RileyI rolled over in my bed, and ignored the soft knock at the door."Riley... you okay? I thought I heard you crying last night," she whispered roughly as if trying to not wake me if I was still asleep.I lay still and held my breath, making sure to keep my eyes closed. Tears welled up in my eyes again, and it had nothing to do with not being good enough for Ethan and everything to do with the embarrassment of rejection. I was a silly girl who thought that just because the universe opened its hand and offered me one dream that I might get access to another.I wanted James Bond. Steve Sumner. Philip Jessing. All the men Ethan had made us believe he was. What I didn't want was to stare the real man in the face and know that he could see right through me. That he could almost smell my arousal each and every time we got close. My stomach turned at the thought.The door closed and I turned onto my other side, letting out a soft cry in the wet cotton below me. I wanted to run from all of
RileyI drove to the studio in silence, trying to decide if my dreams of being someone important were great enough to overcome the truth that I wasn't important at all. I didn’t know if I could handle that truth, much less have it shoved in my face for the next year. After parking and sitting in the lot for a few minutes, I gathered my courage and opened the door, pulling my jacket from the backseat and wrapping it around myself. My long gray skirt danced around my legs, whipping me around as if I weighed nothing."Slip into character. You're a young film student with a handsome boyfriend who loves you like you can't imagine a man loving a woman. Your dreams are finally coming true, and you've been offered the starring role in the biggest movie of the year. You're not passing this up. Just hold your head high and make them believe that you're okay. That you're strong. Sexy. Sassy as fuck." I forced myself into the part though tears burned my gaze.Deza moved up beside me and smiled.
EthanIt had been a little over a week since Riley signed the papers to join me in Down Low, and yet the excitement in me hadn't even had a chance to surface yet. A dark depression over all the shit we'd put each other through during the process tainted my resolve to be my normal happy-go-lucky self, but Deza had been working laborious hours to pull me from my funk."Stop dilly-dallying and get that streamer up. I swear you're as useless as a vibrator without batteries." She glanced back at me as she tossed her long black hair over her shoulder."I'm so much better than a vibrator. You know they say girth is far more of a stimulant than any jerking motion could ever be." I shrugged and tossed the packet of streamers to her, hitting her in the butt with them. "Score.""Watch it.""I am, and I sure do love what I see. You've been working out, haven't you?" I slipped my hands into my slacks and moved to the floor-to-ceiling window as I scanned the parking lot.“You know, I’ve always want
EthanI lifted my leg and shook it like a dog might. "That feels good. Scratch my belly and move lower?""Gross." She popped me and sat back. "Spill, Ethan. I know you've been struggling with something since she signed the papers. What happened?""I already told you, D. Shit. The story doesn't change. She came over for a conversation, I did as you asked and played gentleman. It sucked to not let her see the real me, but obviously they prefer the mask." I put another balloon to my lips, blowing hard."I don't believe you." She reached out and gripped the balloon, pulling it hard. My hard work deflated before me, and I picked up another and pulled it tight between my fingers before releasing it and laughing as she squealed."Look, she wanted something to happen between us, and I sure as fuck did too." I shrugged. "But, you were right. I need to respect her as my co-worker and not give in to the animalistic urge I have to see how far I can press my-""Okay." Deza stood up and lifted her
Riley"Excuse me! Excuse me! Waitress!" The older lady that stood, yelling at me from the back of the restaurant, had been giving me hell since the moment she sat down at my table.I cleared my throat and apologized to the guy who was trying to order at one of my other tables."I'll be right back. Sorry about this." I gave him a sweet smile that I didn’t feel and walked back toward her in time to watch her drop down into her chair with a loud huff. "I'm sorry, ma'am. What can I help you with?""Firstly, you can take this steak back to the kitchen. I said medium rare and this is not medium rare at all." She poked at the steak on her plate and glanced back up at me. "What did you write down? Medium well?""No, ma'am. I wrote down medium rare. I'm happy to-""Let me see your tablet." She extended her hand and watched me with complete disdain. It had been that day already, so having the wicked witch of the west seated in my section was no big surprise. The fact that I had exactly thirty m
RileyHow ready I was for a different life. I wasn't sure the life that Ethan lived was necessarily the one I was after, but one where I didn't have to search for change in the bottom of my car for gas or a loaf of bread at the store would be righteous. To have people pawing at me and worshiping the ground I walked on sounded horrid, but I would take that any day for a paycheck capable of pulling me out of poverty.Charlotte's phone sent me to voice-mail, and I growled loudly and called Jace instead. He answered on the first ring."Hey, baby girl. What's up? Need me?" The laughter in the background told me quickly that he wasn't alone."I'm stuck on the side of the road off Vance and Timmons. Can you come give me a ride or are you too busy?" I kept my tone light. Jace was a good guy with a healthy lust for women – all women. He didn't deserve my shit, and after us being friends with benefits since our senior year in high school, he didn't much put up with it either."I'm good. Just le
Ethan"Oh, you look much better." Deza stopped in front of me as I walked into the auditorium where the press was buzzing about in droves."So I looked like shit before?" I glanced around and groaned as several of them headed my way. "I fucking hate these things.""Smile and be nice." She patted my chest like someone would a pet."And what's in it for me if I do?" I gave her a cheeky grin as she rolled her eyes and moved away from me."Mr. Lewis. Do you have time for a question?" The reporter shoved his microphone in my face and bumped it against my lips. "Sorry about that."I hid my disdain and brushed my fingers over my mouth before smiling. "Of course. Make it quick though. I have no favorites and you're sure making it look like I do. Someone might run a story on me being in bed with your station if we're not careful."The guy laughed. "No, really, I just wanted to ask how you guys decided to go with a nobody for this role. America is amazed at your generosity and such, but this gi
EthanThere was almost a flood of relief inside of me that Riley seemed back to being her old self. Having her upset with me, or tense in my presence in a way that wasn’t cheeky, was unnerving, and we’d just met. I liked our relationship the way it was. If she were willing to get over the small mishaps we had the week before, I could too. I’d even let the idea of her testing me go. It was a far better answer than thinking I had hurt her pride. Hell had no fury like a woman scorned. Even they would agree with that."So you have a way with the ladies as well?" Jace asked and crossed his arms over his chest. I hated how quickly I was to judge him, but the poor guy didn't stand a chance with me. He was standing too close to the woman I wanted wrapped around me later that night. He had something I wanted - badly, and I wasn't too used to that."Naw... I give them what they want from time to time and go about my merry way." I shrugged and pointed toward the drink table. "Jade, there're bott
Four Months LaterEthanNo matter how many times I went to the premier or opening night, I couldn't help but feel nervous. I was worried about my woman, but knowing her, she was handling it better than me. Deza had her in one of the dressing rooms at the large theater downtown where we did all of our opening nights."She needs to have some time to herself where you're not humping her damn leg like a Chihuahua in heat." Deza had been quite clear on why Riley wasn't coming with me to the premier."You want a turn?" I'd tried to hump her leg a few minutes earlier as she came in to check on me, but it hadn't gone over too well. Something about her big ugly boyfriend out front and him not liking me as it were.His loss. He's eating those words when the two of them finally retied the knot. It was me that got them back together, though neither one of them seemed to want to admit it.It was a thankless job."You know it's weird." Deza moved up in front of me and reached up, adjusting my tie.
RileyWe walked into the wedding dress shop, and everything became real. All of the struggle and strife we'd been through to reach this point.I turned as tears blurred my gaze and reached for Ethan."Baby, what's wrong?" He leaned down and pulled me against his chest as a salesman spoke up behind us."How can I help you, Mr. Lewis?""Nothing. I'm just overwhelmed. I'm sorry." I pressed my hands to my face and leaned against him.He brushed his hair down the back of my head. "My girl and I want to see some wedding gowns. The best that you have. And I'll put down a thousand dollars to have you leave us be back in the dressing room for about an hour once we have a few of your best.""Done, Sir. I'll gather them now."He kissed the top of my head. "We can come back, Ri. We don't have to do this now.""No. I want to." I forced myself to look up at him. "I just feel out of place.""But you fit in at the mall?" He chuckled, but the sound fell flat. He got it. I was out of place there, but a
Ethan"This is Ethan," I mumbled into the phone, trying to keep my voice down, though there was no way in hell anyone could hear me over the noise at the mall."Ethan Lewis?" A woman stopped in front of me.Fuck me. I pointed to the phone and shook my head no, pulling it away and mouthing that I was a look alike."Oh. Never mind." She gave me a snarl and walked on."Deza?" I put the phone back to my ear. "I'm in the mall. Come get me before these crazy bitches tear the flesh from my bones."Deza's laugh filled up my ear, accompanied by Frank’s. "We have you on speaker. What the fuck are you doing at the mall on a Saturday? And a public mall at that.""Riley forced me to." I pouted and watched for signs of my girl in the windows of the store she was shopping in. "She's still wearing rose-colored glasses about this shit.""I'm taking it she didn't see those horrible pictures the Daily Star posted about her being-" Deza started.Frank finished it. "Pregnant with Ethan's alien twins?"The
Two Months LaterEthan"Why did we decide to do this?" I narrowed my eyes and the pretty girl that sat across from me. The one that had my heart racing and body purring every time she walked into the room."Because." She lifted her eyebrow. I knew that look. "You said that we would get to where we could go out in public and do normal things for our age. We're in our early twenties. We're eating at the food court. Period.""At a public mall." I glanced around and realized every-fucking-body was staring and pointing. I groaned and turned back to her. "If it's not bad enough that every tabloid has taken pictures of you and swollen your stomach for you with photoshop. It makes you look like you're pregnant with my alien twins. What more do you want?"She laughed, and I forced myself to sit back and chill out. "Nothing, baby. I wanted noodles at the mall. I'm tired of being in the house or at private parties. I want to live where everyone else does. I want to shop at Old Navy!""They have
Riley"Bumpy?" The little boy's blue eyes sparkled as he wiped at Ethan's hands over his legs. "Bumpy?""Oh jeez. Thank you so much." The mother jogged up and scooped the little guy up in her arms. "I'm so sorry." She paused as her eyes went wide. "Oh my God. You're Ethan Lewis and Riley Phillips. I love your movies," she pointed over to me, "and you were beautiful in the Spring play at UCLA. You're in the next Eon movie together, right?""Yeah, we are." I smiled over at Ethan, but he was too busy watching the little boy. Did he want kids? We'd had a short conversation about it, but I couldn't remember his response. His own upbringing had been as bad as mine, if not worse.Poverty sucked. Not being loved was way worse."Baby." I tugged on his hand."Oh. Sorry. I got lost there in my head for a minute." He reached out and patted the little guy on the head. "Take care, hmm?""Thank you again." The woman turned as the little boy chirped the word, 'bumpy' a handful of times."You want bab
RileyButterflies danced in my stomach as we drove along the coast and finally pulled up to a white castle that overlooked the water. A maroon Lexus convertible sat in the driveway.I glanced down at my clothes and gave Ethan a look. "Really? Why didn't you tell me to dress up? Whose house is this?"He laughed and pulled behind another large moving truck. "Ours, baby.""What?" Shock raced through me as he got out of the van and left me sitting there. "Ours?"Did he buy a house on the beach? I'd just mentioned wanting one the day before. Late in the day on the day before.I got out and jogged to catch up to him as a bunch of guys I didn't know walked out of the house."Alright. Just bring everything in from the garage, and Riley will tell you where it's going." He reached back and took my hand, half-pulling me into the house. I'd never seen anything like it in my life. I was majestic. Huge. White."Ethan." I was breathless, and my heart hurt in my chest. "Did you buy this place yesterd
EthanI knocked on Charlotte and Riley's apartment door and moved back, the red flowers in my hands holding one white rose.Riley opened the door rubbing her eyes. "Baby? What are you doing? It's before ten."I handed her the flowers and pulled her into my arms, laying a few kisses on her lips and smiling down at her. "Get dressed. We got shit to do.""This early?" She blinked and looked around as if confused. I'd never seen anything more perfect in my whole life."Yeah." I moved away and pointed to the moving truck. "Our trucks waiting right there. Let's get your stuff and get moving. This day isn't going to wait much longer for us."Her eyes widened, and she turned her attention back to me. "Wait. I'm moving in today?""Yep." I walked past her and winked at Charlotte. "Jace coming to help?""Already here, man." He walked out from the kitchen and extended his hand to me. "I never thought I'd see the day where I'd help someone steal Riley from me, but I guess it's come, hm?"Charlotte
EthanRiley wasn't too thrilled when I took her back to her apartment after we got sloshed at the party, but I told her my stomach was upset and I would see her the next morning. Not a good thing to do with a possessive woman in love.I turned off my phone an hour after getting home and took a long shower as excitement bubbled up inside of me. I had big plans for the next day and had been texting on my phone all fucking night to get it all set up for her.She was going to be blown the fuck away. Just knowing that it would be my fault had me giddy as I rolled out of bed the next morning. It was still early, but I was good with it. I wanted everything to be perfect.I pulled out my phone and texted my brother, Deza and Riley’s best friend, Charlotte to make sure everyone knew where they needed to be and what part they were playing."And here you thought I was just sitting on my hands." I glanced down at my phone. The picture of us eating ice cream like two little kids always made me smi
RileyI laughed and got dressed quickly as excitement bubbled in my stomach. I'd never been to an end of production wrap up party. Obviously, because I'd never wrapped up a movie before. It sounded like fun, and if we were going to be drinking and dancing with all of our friends, how could it not?Darren is coming.Worry raced through the center of my chest as I thought through how that could be good or bad. It seemed that there were a lot more chances for things to get messed up than go well.I forced myself to stop thinking about all of it and went back to feeling grateful. Ethan and I were spending almost every night together at his place, and he was dropping hints all the time about us getting married or having kids, or at the very least, moving in together.It was going to happen soon. I could feel it in my bones.I checked my hair and lipstick one more time before walking out of my dressing room and taking the long way over to studio six. I passed by the practice rooms where Cla