Chapter 16

Riley

"I can't believe it's over." I glanced over at Margo, one of the outfit coordinators as I stood in my dressing room in my nightie.

"Right? It seemed like these things are going to take forever, but you blink twice, and it's done." She smiled and walked toward the door. "I put you a few things over there to choose from for the party. Frank said everyone needs to help decorate, but you do not. You and Ethan need to just take your time getting ready. The event is mostly to celebrate you guys." Her smile was warm. I liked her.

"It's to celebrate all of us." I turned to face her instead of watching her in the mirror like a creeper. "We couldn't do anything without everyone playing their part."

"Touché." She winked at me and turned, walking out with a measuring tape around her neck and the cutest high heel boots I'd ever seen. "Ugh," I groaned as the door closed. I had little to no style. Why? Why couldn't I have been gifted with the ability to figure out how to put outfits together?

I'd be in the public eye until I finally decided to retire, and probably even then I still would.

Walking over to a large ottoman in the middle of the room, I grabbed a bottle of water and dropped down before twisting the cap off and taking a long drink.

Had Ethan and I really had sex on the stage behind a closed curtain?

I giggled, unable to help myself. The giggle turned into a belly-laugh, and I slid to the floor, laughing so hard that tears dotted my eyes.

What a life. I was beyond grateful for the chance to live something so much bigger than I thought possible. I'd struggled my whole life to have a dollar in my pocket, and now I had more money in the bank than I knew what to do with.

"I wish you were here, Mom," I whispered and reached up to wipe at my happy tears. I'd have spent a huge chunk of the green stuff on her. Buying her a house by the water where we'd talked about living when I was a little girl.

The door opened behind me, and I crooned my neck to look over the Ottoman.

"Baby?" Ethan's voice was soft but drove spikes of joy in me nevertheless.

"Down here." I waved.

"What the hell are you doing on the floor?" He walked over, looking like a million bucks. The man had to be the sexiest thing alive.

I extended my hand, and he helped me up. "I was just thinking about how cool it would be if my mom was still here."

"What would you do if she were?" He reached out and brushed a tear away as worry clouded his expression. "Help her out of debt."

"No, well, yes, but I'd get her a beach house in Santa Barbara. She always wanted one." I shrugged. "I did too. Maybe one day we can get one together and spend our quiet time out there."

"Not sure how quiet it would be." He chuckled and slid his hands over my hips, squeezing the top curve of my ass softly. "Not because of us, though I see where your naughty little mind is headed."

I laughed. "Then why would it be loud?"

"It's the beach down from LA. There are a million people there, waiting to see a movie star or run into a songwriter or singer. It's crazy over there."

"There's got to be a quiet part of the beach that's private."

"Oh course there is, but it's fucking insane expensive." He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. "Come on. Let's get over to this party."

"Alright." I pulled out of his hold and yelped as he popped me in the butt. "You're going to get payback for that, Mister."

"I hope so." He wagged his eyebrows before sitting down in my makeup chair and turning toward the mirror. "So I called Darren."

"What?" His words stopped me in my tracks. I spun around and walked over to him, sliding my hands over his shoulders and leaning down to kiss the side of his neck. "You called Deza's Darren?"

He awarded me with a cocky grin. "Um, yeah. Do you know another Darren?" The warning look on his face said that even if I did know another Darren, I’d better not tell him.

I chuckled. "No. What did he say?"

"That I was a nut job, but that he'll be at the party today."

"What?" I yelled and moved around him, getting up into his lap. "You seriously did that? All by yourself?"

His eyebrow lifted. "I am a big boy. You've had me between your legs enough to know. Women. Jeez."

"I'm so proud of you." I ignored him and leaned down to press my lips to his. I shifted a little to straddle him and sunk down into the warmth of his arms around me.

We took turns licking and kissing at each other's mouths until we were both breathless and panting.

"How do you do that to me?" He asked and reached up, sliding his fingers into the back of my hair before pulling me back down for another long round of kisses. The thick rod between my legs let me know that he would be more than happy to miss a little bit of the party and pick up again with our on-stage activities.

I didn't think I could ever get enough of him.

"Do what?" I mumbled in between kisses.

"Make me want to flip off anything and everything but you?" He pulled back. "Alright. Get off my lap and get dressed. I'll wait in the hallway. Frank and Deza are going to kill us if we don't show up before all of the public gets there. We can pick this up later."

"What if I want more now?" I pouted playfully.

"Woman, you keep poking out that bottom lip, and I'm going to take advantage of your cuteness and put you over my knee. You like spankings?" He massaged my ass with his free hand, and I leaned down and kissed him long and hard again.

Someone knocked at the door behind us, and I jerked up and yelped.

"See?" He responded. "I told you."

"Alright. Damn." I got off and walked over to the clothes rack, my body ticking with desire thanks to him and his fantastic kisses. "I'll meet you over there."

"You sure?" He stopped at the door and glanced back, his eyes roaming over me as if he'd never seen me half-naked before.

I pulled the nighty off and bent over, sliding the panties down my legs with my back to him. "I'm sure."

"Unfair!" He closed the door behind him.

I 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 Clayton taught me so many things and paused.

He and Ethan might have had a vendetta against each other, but I missed him. I'd played the fool somehow, and yet I wasn't sad about it. I reached up and brushed my fingers down the small square piece of glass in the door as my favorite memory of the handsome acting teacher rolled through my mind's eye.

He was in his mid-thirties and far too old for me, but he was insanely dreamy. Dark hair and charcoal-colored eyes. I hadn't known a woman that didn't swoon over him. He was Ethan, less playful, more grown up. Solemn. Beautiful and talented, and unfortunately bitter.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." I walked in and stopped short.

"Not a problem. That Ethan Lewis can captivate all of us, me included." He smiled. "All right. Shake out your shoulders. We're going to do some improvisation. You know what that is, surely?" He lifted his eyebrow and gave me a challenging smile.

"Of course. Throw your best at me." I rolled my shoulders and took a few deep breaths through my nose.

"We've been together for five years, and you've been waiting on a ring from me. We're at your favorite restaurant. Go."

"Are you here with me, or am I pretending like you're here?" I rolled my arms in big circles, not feeling nearly as foolish as I should have. He had a way of calming me completely. I loved it.

"No questions. Use what you want. Do what you need. Improv. Go."

"Oh my God." I pressed my fingers to my lips as tears filled my eyes. "Yes. Yes to all of it." I reached out and pretended to pull someone close to me, kissing the air and spinning around.

He clapped and laughed. It was a simple one, but fun.

"Bravo. You'd think for a ring I'd get a little bit of tongue action, but great job."

I laughed loudly and rolled my eyes. "You men are all the same."

"Are we?" He rubbed his hands together and pressed the tips of his fingers against his lips.

Tears blurred my vision. What had happened to throw him so off course? Could jealousy really do that to a person? I pulled myself away from the room and walked to the studio, the sound of voices forcing me to tuck my questions away for later analyzing.

Would someone stab me in the heart that I thought was a brother or a sister?

"Look. I know what we've been through, but I can't keep doing this. Tell me you'll go out with me this weekend, or I'm leaving for Miami, D. I love you too much to see you all the time and know that we're both just standing on the sidelines, waiting for the other to fuck up." Darren's voice surprised me, and I jerked over to the side of the hall, hoping like hell they hadn't seen me.

"I understand all of that." Deza sounded so lost. So hurt. "I just don't want to give you my heart again, and you find some reason to beat it up before you give it back. My career is very important to me-"

"It always has been," he bit out.

"Let me finish." She didn't sound too pleasant either.

I felt like an ass for standing in the hall, listening, but there was only one way out, and my shoes would clink all the way down the hall. There was no way I was fucking up this moment for them.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out, fumbling with it to see a text from Ethan asking where I was. I didn't respond, so he dropped another text.

Tomorrow. Me and you? Day of fun together? The movie is over. Let's dance and drink tonight, fuck like rabbits when we get home and tomorrow... a surprise for my girl.

Excitement filled my chest, but I swallowed it down and held my breath, trying to make out the muffled tones of Deza and Darren again.

"My career means a lot, but you were right. It can't mean everything. I've loved you since I was a girl, you asshole."

His chuckle was sweet. "I know you have, sweet girl. Let's try again. Besides, your crazy white boy in there said he would send a hitman after me if I fucked with you anymore."

"Did he? I think he's lost his mind. The only one that goes after folks that fuck with us is me." She laughed. "Come here, handsome."

The sound of kissing filled the air, and I bent down and slipped my heels off. The night was starting out perfect, and if I knew my crazy white boy, it would end even better.