Tonic

by Heather Lloyd

  “A toast,” Ryan says.

  I pick up my glass.

  “To unexpected but definitely pleasant run-ins in Las Vegas.”

  “Cheers,” I say and take a gulp.

  Ryan takes a drink, sets the glass down and looks at me.

  “So how about you, Olivia? Are you in Vegas for work or holiday?” he asks.

  I squirm. “Vacation,” I say with no excitement in my response while looking at my glass.

  He frowns at me. “Are you here by yourself on vacation then?” he asks.

  Crap. I don’t want him to ask that. But I decide to be honest. I make a face and sigh.

  “No. I’m out here…with my husband.” I finally look up and watch him as I tell him this. I see his eyes cloud a little and maybe there is a little disappointment on his face. I see his eyes flicker to my left hand where there is no ring. I took it off Saturday after Taylor told me about Craig and his girlfriend. I didn’t want anything to do with it. His confusion replaces the disappointment.

  “Oh boy. This is going to sound bad.”

  Ryan looks at me questionably.

  I sigh. “Alright, I’m going to be completely honest with you. Yes, I am out here with my husband. However, I haven’t seen him nor have I heard from him since I ran into you last night. So, it’s kind of like I’m on vacation by myself.” I unconsciously put my hand on Ryan’s arm. “Which is fine by me. I’m enjoying going around by myself. I get to do whatever I want. No snide comments about what I want to do or how long I take looking at things.” I stop abruptly because I realize I am babbling away and touching his arm. I pull my arm back like I got shocked. “Oh, sorry.”

  “Please. You’re fine; no worries. Sounds like you need to vent. Where is your husband?”

  “Who knows? I think he’s gambling. But I’m not sure.”

  “That’s a really shitty thing for him to do to you.”

  “Tell me about it. But not seeing him on this trip is not what I’m upset about. I actually hope I don’t see him.”

  Ryan studies me for a little bit. Oh, God. Stop looking at me, I silently plead. I am very uncomfortable with him looking at me that way.

  “Is that why you’re sad?” he finally asks.

  I squirm yet again in my chair.

  “I…What?”

  “Yes, you have very sad eyes, Olivia,” Ryan explains. “I noticed them when you first ran into me last night – although you looked more pissed off, not just sad. At least they were until you realized who I was.” He smiles at me with that incredible smile again. “Then again this morning when you got on the elevator, you seemed more annoyed. But there was sadness behind the annoyance, and then your eyes sparkled when you saw me.” He winks at me.

  “Well, who wouldn’t perk up if Ryan Paxton smiled at them?” I blurt out. “Oh, God.” What is wrong with my mouth today? My eyes grow big and I put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from saying anything else. I am mortified. I want the floor to open up and swallow me right now before I really say something I will regret. On the bright side, I am at least keeping Ryan entertained, even if it is at my own expense.

  “You are truly the most delightful person I’ve met in a long time, Olivia. It’s very refreshing. You seem honest and very natural with me.”

  I look at him, it seems like he really means it. I guess there are lots of fake people out there when you are a celebrity. I can’t even fathom what he goes through.

  Before I can comment, our food arrives. The server almost dumps Ryan’s plate in his lap when she sees who he is. She apologizes profusely, completely flustered and leaves us alone. I snicker, relieved to not be the only one who embarrasses themselves around him.

  I take a small bite of my food. It is good, but my stomach is still full of those butterflies and feels very upset.

  “So, who were you with last night?” I inquire.

  “You didn’t know who they were?” he asks, surprised.

  Oh shit. Who else was with him? “I… I guess I didn’t really pay attention to them after running into you,” I say embarrassing myself once again with how obsessed I am with him. “Dammit! Who was with you?”

  Ryan laughs. “It was a couple guys from Surrender; Michael Dosser and Jason Knight. They had to leave this morning, so we went out last night.”

  My mouth drops open and I stare at him for a moment.

  “No! Seriously? I missed Michael Dosser and Jason Knight? Dang. And it’s all because of you!” I lightly slap his arm, teasing him.

  “All because of me? Why is that my fault?”

  “Because I couldn’t stop staring at you to get a good look at the other guys. See how you are?”

  He laughs again and I join in.

  “Well, I do apologize for monopolizing your sight.”

  “Apology accepted. You’re a good reason to have my sight monopolized,” I grin.

  Ryan barks out a laugh. “Oh, Olivia. I’m so glad I met you.”

  I grin at him and take another bite. I can’t believe I missed Michael and Jason.

  “It’s really too bad I didn’t get to meet them too last night.”

  “I don’t know. I kind of like keeping you all to myself right now,” he replies, his eyes twinkling again.

  Oh, jeez. Him and his flirting. How am I supposed to respond to that and be able to function? Maybe he is just doing this to fluster me. Or see what kind of idiotic words come out of my mouth.

  We each take a few bites in silence.

  “Tell me more about Olivia,” Ryan requests.

  “Hmm. Not much to tell. I live in Kansas City. I’m an accountant for a big firm there. Let’s see. I’m an only child. Love to read and hang out with my girlfriends. I live a pretty simple life.” I take a bite and chew. “See? Boring, right?” I purposely keep away from saying anything about Craig. Somehow he knows this and doesn’t ask any questions either.

  “Simple and quiet is not boring. Do you like your work?”

  “Yes and no. I love working with numbers. It gets extremely stressful during certain times of the year. But, you know, it’s a big firm. Working for someone else.”

  “Have you thought about venturing out on your own?”

  “Well, of course I’ve thought about it. It would be nice to be my own boss. I…uh… actually have a bunch of ideas and numbers and lists for starting up my own firm.”

  Oh, Lord. I’m already opening up to him about my dreams; this is not good.

  “Did you grow up in Kansas City?”

  “No. I grew up in a small town a couple hours away from Kansas City. About 800 people in town.”

  “Ah. So you probably knew everyone in town. Everyone looking out for each other,” Ryan conjectures.

  “Yeah, you couldn’t do anything without someone knowing what you did. Everyone sticking their noses in your business. It sucked,” I whine, thinking about a certain incident in high school.

  “And what did you try to get away with?”

  “I…um, nothing,” I cannot stop embarrassing myself around him. “Anyway…I went to college and when I graduated, I found that there were a lot more opportunities in Kansas City, so I moved. I liked it and have been there ever since.”

  Ryan sits there watching me, making me uncomfortable again.

  “Well, how about you? Tell me about Ryan Paxton?”

  I have to get him to stop analyzing me.

  “Hasn’t everyone reported everything there is to know about me?”

  “True. But I haven’t heard it from you. Who is to say if what I heard is true or made up?”

  He thinks about that for a moment. “Fair enough. As you know, I grew up in London, did a few commercials, a few TV show appearances. I found out that I liked acting and that I was pretty good at it. Let’s see. I have two older brothers who are a pain in my ass, like brothers should be. But I love them. My parents are still in London and worry about me. My life is anything but boring, with people following me around everywhere. Everything I do is documented; not muc
h privacy in my life.”

  “That would be difficult,” I agree. “I’m not sure I could handle everyone in my business.”

  I shudder trying to imagine what his life is like with paparazzi following him around. It is a little creepy and scary. I actually look around to see if I can spot anyone out of place or with a camera. He sees me and smiles, understanding exactly what I am doing.

  “I don’t think anyone followed us, at least I hope not. But it is a part of the life I chose, so I deal with it. I would love some normalcy in my life, but not sure how I will get it.”

  He makes it sound like a wish that he knows won’t come true. I bet he would like some normalcy and privacy, I definitely would.

  “So do you like acting?”

  “Most of the time, yes; I love it. It’s great fun becoming a different character for each movie. It’s challenging to play some roles, but others are easy.” He glances at his watch. “Shit! Time flew by talking with you. I’m so sorry, Olivia. I’m going to be late. I have an interview.”

  “Don’t be sorry. Thank you so much for having lunch with me. I had a really good time. Highlight of my trip!” I tease.

  “I think we can do better than lunch for the highlight of your trip. If you are available later, I would like to meet you for dinner. Does that work for you?”

  “I’d love to,” I squeak out. Holy crap! Did he even have to ask?

  “Great. How about I meet you by the Bellagio’s botanical garden entrance at 8:30?”

  “Ok. Yes.”

  “Great. You stay and eat the food you barley touched – I know you were hungry…” he winks at me. “And I’ll see you later tonight.”

  He trails a finger down the right side of my jaw and gives me a quick kiss on my cheek before he gets up and walks out of the restaurant.

  Chapter 3

  My heart is pounding. Ryan just kissed me on my cheek.

  OH…MY…GOD! I just had lunch with Ryan Paxton and I am going to have dinner with him tonight, too! I want to get up and do a happy dance and scream, but I’m still in the restaurant. No one is going to believe me.

  Ryan is so nice. I can’t believe how sweet he is. I think I’ve had a misconception of famous people being a bit snooty. But Ryan is proving me wrong. He didn’t have to waste his time having lunch with me. I’m sure he had much better things to do. Oh God, and he is unbelievably gorgeous.

  Grabbing my phone, I listen to Taylor’s message teasingly scolding me about hanging up on her, wants to know everything that’s happening and reminding me to get a pic for Ally.

  Then I try calling both Taylor and Sarah, but neither answer. Damn them. Don’t they know I need to talk to them right now? I cannot leave them a message about this. They’re missing out. I’ll just have to talk to them later.

  This is turning out to be my best vacation ever. Definitely one I will never forget.

  Deciding that if I’m going out to dinner with super-star Ryan Paxton, I need a new outfit for later. An outfit worthy to be out on a date with Ryan. I ask for the check so I can pay and leave. The waitress tells me that Ryan already paid for our lunch on his way out. Then she asks if I’m an actress, too. I think she’s a bit disappointed when I tell her no.

  I walk over to a mall at another casino to look for something. Since I didn’t finish my lunch as Ryan suggested, I get some gelato and walk around while I eat it. While strolling, I get this creepy feeling like I’m being watched. When I turn to discretely look around, no one in particular stands out, so I continue on. I stop in front of a designer store to look at the gorgeous items on display. In the reflection, I see a guy about ten feet behind me, watching me. He’s probably in his late 20’s. Seems a little twitchy. He is intently starting at me like maybe he knows me and is trying to figure out how he knows me. I am completely freaked out, get goose bumps and my heart beat drums in my check but try my best to keep calm. What should I do? I slowly keep walking down the hallway, trying to keep an eye on the guy in the reflection of the windows I pass. He continues to follow me. Shit! What does he want? I throw away the rest of my gelato then dash into a store. Thank God the guy doesn’t follow me in.

  Maybe he is just another tourist who happens to be going in the same direction as me. It seems kind of unlikely, but what else can it be? Or maybe I do look like someone he knows and was trying to figure out if I am that person.

  I try to push the guy out of my mind while I look through the clothes. With the help of the sales clerks, I find a couple outfits that will most definitely work to go have dinner with a celebrity. Plus, they make me feel super sexy.

  After I try on and buy the outfits, I step back out into the hallway and look to see what store I want to go to next. There, across the hall, is the guy that had been following me earlier. He’s looking at a display window, but I am pretty sure he’s able to see me in the reflection. Ok, this is super creepy and I am getting really scared now. I turn and quickly walk the opposite direction, towards the casino. What is the best thing to do when one wants to get away? Get lost in a crowd.

  I stop down the hall a little way and casually look to find that the guy is definitely still following me. Ok, this is disturbing.

  I head into the casino. If he is following me I hope to lose him in there. I do not turn around to see if he is still following me, at least not until I zigzag around the casino for a while. I find a seat out of the way and start looking around. I do not see him anywhere so I figure I have temporarily lost him. I sit and wait for my nerves to calm down, for me to stop shaking, and for my breath to back away from hyperventilation. By the time I feel sure I lost him, it’s time to head back to the Bellagio to get ready for my evening with Ryan.

  More than a little paranoid, I keep looking around on the way back to my hotel expecting to see that guy following me again. Man, these casinos are too big. You can’t get anywhere fast. But in my case, it is a blessing. I let out a big sigh of relief when I finally get back to the Bellagio’s elevators and I still have not seen him.

  Back in my room, I can tell Craig has been here at some point with clothes thrown all over. There still is no message from him. What a jackass. I have not heard from him since last night. I wonder what he thinks I would do when he didn’t come back to the room. He probably doesn’t care, and neither should I. He got me out here like he wanted – for whatever reason that is - and now he’s doing his own thing. But why was he so adamant that I had to be out here? It still doesn’t make sense.

  Well, I don’t have time to think about Craig and what he is or isn’t doing. I am doing my own thing. And now I need to get ready for dinner with Ryan Paxton.

  It takes me twice as long to get ready because I am so nervous. My hands are shaky and clammy. It is weird how much I like Ryan already. I am a little afraid that I like him because he is this big celebrity. He is so down to earth and nice and personable and really listened to me earlier today. I’m comfortable with him and feel this strange, amazing connection with him. But how can that be when I barely know him? I’ll just have to think about it later. I can’t think about it seriously right now, plus I need more experiences with Ryan to really figure things out.

  I have a little time before I need to leave, so I try to call both Taylor and Sarah again; neither answer. Oh boy, are they going to be disappointed that they didn’t answer. I leave messages for each of them without telling them anything.

  Finally, I can’t postpone it anymore. It is time to leave and meet up with Ryan. I let out a shaky breath. My heart is thumping so fast, like I’ve been running. My hands are still clammy and shaking. Uncertainty sets in.

  Oh, God. What if Ryan is just playing around with me? Maybe he won’t show up at all. I don’t think he is the type that would do that, but I am still worried. Please let him show up, I beg silently as I ride the elevator down. I feel sick to my stomach once I reach the hotel lobby.

  As I walk towards the gardens, Ryan is already there. I release the breath that I had not realized I’d been holding.
Thank God I went out and bought something new this afternoon. He looks…well, magnificent. He has not seen me yet so I take the opportunity to really look at him. He is fidgeting with the buttons on his jacket, then puts his hands in his pockets, then takes them back out and pulls at the sleeves of his shirt. He has a little crease on his forehead right between his eyebrows. It looks like he is nervous, too. No, surely not. I feel slightly relieved. Maybe, just maybe, he does feel the connection between us. I better not get my hopes up.

  I also notice a bigger, muscly, I-take-no-shit-from-anyone man in a suit that stands about three feet away from him. He keeps glancing around the conservatory. Does Ryan know him? He’s got to be with Ryan.

  That is when Ryan looks up and catches me staring at him. His creased brows disappear and then he gives me his gorgeous smile. I smile back, wave and walk forward to him. I notice the man also looks at me then follows Ryan when he steps forward. Ryan discreetly holds out his hand as if to tell him to stop. So, he is with Ryan. The guy does stop but continues to watch everyone around us.

  “Hi” he says as we reach each other, he grabs both of my hands and gives me a kiss on my cheek. “Wow, Olivia. You look beautiful. Definitely not plain, as you claim to be. I am glad you came.”

  “Thank you, Ryan,” I say shyly. “You look wonderful, too.”

  Ryan lets go of my hands and puts his right hand on my lower back – oh! – and with a nod to the other guy in the suit, leads me to the restaurant. As we walk, he explains that the guy following us is Jeremy, his security.

  “Jeremy Anixter is usually with me.”

  Hmm. I had not really had to think about what Ryan deals with so it really surprises me that he would need security. But he wasn’t with Ryan earlier. Was he?

  “He wasn’t around earlier, was he?” I ask.

  “No. Every now and then I like to try to go out without him. Usually I’m disguised a bit and can run.” He grins at me.