Hollywood's Baddest Read online

  HOLLYWOOD'S

  BADDEST

  A BAD BOY ROMANCE By..

  SUSAN WESTWOOD

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  Summary

  By day he was Hollywood's finest, but by night he was definitely Hollywood's BADDEST!

  Award winning actor Lucas Ryan definitely never left his bad boy lifestyle behind. Despite being rich beyond his wildest dreams he still managed to get himself into some very, very sticky situations.

  And it didn't get much stickier than this.

  Arrested on serious drug charges, Lucas was looking at serious jail time.

  Now one of California's best lawyers, Alexis Harper, has to do what she can to defend him even though she knows that Hollywood's favorite bad boy is virtually indefensible.

  And to make matters even more complicated, Lucas is determined to seduce his lawyer even if it might end up costing him his freedom...

  Copyright Notice

  Susan Westwood

  Hollywood's Baddest © 2016, Susan Westwood

  This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

  Contents

  Chapter1

  Chapter2

  Chapter3

  Chapter4

  Chapter5

  Chapter6

  Chapter7

  Chapter8

  Chapter9

  Chapter1

  The warm golden light of late afternoon sun glowed through the windows of the large apartment, coloring everything that it touched with a Midas hue. The illumination around the modern looking living room seemed to echo the dazzling sheen that was showing on the big flat screen television. It was turned on and tuned in to the biggest award night in Los Angeles: the Oscars.

  Two women lounged comfortably on the sofas in the room, one of them with her eyes glued to the television before them, the other paying it some attention while simultaneously going through emails on her tablet. The lady whose attention was rapt on the stars who were strolling along the red carpet in their fantastic fashions, looked as if nothing could have distracted her. Her dark brown eyes were wide and focused, and her chubby fingers were curled around the flute of a champagne glass.

  She never did anything halfway, like her sister near her, and the Oscars were no exception. Her short dark curls were styled, her makeup was carefully and artistically applied, and she was wearing a red satin formal gown that flattered her full round figure. She’d even worn red high heels to match the dress.

  “Oh my goodness! Look at that, Alexis!” she gasped in awestruck delight, pointing her tapered red nail at the screen in front of them. “Look at Meryl! She is just so glamorous. She really is. I love her so much.”

  The other woman nodded almost imperceptibly, glancing up at the television for a moment to see what the renowned actress was wearing. “I know you love her, and that love is well deserved. She’s a powerhouse,” Alexis answered. She turned her gaze toward her sister and looked at her, taking it all in. Abby was decked to the nines, from her red formal wear to the red ruby and diamond earrings in her ears and the matching necklace draped around her neck.

  “Abby, you know, if you’re going to get so dressed up for this every year, you should try actually going once, and experience it in person if you can.” Alexis thought about how much it would mean to her sister to be able to be present at the red carpet even just for one year to see all of it up close and in person. Abby rolled her eyes and swooned.

  “OH… what I wouldn’t give to do that. I would be happy for the rest of my life. Maybe one of these years!” she sighed blissfully, thinking of it as she watched more stars walking up the red carpet and being interviewed.

  Alexis turned her attention back to her work emails. She was not dressed to the nines to celebrate the Oscars. She was wearing what she had worn to her office that day. She dressed like all of the other top notch lawyers who worked at the firm. She clothed herself for the position she had, and the position that she wanted. She was in a light gray linen suit, with a white silk blouse underneath that kept her looking cool and professional. The outfit didn’t hide her lean figure or her generous feminine curves.

  Like Abby, Alexis had dark chocolate brown eyes, smooth mocha colored skin, and dark black hair, although Alexis wore her hair straight and down to her waist when it wasn’t up in a bun. She had fine delicate features; arced brows and high cheekbones, a straight nose and a gently curved chin beneath her full rounded lips. She was a natural beauty, though it wasn’t something she ever thought much about or focused on.

  Her mind was always on reaching her goals and making each one of them much more than a success. She strived always to exceed her goals in everything that she undertook, and it had gotten her far in her life. At twenty-seven she was one of the youngest attorneys at the Nolan Law Firm, and she was aware every day of just how hard she had worked and would need to keep working, to retain her lofty position there. What she wanted to do was go further up in the ranks and attain a higher position.

  Abby didn’t have the same drive that Alexis did, and she was happy to be an executive assistant at a tech corporation based there in Los Angeles where they lived. She didn’t have aspirations of doing any better than she was; she was happy with what she had and it suited her just fine, but Alexis was not going to settle for the status quo. She wanted more than the whole world, and she was willing to work her hardest with everything in her to get it.

  “Oh! Look Alexis! It’s Lupita and there’s Lucas Ryan coming up in the background behind her! Did you see? Oh… I love her dress, and you’ll see his suit in a minute when he gets to the cameras.” Abby squealed happily with delight.

  Alexis looked at her and smiled. She loved to see her little sister happy, and her sister was at that moment, right in her element. Nothing would have made her happier; at least, nothing except being able to be at the red carpet in person.

  “Isn’t he something! Just look at Lucas Ryan! Gosh! Everyone’s going crazy! I just know he’s going to win the Best Actor Oscar tonight. I know it. There’s no way he can’t win.” She leaned forward and grinned as she watched him give his interview.

  “I thought you loved Leo and Brad,” Alexis said with a teasing tone. “Are you cheating on them with Lucas?” She glanced up at her sister and cocked one eyebrow just a little.

  Abby shot her a narrow look and waved her hand in the air. “No. I’d never cheat on them. I love them. They are my forever loves. I really enjoy Lucas and all the work he does, but he is not up in the ranks of my true loves. He’s… he is more of a favorite buddy, instead of a true love.”

  Alexis laughed at her and returned her gaze to her tablet, reading through another work email about a corporate client who was being sued for environmental contamination. Her thoughts
were concentrated on that more than anything that was happening on the television.

  Done with going through her emails after a long while, she finally turned her tablet off and picked up her flute of champagne, as well as a ripened sweet strawberry from the fruit and chocolate platter on the table in front of her. She nibbled on the strawberry and sipped the bubbling drink in her hand.

  The announcer was going on about technical awards and Abby turned to look at her, disinterested in any part of the show, which didn’t feature a celebrity. “So what are you working on there while you’re supposed to be present here, hanging out with me?” She eyed her sister with a slight playful scold.

  “Oh… well, there’s a lot going on at work right now, and I just want to stay on top of it.” Alexis answered with a slight wave of her hand as she felt a little warmth come to her cheeks. She knew that she shouldn’t have been working just then, and that officially she was there to watch the award show with her sister and share some quality time with her, but she also knew that Abby would forgive her.

  “Yeah? What’s so important at work that you’re doing it here tonight?” Abby asked curiously, watching Alexis with interest.

  Alexis took in a big breath and let it out slowly. “Well, actually, there’s a chance I may be promoted at the firm. One of the senior partners retired and there’s a space open. I have a shot at it, but so do two other people, and I am determined to get it. I work harder than they do, which is why I’m up for the promotion, but it just means so much to me that I don’t want to take any chances at all that I might lose it. Especially to one of them.” Her mouth twitched subtly in chagrin, though she tried to hide it.

  Abby turned her head a little and leveled her gaze at her sister; their matching brown eyes steady on each other. “Really? And, would either one of these other two people happen to be Bryant?” she gave a half grin paired with a meaningful look in her eyes.

  Alexis rolled her eyes and looked away from her sister in utter disgust. “Yes.” She answered shortly. “So, you can see why it’s so important to me to work extra hard to make sure that I’m the one who gets the promotion.” She sighed heavily. “I don’t think I could stomach it if he got it.”

  “Does he still want you back?” Abby asked, looking at her sister with sympathy all over her round cherub face.

  “Yes.” Alexis wrinkled her nose a little, as if she had smelled something she could not bear to stomach.

  “Are you going to forgive him and take him back?” Abby asked in a quiet voice.

  “Not in this lifetime.” Alexis replied shortly, lifting her chin in defiance. “Why would I ever want to take someone back who cheated on me? He showed me how much I mean to him. Nothing. I meant nothing to him. Why would I go back to someone who I mean nothing to? He wanted to screw that temporary secretary right there at the office; she meant nothing to him either, and he went ahead and did it, and it was my bad luck to walk into his office while he was doing it!”

  She shuddered involuntarily at the memory of it. “The sight of it is burned into my mind and I think I’ll never be able to get it out. Her bent over his desk and him… ugh. It’s disgusting.” Alexis glared off into space and clenched her jaw slightly. “No. I don’t want him back. I don’t care how hard he tries to win me back. Nothing that Bryant ever does is going to undo what he did. I’m not an idiot. He wanted us to try to be a couple in the beginning, I said no because we are coworkers, and he pushed his agenda anyway, and I caved and we started dating, and then he did that. I was right at the beginning. We should have left it alone and never gotten into it.”

  Abby frowned quietly and nodded. “I understand. I’d have been mad too, but people make mistakes, Lexi, and it’s bigger of us when we can forgive them and move forward with them because people change. They don’t always hold on to their wicked ways. Maybe he really does regret what he did and maybe he really is interested in you and wants to genuinely give it a shot. Would you be willing to blow off true love with him because you’re holding a grudge?”

  Alexis narrowed her eyes and looked at her sister seriously. “Bryant is not true love. Bryant is a selfish bastard who sees no true value in people, except for what he can get out of them. He’s gotten enough out of me. I’m done. He had a chance to do it right with me and he screwed it up. That’s it. He’s done. I’m focused on that promotion and on my career, and he is focused on who is going to be underneath him next. We’re going in two very different directions, and that’s just how I want it.”

  Her sister nodded and sighed. “I would just like to see you happy in a good relationship.”

  “Bryant would be terrible in a relationship. We’ve learned that. There’s no reason to repeat the mistake, ever. I’m just determined to get the partnership instead of him getting it. I might have to quit working there if he somehow became my boss, and I’ve worked too hard to get where I am to let that happen.” She crossed her arms over her chest and gave her head a little shake.

  “Okay, well…” Abby lifted her glass of champagne and leaned toward her sister, “Here’s to you getting the promotion and becoming his boss.” She grinned and Alexis couldn’t help but smile back at her sister. The idea of being Bryant’s boss was immeasurably appealing to her. She would be as fair with him as she could be, but she knew in her heart that it would be icing on the cake if she got the partnership and he didn’t, and he had to answer to her.

  They toasted good luck to Alexis’ promotion and then turned their attention back to the Oscars, as the awards for notable celebrities began to be given out. Alexis smiled as Abby held her Oscar Winner Picks chart in her hand and ticked off all of the winners against her predictions. She got almost all of them right, including Lucas Ryan winning Best Actor.

  As soon as the show was over, Alexis hugged her sister goodnight and kissed her cheek, thanking her for sharing a fun evening with her. She went home and shut off her phone, her tablet, and all of the electric devices around her home, just so she could get some good rest. She had a lot to focus on at work, and she didn’t want anything to distract her from getting the promotion she was after. It was going to be hers no matter what, she promised herself, and she smiled as her head rested on her pillow. She was going to be a partner in the firm, and that was all there was to it.

  ***

  When she woke up the next morning, Alexis felt well rested and ready to face the day ahead of her. She stretched and indulged in ten more minutes of leisure time, laying in her bed, snuggled into her pillows with her eyes closed and her mind on a white sandy beach beside a cobalt blue sea in the tropics somewhere.

  When her alarm reminded her to get up, she did, pushing herself from the bed and arching her body to stretch out her muscles. She showered and readied for work, pulling her waist long hair up into the usual bun that she wore at the back of her head, and buttoning up a buttercream colored blouse before pulling on her suit jacket. She slid her feet into dark colored pumps and checked her flawless makeup before she walked over to the bedside table and picked up her cell phone, turning it back on and letting the wide world rush in to her.

  The phone lit up and began to vibrate and buzz almost immediately, and she stared at it in surprise when she saw several messages from her sister lighting up her screen. With a frown of concern on her face, she opened the first few and saw that whatever it was that was of such great importance to her sister, it was something that Abby wanted to talk with her about, because she hadn’t texted even a hint of why it was so utterly vital for Alexis to get in touch with her.

  Worry tinged the edge of her nerves and she bit at her lip as she touched her sister’s phone number to call her. Abby must have been waiting for her return call, she thought to herself, because she answered it immediately.

  “Lexi! Oh my god! Where have you been! I’ve been trying to get you to answer your phone and texts all morning!” Abby gushed with intense emotion.

  Alexis felt her heart begin to pound and her breath caught. Something was definitely not
right. “What is it, Abby? What’s wrong?” she managed to get out in a pseudo normal voice.

  “What’s wrong? Haven’t you seen the news at all yet today? Haven’t you seen anything? My gosh! It’s all over the place! It’s just crazy! I can’t believe you haven’t heard it yet!” Abby seemed to be babbling on in her excitement and Alexis closed her eyes and calmed her voice.

  “Ab, you have to slow down and breathe and tell me what’s going on. What is it? What’s going on?” she repeated slowly.

  Abby took a deep breath and answered her. “Well, you know how Lucas Ryan won the Oscar last night?”

  “Yes.” Alexis knitted her brow in consternation, wondering what it was that her sister was getting at.

  “Well, you’ll never believe this, no one can, but after the Oscar’s, he hosted his own Oscar party, and tons of big named celebrities showed up for it. Everyone was there, practically, and then right when the party started to get wild, the cops showed up… imagine! The cops showing up to an Oscar party! Anyway,” she was getting excited again and her breath was growing shorter as she spoke, “the cops showed up and went into his house and arrested him in a drug bust sting!

  There were drugs all over the place and he was the one doing them! He got hauled out of his own house and thrown in the back of the squad car, and taken to jail! Can you believe it? Right after winning an Oscar! I still can’t believe it. The whole world is talking about it. It’s the biggest news online right now. Ugh! What a mess!” Abby had worked herself into a fevered pitch again.

  “Ab… honey, calm down.” Alexis tried to stem the adrenaline that she could hear running through her sister. “I know it’s a surprise, but you have to keep these things in perspective. He’s a big shot actor, everyone loves him, he just won a major award and then got busted for having drugs… so, it sounds almost standard for those living here in Los Angeles, doesn’t it? Don’t you worry about it. Just sit back and watch the news and see what happens with it. It’ll work out.”