Page 18 of Role Play
I put on a cold, tight-lipped smile. “That seems to be a pattern withyou.”
“Tell me about it,” hemuttered.
“So, Kelly’s asubmissive?”
Ash shook his head. “She’s not. It wasn’t a scene… it was justsex.”
“A…scene?”
He gave a self-indulgent chuckle that I couldn’t quite dissect. Was he laughing at me? In spite of himself? “It’s a BDSM term. Like... a pre-planned night or weekend of games. We set the beginning, middle, and end; and call themscenes.”
“Oh, right,” I nodded, pretending like I knew exactly what he was talking about. Because really… I should. We were filming a movie about BDSM and I felt kind of stupid not knowing what was apparently a basic term of thelifestyle.
“Anyway,” Ash said, “as you know, there’s that stupid studio policy. It’s not a fireable offense, fraternizing, but it’s definitely frowned on. And once Kelly was hired, she and I both signed a contract stating that the one time we were together was consensual. But it’s over. Nothing has happenedsince.”
His words hit me in the chest like dry ice. Cold. Damaging. “It’s not stupid,” I saidquietly.
His brows scrunched between his eyes. “What?”
“The studio policy. It’s not stupid. It’s an important rule to have in place so that people in powerful positions can’t wield that power to get employees to sleep with them. It’s hard enough in this industry.” The reality of our situation was slamming into me. Ash was my boss. My boss on my first ever professional movie gig. I couldn’t screw this up, even if Ididhave Uncle Rich to fall back on. Tonight had been fun.Toofun. But this girl? This flirty girl who drinks vodka-Diet-Cokes and touches his arm and notices the deep cerulean shade of eyeswasn’twho I was. Not anymore. And pursuing this? Staying here with him was going to get us both introuble.
Ash sighed and swirled what was left in his scotch glass. “You’re right. It’s not stupid. I get why it’s important, but also in our industry, the lines are very blurred,” he said. “Look, I’m being honest when I said I didn’t know you’d be here. I wasn’t coming to find you. But, I had a nice time, regardless. I promise you, no matter what happens between us, your position on the film and at Silhouette won’t becompromised.”
Yeah, I knew that. With Uncle Rich as the president, it was Ash who should be concerned for his job, not me. I slipped my straw between my lips and slurped hard. Son of a bitch… I had to learn to stop nervous drinking so much. My head was fuzzy and the lights from the dance floor were spinning around me. “I should go,” I whispered, my voicehoarse.
I tossed some cash onto the bar, hoping it would cover Andrea for the drinks and a decent tip. And if not, I’d pay her back tomorrow. For now, I needed to get away from this man. Get away from his intoxicating scent and hypnotic voice. As I stood, the room tilted and Ash caught me around the waist. The heat from his palms seared through my t-shirt and I could feel the weight and pressure of his touch against my cotton-clad flesh. My breasts were pressed flush against his hard, muscled chest and my hands landed on his broadshoulders.
I squeezed my eyes shut. How would that palm feel sliding down between my thighs? Brushing over my swollenclit?
“I’ll take you home,” Ash said. “You shouldn’t bedriving.”
Well, duh. No shit, Sherlock. I wasn’t even going to pretend like I was fine to drive. It was clear that, with how I had pounded the last two and a half drinks, I shouldn’t be behind a wheel. Even still, riding in a car back to my place with Ash was nothappening.
I shook my head, the movement stirring my brain like a Cuisinart. “Andrea can give me a ridehome.”
“After her shift?” Ash looked back and forth to where Andrea was standing behind the bar. “At what? Two in themorning?”
Shit. He was right. That was a terrible plan. Especially since I had to be on set at six a.m. A slice of pink slipped between his full lips as he ran his tongue across them in a swift motion. Whether it was a nervous tick, or he was catching a bit of scotch that clung to his lips—I wasn’t sure. But it was one hundred percent sexy. “How about I give you three options. Number one,” he counted on each finger. “I drive you home myself.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he ignored me, talking over me as I started to object. “Number two: Your friend gives you a ride home after her shift and while you wait for her to get off work, you sleep this off in my private room upstairs. You can’t stay out here until two a.m. and be on set atsix.”
Curiosity flared inside of me. What did the private areas upstairs look like? What would Ash have in that room? Tucked into the deepest corner of his drawers and closets? I swallowed. “What’s optionthree?”
“I call my driver and he takes you home. I’ll follow behind in your car so that you’ll have it in themorning.”
Having his driver take me home felt even weirder. Like I was using his power and money for… for luxury or something equally crazy. No. I wasn’t going to use Ash likethat.
I felt like I was being dealt a hand in poker by a card shark. “How about option four… I call an Uber, then come back in the morning to get mycar.”
He dropped his head, frustration seeping from his pores. “How much will an Uber costyou?”
I swallowed, knowing where this line of questioning was going. If it was an eight dollar ride and only ten minutes away, that would be no big deal. I sighed. “It’s like thirty bucks to get to my place fromhere.”
He snorted and shook his head. “So, you’ll be out sixty bucks for two Uber trips? Not to mention, you’ll have to wake up an hour earlier than you need to, then come here and get your car in order to make it on set in time, when you could just get a ride home for free right now? Has the salary for assistants increased exponentially since I was one that sixty dollars is no bigdeal?”
I inhaled deep through my nose, floating my eyes briefly closed.“You’re my boss and you just admitted to sleeping with myotherboss a few months ago.Andthere’s a no fraternization policy at Silhouette. You seriously think any ofyourthree options are a goodplan?”
With a heavy sigh, his nostrils flared. “No. But I’m willing to risk both my job and reputation to make sure you get homesafely.”
Heat pooled low in my belly. He was a good man. Sure, he played around a lot. But at his core, that was the right answer. And ensuring my safe arrival home? Even Uncle Richard couldn’t be mad at that. “Are you drunk?” Iasked.
Ash shook his head. “Not at all. This is only my second, and I don’t have to finish it,” he said, tapping his finger to the textured edge of the tumbler. “Come on,” he coaxed. “What would Judydo?”
What would Judy do? Judy would be able to afford her own freaking limo driver for one thing. As it stood, I could barely affordonethirty dollar Uber ride. I refused to take the extra salary Uncle Rich had offered me with the job and only accepted the typical starting salary for a PA with my level of experience, akazeroexperience. After thinking for a moment, I stood taller, swinging my purse over my arm. “Fine… option five,” I said. “You drive me home in my car and then I callyouan Uber to bring you back here.” Ash started to object, but I held out my car keys to him. “It’s a compromise, Ash. I’m not going to let you pay for some astronomically priced limo driver to take me home. Doing it this way still saves me money and time because I’ll only need to pay the cost of one Uber… not two. And you’re saving me the trouble of having to wake up at four-thirty tomorrow morning to retrieve my car.” I arched my eyebrows, awaiting his response. When he nodded and held out his palm, I dropped the keys into his openhand.
“I’m not letting you pay for the Uber,” hesaid.
“Yes, youare.”
He slid the glass back toward the edge of the bar for Andrea to collect. Then, mumbling, he ran his hand through his hair. But I could have sworn that through the thin veil of his downturned mouth and cinched, narrowed eyes, I saw the hint of a smile. “I knew I should’ve asked‘What would Liza do’instead.”
“Liza would have done the same thing. Only louder, more obnoxious, and off-key.”
