by Krys Janae
Continuing to drag her feet, Alisa skulked off to their bathroom and filled the tub with warm water and bubbles to comfort her after her workout at the gym. Stepping into the warm water felt wonderful to her aching muscles. She rested her head against the back of the tub and closed her eyes. Alisa must not have been paying attention to the time because a knock on the inner wall of the bathroom startled her.
“Ahem.”
Her eyes fluttered open to see Logan standing there, already wearing his pressed tux. “Oh, hey, sweetheart.”
“Hey yourself.”
“You’re dressed already?”
“It’s 1:00 p.m., babe.”
Alisa let a long sigh hiss through her lips. “Dammit.”
“Good bath, I take it?”
“I just have a lot on my mind.”
Logan was careful not to dip into the tub as he leaned over and pressed a kiss onto her forehead. “You know you can always talk to me about it.”
Alisa shrugged, though very reluctant to get out of the comfortable bathwater. “I’ll snap out of it. I guess it’s time to get outta here, as much as I don’t want to.”
Pulling herself up from the tub, the water dripped off of her skin and back into the bath, bubbles covering most of her. She stepped out of the water onto the non-slip rug and reached for her towel, dabbing away some of the bubbles. When she felt lips caressing the back of her neck, she stopped.
Logan pressed himself against her, and lucky for him she had dried her backside or his tux would be soaked. However, the slight bulge in his pants poking at her gave her reason to believe he wouldn’t have cared. “Mmm, you know how crazy you make me?”
A giggle slipped past her lips, and she smiled. “If we had time, I’d say you could show me …”
His hands explored her body, brushing over her breasts, “I’d say we have time.”
She turned to face him, the towel wrapped around her before she pressed her body against him again. Alisa offered a kiss before pulling away, “You’re all ready to go.”
“Yeah, I am,” he growled, leaning down to bite her ear.
“Dressed. You’re dressed already.” Alisa giggled and attempted to evade his teasing, “We’ll have time later, baby.”
Like a hungry beast, he gave a deep growl of desire then a whimper of defeat before conceding with a disappointed sigh. “Not fair.”
“My makeup isn’t going to do itself.” Alisa laughed, “And I’m not going to let you blame me for showing up fashionably late to our own premiere.”
“You don’t need all of that …” Logan stated, kissing at her neck.
“Sweetie…”
“You have an hour and a half before the car gets here. Think you can manage?”
“I’ll be ready.” She retrieved the makeup bag from the counter and disappeared into the bedroom.
Sure enough, an hour and a half later, Alisa had transformed from the sweat-covered, gym-worked look into a look worthy of being on the cover of a magazine. It took a lot of practice to perfect her makeup the way she had but after attending events throughout the year, she learned how to get a tasteful and glamorous look in less time. The dress Logan had purchased from the boutique in town was a black and white, sleeveless number. The top half was form fitting, and the bottom half was sheer, tulle material, the skirt falling just below her knees. She looked elegant and comfortable, and her hair was in a simple twist, pulling most of its length to one side. Alisa preferred not to have much along the lines of accessories, so a single silver bangle with black dangling earrings to match went perfectly with the antique looking ring she had bought months before. Not to mention, everything accented her large wedding band perfectly.
“This is not something I have gotten used to yet.” Alisa fidgeted on the drive over.
“What? Looking beautiful?” Logan grinned and leaned in to kiss her neck. “Get used to it; you were born that way.”
She blushed, “No ... This whole escorted around like royalty thing. This is for our movie! It’s ... it’s making me so anxious. What if I fall out there?”
Logan chuckled. He placed his hand over hers and squeezed. “Just breathe, sweetheart. You’ll be fine. Just like the other premieres we’ve gone to, lean on me. It’ll be over before you know it.”
They’d gone to a few premieres together, but this time it was personal. Gateway was their movie, making it different than the rest.
“If only designers made something lower than a four-inch stiletto with good arch support. Without them, I feel like a little person standing next to you.”
Logan laughed and nodded, “They are a little extreme. I told you to wear something lower than that. You don’t always need the killer heels. Though, I will admit, you do look hot in them.”
“I still can’t believe it’s finally here!” She was still blushing from his compliment, but her excitement had her switching the topic back to their big night.
It had been a little over a year since the movie was put into production … already a year that had changed her life after meeting Logan Rider. Now here she was, on her way to their red carpet premiere for her movie, Gateway. It was enough just getting to know the cast of his show and working on it, but to have a movie release from one of her books and participating in all of the media events they threw for it was definitely a dream come true.
“I know. What a year, eh?” Logan said, smiling down at her. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and leaned in to kiss her softly, hoping to calm her nerves.
Alisa squeezed his hand.
The car proceeded through the lineup slowly. With every pause, she could feel the anxiety in the pit of her stomach growing. The fear of falling or flubbing an interview or taking a bad picture was haunting her and would not go away. She held tightly to her husband’s hand, and he offered a reassuring squeeze to ease her nerves.
Once the doors opened, the paparazzi flashes exploded, almost blinding her. Logan stepped out first, looking marvelous in his perfect suit with that perfect Hollywood smile. This smile was very different from the ones he gave her, but it was still charming. He reached his hand out for Alisa, and after a deep breath, she lifted herself out of the town car with a smile plastered to her face. She was hoping no one would notice she was shaking; the yelling and cheering of the fans and media behind the gates hitting her with an overwhelming wave of sound.
Logan slid his arm around her and guided her most of the way as she tried to focus on not falling along the carpet, her heels were a little higher than she was used to.
“Mrs. Rider!”
“Mr. Rider!”
“Alisa! Logan!”
“Alisa, who are you wearing tonight?”
“How excited are you for your film?”
“Logan, I love you!”
“You both look gorgeous!”
“Can we take a selfie?!”
“Logan, Alisa, you guys are amazing!”
There was so much going on all at once. She didn’t remember feeling this overwhelmed the first time he walked her down the red carpet. Perhaps it was because this time the attention was on her. She was an integral part of this project. Plus she and Logan were an honest to goodness item instead of a superstar and his mystery woman. Still, the anxiety was real, and she was so glad that Logan was home to share this moment with her.
“Evan! Evan!”
Cheers switched from Logan and Alisa Rider to Evan Gable. Alisa swiveled her head to see the well-dressed Evan strolling down the red carpet after them. How he managed to snag the spot after them boggled her mind and made her wonder if he’d be seated next to them in the theater. Evan was walking along the fence, taking pictures with the fans and signing autographs. He wore an extremely sharp suit, one that was surely tailored to his exact form.
“You know that guy?” Logan uttered, maintaining his smile for the numerous pictures being taken.
Alisa followed suit, not breaking her smile as she responded. “That is our new director, and as of yesterday, y
our new Aaron.” Perhaps it wasn’t the best time to drop the bomb about Evan’s casting, but there was no time like the present since he had asked.
Logan’s eyebrow arched slightly in Evan’s direction, but he made sure to keep his expression plastered in place. “Good.”
Once the procession made their way into the theater, Alisa took her seat beside Logan, with Ray and David behind them, and Dawn with Jean beside them.
“Lookin’ good, honey! Love that dress!” Ray praised her, kissing her on the cheek. David had caught the moment on his phone and greeted Alisa in a similar fashion shortly after.
“Thanks,” Alisa blushed, “hubs has good taste.”
The gang had started taking pictures with their phones and goofing off, when Alisa felt someone sit down beside her in the vacant seat.
“Wow, it’s a party now, isn’t it?”
She didn’t think it was possible, but her stomach sank.
“Welcome to the family, Evan.” Dawn leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder.
The side of Evan’s mouth curled upwards, and he winked at Dawn. “Why thank you, Dawn!”
“Meet my husband, Jean.”
“Oh, you have a lovely wife, man. Good to meet you.” Evan shook his hand.
“Yeah, she’s a keeper.” Jean responded.
“Dateless tonight?” Dawn teased. “For shame.”
He offered a grin, “What can I say? The one and only date I asked is already here with someone else.”
Slumping down in her seat some, Alisa leaned toward Logan who was chit-chatting with Christian who had suddenly appeared beside him. She took a few moments to observe her surroundings; the stage was set with bright lights and sparkling décor, the exotic smells of various perfumes and colognes mixed in the air. She perused the various stars present. The shimmering of jewelry coming from everywhere in the room reflected back to her as they hit the lights.
There were so many people in attendance, it was a packed house. Alisa recognized several people in the theater, offering a wave as they greeted her.
“Hey there, companion.” Evan nudged her.
She hesitated but after a moment, she finally looked in his direction. “Evan.” Alisa peeked next to him and couldn’t help but notice he was really dateless. She was sure he was able to find a date, and with his ego, she figured he would be too proud to show his face alone. Perhaps it taught her not to make so many assumptions about a person she knew so little about.
“Come on…we’re traveling together, and all you can say is Evan.” He gave her that brazen smirk.
“Who is traveling together?”
Evan’s eyebrows raised as the question came from behind Alisa. “Huh.” Evan mused, the smirk seemingly permanent on his face.
It was her husband asking curiously, and she suddenly felt nauseous. “Um…” She gulped, shifting to face forward.
“You’re kidding, right? You didn’t tell him?”
“Didn’t tell me …” Logan’s brow furrowed, and he looked between Evan and Alisa, waiting for someone to explain what was going on.
Alisa may have imagined it, but she was sure Ray was trying to keep David’s attention away from the scene. “Babe, I was going to mention it to you, but it slipped my mind ”
“Evan Gable. Nice to finally meet you, Logan.” Evan extended his hand awkwardly across Alisa’s lap to Logan. Logan reluctantly accepted, and the two stared at one another for what felt like minutes, making Alisa uneasy.
This wasn’t how she wanted them to meet. This wasn’t how any of it was supposed to happen.
“Yes, actually Alisa and I are booked for New York tomorrow to meet up with the potential members of the new movie. Jenn Vega, to be precise. We’ll be there for a few days to also scope out the city for shoot locations.” Evan explained thoroughly, making Alisa even more uncomfortable.
“I see. No, actually she didn’t mention any of this to me.” Logan said calmly, but his expression was anything but.
Alisa knew that tone. Her husband was not happy. She wasn’t happy either. She forgot to explain the travel arrangements to her husband, and now he was furious. “I’m sorry.” She said quietly.
“Shh, looks like we’re starting!” Ray whispered, tapping the men on their shoulders. Ray also rubbed her on the back, knowingly.
Once they both relaxed back into their seats, Alisa took a deep breath. She had her hand in Logan’s, but her eyes were fixated on the screen. There was no way she would break her concentration. To her left, she would be greeted with aggravated glances from her husband. To her right, she would be graced with the never-ending smirk from Evan Gable. She was doomed to spend time with him in New York in a matter of hours. She wished she was sitting beside Ray at that moment.
The announcer gave thanks to the crowd and added additional acknowledgements to the cast and crew before the movie. When the lights dimmed, she tried to relax.
GATEWAY
The large, bold letters scrolling horizontally on the screen made her happier than it did to see the title out on the marquee. She was let in on a lot of the editing process once the movie was in post-production, so she recognized many of the elements they used to put it all together. Even so, it was still such an awe-inspiring experience to see it unfold in front of her, with the audience filling the auditorium.
Alisa squeezed Logan’s hand, expecting a squeeze back in response. Instead, he removed his hand from hers and sat very still with his hands folded in his lap. She gulped. Alisa turned to face her husband, expecting him to instinctively turn to look at her, but instead she was greeted with a cold stare. Logan wasn’t even staring at her; he kept his cold eyes aimed at the movie. His features were so defined, even in the dim light cast on his face by the film. Alisa could tell by the way his brow was set and the way his jaw was clenched that he was in no way happy about this.
Of course, she couldn’t blame him, but she also couldn’t believe that it went down like that. She kicked herself for letting that slip her mind. Alisa had so much going on at once; she didn’t tell Logan one of the most important details in her latest endeavor with the upcoming sequel. Right now she couldn’t even look at Evan, and she was so embarrassed she could only stare straight ahead at the movie.
Around 45 minutes in, Logan excused himself. It was just to the good part, their favorite part, where Alisa felt the collaborative writing between her and Logan was the best. The protagonists had come across an artifact extremely important to the story, and due to some miscommunication, they were at odds with one another. Perfect timing.
Leaning back, she let out a sigh and closed her eyes. She hated this. She hated knowing that she had pissed him off. “Shit.” She muttered to herself.
Ray leaned forward and whispered, “So what’s going on?”
Alisa shook her head. She was fighting back the tears that were threatening to flow.
“I didn’t mean to ” Evan said in hushed tones.
“Don’t.” That was all she had to say, and the smirk-faced Evan resituated himself in his seat and stared straight ahead. Alisa just wanted to be left alone.
Another hour and fifteen minutes later, cheers roared throughout the theater. People stood up, clapping, shouting, and giving their praise to the film. Alisa took a quick peek in her compact mirror before standing with her head held high to thank the masses. She raised her hands, waved, and blew kisses to the crowd to show her gratitude.
Evan was turned her way, offering a sympathetic smile as he clapped his hands together in her direction.
Alisa had a difficult time discerning whether or not he was genuine, but at that moment she didn’t care. It was her moment to bask in the praise, and she offered smiles and thanks to the crew and other cast members who were sitting a few aisles from her. The movie part of the premiere was over, and it was a relief. It was a proud moment for her to take in, a moment she was supposed to share with her husband, who was nowhere to be found. He’d been missing for at least the last hour. Alisa stood and wa
ited for most of the theater on her side to clear out before leaving. It took a few minutes before she could move, but even then she remained still. It wasn’t until she felt an arm around her that she snapped out of staring across the way. People had disappeared. There were only a handful of stragglers waiting to leave, Ray and David included.
“Honey.” That was all Ray said before he wrapped his arms around her.
A huge whiff of his Armani cologne filled her nose as he hugged her, and soon after, she felt David come in for a group hug.
“You know we love you, right?” David kissed her forehead before they all dispersed.
They made her smile. They always made her smile.
“I love you guys,” Alisa wiped a stray tear from under her eyes. She grabbed her clutch from her seat, and the two of them held their arms out for her to lead her out to the party. “How’s my face?”
Ray smiled, “Gorgeous.”
There was something about Ray that made him completely understand Alisa without her having to explain much. He and David escorted her to the after party area where there were a few more cameras to greet all of them.
After answering questions for the press and posing with her favorite couple, the trio eventually made their way over to the main area where the music was playing, the attendees were chattering and dancing, and the drinks were being handed out left and right.
“There he is.” David said quietly, gesturing towards the bar.
That was her cue. With a deep breath, Alisa strode towards Logan but not too fast as to cause a scene. She stood in front of her husband.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?” Logan sipped at his glass, giving small waves and smiles at those who were wandering by and greeting him. “Congratulations, big star. Movie turned out great.”
