Laguna Nights

by Kaira Rouda

  He looked at Madison then, the tears streaming down her cheeks. “That was my sign, my reassurance that nothing was happening. That it was all for the show. That you were the only one who truly held my heart. The only one who holds my heart,” he said, and dropped to the floor at her feet, bending on one knee, “Please forgive me.”

  Madison had tears streaming down her cheeks, but she smiled. “I do. I forgive you. I never saw that. All I saw was Laura. The two of you together. I’ve watched it a million times,” she said.

  Josh stood up and then held out a hand to her, pulling her to standing. He felt her heart beating in her chest as he held her close, the familiar stirring in his crotch, the undeniable pull between them. He placed his hands on either side of her face and gently tilted her head up to face him.

  “I love you. I always have, I always will,” he said, before she reached for his head and pulled it down on hers, sealing their lips together. Her mouth opened beneath his, his tongue plunging into hers as hers pushed back in a hot tangle. He tilted her head back further to deepen the kiss. He felt her hands slide down his arms, her body pushing against his, the thin fabric of her dress concealing nothing of her fabulous body. He grabbed her butt, pressing her against him as she moaned. He was going to lose it. He bent and picked her up in his arms as she broke their kiss.

  “I think it’s finally time,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for fifteen years.”

  “Oh my god,” he said, pressing his lips back onto hers, carrying her into the bedroom and lowering her slowly onto the bed, never breaking their kiss. She fell back on the bed as he dropped down beside her. He reached under her dress and rubbed his hand up her smooth thigh, finding the top edge of her panties, slipping his fingers under the lace as she writhed beneath him. How could they have never had sex? She was the sexiest woman he knew, and the only one he’d ever truly loved. What was wrong with him all these years?

  “I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured. He pulled his hand out from under her skirt and cupped her beautiful breasts with both hands, rubbing her nipples through the thin fabric of her dress and her bra. He plucked at them and felt his erection grow as they hardened. He needed to get the dress off of her.

  “Zipper, in back,” she moaned, rolling to face him on her side, sitting up unsteadily as he reached around behind her and tugged the zipper down, pulling the dress roughly from her shoulders, pulling it over her hips.

  He stopped and admired her, entranced by her, their eyes locking. She wore a simple white bra barely covering her erect nipples, and white lace panties. She was gorgeous, his body was shaking with desire. He unhooked her bra and found her right nipple with his mouth, sucking hard and biting it, feeling her arching beneath him.

  “Please, Josh, I want you,” she said, her voice soft, needy.

  “Soon,” he said as he nipped her other nipple and she writhed in his arms. It was everything he could do to not plunge inside her, but he needed this to be special. Their first time. He would hold on even as she drove him crazy. Her hand was reaching for him, sliding over his jeans, tugging at his waistband. She was driving him crazy with want as he pulled at his jeans with her, even as he still suckled her breasts. He looked up and they stared at each other, both breathing hard, crazy with desire.

  “Now, Josh, now,” she said, her voice demanding and sure. “I need you inside me.”

  He grabbed his jeans, found a condom in his wallet and pulled it on in record time. Madison spread her legs wide, her eyes were begging him to give her what she wanted. He plunged a finger inside her, a wet and ready entrance, as she trembled in anticipation. Taking himself in his hand, he kept his eyes locked with hers and thrust inside her as she groaned.

  “Ok?” he said.

  “Oh my god,” she said by way of an answer, biting her lip and rolling her head back and forth on the bed, her blonde hair a wide fan behind her.

  “You feel so good,” Josh said, thrusting into her as his mouth sealed over hers again. He felt her fingernails clawing into his back as her center seized as she came, and then, he felt himself let go, too, shaking in release. He fell on top of her, the most intense orgasm he’d ever experienced in his life. He rolled to his side slowly, pulling her into his side, holding her and not ever wanting to let her go.

  Unable to do anything but breathe and cradle her next to him, Josh finally relaxed, letting go of the morning’s drama. The world had become complete with just the two of them, on this bed, together. He would be fine if that was all the world ever was again. He would be happy as long as Madison was by his side, he knew.

  Finally, when he could form a complete sentence, he propped himself up on his right elbow and said, “I suppose we need a plan?” The fingers of his left hand traced circles on her stomach and Madison shuddered. He leaned forward to kiss her gently on the lips.

  “A plan. Yes,” Madison said. “Your turn.”

  “Yes, it is my turn,” Josh said. It was up to him to figure out this mess. One thing was certain. His life had begun again today and his future must include Madison. She would be fine without him, he knew, returning to her high-profile job, her charming cottage, her mom. But he wanted to be a part of her life, more than he’d wanted anything else. But he also knew he wouldn’t intrude on her perfect life unless he had something to add. He would never take anything away from her again.

  He pulled the soft blanket up from the end of the bed and gently covered her.

  “Take a nap. I’ll make a few calls. I’ll be right out here,” he said, kissing her cheek as she smiled.

  “Don’t let me sleep too long,” she murmured.

  “I won’t,” he said, closing the door to the bedroom behind him. It was time to make a plan.

  He picked up his phone and pushed Marty’s contact. Marty answered in one ring.

  “Where are you? We have a shoot under way, a shoot you’re under an air-tight contract to honor,” his manager said, the words tumbling hard and fast from his mouth.

  “Well, we are all going to need to do a little give and take,” Josh said. He walked to the closet and found a robe, pulling on the plush comfort as he dropped onto the couch. “I need to see all the footage shot so far. A screening of sorts. Then I want a run down with the editors of the proposed money shots, the secret footage from the hidden cameras, any pre-caps you shot with Annie or Francine or Laura for that matter. And if you filmed the scene in the trailer after lunch, you better be damn sure I see all of that, too.”

  “It’s not going to happen, Josh. Laura controls the footage and she’s happy with what she has. She told Roger she doesn’t even need another day with you all,” Marty said. “I’m begging her to let us have some closure, some reality footage of everyone getting back to normal after she blows out of town.”

  “What does that leave me getting back to, exactly, after she blows out of town, Marty?” Josh asked, as the other end of the line grew silent.

  “I think we both know it’s over after this, kid,” Marty said. “I’m sorry, but you had a good run. Maybe motivational speaking, teaching a course on television at a community college. Hell, there might even be a documentary company that could use voice over talent. There are plenty of avenues for you. I’d just hang up the acting dream.”

  And there it was in a nutshell, Josh realized. His dreams of a comeback were over. If it hadn’t been because of Laura, it would have been his anxiety. Ironically, he had watched a natural at work – Madison – and he knew he didn’t have anything near her natural star power.

  “Your old man really wants to talk to you, by the way. He’s called me at least three times since noon to get your number, but you told me never to give it to him,” Marty said.

  Josh looked out the window at the bright blue sky and the shimmering ocean. He realized he’d been excited to see his father watching him work, seemingly proud of him. It had crushed him more than anything else when his father had walked away. “If he calls again, give him my number, ok?”

  “Sure,
kid. So what about tomorrow’s shoot? What do I tell them?” Marty said.

  “I’ll talk to Madison and get back to you in a couple hours,” Josh said.

  “She’s with you?” Marty said, sounding incredulous. Why would a girl like that be with a loser like you, Josh heard him say inside his own mind.

  “She is. I’ll get back to you,” Josh said hanging up.

  She woke up, naked and happy, stretching to get her bearings. They’d finally made love, she realized, and it was better than she had ever imagined. Madison climbed out of bed and headed for the shower, waking up in the warm spray, soaping all of the areas where Josh’s hands, his lips, and his body had touched her. Reliving the memories with her hands and turning herself on in the process.

  She laughed and jumped out of the shower, drying off while walking over to try to salvage the blue dress, now a tangled mess on the floor. The dress was inside out and too frustrating to unravel. So she found a plush white robe in the closet and shrugged it on, opening the door to the main room of the suite, greeted by a blast of bright afternoon sunshine.

  “Hey,” she said as Josh turned around and smiled. He was wearing a robe, too.

  “That was so great,” he said, walking toward her, wrapping his arms around her. She could feel his erection through the robes. “Why’d we wait fifteen years?”

  “I don’t know, I guess because I thought you were doing that with Laura,” Madison said. When she saw the hurt cross his eyes, she added. “Let’s not wait that long again, ok?”

  “Never,” Josh said. “Coffee? I ordered up a pot for us. There’s sparkling water and hot tea, too. I wasn’t sure what you’d prefer.”

  Madison walked over to the room service cart and poured herself a cup of tea. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “I say we do the wrap scene, the one at the hot tub,” Josh said. “I’ve been thinking about it. It’s unscripted, so we can say whatever we’d like. We can make it completely different than that scene was, the one they’re replicating. And, it gives them more footage that we’re controlling. We’ve signed over the rights to everything they’ve already got. We’re screwed, hidden cameras and all.”

  Madison sat down on the couch and took a sip of tea. “So we’d film tonight? In bathing suits? Will Laura be popping by, too?”

  “Yes, yes, and I don’t know. If she does, we’ll be ready for her,” Josh said, his fists clenched by his side.

  “What is our message?”

  “That we’re good. The drama is over and we’re coming clean. We were part of a landmark reality TV show that was, compared to everything that followed, pretty tame and straight forward. That some of us made it because of the show, and others, despite it,” Josh said, sitting down on the couch next to her. “We’re not going to talk about all the cash I blew, I mean it was millions,” Josh said shaking his head.

  “And we’re not going to talk about my weight gain, and depression or that I ran away to Europe,” Madison said. She placed her tea cup on the coffee table and stood up and walked out on the balcony. Below her was the oceanfront pool, and just beyond, a small slice of beach and the ocean. This hotel was smaller than her resort, and it hugged the water, spray from the waves reaching the balcony and leaving a mist on her face. A pelican dove for a fish in the ocean in front of her. A child’s laughter bubbled up from the pool. She had been lucky to be a part of the cast, she realized. She’d been able to pay for college and help her mom buy the building her mom had rented for her nail salon business. And this time, with this stupid show, she’d get residuals if it was a hit, a recurring payment for recurring embarrassment. It would work out.

  She walked back inside and Josh shot her his signature grin.

  “My dad called,” he said.

  “And?”

  “We’re meeting, next week. He wants to talk to me about a job. He needs help,” Josh said, and Madison saw the hope in his eyes, and it was more than about the job.

  “That’s great,” she said, walking into his arms.

  “It is, but you know what’s better?” he said, untying the belt of her robe and pulling it off her shoulders before tugging off his own, revealing his full erection. “This. You. You’re so sexy.”

  Madison felt her body respond, aching for his touch, wanting him as much as before. He leaned forward to kiss her as he pulled her to him, grabbing her butt, sealing them together. She felt the fingers of his other hand between her legs as moisture flooded her and her knees dipped.

  Josh was backing her up, walking her backward until she felt the back of the suite’s dining table on her thighs. Breaking their kiss, he pushed her up onto the table, where she sat, naked and dizzy with desire.

  “Oh Josh,” she heard herself moan, overcome with need.

  “Lean back,” he commanded and she did what she was told, as he grabbed her thighs and wrapped her legs around his waist. “You are gorgeous.”

  Madison saw his erection, huge and thick and ready. “Please,” she said, as he plunged inside her, her thighs locked around him, her body arching against him on the table, his thrusts deep inside her. She was losing control again as pleasure shot through her and she cried out the climax shot through her, sending shivers of pleasure throughout her body. She felt him shudder, his stomach muscles clenched as he followed after.

  “My god, Holls,” he said, looking down at her with a look of shock in his eyes.

  “I know,” she said, as another shudder of pleasure surged through her.

  He pulled out, scooting her back onto the table, giving her legs support. All she could do was flop them apart, she felt like a ragdoll. A happy ragdoll just trying to breathe. Josh looked down at her, limp and vulnerable, and leaned forward and kissed her stomach. She smiled and looked into his blue eyes, and knew this was it. No matter how far and how long she had run away from him, he was the one. She could trust him, she should have all along, no matter what she saw on TV.

  “I love you, Holls,” Josh said, touching his fist to his heart.

  It took all the energy she could muster to repeat the gesture. “I love you, too, Josh.”

  He leaned forward for a kiss and scooped her up off the table, and deposited her on the ground in front of him, making sure her legs would support her. And as much as she never wanted to leave this room, this moment, she knew they had one last segment to film.

  “Ok, let’s get ready, do the hot tub scene and get these creeps out of our lives and out of Laguna Beach.”

  “Deal,” Josh said, kissing her lightly on the lips and then dialing Marty.

  “We’re on for tonight,” Josh said. “Yep, we’ll be there.”

  Madison’s heart raced, but Josh covered her hand with his.

  “We’ve got this,” he said.

  “Problem. I don’t have anything to wear. My dress is, well, not going to work,” Madison said feeling her face flush.

  “Marty has wardrobe and makeup coming here in an hour. I told them that was fine. We’ve hidden out here long enough, and we can always come back,” Josh said.

  “Seems I need another shower,” Madison said. “Join me?”

  Josh’s smile said it all.

  Madison knew exactly where the limo was taking them as the car snaked its way up the thin streets of the southern-most gated community in Laguna Beach. As soon as the car had turned onto Coast Highway, heading away from town, Madison knew. They were headed to Laura Kinkaid’s hot tub, or, more precisely, her parents’ house and hot tub. Josh squeezed her hand, but didn’t say a word. Now that they knew there were cameras everywhere, they’d agreed not to talk unless they were in a safe place. But nothing associated with the film crew was safe from cameras, they had realized now, including the car service Marty had sent to pick them up.

  The car stopped and the driver opened Madison’s door. She wore a charcoal gray Laguna Beach sweatshirt, skinny jeans and Converse tennis shoes. Underneath, she wore a bright blue bikini. A typical teen outfit that looked great on her, even though she was in her t
hirties. Josh wore black board shorts and a black sweatshirt. As she looked at him, she thought they could be in a time warp suddenly back fifteen years. She shook her head trying to focus on the job ahead.

  Marty greeted them outside the front door to the Kincaid mansion, reminding Madison of a garden gnome in a suit. “Hey kids. It’ll all be over soon and then you can carry on,” he said, turning from the front door and leading them through a gate at the side of the house and around to the back. The camera crew was set up in the garden, with the cameras trained on the bubbling hot tub in the center of the garden. Madison swallowed hard and took a deep breath. She felt Josh’s touch on the small of her back, giving her strength.

  “The place should look familiar, right Josh?” Marty said. At that moment, Madison decided Mr. Flexible was really Mr. Evil.

  “Sure does, Marty. I bet you wish you had a place like this,” Josh said. “Maybe someday, but I doubt it.”

  Marty’s eyes glowed green but he didn’t say a word.

  Beyond the hot tub, and the working crew, the lights of the town of Laguna Beach sparkled and the headlands of Dana Point jutted out in the far distance. The sunset would be, of course, spectacular, but there was a chill in the air. And it wasn’t just because she was standing in Laura’s backyard, Madison realized.

  “Call time is in twenty,” Tom said, appearing from inside the house. “You two good?”

  “Couldn’t be better,” Josh said as Madison nodded.

  “Great. As you know this scene is the wrap, sort of a nod back to that famous scene in Laguna Nights, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now. It’s unscripted so say whatever you’d like, but know the more that goes on here, the less of the pre-cap and mid-cap snippets we’ll have to use. And in your case, that probably would be helpful, Josh.”

  The two men locked eyes. “Sure,” Josh said.

  “Wine, beer, mixed drink? What can I get you?” Roger asked, joining them on the terrace, a uniformed waiter following on his heels. Roger shook Josh’s hand and pecked Madison on the cheek.