Rules of Love (9 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

Jason looked at his watch. He was running late. He rushed inside the Bistro in search of Amber. He located her at the back of the restaurant. Her head was down. He saw her type feverishly.

“May I help you?” a waiter asked.

“My wife's waiting for me,” he said.

He bent down next to Amber and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Sorry, I'm late.”

She stopped what she was doing. “That's fine. It gave me time to work on my book.”

“I know you write screenplays, but I wasn't aware you were also an author.”

“Not officially. I haven't sold it to a publishing house yet. But we have time to discuss that. I asked you here to talk about this other writing project.”

Amber reached into her handbag and pulled out several sheets of paper. She handed them to him.

A waiter came over and took their order. While waiting on their food, Jason skimmed over the pages. “This is a good contract, but I do see a few things that need to be addressed. I will get them changed before having you sign it.”

“I trust you in that area. But we need to do some other official paperwork first.”

“Like renewing your contract?”

“I like the personal care that I get with C & J Management, so I look forward to continuing our business relationship.”

“Yes!” Jason said loudly, unable to hide his excitement.

Some of the nearby patrons turned and looked in their direction.

“I take it you're happy about it.”

“I sure am. I don't have the papers with me, but I will bring them home tonight. You can read over them and we can make everything official. In the meantime, can you email the original email you received, and I'll get to making the revisions so you can get paid properly?”

Amber picked her phone up, used her stylus pen, and said, “Done. You should have it.”

Jason's phone beeped. He glanced at it. “Got it. I'll get on this soon as I get back to the office. Now we can concentrate on other things.”

The waiter returned with their food.

They each concentrated on eating the food in front of them.

Amber said, “Why are these people trying to sneak and take pictures of us?” Amber looked around the room.

Jason hadn't noticed until Amber pointed it out. “Baby, you were once a child star. People are fascinated with you. And not just because of your dad either.”

“Once I got old enough to decide on what I wanted to do, I decided that I preferred the behind the scenes. With my vivid imagination and writing skills, I pursued being a screenwriter. I no longer want to act or be the center of attention. I've had enough of that to last a lifetime. Let someone else relish the spotlight.”

“I understand. After working with other celebrities, I empathize with you all. It's hard not being able to do simple things, such as going to the movies or the store, out of fear of being bombarded by some overzealous fan or the paparazzi.”

“I look a little different than I did as a little girl, so I've been able to live somewhat of a normal life. But now, everyone is interested in what Amber is doing. People are making memes of the before and after shots of me. Some of my ex-boyfriends are capitalizing on having dated me, so they are getting their five minutes of fame. It's ridiculous.”

“I have already drafted up a press release. All I need is your approval, and I'm sending it out to all the media outlets.”

Jason sent Amber an email with the document he'd drafted earlier.

Amber read it. “Sounds good. But this press release sounds like we're in love and have no plans on getting a divorce.”

“I am in love. Can't you tell?”

“Yeah right,” Amber responded.

“The divorce. Well, that's still up in the air. I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying the married life.”

“Four days is not enough time for me to decide whether or not I like being married.”

“Ouch,” Jason said. “And I thought you were digging me.”

“It's not that. I just don't want to get so caught up and forget the fact that you never wanted to get married in the first place.”

“Amber, that's what we need to talk about.” Jason's phone rang. “Hold on. I need to get this. It's your father.”

“Tell him I said hello.”

“Mr. Simone, how may I help you?” Jason asked.

“I wanted to talk to about a few things,” he responded.

“Charlotte informed me you wanted to meet with us.”

“I'll be seeing you at my house around noon. But I'm calling you to talk about Amber.”

“Amber?”

“Yes, my baby girl. How do you feel about her?” Max asked.

“I care about her. She's a sweet person.”

“I know, and I don't want her hurt,” Max stated.

Jason looked across the table at Amber. Amber stared back at him. “Mr. Simone, I have no plans on hurting your daughter.”

“Just be sure you don't. If I hear otherwise, you will have me to answer to.”

“Understood,” Jason responded.

“I'll see you tomorrow. We can talk more then.”

Max disconnected the call.

Jason stared at the phone.

“You should have told him we were having lunch.”

“It wouldn't have made a difference.”

Jason rubbed his head.

“Are you nervous?” Amber asked.

“No. Well, yes. Your dad makes me nervous.”

“Max Simone does have that effect on people. One thing about my dad, he either likes you or he doesn't. Rarely in between.”

“You're supposed to be helping me but you're not.” Jason drank his cold lemonade.

“If it's any reassurance, he must like you. He sent you on an all-expense-paid trip to Vegas with his daughter.”

Jason thought about it. Amber did have a point.

Chapter Twenty-Two

As promised, Amber cooked meat loaf and mashed potatoes. They discussed her contract over dinner. Afterward, she signed the papers. Amber renewed her contract for another year. He sent Charlotte a text message to alert her to the news. She responded with a smiley face and balloons.

Jason sat on one end of the couch and Amber sat on the other. Her legs were on top of his lap while she typed. She was revising a screenplay. Since she was working, Jason decided to answer a few emails from his phone.

It was hard concentrating with Amber being right there. He caught her looking at him too.

He'd noticed for the first time that she had cute feet. He didn't have a foot fetish, but a strange feeling came over him. He wanted to suck on her toes. He put his phone down and massaged her feet.

“That feels good,” she said. She continued to type.

He couldn't resist. He lifted her feet in the air and began sucking on her big toe.

“Jason, what are you doing?”

Jason didn't stop. He looked at her and continued to suck on her toe. He could tell it was feeling good to her by her response.

Amber squirmed. She tried to shift her body one way and then another. She placed her laptop on the nearby coffee table. He moved his body so that he could now suck not just her big toe but her other toes.

He watched her ease her hand inside of her pants. She leaned her head back and moaned. He got hard watching her pleasure herself. He licked her toes until she came on her fingers. She removed her fingers and placed them in his mouth.

He then devoured her mouth with his.

Moments later, they were both naked, making passionate love. Her face was down in the pillow as he hit her doggy style. He lightly hit each butt cheek as he pounded inside of her.

The pillow masked the sound of some of her screams.

“Whose is it?” Jason asked.

“Yours,” Amber mumbled.

“I can't hear you,” Jason said as he pushed in and out of her. He smacked her butt cheeks again.

“Yours, Jason. It's yourrrrs,” Amber moaned out in pleasure.

That's all he wanted to hear. It sent him over the edge. He grabbed her waist, and with several quick thrusts, he came inside of her. Her body went limp on the couch and so did his. He lay on her back and slipped to the side.

Jason wrapped his arm around her waist and they slept that way until the break of dawn.

* * * * *

Amber felt a slight crook in her neck. She woke up, realizing Jason and she were still on the couch. She gently nudged him. “Come on, baby. Let's get in the bed.”

She grabbed his hand. Still sleepy, Amber and Jason went up the stairs and got in the bed. It wasn't long before Amber heard Jason snoring in her ear. Amber wasn't sure when she'd drifted off to sleep, but soon it was six thirty in the morning. Jason's side of the bed was empty. She could hear the shower running.

While he was taking a shower, she went to one of the other bathrooms and washed her face.

She kept her eye on the clock. She was determined to cook Jason something for breakfast this morning. It would have to be something quick, because it wouldn't take him long to get dressed.

She usually used the microwave only to warm up food, but this morning she used it to make some eggs and sausage.

Breakfast was ready and on the plates by the time Jason came in and spoke.

“If I'm dreaming, don't wake me,” Jason said.

“This is as real as it gets.” Amber got on her tiptoes and kissed Jason on the lips.

Jason ate and left for work. Amber turned the television on. It was too early for
The Talk
to be on air so she turned to her other favorite talk show,
The Wendy Williams Show
.

She stopped washing when she saw a picture of Jason and her flash on the screen during “Hot Topics”. She wiped a hand on the dishtowel and used the remote to turn up the volume.

Wendy said, “America's darling has grown up. In fact, the rumor has been confirmed not to be a rumor. Amber Simone, child star and daughter of Max Simone, eloped this past weekend. She married the agent to the stars, Jason Lewis. Amber, good choice. Ladies, don't you think he has the Brad Pitt, David Beckham look about him?” Wendy gritted her teeth. “Sizzling hot. We have to remember Amber's not a little girl anymore. She's all grown up now. Let's congratulate her and we wish her well.”

Amber agreed with Wendy. Jason was hot. Amber picked up the dishtowel and started fanning herself as she thought about Jason.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Jason tapped his steering wheel as he waited on the light to change to green.

“Jason, stop, you're making me nervous,” Charlotte said from the passenger seat.

He was driving Charlotte's SUV. They were not far from Max Simone's estate.

“I can't help it,” Jason responded. “This meeting with Max has me on pins and needles.”

“You're normally the one calming me down. Now I'm worried.” Charlotte adjusted her seat belt.

The light turned green. Jason drove and continued down the windy road. “It's this whole thing with Amber. It started off as business, but I have feelings for her.”

“Instead of telling me this, you need to be telling her.”

“Every time I get ready to, something always interrupts.”

“Turn at the next gate.”

“The navigation says we're two miles away,” Jason interrupted Charlotte.

“I've been here numerous times. The navigation is wrong. It's right here, as I said.”

Jason wasn't sure about Charlotte's directions, but did as he was instructed. At the end of the driveway was a gate with a monitor.

Jason hit the button. “It's Jason Lewis and Charlotte Maxwell. We have an appointment with Mr. Simone.”

A loud buzzing sound could be heard. The gate opened.

“Everything will be okay. Just follow my lead.” Charlotte went over a few last-minute things with Jason.

“I need a drink.” Jason said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Drinking is what got you in this predicament with his daughter. You need to chill out.”

Jason looked at himself in the mirror. “I can do this,” he said aloud.

“Yes, you can,” Charlotte agreed.

Jason parked the car in front of the huge, two-story, Mediterranean-style house. He got out and went around to the passenger side and opened the door. He helped Charlotte out, then assisted her up the stairs.

She rang the doorbell. Charlotte straightened Jason's tie and patted it. “Team Char and Jason got this.”

Jason removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat off his forehead. The door opened.

“Come in. Mr. Simone is waiting for you,” a lady in a black-and-white uniform said.

Charlotte entered first, with Jason behind her.

“Just follow my lead,” Charlotte whispered, as they walked down the long hallway.

Max Simone stood in the doorway of the dining room. Standing next to him was a woman almost as tall as he was. Pearls adorned her swan-like neck. The pink, designer skirt suit she wore fit her slim but curvaceous body perfectly.

Max hugged Charlotte. “Charlotte, it's so good to see you again.”

After hugging Charlotte, he extended his hand to Jason. Jason took his hand. With a firm grip, Max shook it.

“How have you been?” Mrs. Simone asked Charlotte.

Charlotte looked down at her stomach. “I'll be much better when my little bundle arrives.”

Jason wasn't sure what to say to Mrs. Simone.

She looked at him for a few seconds before speaking. “So, you are Jason. I've heard so much about you.”

“Mrs. Simone, it's a pleasure to meet you.” Jason extended his hand.

“Boy, give me a hug. We're practically family.” Mrs. Simone hugged Jason.

Charlotte smiled.

“Lunch is ready, so let's eat, and we can discuss business over dessert,” Max said as he led them inside the dining room.

The long square dining room table sat under a pretty French chandelier. Jason helped Charlotte sit, and then he took his seat next to her.

Jason listened as Charlotte and the Simones talked throughout lunch. Every now and then he would interject with a comment.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn't want to be rude by looking at it while at the dining room table. He took a quick look at it when he lagged behind everyone else while walking to the living room.

The living room looked like it could have been profiled in
Better Homes and Gardens
. Max sat in a big leather chair and Mrs. Simone sat in another leather chair next to him.

Charlotte took a seat on the long sofa near Max, and Jason sat next to her.

Max was the first to speak. “Charlotte, you are well respected in the industry. I don't see a reason why I couldn't sign with your firm.”

“Max, I assure you, you will still get the same treatment you were accustomed to with V. Jones Management.”

Mrs. Simone said, “It's only taken him so long because him and Vincent were friends. He felt signing with another firm so soon after his death was disrespectful.”

“It's been six months now, so it's time for me to find someone to handle my business affairs.” Max looked at Charlotte and then at Jason. “Someone I can trust.”

Charlotte said, “I can assure you, at C & J Management, you will not be just a number. Either I or Jason will be handling your affairs directly.”

“I'm sure you have competent people working for you, but knowing that you or my new son-in-law will be taking care of my business needs is reassuring.”

Charlotte reached into her handbag. “All I need is your signature and we can make it all official. Jason, pen please.”

Jason reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his monogrammed silver pen. He stood up and handed it to Max.

Max took some time to read over the contract. He turned and looked at his wife, then said, “This seems identical to the one I had with Vincent. It's good, so I'm signing.”

She nodded.

All eyes were on Max as he signed the contract and handed it to Charlotte. They shook hands. Jason reached over and shook Max's hand as well.

“Welcome to C & J Management. A press release will go out first thing in the morning, alerting everyone of this change.”

Max looked at his wife. “Dear, can you have Heidi bring us a bottle of champagne?”

Charlotte rubbed her stomach.

Mrs. Simone said, “I will make sure to bring juice for you.”

“Thanks.” Charlotte smiled.

After celebrating the new business agreement, Max said, “Jason, can I see you alone for a minute? There's something I need to speak with you about. I'm sure my baby will keep Charlotte busy with baby talk.”

Jason's face must have showed his nervousness. Mrs. Simone said, “He doesn't bite. If he does, scream and I'll come to your rescue.”

Everyone laughed but Jason.