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One Wild Night by A.L. Jackson, Rebecca Shea (12)

Paxton

With a small thud, our plane hits the ground in London. I can't take my eyes off Kaylee, but her eyes are glued to the new world outside the window of the plane. Her fingers grip the edge of her seat as her head bobs from side to side as we taxi to the gate.

When she finally pulls her attention back inside the plane, she turns to me with the biggest smile. Sheer excitement is written on her face, and she all but bounces excitedly in her seat.

“Ready?” I ask her as I unbuckle my seatbelt before the chime tells me I can. She nods quickly, unbuckling herself.

When the plane finally stops, I stand and stretch, catching sight of Kendall over my shoulder, her cell phone already pressed to her ear. She's sending me a non-verbal warning, a stern message with only her eyes as she has an entirely different conversation with whomever she's speaking with on the phone.

I gather Kaylee, pulling her in for a quick kiss as we deplane. With her tucked closely to my side, I don't bother to wait for Kendall. “Fair warning,” I begin as we descend the jetway into the terminal. “The paparazzi are just as bad here as they are in L.A. They come out of nowhere and when you least expect it. Don’t let your guard down, they’re everywhere. Same rules apply. Don't say a word. Don't make eye contact. Just move.”

“Got it.” She pulls me tighter to her, her fingers pressing into my side. I hate that these vultures won't leave us alone, and instinctively I want to protect her from them. We're chauffeured into a line that's shorter and more obscure for our passport check—and I'm thankful for this. Kendall has caught up to us but keeps her distance—though I can feel her anger from ten feet away.

The passport check is quick, and we're on our way to claim our baggage in no time. Kaylee's fingers are laced through mine as we try to blend in with the crowds of other travelers. It's hard not to notice Kaylee's eyes darting from side to side, checking out every person in our path. Her fingers squeeze mine harder as the crowd lightens and we become more visible.

As we arrive at baggage claim, Kenneth, Kendall's 'right arm' in the UK, has all of our baggage already on a cart and is waving us in his direction.

“Paxton,” he says in his thick British accent, offering me his hand to shake. “Good to see you, man.” His handshake is firm and fast. Kenneth is the epitome of professional. He’s direct, buttoned-up and doesn’t play the bullshit games that Kendall does.

“And this must be the lovely Kaylee.” He leans in and air kisses both of her cheeks. She blushes but offers him a courteous smile in return. “You two have really made a splash the last forty-eight hours,” he laughs, holding onto her hand. “I'm Kenneth. Publicist extraordinaire on this side of the pond. But don't get too excited. You'll never be rid of her.” He nods his head over Kaylee's shoulder just as we hear Kendall approach, her heels clicking on the tile floor.

He smirks at Kendall who ignores him and continues chatting away on her phone. “I see she's still charming as ever,” he mumbles under his breath as he rolls his eyes.

“Now that you're all here, I have a car waiting. It's a shit show out there,” he huffs as he pushes the luggage cart. “Head down. Walk fast. Don't take any questions.”

“Pax already warned me,” Kaylee politely tells Kenneth as we fall into line behind him.

“And here,” he reaches for a pair of sunglasses he has tucked into his button up shirt. “Put these on. You look like shit.” He shoves the sunglasses at me as Kaylee giggles.

I slide the Ray Ban aviator glasses on and pull Kaylee close to me as the large sliding glass doors open and the assault of flashing lights and questions begin.

“Paxton!”

“Pax!”

“Kaylee! We'd love an exclusive interview with you!”

The screams, questions, and flashes are overwhelming even for me, I can’t imagine what Kaylee is feeling. She tucks her head into my chest, and I wrap a protective arm around her shoulders pulling her closer. Right where I want her, in my arms.

A large black SUV waits at the curb with the rear doors open. I begin walking us faster toward the car as Kenneth uses the luggage cart to his advantage, clearing a direct path to the waiting SUV. I damn near shove Kaylee into the back seat, before slamming the door behind us and locking it.

“Holy shit,” she mumbles, brushing her hair out of her face. “Kenneth was right. They're just as bad here as back home.”

“Fucking animals,” I bark as the car is surrounded by flashing lights and people banging on the windows.

“Sir?” the driver says loudly, getting our attention. “Buckle up. We're going to be making a fast exit once we get our final passenger loaded.”

Poor Kenneth is loading luggage into the back of the SUV as Kendall sits quietly in the front seat, face pressed to the window, ignoring Kaylee and I in the backseat. Kaylee shoots me a look of concern, and I brush it off with a shake of my head. Kendall can be a complete bitch when things don't go exactly her way. She's pouting, and I refuse to play her games.

With the slam of a door, Kenneth slides in next to Kaylee, sandwiching her between us.

“Go!” he hollers, and the driver makes the exit he warned us about, fast and abrupt. We're not even out of the airport when Kenneth pulls his phone out and begins dolling out orders.

“Pax,” he begins. “Thursday night is the premiere. But tomorrow you have an appearance on the Graham Norton show and interviews with the BBC and a whole shitload of radio interviews. Radio will be done from your suite bright and early. Kendall will take the lead on the radio. I'll be by with a car to take you to Graham Norton immediately following.”

“Got it.” I nod.

“That leaves some downtime for you and Ms. Kaylee to explore London. I can make arrangements for dinners or shows should you wish. Just ask, and I’ll make it happen.” I can’t think of anything other than getting Kaylee naked and underneath me.

“Kaylee.” He smiles at her and rests his phone on his leg. “A stylist has been busy shopping and has an entire rack of dresses for you to try on in the suite for the premiere. Hair and make-up will be there for you as well. Everything is taken care of.”

Her eyes widen as Kenneth runs down the amenities that will be at her service. “Anything that's not there that you need, you ask me.” He side-eyes Kendall to see if she has any reservations, but she still hasn't moved, her forehead still pressed to the window in the front seat.

“I can make almost anything happen, but time is of the essence. If you need something for tonight, you need to tell me soon.” He looks at me when he says this. I’m sure he’s thinking I’m going to ask him to get me at a table at an exclusive restaurant or one of the hot nightclubs. Fuck that. Tonight, it’s all about me devouring Kaylee.

Kaylee takes a sharp breath and nods at him. “Thank you, Kenneth.” She looks genuinely relieved that she doesn’t have to worry about a damn thing.

“Pax.” Kenneth turns his attention back to me. “For the interviews, both radio and television, I think it's best to stick strictly to questions regarding the movie. Everyone has been warned to avoid personal questions, but you and I both know those arse holes never stick to script. Avoid answering personal questions at all costs. Keep this about the movie. Kaylee's been through a lot—”

“Or just answer the fucking questions, Pax. It's what you'll do anyway. I'm not sure why you bother having publicists when you don't listen to a goddamn word we say,” Kendall snaps from the front seat. Her voice is laced with venom and bitterness.

“There she is!” I blurt out, and Kaylee squeezes my hand, a silent warning to be kind. “Now that you're back with us, do you have any additional requests that Kenneth hasn't covered?”

She cocks her head and narrows her eyes, “Nope. It's all been covered.”

“Excellent. Then let's all enjoy London.” I sit back in my seat, and Kaylee visibly relaxes as the tension begins to ease in the car.

Our driver winds through the city before pulling up to The Ritz Carlton hotel where another crew of paparazzi are already camped out and waiting for us.

As we exit the vehicle, Kenneth pulls Kaylee aside to brief her on this whirlwind of a trip. I hear him telling her where she should stand during interviews, how to keep her focus and not let the flashes from cameras blind her, and most importantly how to smile at all times. Even when she's scared or worried…smile. I appreciate Kenneth providing her guidance as my mind is all over the place and Kaylee takes her crash course in publicity like a champ.

As I'm lost in my own thoughts, Kendall approaches, her lips pursed and fire in her eyes.

“There are no words to accurately describe how pissed off I am,” she seethes, keeping her voice low so as Kaylee doesn't hear. “I'm doing everything in my power to keep—”

“Just stop, Kendall!” I muster, getting in her face. She takes a step backward to move away from me. It’s rare I get aggressive with anyone, let alone Kendall, but she is fucking pissing me off. “Believe it or not, Kaylee is a good girl. She's here for the right reasons—”

“I don't care why she's here. I don't like it, and I want her gone.”

“Kendall—” my voice warns. “Don't make me choose.”

“Choose what?” she snaps.

“Between you and her…because you're not going to like who I pick.” I raise my eyebrows in warning, and her eyes narrow into thin slits. “Kendall, please don't make this difficult for me. I like Kaylee. A lot. I asked her to come with me. In fact, I begged her to come with me. She's different than the other girls.”

Kendall snorts and rolls her eyes. “They’re all different,” she scoffs.

“Kaylee is different. I could see myself falling in love with this girl. She's that different.”

Kendall's eyes widen at my admission, and she shakes her head. “And you know this after one night of being balls deep in her?” The sarcasm dripping from her voice continues to piss me off. “Just keep her close. I don't want to have to fucking deal with her,” she says before turning on a heel and walking away.

I see Kaylee approach cautiously as we both watch Kendall walk away, with a frown on her face.

I put a big smile on my face and reach for Kaylee's hand. “Let's go get settled. I plan on taking advantage of our suite tonight.” I press a kiss to the top of her head.

Turning to the bellman who has our baggage loaded on a luggage cart, I tell him, “Don't deliver those for a couple of hours. We won't be needing them right away.” He nods at my orders, and I pull Kaylee towards the lobby of the hotel. I have one thing on my mind right now and it's devouring her for the next few hours.