by Brandy Blake
Evelyn had stayed about the same, sick, tired, and worried, and though she hated that her grandmother was going through what she was having to go through, Valerie was grateful that she had something much more important than her own life and business to focus on in the uncertainty of her own world just then.
The next day, Valerie showered and took extra time doing her hair and makeup carefully, knowing that however it was that she looked that day would immortalize her for a long time to come. She took her time choosing a dress and shoes, all of her jewelry, and even her perfume. Everything about the way that she looked could not have been more precisely done.
She chose a red dress that was snug on her fit and curvy figure. It had wide shoulder straps and V-neck and it was slightly cinched all down the sides of her body to the hem, which was just about where her fingertips stopped at the sides of her thighs. The shoes that went with the dress were the same color of crimson red; high heeled and simple, but elegant. She put her hair in a French twist at the back of her head, once again going for an elegant look, though she kept one long tendril with some gentle curl in it laying down the side of her face, curling more near her breast.
Her necklace and bracelet were thin gold chains, and her earrings were slender slivers of gold hanging down just past her earlobes. Her lips and nails matched the red of her dress and shoes, and her clutch of satin was the same crimson shade.
She turned herself in front of the mirror several times before she was finally satisfied with the way she looked. She knew she looked good, but she felt so uncertain about what was happening that she second guessed herself a few times and finally walked away from her bedroom and closed the door behind her, disallowing herself to go back in again. She was ready and that was that, she told herself. There was nothing more to be done, but perhaps have one glass of wine before the limousine showed up.
She took her time sipping a dark red Chianti, trying to calm herself. She reminded herself that she had felt far more nervous than she should have when they were in the hotel together, and that the night ahead of her was going to be nothing more than a dinner date.
There was far less at stake than there had been when she met him at the hotel, and she told herself that she should feel much more comfortable with him. She felt sure that they would enjoy the evening, and she tried to make herself look forward to it. It was then that she realized that it wasn’t Tristan that she was apprehensive about, it was the media circus that might be waiting for them.
Valerie was just about to pour herself a second glass of wine when there was a knock at the door, and she knew that it was time to go. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and headed for the front door.
When she opened it, she was glad to see Tristan standing there, and the sight of him took her breath away. He looked perfectly polished. His tuxedo fit him like it was designed for him, every strand of his golden bronze hair was in place, and as she leaned close to him to hug him in greeting, she could smell his cologne. She breathed it in and the clean scent of it went straight to her head. He was straight out of a magazine, or more accurately, a movie.
“You look incredible,” he told her softly in her ear as they embraced.
He inhaled her soft floral perfume and felt the warm silk of her cheek against his and his heart skipped a few beats. She had been in his thoughts so often since they had been together at the hotel, but none of his memories compared at all to the real thing, and the real thing almost hypnotized him.
Taking a deep breath, he cleared his throat and smiled at her in a friendly way. “Well, shall we go? Our public awaits.”
With a subtle grimace, she nodded and smiled, and slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, letting him lead her along the sidewalk and out of the little gate to the limousine at the curb. Just as she reached the car and the driver was opening the door for them, she looked up and saw that Ricardo was standing in his front yard, almost at their property line, watching her.
His face was etched with something between disappointment and torture. She saw his hands curl into soft fists and then release open again. She wondered if he was really as bothered as he looked, and hoped that nothing would come of it, and she hoped more than that, that he wouldn’t say anything to them.
She was relieved when he said nothing; he only watched them as they slid into the back of the limousine and the car door was closed. She looked away from him and turned her attention to Tristan as the car pulled away from the curb and sailed quietly down the street.
“Well, this is really nice, isn’t it? Al is sure going to the extreme on this. I didn’t expect anything like this. I thought it was just going to be the tape, and then it would be done. Boy was I wrong,” she mused with slight unease.
Tristan smiled at her, his eyes steady on hers as he sat across from her, gazing at her. “It is nice. I know he’s doing this for the money, and for us and our careers, but you’re right. He is putting a lot into this. Much more than I expected him to. I thought like you did, that it was just going to be the hotel. I guess we’ll see what happens as it comes, but it already feels like it’s going to be a hell of a wild ride, if the things I’ve been hearing about how popular this is are true at all.”
She raised her eyebrows and nodded. “You’re right about that. I heard what was happening with the video going viral from a friend of mine who called me to tell me about it, and I looked at Google for a second after that, but I haven’t really looked again since, and I’m not sure I want to. Have you looked at any of the repercussions from the ‘leaked video’ yet? Any online media about us?”
She was curious about what he had seen, what he knew, and how he felt about it.
He sighed and nodded. “Yeah, actually. I was on a couple of my social media pages and I saw it when it started to take off, and it spiked fast. I can’t remember the last time I saw something catch fire quite that fast; I mean, aside from natural disasters and attacks and things, but nothing from Hollywood. It just… took off. It was crazy. It’s still trending all over the world. I never expected anything like it. We’re getting a pretty positive response from it, and of course some negative, but that’s just part of it all, isn’t it?” He shrugged and looked out of the window and then looked back at her.
“I’m okay with it. I mean, I don’t really care about all the things that people are saying… how does that go… opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one? Yeah. I don’t pay too much attention to any of it. I haven’t made any comments about any of it because we’re supposed to be keeping this a secret and our affair is hidden, which is what makes the tape hot, but even if or when we do talk to the media or the public, I won’t care too much about the response. I just want this to help our careers. That’s the whole point of it.” He looked at her intently and she knew that his focus was trained on his acting.
She remembered what Lisa had said about him. He’s a good actor. She reminded herself that everything he was doing with her was nothing more than acting.
“Yeah, I haven’t looked at it at all. I’m a little intimidated by it, to be honest. I mean, I did it to help further my career, but I thought it would get a mediocre response at best, and that our careers would get a bump or something.
“I thought I’d have a few more jobs from it if things went well, but now… things feel like they are way out of hand and I haven’t even really looked at any of what’s going on out in the world with it. It feels like that from inside my little bubble. I wonder what it’s going to be like when we can’t really get away from it. Do you think we should be adding fuel to the fire like we are being caught dating, like tonight?”
She tried not to notice the way that his soft brown eyes shone at her, and the way that he looked so unimaginably handsome in his tux, how the shape of his chest and arms were barely concealed by his jacket, shirt, and vest. She tried not to think about how he smelled and how much she had liked the feeling of his embrace. They were essentially coworkers, and they were completing a project together. She told h
erself for the hundredth time not to let herself get distracted by him.
Tristan tilted his head, looking at her thoughtfully. “Well, I think Al’s right about wanting to get us into the spotlight while everyone is interested. You know… take advantage of the fact that everyone is fascinated with us right now. I mean, that’s the whole point of us doing the tape, isn’t it?
“I think that just because it’s gotten so much bigger than we expected it to be, we shouldn’t hold back anything we can do to help promote it. The more we do, the bigger we get. Don’t you have goals ahead of you that this publicity can help you achieve?”
Her thoughts went immediately to her grandmother. “Yes, I do… as a matter of fact. You’re right about that. I do have goals that I want to achieve, and this whole thing is going to make that possible, no matter how big it gets. One way or the other, it will.”
He watched her, wondering so many things about her. “Do you mind if I ask what the goals are? Would you tell me?” His voice was gentle.
She only hesitated for a moment, but she trusted him, and she wasn’t ashamed or afraid to tell him what it was that she was doing all of it for.
“My grandma is really important to me; she’s the most important person in my life. She’s going through a hard time right now; she’s got cancer and she’s undergoing chemo. It’s really taking a toll on her.
“She’s had to stop working, and that puts a financial strain on her, not to mention an inability to do what she usually does around the house. So, I want to help her. She’s done everything for me, and I want to take care of her. I’m anxious to earn some extra money so that I can handle all of the things that come up for her right now. Everything I’m doing is for that… for her.”
Tristan’s eyes were sad, but his smile was genuine. “I’m really sorry to hear that she’s sick and fighting such a horrible disease. I hope she makes it through alright, and soon. I think it’s tremendously good of you to work so hard to help her and take care of her. If there were more people like you in this world, it would be a much better place.”
Valerie smiled a little and looked down, her cheeks flushed at his comment. “Thank you. I just want to help her. She means the world to me.”
“Well,” he said, leaning forward and looking at her with a wider smile, “I think you’re going to be able to do all kinds of things for her as a result of the tape we made and all of the publicity that’s come from it. At least, that’s what I hope for you.”
It was quiet between them for a minute and then she looked back up at him with curiosity. “What do you want to do? What are your goals? Why did you do the tape?”
He leaned back and looked out of the window, the scene of him and John Phillips at the studio parking lot flashed through his mind.
“I’m really anxious to get my career going. I am at a point where it feels like I’m kind of treading water, if you know what I mean. It’s not going backward, but it’s not going forward either. It’s sort of… at a plateau. It needs a big jump, and I think this will work.
“At least, I sure hope it works. It could go the other way and I am going to do everything that I can to make sure that that doesn’t happen. I’ve worked hard for the success that I’ve achieved, and I want more success to come in the future. Hopefully, this will do it.”
He gave her a wink and a smile. She nodded back. “I hope that for you too, then,” she said sweetly, meaning it.
The limousine came to a stop, and they looked out of the window to find that they were at the restaurant. They turned and looked at each other then, sharing a slightly anxious glance. He reached for her hand, taking it into his and giving it a squeeze.
“Well, are you ready for this?” he asked with a wide grin and bright eyes.
She drew in a big breath. “Yeah, I guess so. Let’s go eat before the paparazzi gets here!”
They put their sunglasses on, even though the sun was only beginning to set.
The driver opened the door for them and ushered them out. The doorman for the restaurant walked them from the car to the building and held the door for them. The maître d' met them at the door and escorted them to their table; a private area tucked away behind a thick velvet curtain from the rest of the dining area.
They were given the best server in the restaurant, who was extremely discreet and professional. When they were left alone after their order was taken, she looked at him and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well, that didn’t go so bad at all!” she smiled.
He raised one eyebrow as he looked at her with a conspiratorial gaze. “It’s just the first half of the night, though. Al’s going to leak to the press that we’re here. The challenge will be when we try to leave.”
She knew that he was right. The most difficult part of the date was yet to come. Their meals were brought to them swiftly, and they were left mostly in peace to enjoy their wine and food. There seemed to be very little tension between them, and she felt again as if they were allies and friends; as if it was them against the whole world in a good way. They were a team.
They talked about their families; she told him about her grandmother and he told her about his brother, Gavin. They talked about their childhoods and growing up, and they both felt as if a good friendship was growing between them, and they both liked it.
For the duration of the time that they were in the restaurant, no one bothered them, and just like it had felt to them both when they were intimate in the hotel suite, they felt as if the whole world had just faded away from them. They both felt as if they were losing themselves in each other, and both of them loved the feel of it, drawing out the time that they were sharing, neither one of them wanting it to end.
When the wine was gone, and the only thing left on the table was the lit candle, they both knew that it was time to go. Tristan asked for the limo to be brought around and their server said he would take care of it.
Neither one of them had any idea what would be waiting for them when they walked out of the door of the restaurant, but they agreed to face it together. Tristan took Valerie’s hand in his, entwining her fingers tightly with his as the maître d' opened the door of the restaurant for them to walk out.
In a split second everything changed. Flashes of blinding light exploded all around them and the roar of a massive crowd engulfed them. There were people on top of people on top of more people, all around them, reaching out to them, shouting at them, calling to them, and the chaos was like a towering wave that crashed over them, hitting them harder than a wall.
Valerie stared open-mouthed at all of it, blinking in shock as she froze on the spot. Tristan gasped and stared, and a moment later, he wrapped his arm around Valerie and pushed his way through the throng with the help of the maître d' and the driver of their car. The driver opened the limo door and Tristan nearly pushed Valerie inside the vehicle.
She made it to her seat as hands and arms slapped the windows and the roof, the shouting and noise was only somewhat muted, and then in the next instant, the back door was closed, and Tristan took her in his arms and held her close.
A minute later, they heard the driver’s door close, and police lights flashed around the front of the car as it pulled away from the curb at the restaurant, and the noise followed for a few moments longer before it finally disappeared. The police car stayed in front of them until there was no one else around them any longer, and then the limo was by itself in a sea of traffic on the highway, and as it drew nearer to Valerie’s home, they found themselves almost alone again.
She and Tristan said nothing. They were both overwhelmed by what had happened. It was considerably more than they had expected and they were both digesting the shock of it. He kept his arm around her the whole time they drove, and she nestled in close against him, burying her face in his neck. She felt safe there, and protected. She didn’t want to leave the comfort and serenity of it.
A while later, the limo pulled up to her house again and the driver opened the back door. With a
soft sigh, she let go of her place in Tristan’s arms and reluctantly stepped outside of the vehicle. Tristan followed her and took her hand in his again, walking her to her front door.
She turned the key in the lock and opened the door, and then slowly turned to face him with a sweet smile.
“I had a really good time tonight.” She hesitated. “At least…” she trailed off.
He smiled back at her and nodded. “At least until we were under attack?” He chuckled softly and took both of her hands into his. “I had a really great time, too. Thank you so much. You’ve made this whole experience…” he paused and took a breath as he stared at her, not wanting to look away or let go of her at all, “…incredible.”
She glanced down shyly and looked back up at him through the thick fringe of her ebony eyelashes. She didn’t know what to say to keep him there a few minutes longer, but he did it for her. Gently, he let go of her hands and slipped his fingers over her cheeks and the sides of her neck, drawing her close to him.
Her breath caught and her heart skipped a few beats as his eyes locked on hers and he leaned toward her. She felt the whole world slip away again as he brushed his lips against hers softly at first, and then he kissed her a little more firmly, holding her to his mouth for a long moment before letting her go.
