Page 14 of Playboy Billionaire

Griffin grinned, “I don’t know why I let myself get talked into this.”

“Who could resist?”

The door opened and Noah Davis entered. As confident as Griffin was in his own skin, he had to admit to himself that it was a little intimidating to be auditioning in front of an actor of his caliber. He’d been hoping to have some unknowns sitting in as fill-ins. This made it all too real. That could only mean that Penelope wasn’t too far behind.

Noah nodded his head toward Griffin and said, “So you’re the next big star, hey?”

Griffin bit back a laugh, “Hardly.”

Noah narrowed his eyes as he studied Griffin, “I have to agree with Stew, he could be on to something. You’ve got the look at least.”

The door opened again and suddenly it felt as though the air had been sucked from the room as Penelope Winters entered. Griffin’s heart pounded. Holy shit was she ever beautiful. Too bad it was only skin deep.

She managed to make even a simple black tee shirt and jeans look sexy. Griffin scrambled to find his bearings. Catching himself staring, he forcibly looked away.

The director fawned solicitously over his star, pulling out her chair with an overenthusiastic welcome. She had yet to even glance his way and he wondered, not for the first time, if this wasn’t the biggest mistake he’d ever made. His hackles rose.

“Okay, so he nailed the read-through. Now we’re going to see how it goes with you guys,” the director said.

Penelope looked at him and Griffin felt his chest tighten. Her green eyes skewered him.Whoa, talk about feeling like an unwelcome party crasher.

Exactly what he’d expected from her. He was doing them the damn favor to even consider auditioning and she was behaving like some imperial princess. He didn’t need this shit.

Griffin’s eyes narrowed as he inclined his head, “Ms. Winters,” he said coolly. She ignored him.

Two more people entered and were introduced as producers. They greeted everyone, then took their seats.

Stewart clapped his hands together and said, “Okay we’re all here. Let’s get started. Let’s have Noah and Penelope start by reading through their scene that starts on page fifty. That will give Griffin a taste for it and segue nicely into his first scene with Penny.”

Griffin caught the look exchanged between the two stars and was surprised by the tension between them. He was obviously behind on the latest Hollywood gossip. They certainly weren’t acting like a couple in love.

He leaned back in his chair and watched intently as they slipped into character. It was spellbinding. There was undeniable chemistry between them and like the flick of a switch they had morphed into their characters. Griffin raked his hands through his hair then he interlaced his fingers behind his head. No pressure here. His foot tapped restlessly against the floor.

Just as he was considering his escape plan, Penelope looked up and caught his eye. The corners of her lips tilted up contemptuously, like she was fully aware that he was about to bolt. He took a deep calming breath and willed his muscles to relax.Fuck her.

“That was great you two! No surprise there. Now let’s turn to page eighty, one of Penelope and Griffin’s scenes. Remember Griffin, your affair is new, and you’ve just had mind-blowing sex. You’re getting cold feet but completely under her spell,” Stewart instructed.

He watched as Penelope studied her lines. She glanced up from the script and caught him staring, her eyes flashed with irritation as she said, “You’ve got the first line.”

“Who me? Oh, sorry.” Clearing his throat, he began, “Looking at you makes it hard to breathe. We just made love and I’m aroused all over again. I crave you.”

Penelope smiled seductively at Griffin, her gaze roving over his body, “Then what are you waiting for?”

Griffin sucked in a sharp breath, then read the next line, his hands shook slightly as he gripped the pages of his script, “We’re getting careless. If your husband discovers our affair, he’ll make your life a living hell.”

“Quit worrying darling. He’s busy campaigning and way too self-centered to concern himself with me.”

“I may be getting paranoid, but I swear I was being followed the other day.”

“You’re definitely getting paranoid. Now bring that impressive body over here and make love to me again and that’s an order. This time let’s take it real slow,”Penelope read.

Griffin swallowed hard. Her voice was so smooth, like velvet and sexy…slightly husky…he felt like he was being stroked with her words. Running his hand through his hair, he read the next line,“We’ve got to be more careful. I can’t risk it for either of us. Your husband has everything at stake. His election is on the line and God only knows what he’s capable of doing to defend it.”

She flashed him a dazzling smile,“Whatever you say. Now could you please come play with me?”

“Damn you, you’re a temptress, you know that, right? I don’t think I could quit you even if I wanted to. No matter how hard I try or what I tell myself…you’ve cast some kind of spell over me. I dream about you…you’re all I can think about.”He swallowed hard reading ahead to the blocking for this scene.

It was going to be torture. He’d be in bed, making love to Penelope Winters—or rather Sydney O’Connor, the character—a very dangerous mistake to forget that important detail. And now the scene called for him to be on top of her, devouring her. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep it straight…what was real and what was acting. When she looked at him with those sultry eyes, he didn’t feel much like it was acting…he hoped he didn’t get the part.

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