Sex Symbol (Hollywood Heat Book 1) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Foreword

  About This Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Also in Kindle Unlimited!

  It’s Free!

  Let’s Stay in Touch!

  Also by Laurelin Paige

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Sex Symbol

  Laurelin Paige

  Paige Press LLC

  Copyright © 2017 by Laurelin Paige

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover design: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs

  Photo Credit: Wander Aguiar Photography

  Editing: Nancy Smay at Evident Ink

  Contents

  Foreword

  About This Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Also in Kindle Unlimited!

  It’s Free!

  Let’s Stay in Touch!

  Also by Laurelin Paige

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

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  About This Book

  This book was previously published with a different cover under the title Take Two. It has been re-edited for this release.

  Micah Preston is Hollywood’s #1 sex symbol.

  A rich and famous actor who has sworn off any serious relationships, the playboy is the media’s favorite bachelor.

  But he wasn’t anybody when Maddie Bauer met him seven years ago. Then he was just the hot guy at the party who gave her an amazing orgasm and never called her again.

  Now her job as a camera assistant has landed her on the set of his latest movie, and despite her vow to ignore his charm, she finds him pulling her focus.

  She just has to make it through the shoot without landing in his bed. But when the legendary bad boy sets his sights on her, how can she possibly resist?

  One

  A nightclub would have been bad enough, but when Maddie Bauers heard the stereo pulsing loudly from where she stood outside the Woodland Hills house, she froze, preparing to march full stomp back to her car.

  “Oh, come on.” Bree flashed her puppy-dog eyes, the ones that usually got her anything and anyone.

  Maddie pursed her full lips. “You said one drink, Bree. This is not one drink. This is a noise violation and disorderly conduct ticket waiting to happen.”

  “This is fun waiting to happen.” Bree tossed her long blond hair behind her shoulder. “I know you’re frigid and anti-good times, but one fucking party isn’t going to kill you. As your best friend, it’s my duty to tell you that you need to chillax. Have a good time.”

  Bree leaned closer to Maddie. “And I heard from someone who heard from someone else that the cast and crew of the latest Davenport indie might show up. That means hot celebrities.” She raised her hands triumphantly above her head. “Woo hoo!”

  “First of all, I couldn’t care less about celebrities. Secondly, how do you know they’re hot?”

  Bree waggled her eyebrows. “Let’s just say I heard some rumors.”

  Maddie groaned. “I’m so leaving.”

  “Come on. Don’t you want to celebrate your graduation even a little bit?”

  “I am perfectly happy to celebrate on our couch with a glass of red wine.”

  “Maddie, I hate to tell you this, but for twenty-two, you are old.”

  Bree had a point. Maddie had always been serious, probably too serious for her own good. But it paid off. While the rest of the students in her film class partied and fumbled their way through college, she’d graduated with several completed independent films under her belt and landed a summer internship with the Oscar-winning filmmaker Joss Beaumont. Maddie was headed for a lifelong career in the film biz and she rarely let parties or men distract her.

  Bree was another story. Maddie believed the petite buxom blonde would try to sleep her way into a starring film role, a goal bound to get her into trouble sooner or later. Parties like this one could bring that trouble sooner rather than later, and leaving Bree there alone was probably not such a good idea.

  Maddie sighed. “Okay, okay, I’ll stay.” Before Bree could squeal with happiness, Maddie gave conditions. “But you have to promise not to abandon me in some corner like you usually do. And whoever you decide to randomly hook up with, promise me you’ll use a condom.”

  “You act like I’m such a slut.” Bree pulled Maddie toward the front door of the house. “But, yes, I do have a condom. In fact, I brought two.”

  “Are you planning to get lucky twice?”

  “No, I brought it for you.”

  Bree didn’t abandon Maddie in the first five minutes as she usually did at parties, she waited nearly ten before she excused herself to find a drink. Bree being Bree, Maddie knew it’d be a while before they met up again.

  Maddie snagged a seat on the living room sofa and busied herself with picking at her nails. She assumed a don’t-bother-me posture, more out of habit than on purpose. After an hour that felt like three, she wondered if it was too soon to hunt down her roommate and declare the night over. Was she really so much of a fuddy-duddy that she wanted to leave a graduation party before midnight? Yes, she was. But it was Bree’s graduation night too and she deserved to celebrate, so Maddie decided to hold out a little longer.

  Taking a deep breath, she stood up, tugged the straps of her pink tank top into place and smoothed down her knee-length black cotton skirt. Might as well try to enjoy myself. She pushed through the crowd and found an open beer cooler near the patio doors. She grabbed a Corona, leaned against the open sliding door and peered into the backyard. Even though the party extended to the yard, there seemed to be more breathing room there.

  Once she got past the crowd surrounding the doors, Maddie saw that most of the partygoers congre
gated in and around the pool and hot tub—many of them sans swimsuit. Definitely a scene she wanted to avoid. She stuck to the side of the house, steering clear of the pool area altogether.

  On the other side of the backyard, she spied a couple making out on a porch swing. She watched as the man’s deft fingers traveled up and under the woman’s thin chemise. Even in the darkness, Maddie could see her shiver. The woman let out a moan of longing, and Maddie’s belly ached with unexpected jealousy. It had been a while since she’d been kissed that way. Too long.

  It didn’t have to be too long, she reminded herself. That had been her choice. She could choose differently. What if she were audacious and uninhibited like Bree?

  Then she wouldn’t be on her way to a promising film career, that’s what.

  She shook off her arousal and fancies of unbridled passion, and searched for a place to hole up unbothered. She spotted a concrete sitting area with an unlit fire pit against the yard’s back wall. It was dark and in shadow, and it looked deserted. She moved to claim it for herself.

  Excited voices near the pool caught her attention when she’d nearly made it to the sanctuary. She glanced over, seeking the cause of the excitement. A drunken woman clothed only in a shirt and panties stepped out from the center of the spectators and onto the diving board, twirling her skirt around her finger in the air as she did.

  Maddie stopped short as she made out the face of the woman. Her stomach tightened. She knew that stripper. It was Bree.

  Bree sang some current popular hit at the top of her lungs, basking in the attention her display earned her. Soon she began inching her shirt up, teasing her audience as she did, until her shirt was abandoned in the pool below and Bree stood wearing only a black demi-cup bra and matching panties. The crowd cheered as she bent over provocatively, shimmying her petite behind.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Maddie softly asked, willing the question to penetrate the distance between them and stop the antics of her wild friend.

  “I’d say she’s having a good time,” a male voice said from behind her. “Giving one as well.”

  Maddie jolted and put her hand over her heart. She turned to find her sitting area wasn’t deserted as she’d hoped. In the shadows on the stone bench behind her sat a male figure. She couldn’t make out his face, but moonlight fell on his lower body revealing taut, lean muscles constrained within his tight jeans.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.” He leaned forward, his face appearing out of the shadows.

  She took a quick breath as her gaze met his. His dark hair, thick and tousled, framed the smooth chiseled face. Deep-set eyes peered out from under intense eyebrows. She couldn’t be sure in the darkness, but she guessed his eyes were blue. Whatever color, they were piercing and her knees weakened under his stare.

  “No problem,” she managed. “I didn’t realize there was anyone out here.”

  “Clearly.” He grinned. “I mean, the whole allure of this area is the seclusion, right?” His smooth words combined with the slightest hint of a drawl sent an unexpected ripple of desire south of her belly.

  “Right.” Maddie turned back to Bree, hoping to hide the heat that was rising in her cheeks. What was wrong with her? She never reacted this way to guys, let alone one she’d just met. Perhaps the scene she’d witnessed minutes before had aroused her more than she’d realized.

  “She’ll be fine.” The man mistook Maddie’s withdrawal as concern about her stripping friend. “She has plenty of people looking out for her.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” But this stranger had the right idea. It was no good worrying about Bree when she got herself in these situations. Maddie knew from experience the best course of action was to just wait it out. Bree would summon her when she could no longer handle herself.

  Maddie took a swig of her Corona and turned back to the piercing eyes. Despite the nearby striptease, his gaze was fixed directly on her. “She doesn’t seem to have captured your attention.”

  The man shrugged. “I prefer private shows.”

  An image of the kind of show Maddie could give him flashed through her mind. She quickly took another swallow of her beer, clearing her head of the deliciously inappropriate thoughts. Seriously, what had come over her?

  The stranger tilted his head, as if trying to interpret her silence. “You’re welcome to sit.”

  Her insides twisted at the thought of being close to him, wanting an accidental brush against his strong body. She dismissed her usual tendency to overthink and walked toward the stone seating. “You were looking to be alone, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

  “I was looking for seclusion, not necessarily to be alone.”

  His words possessed a teasing tone that made her shiver. She tensed as he looked her over, fully aware that he was checking her out. She’d been gifted with pretty brown eyes and nice features, and she took care of her figure, but she didn’t pay attention to whether or not she was attractive to men. This man seemed pleased though, giving her a look that would usually turn her on her heels. She didn’t flirt with strangers – didn’t flirt much period – which was one of the reasons she avoided social gatherings such as this one.

  But this man compelled her, his body drawing her like a magnet. He was so incredibly attractive, and hell, didn’t she deserve a little fun on her graduation night?

  “I’ll take you up on the offer. To sit, I mean.”

  “Ah, I hadn’t offered anything else.” He let out a slow breath. “Yet.”

  Her heart raced at the implications of his statement as she sat beside him on the bench, closer than she imagined she’d ever dare. Her skirt rose as she crossed one long leg over the other and she fought the impulse to adjust it, feeling the intensity of his eyes on her thigh.

  She flushed again under his gaze and realized she needed to calm the fire kindling between her legs. Seeing he held a Coors Light, she lifted her bottle in a toast. “To privacy.”

  He smiled, his face lighting up as he did, causing another stir in Maddie’s nether parts. “To privacy.” He clinked her bottle then took a sip of his own. She watched as his mouth parted around the tip of the bottle and found herself imagining the feel of his full, firm lips, wondering what he’d taste like. Her tongue darted across her teeth at the thought.

  “Tell me,” he said, setting his bottle down on the ground next to him, “what’s a hot—I mean attractive—woman like you doing at a party like this if you’re looking to be alone?”

  Her heart raced at his shameless remark. “One could ask the same of you.”

  “Yes, they could. It’s the question on everyone’s mind. But I asked first.”

  “You aren’t full of yourself at all.”

  He feigned seriousness. “No, not at all. If I was full of myself we would be talking about me, but I’m trying to find out about you and so you should answer the question.”

  Hot and charming. Delish.

  “Well…” She wished she had some witty comeback. She settled on simply answering his question. “I was dragged here with Miss Bare-It-All over there.” She nodded her head toward Bree who now only wore panties. “It’s supposed to be our graduation party.”

  The man stiffened beside her. “Graduation?”

  She laughed. “From film school. Were you worried you were coming on to a teenager?”

  He leaned back, distancing himself from Maddie. “Oh, you thought I was coming on to you?”

  Crap! Had the teasing only been in her mind? She opened her mouth to speak, but she stuttered, “Uh…”

  He chuckled. “Relax. I was totally coming on to you.”

  She raised a brow. “Really? Or are you just keeping me from being completely humiliated?”

  “No, I really was hitting on you. Come on, it was incredibly obvious.”

  “Yes it was. Are you still hitting on me now? Or has the moment passed?”

  “Oh, no, the moment hasn’t passed.” He cocked his head and his eyes travelled down her body
again, lingering at her low neckline. “So…film school,” he said after a heat-filled moment. “What’s your area of interest?”

  Maddie barely kept herself from a fit of nervous giggles. “You never told me why you’re here.”

  “That’s boring.”

  “Impossible.”

  “Okay, you really want to know? I was also dragged here. By some of the guys I work with.” He craned his neck looking around the party. “I have no idea where they are. Nor would I tell you if I saw them because they might be more attractive than I am and I wouldn’t want to give myself unnecessary competition.”

  Maddie let her eyes explore his body. His casual white and black button-down shirt opened to mid-sternum and she could see serious pecs underneath. The bottom buttons also remained open and when he stretched his arms above his head—undoubtedly on purpose—a patch of tight abs and a trail of hair peeked out. Yum, yum, and yum. “You don’t need to worry about competition.”

  “Seriously? Then I’m doing okay?”

  “You’re doing just fine.” She locked eyes with him, and thoughts of him naked above her flashed through her mind. Blushing, she looked away.

  “So…” she said, raising her eyebrows. Was she really flirting like this with a stranger?

  “You never told me what area of film you studied.”

  As a rule, Maddie stayed away from this conversation with people she’d just met. Saying you graduated from film school in L.A. was like saying you had breakfast. It was a dull, overdone topic. But this subject was safer than her fantasy thoughts and the man’s assertiveness easily drew the answer out. “Screenwriting.”