Riley"What was that all about?" I moved back as Deza walked into the plane, looking less than thrilled to be there."Same old shit." She paused and seemed to force the smile that moved across her face. "How are you? Everything go okay with getting away for a few weeks? Your professors weren't assholes about it?""Most of them were good to me." I reached over and grabbed her bag as she tried to take it from me. I laughed and walked back to the small, but open space where a handful of leather chairs sat. "Morning, Ethan."I lifted Deza's bag as he turned and took it from me. "How are you? Ready for us to get this show on the road? Nervous at all?""I'm excited. I've been waiting my whole life for something like this, but on a smaller scale." I moved back and dropped down in the seat closest to me."You're just going to have to jump from commercials to the big time. It's going to be an adjustment, but you'll love it." Deza sat down on my left and let out a sigh. "We'll be here to help y
Riley"Yes." Deza wiped at her eyes. "Anyway, I left Darren for him, and when that relationship fell apart a few weeks later, I decided I was working with females of any age or boys only from then on. No more seductive men for me."She glanced up and smiled as Ethan walked toward us. "This turd was the first one they handed me, and seeing that he's still a kid... I'm safe."Ethan sat down across the aisle from us and leaned forward to look at Deza. "You'll always be safe with me. Duh."I chuckled and let myself relax a little more in the presence of the strangers who would soon become like family. I turned my face back toward Deza. "Did Darren not give you another chance?""What? You told Riley about you and Darren and you didn't tell me?" Ethan let out a childish sigh, and I chuckled, but kept my eyes on Deza."He was heartbroken, as he should have been. We couldn't even look at each other for four or five years, me from shame and him from anger." She shrugged. "Life became a competi
EthanShe fell asleep a few minutes later as I sat in the seat next to her, steaming. I was so pissed at Deza for being an ass about me and Riley sharing ourselves with each other. Was it dangerous? Yes, but so was humping the next stranger I ran into when we got off the plane.Why everyone had to complicate everything was beyond me.Silver spoon. Anger burned through me, causing my skin to heat and a slight sheen of sweat to collect at my brow and above my lip. My parents hadn't been around enough for us to have spoons. It was a miracle that Liam and I not only made it out of our childhood alive, but that we made something of ourselves. We were nothing but tools to two money-hungry people with the hope of grandeur and more greed than anyone should have to bear."You okay? You're sweating." Frank pressed his shoulder to mine and watched me with concern."I'm good. Just not feeling too hot." I stood and smiled down at him. "Or maybe feeling too hot. Just a little fever I guess. I'll be
EthanIt was odd to have her taking care of me. I'd long given up on finding anyone other than Deza and Liam that would be something special in my life. She was going to whittle her way down into my heart. I could tell that I wouldn't have a standing chance if she tried."Get out," I groaned again and swatted at them wildly. "Seriously. Fuck.""I'm out. He turns into a diva when he's sick." Deza snorted."I'm not going anywhere, you ass. Just get it out and let me take care of you." Riley's fingernails dragged over my back.I moaned and pressed my hands to my face as I tried to catch my breath. "That feels good.""Good. Just breathe through your nose. Long, slow breaths." Her finger brushed down my spine followed by the cold rag as she pressed it open and coated my skin in its coolness."You're making me want to be nice all the time. Stop." I pursed my lips as my stomach revolted against the peace she was working to help me find."Stop being cheeky and breathe. You can be an ass when
RileyWe flew throughout the night, and Ethan barely moved through the whole event. Not even when we hit a pretty bad storm near the end of the trip. It was almost lunchtime the next day in Rio when we finally got off the plane. I'd never been so glad to see solid ground before. Not being someone who'd flown more than once in my life, I'd held it together pretty well through the whole ordeal. Having to help Ethan was almost a godsend. It kept my attention on him and not on my worries about being in the air for so long.I'd tried to sound like a Billy-bad-ass with Deza the day before like dying on the plane was all part of the risk, and was no big deal. Truth be told, I was terrified and hiding it like I did everything else."It's beautiful here." Ethan moved up beside me, looking a little too pale still."Yeah. How are you?" I turned to face him and reached out to press the back of my fingers to his forehead. "You feel good.""You ain't seen nothing yet, baby doll." He winked and turn
Riley"I'm going to the beach for a while. You wanna come?" Deza stood by the front door with her sunglasses on and towel draped over her arm."No, I'm good. I'm going to read for a while. I'll find you later." I offered her a warm smile and turned onto my side as I pulled up Ethan's bio on my phone. It seemed almost like snooping around, and yet I couldn't help it. He wasn't going to give up too much information from what I could tell. He protected himself almost to the extent that I did."No wonder he doesn't have anyone close in his life but those that work beside him." And his brother. Thinking of Liam brought a smile to my lips. He'd been so entertaining on the boat ride out to Catalina Island the weekend before. He and Ethan had the type of relationship I'd want if I had a brother or sister. The thought of my brother Darek brushed across my thoughts, but as always, I dismissed it quickly. Too much sadness surrounded it to let it penetrate my soul and bring me down.I switched to
Ethan"Oh my God! Ethan Lewis. You're my favorite actor of all time. I've loved you since I could walk!"The women seemed to be multiplying like gremlins as the ocean water sprayed us with a light mist. I glanced over my shoulder, praying that Riley had come back to save me, but she was long gone. Not that I blamed her. As much as I appreciated my fans for buying tickets to my movies, I wanted the relationship to have a big-ass movie screen separating their greedy fingers and my body."Aww... thanks. I appreciate that more than you know." I signed a few more papers, bags and purses, and a few sets of tits before I could get away. How women knew to carry a Sharpie with them wherever they went was a mystery I wouldn't soon figure out.I finally wrapped up things with them, denied the free dinners and blow jobs and walked back up toward the cantina, where Riley was nursing a beer."What is your definition of private? I'm thinking Frank and Deza have a completely different idea of what a
Ethan"Kinda, not really." I shrugged. "In all honesty, I might have laid the idea before her just in case she flew off the handle and didn't like it. I was teasing you when I mentioned it, but after thinking it through, I really liked the idea.""Because you want to protect each other." She was leading me down a dark path and looked like Goldilocks doing it. Sweet, innocent, hot as fucking sin. Women like her were the reason most men thought they were going to end up at the pearly gates only to drop down into the smoking section. Trickery had to be her calling card, but regardless... I was in it to win it. At least for a night."Absolutely. You don't want crotch-rot, do you? I hear sexually transmitted diseases are a bitch. Or how about someone starting a fan club and talking about what a piece of shit you are?" I finished off my beer and tried not to dive too deep into my own horror show that played in my head. If I had any piece of advice that I could back up with loads of painful