Chapter 38
Leona made her way outside of the Atlanta airport and waited for Mona. Perfect timing too, because she pulled up within seconds.
“Hey, thanks for coming to get me,” Leona said.
“Well, you were at that big Hollywood party last night. I didn’t want to drag you away from that. And I don’t mind renting a car. I went out, had fun, and figured out I miss Roach. I may need to go visit him, again.”
In the last six months, Mona had flown out to LA three times for short visits. Roach had come to New York twice. And as much as they both claimed they weren’t going to make things serious, they were headed in that direction.
In all the time Leona had known Mona, her best friend had never stayed with the same man for more than a few months with one exception. Harry had been her first love, her first heartbreak, and he was such an asshole after breaking things off, Mona no longer had faith in love, even though her parents were still together, and so were Leona’s.
Then again, there was a time Leona had been in love with Russell. And maybe it had been as good, but time and distance dulled the lust, or maybe it was never as good as she had wanted to believe.
“Thinking about moving to the West Coast?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. We’re having a lot of fun, but I don’t think either of us is ready to say we want more,” Mona admitted.
“But you can’t get enough of each other, so even if you don’t want to say it, you do.”
“Yeah, but you know my track record. Too long side by side and things will get volatile.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Things change.”
“I don’t know that much about him still. We talk, but not about personal stuff.”
“Maybe you should start by opening up to him. Can’t get to know someone unless you talk to them.”
“We talk, just not about important things.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Well, kind of hard to talk when I decide his dick tastes better than my past rolling off my tongue.”
“Well, thank you for that image. Really didn’t need it.”
“Oh, like you can’t say you would rather fuck Luke than talk about deep, meaningful stuff?”
“There is only one topic I tread carefully around, and that’s Russell. Mostly because I seriously don’t want to deal with him. Thankfully dumbass gave up after Allana’s birthday.”
“I still can’t believe he was such a dick to Allana.”
Leona laughed. “Yeah, well, she decided she didn’t need an uncle when my new boyfriend was a hundred times better.”
“She said that?”
“She did, and that was weird, but she has a point. Luke is that much better, maybe more.”
“Good to hear. So, you still want to be in my room?” Mona asked.
“Definitely.”
“You didn’t bring any toys, did you?”
“No. Two days is nothing. I can live that long without Luke or being on the phone or whatever while I get myself off.”
Mona giggled. “I love that you finally have a man who buys you sex toys.”
“Oh, that man knows how to use them too. Holy shit, he’s good at that.”
Mona laughed out loud. “Okay, let’s stop with that because I don’t need that image of you and your man in my head.”
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway. You’re staying in the room with me, or I may be tempted to bail and go back to Hollywood. He’s nervous about this audition and going to the premiere without me. Like he expects the tabloids to blow up some fan trying to grope him or something.”
“That wouldn’t bother you?”
“I see it all the time. He politely brushes them off and points me out. I’m not worried about it. I’d need more than a picture that is taken with the intent to cause scandal to break my trust.”
“You sure? After Russell, I wouldn’t blame you.”
“Luke has some crazy fans. I get it.”
“At least your stalker fans only stalk you on social media. Oh, and you’ve been sharing far more personal stuff than you had with Russell. Why is that?”
“Both his publicist and he think that putting us out there more and more will make some of the crazy go down, but when his parents picked us up at the airport the flashing cameras blinded me. His mother had to catch me before I faceplanted.”
“Not Luke?”
“He did too, but I stumbled into his mother.”
“Man, does that mean we’re going to have crazy photographers there at the hotel?”
“Maybe. But they know he’ll be at the premiere, while I’m at a signing, and somehow, I doubt anyone is going to follow me. They’re going to follow him first, and considering I don’t know of any paparazzi out in Atlanta, I’d say we’re probably safe.”
“Yeah, but some random, snap happy newb with a camera could take a picture, then offer it to the tabloids.”
Leona rolled her eyes. “I’m not big on selfies, and only do them with fans who ask. So, I don’t think it will be an issue.”
“Yeah, and it sucks. I just have to get all my model pictures without you,” Mona teased.
Leona sat back and lifted a shoulder. “Luke is better than all those models.”
A smirk lifted one corner of Mona’s mouth. “Maybe you should put him on a cover.”
“I don’t know. How many actors do you know that are on covers?”
She rolled her eyes. “None. Doesn’t mean he wouldn’t.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to resort to using my boyfriend for sales.”
“And if you were dating a model it would be different.”
Leona huffed, “Why would I date a model?”
Her brow arched. “Why would you date an actor?”
“What do you want me to say? Right now, I don’t need a new cover. Maybe later, sometime, but then people may believe he is that character and I really don’t want to go there either.”
Mona laughed. “As long as the two of you know the truth, why does that even matter?”
“He’s coming to the next signing. He wants to be there tomorrow, but he has to be at the premiere for his movie. And if I hadn’t agreed to this forever ago, I’d skip it.”
“And I’m sure he would rather be with you.”
“Yeah, but we have obligations. And neither of us is going to give up on our own endeavors. We can make this work with our schedules. And granted his is far busier than mine.”
“But with the movie, you’ll be asked to go to more and more signings.”
“Maybe, or I’ll become a laughing stock,” Leona pointed out.
“Doubtful. Look at some of the other big movies that have come out and those authors have been asked to go everywhere.”
Leona shook her head. “I need to write, not go to a million signings. A few a year is fine, but I don’t think I want a tour, or go to a dozen signings a year.”
“You like to travel, though.”
“Sometimes. But if I’m traveling I want good company, and to explore. I can’t do that if I’m stuck in a hotel for a signing.”
“Yeah, I know. Hey, so, are we doing the before party tonight?”
“Figured I would go see my friends and readers, then head back to my room.”
Her brow arched. “You’re going to bail on the party?”
“Most likely. Not immediately. I’ll play it by ear. Besides, I almost always bail early.”
Mona shook her head. “I’m taking you to dinner. We can catch up.”
“Sounds good. I’m going to call Luke real fast. Let him know I’ve landed.”
“Of course.”
Leona grabbed her phone and dialed.
Luke answered, “Good flight?”
“Got a lot of writing done.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I kept you from that too much this week, huh?”
“I’m not complaining. I’ll tell you if I need to take some time to write.”
“Good, because I will leave you alone when you need.”
Laughing, she leaned against the door. “Yeah, you do.”
“Barely.” He chuckled. “And I hate to do this, but Ryan and I are on our way to the yacht to decompress after the readings.”
“How’d it go?”
“Good, I think. But I won’t know until they call me.”
“I hope you get it.”
“Me too. I’ll call you later. And I know there’s a party for the authors and readers tonight.”
“There is, but I never stay for the whole thing. I’m not doing anything different than any other signing.”
“All right. And look, I do stay for the parties after premieres.”
“Okay, and?”
“And I hadn’t planned to leave early,” he answered slowly, hesitating.
She laughed. “Don’t expect you to. Relax, go have fun, and think of me often. It’s what I’ll be doing tonight and tomorrow.”
“You’re planning to leave before the after party ends to catch a plane back home?”
“Yeah, so if you’re out late, maybe you can just pick me up on the way home. Unless you’re drunk, then I’ll call a Lyft.”
“Not getting drunk if I know I can have you as soon as I get you home,” he murmured.
She laughed. “Okay, hey, we should go. Mona is taking me to dinner.”
“What do I tell you for a signing? Is good luck appropriate?”
“That works, thanks. And have fun.”
“I’ll try, but without you, I don’t know.”
“Aww, later, babe.” She clicked the phone off because she knew he could keep them going for hours.
“God, you two are cute together.” Shaking her head, Mona glanced over. “I’m glad he makes you happy.”
“More than happy.”