by Terri Lane
She just hoped that he wouldn’t be a douchebag. The singer that she’d worked for last had been a nightmare, and she was only semi-famous, so she really had no idea what she was heading into with this one – and with her being the head dancer, she was likely to be in the firing line for a lot of drama – if he was that way inclined.
But she wasn’t going to know who it was, not until she got to Hawaii. She had no way of finding out until she landed.
The driver who picked her up from the airport took her straight to a meeting with her new boss, which she was really not ready for. She hadn’t been planning on meeting anyone while she was so jetlagged and scruffy; she thought she would get to freshen up in the hotel first at least. But of course she wasn’t going to have any choice in this one.
“Hello, Annie…” the brisk producer said to her in a sharp tone, looking through a stack of paperwork at the same time.
“Er… actually it’s Abbie…” she tried, but she wasn’t heard at all.
“So we start rehearsing tomorrow, and as I’m sure you’ve heard from Mr. Bunney…” she had to really act like her heart didn’t flutter at the mere mention of his name. “…you’ve come highly recommended, so you are the primary dancer in this one…” Abbie nodded numbly, finally realizing just how huge that was. “Oh, hold on a minute… I think Rex might be coming in to meet you.”
“Rex?” She gasped, stunned. Did she actually mean Rex Ryder? He was the hottest rock star around! Abbie hadn’t even considered him because she assumed that he was far too famous. He was on another level – talented, sexy, and with an amazing reputation. He wasn’t known as a playboy, he was actually renowned for being a really good guy, which was amazing considering his job. He could have any woman in the world, but he chose to always be faithful – a quality that Abbie had come to admire even more so since everything that had happened with Greg.
Rex Ryder – wow!
The door swung open, and in he came, confirming that it really was Rex Ryder. His long dark shaggy hair hung in his deep brown eyes, and his slack attitude to fashion meant that he was just as disheveled as she was.
But oh my God!
He was unbelievably gorgeous – even better in person – and he carried around a wonderful attitude that Abbie instantly felt drawn to. She gazed upon him in shock, drinking him in like a stunned teenage fan.
“Hello there Rex,” the producer fussed around him. “The dancer is here to meet with you, her name is Annie…”
“Abbie.” She suddenly felt a bolt of bravery around this man, and she stepped in front of the other woman, not even sure what it was that she was doing. “My name is Abbie.”
As she shook his hand, and she saw the cheeky wink he shot her, she instantly knew that things were about to change for her. If she was going to have to work in an up close and personal way with this man, then she was in trouble for sure! He was hot as hell, flirting with her, and making her feel crazy with lust.
Rex Ryder, she thought to herself, what am I going to do with you?
Book 2: The Rockstar
“No, you need to do it more like this…”
As the director pushed Abbie’s body closer into Rex’s she couldn’t help but feel a flush of embarrassment. She knew that as a professional dancer, her body wasn’t really her own, but this was on another level.
It didn’t help that she was seriously attracted to the man that she was being molded onto, and that she was really trying to stay away from him!
Rex Ryder was a seriously hot, famous rock star, and Abbie had been selected to be the main dancer in his music video – a move that promised to shoot her career up to another level. But it wasn’t all fun and dancing. There were a lot of very unglamorous, tiring parts to the job that were starting to get her down – even more so with this job, which was the most challenging of her career so far.
Sure, she might have been on a gorgeous beach in Hawaii, but being constantly told that you aren’t good enough was enough to get anyone down. Especially Abbie, who had suffered enough confidence knocks recently!
A few months before she found herself in this predicament, she had come home early to find her boyfriend of three years in bed with another woman. She then learned that the girl wasn’t even someone he knew, she was just another random one night stand of many.
That had been the part that had crushed her – it wasn’t even true love that had destroyed them. He just couldn’t keep it in his pants. What did that say about her? That his judgment was terrible? That she wasn’t worth anything? That she was too hideous to be loved?
She honestly hadn’t been sure, and that part was awful.
After a horrible break up, she had been forced to live back with her parents – the ultimate humiliation – so when she met the very hunky Travis at a party, and he offered her a new lease of life, she’d been utterly grateful to him. Not only was he a sex god that she struggled to even think around, he wanted to take her career up to another level, which was just the distraction that she needed from her disastrous love life.
It was he that had gotten her the job on the music video with Rex, but their relationship hadn’t managed to remain strictly professional – despite her best intentions to do so. A date had ended up with a very steamy night in bed, one that Abbie had considered the best of her entire life, but afterwards he told her that he didn’t do commitment. It had dented her pride, but she had quickly come to terms with the fact that he was just a rebound, and that was the end of it.
The only problem was he’d been texting her a little bit during her time in Hawaii, which was giving her more hope. Maybe there was more to his feelings after all… maybe they could actually have a chance. Of course, he hadn’t actually said anything about that, but Abbie couldn’t help but feel that way. There was just this chemistry between them that wouldn’t quit, and for someone who had been in a very safe and boring relationship, that chemistry was addictive, so she struggled to let it go.
All she needed to do was keep away from Rex Ryder.
She had been attracted to Rex as soon as she had met him in Hawaii, but she had been doing her best to keep her distance from him. It was difficult when he insisted on flirting with her, but she didn’t have any choice if she wanted there to be a chance with her and Travis. Chances of something developing might have been slim, but she couldn’t risk that – just in case.
“Now again,” the director all but yelled. “From the top everyone.”
She took in a deep breath and tried to steel herself to keep her emotions in all over again.
***
“Woah, that was crazy, right?” said Rex, shooting her the flirty grin that she couldn’t help but love. “I didn’t think we would ever finish up today.”
As he brushed against her, she felt sparks of desire, but she tried her hardest to keep them inside. She didn’t want him to think that she was ever even slightly responding to him, because she was terrified of where that might lead. She couldn’t risk leading him on, either, for the same reason.
“Yeah, I’m exhausted now,” she told him, rubbing her eyes to highlight her point. She really was tired, but she was more afraid of spending too much time alone with him. She knew it was what he wanted – he’d spent enough time asking her out for her not to see that – but she couldn’t allow that to happen.
The problem was there was definitely something there between them. There was an undeniable chemistry that was almost impossible to ignore, but she had to. There was far too much at stake.
“So I guess there isn’t any point in me asking you out for a drink then?” Rex smiled at her sadly, and she couldn’t help but feel guilty. There were literally millions of women that would die to be in her position – being asked out by Rex Ryder – and here she was turning him down, and not for the first time.
She brushed him off quickly, turning away so that she wasn’t even looking at him. “Sorry, not tonight…”
She stalked off quickly, feeling really weird about doing so. She h
ad never been in a position like this one before, and it felt really strange. A hot guy had never even shown her so much interest before, and she hated having to turn him down. She knew that if she hadn’t met Travis, she would have been keen to explore what lay between her and Rex… but then again if she hadn’t met Travis she wouldn’t even be in Hawaii. Whatever destiny’s plan was, it was really messed up!
She quickly returned to the sanctuary of her hotel room to find her phone so that she could finally see if Travis had communicated with her… but of course he hadn’t. Just as she needed him most, he was absent. She knew that she shouldn’t be disappointed because he didn’t contact her every day, but after the day filled with sexual tension, she felt insecure and she really needed to know that he was there… but today he wasn’t.
She wondered for a second if she should just be brave and pick up the phone to call him, but she was far too afraid of pushing him further away to act upon that. His confession that he didn’t do commitment had really upset her… so much so that she was only willing to speak to him on his terms.
Was she being foolish?
She flicked her eyes over their past messages, wondering if there was something there that could help her identify his true feelings to reassure her for a few moments, but instead she found herself looking at something she found quite troubling.
Hi Abbie, how is the shoot going? Travis
Really well thank you Thank you so much for getting me this job, it’s amazing. Miss you, Abbie xxx
Then nothing.
Another exchange went like this:
How are things in Hawaii? T
Oh my God… stunning! It’s really lovely here, you would love it! Abbie xoxox
A cold, unsettling feeling overcame her as she started to see everything at a slightly different angle. She’d been so happy to hear from him that she hadn’t looked very deeply into it before now, but after the day she’d had she couldn’t seem to resist. Examining their texts now, it was clear to see that the exchanges were very one sided, and that actually Travis’s messages could be seen as purely professional if you were looking at them through those eyes.
Maybe he messaged all his dancers like that? Maybe there was nothing special about her after all, and he was serious about what he’d said. Maybe he felt like it was appropriate to contact her in that way because he had made his feelings crystal clear. Maybe she was nothing more than a hopeful fool, pinning her feelings and emotions onto something that was never going to happen.
Maybe she was headed towards another, very serious heartbreak – and this time, she would only have herself to blame…
She sat on the bed for a few seconds, allowing her thoughts to settle. She started to think about his last words to her – the ones that came right after sex – and an anger started to overtake.
“I can’t do long term… it just isn’t for me.”
“I have this rule that I don’t hook up with a woman more than once, so that I don’t get my heart broken.”
He certainly hadn’t been thinking about her heart at the time! Had she been putting her life on hold for a man that didn’t even want her? Was she going to end up cold, alone and full of regret after all of this? Was she rejecting Rex for the right reasons, or the wrong ones? After all, she knew that Travis had a playboy reputation, whereas Rex was the opposite as that. Why was she throwing something away that could potentially be amazing, for someone who had given her nothing?
She just couldn’t decide what was the best thing to do, and which decision would be the one that she would go on to regret. Her brain swam around until her thoughts started to cause her an almost physical pain.
“Argh!” she yelled in frustration, tugging at her hair. Confused and very upset, she grabbed her room keys and headed out. She couldn’t sit in there for another second longer just thinking it all through… she would end up driving herself crazy with it all.
She needed to get up, to get out of there before she started to drive herself nuts – and she knew exactly where to go.
The hotel bar was where the rest of the music video staff spent most of their nights, and for the first time since she’d arrived in Hawaii, Abbie intended to join them. She wouldn’t sit in her room like a nun, endlessly thinking about Travis and wondering about Rex. She was going to get out, to have a laugh and enjoy herself, to do what any normal girl her age was doing whilst in the most gorgeous place on the planet.
It wasn’t fair that Travis should to be free to have fun while she sat around waiting for him, so she resolved not to do it anymore. If he was going to give her nothing, then she was not going to be a prisoner of that.
***
By the time the bar was starting to empty and the night was drawing to a close, Abbie felt a bit better about things. After sinking a few alcopops and having a laugh with some of the other dancers, her problems started to subside somewhat. She started to forget about absolutely everything, which was exactly what she needed. She’d needed a time out from thinking about Travis, and wondering what he was up to, and that was exactly what she’d been given.
But as everyone began to leave, citing a desperate need for rest, she didn’t quite feel ready to go to bed, so she simply stayed to have a one last drink. It wasn’t quite as fun without everyone else surrounding her, but it beat being up in her room.
As soon as she was sure that she was alone, she glanced quickly around the room, but she suddenly noticed the shadow of another figure sitting not too far away from her.
At first, she spun back around to look away, ignoring the other person completely, not even caring enough to glance his way again. But after a while she became intrigued. Who else was drowning their sorrows at this bar? Who else wasn’t ready to sleep yet? Maybe there was a little bit of fun left to be had in this night after all…
She stepped up, feeling more confident than she would have had she been totally sober, and she started to make her way over to the mystery person, ready for another enjoyable conversation.
However, the person that she eventually stumbled across was the last person in the world that she expected to see.
“Rex?” she gasped out in surprise, as she noticed his frame hunched over in one of the booths. At first she had to look closer, because she wasn’t totally convinced that it was him, but there was no mistaking that magnetic aura anywhere. “What are you doing here?”
She had spent so much time actively avoiding him that it was strange to be making the first move to go and speak to him, but luckily she was tipsy enough not to focus too heavily on that.
“Rex?” she tried again, when he didn’t answer her right away, but then she realized why.
He was upset – really upset. So much so that there were tears rolling down his face. As soon as Abbie noticed that Rex was crying, everything changed. All of a sudden nothing else mattered – all she wanted to do was to make this guy feel better. Any awkwardness, any potential weirdness… it all just vanished. It simply became about making the sadness go away for him.
“Oh my God Rex, what’s wrong?” she asked, sliding in next to him. “Are you okay? Do you need anything? Did something happen?”
At first he didn’t answer, he simply leaned into her and allowed him to wrap her arms around him, which she did happily knowing it was what he needed. Her empathetic nature hated to see anyone upset, but for some reason this felt even worse than normal. This was Rex Ryder – the most famous rock star on the planet. Abbie had only ever seen the fun-loving side of him, so this genuine blast of real emotion was really difficult for her to deal with. It didn’t seem like the man she’d gotten to know over the last few weeks, and to see him acting so human was undeniably bizarre.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” she insisted, pulling back to gaze into those gorgeous warm brown eyes. “Maybe I can help you.” She knew in that moment she would do anything, just to get that heartwarming smile looking back at her again.
“It’s this,” he replied, waving his hands around vaguely. “All
of it. I can’t stand it.”
Huh? Her mind reeled, trying to work out what he meant. She knew with celebrities it could be anything, but Abbie didn’t see Rex as just another obnoxious star.
“What? The video….? The drinking…?” She tried to guess wildly, but from the expression on his face, it didn’t seem like she was getting it right.
“No, the fame. I can’t ever do anything without it all blowing up in my face. It just…” He sighed deeply, and Abbie’s heart went out to him. This wasn’t a typical starlet meltdown – she’d seen enough of those in her life time – this was a real sadness that came deep from within him. One that she had no idea how to cure. “Sometimes it just gets to me.”
“Has something happened?” she asked curiously. “Has something made you so… upset about all of this all of a sudden?”
“My mum just rang me,” he sighed sadly, looking down at his fingernails. “And she read something online about some girl I’m supposed to have slept with, and it really gets to her. I hate having to defend myself all the time over something that I haven’t done.”
“So you didn’t sleep with the girl?” Abbie asked cautiously, knowing that it was dangerous territory. Of course she knew that he was supposed to be a really nice guy – but she was also perfectly aware that media perception and reality could be two very different things.
“No!” he exclaimed, almost angrily. “And that’s what sucks. I mean, it bothers my mum so much because of her religion… but that’s not why it upsets me. I have no beliefs in that way, but I don’t just shag about, and I don’t want the world to see me that way.”
“Woah.” Abbie had nothing to say to that – she was a bit blown away. It was definitely heavier than she’d been expecting. “That’s got to be rough.”
“Yeah.” He nodded slowly, looking a little lighter after getting that off of his shoulders. “It’s a nightmare – sometimes it gets a bit much, that’s all.”
“I mean, it doesn’t really matter what the rest of the world thinks,” she said, trying her best to reassure him, but she knew that her argument was weak. If everyone in the world thought an untruth about her, she had no idea how she would react.
