The Hollywood Tales: Brandon Books 1-4

by Audra Cole

  “What happened?” I ask, once I’m sure she’s out of earshot.

  “Charity, how can you stand to let these people talk to you that way?” Her tone surprises me, it’s almost like she’s angry with me.

  “Honestly? I just brush it off. I know I’m not ‘Hollywood skinny’ and for whatever reason, people here don’t have a filter when it comes to that stuff. People like Kira don’t mean anything by it, so I just ignore it.”

  Ashley’s expression softens. “Well I don’t like it and I let her know she needs to watch herself. And I don’t care if she’s angry about it. Technically she works for you, right?”

  “Um, I guess?” I’ve never really thought of it that way before. I’ve been feeling like the puppet and she’s the puppet master. She says ‘talk about this’ so I do. I’ve been so set on survival mode to get this whole process over with, that I haven’t stopped to think about who is really in control here.

  Ashley shakes her head. “It’s ridiculous. You’re the one living this life, you’re the one people are interested in, and at the end of the day, it’s your rockin’ body that snagged a hot movie star. Right? So who is she to judge you or boss you around?”

  “For the record, I think Brandon is interested in more than just my ‘rockin’ body,’ but thanks.” I laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

  “You need to set some boundaries here,” she says firmly, not giving into my joke.

  She picks up a pen and leans over the counter to study the schedule spreadsheet. I watch, horrified, as she crosses a big, black X through the block that shows the trip to the lingerie store. “If you don’t want them filming you as you shop, then you tell that Kira woman “no.” And if you don’t, then I will. I am more than willing to be the bitchy best friend-slash-bodyguard if that’s what it takes to get you through this in one piece.”

  I hug her super tight and almost feel on the verge of tears.

  “Only one problem,” I say when I pull back.

  She cocks an eyebrow at me.

  “I kinda want something sexy to wear to bed tonight. Let’s just say, Brandon’s pretty fired up about this shopping trip.”

  “I’ll bet he is.” She laughs. “Well the appointment at the shop is already set right? So we’ll still go, just the two of us, and buy all kinds of things guaranteed to make Brandon lose his mind,” she says with a wink.

  And so, that’s exactly what we do.

  ***

  I lay awake for Brandon, wearing something I bought when out with Ashley, as promised. I had purchased bags and bags of sexy lingerie. What can I say? The shop kept offering champagne, and I felt very adventurous by the time the third glass was poured. By the time I got home, I had sobered up, and unpacking the bags in my closet had been quite comical as I couldn’t remember picking out half of it.

  Before slipping into bed tonight, I had selected a red and black bra that was mostly made of delicate lace and left very little to the imagination. I paired it with the matching garter belt and pair of panties, also lace and mostly see through. I matched it with black stockings and felt absolutely decadent when the whole look was complete.

  Now I just needed the man who would appreciate it all.

  Eventually, the door crept open and Brandon stepped into the room. I flipped on the bedside lamp, and crossed my legs, hoping to look especially alluring.

  “Fuck! Cherry, I thought you were joking about the lingerie! Oh my God!”

  I smiled at his obvious delight and stood up to do a spin for him.

  “Damn, you are so fucking sexy,” he says. He crossed the room and took me in his arms, running his hands all over me, inspecting every inch.

  His appreciation, combined with the sexy outfit, was an intoxicating mix and I felt like a temptress as I stood there, basking in his instant arousal.

  He grazed a kiss along my temple as I turned back around to face him. My breasts were full and straining at their lacy cage, my nipples hardened little buds poking out. He ran his hands up my body and slowed to run circles around the tight flesh with his thumbs. I closed my eyes and nearly purred at the surge of pleasure.

  “What’s this?” he asked, breaking away and picking up a box that I had set on my nightstand.

  “You can open it, if you want,” I answer. I study his face closely as he lifts the lid.

  “Oh!” He smiles at the contents. He lifts out a small bottle of massage oil, and then, his smile deepens as he sees what is behind it, a silicone vibrator in the shape of a heart. He places the items back in the box and looks back at me, his eyes dark with desire.

  I blush, and find myself slightly embarrassed by the purchase, but Brandon soon makes me forget about it as he takes me into his arms and kisses me slowly. He weaves his hands through my hair, losing them in the thick waves.

  “Lay down,” he says. His voice is direct and deep.

  I sit back on the edge of the bed and then recline back, giving him a good view as I lay down.

  “You’re gorgeous,” he says. “That outfit. Mmm.”

  I smile and lay my head back, exposing my neck. He follows my cue and lowers his body on top of mine. He kisses my neck and runs his tongue down to my collarbone. I shiver as he licks and gently sucks at the hollow place underneath. His hand runs along my side and down to my hip. He runs his thumb along the top of the panties and I wiggle underneath his hand, already wanting him to strip off the slinky outfit and take me.

  His mouth drops, moving to my breasts that are spilling out of the top of the bra. The lace tickles my skin as he shifts it slightly, so that he can capture my nipple in between his lips. He teases me gently, his hand still resting on my hip. I arch back as he tugs on my breast with his hungry mouth. He slides his hand around to my lower back and pulls my hips up. A sweet pleasure builds as I anticipate his touch to my moist center, wanting him, craving him.

  Suddenly, he pulls away and leaves me on the bed. He grabs the box off the nightstand and comes back to lay next to me, rolled on his side and looking down into my eyes.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  He places his finger on my lips, silencing me before opening the box. He pulls out the small vibrator and pushes it into my hands. “I want to watch you use this.”

  He pushes a button and the small device lights up and buzzes in my hand. My eyes open wide, not having ever played with anything like it before. The gently vibration gets me curious though, and I lower it down to rest between my legs. I run it on the outside of my panties and instantly feel myself tighten and tingle. Brandon reaches down and hits the button and the speed of the vibrations ramps up. I moan as the sensations deepen and sink through my fleshy lips, stimulating the bud of nerves at the top of my slit.

  Brandon kisses me and I continue to move the vibrator up and down, pressure building inside of me as the toy send waves of pleasure through my body.

  “Do you like this?” I ask him. “Watching?”

  He nods, his eyes dark and worshipful as he stares down at me. To confirm his answer, he takes my free hand and drags it over to his cock and I feel it under his pants, stiff and ready to take me.

  “Mmmm,” I moan as I struggle to grasp him through his jeans.

  He stands up and stands next to the bed. “Keep going,” he instructs, as he begins to strip off his clothes. I watch him, watching me, and bask in his attention. I rub the vibrator under the top of my panties and call out when it sinks into my folds, sliding through my moistness and rubbing up against my clit. The stronger vibrations and the sight of Brandon’s full erect cock get me close to a climax. I add to Brandon’s view, by cupping my breast and playing with my own nipple.

  “Cherry, keep doing that.” He strokes himself and groans as he continues to watch me.

  I arch back and feel myself spiraling closer and closer to relief. The pressure builds and I hit the button on the slippery vibrator and it ratchets up one more level, and that’s all it takes to send me over the edge. I force my eyes to stay open, fixed on Brandon as I
come. He watches me intently as I shudder as the intense orgasm pulses through my body.

  He lowers onto the bed and he shoves aside the lacy panties and buries himself inside of me. I start to move the vibrator away but Brandon stills my hand. “No, keep it.”

  I hold the vibrator to my clit as Brandon starts to thrust in and out of my tight pussy. I feel myself contract even tighter around him as he pulses, the sensations from the vibrator and the end of my first climax send me quickly back to the brink.

  I wrap my legs around his hips, the smoothness of the stockings rubbing against his back as we rock back and forth. He kisses me deeply as he continues to fuck me harder and faster. I feel myself getting close and start to whimper. Brandon reacts to my sounds and goes deeper. He slams into me and I feel him come. I pull the vibrator away and drop it onto the bed next to me after hitting the power button.

  He collapses on top of me, breathing hard as he recovers from his own ecstasy. “That was amazing,” he says before rolling off of me.

  “Mmhmm.” I smile in agreement. I play with a strand of his hair, damp with sweat, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion as I look into his eyes. “I miss you,” I whisper.

  “I missed you too.”

  “No, I mean I miss you, like all the time.” I halfway sit up, desperately needed him to understand. I don’t want to sound like I’m whining but I can hear it in my voice.

  He rolls over and looks at me. “I know baby, but it’s just temporary. Things will get back on track soon,” he says, doing his best to reassure me. He pulls me back down and snuggles me up against him. I want to say something, to add to my statement, but before I can think of how to phrase it, Brandon’s breathing has evened out and I know he’s already asleep.

  Chapter Nine

  “Remind me, what’s the plan for today?” Brandon asks the next morning as we get ready for the day. I think we are both stalling a little as we go about our morning routines, neither of us wanting to go downstairs and face the inevitable.

  “Kira has three venues lined up for us to visit this morning. We have to act like we are choosing which one we want to have the wedding at,” I explain, as I begin to apply my makeup, which is basically spackling on cover up to hide all imperfections and the dark shadows under my sleep-deprived eyes. The anticipation of waiting all day, mixed with the brand new nightie I bought, made for a very long—and satisfying—night for both of us.

  “What do you mean ‘act like’?” Brandon asks, peering around the corner. I catch his reflection in the mirror and it’s all I can do not to drag him back to bed. He’s standing there in his jeans, his flannel shirt open to show off a peek of his tanned, toned abs. He is completely oblivious to his effect on me, as he starts to button up his shirt. “Cherry?”

  I jump, unsure of how long I’ve been staring. “Umm…it’s acting because the venue is already booked. It’s this fancy vineyard. As soon as we agreed to do the show, they pulled some strings to get a spot. I’m sure that wasn’t cheap on such short notice. Then again, we’re getting married on a Wednesday, so maybe there wasn’t much demand…”

  “Wait. What? We’re getting married on a Wednesday?” Brandon stops messing with his shirt, strides into the bathroom, and stands next to me.

  I nod, completely confused by his confusion. “Yeah. That was decided days ago. The invitations had to go out ASAP.”

  He nods, seeming to process everything. “I guess I didn’t realize so much had been done. I thought the whole point of the show was to show us making these decisions.”

  “Well originally I thought that too, but it’s really just acting like we are making decisions. That’s the secret reality of reality TV, I guess. Oh, and Kira wants us to throw in long, adoring gazes and kisses as needed.” I can’t help but laugh at the words coming out of my mouth.

  It’s all just so incredibly ridiculous.

  “Well, I think we can at least do that,” he says with a smile. He steps closer and fills the gap between us. I pop up on my toes when he places his hands on my face and pulls me closer, our lips meeting in a soft, sexy, kiss. As the kiss intensifies, my mind starts flashing back to the memories from last night. I know we don’t technically have time, but I can’t help but let my hands wander up his partially buttoned shirt and up his smooth, firm, back.

  He picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist as he starts back towards the bed. I know I should stop him, that I should remind him we need to be downstairs in less than fifteen minutes. But then I remember my conversation with Ashley, about how we should be the bosses here. And I surrender myself and let my mind shift to fully enjoying the present.

  Gotta love a well-argued rationalization.

  We’re all tangled up when the bedroom door pops open and Ashley’s voice filters into the dark room, “Y’all ready?”

  Brandon growls and I sigh.

  She steps into the room just as we jump apart. “Oh…sorry guys.” She turns around as Brandon and I collect ourselves. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’m tired of listening to Kira babble on and on. I was really starting to enjoy this whole wedding planning thing, but if I have to keep listening to her whine about the tragic demise of baby’s breath in modern floral design, I might die.”

  “You always have such impeccable timing,” I mumble from the bed, as I slide my shirt back on. “Why were you even downstairs so early?”

  “Coffee,” she answers, holding out her mug. “It took me forever to figure out how that monstrosity of a coffee machine works. Brandon, one word: simplify. Coffee shouldn’t be complicated.”

  I can’t help but laugh. It’s nice to know some things don’t change. “We’ll be down in a sec, Ash. I just need to finish my makeup.”

  She begrudgingly goes downstairs, leaving Brandon and me alone again to finish getting ready.

  “Ready?” he asks, pausing before opening the bedroom doors.

  “Ish.”

  ***

  We arrive at the first venue, a massive hotel in Los Angeles. The camera crew left before we did and are already set up to begin filming as soon as we get there. Kira introduces us to the on-site wedding coordinator, who takes us on a tour of the space. It’s pretty easy to ignore the crew as we walk through the lush gardens and sweeping ballroom. It’s overwhelmingly gorgeous. Ultimately, I know it isn’t the location where Brandon and I will actually get married, but I can’t help but picture how it would be if this were the place. My mind automatically starts staging the ballroom with the flowers and linens and dishware. I can see us taking our first spin around the dance floor, wrapped in each other’s arms, smiling like a couple of giddy teenagers.

  Even just imagining it gives me butterflies.

  Brandon still has a hold of my hand, he hasn’t let it go all morning, and he catches my eye and gives it a squeeze as if he can read my mind.

  “It’s real,” he says, and I nod, knowing exactly what he means.

  I smile at him and—for the ten millionth time—wonder how I got here.

  “Well, what do you think?”

  My concentration breaks at the coordinator, Julia’s, question.

  The only awkward thing about taking the tour is the fact that the people showing us around don’t know that this is all for show, and that secretly, our venue is already selected and paid for. I feel a little guilty wasting their time and getting their hopes up about hosting a huge celebrity wedding at their hotel.

  “It’s breathtaking. I can absolutely imagine our wedding here,” I reply, which is one-hundred percent true.

  Julia beams at us. “Excellent. I’ll let you two have some time. Take as long as you like, and if you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be right here.”

  We nod and start to wander the grounds on our own. Ashley rejoins us as the crew disperses to take pictures and video footage around the hotel. I’m sure it will all get packaged into a ninety-second video montage that will be played on the show.

  “Is this the one?” Ashley
asks.

  “No. It is beautiful though,” I answer. “I can’t remember why Kira ruled it out.”

  Ashley scoffs. She starts to say something, but Kira swoops in at the same time.

  “What do you think?” she asks.

  I’m not sure why she’s asking, it’s not like it matters. Even if I said I changed my mind, and this is where I want to get married, it’s not possible anymore.

  “It’s gorgeous. I kind of wish I had seen it in person before making the decision,” I answer.

  “Hmm, yes. Well let me assure you, it’s absolute rubbish compared to the vineyard. Trust me, Charity, you’ll see.”

  I nod, unsure what to really say to that. Ashley rolls her eyes.

  The second location is not nearly as impressive as the hotel. I don’t have any regrets scratching it off the list back when I was first presented with the options. Kira doesn’t give us much time. She explained on the car ride over that her ’vision’ is to have us see all three and then film a conversation about the options. We needed one of them to be the obvious no.

  By the time we arrive at the vineyard, I am ready to go home, get into sweats, and zone out with a movie. We have a quick makeup touch-up while we wait for the crew to set up and do their filming.

  We start the tour about a half an hour later and get barely five minutes into the tour before Kira calls for filming to stop.

  “Charity, there’s some weird feedback coming from your mic pack. It’s like a buzzing. Do you have your cellphone on you?”

  I shake my head. I’m wearing a dress that doesn’t have pockets and my purse is back in the production van. Suddenly, I realize what the noise is.

  My stomach is gurgling full force. Other than a cup of coffee, I haven’t had anything all day and it’s nearly three o’clock by now.

  “Umm, I think that’s my stomach growling,” I say, embarrassed to admit it.

  “Is lunch somewhere on that fancy spreadsheet of yours?” Ashley asks.