Hot Off the Red Carpet Read online

  He turned.

  “Do you know where Trevor – Mr. Braden – is? We need to leave for the studio soon.”

  “He’s probably in his bedroom getting ready,” Bob supplied. “Two doors down that way,” he added, gesturing with his finger.

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  Addison started to shut the door, but then hesitated. Maybe she should check in with Trevor. Just to see if he was actually getting ready. She didn’t want them to be late, after all.

  Smoothing her hands down the front of her skirt, she made her way down the hall to his room and knocked on the door. “Mr. Braden, it’s Addison,” she said.

  “Come in,” Trevor called.

  Addison had to bite her lip to stifle a moan. God, he had a sexy voice! Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and pushed open the door.

  Trevor was standing in the middle of the room, dressed in a pair of jeans and nothing else. Whatever Addison had been going to say fled her mind at the sight of his bare chest. She’d seen him without a shirt in movies and magazines, of course, but they paled in comparison to the real thing. Damn, he was built!

  “Which one do you think?” he said.

  She was vaguely aware of him holding up a shirt in each hand, but she was too mesmerized by his chiseled chest and washboard stomach to even glance at them.

  “Addison?”

  She dragged her gaze away from his incredible body to find him regarding her curiously. “Wh-what was that?” she asked.

  “Which shirt do you think I should wear for the talk show?” he asked.

  Addison barely glanced at them. “Th-the dark blue,” she stammered.

  Trevor regarded it for a moment, and then shrugged. “I was kind of leaning toward the other one, but I think you’re right.” He flashed her a grin that made her pulse flutter. “I’m lousy at this type of thing.”

  Addison watched as he tossed the other shirt on the bed and shrugged into the one she’d picked out, wondering why he even bothered wearing one at all. Heck, with a body like his, he should just go shirtless all the time.

  “So, what can I do for you?” he asked as he buttoned his shirt.

  For starters, he could sweep her up in his arms, set her down on the bed, and make mad, passionate love to her. She imagined him ripping her clothes off like the guys always did in the romance books. The image brought a rush of color to her cheeks, not to mention a delicious, little tingle to her pussy, and she almost moaned.

  “Addison?” he prompted when she didn’t answer. “Did you need me for something?”

  She blinked in confusion, trying to remember what she’d come to his room for. He was going to think she was an idiot. “I...um...I came to tell you that we need to leave for the studio in...” She glanced down at her watch and was startled to see that they were already running late. “Oh no! We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago. The limo is probably already waiting for us. We’d better go.”

  Addison didn’t give him a chance to reply, but turned and hurried out of the room.

  As she had predicted, the limo was waiting for them in front of the house. Bob was talking to the driver, and both men turned in their direction as she and Trevor stepped outside.

  Bob sat in front with the driver, whom he introduced as Leo, leaving Addison and Trevor alone in the back. As she settled into the seat, her slim skirt slid up her thighs, and she noticed Trevor’s dark eyes caress her legs before he leaned forward to grab two bottles of Dasani Lemon from the bar.

  He held one out to her. “Do you need a glass?”

  She shook her head. “This is fine.”

  As she reached out to take the bottle, their fingers brushed, and it was all Addison could do not to squeal with delight. To stop herself from doing just that, she quickly unscrewed the cap and took a sip of the flavored water. To her embarrassment, some of it went the wrong way, and she ended up having a coughing fit.

  Brow furrowing in concern, Trevor reached out to pat her on the back. “Are you sure you don’t need a glass? Or maybe a straw?” he asked when she could finally talk.

  Addison shook her head, totally embarrassed. “I’m fine. Really,” she said. “I just drank too fast.”

  From the way Trevor was looking at her, she thought he might insist about the glass, but then he sat back in the seat beside her and took a swallow of water from his own bottle.

  The rest of the drive was uneventful, much to Addison’s relief. Though she was pleased Trevor had chosen to sit next to her, part of her would have preferred that he’d taken the seat across from her instead so she could have spent the drive looking at him. Even so, she still managed to steal several covert, sidelong glances without him knowing. Actors probably weren’t used to their personal assistants fawning all over them, she reminded herself. She had to keep a rein on her inner-groupie.

  When they arrived at the television studio a little while later, Addison was surprised to find security keeping a mob of screaming fan girls at bay outside the door. Trevor took it in stride, however, giving the women a wave and flashing that sexy grin of his as Bob escorted both of them into the studio.

  Once inside, Addison was all set to wait in the green room with Trevor when she abruptly remembered Murray’s instructions to talk to the show’s producer about the kinds of questions that were off limits. Telling Trevor she would be right back, she hurried out of the room.

  Finding the man took a little while and it wasn’t until she finally tracked him down that she realized Murray had never told her what kinds of questions were off limits. Since she didn’t know, she decided the best thing to do would be to ask the producer what the show host was going to talk to Trevor about.

  “His new movie, mostly,” the producer said. “And what other projects he has going on. That type of thing.”

  That sounded okay to Addison. Giving the man a smile, she thanked him for speaking with her, and then headed back to the green room. As she did so, she had the nagging suspicion that there was something else she was supposed to do before the show, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what it was. She really should have taken notes when Murray was rattling off his list of instructions.

  Addison had always been glued to the television whenever Trevor was on, but she had to admit that it was a lot different in person. Not only were there all the cameras and lights, but there was the studio audience, too. Not surprisingly, it was almost all female.

  She was so caught up in watching the clips from her boss’s new movie that she didn’t even notice the spotlight was shining directly into Trevor’s eyes, forcing him to spend the whole interview leaning to one side in his chair. It was then that she remembered the other instruction Murray had given her. Crap, she was supposed to talk to the lighting guy. She was just making her way over to him when the show host announced that they were going to take a commercial break. She thought that would have made it easier to get the lighting guy’s attention, but she’d barely finished speaking to him about the spotlight when the producer announced that they were back on the air.

  Now that the spotlight wasn’t shining directly into his eyes, Trevor looked a lot more relaxed, Addison noticed. Right up until the show host mentioned a rumor he’d heard about Trevor hooking up with some actress. Though Trevor tried to hide it, Addison saw from the way his jaw tightened that the question bothered him. Clearly that was one of those things that were supposed to have been off limits. Well, there was nothing she could do about it now.

  On stage, Trevor smoothly turned the conversation back to his new movie, telling the show host that he’d have to wait and see whom he brought with him to the premiere. That seemed to satisfy the other man, who laughed.

  Addison held her breath for the rest of the interview, half afraid the show host would ask something else he shouldn’t, but to her relief, the man didn’t bring up anything else controversial.

  Bob met Addison and Trevor offstage, ready to escort them out to the limo. When they walked outside a few minutes later,
however, the car was nowhere in sight. Her brow furrowing, she looked at her watch, wondering if they’d gotten done taping the show earlier than they were supposed to. But no, they were right on time.

  Telling Trevor she would check on the limo, Addison dug into her shoulder bag for her cell phone and flipped it open, then thumbed through the list for Leo’s cell number. When she got hold of that limo driver, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. When she finally got him on the phone and very politely asked where he was, however, the man told her that he was waiting right where he had dropped them off. Addison opened her mouth to argue with him when something made her frown.

  She covered the mouthpiece with her hand and looked at Bob. “Did we come out a different door?”

  The bodyguard nodded. “Yeah. We always go in the front and come out the back. Otherwise the fans mob Trevor. Murray didn’t tell you that?”

  It was on the tip of tongue to say no he hadn’t, but then Addison saw Trevor regarding her thoughtfully and she flushed. Had Murray said something about that? She honestly couldn’t remember. Turning her attention back to the limo driver, she gave Leo their new location and hung up. The man was Trevor’s regular driver, so shouldn’t he have known where to pick them up?

  Dropping her phone back into her bag, she lifted her gaze to find Trevor still regarding her with those beautiful dark eyes. “I’m sorry, Mr. Bradon...” she began, but the rest of what she’d been about to say was drowned out by the mob of screaming fans heading their way.

  Addison stared at the stampeding women in wide-eyed amazement. For one wild moment, she thought they might actually trample her to get to Trevor. But Bob stepped in front of them, spreading his arms and ordering in a booming voice, “Stop right there, ladies!”

  Clearly intimidated by his large frame, the women stopped in their tracks. Then as a group, they began to beg for autographs and pictures. Remembering that Murray had said not to let Trevor sign any, she was just about to say something when he stepped forward and told Bob that he didn’t mind signing some while they waited for the limo to get there.

  Addison bit her lip, wondering if she should dissuade Trevor from the idea, but quickly decided against it. Between not remembering to talk to the lighting guy and the confusion with the limo, she’d already messed up enough for her first day on the job. With that in mind, she stood off to the side and watched while Trevor furiously signed one autograph after another for his adoring fans. She wondered if she could get him to sign one for her. Of course, she’d have to say it was for someone else.

  She was just about to check with Leo again when the sleek, black car pulled up. Sighing with relief, Addison walked over to Trevor and going up on tiptoe, put her lips near his ear and announced that the limo had finally arrived.

  Trevor nodded, but getting away from his fans was easier said than done. There always seemed to be one more woman that wanted an autograph. Bob had to finally step in and practically drag Trevor away from the mob. Even as he allowed his bodyguard to urge him into the car, Trevor was still all smiles and waves. His fans squealed and waved back.

  Once she and Trevor were seated in the back of the limo, Addison gave him a sheepish look. “I’m sorry about the mix-up with the limo.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Trevor said.

  Though his handsome face gave nothing away, there was no mistaking the brusqueness in his deep voice, and Addison flushed. Surely he wouldn’t fire her over this, would he? It was her first day, after all. Shoulders slumping, she turned to stare out the window.

  Neither of them spoke the rest of the way back to Beverly Hills. When they got to his house, Addison was surprised to find the producer and director already waiting for them. She glanced at her watch and was shocked to see that her mistake back at the television studio had completely thrown them off schedule.

  “They’ve been waiting for almost an hour,” Maribel whispered, throwing a nervous glance over her shoulder at the two men in the living room. “I was afraid they were going to leave, so I’ve been trying to appease them with hors d’oeuvres.”

  Trevor scowled. “I’ll take care of it. Thank you, Maribel.”

  Addison gave the cook a grateful smile before hurrying after Trevor. God, she hoped this didn’t cost him the part.

  But Trevor was extremely good at smoothing any feathers that had been ruffled, and after a few minutes, both men were more interested in discussing their movie than they were in the fact that Trevor had been late.

  As Addison listened to them talk, her gaze strayed to the array of hors d’oeuvres on the table. She hadn’t eaten since lunch and the sight of all that shrimp, lobster, and caviar was making her mouth water. She was just wondering if it was acceptable for personal assistants to eat during a meeting with their boss’s potential employers when it suddenly occurred to her that all of the hors d’oeuvres had been made with seafood. Oh crap. She was supposed to tell Maribel that the director had an aversion to anything with seafood in it.

  Hoping Maribel hadn’t already left for the night, Addison murmured something about checking her messages, and then hurried into the kitchen. Fortunately, the cook was still there. She quickly explained the situation to the other woman.

  “Do you have anything else we could serve?” Addison asked.

  Maribel shook her head. “I make all my hors d’oeuvres by hand.”

  Great. Addison chewed on her lower lip, trying to come up with an idea. “What about cheese and crackers?” she asked after a moment. “I know it’s not as fancy, but at least it’s not seafood.”

  Maribel was silent as she considered the suggestion, but then she nodded. “I do have some cheese,” she said, moving over to the refrigerator. “There are crackers in the pantry. Top shelf on your right.”

  The pantry was more like a small food store, so Addison had her pick of crackers. They were all fancier than anything she’d ever bought for herself, so she chose two boxes at random, and then set the crackers out on a plate while Maribel sliced an equally fancy assortment of cheeses.

  Ten minutes later, Addison was back in the living room with a huge plate of cheese and crackers in her hands. Trevor was going over some lines for the part he’d be playing, and it was all she could do not to stop in her tracks and listen to his sexy voice.

  Careful not to interrupt, she set the plate of cheese and crackers down on the coffee table, and then sat down in the overstuffed chair. She’d never really given much thought to how an actor went about getting a part in a movie, but the whole thing was extremely fascinating. Not nearly as fascinating as Trevor, though. Hearing him read for the part of a no-nonsense cop was almost enough to make her swoon.

  Somehow, she managed to control herself, but only because Trevor had finished going over the script and was now discussing set locations. Noticing that the director could use a refill on his coffee, Addison picked up the carafe and at his nod, began to pour some into the cup he was holding. As she did so, she made the mistake of glancing over at Trevor. The moment her eyes met his, she completely forgot what she was supposed to be doing. The next thing she knew, the director was letting out a howl of pain.

  Addison jerked out of her trance to find that she’d spilled hot coffee all over the director’s pants.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?!” the man demanded, jumping to his feet.

  Heat suffused her face. “Oh God, I’m so sorry!” She set the carafe down on the table and grabbed a handful of cocktail napkins. “Here, let me...”

  But the director grabbed the napkins out of her hand. “I think you’ve done enough,” he said, giving her a hard look as he wiped his sodden pants.

  Addison felt her color deepen. “I...” she began, but he had already turned his attention on Trevor.

  “We’ll be in touch,” he said stiffly.

  Throwing the napkins down on the coffee table, the director pushed past Addison and stormed out of the room. The producer murmured something to Trevor that she didn’t catch before he left,
too. A moment later, she heard the front door slam.

  Addison gave Trevor a sheepish look. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention, I guess, and...” the words trailed off at the dark look on his face. “I-I’ll go and apologize.”

  She turned and would have hurried to the door, but Trevor caught her arm.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he told her. “Like Clive said, you’ve done enough damage already. I’ll go.”

  Addison’s bottom lip trembled as she watched Trevor walk out of the living room. If her carelessness had cost him this movie, then she was done for, she was sure of it.

  Blinking back tears, Addison picked up two of the plates of uneaten hors d’oeuvres and carried them into the kitchen. Maribel frowned at the cheese and crackers.

  “They didn’t like that, either?” she asked.

  Apparently, Maribel mustn’t have heard the shouting, Addison thought as she set the plates down on the granite countertop. “They...um...had to leave.”

  The other woman’s frowned deepened at that, but Addison didn’t offer any more details. It was bad enough that she’d embarrassed herself in front of Trevor and his guests. Going back out into the living room, she collected the rest of the plates and carried them into the kitchen. Maribel was already covering the cheese and crackers with plastic wrap, and Addison grabbed one of the crab puffs before the women could do the same to the other hors d’oeuvres.

  She was just working on her second one when Trevor walked in. From the look on his face, Addison couldn’t tell if his talk with the director had gone well or not, and she braced herself.

  “When you’re finished here, I’d like to speak to you, Addison,” he said. “I’ll wait for you in your office.”

  Addison swallowed hard, the piece of crab puff almost getting caught in her throat. Well, at least he hadn’t fired her in front of Maribel. Avoiding the other woman’s curious gaze, she slid off the stool she’d been sitting on and left the kitchen.

  She made her way down the hallway on leaden feet. She’d never gotten fired from any job she’d ever had, and the prospect of being given her walking papers after half a day as Trevor Braden’s personal assistant made tears sting her eyes. If her sister found out, she’d never live it down.