Page 5 of Stealing the Star Stone
On the massive screen mounted to the wall, a perfectly coiffed Graham was in crisp focus.“Good.You ready for the premiere?Found a date?Emphasis on singular.”He arched a gray brow.“Let’s not repeat the last debacle.”
Eli grunted, although, said debacle had been fun.
“Galactic Studios wants you for another space western, if you’re up for it.”Graham chuckled.“If your ass has recovered.”
That hadn’t been his first…rodeo.Except hours, days, spent in the saddle had hardened him beyond the physical.“How soon?”he asked.
“In about two months.I told them you needed a breather.”
Eli smiled.“And that’s why I pay you an exorbitant salary.”
“You…seem different,” Graham said, his tone speculative.
Eli shrugged.“Just got in from cloud-surfing.”And blowing up stray ships.How could she get away with that?Surely some owner would be up in arms?And to state it was drone-operated without checking first?That woman was reckless, fearless…
He fucking loved that.
“Did you record it?”Graham frowned.“Publicity matters,” he said like a long-suffering father.
“Nope.Was having too good of a time.”Eli’s heart whispered it was the company, but being snapped at, glared at, and treated like a child… The latter had sucked, but the rest he hadn’t minded.For once a woman wasn’t swooning over him, telling him how handsome and rich he was.Some tried the ‘you’re such a good actor’ angle.With Nova, he got the sense her hatred was genuine and not a trick to get between his sheets.
His cock hardened at the thought of her beneath him.
Shifting in the chair, he angled his groin away from the screen.He didn’t need another lecture on abstinence and how amazing it was for the soul.If Graham wanted to be a monk, that was his choice.For Eli, orgasms were a mini-escape from reality.He could pretend he wasn’t stuck on a cruiser heading to yet another premiere.If he could skip those, he would.
It’s part of the job, Graham would say.
Been to one, been to them all.Eli learned nothing new except how to waste hours of his life.Sure, his fellow actors made fools of themselves.That was mildly entertaining, but again, nothing new.
He quieted.Now if he could get Nova to be his plus-one…
“You can work miracles, right, Graham?”
The older man narrowed his eyes.“What do you want now?”
“There’s a certain pilot on this ship who hates my guts.I want her to be my date.”Eli chuckled.Oh, she was so going to love this.Pity he couldn’t be there when she was ordered to do it.
“No way, Eli.That’s just going to lead to more shenanigans.I’m still recovering from your last mess.”
“Except for a reel of me getting champagne thrown in my face or my shin kicked, I don’t think it will bethatbad.”
Her flushed cheeks, those amber eyes spitting venom at him, her breasts heaving with each ragged breath… Hell, he couldn’t wait.“Do this for me, and we won’t have to delay Galactic Studios.”
Graham’s eyebrows shot up.“Wow.I’ve never seen you this…interested.Why her?”
“She’s amusing,” he said.
Her muttered, “How useless can you be?”had been the final nail in the proverbial coffin.Here she thought him spoilt, coddled, his ego the size of this ship, no doubt.
But how could he change her opinion of him?Drowning her in gifts might earn him a slap.His breath lodged in his chest.He was tempted to order a shit ton of goodies just for her reaction alone.
“All expenses paid, of course.I can’t have her looking less than perfect.”His mind went there, conjuring images of her in a skintight gown, a slit exposing her toes to her thigh, her hair unbound… Fuck, he salivated just at the thought of seeing her curviness celebrated.
“Make it happen,” he said, his voice hoarse.“Promise anything.”
“Whoa, now wait a minute.”Graham jerked back.“Getting women for you isn’t in my job spec.”
Eli met his gaze.“You forget who you’re talking to.”
