EthanI groaned and pressed my hands tighter to my face as anger burned through me. It was a lie. All of it. My whole fucking life was a set of lines that could be erased with the pink end of a pencil."She was wet." I jerked up and took a sharp breath. "She was wet."Getting up, I jogged to the front of the trailer and pulled the door open, almost running into Deza. I gripped her arms and let out a short laugh. "She was wet."The guard beside us choked on his soda, spitting it out on the ground beside him."What are you going on about?" She popped me in the face softly. "Get it together. We have a press conference tonight at the Marriott. It's over the tryouts and our plans to continue to involve new and upcoming stars. Fix your hair and get that pinstriped suit that makes you look like a god. Now.""Deza." I got in her face and pressed my forehead to hers. "Riley was acting like that scene didn't mean shit to her, and yet... she was wet.""Are you really telling me this like I want
Riley"Hey. You okay?" Charlotte reached over and touched my arm. I hadn't realized that I was trembling until she said something."What? Yeah. I'm good." I forced a smile and turned the radio on as she dropped her hand from me."It's me, dude. No putting on that fake-ass mask and pretending. Are you overwhelmed because it was Ethan Lewis or is it something else? That was a smoking hot scene. Are you just turned on? Because I'm turned on."I laughed at her. She was talking a million miles a minute, which was nothing new. She always did when she was nervous."I'm trying to process everything." I shrugged, forcing myself to calm down. "Ethan is insanely hot, but when I was up there on stage, I wasn't me, Char. I was Stacy Develin, the woman that was completely in love with the sorry bastard beneath me. I slipped into her skin. The passion and heat are all part of it. It had nothing to do with Ethan until he acted like a child about it.""Was he upset about something he did or something
Riley"Can you imagine if he did?" I couldn't help but push it under the false pretense of wanting to be silly. "The poor guy would be fighting off women left and right." I laughed, but she didn't. I reached across the table and touched her arm. "You're being ridiculous. He doesn't have a monster cock.""I know, but if he did..." She glanced up and shrugged. "It would be miserable for him too, you know? Remember that kid in high school, Barry? He was so damn nerdy, but his dick was huge. He couldn't get laid to save his life, and he was so depressed about it.""That's just gross, and if I remember correctly… he was too." I got up and dropped the rest of my ice cream in the trash. "Even though it's gross, it still sucks." She stood up and put her phone in her back pocket. "Imagine not being able to have sex because your body was deformed.""Deformed?" I opened the door and moved back, feeling a hundred times worse after getting into a different, although disturbing discussion over Eth
EthanI slept like shit the night before, reading over the simple text about the press conference and reading into it more than I should have. She was shutting me down before we ever got started, but what did I expect? I was a dick to her the day before, rude and condescending. The problem was that I wasn't sure how to be anything but that.After shaving and fixing myself up to look presentable in public, I left to head to my brother's place. He was at the house fixing up the backyard, and I figured if nothing else, I could point out where he missed a spot in cutting his grass. I was still his little brother no matter that our combined wealth was enough to buy anything that our hearts might desire.I rolled the windows down in my Mercedes convertible and pulled my sunglasses from the console beside me."Ethan!" someone screamed as I pulled up to a light on Rodeo Drive.I waved and smiled as a huge gaggle of women in pretty dresses walked quickly toward the car. "Hi girls.""Sign this
Ethan"I didn't hear a word you just said with your mouth full. It’s a good thing that I can understand the context clues rolling off you." He made a bunch of weird hand gestures, and I was once again thrown into the alternate reality where I was the older brother. Liam wasn't growing up. Not ever. Plain and simple."Why are you so happy?" I picked up my drink and wiped my mouth on the back of my hand."I dumped that chick from the other night." He shrugged and started to eat his sandwich."And that's a good thing?" I burped and popped a few more grapes in my mouth."Yeah. It's exciting. Everything feels new and fresh again. Women are clingy and get boring fast." He shrugged. "But enough about me. We'll get back to that fine subject later. Tell me what the fuck's up with you.""It's a combination of a few things." I plucked a chip from his plate."Go through the list. Start with the girl.""How do you know there is a girl?" I laughed and got up, walking back into the kitchen in search
Riley"Maybe I should just cancel." I walked into the living room and paced in front of the couch as Charlotte glanced up from her studying."No way. This is your chance to really ask him the hard questions. If it would make you feel better, I could go with you though. I could intervene if things get awkward?" She gave me a cheeky grin."No, but thank you. I know your offer is completely self-sacrificing." I stopped and put my hands on my hips, giving her a look."I just love you." She tapped her pen on her notebook and stared at me for a minute. "Speaking of loving you, where is your mom? I haven't heard anything from her in a few days.""She's with her old friends." I shrugged. "I need to get her to come back here, but it's a little more difficult telling your mom what to do than you might think.""You’re preaching to the choir. I wouldn't tell my mom what to do if you paid me. She'd grill me for an hour on the importance of respecting one’s parents." She smirked, and I laughed befo
Riley"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." He smiled and opened the door wider."You clean up well yourself too." I walked in and took in the grandeur of his home. It had to be the largest house I'd ever been in, and there was plenty of space, but nothing else. Furniture dotted the various rooms we walked in toward the kitchen, but there wasn't one picture on the wall, nor any decorations.It was sterile, lifeless, sad."I brought wine." I set the bottle on the kitchen counter and turned to face him.He stopped by the opening to the kitchen and flipped the switch beside him. A set of decorative lights illuminated just beyond the patio doors, lighting up a beautiful yet quaint deck."You good with us eating outside tonight?" He moved into the kitchen, and I turned to watch him as he busied himself with finishing up everything we would need for a salad.His slacks looked good on his ass, his button down shirt tucked in and belt tight as if he'd just walked in the door from a long d
Ethan"Fuck." I paced around in the kitchen as my body ached for the girl outside on the patio. That she had lifted up to kiss me left me breathless, confused. I wasn't in a fucking movie. I was standing in real life faced with a hard decision. It was the type of situation that I kept myself out of, and always had. I never slept with my co-workers, never.Some girl on the set, a pretty whore from the crowd, a slut from a fan club? Absolutely. But the beautiful woman that I would have to see every day for ten months? Never. Besides... what would she think when we got hot and heavy, and..."And I didn't fit?" I pressed my hands to my face, growling softly as hard emotion ripped through me. I hadn't wanted a woman in years as badly as I wanted Riley.And I'd embarrassed her, no doubt. She had it written all over her face. She was mortified that I denied her the kiss. Why did she go for it? She had made it quite clear that she wasn't interested in anything more than a professional relatio