by Julia Bright
He smiled and nodded before she turned back around and laughed at something on the screen. Truth was, he rarely ever watched TV. He lived behind the scenes enough to ruin it for him. He closed his eyes, trying to push away the desire building for Rose and focus on something else.
The role he wanted would be hard to get, and it would be impossible if he reached for Rose, tugged her to the mattress, and got wild with her. After a few minutes, the sound of the TV lowered and he felt the bed move.
“I’m exhausted too. How about we turn off the TV and get some sleep?”
He nodded and opened his eyes, seeing her right next to him. He glanced around the room, knowing he couldn’t leave her alone. All it would take was one of the guys finding her and thinking they could take her. She would claim rape, which would be the truth, and a rape claim would ruin any chance of him ever getting a decent part in Hollywood—worse, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if she were harmed and any of her light was extinguished.
Desire struck him hard and a part of him wanted to say ‘screw the part’ and just have sex, but that would be wrong. His younger self—before he’d decided to clean up his act—wouldn’t have held back. He might have kept her from the other guys, but he would have sweet-talked her into letting him have a taste. He was a man, and he had needs, but now that he’d matured a little, he couldn’t fathom talking his way into her panties when he knew she normally wouldn’t toss caution to the wind and attend a sex party just for the fun of it.
Rose hopped up and grabbed her purse before heading toward the bathroom. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was going to have to sleep on the floor. His back was aching from his workout yesterday where he’d tweaked something. There was no doubt he would end up having a terrible night.
Before she entered the bathroom, he spoke. “I’ll get a blanket and sleep on the floor.”
“You don’t have to. You haven’t tried anything yet, so I doubt you will.” Rose closed the bathroom door, shutting off his reply.
He rolled his eyes then slumped down on the bed, covering his head with his arms. This woman was going to be the death of him. He hadn’t changed back into his clothes and now he regretted it. His pants were in the bathroom with Rose. The closet where he’d found the costumes needed to be locked after he took off the rest of this gauzy material and hung it up.
While Rose was in the bathroom, he cleaned up their mess, tossing the empty soda cans and the half eaten pizza crusts. Rose stepped out of the bathroom, her phone in hand, pointed directly at him. Anger pulsed through him.
“You have your phone? How did you get in here with that?”
“What?” Rose looked up, the smile on her face faltering.
“No pictures. No cameras,” Cam barked out.
“I’m…wait. Why can’t I have my phone? And do you really think I would do that?”
He paused and shook his head, the anger dissipating a bit. “They were supposed to take it at the door.”
“You met me at the door, didn’t you? I mean, I kind of remember that.”
“Shit. I didn’t let him take your phone.”
Rose narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “I wouldn’t have given up my phone.”
“No, no you wouldn’t have, because you’re not the type of girl who should have been invited to this party.”
Rose’s nostrils flared and her cheeks grew pink. “What would you be doing if I hadn’t showed?”
Cam closed the distance but stopped about a foot away from her. “I’d told my brother I wasn’t going to come. Then he invited you and I told him to un-invite you.”
“I would have been pissed.”
“You should never have been asked. He likes women a little too much, but he’s been paying for company or had arranged dates with other people in the business. He doesn’t know how to deal with real people.”
Rose stared up at him, her eyes blinking as she studied his face. “And you know? How to deal that is?”
“No.” He shook his head slowly as sadness filled him. “This world is manufactured. It’s fake. We do stupid stuff and make dumb decisions. We don’t know how to treat people. This party is an example of our stupidity.”
“I didn’t take any photos. You can look if you want.”
He gave her a weak smile and sighed. “No, I trust you.”
“I don’t want you regretting that later and worrying about it.”
“If you said you didn’t take them, I believe you.”
Rose nodded and pulled her phone up, rolling her eyes. “I have to send a note to my mom each night or she freaks out. I didn’t send it because I didn’t go to bed early. She woke up this morning and was getting ready to call someone.”
“Who would she call?”
“One time, she called the governor’s office. Almost initiated a missing person’s report. It was only by some miracle that I texted at just the right time and she called off the big dogs.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. She’s in South Carolina and woke early because she was worried. She’s bitching me out. I texted her and I’m trying to tell her I’m fine and about to go to bed. She doesn’t believe me. That little pause where we were talking, it almost earned us a call to the police station in LA.”
“Shit, she’s serious, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, it’s not much fun when she freaks out like this.”
“How often does she do that?”
“As long as I send her a text or call before bed, she’s fine.”
“Okay. Well, I guess you should finish texting her.” Cam picked at the costume he was still wearing. “I’m going to put up this thing and lock the closet.”
Rose’s laughter warmed his soul.
“I’m surprised you’re still wearing that.”
He shrugged as he headed into the closet. “It’s comfortable.”
“Okay. If you say so.”
He chuckled before shutting the bathroom door. After making sure the closet was in the same condition as it had been when they’d broken in, he used the restroom and brushed his teeth. By the time he made it out to the bedroom, Rose was already passed out. He thought about stretching out on the floor, but his muscles ached. They could both be mature enough to sleep in the same bed without having sex, at least he thought they could.
It took him a while to drift off, and when he woke, he found Rose curled on her side facing him. The urge to pull her close and kiss her almost overwhelmed him, but he didn’t act on that urge. Instead, he lay still, staring at her face, memorizing her features. This was what it would be like to have a normal girlfriend. She wouldn’t be with him to get seen by some producer or director. If he were with Rose, they could be friends, hanging out, trying to make a life. He was young, but the desire to have more than hookups and setup dates that weren’t really dates but business maneuvers, weighed on him.
Cam saw the screen on Rose’s phone turn bright and an idea popped into his head. He grabbed her phone, swiped up and took a photo. He rolled to face her and snapped another shot of him looking at her. Then he opened up her phone, surprised there wasn’t a password, and found the notes application, typing then erasing the words. Maybe he shouldn’t be doing this. He’d planned on leaving her a note, asking her to contact him in six months once his life was calmer, but she was a nice person and his life wasn’t nice. People in the business were crazy, and she deserved more than the circus he would bring.
He was about to delete the photos when Rose rolled over, hitting his arm. She grunted, and he put her phone down, moving away from her. He didn’t want her thinking he’d tried anything because he hadn’t. It was bad enough that she may have been drugged last night. He prayed she didn’t get pissed about that when reality sunk in. He’d made sure she was safe the whole time, and he hadn’t left her side except to go to the bathroom. He was sure she hadn’t had any contact with anyone else during the few minutes he’d been away so she’d never been at risk during the night.
/> Rose groaned and stretched. She turned over and then glanced at him. “Hey, what time is it?”
“Around eight thirty.”
Rose sat up, her hands flying to her hair. “No, it can’t be that late.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Fuck, eight thirty? Damn, I have a lunch shift. I have to be at the diner at eleven.”
“Well, let’s get you home.”
Rose stared down at him, her brows knit together. She huffed out a breath and shook her head. “Thank you. You were very nice last night. I appreciate it. You didn’t have to spend your time babysitting me. I’m sure you were bored out of your mind.”
“Are you kidding me? I had a good time. It’s not often I get to run around a house with a beautiful woman dressed in a gorilla costume. That was the highlight of my year.”
“I don’t know whether to be flattered or appalled.”
Cam chuckled then rolled out of bed, glad he’d had enough time to get his dick under control and wasn’t popping huge wood. He tugged on his jeans and zipped them before turning to face her.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Underwear?”
“Sorry, I can’t sleep in jeans. Trust me, nothing happened.”
Rose shook her head and stepped toward the bathroom. Cam caught her by the arm and moved close.
“Seriously, nothing happened. I want to make sure you know that.”
She smiled and reached up then patted his cheek. “I believe you. And thank you for being a gentleman. Not many guys would have saved me from this party when I’d so stupidly agreed to come.”
“You didn’t know what it would be. Chip wasn’t upfront with you. He should have explained a little more.”
“It’s okay, really. I had a good time with you. I know you don’t want the press to know what happened here, and I agree, it wouldn’t help me at all if people knew I’d attended an orgy.”
Cam’s stomach twisted. He disliked the guilt flowing through him. “I seriously need to move out and find different friends.”
“You can’t lose touch with your brother.”
“No, but I don’t need to spend the night at a party like this.”
Rose nodded then stepped away, heading into the bathroom. He heard the water running then it sounded like she was brushing her teeth. He found his shirt and pulled it on, wishing he looked more put together. Rose didn’t deserve the shit his life offered. Without a doubt, he knew, if things were different, he would go after her.
Rose came out of the bathroom, looking almost as fresh as she had last night when she’d arrived at the house. He regretted his decision to clean up his act because all he wanted was to be dirty with this woman.
“So how am I getting home?”
“I’ll send a text to the driver and see where he is. Once he arrives, I’ll escort you down. Don’t worry, you won’t be riding with any of the other girls.” He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text and turned the ringer on his phone up so he wouldn’t miss the reply.
“You’re way too nice to me.”
“No, Rose, this is how people should act. Not like what went on down there. I mean, I know those women were paid and they understand what they were getting into, but my brother shouldn’t expect to get laid all the time. He’s not used to working for it.”
The corners of Rose’s eyes crinkled and she chuckled a bit. “Working for it is hard. I haven’t dated anyone in ages. They all want perfect and I’m not perfect. Speaking of that, is there more pizza left?”
“I believe so. Is that what you’re going to eat for breakfast?”
“I’m working the lunch shift. I have to eat before I get there. I won’t have time between when I get home and when I have to be at the diner. Trust me, I’m not a pleasant waitress if I don’t eat and I need to be pleasant because I need the tips.”
Cam opened the pizza box and waved his hand over the leftovers. “So before you go, there’s going to be an envelope waiting for you when we get downstairs.”
Rose took a bite of pizza and lifted her brows. “An envelope?”
“It’s money.”
She shook her head. “Oh hell no. I’m not taking any of your money.”
“All of the girls—”
“Stop right there. Those girls signed up for this. I’ve never accepted money for sex, not that we had—” Rose chuckled and shook her head. “I can’t. That would violate so many of my convictions. When I moved here, I promised myself that if it came to that, I would leave. I can’t take money for what should have been a night of sex. That goes against everything I am. If those girls want to get paid for sex, that’s their thing, and I don’t hold it against them, but it’s not for me.”
“Okay, I just—”
“No, I won’t ever accept money for sex.”
The respect he had for Rose grew each second he spent with her. She lived by a set of core values that made him look like a scumbag, and maybe he really was. That was why he couldn’t get the parts he wanted. He needed to figure out what values he wanted to live by, because what he was doing now wasn’t working. His phone buzzed and he checked the text.
“The driver is here. It’s time for you to go.”
“Thanks. I had a good time. That was the best sex party I’ve ever been to that I didn’t have sex at.”
He laughed and stuck his hand out, thinking that a hug would reveal too much about his desire. “It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope you get what you want out of life.”
“Thank you, you too.”
Cam followed Rose, pleased they didn’t run into any naked revelers on their way to the car. Watching Rose drive away was one of the most difficult things he’d ever done. The desire to call her back, to tell her he would pay her rent, hell, he would move her into a nice apartment by herself, filled him. But he doubted she would date him if he paid for her things. That wasn’t how the real world worked. He couldn’t pay for her time. She’d made that painfully clear. Rose wasn’t like the rest of the women here or even the other women he’d dated. She was special.
Chapter Eight
The driver shut her door, sealing her away from the house and the orgy. She blew out a breath, relieved that she’d escaped with nothing bad happening to her. She’d wanted to kiss Cam so much it almost hurt. Incredibly sexy, Cam was beyond anyone else she’d ever met. And he’d slept shirtless and pantsless in her bed—well, the bed. Just knowing he’d been almost naked beside her made her wet.
The driver opened his door, and she pushed thoughts of Cam Harris from her mind. She had work today and then she needed to look for a few modeling gigs. Maybe she should give up real food and try to lose weight, becoming pencil thin, but that wasn’t her. How would she ever make it in this world of glam and glitz?
On the drive home, she’d closed her eyes and must have drifted off a bit, because all too soon, they were at her apartment. She scrambled out when the driver opened the door next to her and tried to give him a tip but he refused.
Rose raced upstairs, noting she had just enough time to take a quick shower but not enough to wash her hair. Kady was still asleep, and she was in and out of the shower before she woke. Presley had already taken off, driving to her mom’s place like she did every weekend. Rose pulled on her uniform and was out the door in less than fifteen minutes.
The parking lot near the restaurant was full, and she had to hunt for a space, which ended up being an experience all in itself. She eventually found a spot a few blocks away and ran to the diner, arriving with seconds to spare.
“You’re late,” Mike barked out when she clocked in.
“I’m sorry. Parking is a bitch.”
“That’s because the diner is full. Go help Tracy.”
She didn’t even have time to grab a swig of water before she tied on her apron and hit the floor. The diner was a total madhouse with more food served than they’d ever put on the tables in any one day. She filled water glasses, made coffee, slung french fries, and carried burgers unti
l she was ready to drop. At three, Mike asked her to stay late. The lunch rush wasn’t stopping, and he didn’t have enough people scheduled. She agreed because the tips were great, and she wanted the money, hoping, if she earned enough, she could find a way to move out.
At eight that evening, she was finally able to head home. Starving, she called in an order and picked up takeout from an Asian fusion place around the corner from her apartment after swinging by the bank, using the ATM to deposit the bigger bills she was carrying. By the time she got home, exhaustion had her running on fumes. As she trudged up the stairs, she wished they lived on the first floor. She stuck her key in the lock and the door was ripped out from her hand, the keys banging on the metal, scratching the paint.
“There, she’s here now. Give me my money.” Amanda stood with her hands on her hips, her mouth in a thin line, and her eyes bugged out. Meanwhile, Kady chewed her nails, and Presley sat on the couch, concentrating on something on her phone. Presley and Amanda were friends for the most part since they’d worked together at one point, unless Amanda did something like this. Then Presley would abandon Amanda, leaving her on her own to stew. And it looked like Rose had come home with Amanda in mid stew.
“What money?” Rose asked as she pulled the keys from the lock.
“The deposit. I paid a security deposit and I need that money.”
Rose shut the door, wishing she hadn’t come home. She moved to their kitchen, ignoring Amanda, and opened the box of kung pao chicken. If she wasn’t so exhausted, she would grab a plate and sit at the bar, maybe even pour up a glass of wine to go with her dinner. Instead, she ate directly from the container. She took two bites before Amanda stalked over and slammed her hand down on the counter next to her food.
“Give me my money.”
Amanda’s tirades had happened on a regular basis in the time she’d lived with them. Rose took another bite of her food, wondering exactly what money Amanda was talking about. She wasn’t going to ask though, because Amanda would try to twist her words. The apartment had been so much calmer since the woman had moved out.
Eighteen months ago when Rose had moved in, her roommates had been Sue, the original renter of the apartment, Judy, a woman who had moved out when Amanda moved in, and Alexis, who ended up moving back to Oklahoma because Hollywood was too mean. It might have been that Amanda had been too mean because Alexis and Amanda had never been able to get along. Kady had moved in when Alexis flew the coop, and Presley took Sue’s place not that long ago. Then Amanda had moved out, thankfully.
