.”

Karin nodded, scurrying back to the makeshift office she’d set up in the kitchen. A few moments later Sofia’s phone buzzed with the incoming call. She slid Accept as she made her way into the bathroom to check on the team’s progress. “Hi, Daddy.”

“There’s my baby girl.” Arnold Maxx was one of the most intimidating men in Hollywood. He’d scared more directors out of the profession than any other producer and was loosely linked to four suicides. A fact which he shrugged off as part of the business. Now he headed up the most profitable film company in the world, Maxximum Studios, but the one thing that could turn him into a giant cuddly teddy bear was his only daughter.

Sofia smiled at his pet name for her, softening as usual at his affectionate tone. She’d got her attitude from her daddy, although even now while she ran a successful multimillion-dollar enterprise she couldn’t say no to him. After her mother’s death, they’d stuck together in a city known for tearing relationships apart. When she pitched him her crazy business idea, he’d got her foot in the door with the Hollywood elite. She’d taken it from there, building a name for herself as a miracle worker, but she’d always be grateful that he’d believed in her little scheme from the beginning.

“Anything new in your life?”

“Working myself to death,” she said dryly.

“Same here,” he admitted. “So does that mean that you’re on a job?”

“Yes.” It wasn’t like her dad to call in the middle of the day to chitchat. Neither of them had time to waste like that, but it was nice to pretend for a moment.

Turning, she caught one of the techs watching her in the mirror. She shot him a withering glance, and he turned away quickly. She’d learned a long time ago that it didn’t matter if she wore a bikini or a parka—most guys saw blonde and lost their ability to function in polite society.

“Ms. King?” Another tech held up a prescription bottle for her approbation.

Sofia took it, reading the label before she snapped open the lid. Flush, she mouthed to him.

“I’m calling in a favor,” her dad continued.

“I’m free in a couple of days,” she said, scanning the contents of the medicine cabinet for any more bottles. Plucking two aspirin bottles from the shelf, she tossed them into the garbage. What twenty-four-year-old popped aspirin? Celebs loved to hide drugs in plain sight.

“No good. I need you now.”

Sofia recognized the firm tone her father usually reserved for contract disputes. The one he used when he was cutting someone’s budget. “Daddy, I have four days left on this job, and she’s one of your girls.”

He paused as though considering this. “Which one?”

“Georgia Andrews.”

“That girl is a train wreck. Maxximum has a much bigger problem.”

Sofia could picture his dismissive wave as he spoke, and her eyes narrowed. She’d run from the industry because of men like her father, and while she adored him for reasons largely related to genetics and the lottery of birth, she also knew that when he looked at his actresses he saw a bottom dollar. Georgia’s career was in the toilet, which meant she wasn’t worth his time. “I have a responsibility to my client.”

“I know, baby girl,” he said, quickly shifting his approach. “But you can put Georgia up in rehab for a few weeks. My problem can’t wait.”

“She’s not a jug of milk,” Sofia said. “I can’t put her on ice so she doesn’t spoil.”

“Look, when was the last time I called you in?”

Sofia hesitated. He had her there. After all these years her father had never actually called her in for a job. “Never.”

“I need you to handle this. You’re the only one I can trust to turn this situation around,” he admitted in an uncharacteristically anxious voice. “I’ve got six weeks of on-location shooting sunk into this picture and my star is a time bomb.”

“Fine,” she said with a sigh. He was right—she owed him this. She’d put Georgia up in Malibu Heights, where she could at least be certain the girl would behave herself, and be back in two weeks to start the process over again. “Who will I have the pleasure of fixing this time?”

He paused. “So we’re agreed then.”

“Daddy?” she pressed. He was avoiding her question, which wasn’t a good sign. “Who is it?”

“You’ve already agreed,” he reminded her, “and if anyone else could do this I would have brought them in.”

“Who is it?” she demanded.

“Isaac Blue.”

The name punched her in the gut, and Sofia sucked in a breath so quickly the air whistled over her lips. “Dammit, I am the last person you can trust to turnaround Isaac Blue!”

“I think you’re wrong about that, baby girl,” her dad said. “Call it a hunch.”

He had to know that wasn’t true. Just like he’d known not to mention that bastard’s name until he’d got her to agree. He obviously remembered that she hated Isaac Blue, but if he was asking her to do this, he must not remember why.

“Are you there?” he asked after a few moments of silence.

“Sorry, I was busy fantasizing about all the ways I’m going to make you pay for this one.”

Her father laughed, sounding relieved. “Anything you want, baby girl.”

Sofia grabbed her purse, shouldering it with a tight-lipped smile. “Good. Let’s start with your private jet.”

* * *

Judging from the white-hot pain searing across his forehead, Isaac had been shot. Or stabbed. Or hit in the skull with an ax. The possibilities seemed pretty endless actually. Pushing up to his elbows, he opened one eye slowly, wincing as the morning light hit. Or afternoon light. Or unethically bright floor lamp. He couldn’t be sure.

Yep, this was going to be one killer hangover.

Flashes of memories filtered through his mind as he tried to piece together exactly what had happened. Big Ben. The film set. A pub. It was no good. Dropping back on his bed, he raised his hand to rub his throbbing temples.

His fingertips were black.

Not smudgy, I’ve-been-working-on-a-car black or it’s-probably-time-to-bathe black. Nope, they were stained black with a permanent ink meant not only to document his identity but also to shame him. Black ink on all ten fingers was the modern day scarlet letter. Who knew they even arrested people in London? It seemed too impolite.

When he finally touched his temples, he winced again. Poking the skin over his left eye gingerly, he discovered what was probably a helluva bruise, which reminded him that he’d been in a fight. He still didn’t remember going to jail, but if he’d been dumb enough to start throwing punches he must’ve been drunk enough to majorly screw up.

“You’re awake!”

Isaac flinched at the perky exclamation, uncovering his eyes as a pretty brunette skipped into the room. She was topless, and under normal circumstances he would have appreciated watching all three girls bouncing cheerfully toward him. Right this minute he was still working out the details of how he’d got home, wondering how bad his face was, deciding how to charm his agent and director into not caring that he looked like a prize fighter, and coping with a head-splitting hangover. Plus, pretty as she was, this girl was too goddamned bright-eyed for morning time—or waking hours in general.

“Do you want me to get you some breakfast?” She flopped onto the bed and ran a finger over his abs in an attempt at seduction. “Or I could help you wake up in other ways?”

Isaac held up a finger to silence her. “Shhh.”

“Oh!” she yelped. “Do you need an aspirin?”

“I need...”

“Yes?” she prompted breathlessly.

“Silence,” he finished.

The girl was quiet for a moment, and he peeked carefully out from his hands. She’d caught a strand of her espresso locks between her fingers and was twisting it with what looked like a considerable amount of effort.

“I can be quiet,” she burst out finally, and Isaac pulled a pillow over his face as she continued. “Or get you breakfast or give you a blow job!”

He shoved the pillow away and took her hand to soften the blow. “Look, um...”

“Heidi,” she offered, saving him from fruitlessly searching for her name.

“Heidi, look. You’re a pretty girl, and obviously, you’re very...nice—” it was the kindest thing he could think to say “—but I really just need to get some more sleep, drink my weight in water and call my agent.”

She tilted her head and stared at him. “You don’t want a blow job?”

This clearly puzzled her, and if he was being honest, his dick felt pretty puzzled, too. But if there was anybody dumber than him after a night of drinking, it was his dick. It might have a mind of its own, but it was also dense and easily distracted by pretty girls with their soft thighs that spread in welcome for him.

Isaac pushed the pillow over his lap to cover his hard-on and hopefully muffle the pleadings of his other half before Heidi got any ideas. If he hadn’t been out fucking things up last night, he might not have turned her down. Then again he probably also would have known her name without having to ask, not to mention that he’d remember how he met her in the first place.

Tears welled in her doe-like eyes and he cringed. He’d wanted to let her down gently, but she’d had to go and offer him a blow job. That meant she knew who he was. Offering a blow job? That meant she’d expected their time together to go a little differently, and based on the fact that he still had his jeans and shoes on, she was probably disappointed.

There was nothing left to do but pull his best get-out-of-jail-free card. It was ironic that this trick only worked with overly enthusiastic fans. “I’ve got to shoot tonight.”

“I totally understand,” she said, pressing a hand over her bare breasts in an uncomfortably maternal display. “Maybe we can get together later tonight and I can give you that back rub I promised you before you fell asleep last night?”

“Absolutely,” he lied, shifting out of bed and guiding her toward the door. “Let me get your number.”

She rattled it off to him as she hooked her bra and shimmied back into her shirt. Isaac pretended to key it into his phone, a performance he’d perfected over the years. He was an actor after all.

Now that she was fully dressed, he ushered her toward the door, eager to get her out and start dealing with the fallout from last night. She was probably a really nice girl, but the problem was that nice girls and guys like him didn’t compute. Plus, Heidi was eager and nice, which was a dangerous combination. Girls like her weren’t content to brag that they’d bagged a movie star for a night. They wanted him to call. Sometimes they showed up on set. They didn’t understand why he might only be in town for a week before he had to head to another location.

Reaching for the door, his fingers closed over the handle just as Heidi threw her arms around his neck. Smashing her lips against his, she stuck her tongue in his mouth before he processed what was happening. His body responded to her obvious ardency as he struggled for the doorknob. Jerking the door open, he wrenched away from her and forced his most charming smile onto his lips.

“Call me?” Heidi batted her lashes as if they were butterfly wings.

His grin broadened as he opened the door wider, but it fell from his face when he caught sight of the woman frozen there midknock. The blonde’s expression was blank, completely unreadable, but there was ice in her blue-eyed glare. She was nothing like the girl. No, her hair fell to her shoulders in soft, expertly styled waves held back by the Gucci sunglasses perched on her head. Her red pencil skirt matched her lips and hugged the shapely, but obviously toned, thighs that streamed into the longest legs on the highest heels he’d seen for a long time.

The woman stepped aside to allow Heidi to pass. Her momentary shock had worn off, and now her crimson lips twisted into a rueful smile as the girl glanced frantically from Isaac to the stranger before she took off down the hall. He owed her for her timing, that much was certain, but it didn’t explain what she was doing here.

“Good afternoon, Isaac.” Distaste colored her greeting.

She wasn’t eager to see him, which meant she was here for a reason. He extended his arm. “Come in.”

Chapter Two

Sofia shook off the inauspicious start. Well, she shook off the random girl. The fact that Isaac obviously didn’t recognize her was a little harder to dismiss. It wasn’t the first time she’d been blindsided by a new client. She’d picked up strung-out, sixtysomething rockers from frat parties and bailed out drunk celebri-tantes under the radar of the paparazzi. She could handle a hungover, beat-up Isaac Blue.

So why did it feel as if she was barely hanging on to her composure?

Maybe because after six years he still looked incredible even with a newly acquired black eye. It hadn’t been a surprise to Sofia that Isaac had taken his career so far in so little time. He’d evolved from a lean, good-looking teen heartthrob into a well-built, panty-melting sex symbol. The brown hair that had once hung shaggy past his ears was cropped into a sexy mess just long enough to hold on to, but his eyes and that sinful smirk were the same. He’d been repackaged into a star, and while Sofia found herself drinking in the view as he stalked toward the couch in his low-slung jeans, she couldn’t help wondering just how much had changed on the inside.

Striding into the hotel room, she eyed the suite for signs of more life. Thankfully, it had been a one-night stand and not a double, triple or worse. Nobody liked to break up an orgy. Sofia dropped her purse on the table and crossed her arms over her chest as she rounded on him.

“I’m here on behalf of Maxximum Studios,” she informed him, careful to keep her tone measured and professional. This was the stage that an involuntary client was likely to bolt, so it was important to show him his options. Namely, that he had none.

“Apparently Christmas came early. Maxx has outdone himself this time,” Isaac drawled, the rich Southern accent he usually hid seeping through. He circled his finger in the air. “Spin for me, princess.”

Sofia’s eyes narrowed as she planted her hands on her hips. She chose to ignore the fact that her father obviously thought strippers were appropriate holiday gifts, but she had to fight the irrational surge of rage that swelled in her at discovering that Isaac was still a ladies’ man. He’d been a walking hard-on when they’d first met and nothing had changed after all. “I’m here to save your career.”

“I have to admit that I find that disappointing.” Isaac flashed her a dazzling smile. “Are you sure I can’t persuade you to join me?” He leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms behind his head as his eyes flickered to his lap.

“Put a shirt on,” she demanded, “and then we’ll talk.”

“Okay,” he said with a shrug, “but I’m so much more open when I’m comfortable.”

Sofia paused to consider this. If a new client had said this she would have called his bluff, knowing the worst-case scenario was that she’d be treated to a glimpse of his birthday suit. But Isaac wasn’t exactly a new client, and she’d been to that party before. It was exactly the kind of thing he would do to test a stranger, especially one in a skirt. How many women could resist the sight of a nude Isaac Blue? Sofia didn’t have a spreadsheet, but she could guess the stats on her own.

The real question was: Could she resist seeing him like that? An hour ago, she would have said yes, but an hour ago, it had been six years since they’d been in the same room. An hour ago she’d thought the only thing she felt for him was the dull, ghostly pain of betrayal. Now she knew better. But maybe the only way to beat the player was to play by his rules. Never mind that her nipples felt like a set of pushpins just from his proximity and forget the fact that her blood had caught fire in his mere presence. She could totally handle the sight of Isaac’s unbelievably perfect six-pack.

The only way to decide was to fall back on her proven methodology. They were still in the first twenty-four hours of the turnaround, which meant they were clearly in the forty-eight-hour assessment period. It was crucial that she spend this time getting to know who her client was, and as much as she thought she knew Isaac, her job was to approach this as a professional. Sofia only had one rule when it came to assessments: she always did them on the client’s terms. If they wanted to go to a bar, she went. If their dealer showed up, she stayed out of it.

Knowing exactly what she had to do, she returned his shrug. “If that makes you comfortable, it’s fine with me.”

She caught the surprise flicker in his eyes even as he stood and kicked off his designer boots, but by the time he tugged down his zipper, his cocky grin had returned. Isaac pushed his pants to the floor with a triumphant flourish, leaving him standing stark naked before her.

“Feel better?” she asked, gluing her eyes to his in what was likely to be the stare-off of the century.

“Much.” The word oozed with his slow, delicious Georgian accent. He winked at her, and Sofia felt heat flush across her skin.

Goddammit, he still knew how to press all her buttons. Although to be fair she doubted that any hot-blooded woman would have been able to handle the combination of his undeniable charisma and the stack of abs that narrowed into a chiseled V.

“I suddenly feel at a disadvantage, Miss...?”

The overly polite prompt for an introduction reminded Sofia exactly why it didn’t matter that Isaac Blue was naked in front of her. Maybe it was the symptom of a bruised ego that she thought he should remember her, but memory problems were far from rare in her clients.

“Miss King. I mean, Ms. King.” Then again, maybe he wasn’t the only one having trouble with his memory.

“It’s a pleasure.” He closed the small distance between them and caught her hand, drawing it up to his lips. She knew his slow-as-honey words came from a mouth that didn’t only draw out its sentences. Heat radiated off him, and her eyes felt heavy, as though his mere presence was a powerful opiate. Her own personal drug.

But as he released her hand, she caught sight of his ink-stained fingertips. Sofia snapped back to reality, stepping away from him and tugging at her blouse as she shook her body free of his intoxicating effects.

“We should get to work,” she informed him, switching into business mode. “You’re expected on set tomorrow.”

Isaac frowned, running a hand through his tangled black hair. “I’m expected on set on Tuesday.”

“Tomorrow is Tuesday.”

“What the hell happened to Sunday?” He strode toward the bedroom, abandoning his flirtatious charade, and began ransacking the top of the dresser.

Sofia watched, mentally noting what she saw in his bedroom. No evidence of drugs. That was a good sign. Although there were some empty beer bottles. That wasn’t so good. Other than that, there was the usual contents of a guy’s pockets spilled across the bureau: loose coins, a wallet and a couple of condoms.

Intact condoms.

Still-wrapped condoms.

Unused condoms.

She hated herself for noticing.

“Lose something?” she asked, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorway.

“My phone,” he snapped, “my Sunday and, apparently, my mind.”

Sofia’s mouth curved into a satisfied smile. She was right on track after all. “That’s why I’m here.”

* * *

Isaac wanted to kiss the smug smirk off her painted lips and then nail her to the wall to show her exactly who had the upper hand here. But right now, and he hated to admit it, she did. He’d almost had her, calling her bluff when she pretended not to know him. As if he couldn’t see through her icy, hands-off act.

Fia Maxx might be calling herself by a new name. She might even have transformed from a nubile eighteen-year-old hottie to a gorgeous cock-teaser, but she couldn’t fool him. Not that he wouldn’t mind getting to know Ms. King a little bit better, particularly the lush, full breasts swelling under her fitted blouse.

Isaac pressed his body into the side of the dresser to hide his growing erection. Wood to hide wood. He’d be able to laugh about it later, but right now all he could think about was hoisting Fia’s long legs around his waist and riding her until her head fell back as she unraveled. She might have changed, but there was no way her O-face had—there was no improving on perfection.

Sure, she was playing it cool right now, but he’d seen her quietly squirming when he’d dropped his pants for her. She could try to pretend she didn’t feel the same electric connection that had sizzled between them six years ago, but there was no denying it was still there sparking and crackling since she’d walked back into his life.

And he was going to show her exactly what she’d been missing.

All he had to do was play along, let her think she could fix him or whatever her plan was, and he’d be back in her good graces and her panties. There hadn’t been a week that Fia Maxx hadn’t popped into his head since she’d disappeared without a word, and he needed to make up for lost time.

He’d fuck her out of his system. That was all. Give the studio what they wanted and get what he needed—Sofia spread naked on his bed. It was a win-win situation.

He just had to regain the upper hand.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” she asked, waving his cell phone at him from the bedside table.

“It is,” he said.

Sofia held it out for him, and he paused. If he walked over and took it there was no way to hide his arousal from her. But if he stayed put, she’d guess why he wasn’t moving. Might as well give her something to look forward to. Isaac moved toward her, his dick rigid as a tent pole. Sofia’s eyes widened a little and she snapped her gaze up to his. It was too late. He’d caught her looking, and he’d seen exactly what he expected to in her momentarily thawed eyes: lust.

There was a chance he could sweep her onto the bed right here and now. Their gazes locked on one another, and he knew she was imagining the same thing. His hands hiking her skirt around her shapely hips as she wrapped herself around him. He’d rip off her silky stockings. Sofia’s mouth quirked into a grin and she shook her head slightly as if she knew what he was thinking.

He wouldn’t have to rip them off. Ms. King was definitely the type of woman that wore a garter belt. Even better. But she couldn’t stop him from shredding her panties. Isaac could almost feel her stilettos digging into his tailbone now.

Sofia’s teeth sunk into her bottom lip, and he knew she wouldn’t stop him, which was why he took the phone and turned away. It would be too easy to pick up where they had left off. He wanted her to sweat it a little, get her good and hot for it, so he could enjoy making her scream his name all night long.

“Thanks,” he said, clearing the thick desire from his throat. “It is Monday.”

He heard her sharp intake of breath. “It is,” she said in a clipped tone. “I’ll be back to help you sort out the rest of your life in the morning—and to make certain you make it on set. Try not to get arrested before then.”

She strolled past him, chin tilted up, eyes focused toward the door. Isaac’s hand flew out and caught her wrist, drawing her slightly closer. Pressing his mouth to the hollow behind her ear, he dropped a soft kiss on the sensitive spot. He smiled as a shiver rolled through her.

“No promises,” he whispered and released her.

Chapter Three

Sofia motioned for another bourbon, slamming it back as soon as the glass was in her trembling hands. Had she really thought she could walk up to Isaac Blue and leave unscathed? He was scorching hot, unpredictable and totally infuriating. Half an hour with him had made her revert from a sophisticated professional to a panting teenager. She should have slapped him. She should have found his bad-boy antics crude. The problem was she didn’t.

Never once had she felt the need to drown her sorrows after a day on the job and here she was, throwing back booze as if her life depended on it. Her only saving grace was that she’d managed to wait until five in the evening, the socially acceptable drinking hour, and that she’d got in touch with an old friend to join her.

Belle appeared in the doorway and quite a few heads swiveled around to watch her as she made her way toward Sofia. There was no denying that Belle was a knockout especially in a leather miniskirt and boots. She looked like Grace Kelly and dressed like a pop star—every guy’s fantasy. More than a few of the men murmured appreciatively as the two blondes hugged one another before settling back onto their barstools.

“I’m so glad you could come on such short notice. I was worried about dragging you from your fiancé,” Sofia said, grabbing Belle’s hand and inspecting her insanely gorgeous engagement ring.

“Stuff and nonsense.” She waved off Sofia’s concern with her free hand while preening under the attention. “He’s out of town and my flatmate has recently discovered the joys of sex.”

Sofia laughed at this, letting go of her friend’s hand. “Hot guy?”

“You could say that.” Belle gestured to the barkeep for a drink and then turned back to Sofia with a wide smile. “So what brings you to town—business or pleasure?”

Sofia grimaced at the reminder of Isaac. Right now she needed Belle to distract her with tales of London and wedding plans and booze.

Belle cocked her head to the side, studying her. Sometimes it was like looking at a mirror, Sofia thought. Belle had the same naturally blond locks and fair skin. They’d even managed to fool a few teachers during the years that they’d attended the same boarding school in Suffolk while her father opened the London branch of Maxximum Studios. Even now, they could probably pass for sisters if they could still pull off each other’s accents.

“Out with it, Fia,” Belle demanded.

Sofia sighed and shook her head. It was going to take a lot more to get her talking about Isaac than Belle’s demands no matter how insistent she became. “No one calls me Fia anymore.”

“I do.” Belle ordered another round. “You’re not getting out of telling me.”

“You’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead lips,” Sofia said, taking the new drink with a tight smile.

Belle laughed. “No, I won’t. I’ll just have to pry it from your warm, drunk lips.”

Sofia raised her glass and the women clinked the rims. “Challenge accepted.”

* * *

Two hours later Belle hauled Sofia from the billiards table where she was bragging to a group of amused men while swinging a pool cue in erratic, dangerous arcs around her.

“Ah, Belle! I was going to kick their asses!” Sofia flopped into the corner booth and accepted a glass of water grudgingly.

“You are pissed,” Belle said, giggling. “You must hold a lightweight record.”

“I’m jet-lagged,” Sofia pouted.

“You’re not just drunk, though.” Belle wagged her finger at her knowingly. “Fia, your feathers are ruffled.”

Sofia took a deep breath, but the bourbon coursing through her bloodstream was making it impossible to hold back the truth. “Daddy sent me over here to do a turnaround.”

“It must be going well,” Belle said dryly.

“You have no idea.” Sofia dropped her head to the table, trying to sort through the thoughts and emotions swimming in her alcohol-soaked brain. She couldn’t discuss a client with Belle. Sofia might not be a licensed therapist or a doctor, but she took confidentiality as seriously as if she were. Still, Isaac was hardly a regular client, and after how she’d lost control this afternoon—after she’d come close to reaching out and wrapping her hands around his hot, stiff dick—she was increasingly sure he couldn’t be. Being around him was too tempting. Suddenly the fantasies she’d once deluded herself with were returning in full force. Isaac sweeping her off her feet. Spending one more night in bed with him. A turnaround on Isaac meant forcing herself to relive the pain he’d caused her. There was no way she was going to let him break her again.

“Tell me about it,” Belle coaxed.

“It’s Isaac Blue!” His name burst from her mouth before she’d really decided whether or not she should share. But now that the cat was out of the bag, she couldn’t stop the details from pouring out of her. The arrests. Her father’s call. The tart in his hotel room. By the time she’d got to naked Isaac Blue grabbing her wrist and kissing her neck, Belle was watching her dreamily, her elbow propped up on the table and her chin resting on her hand.

“Belle!” Sofia tried to snap her fingers, but they weren’t working quite right.

Belle blinked a few times as if she was waking from a dream. “I’m sorry. I just... Isaac Blue! Thanks to that partial nude scene in Death Race I have a pretty good visual of this afternoon. Care to fill me in on the full-frontal details?”

Pressing her lips together, Sofia shook her head.

“He’s one of the sexiest men alive! People Magazine told me so.” Belle held her hands up defensively. “And if you were really my friend, you’d spill.”

“He’s packing heat offscreen, too,” Sofia admitted. She couldn’t help it. Something about Isaac made her want to giggle and gush to a girlfriend. No one had ever had that effect on her since him.

“I knew it!” Belle fanned herself.

“Now can we concentrate on what the hell I’m supposed to do?” Sofia asked in exasperation.

“You still have it bad for him, huh?”

“I do not have it bad for him!” Sofia hesitated, steeling herself as she prepared to rip the mental Band-Aid off that covered the wound of their relationship. “You never saw us together. I was in love with him. Completely. Totally. And I honestly thought he loved me. I mean, I was eighteen and too stupid to know better.”

“I still want to know why you’re so certain he wasn’t in love with you,” Belle said gently, reaching across the table and taking Sofia’s hand. She’d experienced her own dose of bad-boy induced heartbreak in college.

“Let’s see, do you want the long list or the short list? Let’s keep it to the point.” Sofia decided for her. “I got to find out from Entertainment Today that he was screwing around on me with his Days of Rain costar, Nina Justin. He went on location with her and never called me back!”

“I guessed that was why you left Malibu Place.”

Sofia nodded. She’d never admitted that was why she’d left the popular evening drama she’d starred on with Isaac to anyone outright before, but she’d also never thought she’d have to face Isaac Blue ever again. No one had batted an eye when Arnold Maxx’s daughter had given up acting. She had money and looks, and Sofia wouldn’t have been the first Hollywood princess to get bored with the business.

“I wasted a year of my life in clubs, trying to drink away how much that jackass hurt me, and now look at me! I’m right back where I began.” A sob escaped her lips and Belle’s hand tightened on her own.

“That is not true, darling.” Belle spoke in a low, soothing voice. “You have a kick-ass job. Not only are you empowered, but you actually help people. Not to mention that you’re the hottest piece of ass in this bar.”

“Except for you.” Sofia smiled, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin.

“Well, of course.”

“But I can’t turn Isaac around,” Sofia whispered, finally giving a voice to her fear. She hadn’t been enough to keep his attention before. Her love hadn’t been enough to keep him from running wild. How was she supposed to fix him with all the baggage she was still carrying?

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