by Alexa Aston
Suddenly, she felt the cool glass of the shower against her back.
Rhett brushed her hair from her brow. “Stay right there. Don’t move.” He chucked his underwear and it was Cassie’s turn to admire his sleek form.
“If Adonis had a nickname, I’m sure it was Rhett.”
He laughed.
“Oh, God, don’t tell me I said that aloud.”
“Didn’t hear a thing, Sweet Cheeks.” He bent and kissed his way down from her thigh to her ankle before he unbuckled the strap of her left high heel and removed it. He did the same with her right, this time working his way back up that leg. She gripped his shoulders, not trusting her legs to hold her up much longer.
“Climb aboard, Princess,” he ordered as he lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Rhett opened the stall door and turned on the faucet. “I like my showers hot,” he warned, “and my woman hotter.”
Cassie had never considered herself sexy. She possessed an athlete’s trim body, with small, high breasts, long legs, but good calves. Yet the way Rhett looked at her now, she could’ve posed as the centerfold model in Playboy without a qualm. Confidence brimmed through her.
He stepped into the shower and adjusted the temperature. Eight nozzles sprayed water from all directions, soaking her in seconds.
Rhett pushed a wet lock from her face and kissed her deeply. Time stood still. His fingers began working a magic all of their own and she began writhing in his arms, moaning with pleasure.
“That’s it, Sweet Cheeks. Come on, baby. Come on. Let loose.”
Cassie almost screamed as she climaxed, biting down into his shoulder instead.
“I thought Mercury had landed all the blows.” Rhett backed her into a corner and entered her slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Here’s looking at you, kid,” he said softly. “God, you are so beautiful.”
Cassie clung to Rhett for what she decided was the ride of her life. She’d never been so free or felt so right in another man’s arms. When he came, literally roaring with pleasure, his hoarse cries echoing in the shower, it was the icing on her cake. She, an average-looking girl from Texas, had more than satisfied the hottest man on the planet. She couldn’t help but smile as he held her close, basking in the afterglow of what had to be the most perfect encounter on the planet.
After, he washed her hair, pulling his fingers through the strands.
“You know this is most women’s fantasy.”
“Really?”
“I don’t know a woman who hasn’t watched Out of Africa and sighed over Redford washing Meryl Streep’s hair.”
“I’m no Redford but I’ve got a few other tricks up my sleeve.”
And then he showed her.
Finally, the water began to run cool. Cassie held up a hand. “I’m actually starting to look pruney, Corrigan. How long have we been in here?”
He glanced at the time on the shower radio. “About ninety minutes or so.”
She leaned into him, her hands on his slick chest, and laughed. “At our old apartment, Jolene and I would fight over who showered first. Our water stayed hot maybe ninety seconds, tops. I am certainly living in a fantasy world.”
Rhett took her chin in hand. “I hope you’ll want to stay.” He kissed her, long and soft, and then cut the water.
“Let me grab some towels.”
He stepped out and returned, wrapping her in luxury.
“What kind of fluffy monstrosity is this?” She rubbed her cheek against the soft cotton. “And how have I lived this long without it?”
“Move in with me and you can use as many of these as you like.”
Cassie bit her lip. “Rhett, don’t rush things. We’ve only known each other a few weeks.”
“I know how I feel, sweetheart, and I won’t change my mind about how I feel for you. When it’s right, it’s right.”
Rhett caught her up in his arms. “Marry me, Cassie Carroll. We’ll have from this moment until eternity to get to know one another. I already know everything I need to but it’ll be a fantastic journey learning all the rest.”
She hesitated. “I’m a nobody, Rhett. You’re Hollywood royalty. I’m not a busty, leggy supermodel, much less an actress who can match you paycheck for paycheck. I can’t sing. I can’t dance. Everything I own fits into one suitcase with room left to spare. You may not think so now because everything is new and shiny but I think you’d get tired of me. I don’t know if we would work in the long run.”
Rhett cradled her face in his hands. “I do. I’ve been waiting twenty-nine years—a lifetime—for you. I’m not letting you go. I don’t care if you have one dress or a thousand. You’re real, Cassie. Down to earth. We understand each other. We can build something good together. I want you to be the mother of my children and then cry on my shoulder when they leave for college someday.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Running on the beach. Playing poker. Watching old movies. Drinking good wine as we rock on the porch and reminisce about the wonderful life we had together.”
“Corrigan, you don’t have a porch.”
Rhett’s smile lit up. “I’ll build a damned porch. Hammer every nail in myself. You can sell tickets and donate the money to my charity foundation.”
Cassie smiled back, her doubts melting away. “I’ve always been partial to wrap-around porches myself.”
“Then I’ll wrap it around the entire first floor. Build you a verandah on the second. Hell, I’ll even build you a porch for the gatehouse.”
His eyes gazed longingly into hers. “I’ll do whatever you want, Cassie. Name it and it’s yours.”
She looped her arms around his neck. “I don’t want anything or anybody but you, Rhett Corrigan.”
“Deal.”
Rhett kissed her, and Cassie knew she’d become a real-life Cinderella.
CHAPTER 23
Rhett pulled into the visitor’s parking lot, already half-full at a quarter to ten that morning. Cassie sensed the nervous energy brimming within him. He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly as they crossed the street and entered the spacious lobby. She was grateful no paparazzi lurked behind plastic palm trees.
Cassie was also glad to be in her own clothes, a peach sweater and jeans. Good as her word, Melanie and Ken showed up with both her clothes and TJ after phoning ahead to see if she was awake. Melanie fussed over TJ, proclaiming her love for the little furball, and promising him that Auntie Mel would keep him anytime his mommy went out of town, despite Uncle Ken’s loud and obnoxious sneezes.
Melanie had smiled widely at Cassie, still wearing the snug black number minus the killer heels, and proclaimed she didn’t need to know how last night went. She could see the satisfaction written all over Cassie’s reddening face.
Ken promised he would run Melanie home and meet them at Zak’s room for the intervention Rhett had spent the last three hours planning. Cassie didn’t know how Rhett could run on no more than two hours of sleep and look as good as he did, bruises and all. Of course, being Rhett Corrigan, everything fell into place in record time.
They took the elevator to Zak’s floor and found Darin pacing outside the comedian’s room.
“Chris went to get more coffee,” he told them. “He fought a four-alarm fire just before his shift ended yesterday and he’s still a little wiped.”
Chris turned the corner at that moment and greeted them. The three men began talking in low tones about what they wanted to say to Zak, as Rhett shared that Breck wouldn’t be there since he’d just left town to spend Christmas with Jolene’s family.
Cassie was unsure about her role in being present. She didn’t know Zak Mercury well and felt partly to blame for him being in a hospital bed at the moment. His insults of her had led to Rhett playing slay the dragon and she didn’t know how the comedian would feel facing her less than a dozen hours after making a fool of himself.
Still, Rhett had insisted she come. She knew how important this was to
him. He’d been up since four, calling a specialist in crisis intervention, arranging for Zak to head straight to rehab after the hospital discharged him, and rallying the troops to support Zak at such a critical time.
An oddly matched couple got off the elevator and headed their way. Rhett greeted them quietly, not wanting to tip Zak off as to who gathered outside his door.
“Hey, Marty. Glad you and Emyli could make it.” Rhett made brief introductions, and Cassie learned that the short, compact, balding man was Zak’s agent. She’d heard his name more than once and Manny had lost a client to Marty the week before Cassie quit.
The gum-smacking Amazon with flaming orange hair and enough silver bangles to open her own jewelry store at the mall was Marty’s secretary—and a former girlfriend of Zak’s.
As they continued the small talk, waiting for the psychiatrist scheduled to show, Emyli cozied up to Cassie.
“So, you’re the gal Zak got his nose broken over.” She assessed Cassie openly. “You’re not what I expected.”
Cassie crossed her arms and nodded briefly, not knowing how to respond to the rude comment.
Emyli gave her a sly smile. “Must be fun having two famous dudes fighting over you.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
The younger woman snorted. “Then you haven’t been listening to the news this morning. Baby, you made the morning network shows and some of the papers and you’re all over the Internet.” She gave Cassie a knowing glance. “Believe me, I read and watch everything. Your little love triangle is hot, hot, hot.”
Cassie’s anger flared but she knew protesting to this stranger wouldn’t solve anything. It still hurt, though, knowing her name was being wrongly dragged through the mud. She had a small inkling of why Rhett had taken the high road when Randi hit the airwaves with her sordid lies.
Leo turned the corner, and she was grateful to see the trainer’s familiar face. She must have sent out a panic alarm because he immediately linked his arm through hers.
“Need to steal Cassie for a minute,” he told Emyli as he pulled her twenty feet away.
“You are a lifesaver,” she told him.
“How are you, Cass?” The sympathetic look in Leo’s eyes nearly did her in.
She managed a weak smile. “I suppose as long as I stay away from TV, newspapers, my phone, my computer, and every busybody on the street, I’ll be blissfully fine.”
He grew serious. “You know, you might want to work off a little of that anxiety.”
Cassie laughed. “I know. Put in a good run. Lift a few weights. Have a liver and whey shake.”
The trainer broke into a grin. “I was going to tell you to either plan a little getaway or just have us over for poker tonight.”
She shook her head. “Breck would kill us. He was on a hot streak the last time we met. If we played with him out of town, he might not ever forgive us. Besides, Christmas is in three days. As a male, I assume you’ll actually begin to think about your shopping in the next thirty-six hours?”
Rhett caught her eyes and waved them over. Cassie noticed a reed-thin man with thick hair and a scholarly air about him had joined those gathered. As she and Leo wandered over, Rhett introduced him.
“This is Dr. Tony Eckert. He’s associated with Twin Hills and is here to help us reach out to Zak.”
Dr. Eckert smiled warmly. “I’ve been involved in over seven hundred interventions. Most go pretty well. A few turn south. From what Rhett says, it sounds like Zak knows he needs some help. That’s the biggest step for him to take right now.”
He eyed the group that had formed into a circle around him. “Zak will probably be moody. Downright angry, actually. He’ll more than likely say a few things to hurt you. He might protest that he doesn’t need to hear what you have to say. Don’t let that stop you. Whether Zak realizes it or not, he’s craving the love and attention you’ll be dishing out. Don’t let him sidetrack you. Say what you want, if you want. Just being here for him speaks volumes. But if you speak, keep it short and from the heart.”
At that moment, the door to Zak’s private room opened and a stout man in a white lab coat exited. He smiled as he recognized and greeted Tony Eckert, who ushered him off to the side and spoke with him briefly.
The two men looked up and walked back toward Zak’s room.
“Showtime,” Rhett said under his breath as they moved en masse behind the two doctors.
Zak’s physician entered first and Cassie caught a few phrases about visitors that wanted to see him. Dr. Eckert led the group inside and they surrounded Zak’s bed.
The comedian looked absolutely awful. Cassie saw the huge discolorations under his eyes and the swelling of his mangled nose. A cut above his eye had been neatly stitched. Zak’s red hair stuck out in all directions and his normally pale skin looked ashen, the freckles standing out in stark contrast.
“If it isn’t Hotshot and the Sunshine Band, all decked out with half-ass smiles. Come to make the beat-up comic feel good about himself, huh? Maybe you should’ve brought Santa Claus and his elves instead. You are one morbidly cheerful group of people for this early in the morning.”
His lips snarled in disgust. “Ken getting up outta bed the day after his big-ass premiere. Way to go, bro. Love ya for it. Chris, must be your day off from the firehouse. I know that little wife of yours keeps you on a short leash so I’m glad she let you join in the reindeer games.”
Zak reached for the plastic water pitcher and poured himself a drink. No one said anything as they watched him painfully sip through the straw.
He looked around expectantly. “Who else is here? My poker pals, Darin and Leo. My money-grubbing agent, who’s about to shit bricks if I don’t get my act together and keep his percentage rolling in. I can see he thinks I’m money pouring down the drain in my present condition. And Emyli. Glad you could stop humping your latest motherfucking boyfriend and swing by to say hi.”
Zak’s eyes narrowed. “My two favs here have to be the friend who beat me up, resident Hollywood stud, Rhett Corrigan, and his little pony-tailed assistant. How ya doin’ today, Cass? Getting a little free, unexpected press?”
Dr. Eckert interrupted Zak’s monologue.
“Hello, Zak. I’m Tony Eckert. I’m—”
“—some asshole mediation expert from rehab, I’ll guess. I’m sure Hotshot organized this little wake-up call and put you in charge of the festivities. This is called an intervention, right?”
“That’s correct.”
Zak thought a moment. “Intervene. That means to interfere or meddle, doesn’t it? To intrude on someone’s privacy?”
Dr. Eckert coolly replied, “You’re exactly right, Zak. We’re here to interrupt the path your life is on and convince you to make the decision to try a new fork in the road."
“Hmm. I like that, Tony. You don’t mind if I call you Tony, do you? I mean, you’re calling me Zak and all like we’re buddies from way back.”
Dr. Eckert didn’t rise to the bait. Cassie shuffled uncomfortably. It surprised her how bitter Zak was.
“Quit messing around, Zak,” Rhett ordered. “You agreed last night that you needed some help. Well, the Marines have stormed your beach and we’re ready to take no prisoners.”
“Oh, Hotshot, gotta love those metaphors. You know, there’s more to you, Pretty Boy, than meets the eye.”
Rhett pulled the tray that extended over the bed out of the way and roughly shoved it aside. He sat down hard on the bed, oblivious to Zak wincing, as he got right in the comic’s face.
“You are like a brother to me. I’ve seen you down and out and as low as someone can go. I’ve caught your act in two-bit clubs that reeked of stale beer and sex in the back booths. Listened when no one else was listening. Because you have talent. Because you are special.
“I’ve believed in you. Cheered you on. Celebrated all those small victories with you. And now that you’re on the cusp of hitting the big time, I refuse to sit by and watch you drink away such a terrific
opportunity. You’re a star, Zak, burning brighter and faster than most, but you’re going to burn the fuck out if you don’t get some help.”
Rhett leaned back and studied Zak. “I’m here to see you get it, whether you like it or not.”
The floodgates opened and everyone in the room joined in. They all took a turn praising Zak, chastising him, bolstering him, and letting him know how much he meant to them.
Cassie held her breath, hoping their words reached the comedian.
Zak started to cry.
Dr. Eckert motioned for things to wrap up and everyone offered Zak a hug and an encouraging word before they left.
Rhett leaned down and told his friend, “The minute you are released, Dr. Eckert can be here to escort you to Twin Hills. I’ll come along, too, if you’d like.”
Zak frowned. “What if Santa doesn’t know my forwarding address? I assume I’ll be a guest in this lovely facility for a while.”
“Hell, Zak, you’re Jewish. I didn’t really know you believed in Santa,” Rhett joked.
Zak smiled sheepishly. “Hey, anything for a few free presents.” He grew quiet. “Guess I haven’t been too good this year, huh? Better not tell the old fart where I am. I don’t think I’d really want a lump or two of coal in the old stocking.”
Rhett hugged his friend. “Do whatever it takes to get back to being who you really are.”
Zak glanced up at Cassie. “I guess I still need to look for another assistant?”
She nodded. “Unless you want me to see if Jolene wants the job.”
Zak moaned. “Not what I need. Someone who talks dirtier than I do. No, thanks, Cassie. I’ll work on that one down the road.”
“Bye, Zak,” Cassie told him. “We’re all pulling for you.”
She and Rhett left, Dr. Eckert staying behind. Cassie felt sure the psychiatrist would go over some details with Zak to better prepare him for what awaited him during his stint in rehab.
Rhett took her hand as they headed to the elevators. “We only have three days until Christmas.”
