Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 149137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
“Good.” Jared took a sip of his iced tea. “I’m glad to hear it’s going well. The firm my brother is associated with has an excellent reputation.”
That brought a smile to his lips. Jared’s brother was a renowned therapist specializing in PTSD in soldiers returning from war. Much of his work was funded by a security company made up of the very people Kai Ferguson helped. McKay-Taggart was one of the premiere security companies in the world. And someone who worked there had married a writer. Josh could have told that dude marrying a writer was a mistake. Writers couldn’t help it. All the secrets came out. “On several levels. I’ve heard Love After Death was based on the big guy’s life. That was actually a hell of a movie. I was worried about how the romance would be handled, but I ended up liking it. You know you never told me why you backed out of that one. You really would have been perfect for the part.”
Jared’s smile wavered. “Well, that was around the time I was arrested for killing my assistant.”
He held up his hands, trying to let the conversation go. He knew a wall when he hit one. He and Jared had gotten close over the past few years, but there were things they never talked about. What happened in Dallas was one of them. Oh sure, one night Jared had gotten into the vodka and loosened up enough to admit there had been a woman involved, but Josh didn’t know much more than her name. Sarah. Stubborn Sarah, as he liked to think of her. “Sorry. Say no more.”
Jared’s false arrest for murder and the whole shitshow that came with it was one of those subjects they avoided like the plague. Josh was a man who understood that even between friends, some things were private.
Jared amped that smile right back up. “Hey, it’s cool, man. I’m good. The show had a great run. Seven years ain’t bad, you know. Now we see what happens with the rest of my life.”
A precarious place to be. An actor without a job lined up. Jared’s long-running show had recently ended and he’d moved to Malibu, buying a house right on the beach, with Josh as a neighbor.
“It’s going to be fine. I’ve already talked to the producer about a new character for The Quick and the Enraged franchise. We need a new driver for the next film and I think you would be perfect,” he said. “I’m meeting with the screenwriter in a few days. You should come down and we’ll start fleshing him out. I’m thinking sarcastic and edgy. Maybe he’s a good guy. Maybe not. We can play with that. Keep the audience guessing.”
“I appreciate it and I would love to do it, but don’t stick your neck out,” Jared replied.
Because he was a genuine guy. One of the only genuine human beings Josh had met out here. Or anywhere, for that matter. Naturally the fact that Jared was real with him made him way more willing to actually stick his neck out. “My neck is extra thick thanks to your workouts. And we do need a new character. The series is on its fourth film. We need new blood. Besides, I can’t thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I have no idea where I would be if I hadn’t found The Reef.”
A lie. He knew where he would have been. The bottom of a bottle. The end of a needle. Wherever junkies went when they’d gone too far. The Reef had taught him discipline. The Reef had given him confidence.
After he’d lost Tina, he’d…well, he’d lost himself for a bit, too. His saving grace had been a movie role he’d taken on at the time. His character had a background in D/s and when Josh had looked for someone to help him understand the world, he’d found Jared. Jared had opened up a lot of doors for him.
“No problem. I was happy to help.”
Jared had been his mentor in the world of D/s, and he was still there even after all these years. “So, does that mean you’ll come back to the club with me and interview the new girls? You’ve done all the vetting. You know them better than I do.”
An excited gleam hit Jared’s eyes. “I was hoping you would ask. I think this is going to be the perfect solution for you. I already like two of them. The New York girl seems to have a lot of experience. Former NYPD. Seems level headed.”
And that was important because the last thing he needed was to have his submissive fall in love with him. That was utterly off the table. Good sex? Now that was on it, slathered all over that table he was offering, but the last thing he needed was another obsessed person.