Damage Control (The Hollywood Series Book 2) by Jae Read Free Book Online Page A

“Why what?”
    Lauren wanted to tell her to drop the innocent act, but she bit her lip and forced herself to stay calm and professional. “Why fire me?”
    “What?”
    “Why fire me?” Lauren repeated. “I mean, if you think I didn’t do a good job handling your publicity, it’s your right to look for another PR consultant, but it’s only been a week. You didn’t even give me a chance to prove myself.”
    Grace screwed the cap back on the bottle with jerky movements and put the bottle down on the table. “I didn’t fire you.”
    “I know. Your mother did.” Same difference.
    “I didn’t tell her to do that. I didn’t even know, and I certainly don’t approve. Consider yourself hired back.”
    Lauren blinked. This situation was giving her emotional whiplash. “Just like that? Then why fire me in the first place?”
    “I didn’t fire you,” Grace repeated with a hint of exasperation. “My mother just…” She sighed. “She probably thought she was acting in my best interest.”
    Anger churned inside of Lauren like the bubbling La Brea Tar Pits. She struggled to keep her voice down. “How is firing me in your best interest?”
    “It’s probably not. She just thought…” Grace averted her gaze and stared down at the city below them.
    “Thought what?”
    Grace continued to study LA’s skyline.
    “Thought what?” Lauren repeated with a little more force behind it.
    Slowly, Grace turned her head until her disturbingly blue eyes met Lauren’s. “She…we…thought… We were wondering if it’s such a good idea to let myself be represented by a gay publicist.”
    Lauren stiffened. Of course, she had faced discrimination once or twice in her life, but, usually, her sexual orientation was no big deal for her clients. She hadn’t thought that the friendly, approachable Grace would care one way or another. You should know better by now. Nothing is real in this town. It’s all just an illusion.
    “Whatever you think of my competency as a publicist,” Lauren said, carefully modulating her volume, “I want to make one thing crystal clear: I’m not in the habit of making passes at straight women, especially not straight women who are clients of mine.” Just the opposite. She’d just been put on probation for rejecting the advances of a supposedly straight female client who’d made a drunken pass at her.
    Grace shook her head, making her blonde hair fly. “I’m not implying that you would. Really.” She reached across the table and touched Lauren’s arm.
    When Lauren stared down at the warm hand on her forearm, Grace quickly pulled her fingers away.
    “Personally, I couldn’t care less whether you’re gay, straight, bi, or sleeping with your dog.”
    Lauren made a face. “Nice comparison.”
    “I didn’t mean it like that.” Grace rubbed her face and then peeked up through her fingers. “I’m really making a mess of this, aren’t I?”
    The sheepish expression on her face almost made Lauren smile. Oh, no, don’t let that pretty face fool you. You’re angry with her, remember? “Yeah, I’m afraid you are.”
    Grace sighed. “That article in Tinseltown Talk has really made me a bit paranoid. When I saw you…”
    “Saw me?” Lauren frowned. “Saw me doing what?”
    Grace nibbled on her lip.
    “If you want me to continue as your publicist, we need to learn to be completely honest with each other.”
    Staring at the bottle on the table, Grace said, “You suggested that it might be a good idea for me to be seen with Nick, so I went to El Niu on Saturday to have dinner with him.”
    Lauren connected the dots in one point five seconds. Grace had seen her with Peyton, had probably seen them kiss good-bye. “Oh.” Damn. Sometimes, even a city the size of Los Angeles was too small. Lauren wasn’t ashamed that Grace had seen her kiss another woman, but she liked to keep work and her private life separate.
    For a moment, they were both silent. The pumps in the pool came on,