The Billionaire and the Bestseller

Chapter Two: Contradictions

When Nicolette looked up into the face of the person she least wanted to see in the world, she nearly spat, “One of us already did.”

Thankfully, Riley was quicker on the draw than Lettie was, and had the presence of mind to cover for her client before Nicolette made the mistake of revealing herself by speaking. The agent might joke about her friend’s famous ex, but she was aware of how badly Colton had hurt her. No one knew about Lettie’s burgeoning career as an author of titillating tales, and Riley wasn’t about to let anyone get a peek behind Lettie’s protective veil - especially not Colton Reid.

“Speak of the devil.” breathed the agent, immediately taken in by the square jawed example of masculine beauty that Nicolette was presently stepping back from. Why did he have to be so striking? “Mr. Reid, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Riley Ducasse, literary agent for Picknam Robertson.”

After an awkward beat, where Colt studied Lettie more closely than she felt comfortable with while shaking Riley’s outstretched hand, the agent cleared her threat and continued, “And this is my client-”

“Everly Martindale, right? I heard that Picknam repped her.” Colton asked, peering down at Lettie with a curious tilt to his head. “I’ve read your book. I’m sure you hear this all the time, but it’s one of my favorites.”

Nicolette blinked, her lips pursing slightly as she tried to form coherent words. Her brain had short circuited slightly when he said her book was one of his favorites. 

“I was hoping to convince the studio to let me read for the part of Hunter. Perhaps you could put in a good word for me?” Colt concluded after realizing that she wasn’t going to reply straight away. Hopefully he didn’t think she was star struck, because she definitely wasn’t.

At least, she wasn’t until he gave Lettie one of those winning smiles that was so bright she was afraid it would blind her. Her heart sped up as her mind cracked open the chest of Colton Reid related memories that she thought she’d sealed away forever. She actually shivered, and then took a step behind Riley in the hopes that a physical barrier would keep her from bursting. She didn’t want Riley to shield her from Colton; no, she wanted Riley to shield Colton from her.

Years of pent up anger at having been left in the dust - completely ghosted - by this supreme douche, rose up in her like a cobra, rearing back and ready to strike with venom-tipped fangs. She wanted to shout at him that he’d play the hero of her book over her dead body. She’d made Hunter everything that Colt was not - and Lettie had no doubt in her mind that Colton simply didn’t have the acting chops to pull off the role of Hunter. He didn’t have the heart - and didn’t she know it.

She might be angry, but she didn’t want to get charged with assault, which is probably what would end up happening if she got started, and it just wasn’t worth it.

Also, did he seriously not recognize her? Well, it had been seven years, and she was wearing this horrible get up. Still! How do you not recognize the girl you spent every day with from the time you were eight? The first girl you ever kissed, the first girl you ever….nope. She was not going to think about that.

...Too late. Her face burned bright red. Lettie managed to bite down on her tongue long enough for Riley to start talking again.

“Er, I’m sorry Mr. Reid. My client is extremely private, and shy, and we do have a meeting to get to. It was lovely meeting you, though. Please give me a call if you ever decide to write a book.” Riley said, offering him a business card that appeared in her fingers as if by magic. 

It actually was a magic trick; or sleight of hand, anyway. Riley liked to keep some cards up her sleeve just to show off her skill in the ‘arcane’ arts. This, and her ability to act as a human shield, were just some of the reasons why Lettie loved her agent.

As they started to walk away, Colt spoke up. “Ah, wait...this is going to sound so lame. Can I ask you something about your book, Miss Martindale?”

Nicolette slowed, then turned to look at Colton. Though she’d been fuming a moment before, she couldn’t help herself. She was dying to know what he thought of her book, and the more he spoke to more she yearned to hear his voice. In so many ways it was the same, but a little deeper...more mature. Was it sad that even after seven years, she was still conditioned to listen to him - like Pavlov's dog? His voice alone was enough to make her salivate. Deep, and warm - with just a touch of southern drawl that his years on the west coast hadn’t entirely obliterated.

Taking this as a cue to keep talking, Colt continued, “Do you think men like really Hunter exist…? Isn’t he just a little too perfect?”

“Hunter isn’t perfect.” Nicolette said, in an unnaturally high, breathy voice. Her lips quirked up at one corner as she peeked at him from over the rim of her stupidly huge sunglasses. It was a somewhat sad, slightly patronizing expression. “He’s just everything that you’re not - and some of those things that you wish you could be. You’re so preoccupied by how vulnerable a character like him makes you feel that you don’t realize that some of those things you admire about him are just as big of flaws as the ones that you bear.”

God it felt good to say that, even better because it was so very, very true. He could tell from the way that Colton’s face contorted that she’d hit him right where it hurt.

Colt’s lips parted, and he tilted his head again - the shock quickly passing as that curious expression crawled across his face once more. As their eyes met, hers a golden hazel and his the grey of the sea in storm, the connection between them that had so long lay dormant flared to life. His eyes flashed with what Nicolette hoped against hope was simple lust, and not recognition. Colt always did like being challenged by a woman, and she’d just laid down the verbal gauntlet.

Nicolette pushed her glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose, cutting their connection off almost as quickly as it sparked to life, and turned on her heel. She walked into the elevator before he could respond, Riley hot on her heels.

The agent, who had a smile frozen on her face, gave Colton a little wiggly-fingered wave as the elevator door closed, only unfreezing once they were moving.

“Lettie...I know you wanted to keep your identity quiet, and I have to tell you, having a backhanded little chat with the former boyfriend who jilted you isn’t the best way to do that. Do you think he recognized you?”

As they ascended to the top floor for their first sit down with the the production team that was responsible for adapting her book to film, Riley pondered how it was possible for her to be irritated that Colt didn’t recognize her straight away, while at the same time being terrified for him to figure it out. It was like how she was perfectly happy to live out her fantasies through role playing, but had a strong distaste for movies and acting - contradictory. But, humans were essentially walking contradictions. Lettie was no exception.

Lettie sighed, and Riley kept right on talking, “And he’s loaded enough to make your life a living hell if you piss him off. He was on one of those lists for the world’s most eligible billionaires a few months ago, you know.”

“I...I don’t know if he recognized me, Riles. But, I doubt he’s going to do anything even if he did.”

At least, she hoped he wasn’t. She’d been a little terse with him, sure, but she hadn’t been a blatant ass hole...had she? Maybe she was spending too much time with her guildie bros and not enough time with people who weren’t consistently drunk and, or high. Too much time with those degens kind of desensitized a person to normal social cues. Well, normal was overrated anyway - right?

Either way, Lettie had seen what happened to people who crossed Colton Reid in high school. The results of his vengeance were not pretty - and that’s just what he’d come up with when they were teenagers and he only had his parents money to work with. Granted, his parents were filthy rich trust funders too, but still...Riley wasn’t wrong about Colton being able to make trouble for her.

She just had to hope that he didn’t recognize her, or if he did that he’d let his conscience guide him.