His skin—warmed by the sun that seemed to shine a little brighter in Southern California—transferred some of the heat to her palm when she placed her hand on his muscular forearm. “I’m not looking for the same old experience. I’m looking for… you.”
With that, Riley craned her neck and planted her lips softly on Briggs’s stubble-covered cheek, liking the slight tickling sensation that greeted her lips.
She wasn’t sure, but it seemed as if Briggs was shocked.
He wasn’t alone. Despite being an up-and-coming Hollywood starlet, Riley wasn’t overly flirtatious or forward. In fact, she was usually kind of shy.
But things just seemed… different… with Briggs.
“Hey, Riley, you ready?” Harrison asked as he approached.
Snapping out of the magical moment, she looked at Briggs and explained, “Harrison and I talked this morning about some stuff going on. There’s more to the story than just last night. Do you want to come in and hear it?”
“I most certainly do,” he said.
Riley reached for his hand as they walked toward the mansion, but Briggs was already taking the lead and grabbing hers.
It felt good as his giant hand swallowed hers.
So, so good.
Chapter Fifteen
Athena, Trevon, Riley, Harrison, and Stryker were all gathered in the den, along with Briggs.
Unlike most of the others who made use of the furniture, Briggs stood, not wanting to transfer any paint from his clothes to the posh leather seating.
Harrison was standing, too, and had taken point on the informal meeting after Riley had explained her situation in more detail.
“So, y’all heard what she said,” Harrison started. “The situation isn’t good. Rita Gregory has a reputation for being one of the most ruthless agents in Hollywood. She used to rep some pretty big names, but a financial scandal stole some of her momentum.”
“I didn’t know about that!” Riley said.
Standing behind her, Briggs put his hands on Riley’s shoulders. He could feel her relax. Looking up at him, she smiled, before returning her attention back to Harrison.
“It all went down before you got to town. Even before I got here. But I heard rumors. After what you told me this morning, I made some calls and confirmed that it was her.”
“She sounds like a real peach,” Athena said.
“Uh-huh,” Harrison replied. “Apparently, she’d conned a couple of aging actors into signing with her. The contract was shady and basically it gave her most of their estates when they passed away.”
Trevon shook his head. “I didn’t need anything else to make me dislike this woman. But there you went and gave me something.”
Harrison looked apologetic as he nodded. “I’m afraid it gets worse for Riley.” Looking at the actress, he explained, “I made some other calls and was able to get a copy of your contract that’s on file. She’s got you locked up tight. For example, did you know that when you die, she has estate rights?”
“What?” Riley shot up so fast that Briggs had to jerk his hands away from her shoulders.
“That’s not fair! I never gave her those!”
“I’m not blaming you. But she worked that language into it. And you signed it,” Harrison said. “I’m sorry, Riley.”
With a groan, Riley sank back onto the couch and slumped forward, burying her face in her hands.
Sitting next to her, Athena draped an arm around her shoulders.
Briggs wished there was something he could do. The fact that this awful person had so much power over Riley had his blood boiling. A good part of him wanted to find her and read her the riot act. But he knew flying off the handle wouldn’t accomplish anything and might actually make things worse for Riley.
The best thing he could do right now was keep a calm head and listen.
