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Chapter 10: The Devil's Party
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2023-11-25 14:08:28Related chapters
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 11: Things I Can't Forget
Things are quiet for a while, and I stay tucked away in the shadows at the far side of the pool, sipping at my drink and watching the party unfold around me. I'm glad to be alone, but now that Jack isn't here to distract me, it's hard to keep my memories at bay.Dante and I spent quite a bit of time by this pool. We often studied out here - there was something about the sun on my skin and the ocean breeze in my hair that made me feel both calm and energized at once. And Dante always claimed that he did his best work outside. He used to sit in that lounge chair beneath the cabana and scribble away at his latest script. He always preferred to write his first drafts by hand - he said that the words flowed better through a pen than through a keyboard.I think that might have been when I realized I was in love with him - the first time I saw him bent over his notebook, his eyes bright as they followed his pen across the paper. It was like I was watching him pour his soul onto the page.I
Last Updated : 2023-11-25The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 12: Encounter on the Beach
Dante is here.Dante, who couldn't be bothered to show up at his own damn party. This is who sneaked up behind me when I thought I'd finally found a moment of privacy. Immediately, rage boils up in me."What the hell are you doing out here?" I say, ignoring the jolt of pain in my ankle as I shift my weight. "You scared the crap out of me!""I'm sorry," he says, and there's a hint of wicked amusement in his voice. "I didn't mean to startle you.""It's not polite to sneak up on people," I snap. Beneath the anger, I feel something else - a sudden panic that threatens to drown out everything else. I wasn't prepared to run into Dante out here. Without Jack. With my hair sopping wet and my dress sticking to my skin. My anger is all I have, so I cling to it."Why aren't you at your party?" I demand. "Why are you skulking around out here by yourself?" It's not until the words leave my mouth that I realize he might not be by himself. Oh, God - please don't let him be down here with Emilia.
Last Updated : 2023-11-25The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 13: Facing the Demons
"What are you doing?" I ask Dante as he sits down beside me."I'm not ready to go back to the party either," he says."It's your party," I remind him again."And most of the people in there are used to my parties by now. They know not to expect to see much of me."I stare out at the dark surface of the sea as I consider this, tightening my arms around myself. And then I feel a weight coming down on my shoulders - his suit jacket."Don't argue," he says when I start to do just that. "You need it more than I do."He's right, and I'm too cold and wet and miserable to argue. I pull the jacket closer, covering myself. I dig my toes into the sand and wait for him to speak. He's the one who insisted on staying with me - let him come up with something to say. I'm too busy trying to figure out how to extricate myself from this interaction gracefully."It's been a long time since we sat out here together," he muses finally.The comment is casual enough on the surface, but I know better.
Last Updated : 2023-11-25The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 14: In Which I Almost Make A Very Bad Decision
Even now, after all this time, my memory of that intimate moment on this beach still affects me. I can still feel the frightening buzz of that connection Dante and I made."Why did you invite me here tonight?" I ask him, pulling his coat tighter around me.He shifts next to me. Though I'm not looking at him, I'm oh-so-aware of every move he makes."Have I changed so much that you can't guess?" he asks, his voice low. "I invited you here for the same reason I showed up at your bakery. Because I wanted to see you."And to meet my boyfriend, I think. I may not have a lot of ex-boyfriends - and certainly none who shared the same intimacies Dante and I did - but I recognize the game we're playing here. Dante was never exactly what I would describe as possessive - he didn't freak out if I talked to another guy or anything like that - but he'd never needed to be. Even when we were together, we never defined what we were to each other - and for most of our relationship, I never thought we
Last Updated : 2023-11-25The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 15: Meeting the Boyfriend
"Put me back down!" I say to Dante, my voice cracking. I wriggle, trying to free myself, even though I know my ankle can't support my weight right now."I'm not going to leave you to hobble over there by yourself," he replies. His arms tighten and his fingers press into my skin as he marches across the sand toward the stairs.We reach the base of the steps just as Jack does."God, Ash. I've been looking everywhere for - " His words cut off when Dante steps into the glow of light cast by the strands of twinkling bulbs in the palms above. His eyes widen as his gaze flies from me to Dante and then back to me.I expect Dante to put me down, but instead, he just continues past Jack and starts up the stairs. Jack's wide-eyed look of surprise turns into one of full-on shock."Dante, what are you doing?" I wiggle again in his arms, then look around him and back down to where Jack is standing with his mouth open. "I hurt my ankle," I call to my friend.Jack must see the desperation in my
Last Updated : 2023-11-25The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 16: Damsel in Distress
I wake the next day with a hangover that threatens to split my skull right open. The blare of my alarm is like a gunshot right in the brain.I groan and roll over, slamming my hand against the screen of my cell until the horrible sound goes away. I'm stiff, and my skin is oddly both dry and sticky. The hair that flops across my face feels gross too, and it smells like the ocean. And that's when I remember everything that happened.I leap up from the bed, then nearly fall over as the hangover vertigo hits - and a sharp pain shoots up from my ankle. I fall back on the mattress, cursing at myself. How could I forget about my injury? I lift my foot, giving myself a better view of the damage. My ankle is currently a lovely shade of purple and about three times its normal size. I remember icing it sometime between the bottles of wine last night, but I'll need to wrap it before I do anything else."Jack?" I call. He was good enough to bring me back to my place after the party - and he thre
Last Updated : 2023-11-25The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 17: In Which The Devil Performs A Rescue
I've heard Dante's mesmerizing voice say my name a hundred times before, but it's the last voice I want to hear right now. If I weren't stunned out of my mind with pain, I'd hang up, but Dante rushes on while I'm still trying to figure out how to handle this."Where are you?" he says. "At your place? Have you moved since the last time I was there?"At least my shock has managed to completely shut down my sobs. But the panic is already setting in. He intends to come here."I'm fine," I force out through pain-clenched teeth. "I thought you were Jack. I'll be fine. I'm fine.""Like hell you are. You can hardly even speak.""I don't need you to come here. I'll call Jack. Jack will come." Fuck - but Jack is at work for another eight hours. I rush on, "Or Mama Pat. She'll help me." I grimace as another wave of pain sweeps through me. "I-I'll be fine. Really. Fine.""Where are you, Ashlyn?""I'm fine," I repeat, but my resolve wavers as the pain once again threatens to pull me under. A
Last Updated : 2023-11-25The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 18: I Didn't Imagine It
My ankle isn't broken, thank God. But it's a bad sprain. And my wrist is sprained, too - though only mildly. The rest of me is just bruised, but those two injuries are going to put me out of commission for a couple of days, maybe longer.Dante stays with me the whole time at the ER, even though I know he probably has plenty of better things to be doing. He gets a couple of phone calls while we're there, but they go the same way as the phone call he took during our cake consultation - both end with him tersely insisting he'll send pages as soon as they're ready. In spite of everything, I find myself curious about these conversations, about the business he's always kept so private from me. His big movie just launched. Shouldn't he be on top of the world right now?I manage to bite my tongue until we're on the car ride home, and then my curiosity gets the better of me."It looks like Cataclysm: Earth had a great opening weekend," I say. "The newspaper in the waiting room said it broke
Last Updated : 2023-11-25
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The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 55: Is This Our Happily Ever After?
My stomach explodes with butterflies - but I'm not sure whether I'm excited or anxious as Dante slides his arm around me and leads me from the room. This whole evening - this whole relationship - is a lot to take in.He takes me out behind the house. The sun has gone down, casting the grounds in shadow, but from what I can see, the property is gorgeous. Like Dante, Charles and Giovanna have a large pool, but Dante leads me around the edge of the water to the terrace overlooking the gardens below.I grab onto the wrought-iron rail and tilt my head back, looking up at the sky. It's a clear night, and though the lights of the city cast a green-gold glow on the sky, there are still hundreds of stars winking back at me.Dante is quiet - too quiet. After a moment, I glance over at him, and I find him looking up at the sky with an expression I can't read. But he's got his lips pressed tightly together."What is it?" I ask.One corner of his mouth drifts up. "I was just trying to think of
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 54: The Fontaines
The mansion of Charles and Giovanna Fontaine is insane.It's huge, of course. And gorgeous. And surrounded by grounds that make it look like we're somewhere in Tuscany. If I thought Dante's house was intimidating, it's nothing compared to this.Though I'm sure the fact that I'm about to meet his parents isn't helping my nerves.I'm a bundle of anxiety as Dante leads me through the front door. His arm is hooked through mine, his fingers offering a reassuring touch on my inner wrist."You look gorgeous," he murmurs to me as he leads me across the foyer and into the formal living room. "They're going to love you."The rest of his family is already here, and my breath stops as I take them in. At least one of the advantages of dating a Fontaine is that I already know the names of many of the people here in this room - there won't be any awkward lapses of memory later. Still, meeting everyone at once is more than a little intimidating. It's not just the fact that they're Dante's family,
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 53: And I Thought We Were Complicated
"What about the press?" I ask Dante."We'll face together. We might have to deal with some rumors after word gets out that I've dropped Cataclysm: Aftermath. But we'll manage. Maybe I can arrange for us to take an extended trip to Bali."I laugh and wipe away a tear. "You know I can't leave my bakery for that long.""Then we'll figure out something else. But we'll do it together." He sobers a little. "I want you to tell me if you get any more harassing messages.""Only if you promise to tell me what's going on with your work." I look down at my hands on his chest. "I'm not trying to pry, I just...""I know." He tilts my face back up toward his. "We have a lot to share. A lot to keep discovering about each other." He twirls a loose strand of my hair around his finger, still looking far too serious. "You'll still have reporters and paparazzi poking around for a while, I'm afraid. I'm hoping that if I stay away from any high-profile projects, we might get a little privacy, but you ne
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 52: This Can't Be Happening
This can't be happening. Not here, not like this. This is too soon. This is too crazy."Dante..." I whisper. I can't make this decision with all of these people watching."I shredded that script," he murmurs against the backs of my fingers. "I told them to find someone else to rewrite it.""You didn't have to - ""I did. And I'd do it again."Panic is rising in my chest. "Dante, if we could go somewhere a little more private..."He brushes his lips against my knuckles. "I'll follow you anywhere you wish to go."I pull him to his feet and lead him back through the kitchen, past a wide-eyed Mama Pat and straight into the walk-in cooler. I have no idea what I'm going to say or do. But the moment the door is shut behind us, I find myself sinking against his chest.His arms come up around me - one around my waist, the other around my upper back, squeezing me to him as if he never intends to let me go. I press my face against his shirt."I'm scared," I whisper. "I'm so scared, Dante
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 51: Oh. My. God.
My "vacation" doesn't leave me feeling much better.Sure, I get plenty of food and plenty of sleep - and both Mama Pat and her husband are kind, generous hosts - but my heart still feels heavy. I feel lost. Dragged out by a rip tide. And I'm not sure what to do but continue to push on. The moment I heard back from Jack - he agreed to meet for lunch this coming week, thank goodness - I switched off my phone. I've avoided television and the internet. I need time to think.But thinking is hard when I'm like this. Every time I close my eyes I feel Dante's arms around me. Feel his lips against mine. Feel his fingers on my skin. Sometimes, I let myself sink into those fantasies. But every time I do, the feelings of love and desire are quickly drowned beneath a rush of pain and fear. I love him. I love him so much I don't know what to do with myself. He holds my heart in his hands, could break it without any effort at all - and he knows exactly where my weak spots are. I hate that he has th
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 50: Running Away
Mama Pat is my savior. She picks me up from Dante's house, and I don't think I've ever been happier to have a mama hen in my entire life.The moment I slide into her car she looks me up and down. "Need to talk about it, honey?"I shake my head. If I say a word about Dante, I'll lose my carefully maintained self-control, and I'm barely holding myself together as it is."Thank you for coming to get me," I tell her. "Normally I'd have called Jack, but he and I aren't exactly on good terms right now.""You know I'm always here for you, my dear."I do know. Mama Pat's been the closest thing I've had to a mother since my own died, and something about the way she's looking at me now - with compassion and understanding - softens me. I need a friend, a mom, right now."I'm an idiot," I say, leaning my head against the car window. "I should have known I wasn't strong enough to handle this. I knew I was being stupid and emotional... but I let myself fall right back into his arms.""Don't b
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 49: My Heart Breaks Again
I can tell the exact moment Dante's eyes land on the sheet of paper because his fingers freeze. "Where did you get that?""Your notes blew off the table and I was picking them up." I shouldn't have looked at them, I know, but it's too late for such regrets. "Is this a character in your script? You're using this? Using me?"He doesn't speak for a long moment. Too long. And when the words finally come, he talks slowly, as if choosing every word carefully. "Writers use real people as inspiration sometimes, Ash. It helps us create characters that feel authentic. But a lot of influences go into a character. Bits and pieces from different people and different experiences."I'm still frozen in his arms. "Her name is Ashley.""That was the director's decision. It's his girlfriend's name - purely a coincidence.""But this note about me isn't a coincidence. You have a comment about her running a bakery... about her having emotional baggage..." But my eyes keep going back to the weaknesses:
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 48: Finding the Script
I wake to the soft in-and-out of Dante's breath against my cheek.We're in his bed, and for once, I've woken before him. My body is draped across his, and his chest rises and falls beneath my arm. I can feel his slow, steady heartbeat beneath the pads of my fingers.For a long moment, I just lie there and stare at him. Watch the slight flutter of his dark lashes against his cheeks. Admire the long, hard lines of his body. He has a habit of kicking the sheets off while he sleeps, so most of his well-muscled form is in view. I let my fingers drift across the plane of his chest, following the path my mouth took last night. It must be close to dawn because the light that leaks in through the window is pale pink against his skin.I'm not sure how long I lie there watching him. My body feels languid, content. Any tension or anxiety I felt last night disappeared beneath Dante's passionate touch. I feel like we could take on the world together.We left the window cracked last night, and a
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 47: All The Truth I Need
"Men were threatening you?" Dante demands. "Men you know?" His voice is so strained that he hardly even sounds like himself.I shake my head. "Strangers."The muscles of his chest are rigid beneath my hands. He doesn't move - doesn't even breathe - for a full minute."Why didn't you tell me this?" he demands finally. His eyes bore into me."I knew it would upset you.""Of course it upsets me!""Well, it's not like there's anything we can do about it," I say."You still should have told me." He releases me and turns away, his hands going to his hair."What good has it done, telling you?" I say. "You don't tell me everything, either. We've just started seeing each other again. It's okay to still have some secrets."He turns back toward me. "And what secrets do you think I'm hiding from you?""Not secrets, necessarily," I say. "But you dodge all of my questions about your work." Between the tense phone calls and his odd behavior at the studio, something is definitely going on.
