by Elle Rush
It was funny. She’d never minded meeting new people. It was the attention from the public speaking and the photos that freaked her out. She had never liked having her picture taken before the accident. Now it was a million times worse. This afternoon’s mind mush at being thrust into a gaggle of movie stars notwithstanding, she generally did pretty well in groups. Spending the day with Chris had forced her to face facts. If she wanted to make this a national charity, she’d have to step up. Today had proven she could do it. With the money they’d already raised, including the huge, unexpected bump from the publicity Olympus had generated, Sydney had a shot at taking this to the next level. Having had some experience with once in a lifetime opportunities, she was going to grab on to this one and run, for herself and everyone after her.
It was ironic that the guy who had started out the day helping himself had ended up being the reason she’d be able to help herself and so many others.
Despite his promise, and Sydney felt he truly believed he meant it this time, she didn’t really expect any Greek gods to dance attendance on her tonight. Once Chris had undone his cranial-rectal inversion, he had turned out to be a pretty nice guy. Good kisser. Excellent kisser. Sydney drifted for a moment as she’d played back their three kisses. She may not have ended up with the guy, but he’d definitely given her enough memories to stop hating Valentine’s Day.
God, they were there. Sydney caught herself reaching for her shoulder and forced her hand back to her side. The girls stopped at the fire doors that led to the corridor that led to the ballroom. From here on out, she wasn’t the same Sydney Chris had seen all afternoon. Now she was the star.
She pasted on a smile when they walked down the hall. By the time they hit the ballroom it was genuine. The room looked amazing. It didn’t look like a little fundraiser at all. It looked like a gala. They hadn’t been close to selling out of tickets, but the room looked fuller than it should have. It might have been all the decorations. She didn’t want to know where some of the more elaborate displays came from, and she certainly wasn’t going to ask. They’d be gone by morning, and if all the meetings with lawyers had taught her anything in the last year, plausible deniability was her friend. Besides, there was so much more to see.
These were her people. A familiar face greeted her from every group, and if one didn’t, she made sure she went to introduce herself. Sydney was halfway around the room when she dropped into a covered chair at a half-empty table. “Hi, Nana. Hi, Mrs. D.”
Her grandmother didn’t fit in among the small business people and the everyday middle-class crowd. Of course, Sydney hadn’t expected Marilyn Monroe to try. Mrs. Dobson surprised her by decking herself out as if she were at an after-party for an awards show. She complimented both women on looking so glamorous. That was when Mr. Dobson came up behind her and offered her a glass of wine. He’d gone full out as well, his gray hair complimenting his silver bowtie and cummerbund of his tuxedo. “Did I miss a memo?” Sydney asked. “I’m pretty sure we decided on formal not black tie.”
“I couldn’t let the ladies show me up,” he explained. Then he stopped.
“And?” Sydney prompted.
“I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.”
Sydney groaned, “Do you have any idea how many surprises I’ve had today? I’m set for a decade at least.”
Mrs. Dobson laughed. “I think you’ll be good for one more.”
“Nana, help me out here, would you please?” Sydney pleaded.
“I would, but they won’t tell me what’s going on. Where is your date?”
“I’m working tonight, Nana.”
“That hunk of a god isn’t here yet?”
“No, he’s not coming. The sweepstakes prize ended this afternoon.”
“I’ve known actors,” the old lady said, with an emphasis on the “known” that Sydney could have gone lifetimes without hearing, “and Zeus was looking at you like you were the last spoonful of ambrosia. He’ll be back.”
“Okay, Nana. I’ve got to keep circulating.”
“Before you go…” She pulled Sydney down and whispered in her ear. “I left the extinguisher under the sink today.”
Sydney patted the old woman’s hand. “That’s great. Thank you,” she whispered back.
She finished her second circuit before she admitted it was working. Tickets for silent auction baskets were going. Vanessa and Trent were making regular runs to the bank’s night deposit. People smiled and drank and mingled and seemed to be having a good time.
Obviously it had to end. The lights in the ballroom went up, and there was no place to hide. Ashleigh caught her eye, and Caitlin took over the microphone at the podium in the corner for her introduction. Unlike the volleyball speeches, this one had been prepared for weeks. She’d had it memorized for almost as long. It didn’t stop her from pulling her cue cards from her purse though.
Caitlin finished with her introduction, and Sydney joined her at the microphone, not flinching once at the cameras that were going off in front of her. It seemed like a lot of cameras, but she had nothing to compare it to. Most looked to be held by friends, and she assumed the rest were people writing off their tickets as a charitable expense.
The welcome went well. Thanking the sponsors went off without a hitch. The raffle draw was thankfully handled by a friend from work so she got to take a breather for twenty minutes. And then Sydney was back for the night’s big event. The bachelor/bachelorette auction. They had an even dozen volunteers who had written their own biographies, including Ashleigh, who presented her newly opened Jessup Dance Studios as being owned by the honorary granddaughter of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ fictional love child, and Caitlin, who’d billed herself as a movie starlet on hiatus from the paparazzi after such diverse roles as Victim Number Two in an alphabet-titled crime drama episode of the week and the pretzel-offering stewardess in a comedy that only lasted a week in the theaters. Sydney’s fellow patients had even rounded up four men and one woman in dress uniform.
She was stunned. She wasn’t a professional auctioneer, but the bids were insane. The second bachelor sold for almost three thousand dollars. Caitlin told her to hold steady and keep going. So she did. She almost fainted at the numbers, but the checks kept being written and the bids kept coming. She scratched the eleventh name off her list and looked at the last. Number twelve. Sydney Richardson. She pulled out her bio.
And suddenly she wasn’t at the microphone anymore. Gary Dobson stepped into her place as if he’d planned it, and she found herself front and center in the spotlight with Vanessa and Caitlin blocking her exits. “Traitors!”
The man did have presence; Gary Dobson was a man people listened to. In front of a crowd he was electrifying. As the target of his attention, he was somewhat terrifying.
She didn’t mind the round of applause for the bachelors and bachelorettes who had gone before her, nor the thanks to the bidders, although those were supposed to be her lines. But he was gearing up to something, and everyone seemed to know what it was but her.
“Miss Sydney Richardson is the reason we’ve all gathered here tonight. She imagined Curse the Darkness, plotted and planned it, and invited us here to bring it to life. I don’t know how much we’ve raised, but I hope we’ve exceeded her expectations. Now we have one more chance to do that. Our last bachelorette tonight has a reserve bid of five thousand dollars.”
Sydney whipped around. “I have what? Who? When did this happen? Is it even allowed?”
“Apparently she neglected to list ‘reporter’ on her resume with all of those questions,” the man continued.
“Six thousand dollars,” a man’s voice called from the back of the crowd over the laughter.
“Sixty-five hundred,” Gary Dobson said into the microphone.
“Seven thousand,” the voice called again.
“Seven thousand?” she croaked. She’d doubled the best bid of the night. And she still couldn’t see who was bidding.
“Eight thousan
d.” The voice was closer now and clearer since the surrounding din had died off. She was pretty sure she recognized the tuxedo.
“Son, you do realize you’re bidding against yourself, don’t you?” the auctioneer said.
“Ten thousand, and that’s my final offer.”
Sydney skipped back a couple steps and reached over the podium, twisting the microphone until it faced her. “Sold!” she screeched.
It was the last thing she said for a while. The crowd parted, and Chris appeared once again in his tux. He’d looked fine in the bright morning light, but tuxedos were made for the night. Sydney heard the auction wrapping up behind her and Mr. Dobson thanking everyone, but at that moment she didn’t care. He was there. He stopped in front of her and smiled. The lights dimmed, but she didn’t move.
She blinked a couple times when his lips moved and no sound came out. “Hi,” she greeted him.
“Hi.” His smile got bigger as he looked at her. That was nice. “You look amazing,” he said.
“So do you.” It wasn’t fair. This morning she’d met him pre-caffeine and wearing pajamas, and she’d been perfectly fine with his sparkling hazel eyes and brushed back brown hair. Tonight she was dressed to the nines and awake and was about to swallow her own tongue.
“Yeah, I’m all Double-Oh-Seven,” he agreed.
“Connery or Moore?”
“Now I feel better.” Chris held out his hand to her. He pulled her in and started to sway. Sydney trailed her hands up his biceps and twined them around his neck. He pulled her in a little closer. “Sorry I’m late. Did I miss any dances?”
“Nope. This is my first.” Hey, the power of conversation had returned.
“Excellent.” He twirled her around, and she spun with him. Years of being Ashleigh’s practice dance partner and class fill-in paid off in one move.
Cue the John Hughes sigh as Molly Ringwald got the guy. It was practically perfect. Except…
“I seem to recall you saying I’d get a kiss at the end of the day, no tongue, if I asked nicely,” Sydney said.
“I did say that,” Chris agreed.
The music had stopped, but they were still moving. Maybe it had just stopped for everyone else. “I also recall saying I wouldn’t be the one asking,” she continued.
“You’re going to make me ask again?”
Sydney smiled. “You actually haven’t asked yet.”
Chris’ hand slipped up her back. Right over her scar, and his face didn’t even flicker. “I think I remember that. You know what I like best about your gala tonight and this dance in particular?”
“What’s that?”
His smile was full of all kinds of ideas. “I didn’t have to sign a terms of service agreement.”
THE END
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Check out these other Hollywood to Olympus romances, and enjoy this sneak peek at DRAMA QUEEN.
Hollywood to Olympus #2 – DRAMA QUEEN
Layla Andrews isn’t really a bitch – she just plays one on television. For the last eighteen months, she’s acted like one in real life too while she was forced to serve probation for something she didn’t do. Now the Queen of Olympus has done her time and she’s ready to start living again … but she’s forgotten how.
Russ Vukovich, the show’s fight coordinator, had been attracted to Layla since the first time he saw her. Recently he’s caught glimpses of a new side of her – one that makes her irresistible. But as he gets closer to her, he also sees more of what she hides beneath the mask she wears.
As Layla and Russ try to navigate their new relationship, families, danger, and secrets work against them at every turn. Can they find a true happily-ever-after when they are surrounded by lies?
From DRAMA QUEEN
The stop at the cop shop didn’t take long at all so they were among the first to arrive at work. Layla was certain that Russ had conjured some driving voodoo when they hit the freeway. Every lane they were in was the fastest moving, and gaps magically appeared whenever he’d needed to change from one to another. She was glad to be early.
She made a bee-line over to the make-up trailer. Russ hung behind, staring at the repairs being made to her trailer. Layla noticed that the interior door screen had already been replaced and somebody was washing off the footprint on the exterior one. If Dickhead Jeremy hadn’t realized that trailer doors opened out and not in, he wouldn’t have given her the warning she needed to prepare herself for a fight. She raised a hand to her face and realized how lucky she’d been to have those few extra seconds.
Erin was in the make-up trailer waiting for her. Layla tolerated the hugs and arm patting and the repetitive “I’m okay but are you okay?” declarations as Erin told her about her experience giving her first police statement. Russ caught Layla at the door. “Are you two okay?”
Both women laughed at the question. “The police asked Erin a lot of questions but everything she said matched everything I said. So that’s good,” Layla said. She smiled at Erin again, who smiled back. She couldn’t remember the last time that had happened without a camera rolling.
“Chris isn’t here so I’m going to take off,” Russ told her quietly while Erin answered her phone.
“Good luck,” Layla whispered back. She crossed her fingers and waggled them at him.
Russ reached out and gently brushed her cheek, right at the edge of where the bruising started. “You too. If anybody gives you trouble, you let me know.”
She couldn’t help herself. She tilted her head and leaned into his touch. It was warm and safe. Staying there forever wouldn’t be a problem. She had no idea why he was being so kind, or why he was looking out for her but it sure as hell was a nice change from going it alone. “Thank you.” For more than he knew.
Maybe he did because his eyes got a little bigger before he pulled his hand away.
Hollywood to Olympus #3 - LEADING MAN
Olympus heartthrob Nick Thurston is a leading man with a problem. His new play opens in a month and when it comes to the pivotal waltz scene, he can’t lead. When he broke up with his dance instructor girlfriend, it also ended their professional relationship and now he needs a new teacher. Desperately.
Ashleigh Jessup needs to find a new building to take her booming dance studio to the next level. She doesn’t have time for a private student, but she’s willing to make an exception to do a favor for a friend and earn extra money for her down payment.
Ashleigh’s success has come at the cost of her love life, so she can’t believe it when Nick is good with them spending as much time on their careers as they do with each other. But when Nick’s ex tries to sabotage their relationship, Nick begins to doubt Ashleigh’s intentions when she benefits from his fame, and Ashleigh has to decide if she’s willing to risk her business for a relationship Nick may not even believe in.
Hollywood to Olympus #4 - IT GIRL
Sean Glenn fell for Caitlin the first time he saw her, almost a year ago. Now that the rising star is working on his show, he could finally have a shot with her, if it weren’t for his well-known history as a player. Sean has his work cut out for him.
Entertainer Caitlin Kelly has spent the last decade taking every job she could get, be it acting, singing, or waiting tables. Now all her hard work is paying off. When her new role on a hit show brings fame and a potential real-life love interest, she has to make some serious choices about her priorities.
While Caitlin is torn about decisions the spotlight forces on her, especially those regarding Sean, the actor is suffering his own problems with stardom. Sean finds himself in a stalker’s sights, and the safest place for Caitlin may be far away from him. Is love strong enough to keep them together?
Hollywood to Olympus #5 – ACTION HERO
Nobody in Hollywood takes cable television star Glinda Crawford seriously, and that’s not going to change wi
th her next movie. What started off as a serious drama has descended into a cheesy flick about rabid, cyborg, panda assassins, and she can’t escape the insanity.
Mike Mosley has it all worked out. He's leveraged his teen-age TV heartthrob days into a successful adult acting career. But the first week on the set of his new movie with his Olympus co-star Glinda has him second-guessing everything: the plan, his single status, and just how dangerous robot pandas can be.
When script shenanigans spill into the real world, the attraction Glinda and Mike have been faking turns into a hot, real-life adventure. If they can survive this movie, they can survive anything together. However, the shocking finale surprises them both.
Other Books by Elle Rush
Hollywood to Olympus (also in paperback)
Screen Idol
Drama Queen
Leading Man
It Girl
Action Hero
North Pole Unlimited (also in paperback)
Decker and Joy
Hollis and Ivy
Nick and Eve
Resort Romances
Cuban Moon
Mexican Sunsets
Dominican Stars
Mayan Midnights
Resort Romance 4-book boxed set
Single Titles
Private Encore
