Hollywood Flirt - Alexa Aston Page 0,25
wafting up from Sydney’s warm skin, tickling his nose. Dash wanted to bury his face in her neck and inhale the scent. He wanted to run his fingers through her thick, auburn waves. More than anything, he wanted his mouth on hers. His body atop hers.
Someone’s cell rang. No one moved.
“Oh, wait. That’s me,” Leo said after the third ring. “I never get calls. Only texts. I didn’t even remember what my ringtone sounded like,” he joked. “Hello? Hey, baby. How—”
Leo grew quiet as his face started growing redder. Dash could hear a voice on the other end but not what was being said. He did recognize the angry tone and felt sorry for the trainer.
“I know. I’m sorry. Listen, just pour a glass of wine. A big one. Get in the hot tub. I’m on my way home. I’ll fix everything, baby. I promise.”
He shoved the phone back in his pocket. “I’ve gotta go. That was my wife. She’d gone to visit her mother for a week. A woman who would drive even a saint to murder, I might add.” He paused. “Maybe that’s why Angela came home early,” he mused.
“I take it you’d been living the bachelor life while Angela was gone?” Ken asked.
Leo nodded. “Angela’s the neatest of neat freaks. I always go along to get along but for a few days alone?”
“I’m assuming you left dishes in the sink,” Rhett said.
“And wet towels on the bathroom floor,” Ken added.
“I’m guessing there was an unmade bed and dirty clothes scattered everywhere,” Dash said. “Take it from me, the original slob. If I didn’t have cleaners come in twice a week to do the house and all the laundry, I’d be in serious trouble.”
“That’s what I’m in so I need to head out.” Leo frowned. “Oh, wait.”
“You came with us,” Melanie said. “That’s okay. We’ve finished eating. We don’t mind leaving now. Give us a second to clean up.”
“No,” Cassie said. “You’re guests and Leo needs to be in crisis-solving mode. The sooner you get home to placate Angela, the better. Rhett, let’s walk them out.”
Melanie turned to Sydney. “Cassie can give you my number. I’d really like to have lunch with you soon.”
Sydney frowned in disappointment. “I’m working with Dad on No Regrets. With auditions starting up? I don’t know how much free time I’ll have during the day.” She shrugged and Dash saw doubt blanketing her.
“Hey, even working, you’ll need to eat sometime,” Melanie said. “I won’t take no for an answer.”
Dash watched Sydney perk up with Melanie’s refusal to be put off. He figured Sydney had been a loner, the same as he was. This was her chance to make a new friend. He heard her agree to lunch or dinner sometime soon. For some reason, it made him feel better that the two women would be in touch.
“Same for me, Dash,” Ken told him as the two men shook hands. “I enjoyed hanging with you today. With everyone. This was a lot of fun. Let’s do it again. Next weekend. Our house.”
Dash would hike to the North Pole if he thought Sydney would be in attendance. He saw her smile sweetly as she nodded at Ken.
Things were looking up, both professionally and personally.
Everyone left the table except Sydney and him. She scooted over as Leo got up. Dash wanted to playfully nudge back against her but she looked like a frightened deer now that they were alone. He wouldn’t push it. Regular Dash would. The Dash that did his thing and got laid and moved on.
All of a sudden, that Dash held no interest for him.
“So, you and Cassie are friends?” he asked.
“Yes. We’ve spent a few hours together each morning for the past week. Some of it talking about her screenplay and the storyboards I completed for the picture.”
“That’s right. You mentioned you’d be doing the grids when we met the other night.”
“I’m ready for some changes in my life. I’ve been . . . . in business. Back on the east coast. But I prefer California. And writing. Storyboarding’s a specialized form of writing. At least it’s giving me a foot in the door and helping me access my creative side.”
Hmm. She’d been back east. In business. Dash wondered exactly what she’d been doing. Something big must’ve happened for her to chuck it all and come back to LA after being gone more than a decade. Patience had never been his strong point. He usually saw what he wanted and went after