Locked (PresLocke Series Book 2)
Read Locked (PresLocke Series Book 2) Online
Authors: Ella Frank,Brooke Blaine
8 I LIKE BIG BUOYS AND I CANNOT LIE
18 THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
26 I AIN’T SAYIN’ HE’S A GOLD DIGGER…
Copyright © 2016 by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine
Edited by Arran McNicol, Editing 720
Cover Designed by Jay Aheer,
Simply Defined Art
Cover Photographer:
Wander Aguiar Photography
Cover Model:
Allen C.
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 the written permission of the author, except
for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
PRESLOCKE SERIES
BOOK TWO
Haven’t read
ACED
yet?
You’ll want to finish before reading this book.
You can buy it
HERE!
“ACE LOCKE JETS OFF TO SIN CITY WITH MYSTERY MAN”
Sorry, ladies—and fellas—Hollywood’s hottest action star, Ace Locke, is officially off the market!
The man on Locke’s arm has been identified as Dylan Prescott, the sexy new “it” model currently featured in the latest Calvin Klein ads. Sources tell TNZ the men met on the set of Locke’s upcoming action film
Insurrection 2
, and that “they only have eyes for each other.”
This is the first public gay relationship for Locke, who came out a year ago, and there has been much speculation on who would finally be the one to catch his eye.
According to multiple eyewitnesses, Locke whisked Prescott away on his private jet for a romantic weekend at Syn, the most exclusive hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. After pictures recently surfaced of the new couple, affectionately named PresLocke, it appears from the possessive way Locke keeps his new beau close that things are heating up.
The world is watching #PresLocke, and we’ll be sure to keep you up to date on this budding relationship!
Ace and Dylan’s story continues in Book Two of the Bestselling PresLocke Series.
"Separately, Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine are must-read authors. Together, they create pure magic!"
~Erika Wilde,
New York Times
Bestselling Author
Also by
Ella Frank
The Exquisite Series
The Temptation Series
Sunset Cove Series
Masters Among Monsters Series
Standalones
Co-Authored with
Brooke Blaine
PresLocke Series
Co-Authored with
Brooke Blaine
Anthologies
Also by
Brooke Blaine
L.A. Liaisons Series
Romantic Suspense
Co-Authored with
Ella Frank
PresLocke Series
Co-Authored with
Ella Frank
Anthologies
Dedication
To all of you who have been dying to know what Ace & Dylan’s next step would be…
Go ahead and let go of that cliff!
And thank you for being patient little f*ckers.
1
TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET
“ACE, THE MANAGER’S here.”
I was vaguely aware of Dylan’s voice behind me and the hand he had on my shoulder, but as I stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of Syn’s presidential suite overlooking the Las Vegas Strip, I couldn’t seem to turn my gaze away from the press that had gathered at the hotel’s entrance far below. It seemed more were streaming in every minute, and as I watched the crowd grow larger, the panic I’d been feeling morphed into utter numbness. How was it possible that life could change so drastically in the span of a few minutes?
“Ace?” Dylan said again. “I think maybe you should sit down.”
Surely all those people aren’t here for me. Word couldn’t have spread that fast.
But even as the thought crossed my mind, I knew it wasn’t true. Images flashed through my head—the paparazzo standing in the middle of Dylan’s suite, disguised in a bellhop uniform; the
click click click
of his camera as he stole our private moments; Dylan running after him in nothing but a towel draped around his waist; me, pulling him back inside as my world collapsed in mere seconds.
Resting my forehead against the cool glass, I closed my eyes and tried to slow the rapid beating of my heart.
“Just give him a second,” I heard Dylan say as his hand left my shoulder. I knew I needed to turn around and face the reality of what had just happened, but doing that meant I was ready to deal with the fallout I knew was coming. Somewhere in the hotel my cell was ringing, and it was an easy guess who that could be. Roger, my manager, or Martina, my publicist. Hell, probably both of them on speakerphone.
The secret I tried so hard to conceal, gone to such great lengths, like this entire getaway weekend, to protect…
I shook my head against the glass. What would this mean for my career now? Sure, the world knew I was gay, but they’d never actually had a visual to go along with that. According to Roger and Martina, and even my parents, my career wouldn’t survive if I flaunted a relationship in the faces of moviegoers. And unfortunately, it looked like I was about to find out whether they were right in that prediction or not, because there was no way I could deny the man I’d come to need in my life.
“Ace?” Dylan’s voice was gentle, as though he was coaxing a skittish mustang, and I couldn’t blame him. I knew he thought I was about two seconds away from bolting. I took in a much-needed breath of air and then finally turned to face the music.
Dylan was standing only a few feet away from me, dressed in his jeans and t-shirt, and it was right then, with his eyes locked on mine and the earnest expression on his face, that I knew the first thing I wanted…no,
needed
to do, was lay his fears to rest.
Not the fear of what was to come, because honestly, I had no idea what nightmare would soon unfold around the two of us. But I needed him to know that the reason for my withdrawal, the reason for my panic, wasn’t steeped in regret for being with him.
“Ace, the manager—”
“Can wait a minute,” I said, and took the three steps it required to bring me toe to toe with him. I brought my hands up to his face and trailed my thumb along his lower lip. “Everyone else can fucking wait a minute.”
Dylan’s hands came up to circle my wrists, and his eyes were full of compassion as they roved all over my face, trying to ascertain if I was okay. I wasn’t, and I knew that much was obvious. But before any misunderstandings made their way between us, before we were descended on by people who would have very strong opinions one way or another about us and our relationship, I wanted Dylan to be one hundred percent clear that any opinions expressed were
not
mine.
I swallowed, trying to find the words to explain all the emotions that were racing through my mind. But before I could get any out, Dylan lowered my arms and wrapped them around his waist. He nuzzled his face in against my bare shoulder and neck and asked, “Are you all right?”
I tightened my hold around him, thinking if I didn’t keep him close he might somehow get pulled from my grasp and I’d never have this opportunity again.
“No,” I said. “But this is the first time my heart has slowed somewhat since you opened that door and everything went to hell in a handbasket.”
“And may I just say, on behalf of the hotel, how unbelievably sorry we are for the intrusion,” Charles Toth, Syn’s assistant manager, said, coming forward. “We’ve already called the local authorities, and rest assured we’ll get to the bottom of this. It’s almost impossible for anyone to have access to this floor, so I’m not sure how—”
“Almost,” Dylan said, lifting his head from my shoulder. “
Almost
impossible? Somehow, a man was able to steal not only one of your employee uniforms, but also the private access elevator keycard, as well as a separate entry card to my room. How fucking lax do you have to be,
especially
considering the kind of guests you have staying on this floor?”
Oh hell.
Dylan was pissed, and even through the shitstorm swirling around us, I couldn’t repress the small smile that twisted my lips at his possessive tone.
Charles blanched and began wringing his hands. “I guarantee we’ll—”
“Don’t bother making promises you can’t keep,” Dylan said, facing the man turning Casper. “Have you bothered looking outside yet? Even from forty-five floors up you can see the swarm of people. What are you going to do about that? About the damage that’s been done already? About Ace’s future?”
My hand went tight on Dylan’s waist so he wouldn’t take a step farther. With the flush that was creeping up his neck, I didn’t trust that he wouldn’t strangle the man he had literally shaking in his polished Gucci loafers, and the last thing we needed to add to the field day was a murder.
“I…uh…we have full faith in the authorities—” Charles said.
“Who can magically erase the pictures that are probably going up all over the internet right now?” Dylan said. “Right.”
“I appreciate you trying to help, but could you give us some privacy for a few minutes?” I asked Charles, and the fact that I was kicking him out seemed to surprise him.
“Of course,” he said, walking backward to the front door. “I’ll just…guard the door until you… Right.” Then, as he shut the door behind him, I steered Dylan toward the couch.
“Okay,” I said, “let’s just run over the choices.”