Sweet Virgin

by Leah Holt

  People were a dime a dozen in this city, they were spilling in from every direction; men women, short, tall; too many to pick out one single face.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it. I was on a mission, I had one goal and one goal only—find Allie.

  Taking a sharp left, I headed in the direction of the airport, dreading the idea that she might have had the split second decision to get away for good.

  I couldn't. . . I wouldn't let her.

  The vibration radiated up my thigh again, forcing me to dig the phone from my pocket. Maybe it's her.

  Thumbing the button, I slid the message open, and my eyes bugged out from my skull. My throat went dry as I tried to swallow, scratching my flesh raw on the inside. As I stared down at the screen, my lip curled from the rage billowing up deep in my core.

  It wasn't Allie.

  The words sent my head into a tailspin, forcing me to pull over to the side of the road. Squeezing the phone in my palm, I scrunched my face, punching the steering wheel over and over again.

  I never wanted to see that message, I never wanted to hear from them again.

  'We're back on. Be here tomorrow morning, eight am, don't be late.'

  And I knew. . .

  I knew why she ran.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Alaska

  Tugging the skirt down over my thighs, I wriggled my ass, trying to make it just a little bit longer. The wardrobe for the show was completely insane. What was I, a damn street walker?

  Tiny skirts, short cut shirts, showing lots of skin and lots of half ass shots; I was the fictional dream of most men.

  And my character—virgin, innocent, sexy as sin. According to Marc it would drive the ratings higher and hopefully increase the potential male audience.

  But none of this was who I was. I wasn't the sweet innocent girl anymore, and I was never the skimpy clothing wearing woman, looking for a man to pop my cherry.

  Kealen had done that, he had taken all of that away. And I was happy he had, even if I wasn't sure about the details.

  I still didn't know for certain if he was the one behind that picture or if he had done this in some sick twisted way to steal a minute of fame.

  But it didn't matter either way. The picture was out there and I was left without a choice. The show was being forced down my throat, there wasn't a way out. I couldn't afford some big fancy lawyer to help me get out of that contract.

  And even if I could, my name was there in permanent script.

  Grimacing in the mirror, I let out a huge sigh and lowered my head. Everything about this entire thing fucking sucked.

  It cut me so deep to think he might have been the one behind my downfall. I wasn't ready to accept the idea, but I couldn't shove it away either. It was too hard to swallow and even think that he had hired someone to deface me that way.

  I wanted to hate him, I wanted to slap him and kick him and tell he was a fucking asshole.

  And in that same thought the butterflies would bustle about in my stomach, my fingers would go numb, and my heart would beat erratically.

  He was still the man who claimed me, he took my virginity, he would always have that piece of me. I could never erase that memory and I wasn't even ready to start trying.

  A knock on the door forced my head up. “Yeah?” I asked, twirling the trim of my shirt in my fingers.

  “We need you on set in five.” One of the set hands, whose voice I couldn't make out as anyone specific, spoke through the door, smacking it a second time before walking off.

  Inhaling a deep breath, I flicked my head up to the mirror and swallowed all the anger and sadness that was trying to weigh me down. Forcing my camera face on, I painted my lips in the lipstick laid out for me and headed out the door.

  Here we go.

  I guess it's true. . .

  The show will always go on.

  The set was outside today, a nice change from the regurgitated carbon copy of a place inside. The whole episode was based around my second date, Fredrick. Another man who the studio chose as one of my potential suitors.

  But they had me wrapped, sealed, and going to Garrett. They stole any voice I had in the matter, I didn't get one ounce of input on who I would like to give myself to. Knowing that I was going to have to have sex with that piece of shit made my skin crawl.

  He didn't deserve to touch me, never mind getting to have his way with me. The saddest part about the whole ordeal—even the sex was written out, word for word.

  Marc had written—in detail—how the whole scene was supposed to go. It was disgusting and horrible to think that even the sex couldn't happen naturally. The only part that really made any difference to me wasn't even mine to begin with.

  Taking long steps on my tippie toes, I walked through the grass in heels that weren't made to even graze dirt. The spikes were well over four inches tall, the tip of the toes were embellished with sparkling gems that burst as the sun hit their surface.

  A small crowd had gathered around the barricades, separating the city from the set. Their faces were all glued on me as I paraded across the lush green grass in the smallest skirt the world had ever seen.

  Keeping my hands on my backside, I held the hem of the skirt, trying to keep my ass off limits to the ogling eyes. A few flashes from cameras popped in from different directions as the paparazzi pushed their way to the front.

  Ugh, this sucks!

  I'm a fucking spectacle to the world!

  My face was stone, ignoring the onslaught of hoots and hollers. I was told to pretend no one was there, to not give them one thing to feed off of.

  Marc climbed up into his high chair, holding a megaphone. “Alright people, quiet on the set!” Waving his hand, he ushered me in towards the fountain, patting two fingers for me to sit on the edge. “Right there, Allie, perfect.”

  Crossing my legs, I awkwardly leaned forward, hoping the wind would stay dormant and not blow my skirt higher than it already was.

  I felt like a fucking barbie doll being paraded around for the rest of the world to scrutinize. This business, the whole haze that hovered over being a virgin and letting everyone watch, had gotten more than a few disgruntled complaints.

  For every one person that found it exciting, three others thought it was ludicrous and absurd. I had seen the highlights before I disappeared. People wanted to ban the show, they thought it would cause more young girls to give away their virginity way too soon.

  But that negativity drove the curiosity to levels I had never seen. Talk shows debated it, tabloids drew pro and con articles with what I was doing. And in the end it all came back to me, like this was my idea, my creation.

  I didn't care either way, it wasn't my idea to make it real. But I did know one thing, and that was I didn't want to be the poster child of the promiscuous boom in the younger generation.

  And I didn't want to be the one doing it on screen.

  “Okay, here we go!” Marc yelled through his microphone, signaling my new date.

  The crowd's voices hushed to barely an audible breath, making my heart pound harder. I sat with my face down, watching a small trickle of ants crawl in and out of a tiny hill at the base of the fountain.

  My head should have been in the scene, it should have been trying to focus on my lines. But all I could think about Kealen and how his hands felt on my body, how his lips felt on my skin.

  I couldn't get him out of my head. He was sitting there, blanketing my thoughts and sending electric sparks through my veins. Every deep husky voice, every subtle scent of pine or sound of moving water—He was there.

  I couldn't even shower this morning without thinking about being in the ocean with him and how it felt to have his fingers run over my skin. The rough touch was mixed with salt and sand, scruffing my flesh in sexual tension.

  Marc said something, but I wasn't listening. Lifting my eyes up, I watched him nod his head and lean back in his chair.

  My date was coming, that was the signal, that wa
s the cue for me to gaze off into the background, pretending to be unaware of his presence.

  Heavy feet padded on the concrete behind me, the thick heat of a man's body wafted over my shoulders.

  Alright, show time.

  Before I could turn, before I could bat my lashes and put on my sexiest smile, a firm hand tickled over my arm, slipping sensually over the back of my neck, and down my spine.

  Wait, that's not what he's supposed to do.

  He's got it all wrong.

  Tensing, I cocked my head towards Marc, waiting for him to stop production.

  But he didn't yell cut, he didn't stop the introduction.

  He made changes, of course he took the liberty of making changes.

  It wasn't uncommon for things to change in a blink without the producer informing everyone. So I went with it, tilting my head and arching my back.

  A deep voice whispered into my ear, the sound puncturing my heart with hot needles. His fingers worked their way over my ribs as he spoke so low only I could hear him.

  “I found you.” His lips met my neck, kissing with need, with passion.

  The world around me faded away as I recognized the voice and lips on my skin. My body trembled as prickles broke across my flesh, riding my body in waves.

  I didn't expect to see him again and I never expected to see him here.

  Kealen had found me.

  And he found me just in time.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kealen

  Her cool skin blushed, sizzling up my fingertips with force. I didn't want to have to see her here, I didn't ever want her to know.

  Now she did.

  Jumping to her feet, the tight smirk disappeared as her hand drove into her hip. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Cut!” Marc screeched, jumping from his seat and storming over. “What the hell are you doing? That was good, all of it was so good. Why are we stopping?”

  “Why?” Snapping her chin, Allie let out a sarcastic laugh, rolling her head on her shoulders. “Are you kidding me?”

  Marc eyed me, then bobbled his head back to her. “Allie, let's do this in my office, not here.”

  Her chuckle grew darker as her eyes enlarged. “And why's that, Marc? Is it because you forced him here too? Or are you both in on this together? Hey, where's my father? Shouldn't he be here for this grand reunion?”

  Dipping my brows, I held my arms up. “Wait, what are you talking about?”

  “Don't pretend like you don't know, it was you all along, wasn't it?” Pointing her finger between Marc and myself, Allie nodded her head. “Marc has it, don't play stupid.”

  “Allie,” I said, reaching for her shoulder. But she stepped away, jerking out from under my hand. That sudden repulsion stung, it hurt to have her move away and not closer.“I really have no idea what you're talking about.”

  I needed her to believe me, to trust that I wasn't lying to her. There was so much already that hadn't been said between us. But now, I was done pretending.

  I was done pretending I didn't know who she was, I was done pretending that I hadn't seen her on the set the day she stormed off. And I was done letting this show control her.

  When I spotted her that day on the beach, I couldn't have imagined how far she would go to try and be someone else. I had seen the stories and thought that they were probably blown way out of proportion, the same as any other sideline story about a high profile face.

  But when I saw her expression dull with any question about her past, I knew it went deep.

  There would be no more of that sadness in her life, no more regrets, no more assholes.

  Stepping into her, I cupped her chin, forcing her to look into my eyes. Her face held mine, reading me, watching me. “You're serious?” she asked.

  Thumbing her cheek, I rolled the pad of my finger under her jaw line. “Yes.” Breaching the space between us, her head tilted higher on reflex.

  Allie's face fell flat, her lush lips thinning tight. “You really didn't have anything to do with that picture?”

  Curling my arm around her back, I forced her into my chest. “Look, I have no idea what you're talking about, but I had nothing to do with it.” Stroking my hand down the back of her hair, I held her close.

  She was right where she belonged; in my arms.

  Her eyes began to water, the tiny droplets pooled under her lids, just waiting to be released with a blink.

  She looked so sad, so lost and alone. I wanted to steal her pain like I had her virginity, I wanted to be the reason for her to smile and the reason she would never have to feel this awful again.

  Allie's face grew hard, scrunching up tight. “Then why are you here?”

  “Allie, please, let's go talk in my office.” Marc skittishly looked at the herd of paparazzi with their jaws hanging open, fanning his arm out to lead us away.

  A deep giddy laugh echoed behind the crew as an arm flew up high, waving wildly in the air. “This is great, really great.” Garrett stepped through the crowd, a smug grin plastered on his face. “I only wanted to get you, Allie, never in my life did I expect to get this rat bastard too.”

  I felt her body start to shake as her head ticked slowly in his direction. “You! You did this!”

  Shrugging his shoulders, he let them fall weightlessly back down. “I didn't have a choice, you walked out, you were going to ruin my career. I had to do something.”

  Her small frame broke free from my arms in a rage. Angrily slamming her heels into the pavement, she kicked them off. “How dare you! How could you!?” Allie's long legs flew forward, inching her closer and closer to Garrett.

  “It wasn't personal, Sweetheart, it was business.” Dragging a thumb over his chin, he smiled. “Okay, maybe a little personal.” Squinting one eye, he held his fingers millimeters apart.

  I was still confused over what picture she was talking about, but this asshole wasn't going to threaten her like that. The sky turned red, leaking in behind Garrett. All I could see was him and his stupid fucking smile.

  Lunging forward, I snagged his shirt and yanked him in. “What the fuck did you do?”

  Holding his hands up, he still had the fucking balls to keep laughing. “You mean you haven't seen it?” Cocking his head toward Marc, he spoke over my shoulder. “Wasn't that a nice little pic of him and the slut getting it on?”

  It's of us!

  Motherfucker!

  My temper surged, flaring and embracing my muscles. Snapping my forehead, I slammed it into Garrett's nose. The soft flesh crackled as he yelped like a fucking animal stuck in a trap.

  Dropping him, he fell to his knees, cupping his face and groaning in agony. I didn't even look back down at him, he could lay there for the rest of his life, I didn't give a shit.

  Storming over to Marc, I latched onto his microphone and threw it the ground. “Where is it?” Balling my fists, I held them by my side, forcing them to stay static. I wanted that picture and all of the negatives. I wasn't going to let him off easy if he didn't cough it up, but I couldn't hit him before he gave them to me.

  Allie stood a few feet behind me with her arms folded together. Her lips were pursed tight, brows veered deep into the bridge of her nose.

  I was aware of her, even if I wasn't looking right at her. Her safety came first, I wasn't going to lose track of where she was. I couldn't imagine how angry and upset she must have been after finding out about the secret image.

  And to know she thought I might have been involved stung. I would never have done that to her, it wouldn't have mattered what they offered me to get her back here.

  “It's. . . It's in. . . in my office.” Marc stumbled over his words, his arms curling up into his chest like a raptor. “And you can have it, but not until after we finish this show. You two can't be together until at least a month after we finish airing.”

  He looked fucking pathetic. His demeanor was poor and lacked any true testosterone. That wasn't a man standing before me, it was a fucking child.
He wouldn't look me in the eyes, he wouldn't stand tall and take any action.

  He just stood there expecting his weak condition to hold enough weight for me to give in. But he was wrong.

  “I want it, I want all of them. Now.” Gritting my teeth, I leaned in closer. “And you can take that demand and shove it up your ass. There's no way we're doing that. Not now, not ever.” Turning to face Allie, I held out my hand for her to take.

  She looked resistant, unsure if she should or not. “Kealen, the contract—”

  Cutting her off, I gripped her wrist and yanked her in. “I don't care about the contract.” Grabbing her face, I forced our lips together.

  I didn't care what she had to say, I didn't care about a stupid piece of fucking paper. All I cared about was making sure she was mine.

  Breaking away, I watched her lids open slowly. “Allie, do you know why I'm here?” Shaking her head no, she touched her lips softly with her fingertips. “I wasn't going to come, I was never going to set foot back in that building. But when Marc texted me the show was back on, I knew I had to. I knew you were here and I had to see you again. I couldn't stand the thought of this, of you being placed into the arms of another man.”

  I had signed on to do the show looking to take the next step in my life; I wanted a wife, a family. But the whole premise of the show made me rethink it. Did I really want to deflower a young girl in front of the world just to get what I wanted?

  No. I was about to walk out, to never look back, then I saw her.

  And when she quite, I was glad to know she couldn't go through with it either.

  But I never expected to see her again, even though she was all I could think about. So finding her second time, that meant something to me, it made my feelings legit, it made them real. It forced me to think that maybe some things happen for a reason, and not by chance.

  “They have a picture of us, they told me that if I did the show they wouldn't use it against us, that it would all go away. But I didn't know you were on the show, I thought the guy's name today was Fredrick.”

  “Fredrick Kealen Knight, that's me.”