Page 8 of Boundless Love
“No, that’s what you have staff for,” I agreed.
Vaughn snickered, jerking his chin at me.“And you.What’s it like being surrounded by hot young things all day long?”
“I don’t see them.I don’t notice them.They don’t exist,” I insisted, laughing at his obvious disbelief.
The man’s face damn near twisted in horror.“I don’t know how you do it.There’s no fucking way I could be a good boy and keep my hands to myself surrounded by all that willing pussy.”He sounded almost mournful as if he felt sorry for me.
“I have more than enough willing pussy at home,” I pointed out, neglecting to mention that pussy given in exchange for a role wasn’t the same as willing pussy.“Anyway, that kind of shit is frowned upon nowadays.You can’t go around harassing the actresses anymore.”
He shook his head, raising his sunglasses to reveal piercing eyes which he rolled with a sigh.“It must be torture.”
I exchanged glances with Spencer, and we shared a private smile.He sounded a lot like we had not so long ago.“You should come out to LA sometime, take a tour of the studio,” I suggested.“You can see for yourself it’s not exactly the pussy parade you seem to think it is.We do work, you know.”
“Don’t try to explain it to him.”His friend, Aiden, was laughing by the time he finished his putt.“Vaughn can’t help but flirt with every pair of tits he sees.It’s amazing he hasn’t been sued yet.”
“Fuck off,” Vaughn fired back, scoffing.“Because you’re a saint, right?”
“Just saying.You’re not exactly particular…” Aiden paused, thinking it over, then shrugging good-naturedly.“Neither am I.Why bother?I’m not trying to settle down.No offense to you guys,” he added, nodding toward Spencer and me.“It’s just not on the agenda.”
“It wasn’t on my agenda, either,” Spencer admitted.“And then, I found out I was a father.Talk about a fucking shock.There are still days I wake up, and I can’t wrap my head around it.”
“Neither can I,” I added, grinning at Vaughn and Aiden and adding, “I mean, think about it.An entire human being with her life in your hands?I shudder to think.”
The other guys laughed, but Spencer didn’t.“Hey, that’s all Rowan,” he insisted.“Every good thing about Hannah comes from Rowan.She was there during those formative times, you know?And her parents,” he added.“I could never repay them.”
“You’re a better man than me,” Vaughn decided, tapping his club’s handle to his forehead in a quick salute.“I don’t know how you do it.Either of you.Managing these empires you sit on top of while keeping the same women happy day in and day out.I need a Xanax and a nap just thinking about it.”
His words echoed in my head on our way to the next hole, where Dante, Travis, and Sebastian had just finished.Keeping my woman happy.It wasn’t such a hard thing to do on a daily basis.Although, I wouldn’t call Summer low maintenance.She wasn’t demanding and didn’t buy into drama for drama’s sake.She always joked she got enough drama at work.Our relationship was her sanctuary, a sentiment I could agree with.
Still, she couldn’t hide her anxiety from me.She would never have admitted it out loud, but I felt her uncertainty, wondering if she was washed up after our latest release had brought in solid but somewhat unimpressive returns.Nothing like the instant sensation she had first caused, riding that energy into her second project.She was just as good as she had ever been, maybe even better, maturing daily and refining her techniques.
The public didn’t see any of that.All they saw was the finished product, and like spoiled, greedy children, they wanted one thing only.More.
She could make magic happen if only she could get her hands on material strong enough and worthy of her talents.I checked my phone, scowling at the lack of a return call from the author’s agent whose book I was so desperate to acquire.
“It’ll happen, Lex.”I didn’t realize Spencer was watching me.When I looked his way, he wore a sympathetic smile.“Don’t worry about it.In the end, you always get what you want.There’s no reason to think this will be any different.”
What was it Summer said earlier?“From your lips to God’s ears,” I replied as we crossed the course with the sun beating down on us.
“So long as there’s somebody up there taking requests, I have one of my own.”With Vaughn and Aiden walking ahead of us, he dropped his voice to barely louder than a whisper.“Did you notice anything off about Rowan last night?At dinner, I mean?”
I thought back, shrugging.“Not that I can remember.Why?Is she all right?”
“No, she’s not.”He shook his head when I stared at him, waiting for more.“It’s probably nothing.I shouldn’t have said anything about it.She would be pissed if she knew I was talking about her like this.”
“I remember you saying something about how her firm has expanded, which, of course, I know about,” I added, since I had seen her at the studio numerous times since she started working with us on a retainer.“Is she overwhelmed?It can be fucking terrifying when you get what you wanted.”
“She’s got something on her mind and won’t tell me about it.It’s bad enough I’m watching her work herself half to death, but she refuses to admit it’s too much.”
“Tell me something.Would you admit it was too much if you were in her place?”I knew the answer, naturally, but I wanted to hear it from him.
“We’re not talking about me.”
“Would you?”
“We both know I wouldn’t,” he grumbled.
“And that’s probably why the two of you work so well together because you’re so much alike.”It was the same with Summer and me, after all.It was what first drew us together.That and the undeniable chemistry that sprang to life the minute I set eyes on her.I tried to fight it.We both had.It had been a waste of time.
