Secret Gifts (Steamy Version) (3 page)

“Are you listening to me?”

Gage rolled his eyes. “Of course,” he said.

“Good. Because I don’t think you realize how serious things are. The producers of
Tumbleweed
are not impressed. If you pull another stunt like the other night, they’re going to kill off your character before the show even airs. Do you know what that means?”

He did know what it meant. It meant he’d be kissing goodbye to the best role he’d ever had.

“Yes,” he said.

“Then cut it out, Gage.” His manager and friend raised his voice. Gage knew Lucas was frustrated with him; hell, he was frustrated with himself. “Stop screwing it up. All you have to do is stay out of trouble for a few weeks. Do you think you can do that?”

Gage nodded. He could, if that was what he wanted. “I can,” he said after a moment. “But you’re sending me a babysitter to make sure I do, is that right?”

“The agency insisted,” Lucas said. “And I don’t think it’s a bad idea.” The other man sighed. “Look, Gage. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but take this time and figure it out, okay? Do not sabotage everything you’ve worked for.”

Sabotage? Gage had never had anyone come right out and put a name on what it was he was doing. And Lucas probably didn’t even realize how close to the truth he’d come.

“Fine,” he agreed. “I’ll lie low.”

Megan barely had time to hastily throw some clothes in a bag before getting to the airport. She had no idea if what she was packing would be appropriate for a mountain lodge, not that she’d ever been to a lodge before, but it would have to do.

She’d spent the flight going over Gage Mitchell’s file, not that she needed to. There wasn’t a whole lot more in the agency file that wasn’t already plastered all over the news. The press had eaten up his meteoric rise to fame. Small-town boy turned superstar overnight. And he seemed to love the attention. Everywhere Gage Mitchell went, there was a party that followed, complete with gorgeous women hanging off his every word and keeping his bed warm.

Megan didn’t even bother pulling out the file again in the car on the way up to the Lodge. Gage Mitchell was a cliché. Party boy celebrity with more money and fame than he knew what to do with. She rolled her eyes and leaned her head back on the seat. It was clients like Gage that made Megan glad she usually handled authors and musicians. Even the rowdiest of her usual clients weren’t anything like Gage Mitchell. Which is why it was more than a little curious that Lois had selected her to handle the situation.

She looked out the window at the mountains that towered over the highway. The sun had almost set behind them, casting a golden glow over the trees. Soon, it would be totally dark. Megan knew exactly why she’d been selected for the job, and it had more to do with her social life than her skills. A lot more.

Her cell phone rang as the car pulled up in the circular drive of the Lodge.

“Megan Powers?” The male voice came over the line. “This is Lucas Stevens. I’m Gage Mitchell’s manager.”

“Hello, I’ve been expecting your call.” She’d actually expected it hours ago. “I’m assuming you’re going to tell me why I’m being sent to keep your boy out of trouble.”

“Ms. Powers, we hired your agency to repair the damage that’s been done with Gage’s reputation. And I trust you’ll be able to keep the situation under control before the premiere.”

Megan stepped out of the car and nodded a thank-you to the driver. “I’ll do my best,” she said into the phone. The door was held open for her, and Megan stepped into the main building of the Lodge.

She barely heard what Lucas was saying in her ear as she took in the majestic room. It was breathtaking and unlike anything she’d seen in LA.

“All you have to do is make sure he stays out of trouble,” Lucas was saying.

A woman behind the desk waved Megan over and she tried to focus on the conversation as she walked. “He’s a grown man, Mr. Stevens.”

“Please,” he said. “Call me Lucas.” Megan mouthed a hello to the woman behind the desk and pointed to her phone in apology. The woman, whose name was Carmen according to her name tag, smiled and brushed it off.

“Lucas,” she said with a smile of gratitude to Carmen. “Your client is a grown man and he is going to need to—“

“Let me handle what Gage needs to do,” Lucas interrupted. “You just focus on doing your job, Ms. Powers.”

Carmen handed her a keycard and a map. She circled a villa and highlighted the path Megan would need to take.

“Thank you,” Megan mouthed.

A bellboy appeared with her bags and Megan followed him out.

“Look, Lucas,” she said, as she walked down the path. “I’m sure there won’t be any trouble.

“Well,” he said, his voice laced with uncertainty. “I hope you’re right. And when I talked to Gage earlier today, he did promise me he’d lie low.”

The bellboy led Megan down a small path where, according to her map, there were villas that branched off the main trail. “I’m glad to hear it,” she said into the phone. “I’m just arriving, so I’ll be in touch.”

She disconnected the call as the bellboy stopped in front of the villa she presumed was her final destination. Music pulsed from behind the walls and Megan could hear female giggles coming from inside. “Perfect,” she said. “This must be it.”

The bellboy nodded and used her key in the lock. As soon as the door swung open, the full volume of the music hit her and a waft of smoke assaulted her.

“So this is lying low,” Megan muttered.

“After you,” the bellboy said.

After five years in the business, dealing with celebrities of all kinds, not much shocked Megan, and she wasn’t surprised to find that her first impression of Gage Mitchell was of him reclined in an easy chair with a blond woman straddling his lap, feeding him a drink.

“Thank-you,” Megan said to the bellboy. She handed him a larger than necessary tip. “Before you go, could you please take the young lady with you?”

He glanced over at the woman, who still hadn’t noticed their presence and down to the cash in his hand. His eyes grew wide and he nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Absolutely.”

Megan led the way over to the easy chair where Gage Mitchell was sitting, eyes half closed with drink, while the woman danced on his lap in time to the music that was pounding through the speakers. Fortunately, everyone was still clothed. After reading through the file and hearing the stories about Gage, Megan wouldn’t have been surprised if they weren’t.

“Good evening, Mr. Mitchell,” Megan said with as much authority as she could manage over the loud music. Spotting the remote, she clicked off the stereo and silence filled the room. The blond girl flipped her head around, venom in her eyes as she stared at the interruption.

“Lisa?” The bellboy’s mouth fell open.

“Oh, good,” Megan said, “You know each other.“ She nodded her head and the boy stepped forward. “She can go,” Megan said.

“What?” The blond girl, whose name apparently was Lisa jumped to her feet and crossed her arms indignantly over her chest. “I’m not going anywhere and, Bobby, you can just forget about—“

“Oh, it’s time for you to go, Lisa, was it?”

The blond swung her head around and glared at Megan. “I don’t—“

“My client is tired,” Megan said. She looked towards Gage, who was still reclining, watching the show with a smirk on his face. His very handsome face, Megan had to admit, although she’d never say it out loud. “Mr. Mitchell.” Megan extended her hand. “Megan Powers. I’ve been…assigned to—“

“Babysit me,” he finished for her. It was the first thing he’d said, and Megan was struck by how similar his voice was to the character he played on the big screen, which was ridiculous. Thankfully she had her game face on, and wasn’t affected by the rich sexiness of it.

“I wouldn’t call it that,” Megan said. “But I—“

“Then leave him alone,” Lisa jumped into the conversation. “Because we were—“

“Just leaving.” Bobby the bellboy spoke up. “Come on, Lisa. Carmen will be pissed if she hears about this.” He shot a look in Megan’s direction, and she tried her best to look very serious, and very intimidating.

Lisa looked like she was going to protest. She opened her mouth and closed it again and finally with a huff, grabbed her purse and marched to the door. “I’ll see you later, Gage,” she said. “You know where to find me.”

He moved to get up from his chair, but with one look from Megan, he dropped back down. The last thing she needed was for Gage to do something stupid like kiss the blond groupie goodbye or promise her something more. It would definitely make her job easier if there was a clean break.

“Thanks for the drinks, umm…” He raised his arm in a semblance of a wave.

“Lisa,” Megan provided.

“I knew that,” he said with a grin. Gage faced the blond and blew her a kiss. “Thank you, Lisa.” He emphasized her name and wiggled his eyebrows in Megan’s direction. “It was real.”

Lisa swooned a little, obviously totally unconcerned with the fact that the man she was throwing herself at could barely remember her name, and judging from the smell of him and the pile of empty bottles, probably couldn’t remember his own. Bobby dragged her out the door and when it closed, she turned towards her client, whose eyes had once again resumed their half-lidded state.

“It was real?” she repeated. “Who says that?”

Gage smiled at her and despite the fact that he was clearly liquored, his smile was intoxicating, and Megan could easily see what had earned him mega-star status. It didn’t matter how good your acting was when you were as good-looking as Gage Mitchell. The problem was, he knew it. And Megan had spent enough time around celebrities of all kinds to know that once they knew how attractive they were, there was a direct correlation with how big their egos were. Which is why Megan made it a policy to never date anyone even remotely famous.

“I say it,” he said after a moment. Megan was beginning to think he’d passed out. “So, you’re my new babysitter.” Gage sat up in his chair, and looked at her with suddenly very alert eyes.

“I’m not a babysitter,” she said. “But yes, I’m from the Grace Agency and it’s my job to make sure you stay out of trouble.”

“A babysitter.”

“If you insist on calling it that,” she said, “then maybe you should stop and ask yourself why it is a grown man such as yourself would need a babysitter.” She stared him down, not breaking contact with his smoldering eyes despite the fact they were causing her body to react in ways she hadn’t felt in a long time, and definitely did not want to feel at the moment. Especially with Gage Mitchell. His eyes were so dark they were almost black.

“Touché,” he said after a moment. “But if you were to ask me.” He stretched his arms up before crossing them behind his head. “And nobody ever seems to.” He paused and looked at her until she softened her stance. “Well, I’d tell you I don’t need a babysitter. I’m doing just fine on my own, thank you very much.”

Megan sighed and went to the sink to get him a glass of water. She handed it to him and sank into the couch across from him. “So you think you’re doing just fine? All the drinking, partying, and women…that’s just fine to you?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t it be fine with you? If you were a guy, of course. But then again, maybe—“

“No,” she said, stopping any further discussion. “It wouldn’t be okay with me. In fact, your lifestyle—” Megan stopped herself a moment before saying too much. “And I’m not a guy, so it’s a moot point.”

“Moot?” His eyes sparkled with laughter and even Megan had to smile. “You really shouldn’t take yourself so seriously.”

“Okay,” she said. “But either way, the party’s over.”

“But it’s just beginning,” he said. His voice was incredibly sexy, which not only surprised Megan, but disturbed her too. He stood up and before she realized what he was doing, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down to his lap.

“Mr. Mitchell!”

“Gage.”

“Gage,” she corrected herself and swatted at his arms. “Let me go. This isn’t—“

His strong arms easily turned her so she was facing him. Only inches from her, his breath was hot on her face and his nearness sparked something in Megan low in her belly she hadn’t felt in far too long.

“It isn’t what?” he whispered and held her gaze. His proximity was intoxicating and completely unprofessional, but Megan couldn’t seem to pull away. She breathed deeply. He smelled of a musky cologne, raw maleness and…alcohol.

Megan sighed and tried to wiggle her arms from his grasp, but Gage pulled her close and before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers in a persistent but gentle kiss.

It took a few seconds for her brain to process what was happening and exactly why it shouldn’t be happening, but as soon as the connection was made, Megan pushed him away and hopped up from his lap.

“Mr. Mitchell.” She wiped at her lips, and even as she did it, longed for the taste of him again. “That’s absolutely unacceptable.” She forced herself to sound as official as she could manage, and hoped he couldn’t hear the waver in her voice.

“I told you to call me Gage,” he said. He reclined in the chair again, and tucked his hands behind his head. He didn’t appear to be remorseful or embarrassed in the least, which is probably because he was used to women throwing themselves at him.

Megan straightened her shirt and smoothed her hair back.

“I think it’s time you went to bed,” she said in her best “I mean business” voice. “Alone.” She headed off any more innuendo.

Surprising her, Gage pushed up from the chair and sauntered across the room. He only swayed a little, but by the amount of empties on the table, he’d have a headache in the morning. Before he left the room, he turned and winked. “Sweet dreams, darlin’. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Despite the slight slur, his voice was steeped in sexiness, and Megan swallowed hard. No, she would not be one of his tabloid conquests. Especially since her job was on the line.

Gage was used to the headache that greeted him the next morning when he finally opened his eyes. What he was not used to was the twisted feeling in his stomach he wished he could attribute to the alcohol from the night before. He rolled over and the memories of what he’d done flashed through his mind. There was a woman. A blond. Yes. But there was another woman, too.