All Chapters of Mate me at Hollywood (18+): Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

LARA's POVDavid Norman. His name alone feels like a little jazz tune in my head. He's brilliant, well-respected and composed. A real man. The man I dream about after a long, stressful day at university. I also dream about him while I'm in school. And well... even before I go to school. Fine, always!He's the crush that lives forever in my brain without paying rent. I want him... so bad. But I can never have him.Because of one tiny, inconvenient detail... Maybe two. He's my Criminal law professor. And he's thirty-nine years old. 16 years older than I am."The mens rea of a crime is the mental element. The offender's state of mind. In this case scenario, can anyone tell me the mens rea?" he asks at the front of the class.My hand flies above my head. "Miss Bello?""The intention to steal, sir.""Correct." He smiles.He smiles to everyone. Lara, don't get ahead of yourself.David Norman continues his lecture and I hang on to his every word. No professor gets me as excited as he do

Leonardo's POVGolden colors, the periodic drama I spent two months shooting in the Sahara desert is premiering tonight. I put a lot of effort, money and time into this movie. But according to Armani Jones, those three don't guarantee ticket sales. What does is clout and publicity. So I need my fake girlfriend.As we drive to the movie premiere at the village theater, Armani speaks to us,"Just hold hands and look into each other's eyes adoringly. No kisses, if you're not comfortable with it. Most importantly, pose for the photographers. Let 'em get your good side.""Wait.. where's my good side?" Lara asks.I've not told her yet, but she looks spectacular. She's wearing a soft, off-the-shoulder navy blue dress that falls just below her knees. Her curls are pinned back with tiny star-shaped clips that catch the light every time she moves."All your sides are good, Lara," I interject, and watch her suppress her smile.Armani clears his throat, and continues, "As I was saying, when you

BACK TO PRESENT LARA's POV.I still can't believe that I just attended a Hollywood movie premiere and met Meryl Streep. I might hate Hollywood, but I love Meryl. If you had told Lara from five months that this would happen, she'd laugh in your face. Literally laugh. Someone pinch me. Also, I almost cry watching the screening of Golden Colors. Leo’s acting is absolutely captivating.Not that I’ll tell him, though. His ego is already big enough without me adding to it.We're at the after party. And there's a myriad of people complementing him and the cast. Then, he joshed around with his costars, before coming to me with a plate of hors d'oeuvre. "Hey, player. Have you eaten?" he asks."No, but I kind of have a bad history with hors d'oeuvre so I'd rather not eat that." I point at the plate."Oh." He drops the plate on a nearby plate. "Let me go get you something else.""No, no," I say, touching his arms softly. "I'm about to go home anyway."His face saddens. "So soon?"I shrug. "The

LARA's POVLeonardo Knight is the world's greatest jerk.Yeah, that is my final verdict.Just when I was starting to get used to him, he shows me his true colors. Rude, obnoxious and full of himself. Tell me, where do these men get the audacity?! Who keeps giving them the freaking audacity?! Leonardo actually cursed at me and pushed me. Shame on me for wanting to help him.He's just like every other man in Hollywood. And I'm a fool for thinking he was different. I won't ever make that mistake again. The tiny feelings I felt for him in that car are now completely erased by the way he treated me in the forest. What we have is a contractual relationship. I'm a girl employed for publicity purposes. I will do my job and nothing more.Quietly seething, I pour cereal into my breakfast bowl, then tilt the milk bottle into my bowl.Asshole. If he thinks I'm going to text and ask how he's feeling, he's so, so wrong. I'd rather chew glass. His issues are so not my problem.I really don't care.

I have this crazy impulse to say that to him. But that would get me expelled. And becoming a lawyer is my greatest desire on earth. So I keep that impulse at bay, and say instead,"I'm sorry, professor. I'll be early from now on."A guy removes his bag from a seat and taps on it, mouthing, Come. I'm hurrying over, but Professor David's voice stops me again,"Crop tops are not allowed. It's particularly prohibited by the dress code."This is news to me. Last time I checked, everything I'm wearing is allowed. "I wasn't aware of that," I mutter, sitting next to the guy.But now that you've told me, I'll burn every one of the crop tops I own... just because you said so. Personal offences. That is the topic of the day. But it is impossible for a student to focus when she's busy mentally planning how to murder her professor and get away with it. How? Oh, how? Poison, they say, is a woman's weapon. But I'm thinking something more destructive... like fire. Maybe I do the lord's work and bu