L.A. Cinderella

by Amanda Berry

“No, Chase, you called every day. You avoided talking about Natalie every time, as well. You look like hell, man.”

  “I just got off a plane—”

  “And you rushed over here to—what? Sit in your office and rest your weary head? Give me a break. I saw you stop at Natalie’s desk—”

  “I just was checking up—”

  “You stood there like a man presented with water after crossing the desert. Why not talk to her? Her eyes are red and puffy every morning. You both are hurting, so why not end the games and just get together already.”

  Chase stared at his partner with astonishment. “She doesn’t want any part of the fame or this industry.”

  “We’re not talking about the industry. We’re talking about you, Chase.”

  “The industry and me are the same. It’s always been a part of who I am. A part I can’t escape, and I don’t want to escape it. I may hate being followed sometimes, but it’s part of my life and she doesn’t want any of that.”

  “Have you asked her?”

  Chase could feel the rage rising within him. “Why would she? That part of my life is never going away. Even if I had never gone into acting, I would still be the son of Matt Booker and Madeline Caine. If she doesn’t want that life, we can’t be together.”

  Natalie was having difficulty breathing. When someone moved down the hall, she’d hold her breath and not release it until she knew it wasn’t Chase. This had to be the longest hour of her life.

  Since it was Friday a lot of the staff took off early. People were constantly going past her desk. Rachel had at least eased her fears that Chase hadn’t already moved on. Not that she cared, but it had made her feel better to know he hadn’t dived right back into the dating pool. Of course, that could also mean that he really did love her, which made her feel even worse.

  Life shouldn’t be so hard. He’d gone out of his way to keep their relationship discreet, which was what she wanted. Wasn’t it? Someone started down the hall.

  Hold it, hold it. Just another model. Release. This was ridiculous. She glanced at the clock. Close enough. She bent and got her purse, and when she came back up she screamed. Not a bloodcurdling scream, but that oh-my-God-you-scared-the-last-year-off-my-life scream. Chase stood in front of her desk.

  Her hand covered her racing heart, and she took several deep breaths.

  “I didn’t mean to startle you.” His smooth voice awakened the desire that was always on simmer just for him.

  Her face flushed as hot flashes of him making love to her burst within her mind. “Not a problem,” she said hurriedly. She clutched her purse to her like a shield as she stood up. “I was just leaving.” Did he know she was picturing him naked?

  “Natalie.”

  She stopped and stared at the ground. Please don’t come near. She could survive hearing his voice, but she’d explode into tears if he touched her. Or worse, she’d throw herself into his arms and plead with him to forgive her.

  Her eyes squeezed shut when she felt him move behind her. She wasn’t this strong. She could bolt. She could run for the door and pray she didn’t trip.

  “Can I…”

  Can he what? She lifted her face and stared straight ahead at the door. “I really should be going.”

  “Can I walk you to your car?”

  She spun and almost fell back. She hadn’t realized he was directly behind her. He reached out to steady her by her elbow, but she jerked out of his reach and banged her elbow against the wall.

  “Are you okay?” He reached out to steady her.

  She pressed herself against the wall avoiding his hands and held her elbow as her funny bone throbbed. “I’m fine.”

  “From that face you’re making, I highly doubt that.” He dropped his hands.

  Her body relaxed. His eyes were resigned when she finally lifted her gaze to meet them.

  “We can’t be friends, can we?” His shoulders dropped.

  “I…” She wanted to tell him they could. She didn’t want to let him out of her life, but she couldn’t be with him and not watch his lips and remember. She shook her head and said softly, “I don’t think so.”

  He nodded. “Can I walk you out?”

  The door was a long way away, but outside a few stubborn photographers lingered, waiting for just the right photo op. “I don’t think so, Chase.”

  His smile was a shadow of the one he used to give her. “You are probably right. Have a good weekend.” His hand lifted as if to brush her cheek.

  Her breath caught, and she couldn’t move. He dropped his hand and spun on his heel, leaving her in the hall with a throbbing elbow and a broken heart.

  “I know you’re in there.” Rachel yelled through the door.

  “No, I’m not,” Natalie told her pillow. She hugged the pillow closer, knocking a dozen tissues off the edge of the bed. It still smelled like him. It was only a throw pillow, but it smelled like him.

  “I don’t have to go out of town. I can tell the company I have personal business to attend to.” Her voice was muffled by the door.

  “You need to go. I’ll be fine.”

  “I got more ice cream.” There wasn’t enough chocolate ice cream in the world to make the pain go away, but Rachel didn’t need to know that. “I’ll have my cell phone on. If you need me, call. I don’t care when or why. I’ll answer. I also picked up some of those frozen meals that are low-fat. You know, to counteract the ice cream.”

  “Thank you.” She lifted her face from the pillow. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you Wednesday. Try to get out of bed sometime between now and then.”

  Natalie waited until the door closed and she heard the snick of the locks. She pried herself off the bed and wandered into the living room. Grabbing the remote, she cued up If Only and wandered into the kitchen to grab a fresh carton of ice cream.

  There was a note on the fridge. Try to eat something besides ice cream. R. “Well, chocolate sauce isn’t ice cream.”

  She piled her blanket, the pillow that smelled like Chase and her ice cream onto the couch with her as the beginning credits rolled.

  She found herself caught up by the story. The pressure on her chest lifted as the love affair between Tom and Elizabeth played upon the screen. Every touch, every gesture placed so perfectly to create this growing love that echoed within her chest. She rode the wave of their love, so thoroughly enraptured that when the final scene came the ice cream had been set aside, and she hugged the pillow to her chest.

  Tom stood on the stage watching Elizabeth walk out of his life for good. He looked down at his hands and flexed his fingers as if realizing she was slipping through them.

  “I can’t lose you.” Tom called out to her.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Elizabeth responded, her hand on the doorknob. “If you can’t accept me for who I am, there is nothing left of us.”

  Tom jumped down from the stage. He opened his arms wide. “I’d give up my entire world for one more moment in your arms. One more night by your side. I want it all. All of you. I want you to have it all. All my love, all my heart, all of me.”

  Elizabeth turned with tears filling her eyes. His stride ate up the distance between them and he drew her into his arms. Their mouths met and the camera held until the end credits rolled.

  That man playing Tom wasn’t Chase. Those smiles and looks she’d thought were so similar to the movie weren’t. They were smiles Chase only gave to her. The kisses, the touches, the looks, they’d all been real. He hadn’t been onstage. He’d been with her. And when he’d told her he loved her and wanted her to stay, she’d thrown it in his face.

  Her hand on her lips, Natalie whispered, “What have I done?” She shrugged out of the blanket and raced to her room.

  Chapter Eighteen

  A half hour later, Natalie’s car stopped in front of the intercom outside Chase’s gate. Her heart still thundered in her chest from her mad dash through her apartment, jerking on clothes over her jammies and t
ying her hair back.

  Her hands shook as she coached herself. You can do this. She glanced down the street at the man sitting in a car with a camera around his neck. If this didn’t work, she would be shooting herself in the foot.

  The headlines would read Accountant Couldn’t Take a Hint. But what was the point of being in love, if you didn’t at least try?

  She pushed the button and squeezed her eyes shut. An eternity passed while she waited, her heart in her hands. Maybe he wasn’t in. Or worse, what if he already had someone there?

  Fearing the worst, she put the car into Reverse.

  “Hello?” The muffled sound of birds came across the intercom with Chase’s voice.

  “Chase?” Oh, crap, why hadn’t she practiced what she was going to say? Everything she’d thought of on the drive over slipped out of her mind and left her fumbling for the words. Mercifully the gate opened, and she didn’t have to make a fool of herself to the box on a stick.

  The photographer shifted up in his seat and put the camera to his eye. She couldn’t tell if he was taking a photo or not. She didn’t care. The car pulled through the gates.

  A garage door was open, and she drove the car into it. The garage door closed behind her with finality. She couldn’t go back on her decision now, but she didn’t get out of the car. Her pulse beat so loudly that she couldn’t find the train of her thoughts.

  What if he wouldn’t forgive her? What if he didn’t want her anymore? What if he’d never loved her? What if he laughed in her face? Her eyes burned as tears worked their way to the surface. No, he’d loved her, even if he didn’t now. He’d loved her.

  The thought gave her strength. She stepped from the car, expecting to find Chase in the garage. She glanced around and didn’t see him. She ran clammy hands over the back of her jeans.

  Maybe he was in the kitchen. She forced her feet to propel her forward. The kitchen was empty, except for the memories. They clung to her as she moved forward. She could picture him making her an omelet.

  She peered into the dining room and spun through the media room, where they’d spent an evening watching movies and laughing as he’d shared stories from the set. Her curiosity built as she made her way toward the green-house. Why not meet her out in the garage? Why force her to find him in his favorite room?

  She pushed through the doors and swallowed the thick, fragrant air. The whispered rustling of wings and the discord of birdsongs filled the room. The hot moisture clung to her, and she discarded her sweatshirt, leaving it behind on the path. It didn’t matter, nothing mattered, but Chase.

  Yanking out the tie in her hair, she let it slip from her fingers to the stone below. The atmosphere of the room pulled at her. The fact that after everything he wanted her in here had to count for something. His favorite room.

  She rounded the bend and stared up at the colorful birds perched on branches as if waiting for her. As one they lifted off, flooding her view with rich colors.

  Leaving the birds behind, she moved down the path to the gazebo. She could see his shadow in there. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her stomach clenched. She reached up to straighten her glasses only to realize she wasn’t wearing them.

  She stopped at the door to the gazebo. He stood inside leaning against a pillar. His face was in shadow. Her hand went out to the door frame to steady herself. What if he hated her?

  “Why are you here?”

  She couldn’t take her eyes off his. This was it. She either wimped out or tried for the gold. She cleared her throat. “I’m scared.”

  “Of what?”

  “Of you. Of me. Of the cameras. Of what I feel.”

  He straightened from the pillar. “Why are you scared of me?”

  “Because I can’t tell when you are acting.” She held up her hand to stop him from speaking. “My past experiences with guys haven’t been great. You know I was homeschooled before I went to college?”

  He nodded but didn’t interrupt.

  “Well, my first boyfriend, Bill, seemed to care about me until after we had sex. The door didn’t even hit him on the way out. The guys who pretended to like me to get close to Rachel were even worse. I trusted them, and they lied to me.” She still couldn’t see his face to read it. “Your performances are award-winning. Theirs weren’t.”

  His body relaxed back against the pillar.

  “I never felt for any of them what I feel when I’m with you. I want it to be real.” She stepped into the gazebo, dropping her hands to her side. “What I feel is real. I love the way I feel when I’m with you. I love that you take care of me. I love you.” Her heart pounded in her chest.

  He didn’t move toward her.

  “How do I know you aren’t acting? How can I know what we have is real?”

  “You can’t know, but you need to trust me. We can’t go further with this, if you don’t trust me,” he said.

  “I want to trust you. I want to be with you. I didn’t mean what I said that day. I didn’t mean any of it.” The words could barely make it past the lump in her throat. What if…

  “I did.” His voice was steady as he stepped forward. Within touching distance, he stopped. His eyes searched hers. She could only hope he would find what he was looking for within them.

  “I…” She cleared her throat. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Chase? I love…I love you. Please forgive me.”

  He didn’t move. She stood there open, vulnerable, more naked than she’d ever been in all her life.

  “My life hasn’t changed.” He held back still.

  A tear slipped down her cheek. “I know.”

  His hand lifted as if to brush the tear away, but stopped. “They’ll take your picture and follow you around, waiting for something spectacular to happen.”

  She caught his raised hand between hers and brought it to her lips. “If I’m with you, it will be spectacular.” She pressed his hand against her cheek and closed her eyes, enjoying the spiral of warmth that radiated through her body at his touch.

  “Natalie?”

  She opened her eyes. He still stood there stiffly. Releasing his hand, she reached up and pulled his face down to hers. Her lips pressed against his, and for a moment he didn’t move. Had she been mistaken?

  His arms curled around her and dragged her into his body as his mouth claimed hers. A wave of pleasure swept over her, drowning her in sensations of his hard length pressed against her.

  The pain of the past week disappeared as her heart filled her chest. She pushed forward to back them into the gazebo. He pulled her back with him until he sat on the bench.

  Standing between his legs, she stared down in wonder at the love in his eyes. This amazing man loved her. The feelings inside her were so overwhelming, so pure.

  “I love you, Chase.” She brushed the hair away from his face and kissed his forehead. “I love you so much.”

  He captured her face with his hands and brought his lips to hers, but he didn’t kiss her. Her eyes opened and stared into green as pure and deep as the leaves of the forest surrounding them. “I love you.”

  A spear of heat hit her core. He brushed his lips over hers, a gentle back and forth motion. So slowly it was driving her insane. She straddled his lap, placing her knees on the cushioned bench beside his hips. His erection pressed against the juncture of her thighs.

  The rich smell of him assaulted her nose, filling her with need, but he kept up his relentless brushing never deepening the kiss and not allowing her to. She rubbed her breasts against the hardness of his chest.

  Her brain suffered meltdown as the heat between them intensified, but he did no more than brush his mouth over hers. A low rumble started in the back of her throat as the pressure continued to build within. Her clothes were too tight, and there were way too many layers between their bodies.

  She stepped back from the bench. His eyes were glazed as he watched her, but he didn’t pull her back to him. Kicking off her sandals, she jerked off her pajama top and shimmied out of her jeans and
underwear.

  His eyes took in her body, but she was beyond being embarrassed. Her body was on fire, and she needed him. She stalked toward him. She yanked his shirt out of his pants and up. He held his arms up for her to get the shirt off, but didn’t help or say anything.

  When her breast brushed against his cheek, his mouth closed over her hardened nipple. She froze as the pulling reached down to her center. Her core pulsed in time with his gentle suction. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth to keep from exploding.

  She ripped the shirt the rest of the way off and flung it to the side. Her naked flesh slid against his, warm and moist. He smiled up at her with passion-laden eyes, but he made no move to take over. She wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him up to stand with her.

  Her body pressed into his as she popped open his jean button. Her knuckles brushed against his stomach causing shivers of anticipation to course through her.

  She lowered his jeans and his boxer briefs and pushed him back on the bench. She knelt at his feet and pulled the jeans and underwear off the rest of the way.

  Crawling her way back up onto his lap, she straddled his hips again. This time nothing blocked her flesh from his and she groaned deep in her throat as the velvet softness of his erection pressed against her stomach.

  It’d been too long. A week of longing to be with him. A week of feeling horrible for the things she’d said to him.

  Her mouth lowered and captured his. His hands remained at his sides. She would go insane if he didn’t touch her soon. Her body was fevered and pulsated with desire.

  She slid along him. Her tongue parted his lips and sought his. Her core pulsed with its emptiness as he parried with his tongue.

  He leaned over and grabbed a condom from his discarded pants. She guided him to her throbbing center.

  Gripping his shoulders, she lowered herself fully on him. Her lips parted and a sigh of relief passed out of them. His mouth captured hers and his hands found her hips.

  He didn’t move her, just held her. She slid up excruciatingly slowly enjoying the friction of his flesh on hers before lowering herself again. She repeated the process and Chase groaned.