Star Pupil

by Rochelle Paige

  Since I’m the one who’d pulled the strings to have her moved from the dressing room she shared with three other girls to this trailer, I was well aware she hadn’t seen it yet. But what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, at least when it came to me.

  “Ladies first.” I stepped to the side and waved her ahead of me, my eyes locked on her ass as she climbed the steps. “Down boy,” I mumbled to myself, shifting to adjust my cock in my pants to make it less obvious how hard it was.

  “Oh my goodness!” she gasped, twirling around in a circle as she stared at the interior of the trailer. “I can’t believe they went to all this trouble for me.”

  The trailer had been decorated with her in mind, with accents of blue all over the place. I’d given the designer the instructions for the color scheme when I’d found out it was her favorite color. I hadn’t stopped there, though. A flat screen television was in the upper corner, and I’d made sure it was connected to Wi-Fi so she could binge watch her favorite shows whenever she had down time. The sheets on the bed in the back were Egyptian cotton and the pillows were incredibly soft. Everything in this trailer had been picked with Avery’s preferences in mind. Including the contents of the fridge.

  “My mom is going to freak if she sees what they’ve stocked this place with,” she groaned, peering inside. “They put every single one of my guilty pleasures in here.”

  “It’s not all bad,” I whispered in her ear as I looked over her shoulder. “There’s plenty of water, and I think I see some cut-up fruit in there, too.”

  “There is?” she breathed out, holding impossibly still in front of me, as though she was frozen in place.

  “Bottom shelf towards the back.”

  She bent forward to look more closely, and I bit back a groan when her ass brushed against me. What I didn’t do was stop my hands from grabbing her hips and holding her in place for a moment before I forced myself to step away from her.

  “I can’t believe you saw these all the way back there,” she said, holding up a bag of red seedless grapes.

  I didn’t need to see it since I’d put them in there myself this morning. “What can I say? I’m a fan of grapes.”

  “Want some?” she asked, holding a bunch out to me.

  “Sure,” I replied, snagging the bag while I was at it and running them under water in the sink, before pulling down a big bowl so we could share them.

  “You seem to know your way around. I hope you weren’t waiting too long.”

  I set the bowl on the table next to my laptop and notebook, moving to the fridge to grab a few more things. “You’ve been in one of these things, you’ve been in them all.”

  “That makes sense, you being a set teacher and all.”

  “I’ve been on both sides of this deal, actually,” I shared, something I didn't often find myself doing. It was important for her to get to know me, and I figured our mutual experiences with acting might help her to get comfortable with me more quickly. “I was born into the business, I guess you could say. My mom is Ava Stone.”

  “She’s amazing.”

  I gestured towards the booth at the dining nook for her to sit down. She almost yelped in surprise when I slid in next to her. “This way we can both see the screen on my laptop,” I offered as an excuse for why I’d chosen to sit next to her, quickly moving back to our previous topic of conversation before she could question my motives. “I couldn’t agree more. My mom’s a great actress. She loves it so much, she had me on set before I could even walk. I didn’t attend a regular school until I started seventh grade and finally made her understand I didn’t share her love for acting.”

  “You’re practically Hollywood royalty. How did you ever get into teaching of all things?”

  “My dad was a teacher.”

  “Was?” she asked.

  “Yeah, he was my mom’s first husband. The great love of her life, she calls him.” I’d always been skeptical of how she described when she met him as love at first sight, right up until the moment I’d laid eyes on Avery. That’s when I finally understood what my mom had meant about knowing my dad was the one for her, even though the existence of husbands number two through five made me doubt her claim. “He was the exact opposite of my mom, wanted a simple life teaching kids. When she landed her first big role, she wanted him to quit, but he refused. Told her he’d do just about anything to make her happy except for that, because being a teacher was in his soul.”

  “It really sounds like he loved it.”

  “Yeah, well, my mom hates it,” I sighed. “She doesn’t understand how I could possibly want to have anything to do with the profession since my dad was killed while he was teaching at an inner city school in LA when I was only a couple months old.”

  “Oh my gosh,” she breathed out, reaching for my hand. “I’m so sorry.”

  “One of the hardest things I’ve ever done is tell my mom I wanted to follow in his footsteps, that I felt the same pull towards education he had. She was completely against the idea until husband number four suggested I become a set teacher. It meant I’d be able to do what I love, but in an environment she was comfortable with.”

  She squeezed my hand tightly. “I’m not sure how it happened since I’d expected to be told I wasn’t going to get any more education hours during filming since I’m not considered a minor, even though I haven’t graduated yet. I already felt lucky when Mrs. Stanton told me to meet you here, but now I feel even more fortunate to have such a dedicated teacher helping me.”

  She was wrong, I was the lucky one, because conceding to my mom’s wishes is what had led me to Avery. Everything I’d done since the moment I’d seen her was done with this end result in mind—her at my side. What she didn’t know was that I was the one who’d insisted she be allowed to continue her studies after her birthday because it was my opportunity to have her all to myself before she was done filming. By the time she was done, the last thing she would want was to get away from me. I’d see to it.

  Chapter 3

  Avery

  The last two weeks had been the best of my life. I was still working just as hard as I’d been since I’d arrived on set, but I barely noticed. My mom didn’t even get on my nerves nearly as often as she had. Nothing did. It couldn’t be because I was so focused on the four hours I spent each day with Griffin. I would gladly suffer through the rest of it for the time we were together.

  By some quirk of fate, my mom still hadn’t realized my set teacher had changed. I had her complete disinterest in my education to thank for that because she would flip her lid if she found out I was alone with Griffin in my trailer each and every day. She would assume the worst, and it wasn’t like I could even deny it without her thinking I was lying, because I wanted it to be true so badly.

  I dreamed of him, day and night. I imagined what it would be like if he returned the feelings that had grown within my heart from the moment he lifted my hand to his lips—or maybe even before then, when I’d seen him framed in the doorway of my trailer. Not only was he drop-dead gorgeous, but I’d discovered he was also incredibly smart and one of the most considerate people I’d ever met.

  He was always doing little things for me. Holding the door open for me and making sure it was locked behind us when we were done with my lessons. Brushing my hair away from my forehead. Bringing me small gifts, like my favorite snacks and drinks. One time, he’d even brought me a vase filled with blue irises, to make up for missing my birthday the day we’d met. When we were together, it always felt like his focus was fully on me.

  He really was the perfect man, which was why I had to be imagining things when I thought he was flirting with me. He was ten years older than me and way out of my league. There was no way he could actually be interested in me like that, something I had to keep reminding myself of each and every time he left my trailer. It was when we were together that I had the hardest time remembering.

  Gazing at him from the corner of my eye, I couldn’t really blame myself for the
enormous crush I had on him. Any other woman who found herself spending time with him like this would feel the same way, I had no doubt about it.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” I wasn’t, not really. I’d had this horrible feeling in the back of my mind that this was all going to come crashing down around me, and soon.

  He raised his arm and stretched it on the top of the bench we were sitting on, just over my shoulders. Feeling the warmth of his muscular body along my side, I had to bite my lip to keep myself from moaning. The deep breath I took to steady my nerves only made it worse, filling my nostrils with his scent. Shivers ran down my spine as goosebumps popped along my arms, intensified by the sound of his husky voice in my ear.

  “You don’t seem fine to me, Avery.”

  “I’m thirsty.” It was a lame excuse, but it worked because he slid out of his seat to head to the fridge and grab me a drink. I let out the breath I was holding, relieved to have a moment to pull myself back together before I did something truly stupid, like telling him how I felt.

  Thank goodness for lucky timing because my mom stormed into my trailer while Griffin’s head was stuck in the fridge. This was bound to be bad, but it would have been worse if she’d found me cuddled up against him. She must not have seen him at first because she didn’t bother using the fake concerned mother tone she usually took around strangers or anyone she thought might be important.

  “Avery Rose,” she snapped. Uh-oh, a rant was sure to follow because she only used my first and middle name when she was pissed. It made it terribly awkward for me when she’d insisted it was going to be my stage name since I heard her voice ringing in my ears every time I heard it. “You need to get your big butt out of here and get back on set. One of the production assistants just mentioned to me how unusual it is for an actress of your age to still spend all these hours studying each day. It’s just not done, and you can’t afford to piss anyone off. This is your big chance and I’m not going to let you squander it. There will be plenty of time for you to get your GED or something, but you’ve only got this one opportunity to make a good impression with the studio.”

  “Mom. Stop.” I stood and moved towards her, hoping to be able to have this conversation outside, away from Griffin. My newly found luck took a turn for the worse because Griffin closed the refrigerator door and stepped forward at the same time.

  “Mrs. Rose,” he said smoothly. “I can assure you that the studio has no such concerns about the time Avery spends on her education. It’s my understanding that it was even detailed in her contract with them.”

  “It’s Ms. Thornton,” she snapped before switching her gaze from me to Griffin. Once she caught sight of him, her entire demeanor changed. Her shoulders thrust back to shove her boobs up higher, her scowl turned into a seductive smile, and her eyes gleamed with appreciation.

  Holy heck, when I’d thought no woman would be able to resist Griffin, I hadn’t been thinking about my own mother. I just—no. Heck no! My brain couldn’t even go there. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if Griffin returned her interest.

  “I can understand why my daughter is so interested in her education if it means spending time with you,” she purred at him. Literally, purred the words like a cat in heat. I was torn between being mortified and pissed the heck off.

  “Mom, please,” I growled, settling down a little when I felt Griffin’s hand at the small of my back.

  “What?” she asked innocently. “I meant it as a compliment.”

  “Exactly,” I sighed.

  She ignored me, keeping her focus on Griffin. “Please, call me Tori. And you are?”

  “Griffin,” he answered, stretching out his free hand to offer it to my mom. If he kissed her knuckles the way he had mine, I just might punch someone. Him. Or her. Maybe both.

  I heaved a sigh of relief when he shook my mom’s hand briefly, dropping his arm back to his side in the matter of a few seconds. His other hand stroked my back gently, as though he could sense my unease and wanted to comfort me.

  “I’ve been assigned as Avery’s new set teacher so I can help her with her college prep work since Mrs. Stanton and Miss Bright have their hands full with the other students on set.”

  The mention of college succeeded in wiping the seductive look right off my mom’s face. “There must have been a mistake of some kind. My daughter doesn’t need your assistance with college prep since she has no plans to attend one in the Fall.”

  Only because she refused to listen to me when I told her I wanted to go. She didn’t want to hear it because if I did it would limit my opportunity to cash in on my fame, as she put it. I’d already made enough money to pay for college and then some, but she didn’t care. I had a feeling I’d never be able to make enough money to keep her satisfied.

  “You’re more than welcome to call the company in charge of the set teachers if you have any questions. Olivia should be able to answer them for you.”

  I tilted my head to look at his face because his voice sounded odd when he suggested my mom call his employer. Scanning his face, I couldn’t figure out what it was, except that he didn’t look very happy with my mom. His eyes held none of the warmth they usually did when he looked at me, and there was a muscle ticking in his jaw. His full lips were pressed into a straight line. He looked fierce, and all the more attractive to me because I had a feeling his anger was due to my mom’s attitude towards me.

  I’d never had someone stand up to her for me before. My mom was like a steamroller when she’d made her mind up about something. People quickly learned to get out of her way or else they’d get run over. My dad had taken it even further, getting all the way out. If only he’d taken me with him when he’d left, instead of leaving me to my mom. Then again, if he had, I never would have met Griffin and I was starting to think that would have been a travesty.

  “Oh, I’ll be asking some questions all right,” she muttered.

  Griffin pulled his wallet from his back pocket and extracted a business card. “This has Olivia’s information on it.”

  My mom snatched it away from him and glanced down at it. “Executive assistant to the CEO. I guess she’ll do,” she muttered as she stomped out of the trailer.

  “Poor Olivia,” I sighed. I didn’t know the woman, but my mom was a lot to handle when she was pissed off about something.

  “Don’t worry about Olivia,” Griffin reassured me. “She’s used to dealing with difficult people. Our customers are all in this industry, so most of them are a pain in the ass. She’ll take care of your mom.”

  “My mom isn’t easily soothed when she’s this wound up about something.”

  Griffin glanced at the clock and then held his hand out to me. “You’ve got another two hours of classroom time today, plus an hour of R&R. How about I get you out of here for a little bit in case your mom doesn’t calm down?”

  It would only piss her off even more to come back and find me gone, but I did it anyway. Throwing caution to the wind by taking his hand, I knew I would have followed Griffin anywhere he wanted to take me.

  Chapter 4

  Griffin

  Helping Avery into the passenger seat of my Mercedes, I couldn’t help but wonder how the hell she’d turned out so sweet when she had a mother like that. I’d dealt with my fair share of bitchy women over the years, but her mom took it to a whole new level. My mom could be a diva at times, but she’d still managed to overcome her fear of me teaching to find a compromise that worked for us both so I could have my dream.

  It sounded like Avery’s mom couldn’t care less what her daughter wanted to do. If she had, then she’d know how her eyes lit up every time she talked about going to school. Hell, it was one of the first things Mrs. Stanton had shared with me about Avery when I’d asked for a progress report on her. Two days after meeting her, she’d known my girl wanted to go to college. But her own mother couldn’t be bothered to give a damn.

  “Greedy bitch,” I muttered to myself, rounding
the car. I had no doubt my assistant could handle Avery’s mom for the short-term, but I was going to have to do something about her to make sure she couldn’t interfere in our life together for the long-term. There was no way in hell I was going to let that woman take anything else away from my girl. Whatever she wanted, she was going to get and I’d be the one giving it to her. Avery was going to have the life she deserved, whether her mother got on board with it or not.

  “Where are we going?” she asked when I pulled out of the parking lot and headed west.

  “How about a little boat ride?”

  “Like a sightseeing cruise or something?”

  “No, I want to take you out on my boat, bright eyes.”

  “Bright eyes?”

  Shit, the nickname had slipped out when I hadn’t planned on using it out loud yet. “It fits since I’ve never seen blue eyes quite so bright as yours. They’re stunning.”

  “Wow,” she whispered, eyes wide while she stared at me. “So I guess that means maybe you’re not interested in my mom? She made it super clear she wouldn’t kick you out of her bed if she found you there.”

  Her nose was crinkled up like she’d smelled something foul, as though the thought of her mom and me together offended her. “I have no interest in your mom.”

  “Good,” she sighed, nodding in satisfaction.

  Seeing the relief in her eyes prodded me to go further, admitting to my feelings. It seemed like a good enough time since she was stuck in the car with me. I wasn’t about to let her out on the side of the road. At the very least, she was forced to hear me out. “There’s only one woman I want, Avery. You.”

  “Me?” she gulped.

  “From the first time I saw you. And nothing I’ve seen since then has changed my mind.”

  “It’s only been two weeks, Griffin.”

  I let her comment slide since I wasn’t ready to go down that path with her yet. It needed to wait until she was settled into my bed and my life. I wasn’t going to risk the progress I’d made by letting her know the lengths to which I’d gone to get us to this point.