Ethan"Get in here, you cocky bastard." Liam reached for me and pulled me into a tight hug. "Shit. It's been like three months since I've seen you.""I know. We were filming the last bit of that new Christmas film I'm doing for the Hallmark Channel. Sappy as fuck." I pulled out of his hold and walked in."Liam?" a soft voice called out from the kitchen.I turned and rolled my eyes, breathing in dramatically and reaching for his throat. "Seriously? I thought it was just going to be us.""Come on. She's cute. If you like her, take her home with you. If not, I'll fuck her after you leave." He shrugged and moved past me, leaving me in the hall to watch him strut back into his oversized kitchen.I took a minute to acclimate myself with the fact that I wasn't spending the evening with my brother shooting the shit, but instead playing games with some new girl he wanted to impress, abuse or mentally fuck. He was a power trip like no other."Ethan, get your ass in here. Jessie is a fan of your
RileyIt had been two days since the audition and nothing. Crickets. I kept thinking that at least Darren would call and give me a pep talk, but nothing. Frustration raced through me as I picked up a tray of food for a large table I was serving.Being at work was cathartic, so much so that I had picked up three extra shifts in the last two days. I was bone tired, but my mind was occupied. I would have gone nuts otherwise.Charlotte hadn't stopped asking questions about Ethan, and he was the last thing I wanted to talk about. I couldn't shake him, which I knew was exactly what he wanted. Not just from me. No. From every woman with a pulse in America."Here we go, guys. Lunch is served." I lowered the tray carefully and then started to hand out the plates as my phone buzzed in my back pocket. "Is there anything else I can get for you?""No, this looks great." The older guy at the end of the table glanced up at me. "Settle a fight for me, please.""Yeah, sure." I ignored the buzzing and
Riley"Thanks again for meeting me tonight." I sat down across from Deza as my heart worked harder than it ever had before to keep up with my racing pulse."Of course. I can't believe Darren didn't call you." She rolled her eyes. "I swear. That man is going to be the death of me, and yet there isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss him.""He's a good guy, but he doesn't care much about my career. I've been doing commercials under his care for four years. I'm graduating soon and honestly have started to give up on my dreams of being an actress." I shrugged and pulled my napkin in my lap, deciding to go for honesty with the woman across the table from me. It was make it or break it time for me."That's sad. You're one of the most talented actresses that I've seen in forever, at least for your age." She huffed and picked up her menu. "I only got to see you for five minutes, but never in the ten years that I've been with Ethan have I seen him come alive like he did with you.""Really?
EthanI'd talked myself out of texting Riley a million times by Saturday morning. I laid in my bed, watching shadows move across the open window and wishing like hell I had someone next to me. Where it would have been nice to look over and see the pretty girl from my dreams, I was willing to take just about any warm body. Just someone to hold and have hold me.I rolled over to my stomach and let out a long sigh as I pulled my phone toward me and pulled up her picture."Text her. Fuck. You're Ethan Lewis for shit’s sake." I dropped the phone and rolled back onto my back, as I tugged the cover down and glanced down the length of my body. My cock was hard as a rock, thick and huge. "I hate you sometimes."I got up and stretched before walking out to the balcony and leaning against it, grateful that the privacy I paid for actually afforded me complete seclusion."Ethan?" Deza's voice surprised me."I'm out here." I turned toward her as she stopped at the open door and screamed, turning qu
Ethan"Are you serious right now?" She laughed loudly and grabbed her plate. "I mean, really, where do you come up with this shit?""Reality becomes fiction, D." I sat down and gave her a cheeky grin. "I'm not kissing her.""There is no kissing in the scene we chose, so you're welcome." She sat down and picked up her taco, lifting it to me. "To you being the bestest friend a girl could ever have.""Can we add the kissing scene in just for Riley, or would that be a little unethical?" I slapped my taco against hers. "Us girls gotta stick together."She rolled her eyes and took a big bite, talking around it. "We're not doing the kissing scene, but it's a love making scene. You're going to be in bed together. Good enough?""Hell yes, except with Dani. Can we do a scene where I dangle her ass over the side of a building and for some odd reason I greased up my hands with lotion first?" I shoved half a taco in my mouth as she slapped me."You guys fucked, didn't you? You're only salty about
A Week LaterRileyA text came in early that morning that they were hoping to swing the auditions at seven that night, which gave me about eight hours to pace the floor. I'd accepted their invite, though I was a little wary of trying to pull off my facade in front of Ethan again.My mother wasn't staying with me and Charlotte anymore, but with some old friends of hers. To say I was uneasy was a massive understatement. My mother's friends reminded me a little too much of my brother, Darek’s, old friends.I dropped down on the couch and let out a shaky sigh, wishing that Charlotte was home for the day so we could talk things through. I needed someone to unload my shit on, and after hiding from the world for a few years, I was alone.I pulled out my phone and texted Jace to see if he was free for an afternoon romp in the sheets. It was tacky and not something I did too often, but between lamenting over my brother's death four years ago, my mom's shitty choices and having to make out with
RileyJace left the minute we were done taking turns making one another scream, which was good. No need to give me hope that maybe he had the possibility of changing from the whore he was to a guy I could see myself with. It wasn't going to happen, which was fine. I wasn't sure I could handle that massive of a shift anyway.I showered and got dressed in a navy cotton dress before strapping sandals on my feet and fixing my hair and make-up. As much as I hated to get all dolled up, it wouldn't do me any favors to not look my best at the audition.The front door opened as I grabbed my keys and walked toward it.Charlotte smiled and lifted her eyebrows at me. "You look great! Where in the world are you going?""To my next audition." I had a wild thought. "You want to come?""Are you shitting me right now?" She dropped her purse and stood in shock."Nope. It's a love scene though, so no getting jealous. He doesn't have feelings for anyone but himself. I told you... he's a dick." I moved up
Ethan"Promise me that you're going to behave today." Deza gave me a side glare as we walked toward the set."Nope. That would take the joy out of my life. I thought you cared about me, D. Why would you ask something like that of me?" I winked at her before stopping by the snack table and picking up a Twinkie. I'd almost gotten Riley off my mind, but the thought of seeing her left butterflies dancing in the center of my stomach. It was weird, and yet I knew what it was. Lust.I wanted to put the pretty girl to the mattress beneath me and see what she was made of. Nothing else."Let's go. Dani is early." Deza popped my butt as I shoved half the Twinkie in my mouth and glanced over my shoulder."Fine. Why do we have to start with the wicked witch of-""Hi, Ethan." Dani moved up beside me and gave me a scathing look. The woman was hot as sin and would probably sell more tickets than having me naked for a good ten-second clip in the film would, but no. Just no."Hi, Dani. How are you, pre
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