L.A. Cinderella (2 page)

N
atalie had to go home. The pile of expenses looked as large as when she started, but her stomach growled and her vision was getting blurry. Her computer clock read 8:00. She started to restack her work so she would know where she was in the morning.

Everyone else had already left, including Mr. Morrison. A door opened and footsteps sounded on the tile floor. Her pulse leapt. Who else was here this late?

Startled, she stood to glance down the hallway and saw the broad shoulders of Chase. Her pulse jumped again as she sat back down. She hurried to get her purse from the bottom drawer. Maybe she could beat him out and not have to talk to him. She was so tired she was bound to make a fool of herself.

Sliding the drawer shut, she tried to move away, but her pant leg had caught in it. She cursed silently and bent down to fix it.

“I thought I was the last one here.” Chase’s voice rippled over her spine like a light caress.

Darn it. “I was just leaving.” Her pant leg freed, she looked at Chase and her breath caught. Even fatigued, he was magnificent.

His smile lit his face. “I’ll walk you out, then.”

Wait…what? “Okay.” She could do this. She’d walked to her car with coworkers before. Of course, none of them made her feel weak in the knees and tingly in places she’d rather not mention.

Her hand shaking, she reached to turn off her desk lamp, but it tilted to the side. His hand reached out and steadied it before it fell.

“I got it.”

Was there a shade deeper than beet-red? She clung to her purse as if it were a shield as she hurried around the desk. She barely came up to his chin. Not that she wasn’t used to being short; it was just that he made her aware of how small she was compared to him.

“So how long have you been working here?” he asked as they started to walk.

“About a month now.”

Reaching around her, he flicked off the light for the hallway they’d just left. Her nose filled with his subtle cologne, spicy and rich, tantalizing. She wanted to lean into him and… Whoa.

“Do you like working for us?” He didn’t seem to notice her distraction.

“Yes, it’s a great opportunity.”

They stopped at the door to the outside. Before he could reach across her again, she flicked off the switch and smiled uncertainly.

The only light came from the emergency backup in the
corner. His hand gripped the doorknob, and he stopped. His eyes gazed down into hers, and the air was sucked out of the room.

His mouth opened as if to say something but then shut again. Her heart hammered against her chest. Finally he smiled and turned the knob.

“Sorry, I’m a bit jet-lagged.” He held the door open while she passed through. He closed the door and locked it. “I had to get through some files on my desk. If I’d been at home, I’d already be in bed.”

An image of him on black satin sheets raced through her mind. She swallowed hard. “Well, I won’t keep you. My car’s right there. Good night, Mr. Booker.” She started to walk away.

“Chase. Good night, Natalie.”

She could feel his eyes on her back as she walked. Almost dropping her keys, she finally got the car door unlocked and slipped inside. She glanced back to where he stood in the streetlight.

He appeared puzzled about something, but he smiled and his face cleared. He lifted his hand and waved. She waved back and pulled out of the parking lot.

Ignoring the man in a parked car with a camera strap around his neck, Chase punched in the gate code and pulled through. The garage door opened and he pulled the BMW into its spot next to his Aston Martin. He wasn’t surprised to see the paparazzi on his street. They practically lived here with so many big names on the block.

He’d only let the paparazzi get to him once before he realized that his life really was different from everyone else’s. Back when he was just a boy in love with a girl.

He walked into the dark kitchen. Its massive size and
the lack of light made it cold and unwelcoming. Maybe sleep would help get his little accountant out of his head. Natalie’s large brown eyes sat in his mind like a warm beacon. Most likely due to jet lag.

Distraction was needed. In the morning he’d wake up and figure out where to go this weekend, who to go with and who to leak the information to. With a new movie in the editing room, he needed his name to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

Going out with him was a first-class ticket to any actress, but hell for a normal girl like Natalie. His high school girlfriend, Becca, had been like Natalie. Not looking for glory or her fifteen minutes in the limelight. Becca couldn’t handle the spotlight. The people digging into her past and her family’s past to figure out why Chase Booker, son of three-time Academy Award-winning Matt Booker and screen diva Madeline Caine, was interested in her.

In the spotlight before birth, Chase grew up and became used to the attention. Unfortunately Becca hadn’t.

He checked the answering machine.

“Hi, Chase. Alexis. I heard you were done filming in London. We should get together this weekend. I’m also available Sunday if you still need a date.”

Sunday was the Golden Globes. Alexis, like so many others, struggled to get ahead in a business where publicity was key. He’d liked Alexis and they had a great time together. He’d been a stopping point on her climb to fame, and when she decided it was time to move on, he hadn’t wanted to stop her.

She knew how the business worked and hadn’t minded the persistence of the cameras. In fact, she’d relished the attention. It had helped her land a starring role, but she wasn’t the kind of woman he wanted to come home to.

When they broke up, he found himself wanting more. He wanted a woman who could be with him for who he was and not for the fame he could bring her. He wanted something simple for once in his life. He wanted someone who made him feel alive. And let him be just Chase Booker.

His attraction to Natalie was something new and unexpected. She tantalized his senses and pretended not to be interested. It intrigued him and made him want to explore further, but he had no right to bring her into his life and into the sharp focus of the camera lens.

By Friday, Natalie was ready to pull her hair out. The numbers swirled in front of her eyes even while she slept. Her contacts hadn’t arrived, and she was tempted to duct-tape her glasses onto her head to keep them from falling down.

The government could come in and declare her desk a disaster zone. Precarious stacks of papers covered every available surface and spread out along the floor. She’d been over the numbers a hundred times, but still couldn’t get to that final number. Something was missing.

“How’s it coming along?” Martin shut his door and turned the key in the lock. Even though she was staying late, he left every day at five o’clock on the dot.

“I’ve got a few more accounts to go over and the expenses that just came in. I also have the actors’ expense reports.” She moved a paper from one pile to the next.

“Very good. Here’s a list of all the actors who worked on
Night Blooming
.” The list was three pages, each filled with double columns of names. “Some of our extras had expenses, too.”

Natalie stifled a groan as she thought of all the expense reports for the six months of shooting.

“Have a good weekend.” Martin shouted behind him as he hurried toward the exit.

“Yeah, right,” she said to herself. She set the list aside and plunged back into the pile she’d been working on.

The next time she surfaced, she glanced at the clock. Almost eight. Every night, Chase had insisted on walking her to her car. She’d tried to work later and hoped he’d leave, but he’d wait. She couldn’t leave any earlier or she wouldn’t get her hours in, and she refused to work on Saturday.

Every night she figured was another opportunity to humiliate herself. It was only a matter of time before he caught her with a goofy grin on her face when she looked at him.

She’d seen him already today. Every time he’d walked past her desk, she’d stopped working and watched. She’d tried not to, but her nose would catch the faint whisper of his cologne, and her head would jerk up in response. And there it would be, his behind clad in denim. He wore jeans the way jeans were meant to be worn.

How many times did the man really need to go past her desk during the day? Seriously. Sure her desk was in the main thoroughfare of the office, but still…

Every night it was awkward walking with him. He always asked how her day went and was amazingly nice. He seemed genuinely interested in her work life. She had hoped to be over her little infatuation, but the guy wasn’t demanding and didn’t expect star treatment.

He seemed really down to earth for someone who had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and probably an Oscar or Golden Globe for every room of his house. Genuine. She hadn’t expected him to walk her to her car or hold the door open for her.

She glanced at the clock again. She could sneak out a
few minutes early, and she wouldn’t have to see him again until Monday.

She slid her chair out and reached for her purse. The computer beeped as the screen went black. She winced and glanced down the hall toward his office. Nothing.

After grabbing her purse, she shut off the light and rushed down the hallway. Every few seconds she glanced over her shoulder to make sure he wasn’t there. At the door, she heaved a sigh of relief.

With one last look back before opening the door, she was home free.

“Excuse me,” a soft, feminine voice said.

Startled, Natalie let out a small scream and almost dropped her keys. Alexis Brandt stood in the now open doorway. From her blond hair to her perfectly manicured fingers, she was everything rich and fabulous. She was also Chase’s last girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend, if the tabloids were to be believed. Natalie’s roommate Rachel kept her informed of everything going on with her boss and everyone else in Hollywood.

“Is Chase still here?” Her voice was low and husky. Her perfume wafted in waves of floral scent to Natalie.

“I don’t—”

“I’m here, Alexis.” His voice was directly behind Natalie.

Her heart slammed against her chest. She’d almost made it. Alexis swept through the door, brushed past Natalie and wrapped her arms around Chase.

“Darling.” She kissed the air next to his cheeks. “I was so glad you called.”

Natalie tried to fade into the wall and slowly slide toward the open door.

“Natalie.” His voice was stern as if she’d done something wrong. Sure she’d tried to sneak out before he had a chance to walk her out, but he obviously had his hands full now.

“Yes?” Natalie didn’t dare turn around and watch the blonde pressing her over-endowed body into his.

“Wait here for a minute.” His words were directed at Natalie and he meant business.

She sighed and gazed longingly at her car a mere half block away in the parking lot.

“Natalie?”

She glanced back. Alexis had moved behind Chase, feigning interest in a picture on the wall. Chase’s eyes warned Natalie not to disobey him.

“Yeah, I’ll wait.” She let the door slide closed and leaned against the wall as Chase led Alexis down the hall to his office.

He was her boss. She shouldn’t be acting this way, but every time he came near her, her instincts said
run
. Every time he accidentally brushed against her or held the door open, she couldn’t help thinking he was interested in her, which couldn’t happen in a million years. But it confused her and she didn’t like anything confusing in her life. She stared at the second hand on her watch.

He’d only said to wait a minute. She glanced to make sure he wasn’t coming yet. When a minute was up, she was out of here. Thirty seconds. She’d have all weekend to try to get over her crush on him. Twenty seconds. Almost there, come on. Fifteen. Ten.

C
hase smiled as Natalie leaned against the wall staring at her watch. Probably counting down the seconds. His little accountant had tried to leave without him. He justified walking her out every night because she left so late.

But in reality, he just wanted to be close to her. Even if he couldn’t think about being anything more than her boss, he couldn’t resist the calmness and sweetness she exuded in spite of her nervousness. Not to mention the gentle swaying of her hips, the curve of her calves. And he could feel like just a normal guy walking a girl to her car.

She was so focused on the watch she didn’t hear him slip up next to her.

“Ha.” She smiled and looked up. The smile disappeared and a look of chagrin crossed her face. “Oh.”

“You do know this neighborhood isn’t safe at night.”

She dropped her eyes and her fingers fiddled with her purse. “I guess.”

He leaned across her to push open the door. Awareness singed him where her body brushed against his. The clean scent of her floated in the air with just a touch of sweet, fruity scent, maybe strawberry, from her hair. Her gaze jerked to his. Had she felt the sizzle, too?

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. His body tightened. He fought against the urge to drag her into his arms and find out if her lips tasted as sweet as she smelled. She was his employee, and he was her boss.

Clearing his throat, he said, “How was your day?”

She took his offer of escape and slipped out the door. “It was fine.”

Every night, it was “fine.” He wondered if she would ever just tell him about her day. He’d seen her working hard all day long. Strands of hair had escaped her usual ponytail and fell softly around her face. His fingers itched to push it behind her ears or release it all from the ponytail and sink into the rich strands.

He followed her out to her car. Her blue business suit and low heels were a refreshing change from the plunging necklines and stilettos Alexis wore. During the day every time he saw her, his imagination ran rampant wondering what Natalie wore under those clothes. The cut of her suit left a lot to the imagination, and he had a great one.

“Thank you,” she said, not turning. Her keys jingled.

“Natalie.” He wanted to see her wide brown eyes one more time to get him through his weekend spent with the privileged and the jaded.

The keys fell to the ground as she looked at him over her shoulder. Her eyes widened. He stooped down to pick
up the keys, using the distraction to keep himself from kissing her until her eyes melted like chocolate.

He stood and handed her the keys.

“Thanks.” Her cheeks and neck were red. How far did the blush go?

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Have a good weekend.”

“You, too.” She stared up at him.

Her lips were barely parted. Mentally, he shook himself. She worked for him and he was mooning over her like a teenager.
Move, you fool
. He backed up a step, giving her room to open her door and slide into her car. He walked back to the building, pausing to watch as she sped off into the night.

When he entered his office, Alexis pounced from the chair. “There’s this new part that I’d be perfect for. The Golden Globes are Sunday. If we’re seen together there, it could help my chances. We can say we’re still friends. We are still friends, aren’t we?” She pouted her famous pout.

He sighed, thinking of the woman he’d just left who didn’t want anything from him. Not even for him to walk her out to her car.

Alexis continued to chatter about going and being seen, but he couldn’t concentrate on her prattle. What would Natalie do if he asked her out? What if like other stars he had a relationship that wasn’t broadcast over every available airwave?

Alexis would serve his purpose of getting the paparazzi to stop guessing who he was going after next. He could see if this spark between him and Natalie could be coaxed into a flame, which was a ridiculous thought. Maybe he just needed a break from dating. Alexis would keep the other women at bay without putting the pressure of a relationship on him.

“Are you even listening to me, Chase?”

He brought his attention back to the woman seated across from him. Every hot-blooded male wanted Alexis and would do anything to go out with her, but Chase wanted more than stunning good looks. Innocence and intelligence wrapped up in a small frame lingered in his mind.

“Sure, Alexis. We can go and be seen.”

“I have the perfect thing for this weekend.”

Natalie rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “I’m not going out. I just finished working an eleven-hour day.”

Rachel tended to be the life of the party and tried to drag Natalie with her. A habit that started when they’d roomed together in college and continued when they’d both decided to stay in L.A. after graduation. Rachel would just have to go without her this time.

Rachel came out of the kitchen holding a stack of DVDs and a bowl of popcorn. “Nope, we’re staying in. I’ve got ice cream in the freezer, too.”

“Chocolate?”

“Of course. Pick the first movie.” Rachel tossed the DVDs on the couch next to Natalie.

Picking up the first one, she groaned.
She didn’t.
Natalie spread out the three DVDs. Emerald eyes stared at her from the cover of every DVD.
She did.
Natalie sighed in resignation—so much for getting Chase Booker out of her mind this weekend. She picked up
Into the Hereafter.

Rachel plopped down next to her. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “I couldn’t let you be the only one staring at that hot bod all day.” She reached across Natalie and snatched
Riddle Beach
. She turned over the DVD. “This one has nudity. I vote for this one first.”

“Fine.” Just what she needed—an image of what he
looked like undressed for Monday morning. That wouldn’t be at all awkward.
What’d you do over the weekend, Natalie? Oh, stared at your naked body on DVD.

She grabbed the burgundy throw from the arm of the couch and helped herself to a handful of popcorn. At least there wasn’t a chance of this Chase catching her looking at his hot bod.

The opening scene came on the TV. Alexis was the female lead in this movie. Her body flowed across the room with grace and elegance in her forties dress. Her outrageous red lips jumped from the screen.

Natalie’s hand formed a fist around her blanket. “Alexis Brandt came by the office tonight.” The words spewed from her mouth before she could stop herself.

“Oh, do tell. Dirt before it even hits the stands. How cool is that? Were they, you know, together?” Rachel tucked her legs under her. She couldn’t spend an hour without checking the entertainment blogs or news.

Tightness spread through Natalie’s chest. Maybe she was coming down with something. She reached over for her drink and took a sip before answering. “I don’t know. She did the air kiss, and I left them alone in the office.”

“A little office nookie.” Rachel’s voice quivered with excitement. “Oh, I bet they are having sorry-things-didn’t-work-out sex all over the office. I wonder if they’ll go to the Globes together.”

Natalie gagged on a piece of popcorn. Rachel thumped her hard on the back. Chase having sex in the office—yet another image Natalie didn’t want in her brain for Monday morning. Or any morning, for that matter.

On the TV, Chase walked on the screen. Dressed in a long trench coat and derby hat, he sat at a table to watch Alexis’s character sing a soulful version of “Fever.”

“That’s probably not even her voice,” Natalie murmured under her breath.

“Is he really that good-looking in person?” Rachel didn’t wait for her answer.

Of course, Natalie would have had to admit he looked better in real life. On screen he was larger than life, but in reality, he seemed like a normal guy. A gorgeous normal guy. She could feel the heat flood her cheeks from just thinking about him.

“We have to have lunch this week. I can come to the office to pick you up and try to snag a view of Mr. Sexiest Man Alive for myself.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I have a lot of work to do next week.” Natalie reached for another handful of popcorn.

Rachel was more Chase’s type than she was. Her dark hair never had a strand out of place. Rachel also had killer curves. Natalie knew from experience that men wanted Rachel.

Not that Natalie wanted Chase to want her.

“It’s just lunch. Nobody would fault you for going to lunch. Besides—” she shoved her hand out toward the TV, “—you can’t deny me my one opportunity to meet the man of my dreams.”

Natalie snorted. “I thought the man of your dreams was Matt Damon.”

“Well, normally, but since Matt isn’t available I’ll settle for Chase. C’mon, Natalie, you know you can’t say no.”

A fact her roommate used against her constantly. But one she wasn’t willing to fight about right now, or anytime, for that matter. Confrontation made her ill. The camera pulled in tight to Chase’s eyes, and she coughed to cover the sigh that tried to escape.

“You know I’ll just keep pestering…”

“Fine, we’ll do lunch, but I meet you at the door and if he isn’t around, we leave. Now, can we just watch the movie?”

Rachel squealed and shook Natalie’s arm, knocking popcorn all over the floor. “I get to meet Chase Booker. Oh, this is the scene where he walks across the room naked. Shhh.”

Natalie wanted to roll her eyes, but couldn’t take them off Chase’s body. It had to be touched up in editing or a body double. No one could look that good in real life.

Of course, Monday morning, Natalie found herself staring at Chase as he walked by. The images from the movies played in her head. She tried to detect a difference in the walk to see if they’d used a body double. But his swagger was definitely unique and the perfect butt was again outlined in jeans that should be a sin for him to wear.

“How’s the audit going?” Martin’s stern voice rang out behind her.

She jumped in her chair. Her face flushed from being caught watching the owner’s butt as he strolled down the hallway. Picking up a few papers, she turned. “I’ve been making progress. I’ve pulled all the expense reports and started itemizing them in a spreadsheet.”

His mouth tightened. “Good. I expect you to continue working late until we get this thing figured out.”

“Yes, Mr. Morrison.” Though it wasn’t really “we” working this out.

He nodded to her and returned to his office. Turning back to her desk, she lost herself in expense reports for all sorts of weird things: haircuts, manicures, massages, personal trainers. Not so weird for a Hollywood production, but really weird to her, especially the amounts for each one.

When she got to a claim for toilet paper, she stopped.
Sliding off her glasses and setting them on the desk, she closed her eyes and rubbed them. The numbers had begun to swim on the page. In her business class, they’d gone over legitimate expenses. Even though this was a movie set, the expenses were ludicrous. Who needed twenty-four dollars’ worth of toilet paper for two days at a shoot? Maybe he had diarrhea. She smiled slightly.

“You look like you’re in a good mood.” Chase’s voice curled around her ear and slid down her back, leaving a pleasant shiver in its path.

Resisting the urge to groan, she uncovered her eyes to stare at the blurry blob of Chase Booker.

“Did Velma lose her glasses again?”

She could hear the smile in his voice. Patting the desk in front of her, she gripped her glasses and forced them back onto her face. Maybe she’d have been better off not wearing them. At least when he was a blob, the only thing seducing her was his voice.

“No, I was just…” Her gaze dropped down to the huge amount of paper on her desk.

“Trying to find your way out of the recycling bin?”

Her gaze met his. The smile on her face froze as the unbidden image of him naked on the TV screen flashed in front of her eyes. The heat crept up from her chest until she swore it was going to pop out of the top of her head.

“I like it when you do that.” His voice was soft and intimate.

Oh, God. What did he like? That she was visualizing him naked? Was she that obvious?

“There it goes.” His eyes sparkled.

“What?” she managed to get her thick tongue to say.

“Your smile.”

Seriously, flames should be bursting from her skull any
moment. Her papers—she could look at her papers. Numbers didn’t make her heart race, her palms sweaty or her mouth dry. She couldn’t take her eyes from his, though.

“Have lunch with me.”

“What? Why?”

When he smiled, his eyes lit from within and crinkles formed at their corners. Why was he asking her? Did he do that with all the employees? Was she reading too much into his question? Was his interest in her only as an employee?

“There you are, Natalie. I waited up at the front like you said, but… Oh, hi.” Rachel stopped next to Natalie’s desk, turned on her hundred-watt smile and tossed her perfect black locks over her shoulder.

Natalie kept her eyes on Chase, trying to read his expression. Once men saw Rachel, Natalie became invisible. Or worse, they pretended to be interested in her to get close to Rachel.

She knew she shouldn’t have let Rachel talk her into lunch.

“I’m Rachel McAllister.” She stuck out her hand to Chase.

“Chase Booker.”

Rachel didn’t let go of his hand right away. Natalie’s stomach clenched. Even though she knew Chase couldn’t be interested in her as more than an employee, she didn’t want him to be interested in Rachel.

“You were in our apartment all weekend.” Rachel smiled as she released his hand.

Natalie choked back a groan and wished the paper would come alive and eat her whole right this minute.

“‘Our apartment’?” Chase raised an eyebrow.

“Natalie and I had a movie fest this weekend.” Rachel kept grinning. “We watched all your movies. Since it was newly released we watched
Night Blooming
, even though
you weren’t in it. The award ceremony was spectacular. I loved your tux. Congrats on the wins.” She batted her eyelashes up at him.