"His name is Larry Corker. His latest movie wasTears in a Bottle,named after a Jim Croce song."
"I didn’t see it, but I saw the trailer. That movie was super popular."
"Larry is a good producer, and he had a fascination with the singer who wrote the song and then died in a tragic plane crash."
"Where did you meet him?"
"College. First day of freshman year. There was a blowout party in the dorm, and Larry came to school as a rather protected kid. He'd never gone wild, and he made up for it in one night. He actually passed out in the hallway, naked. I found him in the morning, got him some clothes, gave him some coffee. He was mortified. He thought he'd already ruined his college experience, but I got him over the hump. We became good friends. And he continues to pay me back with private screening invites."
"Did you try to get Carrie in to see him?"
"No. I don't use my friends. That pissed her off. She said everyone uses everyone, so what's the big deal? And that if I wanted something, I wouldn't hesitate to do whatever I needed to do to get it."
"Well, she has a point. You're using me right now."
"We're using each other," he corrected. "Although, I still think we could be doing it in a more enjoyable way."
She made a face at his sexy remark. "I think it's time to deal the cards."
They played another hand, and she won again. "Ooh, I'm liking this game."
"Me, not so much," he grumbled. "I thought the house was supposed to win. Okay, what's your next question? And make it an easy one this time."
"What was your most embarrassing moment? You told me Larry's naked-in-the-dorm-hallway story. What about you? What's the experience you wish you could take back?"
"That's not an easy one. I don't believe I have an embarrassing moment."
"Everyone does. You just don't want to say, because you don't want to be embarrassed."
"I don't embarrass that easily."
"Come on, Jared."
"You're a pushy woman, aren't you?"
"Yes, but it's not your turn for a question."
He laughed. "Okay. I was at a community pool in the summer with a girl I'd just started dating."
"Carrie?"
"No. This was during college."
"What happened at the pool?" she asked with interest.
"I jumped out of the water and onto an inner tube and my bathing suit didn't make the trip."
"No way." She started laughing. "You mooned the pool?"
"Oh, yeah, and there were a lot of people around me."
"What did you do?"
"Got back into the water as fast as I could and tried to get my bathing suit up before I had to hoist myself onto the deck. I didn't want a repeat performance, although I'm told I have a very nice ass."
She flushed at the thought of his ass and didn't doubt it was as nice as he'd suggested. The man did triathlons. She could only imagine what kind of muscles his clothes were hiding.
Jared leaned forward, a wicked sparkle in his eyes. "You can see it if you ask nicely."