The Mogul (3 page)

“Do you like this one too?” he asked.

“Yes, but I don’t want to try on any more.”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

She glanced at Helga, who got the hint and wandered off. “I’m really not comfortable with you buying me all this expensive stuff. It makes me feel like you’re expecting something sexual in return.”

He grinned and shook his head. “If you got a job at McDonald’s or
Disneyland
, they’d not only require you to wear a uniform but they’d give it to you, right?”

“What’s that got to do with―”

“Let me finish. You’re about to enter the world of the rich and famous. These are very shallow people. Money is king. If you don’t look like them, they won’t talk to you, and I need them to be comfortable with you. Consider these dresses to be your uniform for tonight and future parties. That’s all this is. Don’t get too freaked out over it.”

“Well the way you’ve been looking at me is a little unnerving.”

“I’m sorry. You’re a very beautiful woman, Candy. Surely men have told you that before. I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel uncomfortable.”

“That’s okay. Are we done here?”

“Yeah.” He gestured at Helga that they were going to take the two dresses.

Candace still wasn’t sure if she should have taken this job. But she went into the dressing room and changed back into her normal clothes without saying another word.

Chapter Four

The party was held at a mega-mansion in the Hollywood Hills. Candace had seen houses like this on TV and the Internet, but nothing could have prepared her for the opulent display of money. Everything in the house, from the furniture to the wall decor, was designer and must have cost a fortune. She forced herself not to gape at the imported Italian marble floor as they walked in.

A woman’s surprised scream startled her. The yeller was a middle-aged woman who looked like she’d had one plastic surgery too many. Her pretty face looked manufactured with the skin pulled a little too tight. She wore a gorgeous red gown and rushed toward her and Mark as if they’d come in holding gold bars from
Fort
Knox
.

She threw herself into Mark’s arms, and they hugged. He pulled back and smiled at Candace. “This is Judy McCormick. You might remember her from TV. She had a few recurring roles on a few popular series in the eighties.”

Candace didn’t remember her at
all
,
but she played along to be nice. She shook the woman’s hand. “Oh sure, I remember seeing you. You were very good.”

“This is my new assistant, Candace Wilson,” Mark said. His hawkish gaze was already scanning the guests. She had no idea why.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Candace,” the woman said. Then she screamed again and rushed at the new arrivals.

Mark took her arm and led her to a dark corner. “I’ve got a script for a new film, and I need to get some names to star in it. I’d like for you to mingle and make as many friends as you can. Do you think you can do that?”

Candace blinked, trying to figure out how she was going to talk to people she didn’t know.
I really need this job. I can do this.
“Sure, no problem.”

Mark wandered off and blended into the crowd.

She scanned the room full of beautiful guests and felt very out of place. What was she going to say to these people? Taking this job now seemed like a colossal mistake. But then she remembered her rent was coming due in less than two weeks. The two hundred dollars in her bank account wasn’t going to come close to covering it. She had to make this work until she could find something else.

Well, if I’m going to succeed at this, I certainly need a drink.
She went to the bar, where no fewer than three bartenders were busy mixing expensive booze. She toyed with getting vodka, but then thought the better of it. Instead she ordered a glass of wine, downed it quickly, and then got a refill.

A small group was standing nearby. One was an older black woman who Candace recognized immediately as the famous soul singer Esther Rose. The other three she vaguely knew as an up-and-coming rap star and two B-movie actresses.
Might as well start here.

She put on her warmest smile and approached them. “Hi, my name is Candace Wilson. I’m Mark Grant’s new assistant.”

Everyone looked at her like she had just tracked poop in on the bottom of her shoe.

“Mmm hmm,” Esther voiced as she eyed Candace up and down.

Candace wasn’t about to be shut down this early in the game. “I recognized you right away. You’re Esther Rose, aren’t you? I have all of your records.”

Esther looked skeptical. “You do, huh? Which one is your favorite?”

“Probably
Springtime Love in Atlanta
,
but I also loved
Blues Woman Sings Gospel.
”

The rap star laughed. He was a very handsome African-American man in a dark gray suit that seemed to shimmer in the dim lights. It reminded her of a shark’s skin. “
Springtime
was my favorite too. My name’s Dynamite Cox.”

They shook hands, and everyone seemed to relax except Esther. She glanced down her nose at Candace and walked off. The others in the group drifted off too.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Candace said to Dynamite. “Did I offend her?”

“No, she just takes some time to warm up to people. It’s hard to find a friendly face in this town.”

“Yeah, and I’m new to the entertainment scene.”

“Well then, let me introduce you around.”

Dynamite brought her around, introducing her to everyone he knew. Every chance she got, Candace did her best to make a good impression. She also handed out so many business cards for Mark she had to go to him twice to get more. He seemed pleased and started handing her a small stack every time they ran into each other.

The party took a strange turn at three a.m., when a few of the female guests got naked and started skinny-dipping. She hadn’t had
that
much to drink. And even if she had, swimming naked at someone’s house she didn’t know was not her style.

Candace was on the couch in the living room rubbing the ache out of her feet when Mark found her. “Ready to go?”

“Whew, yeah.”

They were walking out when Judy came running up behind them from the pool area. “Mark? Are you leaving already?”

Candace and Mark turned around. Judy was naked and wet save for a white towel draped carelessly over her shoulders. She had the body of a thirty-year-old, which looked weird next to her late-forties face. Candace averted her gaze.

Mark smiled. It was smooth, cool, detached. He was done with both Judy and her party. “It’s late, baby. I’ve got to get up early in the morning. Thanks for inviting Candy and me.”

“Do you think you can find me a picture, Marky? I’d even settle for a TV spot. Maybe you could book me for a guest appearance on a talk show? It’s all good. You know me, honey. I’m not picky,” she said.

“I’ll tell you what.” He handed her a card. “You give the office a call and talk to Candace. She’ll see if she can find you something, okay, sweetheart?”

I will? Oh yeah, sure, I have all kinds of film connections.

Judy nodded. She grabbed Candace’s hand and pumped it, and Candace almost lost her balance and fell to the floor. It was more than uncomfortable. She guessed Judy had a few too many.

“I look forward to talking to you soon, Candace.”

Candace forced a smile and focused on maintaining her equilibrium.

In the car, she turned to Mark. “How am I going to find her a film role? I don’t have any connections like that.”

“You’ll find her a spot the same way you worked the crowd tonight. You’re going to make friends and call in favors.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “By the way, you did great tonight, thank you.”

Excitement filled her at their connection. She was tongue-tied for a moment. “You’re welcome.”

“Do you mind if we just go back to my house to sleep? It’s late, and I have an outstanding spare bedroom for you.”

Candace was so tired she didn’t care if she slept in a concrete drainpipe. “Sure, that will be fine.”

Chapter Five

Not surprisingly, Candy fell asleep in the car on the way home. Mark watched her as she slept, fascinated by the sensuousness of her full lips and the grace of her oval face. She reminded him of a sleeping princess from a fairy tale. Her dark skin was achingly beautiful and radiant. He longed to reach out and touch the buxom area around the top of her breasts. His lips and tongue could almost taste the sweetness of her mouth and the joy of roaming the landscape of her body.

She stirred for a moment, then nestled back into the seat cushion with a private smile. She should be pleased, he mused. She had done a very good job tonight.

They pulled into his circular driveway, and the driver came around to open the door. He reached down to wake Candy, but Mark shook his head. “I’ll carry her in.”

Mark slipped his arms along Candy’s slim back and under her shapely legs. He lifted her out of the car as gently as he could so he wouldn’t wake her. The driver rushed ahead and punched the electronic code into the front door, and it opened on its own.

“Thank you, Paul,” Mark whispered. “You have a nice evening. I’ll text you tomorrow if I plan to go out.”

The driver nodded, waited for the front door to close, and drove off.

They were finally alone.

He carried her into his bedroom and laid her on the bed. Now he had a new dilemma. Did he dare get her out of that evening gown and into something more suited to sleeping? He decided to chance it.

Mark dug out some loose-fitting boxer shorts with puppies on them and a T-shirt. He came over to Candy and stared at her. Every part of him wanted her. He imagined her waking up and slipping out of her dress, beckoning him to make love to her. Taking a deep breath, he pulled himself together. Then he began to strip her.

He eased Candy onto her side and found the top of the zipper. As slowly as he could, he slid the zipper down her lovely back. Inch by inch he went until the zipper reached its end at the top of her buttocks. He slipped one arm around her, in between her dress and her flesh, and peeled it off her. Underneath she wore fuchsia bra and panties. They were made from silk and topped with delicate lace. She wasn’t wearing any pantyhose. The generous swell of her breasts made him stare a lot longer than he’d intended to.

He hesitated before putting the T-shirt on her. It seemed a shame to cover up such a stunning woman. Then it occurred to him she might be even more comfortable if he took her bra off, but quickly dismissed it. Not only would he have a hell of a time explaining that, but he didn’t know if he could keep his hands off her if he did.

Mark sat her up and slipped the T-shirt over her head. He pulled it down and was suddenly met by her stunning brown-eyed gaze.

She gave him a drunken seductive grin. “Aren’t you supposed to be taking my clothes off instead of putting them on?”

His heart thundered in his chest, and his cock hardened even more. “I’m just trying to make you more comfortable.”

“I think I had a little too much to drink tonight.”

“That’s okay, Candy. I wanted you to be relaxed and have a good time.”

She squirmed under him and lifted up her shirt. “Did you see my pink bra? Isn’t it pretty?”