Page 88 of Torrid Passion
“Which is why I’ll endure the stuffy bankers tonight,” Stella says.
“Well, those bankers will get an eyeful,” I say. “I reckon your slit is more revealing than mine.”
She looks down the length of her body. “I think you’re right,” she giggles.
“I’m attending an over-the-top affair,” Hayden says. She’ll be there with her mom, dad and three older brothers, “so I can be a lot more flamboyant.”
“Tonight, all three of us have to step into our rightful roles of Hollywood princesses,” Stella says.
“This is my first time assuming the role since I moved back,” I say.
“And you’re doing it beautifully,” Stella smiles. “Your parents will be proud. FYI if you receive a marriage proposal tonight, make sure to ask the guy if he has a brother or cousin. Since desperate times call for desperate measures, I’m okay with a best friend. Heck, I’m okay with a distant friend.”
We all laugh.
La La Land. Red carpets. Award shows. Big box office movies. Bigger than life stars. Hollywood’s elite. The whole nine yards. It’s all part of being an O’Keeffe. It’s the life all three of us were born into.
Dad, Kieran O’Keeffe, is the youngest of the Fab 5 Hollywood Kings. Uncle Kendrick, Kingston, Kelby and Keigan are the other four kings. They founded and own Panthera Films and Pinnacle Entertainment—the division that acquires other studios. They’ve been hitting the lists of the most influential men in Hollywood for as long as I can remember. Panthera Films is the seventh most profitable movie studio in the world. They’ve produced a number of amazing movie series that keep the audience watching. In fact, three of the movie series ranked on the Top 100 highest grossing films of all time list. Many say the O’Keeffe brothers are a force. They are. And to think, it all started because Grandpa Kassidy was the head of the action films division of CinemaVariety—a small, but coveted player MGM sold to another studio. One day, rumors of the studio’s shaky finances started surfacing. Grandpa challenged his venture capitalist sons and the rest is history. Dad, Uncle Kelby and Keigan head the studios while Uncle Kendrick and Kingston split their time between the studios and Avant-Garde Venture Partners.
“The only reason I agreed is because Mom said the room will packed with people she wants to introduce me to,” I explain.
“I thought you had your eye on UTV.com?” Hayden says.
“I do, but I have to come up with a half decent script before they’ll even consider me. I don’t want them to hire me on my last name alone.”
“I hear you,” Hayden says.
“I’m sure you’ll come up with something mind-blowing.” I love Stella’s unwavering faith in me. “Now that you’re back in LA you can put your thinking cap on and let your creativity run wild.”
“That’s the plan,” I say.
“Speaking of Loki…” Stella says.
I shoot her an incredulous glare. “What? When were we talking about Loki?”
She gives me an angelic smile. “Well, we are talking about UTV.com, which belongs to Rory and Roark Wolfe, aka Rod Wolfe’s older brothers, aka Loki’s business partner. Soooo… in essence, we are talking about Loki.” Her smile grows by megawatts.
Oh, she’s so proud of herself.
“Wow. That was far-fetched,” Hayden nods, visibly impressed, “but, kudos to you for finding a clever way to talk about the elephant in the room.”
“There is no elephant in the room,” I roll my eyes.
I’m bullshitting big time.
It’s been a week since I last saw Loki and his touch still lingers on my skin.
“Really?” Hayden crosses her arms over her chest and adopts a parental stance.
“You may be fooling yourself, but you aren’t fooling us.” Stella joins forces with her cousin.
“You’re as transparent as a Waterford crystal vase,” Hayden layers it on.
I don’t have a repartee.
I knew they’d get on my case eventually. I didn’t expect it would happen just after I landed.
A beat of silence stretches between us.
