“Well. For now I need a job. Helene said she would make up a job for me and put me on her and Ignacio’s in-house staff payroll for a year.”
“That sounds great.”
“It was very kind of her, but I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“’Cause I don’t want it to impact our friendship. What if I—”
“What? What if you take advantage of Helene’s kindness? Try and sleep with Ignacio? Sell stories about them to the tabloids?”
“Yeah, you know me.”
“Exactly. You wouldn’t do that to Helene ’cause you’re actually a good person and you’re a good friend. Someone tried to hurt you and me, and you didn’t try and scramble and point fingers, you’re sitting here thinking about my family and how they are handling this. You’re not Dru. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world—”
“Don’t tell Twitter that.”
“Actually . . .”
“Actually what?” Amanda asked as Sam pulled his phone out of his back pocket.
“I have a little something to show you. While Twitter is a garbage heap of a garbage fire, I found that you and I have a solid number of people who support our undeniable love.” Sam made a dramatic show of clearing his throat. “‘Starting the Protect Amanda McQueen at All Cost prayer circle. Who’s with me?’ There are four hundred responses, about ninety-eight percent positive.”
“What about the other two percent.”
“Bots. Russian bots. I’m sure of it, but wait. There’s more. ‘Wow. I didn’t know who Sam Pleasant was until about twenty minutes ago, but he’s fine and he clearly has taste.’ There’s a picture of us both. Several people agree with this assessment. There are more tweets about you crushing people with your ample thighs, but some of them were a little much and then I started getting jealous.”
“That’s so sweet,” Amanda laughed.
“Oh, there’s more. ‘Um, Amanda McQueen is stunning. Can you say cheekbones? Yas, bitch. Get your man.’ There are a lot of tweets making it clear that I am the type of man people think you should have.”
“I guess the Internet isn’t all bad.”
“It’s not.” He took a deep breath. “This is life now, Cha-Cha. For all of us. People have their opinions and twenty-four hours to just spew them out into the ether, but that doesn’t change the way I feel about you and I hope it doesn’t change the way you feel about me.”
“It does though.”
Sam’s eyebrows shot up as his chest sank. “Oh yeah? Okay.”
“This all felt too good to be true from the very beginning. A nobody assistant dating an Oscar winner—”
“Nah, that’s not gonna work.”
“Oh.”
“You’re more than just your job. We’re not going to sit here and act like you’re less-than ’cause your career isn’t going the way you thought it would. Remember when we were sitting at my grandmother’s table and you were telling me how lucky I am to take risks because I have this amazing safety net?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, you know what I’m looking at right now? The catch of the day.”
“What?” Amanda burst out laughing. “That doesn’t make one damn lick of sense.”
“I know. It sounded way better in my head. I know you don’t want to lean on me and Helene, but I’m saying this right now, not as the man who is going to dick up and down as soon as we finish this conversation, but as someone who genuinely cares about you as a friend and respects you as a writer. And . . . I read your Banker Down spec.”
“Oh God.”
“Nah, oh God. It was good! And I’m saying that as a huge fan of the show and someone who reads a lot of scripts. It’s damn good. So, Ms. McQueen. You have this net. You have the support. What are your dreams and how do we help you achieve them?”
Amanda took a deep breath and looked back at Sam’s painfully handsome face. They’d already shared so much in such a short time. She could be honest with him. She could tell him what was really in her heart and at the top of her career bucketlist.
“I want to show-run a sci-fi series with no less than four seasons on HBO and figure out who we need to bribe to make sure it’s an Emmy winner, every time.”
“Four seasons on HBO and an Emmys sweep. Got it. What else?” Sam asked.
“Well, I think I need to work something out with Helene’s glam squad. If I’m gonna be photographed with you I need a perfect five minutes face.” Amanda paused for a moment before she reached over and took Sam’s hand. She missed his smooth skin and his warm touch. She didn’t want to go any longer without either in her life. “I don’t want to hide anymore. Not behind Dru, not behind any job or this notion that there is no part of any spotlight for me. I have no desire to be out in front, but I want to be with you. By your side.”
“I want all of that for you. I want to help make it happen if you’ll let me.”
Amanda couldn’t speak. She’d had her parents and Helene, but it was really something to have Sam on her side. A nod of agreement would have to do. Sam moved closer, pushing his leg under hers on the couch. Amanda almost gasped as his warm fingers spread out over her thigh. She couldn’t wait any longer. She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his, then again and once more until he kissed her back. His arm came around her waist and Amanda let herself lean back against the cushion, far enough for Sam to climb over her. She sighed into his mouth as he settled his weight between her hips, letting her feel every inch of his growing erection against the fabric of her jeans. Amanda broke the kiss before her body took over and she started rubbing herself along his length in a shameless display of the need fighting to get out.
She looked at him,
