Falling Star

by Laura DeLuca

  “Girlie, you totally rocked it!” Stephanie exclaimed, standing up to give her a hug. “I know you like to sing to yourself in the office, but I had no idea you had a set of pipes like that!”

  “Definitely awesome!” Erin agreed, following Stephanie’s example. “I think that was your best routine yet!”

  “Thanks, ladies.” Lainey was too anxious to give them more than a light pat in return. “Does anyone know what happened to Drew?”

  Sharon touched her shoulder to get her attention over the sound of the numbers being called. “He said he was going to step outside and get some air.”

  “Looked like he was about to puke if you ask me.” Elisa stuck her finger down her throat for emphasis. “I really don’t think that guy can hold his liquor.”

  Lainey shot Elisa a dirty look as she grabbed her jacket and handbag from her seat. “I don’t think he’s feeling well,” Lainey admitted. “Once I find him, we’ll probably head back home for the night.”

  Aside from an eye roll and a “typical whiny man” comment from Elisa, no one minded Lainey’s hasty departure. With the tombola table wrapping up, the rest of the night would be heavy partying and Lainey and her friends didn’t care for such large crowds anyway. She doubted any of them would stay much longer. So she didn’t feel bad about ditching them as she weaved her way to the front door. She found Drew at one of the smoking benches with his head in his hands. He was easy to spot in that silly Hugh Hefner robe, but he was so out of it, he didn’t even notice her approach until she sat down beside him and ran her nails gently up and down his back.

  “I didn’t think I was singing that badly,” she joked. “Totally drove you out of the room, huh?”

  “I stayed until you were finished,” Drew assured her. “I wouldn’t have missed a second of that performance.”

  “I guess not considering you paid for it.”

  Drew acted surprised for a moment, but then he gave a shrug of acceptance. He obviously didn’t have the strength for denials. “I suppose picking that song made it too obvious, huh?”

  “Only to me,” Lainey promised. “I don’t think anyone else caught on. But Drew ... that was really a lot of money. I mean, I appreciate all you’ve done more than I could ever express, and your finances are none of my business, but I really hope you won’t ... I don’t know, have to declare bankruptcy or anything after all this is over.”

  “I promise it’s not going to put me in the poor house.” He snickered, even though it obviously pained him to do so.

  Lainey moved her hand up to his neck, massaging it gently. “Not having a very good night, are you?”

  “Any night I’m with you is a good night.” He leaned into her touch. “But I do feel like crap. Give me a second to catch my breath. We can go back inside.”

  “Absolutely not.” Lainey helped him up from the bench. He was trembling, partially from the cold, but it was definitely more than just the weather. “We’re going back to my place. You took care of a lot of people tonight. I think you deserve to have someone take care of you.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “I feel terrible about ruining your night,” Drew lamented, leaning against the wall as he waited for Lainey to unlock the door. “I know how hard you worked helping to get that benefit together. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

  Lainey waved a hand in dismissal. “You have nothing to make up for. I would never expect you to hang out in a loud and overcrowded bar until two in the morning when you aren’t feeling well. Besides, the fundraising part of the evening was over anyway, and it was a huge success—mostly because of your donation.”

  “It really isn’t a big deal.”

  Drew looked down at the floor. He worried if they talked too much about his contribution she’d start to wonder how the lighting guy had that kind of capital. Lainey was always so sweet and understanding, and her gratitude about his gift was completely sincere, but Drew wondered how she’d feel if he told her where that money really came from. It wasn’t a conversation he could handle in his present condition, and this time it wasn’t only an excuse. His head pounded so hard it made him queasy. All he really wanted to do was get inside and lie down, preferably with Lainey beside him.

  “Well, I think it is a big deal,” Lainey insisted, as she pushed open the door. “And I plan to show my appreciation for everything you’ve done to help my community.”

  “Really?” Drew raised an eyebrow. “I’m curious to know how Playboy bunnies show their appreciation.”

  Lainey’s lips twisted into a sideways smirk that said far more than words. That look, coupled with her seductive clothing, was more than any hot-blooded man could stand. Headache be damned, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. Even a dead man would get a rise out of Lainey. Drew grabbed her from behind as she stepped into the living room, tugging her close and pressing his lips against hers. Her mouth had only just parted to allow entry when an unexpected pop forced them to break apart. Glancing down, Drew saw they were both sopping wet, though Lainey had definitely taken the brunt of the damage.

  “Now you’ve done it!” Lainey laughed. “You’ve gone and busted my boobies!”

  “Not to mention drenched your carpet.” Drew pointed to the puddle on the floor. “Let me help you clean that up.”

  Drew stepped toward the kitchen, but even as he moved, he couldn’t stop staring at his girlfriend. Now that the water balloons were out of the way, the soggy corset offered him a delightful glimpse of her taut nipples, standing firm even through the thin covering. There was no way she wore a bra under there. He was still ogling when he reached for the towel on the counter. So, of course he missed, knocking the cloth to the ground. Bending down to pick it up was a mistake—a big mistake. The rush of blood caused an explosion in his brain. Colored lights flashed in front of his eyes. The pain was so severe, he was afraid he might pass out or maybe throw up.

  “Oh, man.” Drew reached for the countertop to steady himself as the room spun in circles, but before he could make contact, Lainey had her arm around his waist.

  “Whoa there, tough guy.” She guided him over to the sofa. Thankfully, it was only a few paces away from the kitchen. “I think you need to take it easy. Don’t worry about the carpet. It’s just water. It’ll dry.”

  “This is really embarrassing,” Drew admitted, chagrined as Lainey helped him out of his soggy Hugh Hefner robe. He leaned back against the cushions and shut his eyes in the hopes it would make the room stop spinning. “You must think I’m a total wuss.”

  “Of course not.” Lainey patted his knee. “I think you’re in pain, and I hate to see you this way. Have you always had this problem? I mean, getting headaches like this. It seems to be happening a lot lately.”

  Drew shrugged. “On and off since high school. It happens more often if I get stressed out. One of the reasons I wanted to get away from Los Angeles for a while was because I felt like crap all the time. Believe it or not, it’s been a lot better since I met you. The last few days have been rough though. I’m getting a lot of heat put on me to head back to Hollywood. But the truth is, I’m not ready to leave you.”

  “I don’t like to think about you leaving either, but I can’t have you making yourself sick over it.” Lainey stroked his cheek. Her cool hand was soothing. “I believe we’ll find a way to make things work. In the meantime, I’m hoping I might be able to help you get rid of this headache, at least temporarily.”

  Drew opened one eye. “How’s that?”

  Lainey grinned. “I’ll show you in a minute. First, I’ve got to get out of these wet clothes and get into something more appropriate.”

  “More appropriate than your bunny suit?” Drew couldn’t resist teasing her. “That sounds promising.”

  Lainey gave him a gentle smack on the arm before disappearing into her bedroom. Drew sat up and massaged his temples, willing the thumping to cease so they could salvage at least part of the evening. He hadn’t waited long before he heard a few loud bangs coming f
rom the back of the condo. It sounded like she was rearranging the furniture in there. Drew was about to pull himself up and make sure Lainey wasn’t in any trouble when he heard her call out.

  “I’ll be right out,” she shouted. “Please ignore the noise. It’s all part of my master plan.”

  “If you say so.”

  Drew’s lips twitched as he rested back against the cushions. Though a part of him wished he could sleep off the migraine, he was curious about what she was up to. He didn’t have to wait long to find out. Soon Lainey reemerged, minus the blond wig and cotton ball tail. Her real hair was pulled back in a tight bun, though a few strands broke loose and curled around her forehead. She’d thrown on a pair of yoga pants with a spiraling white mandala around the ankle and a T-shirt with a purple lotus. Drew was fairly certain it was the very same outfit she’d worn the day they met on the beach. Somehow, she was even sexier in that simple getup than she had been in the skimpy bunny suit. It was truer to her nature, but the form-fitting pants still showed off all her perfect curves. Simply watching her stride across the room and into the kitchen was enough to cause a protrusion that even a migraine couldn’t interfere with.

  “What are you up to in there?”

  “I’m preparing something that’s sure to make you feel better.”

  Drew leaned forward to get a better view. Lainey was busy pulling a bunch of jars from the cabinet, checking each label before setting a select few down on the table. Curiosity got the better of him, and Drew pulled himself up from the couch. When he didn’t feel like he was on a tilt-a-whirl, he figured it was safe to proceed. He shuffled through the living room, taking a seat on one of the high chairs beside the kitchen nook.

  “Are we going to get high?” Drew lifted one of the jars and sniffed the dried green leaves inside while she filled a kettle with water. “I haven’t done that since college.”

  “Maybe.” Lainey gave him a mysterious grin as she turned on the burner. “At the very least, you’ll feel a lot more relaxed when I’m done with you. To start, I’m brewing some herbal tea.”

  Drew nodded, which was a bad idea. Again, the room slanted slightly. He pressed his fingers against his eyes to still the movement. Luckily, Lainey was too busy getting the water boiling to notice. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was some kind of whiny crybaby. When the worst of it passed, he studied the jars again to try to distract himself, reading each label one by one. There was catnip, stevia, lemon balm, lavender, passionflower, and spearmint. Lainey measured each one out in turn, very serious as she blended the mixture.

  “I like the sound of passionflower,” Drew told her, slightly dubious. “But are you really going to feed me catnip?”

  Lainey’s eyes widened in innocence. “Don’t you trust me?”

  “More than you know,” Drew told her honestly. “But I wouldn’t want to bogart Misty’s stash.”

  “I think there’s enough to go around,” Lainey assured him. “I’ll even leave Misty a peace offering out in the living room. I don’t want her interrupting us later, and catnip is the perfect way to keep her occupied.”

  “Inter—interrupting w—what?”

  Drew attempted to form a coherent sentence, but the throbbing hit him hard again, making his words slur. The overhead lights in the kitchen were like torches searing his corneas. The gurgle of the water boiling on the stove suddenly sounded like a steam engine raging through his brain. He had to block it all out, so Drew laid his head in his hands. The pain was so intense, he was barely aware of Lainey’s presence. Her fingers, making slow circles along his back, felt almost ghostlike, and vanished almost as quickly as a spirit’s touch might.

  “Lainey?” Drew forced himself to look up, even though the light made him flinch. Lainey was already headed back in his direction, a steaming mug in her hands, which she placed on the table in front of him.

  “Drink this,” she instructed.

  “Do I have to?”

  Drew wasn’t sure he wanted to drink the odd brew—or more importantly, that his already churning stomach would be able to handle it. He certainly didn’t want to hurt her feelings when she was trying so hard to take care of him, but when he lifted the cup and examined the mysterious substance, it didn’t seem very appetizing. It was a greenish-yellow color with a few bits of leaves still floating along the rim. He sniffed it gingerly, and finally Lainey gave a small huff of annoyance.

  “You said you trusted me.”

  “I do,” Drew insisted. “But—”

  “No buts—drink it,” she ordered. “I know it looks ... questionable, but believe me, it’s way better for you than those aspirin you were popping earlier. It tastes a lot better too. This is Sharon’s own special blend. Most of the herbs even came from her greenhouse. It’s been known to work wonders.”

  “Okay, then,” Drew agreed reluctantly. “But I can’t be held accountable for any strange things I do under the influence.”

  “You won’t be doing anything for a while.” Lainey smirked. “I’ll be doing things to you. But only after you finish drinking your tea.”

  That was all the encouragement he needed. Drew lifted the mug to his lips and sipped the warm liquid. He was pleasantly surprised. It didn’t have the weeds and dirt taste he expected, though exactly what it did taste like was hard to explain. It was sweet, but that was the only discerning factor. It tasted nothing like the black tea bags his mom made him drink when he was a kid, and certainly had nothing in common with the chai tea latte he often picked up from the coffee house. This had a crisp, all natural feel to it. As corny as it sounded, it was like drinking liquid sunshine. The more he consumed, the more warmth spread through his body, loosening his tired and achy muscles and dulling the pain in his head. After only a few sips, the slight nausea vanished and though the migraine had far from subsided, it was much more manageable.

  “You like it.” Lainey stated, bobbing her head in approval. “That’s good. But this is just the first step of my holistic treatments. Before we can continue, I’ll need you to step into the bedroom.”

  Drew blinked. Lainey made it too easy to be a typical perverted guy when she talked like that. “I won’t need to be coerced into joining you in the bedroom. I definitely trust your capabilities in there.”

  Lainey’s eyes rolled heavenward. “Try to get your mind out of the gutter, Mr. DiPalma. We both know you’re in no condition to get naked. At least not yet...”

  “That still sounds promising.”

  Lainey feigned exasperation. “Just come with me.”

  Drew complied by standing from his seat. When he did, Lainey wrapped her arm around his waist, as though concerned he was still unsteady. He didn’t want to act like a wimp in front of her, but he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed all the pampering. His last girlfriend acted offended the few times he’d cancelled plans because of a migraine. Once, when he’d gotten food poisoning, she’d ditched him at a club and forced him to take a taxi home, which resulted in a paparazzi debacle. They had pictures of him puking on the sidewalk and half dazed in the backseat of the car, which of course led to claims of drug and alcohol abuse. Meanwhile, his cokehead ex was the one doing lines every chance she got, but Drew was the celebrity who got trashed in the papers when their relationship ended.

  “Right this way.”

  Drew pushed the old memories aside as Lainey steered him into her room. All that crap was in his past. He didn’t need to waste time on petty models or obsessed fan girls. Lainey really cared about him—about him, Drew DiPalma, not the fictional Andy Palmer his agent had patented. While he had no idea what he was searching for when he packed his bags and escaped to the island of Wildwood, New Jersey, finding her had turned his whole life around. She was everything he wanted in a woman—sweet, intelligent, and apparently full of surprises.

  “Wow, wait a second. What’s that thing?” Drew hung back when he noticed the strange contraption lurking in one corner of Lainey’s bedroom. It was a long flat bed, raised several feet
off the ground with various appendages hanging off the sides. He scrunched his face in concern as he studied it. “It looks like some kind of medieval torture device.”

  “Yes, because they often used crimson leather padding in dungeons.” Lainey giggled before going on with an explanation. “It’s a massage table.”

  “Where the heck have you been hiding that?”

  “It’s usually folded up under my bed.” Lainey went over and examined the wooden legs, double-checking them to make sure they were secure. “Now go sit down while I get everything ready.”

  Drew took a step closer to the table, feeling strangely excited, and yes, a little aroused. A massage table had tons of possible uses, but all the things he could think of were dirty. “Ready for what?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Drew followed her instructions and jumped up onto the edge, allowing his long legs to dangle down. Up close, it didn’t seem quite so intimidating. There were similar devices at the spas in L.A., though they were more elaborate. The large gap was obviously so you could breathe if you wanted to lie face down, and the pads jutting from the sides were simply arm rests. At least now he understood what all the racket was about when Lainey had gone in to get changed. She was obviously getting the room ready, but she wasn’t done yet.

  “Just a few more finishing touches and we’ll be all set,” she promised.

  Drew waited patiently while she made some additional preparations to set the mood for whatever she had planned. She began by turning on her CD player, selecting a track that played light harpsichord music. Nature sounds, like crickets chirping and the patter of rain, echoed in the background. As was her custom, she lit a few sticks of sweet-smelling incense, but also added lavender oil to the diffuser, possibly mixed with some other scent Drew couldn’t place. Finally, she dimmed the overhead lights, but only after setting every candle available aflame, which had to be close to twenty, if not more. Those few actions transformed her bedroom into a sanctuary far more therapeutic than any spa he’d ever visited.