by Jennifer Ann
I straddle him on the guest bed as we consume each other with an intensity that scares the living shit out of me. As much as I hated kicking him out of my apartment after Theo came by, I’m overjoyed for the chance to continue where we left off. Overwhelmed by the scent of his sun-kissed skin, and strength behind his fingers, I’m as useless as a wet noodle. He removes my bikini top and bottoms with two firm tugs before alternating between stroking my breasts and the warmth between my legs like he can’t decide which he wants more.
I’ll never get enough of his kisses and touches. Whether it’s the fact that he reminds me of home or the way he cherishes me, I feel myself falling harder and harder with every touch and needy kiss. My head’s spinning as he’s nudging his shorts down, and I’m freeing him from his boxer briefs, guiding him inside. Among our kiss we each gasp as he pulls out and enters me again, sending an electric bolt through my already tingling core.
The sex that ensues is hot and rough, like we’re both well aware we’re together on stolen time. The sensation is so extraordinary that we’re equally gasping and panting within minutes. He comes first, filling me with his warm liquid. It’s too much too fast—tapping my core and unlocking a side of me that’s wanted him for years and years. I come a mere second later, digging my fingernails into his back as he absorbs my cries with his mouth.
While I’m enjoying the electricity still shooting through my limbs, his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me down to his side on the mattress. Between pressing kisses against my face and neck, he palms a breast and whispers, “So fucking perfect. Can’t believe I finally got the chance to have you.”
I blink back a rush of tears, hating myself for taking advantage of him when I’m already broken. “It’s not fair of me to ask you to do this. You deserve so much better.”
He takes my chin in his fingers with a shake of his head. “You’re not asking shit. It’s what I want.”
Although I doubt he’s saying he wants a secret affair, I nod. Because I’m too much of a coward to do anything else.
Things become relatively normal once shooting resumes on Monday, with the exception of Asher escorting me to and from the set. We become insatiable, fucking up any chance we can get in our apartments or anywhere that allows for privacy. I’m amazed by his stamina on the days and nights we go at it for hours. He’s a passionate, selfless lover, always ensuring I’ve come several times before he finishes. I’ve never wanted sex with a man so badly. I often find myself counting down the hours until the next opportunity for us to be alone.
He’s insisted on sticking around the set after the incident that led to William getting fired. I don’t see him during filming even though I know he’s lurking somewhere in the shadows, stewing over the scenes I film with Brie and Theo.
Allegations of Theo cheating with that ridiculous blonde from the party are overshadowed by questions over why my bodyguard was accosting my “boyfriend.” Asher doesn’t bring it up, but one morning I catch him reading an article on his laptop, lips drawn in a tight line. Though we don’t ever talk about our silent agreement, guilt continues to build with every time we’re together. I’ve come to rely on my secret stash of benzos more than ever.
Theo only stops by my apartment once, a week after our trip to the Keys. Of course he’s high as a kite and looking for sex, but I’m able to convince him to sleep it off on the couch. I sneak over to Asher’s for a few hours, hoping to prove I’m done sleeping with Theo.
I’m under the false illusion that I can pull off this double life until a week later when there’s a disturbance on the set. Theo and I are simulating sex after our characters have a major quarrel when we hear a loud commotion from somewhere in back. I brace myself, expecting Asher to lose his shit over what he’s seeing.
“Cut!” Eddie grunts, throwing his hands up in the air and turning around. “Who are you? How’d you get back here?”
“I have to speak to her!” a female voice yells out.
Chills trickle down my back with the familiar voice. I crawl off Theo and grab my robe, tying it around my waist as the ruckus on the far end of the set escalates.
“Babe, that was hot,” Theo tells me, standing at my side with a small strip of cloth falling off his hard cock. His eyebrows wiggle. “You gonna take me to your room and help me get rid of this wood?”
“I have to run to the restroom,” I mumble, pushing past him. Just when I’m in the clear, the woman yells, “Angelina, wait!” Heart leaping into my throat, I freeze on the spot when a young woman in a skin-tight dress emerges from the shadows, giving me a look that’s part angry, part hopeful. “I just want to talk. Please.”
She’s beautifully exotic and undoubtedly a model. Doe eyes dark with eyeliner, thick black hair, large breasts spilling out between the deep neckline…she must make a killing in the business. Despite hating her guts, I’ve followed her on social media enough to know she’s developed a sizable following too.
“Don’t make me say things you won’t want everyone here to know about,” she adds quietly.
Asher steps in behind her with as deep of a frown as I’ve ever seen as he motions to her. “You know her?”
There’s no way of admitting to him that I do know her without embarrassing myself and causing a scene. I don’t think anyone on set knows who she is to me, although a majority of them may recognize her from commercials and billboards.
Heaving a great sigh, I hold up my hand, gesturing with a “take five” to Eddie. Then I turn to Gabrielle, arms crossed and scowling. “We’ll talk in my dressing room.”
“I’ll wait outside the door,” Asher insists, pressing a firm hand on my lower back.
It’s the first time he’s touched me in public since we started our affair. My body becomes electrified to the point I want to rub up against him and purr. Instead I lead the way off the set and down the hallway. When I open the door to my room, Asher grabs my arm.
His eyes narrow. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I lie, tipping my head in confirmation before gently shutting the door in his face.
Gabrielle stands in the center of my little dressing room, lips pursed and one hand on her hip. I’ve come to the conclusion that she’s at least 5 years younger, and it’s hard not to be jealous of her smooth, tight skin, or the fact that she’s on top of the world. Then there’s the 5-carat diamond on her ring finger, reminding me of what I lost.
“I’m sorry I just left you in your hallway that night,” she blurts. “I didn’t know what else to do, so I called an ambulance and split. I knew you wouldn’t want it somehow getting out that we’re associated.”
I start for the vanity, swiping the last bottle of pills from Theo. “What were you doing there in the first place?”
“What do you think?” The clipped, icy reply sends a shiver through me. “I want a fucking apology for what you did!”
Popping a few pills into my mouth, I glance at the doorway as I swallow them dry. “Please keep your voice down.”
“Are you kidding me right now? I have every right to be upset!” She comes toward me with her hands held out at her sides. “It’s time you moved on! You have Theo Carr! Why can’t you just be happy with him?”
Eyes jumping to the other side of the room, I wrap my arms around my waist as my face burns. “I have moved on.”
“Yet I still haven’t heard any kind of an apology! Do you have any idea how humiliating it was to have to beg our friends and family not to leak anything about that night to social media when I hadn’t done anything wrong? It was supposed to be the best night of my life, but you ruined it!”
“I’m truly sorry,” I say, meeting her angry glare. Deep-seated remorse rises in my stomach. “It was never my intention to ruin your night, or embarrass you in any way. But that was a whole month ago. I’ve gotten over him since then. I promise I won’t bother either one of you again.”
“Next time we’re filing a restraining order against you, and I won’t give a shit whether or not the media
finds out.” Her clouded expression clears as she watches me, like she’s waiting for me to confess it’s a lie. “Are we clear?”
I nod. The moment she’s gone, I collapse onto my couch. A rush of memories from that night return all at once.
John’s majestic yacht occupied the biggest slip at the end of the club’s docks, bobbing higher than the others like royalty, lit brightly against the black night surrounding it. Repressed feelings of longing rose in my stomach as I remembered the time we took Serendipity to Turks and Caicos, making love around the clock and sunbathing nude for hours. I believed John’s promises that those trips would never end.
“Sure you’re okay with me leavin’ you here like this?” the driver asked in a thick New Yorker accent, turning to me with a slight scowl. “I don’t mind waitin’, Ms. Kendall. The studio paid me for the entire night.”
“It’s alright, Tom,” I said as I slipped from the back seat, holding a half-empty bottle of champagne against my chest. “My friend’ll take me home later.” I leaned through the open window to give him all the cash in my clutch, wishing him a good night before wobbling toward Serendipity.
When met with the delightful aroma of the ocean, I knew I was home where I belonged. Loud music and the trill of lively conversation floated through the night sky as I boarded the yacht. It was like taking a step back into time with the sight of the mahogany floors and white leather furniture. It didn’t appear a single thing had changed as I made my way up to the top deck.
There must’ve been hundreds of guests in attendance, dressed as if being entertained by royalty. Having just come from a friend’s premiere, I still out-dressed them all in a floor-length gown. I ping-ponged my way through the crowd until finding John among a circle of men. In a tuxedo, he was more handsome than I remembered.
Then his eyes fell on mine and he scowled. “Jesus Christ.”
Even when angry he was striking in an old-world way, like Clark Gable or Marlon Brando. My eyes skipped from his peppered dark hair, to his bright blue eyes, strong jaw, and lean fingers clutching a short glass of what was probably his favorite whiskey. Tears stung my eyes when I noticed he was wearing the cufflinks I picked out when I accompanied him on a business trip to New York.
“Angie, what the fuck do you think you’re doing here?”
“Celebrating,” I declared, holding out the half-empty bottle of champagne as proof. “Critics are already saying the show is going to be Emmy-worthy.”
Grumbling, he wiped a hand over his face before excusing himself from the circle. His fingers dug into my elbow, leading me away from the curious men. “What’s it going to take for you to get that it’s over between us?” When he turned to me, he was as livid as I’d ever seen in all the years I’d known him. “You can’t just invite yourself into my home like this!”
“Just please, tell me why you left,” I begged, shuffling toward him. “Am I that bad of a person?”
With a shake of his head, his features scrunched up in disgust. “How high are you right now? Did you drive here?”
I hated myself in that moment. I knew I was drunk, and had taken too many pills. I shouldn’t have gone to see him in that condition. But my heart ached whenever I thought of the sweet man and how much I had lost when he left.
“I was so in love with you,” I whispered with tears spilling down my cheeks. “I always thought we’d live happily ever after.”
Suddenly a stunning, dark-haired woman was beside him, her eyes shifting from John onto me as she settled in at his side. She wore a white, lacy A-Line dress that showed off her beautiful curves, and her thick hair was styled into a perfect chignon with delicate wisps framing her face.
My stomach plummeted. John had literally found an angel to replace me.
“What are you doing here?” the younger woman demanded, setting a hand on her hip. Though we had never met, John must’ve told her all about me. “This is not okay, Angelina. You need help.”
When John slipped his arm around her, I caught a flash of metal on his left ring finger.
Violent cramps gripped my stomach.
White dress.
Elegant guests.
4-piece orchestra.
White linen tablecloths with elaborate centerpieces.
It was in that moment the truth clicked into place.
I was at their wedding.
I didn’t remember much else about my trip to the marina after coming face-to-face with John’s beautiful wife. John called the next morning to let me know I was lucky I didn’t spend the night in a cell as she had talked him out of calling the cops.
For weeks, I was reeling over the fact that John got married. I actually clung to hope that he’d change his mind about us eventually, and invite me back into his life. Discovering he’d moved on and committed to spending his life with someone else was almost as upsetting as the call from James saying our father had been stabbed to death.
There’s a soft knock on the door before Asher’s head pokes in. “You ready to tell me what that was about?”
“She’s just an old friend,” I lie, lifting one shoulder. “We didn’t exactly part on the best terms.”
Expression drawn tight, he enters the room all the way, closing the door behind him. A second later I’m cocooned by his embrace and he’s kissing the top of my head. “Anything I can do?”
For a moment I become limp in his arms, allowing myself his comfort even though I don’t deserve it. Even though I don’t deserve him. I’ve done some questionable things since taking this role. Too many that make me wonder if I’m slowly losing my grip on reality. It could be argued that what I’m doing with Asher is another thing to add to the list if it weren’t for the fact that when I’m with him, I feel normal for a change.
I lean back, flashing him a flirty smile. Even though I’ve stopped sleeping with Theo, it always gets me a little worked up after we shoot sexually-charged scenes together. “We still have a few minutes before they’ll expect me back on the set.”
He gives me this pitiful expression that I won’t forget any time soon. “Sure you don’t want to talk about this old friend?”
Pulling away, I start for the door, locking the bolt before untying my robe. As it falls to the floor, I turn to face Asher. “Not when you can put that gorgeous mouth to better use.”
As he stalks toward me, his hungry eyes take in my naked body as they always do. Even though we’ve slept together at least a dozen times by now, he still makes me feel like the most desired woman on the planet. His hot mouth captures mine as he pushes me up against the door. I greedily breathe him in, my breath hitching when his thumb begins to caress a peaked nipple. The way he’s always shown favoritism to my breasts, like he adores them, has erased the ever-present nagging question of whether or not I should consider an augmentation.
I arch into him, rubbing my tingling center on his hard cock. The only time I’m able to forget my mistakes is when he’s inside of me, and I need that now more than ever.
He stops kissing me, breathing heavily against my lips as I’m unzipping his pants and taking him in my hand. “Sure you want to do this here? No promise I can stop myself from fucking you hard enough to make you scream.”
A shiver rips down my spine, anticipating just that.
8
Angelina
Before I’m even out of bed the next morning, my publicist calls in a frenzy to let me know she’s coming by for an emergency meeting. Apparently the night before, one of those dreadfully awful celebrity gossip shows alleged that I may be sleeping around on Theo. Photos of me and Asher walking downtown were put alongside pictures of Asher ready to hit Theo in the Keys, along with an interview of some chick who’s name I didn’t recognize claimed to have been at Theo’s party that weekend and saw me getting cozy with Asher.
As I’m throwing on shorts and a t-shirt, I realize it’s not too far of a stretch considering what went down in the guest room, but I’m certain we were careful in keeping our distance afterwards.
I stare down his gorgeous body, still naked from our last round in the middle of the night, and giggle when I see he’s half-hard. Is he having a wet dream, or is he just always that way around me?
Maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if our secret got out. I’d love to tell the world this beautiful, kind man is my boyfriend, even though he’s no one famous. Maybe the show has taken off enough on its own that I don’t need Theo anymore.
“Hey, big guy.” I push Asher’s massive shoulder. “You gotta get up. Bridgette’s on her way over.”
The most I get out of him is a grunt as he rolls onto his stomach. I sigh when I’m given a perfect view of his glorious ass. If Bridgette wasn’t on her way…
“I’m serious,” I say a little louder. “She’ll come unglued if she finds you here. There was something about us having an affair on TV last night and she’s freaking the hell out.”
He peers up at me over his shoulder. “What are you gonna tell her?”
“I don’t know, but you need to disappear as soon as possible.”
“Okay, I’m goin’.” With a groan, he twists until he’s sitting up and rubs at his face. “Want me to grab some coffee and bagels for when she leaves?”
“You’re sweet, but Nat always brings coffee. Go ahead and get yourself something. I’ll text you when she’s gone.”
He rises to his feet, taking me in his arms for a long, tender kiss. I practically melt into him, wishing things were less complicated so he didn’t have to go.
He cuts it short by slapping my butt. “Can’t wait to spend the day with this sweet ass. I’m off to shower, but I’ll leave the door unlocked incase you need me for anything.”
Mere minutes after he’s gone, and I’ve taken a pill, Bridgette’s at the door with two cups of coffee in hand, wrinkled clothes, and a wild hairdo. She’s normally a striking redhead, and doesn’t go anywhere without looking her best. The fact that she’s so disheveled has my stomach twisting in knots.
