by Brandy Blake
“You got the part? That’s fantastic! I’m so excited for you!”
She really felt a thrill for him, and knew then as she was listening to him, that the sacrifice they had made by creating the sex tape had definitely been a good thing for both of them. It had come with its share of craziness and weird people, but there were good people and legitimate offers right along with all the trash as well.
“Thank you! The director told me that there’s a cast introduction party on Saturday night. I guess everyone goes to introduce themselves and meet everyone else before the real work starts. He wants me to go to that, and he actually suggested that I bring you. I like the idea, so I wanted to ask if you’d be interested in coming along with me to the party. What do you think? Are you free on Saturday night?” he asked hopefully, his lungs frozen, waiting for her answer.
She blinked in surprise. It sounded like a date.
“Did he ask you to bring me because of the sex tape?” she asked, wondering if it was just tied in because of their popularity for the moment.
He hesitated and frowned thoughtfully. “You know, I guess I didn’t think of that. I thought he was just… suggesting a date. Hmm. I don’t know why he wants you there.” He suddenly worried that she might not agree to it, and disappointment tinged his heart. “Does it matter? Would you want to go just to… just to spend an evening with me? I mean… it couldn’t hurt being out at a Hollywood party together. I think, like the restaurant, it would probably be good for both of our careers.”
He looked down and bit at his lower lip. He didn’t want her to go because of their careers, but if that was the way to get her to spend the evening with him, then he wasn’t above using it for some extra time with her.
She smiled and lifted her chin. “No, it doesn’t matter. I’d want to be there with you anyway.” She felt her heart begin to beat faster as the truth somehow made it from her mind to her voice. “I would want to spend that time with you no matter where you were and no matter what you were doing. It’s nice that it’s at a party like that. I know we’ll have a good time. Just tell me what kind of dressing style it is, and what time you want me ready, and I’ll be glad to go with you.”
Joy flared up inside of him like sunlight blazing at the dawn of a new day.
“Sure! Let me check on that and I’ll tell you as soon as I know. Thank you, Valerie. It means a lot to me.”
He meant it. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking of her, and the idea of spending another evening with her filled him with anticipation and excitement.
“I’m looking forward to it. And Tristan… congratulations again on the role. I’m really happy for you!” she grinned.
“Thanks! I’ll talk to you soon.” He grinned as he said goodbye to her and ended the call.
It was easily one of the happiest moments of his life. He took a deep calming breath and relaxed for a moment before picking up his phone again to call his brother and tell him all about the whole thing.
***
Valerie was elated about Tristan asking her to go with him to the party on Saturday, and it was all she could think of when she wasn’t doing modeling jobs or helping her grandmother, or answering what seemed to be an unending stream of calls from what might as well have been every person on the planet.
She had a security camera installed at her house and one at her grandmother’s, just as a safety precaution, and she changed her phone number, only giving it out to the people she actually wanted to speak with, though some of the undesirables still managed to get through to her. She had to adjust the privacy settings on all of her contact information, from emails to social media, to stem some of the flow of incoming contact requests.
It seemed like every day since their video and the pictures of her and Tristan that had been captured were out on the Internet and in the newspapers and magazines, speculation blazed around them and the two of them as a couple became white hot news fodder.
She had to be careful everywhere she went so that she was able to do what she wanted and needed to do, and she found out through some quick conversations with Tristan that week that he was experiencing exactly the same thing. It was a quick and sometimes painful lesson in sudden celebrity status.
Saturday finally came. She and Lisa had gone out dress shopping and had found the perfect dress for her to wear. She spent just as much time and care getting ready for the party that they were attending as she had for their night out at the restaurant.
That night she wore a cream colored dress. It featured spaghetti straps and a low scoop neck that complemented the generous curves of her breasts without showing too much of them. It was backless to the top of her hips and the hem of it rested at the middle of her thigh. She paired it with light gold heels and some of her more modest gold jewelry.
She wore her hair in a pile of curls at the back and top of her head, making her neck look long and graceful. Her makeup was perfect, and she touched a rounded brush of fine golden bronzer dust in a few places over her face and the tops of her breasts, and though it was subtle, it made her skin seem to glow as if it was sun kissed.
Valerie was ready and waiting when Tristan arrived right on time. He looked impeccable in a black suit and tie that was almost form fitting to him. She raised one eyebrow in interest as she gave him a flirty look when she opened the door.
“You look like you’re going to take on the world!” she told him with a wide smile.
He stared at her and gave his head a slow shake. “You look like you’re going to make the world fall in love with you,” he answered back. “You’re beautiful.”
She felt her cheeks warm as she stepped out of her doorway and closed it behind her, carrying her small golden clutch in one hand. She slipped the other hand into the crook of his arm and walked with him to his truck.
“I’m sorry I don’t have a limousine for you tonight, but your chariot still awaits. This one has more horses than the limo anyway.” He winked at her and she laughed at him.
He helped her to get into it and in no time, they were winding their way up into the hills where the houses grew bigger and further apart the higher they went.
They finally came to a gated driveway where a security guard was waiting to allow guests onto the premises. He knew who he was looking at as soon as he saw them and he waved and smiled, inviting them both in.
“Wow! He didn’t even stop to check us off the list!” Valerie laughed lightly as Tristan pulled his truck through the gate and drove up the hill.
“You know, I’m pretty sure that a few weeks ago he’d have asked me for my driver’s license, but now… now it’s an entirely different ballgame, isn’t it?” He glanced over at her and shook his head.
“You’re not kidding,” she agreed with an amazed sigh.
He parked the truck and a valet attendant appeared a moment later and took the keys from him with a wide smile on his face as he stared at both Tristan and Valerie. They could see the excitement that the young man was trying to hold back and it seemed surreal to them both.
Tristan walked over to her and set his fingertips on the small of her back, guiding her gently along with him as they walked to the front door. She loved the feel of his touch on her skin, and the closeness between them. She felt as if they were a couple, rather than just pretending to be one, and she loved it.
They were greeted immediately by a butler who invited them in, and not thirty seconds after that, each of them was holding a glass of champagne in their hands and trying not to stare around them at the A-list celebrities who were filling the gardens and patio out behind the house where all of the guests were.
“Are all of these people in the movie?” Valerie asked him in amazement.
He shook his head. “No. I think this went from being a cast party to a celebrity party. I guess that can happen. Everyone knows someone.”
Just then, three people came up to them to introduce themselves, and both Tristan and Valerie were careful to hold in their incredulous wonder at all of th
e famous people they met. It was almost as if everyone there wanted to know them and talk with them. Actors, directors, musicians, producers; it was a who’s who of Hollywood, and it seemed as if every eye at the party was on both of them.
They were separated by circumstance and conversation as people began to take them around to meet other people; to be seen with them, to be close to them. Valerie didn’t like not being at Tristan’s side, but there wasn’t really a polite way out of it for almost an hour.
She finally was able to break away for a run to the restroom, and she was careful when she came back out, to skirt the party until she could see where Tristan had gotten off to. She finally found him, surrounded by about six people who were hanging on his every word.
She slipped through the guests as quickly as she could with smiles and nods, stepping away quickly before people could reach for her and pull her back toward them, until she got to Tristan’s side. He turned and saw her there, smiling with obvious relief as she slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, and he let her go and placed his hand on the small of her back again, his fingertips pressed against the small of her back.
Valerie felt butterflies begin to dance in her belly as heat tingled in her at the feel of his hand on her, and his arm around her. They smiled and visited with the people who were surrounding them, but somehow Tristan managed to break them away, saying that he had to speak to someone who was going to leave, and begging their group to forgive him.
He took Valerie by the hand and slipped with her out of the party and into the house where he went down a hall until they found an empty room. He pulled her into it and closed and locked the door behind him, heaving a sigh as he looked over at her.
They both laughed and gazed at each other as she stood a couple of feet from him.
“Wow… this is intense. I didn’t expect it to be like this, did you?” he asked, looking at her and losing himself in her smile and sweetness and beauty.
She shook her head. “No, I can barely keep up with all the people… the names, the conversations… it’s unbelievable. How do people live like this?” she wondered with astonishment.
He pushed himself away from the door and moved toward her, reaching his hand up to touch her face and trace his fingers over a few of the big black curls in her hair.
“I have no idea. All I know is that ever since I walked through that front door with you, all I’ve wanted to do is be alone with you, and I honestly didn’t think that I was going to get the chance.”
Her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught as she stared back into his eyes, feeling his gentle fingers on her cheek.
“You did?” she asked, almost in a whisper. “Why?”
Part of her wanted to know why, and part of her wished that she hadn’t asked him why, because she was afraid that it might be the one word that broke the bubble of romantic magic that it felt like they were both in.
His voice was low and soft when he answered her. “Because I have found that I love being around you, and it’s different being around you with other people; all of my attention is focused on them, and I’d rather it was focused on you. Also… because I’ve wanted to kiss you since you opened your front door tonight.”
She gasped quietly and before the breath was gone from her, he lifted her chin and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her slowly as if he was savoring every single moment of feeling and tasting her mouth against his.
Everything in her came to life and began to move more and more swiftly as she laid her hands on his chest and let them slide up around to the back of his neck.
He embraced her and his fingers moved over her bare back almost as if he was playing a stringed instrument, and every touch only made her ache to feel more. Her breath began to grow short as their kiss deepened and she felt one hand leave her back and move up the side of her body.
His thumb brushed over the thin material covering her breast, and her nipple hardened at his touch. He slowly circled his thumb around it, arousing her until she moaned softly into their kiss. His mouth left hers then and began to trail tantalizingly down her neck, and she breathed his name like a prayer.
Tristan’s other hand closed over her hip, pulling her against him so she felt his solid erection, and she curled her fingers snugly into his shoulders, remembering instantly just how it felt when he had been inside of her before. Her body remembered, and every part of her craved him then; yearned for him to touch, to taste, to take control of all of her just as he had before.
There was a sharp knock at the door and the handle jiggled. A man’s voice called out to them and both Tristan and Valerie broke apart, their breath gone, their chests heaving, and their bodies aching for one another.
“I’m so sorry…” Tristan whispered as he looked from her to the door. “I didn’t mean to… it must be the champagne. I was just going to kiss you… I didn’t mean to…”
His face flushed and he turned away from her and cleared his throat, walking toward the door.
“Coming! I’m coming,” he answered as he glanced quickly back at Valerie.
She straightened her dress and gave him a single nod. He unlocked the door and opened it. Ethan Granger walked in and looked from Tristan to Valerie as comprehension came over his face. He looked back at Tristan then.
“People are asking for you,” he said more as an instruction than a comment.
“I’m sorry. We needed to… discuss something… quickly. We’re ready to head back out to the party now.”
Tristan gave him a half smile and held his hand out toward Valerie. She went to him, taking his hand in hers, hoping that it wasn’t too obvious that they had been making out secretly in an empty room at their host’s party.
Ethan walked with them back to the party, changing the subject of the conversation and leading them with him as he made his own rounds throughout his guests. Again, everyone wanted to talk with them and be near them, and much later that night they finally made their escape from the event.
It was a total reprieve for them both to get into Tristan’s truck and head back down out of the hills into the city. The truck was quiet; Tristan wasn’t playing any music, and as he drove, both of them were thinking of what an intense night it had been, both in the company of the other guests, and in the room when they had been alone.
When he got her to her front door, it seemed to her that he was keeping a little more of a distance from her, and as he said goodnight, he hugged her close and kissed her mouth softly once, and then gave her a long look that she couldn’t quite read. He told her goodnight and she went inside, wondering what it was that had gone right, and what it was that had gone wrong that night. Something felt strange to her, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Early the next morning, there was a knock at her door and she was careful to see who it was before she turned the lock and opened it. Ricardo was standing there, dressed as nice as he always was, with flowers in his hands as he often had for her, but the expression on his face was different. It was the same haunted expression that she had seen on his face when he had stood in his yard and watched she and Tristan leave the night they had taken the limo to the restaurant.
She sighed quietly and gave him a half smile. “Hello, Ricardo.”
“Valerie… my darling… my goddess. What is happening to us? What is this that I am seeing everywhere… that you are in love with this man who comes here to your house? I thought that your heart was mine to win!”
He handed the flowers to her and she tried to stop him, but he insisted.
“I can’t accept these, Ricardo, I’m seeing the man who comes here. His name is Tristan,” she replied, hoping to sound kind. She didn’t want to hurt him.
He only stared at her in disbelief, and she could see that there was no way that he wasn’t going to be hurt.
“He does not love you the way that I do! I love you, amore! He is only using you to be famous. How can you let him do that? I have been in love with you much longer! You should be min
e! I love you! I want you! Please… my angel… take the flowers. They are yours. Take them,” he insisted again and she sighed and took them from him, hoping that doing so would ease the torment that he seemed to feel.
“Ricardo, listen… I’m sorry, but I’m dating Tristan. I’m not going to see more than one man at a time. Right now, I’m dating him. I… I have to ask you to give him and I some space. We need to be a couple without anyone trying to break us apart. Okay? I’m so sorry, Ricardo.”
She meant it. She liked him as a neighbor, and nothing more, but at the same time she didn’t want to see him hurt.
He sighed sadly and nodded. “I understand.” Then he looked up at her with determination in his dark eyes. “All the same, I will be here waiting for you. If he hurts you, if he leaves you, I will be here for you, and I will come to you and comfort you.” He looked adamant about what he told her.
