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Thank heavens the meds finally kicked in and he fell asleep, lifting the need for conversation. If you counted grunts and sarcasm as conversation. She got it. He’d had a bad year. But there was no reason to take it out on her.
She took the off-ramp that led to Obsidian Studios and The Old Manor House. He deserved to live alone in a spooky old place. The house got its name shortly after it was built because the house and grounds were used in an old black-and-white movie of the same name. The movie became a Gothic horror classic. It scared her spitless as a kid.
Only a few more blocks.
Then she heard it again, the rumble of his stomach. Her brow puckered as she tried to recall if he’d mentioned staff. He probably had a cook and a housekeeper, right? She had no doubt whatsoever that his father would have had a staff. But Garrett spent several months in the hospital. It was totally possible the staff had been let go. Especially as Garrett had his own home.
Dang it. Sometimes she was too nice for her own good, but she couldn’t leave him at the curb both hurt and hungry.
Dark had fallen and she panned the street in front of her and then in the rearview mirror. Spotting the pink neon sign of a fast-food Chinese restaurant, she whipped a U-turn and zipped into the parking lot. Perfect.
She glanced at Garrett, who didn’t move. Good. She may be willing to feed him, but she was done talking to the man. Grabbing her purse, she went inside. The savory scents of East Asia immediately enveloped the senses. The smell of garlic, ginger, onions and chicken made her mouth water.
Yes, this would do nicely for dinner. Having no idea what Garrett liked, she requested both beef and chicken items. He didn’t strike her as a vegetarian. Too much the predator.
Back in the car she tucked the bags behind the passenger seat and reengaged the GPS. A few minutes later she turned into a gated drive. Of course it would have security.
Man, she’d really been anticipating the curb.
“Mr. Black,” she called, hoping to rouse him. He didn’t move, so she said his name again, louder. Then she shook his arm. “Garrett!”
His pale eyes opened, appearing silver in the glare of the spotlight aimed at the SUV. The light triggered when she pulled up to the security display situated just short of the ten-foot-high brick wall. Garrett blinked at her and then the house.
“We’re here.” His voice was thick with sleep.
“Yes. I need the code.”
He rattled off a number, the gate began to open and she inched forward. A groan sounded next to her as Garrett shifted in his seat. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw him scrub his hands over his face.
Once she cleared the gate, streetlights came on showing the way to the house in the distance. She drove a quarter mile curving around to the front of the house, where the drive circled a large fountain. Six steps led up to an extensive porch. That presented a problem.
“Is there a better spot to drop you?” she asked. “An entrance without steps?”
“Yeah, pull around to the back. There are only two steps up to the back porch.”
She followed his directions and stopped so her lights shined on the steps. A gray cat sprang up and darted away.
“No cat, huh?”
“I’ve never seen it before.”
“Of course not.” As if she believed that.
“And it hasn’t been in my car.” He opened his door and slid out. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Wait.” She hurried around the front of the SUV to reach his side.
“I don’t need your help.” He advised her, the short nap unfortunately not improving his disposition.
“Probably not.” She agreed and took his arm. “You’re getting it anyway. It’s dark and the ground is uneven. I prefer not to take any chances.”
A put-upon sigh filled the chill November evening. Once they reached the porch, he made a point of climbing them unassisted. Irritating man!
But good. She didn’t need to worry about leaving him. At the bottom of the stairs she waited until he opened the door and turned on the light.
“Good night, Ms. Randall.”
“Good night, Mr. Black.” Good riddance, more like.
“Oh, wait.” She ran to the SUV and came back with the white bag of food. Climbing to the porch she crossed to him and pushed the package into his arms. “Bon appétit. You probably shouldn’t feed the cat.”
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_2cc7705b-0670-5e99-8f24-3c417507b57f)
LAUREN WALKED AROUND Tori’s Mustang and slid into the passenger seat as her sister made her way to the back door of The Old Manor House. She heard Tori’s knock just before she closed the door.
Lauren wasn’t sure she bought Tori’s explanation that Black had been driving by and decided to stop by their showroom to introduce himself. But there had to be some truth to the part where he hurt his leg and couldn’t drive or he never would have left his Maserati.
The light over the back door came on and Garrett Black opened the door. He stepped outside wearing only a pair of low hanging gray sweatpants and nothing more. Oh, my. She found his muscular physique impressive even as far away as the vehicle where she sat. The two exchanged words and for a moment she envied Tori her closer view.
But then she felt the warmth growing in her chest. Her eyes went wide as the feeling grew. It dimmed as Tori moved away from Black, stomped down the steps and got back in Garret’s car. Across the way a garage door opened. Tori drove the Maserati inside.
She reappeared, returned to the back porch and dropped the keys into Black’s outstretched hand with more force than necessary. The closer Tori drew to Black, the stronger the warmth bloomed in Lauren’s chest. Distracted by the discovery, she jumped when Tori suddenly opened the driver’s door and slid inside.
“Ungrateful beast.” Tori slammed the Mustang in Reverse.
“He wasn’t happy to have his car returned?”
“Not in the least.” Gravel sprayed as she headed for the gate. “Nobody drives his car but him.”
“You drove it the other night.” Lauren pointed out.
“That’s what I said. It appears valets are an exception.”
She laughed at Tori’s outrage and decided to test her. “You like him.”
“Are you insane?” Tori exclaimed, sending Lauren a sideways glare. “The man has the manners of a mule.”
“And the body of a stud.”
Her twin remained silent until they cleared the gate and turned toward the freeway.
“Come on, Tori. You’re not blind.”
She rolled her eyes, but Lauren saw the corner of her sister’s mouth twitch.
“OMG, he’s hot.” Tori fanned herself. “He had to repeat himself because I was staring. It was mortifying.”
Oh, yeah. There was no doubt in Lauren’s mind. Tori had met her match.
* * *
“I’m ready to take out a contract on Garrett Black,” Jenna Vick announced and took a sip of her margarita. “Mark has been banned from the set. Work has become such a drudge.”
Thinking of her encounters with Black, of his unsmiling facade and his penchant for being a bit of a jerk, Tori wasn’t totally shocked by the redhead’s reaction to the man. What a shame such a gorgeous car belonged to such a dysfunctional individual.
“Count me in.” Cindy Tate tucked a wisp of blond hair behind her ear before tapping her glass to Jenna’s. “My mother came to town to see me work. She’d really been looking forward to being on the set. But the guards refused to let her join me. I asked for a few days off to spend with her and was told no because the film is behind schedule.”
“I’ll pitch in,” Olivia Fox chimed, not moving an inch as she basked, tanned and toned, in the sunshine, her jet-black hair flowing over her bright yellow bikini.
“Did you have someone banned, too?” Jenna asked. The three actresses were rising stars working together on a futuristic action film, kind of a Charlie’s Angels in space.
“No.” Olivia adjusted her sunglasses, then resumed her boneless position. “But the set has become a morgue. Everyone is so serious and intent on their job, no one laughs anymore.”
Remembering the threat of a cleaning bill for nonexistent toe prints, Tori controlled the urge to offer her own funds. Obviously the man was making friends wherever he went.
“Why do you blame Black?” Tori asked as she met Lauren’s gaze across the deck, where they were all gathered at Jenna’s Venice Beach home. They’d taken care of the plans for Jenna’s engagement party, and were now relaxing poolside, enjoying the ocean view.
By Arrangement would be working with Black on several events when the Hollywood Hills Film Festival started in a month. Actually make that working for Black, which suited Tori much better. It meant she’d be less likely to run into the man.
Either way Tori knew Lauren had her ears perked, she inhaled information and used it like a weapon.
“Because it’s Black’s decree.” Cindy rolled her eyes and touched her tongue to the salt rimming her glass. “Visitors have been limited on all sets. But if a film is over budget or over schedule, he closes the set down altogether.”
“Lucky me,” Jenna groused. “I’m going from one Obsidian production to another, so I get no break.” She sank onto a lounger next to Olivia. “It was really nice having Mark on the set. Now I hardly get to see him.” Gesturing to Tori and Lauren, she implored them to understand. “You two introduced us. You must know how much I miss him.”
“Not to mention it’s going to be much harder planning the wedding now,” Cindy pointed out helpfully. “Tori and Lauren are great.” She flashed a grin at them. “They introduced me to my hubby, too, and they gave me a spectacular wedding. Still they did need occasional input.”
Lauren choked on a sip of iced tea. Probably remembering the fit Cindy threw when they went off-line for a Saturday wedding three months before her event. She wanted to tell them about a wine she tasted at a local winery she just had to have at her reception. When Lauren checked her voice mail, they had over fifty messages and had been fired. Twice. All this was after they’d advised her they had a wedding and would be unavailable. Never had Tori been happier that Lauren was the voice of By Arrangement.
Tori didn’t do confrontation.
Lauren thrived on it, in a calm, controlled manner, of course.
She let Cindy vent for a couple of minutes, made noises of sympathy for her distress, showed regret for losing the contract and then hit her with the fact By Arrangement would be billing her for the work already done. Lauren wrapped it up in a pretty little bow, reminding Cindy they had told her they would be unavailable and of the clause in the contract stating on the day of a wedding By Arrangement gave the bride and her event our exclusive attention. It was a courtesy we extended to our brides and it wasn’t something we were willing to compromise on. The clincher was our disappointment as we introduced Cindy to her fiancé.
Cindy apologized for her snit, which wasn’t her first or her last, and By Arrangement went on to give her a “spectacular” wedding.
“We do need input,” Lauren agreed, calm as always. “But you needn’t worry. It’s our job to make the whole process easy for you.”
“But I’m getting married in March,” Jenna said, pouting, “I planned to take a couple of weeks for a honeymoon, but it’s in the middle of my next film. Now I’ll be lucky to get a few days off.”
Tori sympathized with her friend and client. She genuinely liked these women, but seriously, Jenna did sign a contract. It was a tad unrealistic to expect an entire production to halt filming so she could honeymoon. Not that Tori could voice her opinion to these three. They weren’t used to being thwarted. They were in demand, which pretty much meant they got whatever they asked for. Tori supposed they could be forgiven for being a bit full of themselves.
“Obviously Garrett Black has no life or he’d understand our plight.” Cindy sighed.
“From what I hear, Black is spending all his time in his office. Probably reviewing all the production contracts so he can collect on deadline penalties.” Jenna scowled into her drink, absently running a finger around the rim of her glass, knocking off all the salt. “My last three projects ran over. Doesn’t he realize delays are the nature of this business?”
“Were all the films Obsidian productions?” Lauren asked.
Jenna shook her head, ginger curls flowing over her bare shoulders. “Just this one, but we used Obsidian Studio’s lots for the other two. And we were delayed because the lots weren’t available when we were supposed to shoot. Which proves my point.”
“Black is new to the job,” Tori pointed out, though she had no idea why she felt compelled to defend him. “Maybe he’s just trying to fix a problem he sees.”
“Do not defend the man.” Cindy shook a finger at Tori. “He’s a coldhearted bastard.”
Yeah, no argument there.
“What he needs is a woman.” Olivia sat forward and wrapped her arms around her knees. “He’s all work and no play. And he wants the rest of the world to be the same. If he had a woman in his life, he’d have less time to mess with ours.”
“Yes.” Jenna hopped up and began to pace excitedly. “A woman would distract him, soften him. He’d be more understanding of other people’s relationships. He definitely needs a woman.”
Uh-oh. Tori saw where this headed. She glanced at Lauren and knew her twin had come to the same conclusion. But the ball was rolling. There was no stopping it now.
“It’s the perfect solution,” Cindy agreed, blue eyes alight as she shifted her gaze between Lauren and Tori. “And we know the perfect pair to find her for him.”
* * *
“Oh, no, he did not.” A few days later, Tori clicked on an email to open it because the preview couldn’t be right. Garrett Black hadn’t actually sent her a bill for the cleaning of his car’s carpet. But, oh yeah, he had. The attachment confirmed it: two hundred dollars for an interior cleaning.
TO: trandall@byarrangement.com
FROM: garrett.black@obsidianstudios.com
SUBJECT: Cleaning bill
Ms. Randall, please forgive my delay in providing the bill for the carpet cleaning of my Maserati. I appreciate your willingness to take responsibility for your actions. It gives me hope By Arrangement will conduct themselves in a professional manner while representing Obsidian Studios at the upcoming film festival. You may send a check to me care of the studio.
Why was she even surprised? If she looked up his birth certificate, she’d see the A in Garrett A. Black stood for arrogant. He had some nerve talking about professionalism while blaming her for toe prints that were clearly paw prints.
Obviously her gesture in returning his car to him had counted for nothing. So okay, her motive had been purely selfish. She wanted the car gone so she didn’t have to deal with him again.
By taking the car to him, she controlled the where, when and how long.
What she hadn’t planned on was finding him half-naked. The man was seriously built, broad shoulders, muscular arms and oh, those abs. He’d been ill, okay laid up with a broken leg. He had no right to look so good. Flustered, she’d embarrassed herself by staring.
He’d thanked her at the same time he made his annoyance clear; declaring he never left the car out at night. It wasn’t enough she went out of her way to return his car; he had to guilt her into moving the car into the garage for him.
She managed to keep her cool by remembering they would be working together very soon. Something she kept in mind as she replied to his email.
TO: garrett.black@obsidianstudios.com
FROM: trandall@byarrangement.com
SUBJECT: Re: Cleaning bill
Mr. Black, it distresses me to think of your lovely vehicle being marred in any way. Payment will be forwarded promptly.
PS: How is the cat?
