Page 17 of Broken Rules

Oh, so we were now joking and friendly, were we?Seeing them sharing a smile gave me the sort of feeling I used to get as a kid when my sisters’ latest projects were praised while mine was overlooked.I felt like I wouldn’t measure up and had to work twice as hard to prove myself.I couldn’t imagine why that feeling overcame me at this particular moment.I only knew it made my skin feel too tight and my insides too hot.

“That’s fine with me,” I announced, though neither of them had bothered bringing me into the conversation.“But I hope nobody minds if I can’t make it.I have a lot of work to do to get ready for tomorrow.”

“Oh, come on,” Lex insisted as he lifted his sunglasses.His casual drawl made me wonder why he thought we were friendly enough for him to behave like this, like we were all one big, happy family.It had to be a matter of his image, making sure everybody saw him as the benevolent good guy.“Making an appearance for an hour isn’t going to ruin your schedule.”

“Says who?”I challenged with a tight smile that caused his dark eyes to narrow.

“Would you stop arguing?”Claudia whispered, but I pretended not to hear her.

“One hour.”He held up a finger while an almost playful grin played over his lips.I really wished they didn’t draw my attention like they did, and I wished even harder that I hadn’t wondered what they tasted like or how they would feel against mine.

It was clear I was outnumbered, and digging my heels in any more would only make me look ridiculous.“I’ll see what I can do,” I grunted out.

Claudia gave me a thumbs up, then turned away to take a phone call, leaving me face-to-face with Lex.He nodded slowly.“You did a great job today.I’m impressed.”

Dammit.My insides went warm, and my stupid pulse picked up speed.All it took was a little praise.Get it together.“Are you surprised I know what I’m doing?”I asked with a sweet and completely ingenuine smile.

“Does everything have to be a fight with you?”he asked, keeping his voice low, staring directly at me, and ignoring everyone around us.Was it possible for all of the air to get sucked out of the atmosphere?We were outside, for God’s sake, but I could barely breathe.

“Maybe I’m used to feeling like I have to fight,” I replied.He frowned but let it go, backing away without another word.

And as usual, I was left feeling like I had just been run over by a speeding train.How did he do that to me?

More importantly, why did I keep letting him?

7

LEX

“Thank you so much for this.I know last-minute shit isn’t your favorite.”

Clay snickered but shrugged it off.“I had the room open tonight.But I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to make it available for anybody but you.”

“I’m honored.”I was also impressed, but then I should’ve known better.If there was one thing Clay prided himself on, it was the high quality of service his staff offered on every level.He ran a tight ship.

While his restaurants weren’t Michelin-star quality, they were just short of it.He always swore he didn’t care about earning a star, that it only limited what a restaurateur could do if they wanted to keep it.While he wanted to operate at a high level, he wanted to do it his own way, by his own rules, and not some arbitrary rules made up by a bunch of nameless, faceless strangers.

Now we stood at the bar in the far corner of the small event room off the restaurant’s main dining area.He’d opened this West Hollywood location a few months earlier, and all signs pointed to a complete success.

I had entered through a side doorbut noticed the clamor on the sidewalk and the number of people waiting to get in, even with a reservation.This was where everyone wanted to be seen.

“Here’s to you.”Clay lifted his glass to me.“Your first day of shooting.How are you feeling about everything?”

How was I feeling?It was easiest to sum everything up in one word.“Exhausted.”

He laughed knowingly.“Yeah, it’s one thing to watch everything from behind the scenes.It’s another when you’re the guy everybody is looking at to make decisions.”

“Exactly.”And when he put it that way, I wanted much more than the scotch in my glass.I downed the rest of it and signaled for a refill while the room started filling up with crew members and cast.

Clay growled when Danica Cole entered, flanked on either side by supporting actresses whose names I couldn’t recall.They were hot, for sure, wearing low-cut dresses, their hair in shining waves, with the same carefully applied makeup and sky-high heels.Did they understand how underwhelming they were when they all looked essentially the same?

It was obvious Clay didn’t agree.“I swear, it’s not fair,” he grumbled, shaking his head.“You have all this fine, fresh pussy walking around all the time, and you can’t do anything about it if you want to avoid getting your balls in a legal vice.”

That wasn’t what I was thinking of as I watched the girls mingling with the rest of the crew, who kept filtering through the door.Where was Summer?Was she going to show up?

She probably would, just to prove she had the nerve when it was clear this wasn’t her thing.Somebody had to teach that girl the ropes—how to go along and get along.Instead, she went through life with a chip on her shoulder.I didn’t think she should be punished for it, but it was clear why people thought she was a pain in the ass.

“Mr.Landry.”Danica pretended to notice me for the first time and tossed her hair over one shoulder, strutting my way.It was like the girl glowed as if she had a spotlight trained on her.The golden-blonde hair that had been up in a ponytail during filming today shimmered, and her dress did a lot more for her killer body than the coveralls she’d been wearing earlier.

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