Stroke It

by Ivy Jordan

  Then the next thing I knew, there was a cameraman at the table taking pictures. Caleb asked him politely to only take a few as we were trying to enjoy the time together, but he was smiling the whole time, so I knew his irritation was only an act. When the cameraman left, Caleb moved his chair closer to me and leaned over for a kiss.

  He placed his lips softly against mine and held it for a beat before he pulled away. It was the first time that he had kissed me and it was definitely not a terrible kiss. It was more uncomfortable knowing that it wasn’t real and that there was probably a room full of people watching us, I just needed to get through the rest of the night and I would be able to go back to the hotel to sleep. That was all I wanted to do at that point because I was exhausted.

  I sipped my coffee and looked across the table at Caleb as he smiled back at me. I had my hands full already, and it was only day one. How on earth was I going to get through the next ninety days?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Caleb

  Friday arrived, and I was on my way to pick up Hailey and her sister to go apartment hunting. Mandy had arrived early that morning and was staying at the hotel with Hailey for the time being. They could both stay at the hotel for a few days for all I cared, but Hailey insisted on looking at apartments so they could all be settled. She would have to return to my home, after all, so it was best to get Mandy settled as soon as possible.

  I had not been able to make it the day before, and I hadn’t wanted to send Matt. I felt it was best for me to help Hailey in any meaningful way that she needed. If it was a quick errand, then fine, I would send Matt if need be. But for something like apartment hunting, I wanted to be there.

  The guy had given me a good ribbing over it, saying that I was jealous of him. It was not true, of course. How could I be jealous over a girl that wasn’t even technically mine? Besides, it wasn’t like the two of them could get together when she was supposed to be playing my girlfriend. That would be way too weird. They had good chemistry together, though; they got along like they had known each other for years, and that made me uncomfortable.

  Hailey was fine with staying at the hotel all day yesterday because she could zone out. I had exhausted her from the beach day, and she just wanted to relax. From what I knew, she ordered a lot of room service and went in between spending time at the pool and watching movies. That meant she would be recharged fully for her time to look at apartments. I was glad she had that opportunity as I felt bad for taking her all over town on her first day in the city.

  I picked up the phone and called Hailey to make sure they were ready to go. I would be waiting for them in the car and didn’t want a delay. She answered on the first ring.

  “Hi, Caleb; how are you?”

  “Great, Hailey. I’m just five minutes from the hotel and wanted to make sure you girls were ready to go.”

  “Yes, we are. We will meet you at the front of the hotel. Thanks again for doing this for us.”

  “Oh, it’s my pleasure.” I clicked off the call, and in a few minutes, I pulled up to the hotel. I got out of the car and saw Hailey and her sister. I was surprised to see that the two looked nothing alike. They were sisters, but they couldn’t have been more different in appearance.

  I leaned in and kissed Hailey on the cheek when she got close enough and held out my hand to her sister. “I’m Caleb; it’s nice to meet you finally. I have heard a lot about you.”

  She had a bright smile that lit up her whole face. “I bet not as much as I’ve heard about you. I’m Mandy, and trust me, it’s great to meet you.”

  I laughed loudly. Mandy was not holding anything back. I already liked her and thought she would be a hoot to have around. Things were defiantly getting better and better. Where did these girls come from? Georgia must be growing some pretty amazing things. Maybe it was something in their water.

  “Hopefully what you heard was all good. I’m trying not to scare Hailey away.”

  “Of course, it is,” Mandy said, “She only mentioned that you were a spoiled brat who has the house the size of Fort Knox.” She stuck out her tongue playfully.

  I laughed, “Well, it’s all true then; what can I say?” I ushered them into the car, Hailey taking the front seat beside me. “Hopefully, we can find something that meets your standards today, Mandy.”

  “I’m not picky.”

  “Well, I had my realtor make a list for me of the places in the budget you gave me, and I’m confident he would only choose the best.”

  “That’s great, thank you.”

  I turned to Hailey, “So did you enjoy your day of relaxation?”

  She giggled. “Yes, maybe a little too much. I may have a chocolate hangover. I ordered a lot of room service and movies, so expect a big bill. But it was glorious relaxing by the pool and reading a book. It definitely gave me the energy for today.”

  I laughed, “That’s no problem; anything you want.”

  She beamed at me, and I couldn’t help but lean over and kiss her. It was all part of the act, right? Or so she thought. It had just happened – I barely even thought about it. I just suddenly wanted to kiss her. That smile alone was enough to make anyone want to do the same; I was sure of that much.

  She looked amazing that day in a pale blue sundress that made her eyes pop. I liked the fact that she was always in dresses. Some girls spent their lives in jeans, and it was nice to see a girl who still liked to be in a dress, even if they were going nowhere special. She had her hair pulled back as if she was going to a tennis match, and it really made her look pretty. They were both cute, even though they looked nothing alike.

  Suddenly, Matt came to mind. I wondered if I could set Mandy and him up together. He was single, though he wasn’t exactly looking for a girlfriend, either. Maybe Mandy could distract Matt away from Hailey – now that would be ideal. It would definitely be something to consider. I wouldn’t be too worried about him developing feelings for Hailey, then. Not that Matt was that kind of a guy, because he wasn’t, but things happened, and I certainly had no real claim to her.

  I took them around the city, looking at apartments. We had five on the list for that day. I was hoping that Mandy would like one of them because I didn’t revel in the thought of going out for another day of apartment hunting. There were so many more fun things to do than that. I wasn’t sure how picky Mandy would be, despite what she said.

  The first two apartments we saw were strike-outs immediately. She didn’t like them at all, and we quickly left them and moved on to the third. We saw four apartments before Mandy found one that she loved. It was a great two-bedroom apartment that was fully furnished and within her budget. It even had a nice view of the city. It was modest compared to what I was used to, but Mandy seemed to be thrilled with the size of it. I wondered what kind of apartment they had lived in before coming to Florida. There was a lot about Hailey that I didn’t know, and I was beginning to think that I should find out more about her.

  “So this is it then?” I asked.

  Hailey looked at her sister, as well, waiting for an answer. Mandy turned towards her sister and said, “I want it. I absolutely love it!”

  The two started jumping up and down and squealing with excitement. I couldn’t help but laugh at the scene before me.

  “I guess that’s a yes, then.”

  “Yes, yes, yes!” they screamed.

  I left the two of them to squeal together and went to talk to the landlord. I told him to send the paperwork to my office, and I would have it filled out for Mandy. Mandy came up behind me and asked the landlord how much she had to put down. He knew she was only staying for a few months and told her to just pay the first month and then again on the 1st of each month.

  “I can cover this, Mandy.”

  “Absolutely not. You are already doing so much for my sister. I’m here for support; that’s not your responsibility. Besides, I would be paying rent no matter where I lived. But thank you for the offer.”

  I nodded and turned to find Hai
ley watching us. She had a smile on her face, and I liked the fact that she was happy. It occurred to me suddenly that I could really enjoy having Hailey around if I let myself really get involved with her. I hadn’t thought about it before.

  The thought of having a girlfriend had always sounded suffocating, but things were different with Hailey – she was an incredible woman and a lot of fun to be around. Maybe things could be real between us, after all. I wondered as I stared at her whether she would be willing to be my girlfriend in every sense of the word.

  As my eyes trailed up her body to her face, I felt a strong desire for her. If we were together, then surely sex would be part of the equation, and I would love nothing more than to bring Hailey into my bedroom. I was sure that the two of us would be fire together in the bedroom, how much hotter could things get?

  “I everything okay?” she asked.

  I shook the thoughts out of my head, realizing I had been living my own fantasy while she had been staring at me. I had to stop thinking of Hailey as my real girlfriend – she was just there for a job, and the last thing I needed to do at that point was to fuck anything up.

  If I upset Hailey in any way, she could easily leave and never come back. Then I would be up shit creek without a girlfriend, and I didn’t even want to have that conversation with Aria. She would kill me; she was already pretty happy with the way things were going and the publicity involved with the relationship so far. She would not be happy to find out that I really hit on Hailey and she got upset and went home. Aria would chalk me up to being a playboy and wash her hands of me.

  “Yes, sure. Sorry, I was in my little own world for a bit there. Your sister seems pretty happy about the apartment.”

  She laughed, “Yeah, it doesn’t take much to get her excited. It’s a nice place, though. Thank you so much for doing this; I know you are really busy these days, so I do appreciate it. You know you could have just sent Matt to help me; he doesn’t seem to mind doing things for you.”

  I frowned. Yeah, that was the last thing that I wanted to do. “Yeah, I know. He’s a good guy and always there when I need him. I wanted to help you out though, and I really should be the one to do it; you are my girlfriend, after all,” I said with a wink.

  Smiling, she agreed, “Yes, I am.”

  Mandy returned to us. “Well, that’s that. I’m ready to move in. I’m so happy that it’s furnished so nicely. That way we can just leave our stuff in storage in Georgia and just bring the essentials.”

  “Yeah it’s a nice place,” Hailey added.

  “What do you say we all go to the estate and I can grill us up some food, and we can have some beer? I’ll call Matt and see if he wants to join us, as well.”

  “That sounds amazing,” Hailey said, and Mandy nodded with her.

  “Great, let’s go.”

  Mandy locked up her new apartment and we all headed back to the car. As the ladies were getting inside, I started to rub my temples. I felt a headache coming on. I suddenly regretted inviting the girls over as I wanted to lie down for a bit. I quickly sent Matt a text message to let him know what we were doing that evening and to come over if he was free. He returned my text after a few minutes to let me know that he was in.

  It was a half hour drive from the city to my parents’ home, and the girls had chatted the entire time. By the time we arrived, I had a full-blown headache on my hands. Matt had yet to arrive so I could probably lie down for twenty minutes to get rid of the headache before he arrived. If I didn’t try, then I was going to be terrible company for the girls.

  When we got inside, we all headed out to the back patio where the pool was.

  “I’m going to have to excuse myself for about twenty minutes, ladies, and lie down.”

  Mandy looked confused, while Hailey looked concerned. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I just got hit with a bit of a headache, and I thought if I took something and lay down for twenty minutes until Matt arrived, then I would feel better for the rest of the night. I know it’s terrible manners, but can you forgive me?”

  She laughed, “Of course, go lie down. We’ll be fine. You get rid of that headache.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it. You girls go ahead and go swimming. There are extra swimsuits in the pool house, and you will find beer in the fridge in the pool house.”

  “Thanks, we’ll definitely make use of all that while you’re away. I think you are just having bad-boy withdrawals,” she said, laughing.

  I laughed, too; she was probably right. I walked away feeling bad that I was leaving them, but I knew I had to try to get rid of the headache or I would ruin their night.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Hailey

  Mandy and I had on new bathing suits from the pool house and were slipping into the cool water of the pool. It was the perfect temperature for the warm evening. I couldn’t believe how many new bathing suits were in the pool house. They were all different sizes and all brand new.

  It was funny that they had everything they needed for unexpected guests. What a world to live in when it was nothing to have clothing just sitting there available for guests – cost was not an issue at all for these people. Half the time I could barely afford a new bikini, and yet in Caleb’s life, it was nothing to just have some on hand to give away.

  Mandy and I were having a great time chatting in the pool and drinking ice-cold beer. We had no interest in swimming around the pool; we were just lingering in the shallow end talking.

  “I can’t believe you are going to be living here. It’s amazing. The house alone... Who lives like this?”

  “You read my mind,” I laughed. “I was just thinking the same thing. A pool house full of bathing suits. It’s crazy. I have never seen anything like it. It’s like a dream come true, and yet it’s everyday life for him.”

  “Well, I think it’s just so beautiful, the grounds especially,” she said as we looked out into the landscaped property. She was right; it was all so stunning. I wondered how often they went out onto their property or if they just admired it from the house. I made a decision that when I did move into the house, I would come out and walk the property myself and see what it was all about.

  “Yeah, I agree. The whole place is really something else. It’ll be my home for a little while, so that will be hard to get used to, for sure.”

  “You deserve it though, Hailey; you work so hard. I know it’s not the gig you were looking for, but at least it’s a fun one. You are getting paid to sit in a pool drinking beer right now.”

  I laughed, “Yeah, I guess you are right. I just wanted something on TV so badly, or even a small-budget movie. Something to just get me started in the right direction.”

  “It will happen for you. I promise.”

  I smiled at her; she always had my back no matter what, and I was grateful to have her there with me. I don’t know what I would do without her. I took a sip of my beer and thought about the next few months. It was definitely going to be an interesting time. Caleb hadn’t really lined out what he expected of me in regards to appearances. I wasn’t sure if I would be at the tournaments or what other events I would be expected to attend. I would need to sit down and discuss that with him, so I had a solid understanding of my duties.

  “You know what else is beautiful?”

  I turned to her as I took another sip of my beer. “What’s that?”

  “That man of yours. Oh, my God. How do you even stand to be around him?”

  I giggled, “I know, right? He’s beyond good looking – he must have been born in a test tube or something. He’s too perfect. For the record, though, he isn’t mine. It’s all just pretend.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. But still, what’s it like to kiss him?”

  I thought about it for a moment, remembering the times that he had kissed me, and I smiled. “It’s nice. I mean, it’s not like we have gotten hot and heavy or anything. He hasn’t even French kissed me yet. But it’s nice. I have to admit, it’s kind of uncom
fortable for me. Yes, he’s dreamy, but it’s not like it’s a real date. There’s nothing between us, so it’s hard to get into a kiss that you know isn’t real.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “Because it’s not real,” I said with a laugh. “How many times have you heard actors say in interviews that sex scenes and kissing are weird with their co-stars? It’s awkward and uncomfortable because you don’t know that person. It’s not like a first date when you expect romance. It’s all fake, so it’s hard to get into it. You pretend you’re into it, but you know it’s not real.”

  Mandy nodded. “I see. Well I sure wouldn’t mind.”

  “Trust me: you would. If it was real, then I could really appreciate it. But he’s doing it all for show, and that makes in boring.”

  “I guess I can see where you’re coming from. Just enjoy it for what it is then, a fun gig.”

  “Oh, I plan on it. And, you never know, it might open new doors for me because if nothing else, I will get a lot of exposure.”

  “That’s true; you never know what could come out of it.”

  “It’s a fun gig, and it’s only for a few months. Everything is paid for, and I get to live in a dream house. It’s not really something I should be complaining about. I will have enough money to finally move to a nice apartment in LA. That’s where I’ve always wanted to go to pursue acting, and at the very least, this gig will allow me to do that.”

  “So, you’re really going to do it? Move to LA?”

  “Yes, I think so. That’s the best place for an actor to go, right? And, what’s this me business? You’re not going to come with me? Who’s going to write all those Hollywood screenplays?”

  “I guess I might as well. What’s for me in Georgia if you aren’t there? I can work anywhere, right? So, let’s do it.”

  “That’s awesome. Now I’m even more excited about it.”

  “Hey, ladies!” We turned around to find Matt walking out onto the patio. Another handsome man who must have some seriously perfect genes. Where do these guys come from? Miami sure knows how to pump out some attractive men.