Overview
A middle-age paranoid manager and a bad boy rocker try to persuade each other that in a relationship age does not matter.
Music manager Julianne Richmond's life gets turned upside down when her musical prodigy Cameron Justice announces that he is in love with her. Normally she would be flattered but she's in her forties and he is just a babe which in her book has the making of a bad love song.
Bad boy rocker Cameron Justice has everything...money, a beautiful mansion, expensive cars, and the lead in an upcoming movie. He is admired by women from all over the world and the envy of men. Spoiled and rotten to a fault, Cameron is used to getting his way. So when he confesses his love to his manager Julianne he naturally thought she would accept.
Unfortunately, Julianne turns him down like a hot potato because he is too young for her and bruises his fragile little rock star ego. On one of his wild tirades Cameron packs up his things and leaves Hollywood.
Spurred by the mass hysteria of Cameron's fans Julianne hops in a car and drives halfway across the country to bring his psychotic butt home. But once she finds him back in the sleeping little mountain town where he was born, dressed in tight-fitting jeans and a plaid shirt she discovers maybe having a sexy young blond mountain man might not be a bad thing.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780857154873 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Totally Entwined Group |
| Publication date: | 02/28/2011 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 62 |
| File size: | 311 KB |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
"When are you going to face the fact that you two idiots are made for each other?" Abigail Truman, Julianne Richmond's assistant asked, sitting next to her in the V.I.P. viewer's box at the Grammy Awards.
"What are you talking about?"
"You and Cam. The man is purely trying to seduce you with that song."
Julianne turned her eyes back to the stage. Cameron Justice strummed the guitar sensually, like he would caress a woman's body. His eyes were glued to hers. The Grammies would never be the same. "I don't know what you're talking about. It's just a song."
Even as she said the words, she knew they weren't true. Cameron had been giving her signs for months now, which she chose to ignore. Just knowing it made her feel giddy inside, to think someone a young as he could be interested in an old broad like her. When had their relationship turned from singer and promoter to man and woman? She couldn't deny it. There was something there.
"He's just a kid." This was a lie, too. Cameron wasn't a kid anymore. He had grown into a very handsome man, with all that curly blonde hair and soulful blue eyes. His tall, muscular body was draped in his new stage costume ... a pair of tight black pants that rode low on his hips and a skin- tight black athletic shirt that showcased his spectacular abs. He topped it all off with a black leather jacket to give him a bad-boy appearance.
The rest of the band was dressed in similar black and red costumes, but designed differently to fit their personality. They played their instruments behind Cameron, giving him the centre stage spotlight, so he could move around with the microphone and sing to the audience who shouted his name and flashed lighters in his honour. Normally, women would toss their underwear at him while he performed, but this was the Grammies and such shenanigans weren't allowed.
Abigail rolled her green eyes from behind her glasses. Abigail was younger than her and far too pretty to hide behind the matronly spectacles. Julianne had tried numerous times to talk her into getting contacts, but Abigail refused because she couldn't stand to put eye drops in her eyes, let alone lenses. She did look pretty, though, in the long black designer gown she chose to wear. It called attention to her curves, but didn't expose enough cleavage for the paparazzi to call attention to. At least she had taken Julianne's advice and visited the salon for a new hairdo. Long hair was out, and the hairdresser had given Abigail's long brown hair a cute bob.
"Don't give me that. He's thirty-two and not the same little boy you discovered years ago."
"What am I going to do with a thirty-two year old?" Turning forty- two had made her a realist.
"The same thing you'd do with a sixty-year-old man, only he won't need any medication to keep it erect."
Julianne chuckled. Abigail didn't beat around the bush when she had something to say.
"Don't tell me you aren't interested."
"I never said that, but he is my client, and you know I don't mix business with pleasure." But in her heart she wanted to break her own rule, put the business on the back burner and just go wild. She hadn't had a good lay in a long time and she was well overdue.
"So it has nothing to do with the ten-year age difference?"
"It does and it doesn't. I am concerned. The media would have a field day with it. And anyway, he'd have to make the first move."
Abigail nodded towards the stage. "I think he just did. If he gets any raunchier with those hips of his, the police are going to raid this place."
Abigail was right. Cameron was pouring his heart out to her in a song. She raised the binoculars, zeroing in on those hips as they gyrated. Elvis had nothing on this one. She adjusted the view. The tell-tale evidence of his need bulged in the crotch of his too-tight pants. Julianne shivered with need, hoping Abigail didn't notice how turned on she was. She handed the binoculars back to Abigail.
Abigail lifted them to her eyes. "He's aroused." She lowered the binoculars but hung onto them.
Julianne sighed. Cameron and her, together? What a fucked-up situation. "Well, I can't do anything about that. Besides, he'll forget all about me at the after-awards party."
"Are you attending?"
"No. I'm not a glutton for punishment. Erica broke up with him. He's going to be hitting on every available woman in attendance."
Just as the group ended the song, a pop rang out through the crowded auditorium.
Julianne sprang to her feet. "What the hell was that? Was it a gunshot?" The crowd surged towards the exits. Another shot sounded.
Abigail grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the booth. "Someone's shooting up the place."
Julianne panicked. "We have to get the band out of here!"
The much taller Abigail pulled her along at a fast pace. "What's going on? Where are you dragging me?"
Abigail stopped to catch her breath. "Didn't you see it? Cam went down. I think he's hit."
The adrenaline kicked in. Julianne took the lead, propelling Abigail down the stairs to the stage entrance. Julianne stumbled forward, ignoring the throng of people and police officers hovering around the band members. She looked down. Cameron lay sprawled on the floor. "No!" Julianne broke away from Abigail and hurried over to him, rudely shoving aside anyone in her path. She dropped to her knees beside him, ignoring the paparazzi snapping pictures of the crime scene.
"Who are you?" a policeman asked as she tried to push in next to the paramedic to get to Cameron.
"I'm his manager."
A stage hand nodded to the police officer, who finally relented. "She can stay, but get the rest of these people out of here."
The paramedic took back control of the situation. "You have to let us tend to him."
Julianne relented. She knew she was in the way, but she refused to leave his side. She looked down. Time had turned back and for a moment, he looked like the young boy who had barged his way into her office so many years ago. Blood stained the front of his costume. The paramedic opened his shirt and Julianne flinched. He had a shoulder wound.
"I think he's only grazed," the paramedic said to his partner. "We have to take him to a hospital to be sure."
Cameron's eyelids fluttered and slowly opened, exposing those extraordinary blue eyes.
Julianne clasped his hand to her heart. He's alive.
He smiled weakly at her. "If I knew I'd get this kind of reaction out of you, I'd have got myself shot a long time ago."
Julianne's concern quickly turned to annoyance. "Leave it to you to say a damn fool thing like that. Of course I'm concerned."
"About me, or how this is going to look to the public?"
Julianne frowned at him angrily. "You're such a smart-ass." But in her heart, she was relieved he could still joke about the situation.
Cameron smirked and closed his eyes. The paramedics managed to get his tall, muscular frame onto a gurney. He opened his eyes again. "Don't worry, Julie. I'll be all right. We won't have to cancel any concerts."
Did he think she cared more about making money than him? "Go to hell, Cameron, and don't call me Julie."
Abigail came to her side. "Ignore him. He's delirious from blood loss."
Julianne didn't think so. Cameron always said exactly what came to mind. The paramedics lifted the gurney to lock its legs and rolled it to the stage exit. Julianne watched. "I hope the doctors give him lots of shots, and while they're at it, they can stitch up that wicked little mouth of his."
Abigail patted her shoulder. "No, you don't. You'd die if anything happen to him."
"You're crazy. There are plenty of other young singers out there just waiting to take his place." But deep in her heart, Julianne was afraid Abigail was right.
* * *
Cameron wasn't in the hospital long enough for anyone to miss him. The bullet had just grazed him, so the doctors patched him up in the emergency room and sent him home to rest. Cameron, being the party animal that he was, ignored the doctor's warning and attended his after-awards party. Julianne spent her time wisely, talking to the police officers who had captured the shooter and giving statements to the media, especially to one over-zealous reporter who insisted that Cameron was shot by a jealous husband.
Cameron did a lot of foolish things, but he didn't date married women. What he did do was drink too much. The crowd of partiers was gone, leaving her to deal with the cleanup. Maybe she should have stayed away like she planned. Julianne frowned. He's drunk, disheveled and wallowing in sorrow. She might have felt sorry for him if she didn't know the true meaning behind his depression. Being dumped by his latest girlfriend had bruised his ego.
Cameron slowly raised his head from the sofa cushion in his den as if finally sensing her presence. His long, curly blond hair lay plastered against his forehead with sweat. It could use a washing and a decent trim. Long- lashed, piercing blue eyes stared angrily at her. If looks could kill, she figured she be dead by now.
"What the hell do you want?"
Julianne wasn't offended because she was used to his surliness. She had seen him at his best and now at his worst. Of course, he had brought this despair upon himself. Too much money, boozing and women was his downfall. Even the members of his band had a hard time dealing with him lately. The fact that he was talented was never a problem. Cameron Justice could sing deep, spirited soul-reaching love songs, head-banging rock, and for those who knew him from the beginning, sultry rhythm and blues.
Looking down at him now, it was hard to believe he was the same person she'd agreed to represent eighteen years ago. He was just fourteen when'd he entered her office with guitar and a song he had penned. His voice knocked her out of her chair, and she signed him to a contract just as soon as she contacted his parents for permission. Had she kicked him out of the door back then, maybe his life would have turned out differently. No, it probably would have been just as screwed up. He was hell-bent on destruction, even back then. He'd got into trouble with the law as a teenager. He'd been caught drinking behind a barn with some other kids when he was supposed to be in school, and later he was reported for vandalizing private property.
"I want you to stop sulking and feeling sorry for yourself, and get your ass in gear."
Cameron raised the shot glass in his hand and hurled it at her head, narrowly missing her. It shattered on the wall behind her.
"Who cares what you want? You work for me."
Julianne frowned. Fame made some people forget where they came from. "The last time I checked, you worked for me. I am your business manager, as well as the owner of the label you record for." She stepped closer to the sofa. His long legs dangled over the arm. He was still dressed in his stage costume, and it was bloody and wrinkled beyond repair. His band mates and groupies had long since gone home to sober up, leaving his arrogant ass to wallow in his sorrow over being shot, and dumped by his big-breasted girlfriend. "She's not worth ruining your career over."
Cameron moved until he faced her. "You don't know what you're talking about." Even angry, his voice was melodic.
"You're better off without her."
Erica was a gold-digger ... an opportunist, and not the kind of woman he wanted to take home to meet the family. She was just eye-candy that looked good on the rocker's arm. His fame kept her in the limelight, got her invited to Hollywood's hottest parties and events, and it was all good until a couple of days ago when she'd found herself someone younger. Not that Cameron was old. At thirty-two, he was still handsome, had a rock-hard body and his voice had mellowed. His performances still sold out arenas, and lately he was being offered outrageous amounts of money to star in movies.
Julianne's words brought him abruptly to his feet. His movements were a bit impeded by all the alcohol he had consumed, but he was still a threatening figure as he towered over her.
"You never did like her."
"My feelings towards her have nothing to do with the situation at hand. You've got to get your act together, because you have to meet with Kropopulous later."
David Kropopulous's movies were legendary, and he was after Cameron for the lead in his latest World War II epic. Cameron would have to cut his hair and shave. There would be another fight about shearing his signature locks, but he would just have to deal with it.
"Fuck Kropopulous."
It was the champagne talking. She made a mental note to ban all alcohol at parties she threw for him. No one in his right mind would be cussing out a world-renowned director.
"He only wants me so he can get to you. Everyone knows he is infatuated with you."
Julianne blushed hotly under the collar. She had heard the rumours, and been privy to the director's forward advances on the few occasions they had dinner to discuss Cameron's future. David was suave, elegant, handsome, married, and not for her.
"Don't think I haven't seen the way he looks at you ... undressing you with his eyes."
"You're drunk."
Cameron laughed. "Not as drunk as you think." He pulled her into his arms and planted a wet kiss on her lips.
Julianne pulled away from him with her heart beating wildly in her chest. She was furious with her traitorous body for reacting to his drunken advances. "What's the matter with you?"
"You're the matter with me."
Now, that stumped her. "What do you mean by that?"
"I can't stand it when he looks at you ... like he wants to gobble you up, ravish you and make you his. For God's sake, Julianne, he has a wife and kids at home."
"You're crazy. There's nothing going on between David and me. We're just friends."
"I know that. That's one of the problems. You have no love life."
His words stung, but she tried to rise above it. "As far as my love life is concerned ... my life is complete. I've got a profitable business, beautiful clothes and good friends."
"And you have to go home to an empty bed every night."
"My sex life is none of your business."
"What sex life? I've known you for eighteen years, and the only man in your life other than me was your husband. Well, he's been dead for years and he's not coming back."
Anger flared in the pit of Julianne's stomach. She raised her hand to slap him, but Cameron caught it in his. "The truth hurts, doesn't it, dear Julianne? You're here trying to buck me up about Erica, and you're still mooning over your dead husband and letting life pass you by."
His grip hurt her hand, but he had her full attention and not for the reason he thought. She was still remembering that kiss. Eyes the colour of robin's eggs stared into hers. "I'm too old for love. I've had my chance, and now it's over."
He pulled her closer to him. "Forty-two isn't old. Look at you. You're beautiful, you have a dancer's figure and a head for business. No wonder David wants you. A man would be crazy to let you slip away." He lowered his head again and pressed his lips firmly against hers, forcing his tongue in. The kiss was hot and demanding and totally inappropriate.
Julianne pushed away from him, turned and ran towards the door. The last sound she heard was Cameron's laughter behind her.
* * *
Julianne rushed back into the office that she and Abigail worked in at Cameron's mansion when he was too busy to come into town. "What's wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Julianne brushed the tears from her eyes as she turned away from Abigail. She didn't want Abigail to see her that way ... hell, she didn't want anyone to see her weak and not in control. Goddamn that Cameron. He could still push her buttons after all these years. "Cameron is being an ass."
Abigail sighed. "And what a great ass he has."
Abigail, like every woman who ever laid eyes on Cameron Justice, wanted him. She wasn't jealous of Abigail's infatuation, though, since she knew Abigail wouldn't act on it. "His ass is not the issue here. He's drunk and being uncooperative."
Abigail eyed her suspiciously. "It's got to be more than that. He's done some pretty foolish things before and he's never made you cry."
Julianne refused to meet the other woman's eyes. She was afraid Abby would see ... that she would know the truth. "It's nothing," she lied. "We need to sober him up before he makes the worst mistake of his life. Kropopulous doesn't come knocking at your door every day."
"I'll get the coffee."
Yes, coffee. That would sober him up quickly. "Black and plenty of it."
Abigail disappeared and Julianne regrouped, entered her office and placed a few calls to confirm their meeting with Kropopulous. The door to her office opened fifteen minutes later and Abigail entered, drenched from head to toe.
Julienne sprang to her feet. "What happened? Did he throw the coffee at you?"
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Something To Be Thankful For"
by .
Copyright © 2011 Imari Jade.
Excerpted by permission of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
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