Free Star Crossed by Emma Holly

sure she’ll want you here? How long have you two even been dating?”
    Christie’s baby blues spilled over. “Eighteen months,” she said with a cinematic lip quiver. “We had to keep it secret for our careers.”
    “Wow,” was Luke’s automatic answer. He was pretty sure Naomi’s career wouldn’t have suffered. She’d had open affairs with girls before, and the fashion world didn’t care. A new thought occurred to him. “Naomi only broke up with Tommy Hazard two weeks ago.”
    Christie’s anger threatened to resurface.
    “Never mind,” he backpedaled. “Hazard is a tool, and eighteen months is forever in Hollywood. I should warn you my folks are calling her folks. They’ll be in town tomorrow or the next day.”
    “I’ve met Naomi’s parents,” she said haughtily.
    That did suggest the affair wasn’t casual. Luke tugged his ear unsurely.
    “Go,” Christie huffed. “I can handle this.”
    Luke shot a glance at the bodyguard. “I’m arranging for more security. Please be careful in the meantime.”
    “I will,” Christie said, less pissy than before.
    As he left, Luke strove to control a grin. Perhaps with cause, his costar would hate him thinking he’d solved the mystery of why she disliked him.
    *
    “Huh,” said A.J.’s dad as he set the phone back into its cradle.
    Hoyt-Sands’ core team was at the office, pulling together a second, more detailed pitch for the Channing job. A.J.’s desk was two yards from her dad’s. When she checked his expression, it was mainly mystified. Whatever her father had just heard, it hadn’t upset him.
    “‘Huh’ what?” she asked.
    He spun his chair toward her and Martin, rocking back with his hands folded on his flat stomach. Though he could see fifty in his rearview mirror, he kept himself in shape. “That was the golden boy himself. Seems Charming Channing might want to reach into his deep pockets and hire us directly.”
    A.J. clamped her lips together, not ready to react while her nape still tingled.
    “Really?” Martin asked. “He’s not letting the studio handle it?”
    “Not this time. Mind you, it isn’t a done deal. Channing wants to meet tonight in his hotel room. He did ask if we could assign a man right away to Naomi Davis. The studio muscle stayed at the hospital, plus a cop, but I guess neither is instilling much confidence.”
    “Well, they wouldn’t,” Martin said, as calm as her dad was.
    “Can you handle it?” Her dad’s eyes held Martin’s with some partner-to-partner message. A.J. couldn’t read it. Parker Hoyt was wearing his most buttoned-down poker face. “A guy is always the best deterrent, and he asked for someone experienced and tight-lipped.”
    He was over-explaining. Did he think A.J. would be insulted by the selection? A.J. had been with her dad five years. Martin had been soldiering or otherwise involved in security since he was thirty. Considering he was forty-six now, this gave him way more seasoning. If you had to send someone solo, he’d be anyone’s first choice.
    “No problem,” Martin said, already rising and shrugging into his all-purpose bodyguard jacket. He pulled his piece from the locked desk drawer, checked it, and slid it into his underarm holster. “I’ve got my go-bag here.”
    “Great,” Parker said. “I’ll email you a file en route.” He shifted his gaze to A.J. “You’re with me, kid. Hit the loo if you’re going to.”
    A.J. bridled. Did he think she was six years old? Then again, she could probably use a hair and lipstick check. She wouldn’t pitch any prospective client looking less than professional.
    “Five minutes,” she said, letting her temper fade. “I’ll meet you out by reception.”
    Her father nodded, his poker face still taped on. He so was hiding something. She guessed she’d find out what when he was ready.
    *
    Luke didn’t have a permanent residence in the Big Apple. Instead, when he was in town, he took an upper level suite at the Waldorf Astoria.