Damage Control

Published by: eXtasy Books

ISBN :0000623

Page :26

Word Count :6392

Publication Date :2012-04-12

Series : #

Heat Level :

Available Formats : Damage Control (pdf) , Damage Control (prc) , Damage Control (epub) , Damage Control (mobi)

Category : Contemporary Romance , Erotic Romance

Product Code: 0000623

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You can't help with whom you fall in love, the heart's not that easy.

Beautiful young college students Kimberly Burton and Jacqueline Logan discover that making it in Hollywood—even off stage—is a lot more doable when your roommate is also your best friend. Sometimes more, and it's okay if she is. Love is always okay. More often, it's sublime.

Middle of July, Wednesday night, 11:23 PM in Hollywood―renovated art-deco apartment building at the intersection of Vine St. and Sunset Blvd.

Normal nighttime sounds outside: car engines, honking, footsteps and voices. Mariachi music in the background, mingling with hip-hop from other speakers in other windows, punk rock from the rundown theatre next door―open mic night, and Assassin Nation on stage.

Kim studied the problems in her statistics book while serenaded by the discord, watched her rented DVDs before they were due back at the automated supermarket kiosk the next day, and talked to her roommate on her cell phone―all at the same time.

Kim was quite talented in that way.

And Jacqueline was quite upset.

“You shouldn’t talk on the phone while driving, Jackie,” Kim chided as she hit the pause button and absently sipped from a teacup that was already empty. “Remember the new law? You’ll get a ticket.”

“I don’t give a fuck about the new law, it’s not new anymore, and no one follows it anyway,” Jacqueline replied in an exasperated tone, her uncharacteristic profanity and lawlessness definite proof that she had endured yet another date from Hell.

“Just how bad was it?” Kim asked, her voice soothing and calm―and a little guilty, since she had been the one to set Jackie up.

Like many roommates, Kimberly Burton and Jacqueline Logan had started off as polite and cooperative strangers, but over the next two years had gradually become best friends. Living in Hollywood, having a best friend proved helpful, for all the usual reasons, but especially when every other date―or more accurately, ninety-nine percent of all dates―turned for the worse during dinner and became utterly disastrous as the inevitable goodnight kiss approached.

A best friend was a shoulder to cry on whenever one needed it, sometimes, a bit more than that.

“We didn’t even get halfway through dinner before he started talking about how he wants to make me a star,” Jacqueline scoffed. “The guy works at a fucking record store as a cashier and he starts playing the I’m-a-producer card. Twenty-four year old producer―yeah, okay, honey. And as for the movie, I don’t want to talk about it―his fingerprints are still on me.”

“Okay, you and the F-word are obviously in bed together right now, naughty girl.” Kim laughed, trying to lighten Jacqueline’s mood but feeling guilty afterward. “I’m sorry, Jacqueline.” Whenever she was serious, Kim made extra sure to pronounce her friend’s whole name properly, French accent and all. “I didn’t mean…”

“I know, baby,” Jackie sighed. “Yes, I’m okay. God, I didn’t care that he was poor, or even that he was kind of getting bald in back, I just wished he were real and not another poseur with a story. Anyway, I just want to come home. I have to make one quick stop, but I’ll be coming right after.”

“Do,” Kim replied, her wistful sigh book-ending Jackie’s with a natural fluidity that mirrored the genuineness their relationship.

“Love you,” Jackie exhaled into the phone.

“You, too,” Kim answered and then laughed. “Now hang up before some cop makes you blow him out of nailing you with a ticket.”

“Maybe I need to get nailed,” Jacqueline giggled, openly appreciating Kimberly’s efforts to cheer her up.