by S. E. Rose
The flight to LA goes smoothly, and I’m at my hotel by 1:00 a.m. I check emails and crash for a few hours, and then wake up at 5:00 a.m. to go catch some waves with two college buddies that now live out in LA. We surf for a good two hours before I call my security guys to grab themselves and us some coffees. We all sit at a bench by the beach and watch the waves continue to roll in as we catch up on each other’s lives.
I spend the rest of the day working at the hotel. At 5:00 p.m., Pierce drives me over to meet Vanessa. It pains me not to be taking my rental car by myself, but Pierce insists and after pointing out Vanessa’s safety, I figure it can’t hurt to have some backup, especially if she has a stalker on top of my crazy shit.
Her Malibu place is sick. It’s off the main beat a ways and backs up to a small private beach area. It’s two stories high and is ultramodern. There’s not much to the front yard, but the back must go straight out to the beach because I can see the ocean from the street. I knock on her door and a small Asian woman opens it.
“Mr. Ryder?” she asks, looking cautiously up at me.
“Yes,” I answer and give her my biggest smile. I can see her shoulders relax, and she opens the door for me.
“Miss Vanessa said to wait out on the back deck,” she says as she leads me through the house. It’s really just one big open space on this floor with fifteen-foot ceilings. The kitchen is slightly tucked away, but still open to the rest of the main living area. There appear to be some rooms off to the right down a hallway next to the staircase. I follow the woman out back and sit down on a lounge chair next to a fire pit. The backyard is amazing. There’s a small lap pool, Jacuzzi, outdoor kitchen area, fire pit, and an outdoor dining area. Comfortable oversized furniture makes the whole area look warm and inviting. I grin as I imagine the whole setup was probably picked by some designer to make it look like an HGTV house. I can’t help but wonder if this is Vanessa’s style or not, it seems much too warm and inviting to match the house’s interior which seems stark and modern.
“May I offer you a drink, sir?” the woman asks me.
“Sure, tequila, reposado on the rocks with a twist of lime, if you have it,” I say. She nods and heads inside. She’s back out after a moment with my drink, just as I requested. I sip my beverage and enjoy the heat of the fire pit and cool ocean breeze.
I sense Vanessa before I see her. I turn, and she’s leaning against the doorjamb, watching me. Her dress is silver and oh so short, exposing her shapely legs. She’s wearing heels that would make any man want to have her legs wrapped around them. Her jewelry is simple, but her necklace draws my attention to her breasts. Her hair is down, and it flows around her shoulders. But when I reach her eyes, I can see she looks tired and stressed.
I offer a small smile, and she smiles back at me. I stand, placing my drink on a table and walk toward her. She’s like a mirage, and I’m afraid if I don’t touch her immediately, she’ll just disappear. When I’m standing in front of her, I place a hand on her jaw and tilt her head up to look into her eyes. They are wide and searching.
“You’ve been stressed,” I declare as I look at her.
She lowers her eyes in shame and nods. I shake my head and tilt her face up further. Her eyes move back up to meet mine. I shake my head again.
“I’m not judging,” I offer. She nods. “Let’s go eat.”
“OK,” she whispers.
As she walks me back through the kitchen, the small Asian woman appears.
“I’m heading out, Lili,” she says. “Please lock up when you’re done.”
Lili nods. And then I see Kev. He’s lounging on a chair in the living room. He nods at me.
“Hey, Kev,” I say to him.
“Hey, bro, I see you got your own detail now,” he says, nodding toward the front of the house.
“Yeah, I guess so,” I answer.
“Who you using?” he asks.
“Bryce Gallagher’s company,” I answer.
“Well, shit, man, you don’t need me then,” he laughs. “That guy don’t play. If he set you up with that man out there, then your boy must be able to take down ten guys in five seconds with his bare hands.”
I laugh. “Something like that.”
“V, it’s up to you. You want me to tag along tonight?” he looks over at Vanessa.
She shakes her head. “No, just chill here. We’ll be fine.”
“Will do. Gotta make sure Lili doesn’t get into any trouble,” he laughs.
Vanessa rolls her eyes and walks toward the door. I open it for her and place my hand on her lower back to guide her toward the car I have waiting for us. That’s when I notice that her dress has no back. It drapes over her shoulders and exposes her entire back all the way down to the top of her gorgeous backside. Her skin feels like silk under my touch, and I see goose bumps form as I lightly stroke it with my thumb. I can’t help myself; I want to touch her, everywhere. I pull myself together and open the car door for her. She climbs in surprisingly graceful for having on shoes that make her at least three inches taller than normal.
“So where are we going?” she asks me once I’m seated.
“A little place I know not far from here,” I answer and give her a lopsided grin. She smiles up at me.
Pierce drives us along the ocean to a small restaurant owned by an acquaintance of mine. We get out and are led to a small table on a patio overlooking the ocean. The sun is just disappearing and the sky is filled with those magnificent end-of-day colors. There are warming lamps scattered around the deck, and I purposefully have Vanessa sit closest to one, so she stays warm.
“It’s beautiful here. I can’t believe I’ve never been before,” she says, looking out at the sea.
“Yes, I’ve only been a few times, but the food is always fantastic.”
We order drinks and then decide on the special of a locally caught fish.
“So,” she says looking me over.
“So,” I answer gazing back at her.
“How’s recording going?” I ask her.
She sighs and traces the rim of her wine glass. “Honestly?” she asks. I nod. “It’s been difficult. I’m just in a rut. I thought for sure I’d put the whole stalker thing behind me, but then there’s been some strange stuff going on and…I don’t know. I’m just…well, it’s been hard to focus. Plus, there was the whole press fiasco with my ex. And I’m hiring a new publicist after that.” She shakes her head. “I’m sure it’ll all sort itself out soon. I guess I’m just impatient.”
I laugh and place my hand over hers. “You have a lot going on. It’s OK to be stressed.”
She grins at me. “So, how have you been?”
“Well, aside from the apartment break-ins and new security guys following me everywhere, not bad.”
She smiles again. “Good. Glad to hear your life is calm and quiet,” she laughs and then so do I.
As our food arrives, Vanessa tells me about the rest of her vacation on Moorea, and we laugh as we reminisce about out time there. She’s easy to talk to and so down to earth. She doesn’t once check her hair or makeup. She laughs loudly and doesn’t care that people recognize her. She even allows a teenager to take a photo with her as we share a dessert.
On the way back, she’s quiet. “What’s going on in there?” I ask her as I gently caress her cheek.
“I don’t know,” she says as she squirms.
“Vanessa,” I scold and turn her head to face me.
She sighs. “How long are you here?”
“Until Thursday,” I say.
She smiles. “Maybe I’ll take off Monday and we can do something.”
“I’d like that.” I frown. “Do you already have plans for the weekend?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
“Well, you do now.” I smirk at her. She laughs.
We pull up to her house, and I walk her to the front door.
“Thank you for dinner,” she says, turning to me.
“You’re quite welcome,” I answe
r with a smile.
She looks back at the door and then to me and I know she’s debating what to do. Before I can say a word, the door flies open, and Kev is standing there. The light from inside makes him appear like a giant shadow in the doorframe.
“Hey, everything OK out here?” he asks Vanessa. Vanessa rolls her eyes.
“Yes, Kev. I was just going to ask Jesse to come in for a drink, that is if it’s alright with you,” she chides in a sarcastic tone.
I think if Kev’s skin tone was any lighter, I would be able to see the blush that I’m sure has creeped across his face. He clears his throat and steps back, looking sheepish.
“Of course, I…I was just checking,” he stutters stepping back even further.
I put up a hand. “No worries, Kev. You really can’t be too safe, right?” I assure him. I actually like that he was there. It tells me he’s serious about his job and about protecting Vanessa.
“Yeah, man, gotta keep tabs on this one. She’s not an easy client, feisty little thing that she is,” he laughs and slaps me on the back as we enter the house. “V, since you clearly are in good hands now, I’m going to head to bed. Carlos is on duty tonight, and he is outside, walking the perimeter. Just buzz him if you need anything or you can always wake me up, alright?”
“Sure thing, Kev. Sleep tight,” she says and gives him a big bear hug. Kev is so large her arms don’t even come close to wrapping around him. I internally wonder how great Kev would be if push came to shove. He’s a huge dude, but there’s definitely a bit of a belly on him. I peek out of the window as I catch a figure walk by and Kev nods in the direction.
“That’s Carlos, man. No worries, OK?”
I nod at him. Carlos appears to be quite fit from his shadow in the window frame. We walk into Vanessa’s kitchen, and she opens a wine fridge.
“Wine alright?” she asks as she grabs a merlot.
“That’s fine,” I say. “Can I ask you something?”
She nods as she opens the bottle of wine like a pro and pours us each a glass. “Let’s go sit outside. It’s too nice of a night to stay in here,” she says as she opens the sliding glass door and steps out onto the deck.
I follow her, and she shuts the door. We sit side by side on a giant lounge chair built for two.
“What did you want to ask me?” she prods as she folds her legs under her. She takes a sip of wine and smiles at me. Shit, she’s gorgeous!
“Which security firm do you employ?”
She shrugs. “Kev was assigned to me by my label when I first started getting famous. I’ve always kept him as my personal security. The rest of the guys were hired by my agent. Honestly, I don’t know.”
She frowns. “Why, do you think they aren’t doing a good job?”
“No…I just, well, having gone through the security firm hiring process this past week, I wanted to make sure you have top-notch security out here.”
She slaps my leg playfully as she sets her drink down. “Oh, Jesse, I’m fine, really I—”
I cut her off with a kiss to her lips. Her mouth parts in a surprise “o” and I take advantage of it, claiming her with my tongue. I pull back and look at her. She looks up at me with half-closed eyes.
“I want you to hire my security firm, mon étoile,” I announce.
Her eyes open wide. “I can’t. I mean, I won’t fire Kev.”
I put up a hand and gently caress her cheek. “I’m not asking you to fire Kev. I’m asking you to put in place a better security plan.”
She shakes her head. “I’m good. Really, I’m fine. They’ve handled the stalker stuff, and it’s fine.”
“Please consider it. Don’t be stubborn like I was and wait till something bad happens, promise me you’ll think about it?”
She nods. “I promise.”
“Good.”
She puts her finger to my lips. “No more talking,” she whispers as she leans forward and kisses me again. I spot motion from the corner of the house and pull back as Carlos walks around the outdoor area. Vanessa stands and grabs my hand, leading me back inside and up the stairs. She ushers me inside a giant bedroom overlooking the ocean and presses a button. The windows darken, and she turns to me.
I want her. I really want her, but I also don’t want her to feel that I’m only here for a booty call.
“Vanessa, listen. We don’t have to…” I trail off as she removes her dress. She’s standing before me in just a black thong and those killer heels.
“Fuck it,” I say as I unbutton my shirt and toss it to the floor before pushing her back until she falls on the bed. I toss two condoms from my pocket on the bed, while unfastening my pants and pulling them off to join the rest of the clothes on the floor. Yeah, so I came prepared, just in case. I falter for a moment, hoping she doesn’t think I think she’s a sure thing, but her eyes and her body don’t show any sign but desire for me. My lips don’t leave hers as I caress her body. When I reach her panties, I can feel how wet they are from her arousal. This makes my cock harden even more, knowing she wants me as much as I want her. I hook my thumbs in her thong and pull them down her legs, carefully maneuvering around her heels. Then I spread her legs apart and suck in a breath as I gaze down at her sex.
“You’re so wet and ready for me,” I murmur as I lean forward and run my tongue up and down her until she’s crying out my name.
I reach for the condom and slide it on as I kiss my way back up her body, paying special attention to her breasts. God, I’ve missed these breasts! I push into her, and she gasps. She’s tight and hot and it takes me several thrusts before I’m completely encased by her warmth. Her legs wrap around me and her heels dig into my backside, but I don’t care. I’m a man possessed and right now all I can think about is being surrounded by her heat. I pound into her again and again. I can feel her breath coming in short puffs now and her body stiffens around me. She’s close.
“Let go, mon étoile,” I moan against her lips as I circle her clit with my finger and that pushes her over the edge. She shakes beneath me, her muscles spasming around my cock as she finds her release. The sensations are too much for me and I come a moment later while she’s still in a daze from her climax.
I fall on her, breathing into her neck, inhaling her scent. We lie there for a moment, both of us catching our breaths, our heart rates falling back down. I finally raise my face to hers and she’s smiling.
“Missed that did you?” I smirk. She swats me playfully on my behind.
“Be nice, or I’ll have you kicked off the premises,” she reprimands.
“I thought I was being nice,” I say as I thrust once more inside her and she groans.
“You’re not playing fair,” she says.
“I never said I would,” I murmur against her throat as I kiss it.
“Let’s grab a shower,” she suggests. I nod and follow her into the bathroom, where I proceed to clean her, fuck her again, and then clean her again. Eventually, we make it back to her bed.
I pull her against me, and she lays her head on my chest.
“I missed you. Have I mentioned that yet?” she says sleepily.
“I missed you too and I believe you might have mentioned that previously,” I whisper. “Why do you think I’m here?”
She giggles, and I want to be inside her again. “Booty call?”
“Very funny,” I say.
“Does this mean you’ll meet me on Moorea in a few weeks?”
“Perhaps,” I answer as I mindlessly stroke her arm.
“I hope you do,” she whispers.
I feel her breathing slow. “Vanessa?” I whisper.
She doesn’t respond. So, I pull the covers over us and fall into a deep sleep.
Chapter 10
Jesse’s Playlist: “Song 2” by Blur
“You sure you want to tag along today?” Vanessa asks as we walk up to the recording studio.
“Sure,” I say. Truth is, I have a shit ton of work to do before my Tuesday meeting, about a million e
mails to check, and don’t forget about my sister’s incessant calls to me regarding our mother’s birthday party next weekend, but I’m not going to let her know that now.
She gives me a giant grin, and I know I’ve made the right decision. She looks well rested compared to when I arrived. Of course, I’ve been fucking her brains out every night for the last few nights. I’m fairly certain both of us have slept like babies. We’ve barely left her house since that first night.
I follow her down a dark hallway and through a door. We’re in some type of control room with a giant table that has a million buttons and knobs on it. A glass wall separates it from the studio that has several microphones set up, a piano, a few guitars, and a violin.
Vanessa greets an older gentleman who is sitting at the controls.
“This is Sal,” she says. “Sal, this is Jesse. He’s tagging along with me today.”
Sal extends a hand. “Nice to meet you, Jesse. Hey, Kev.” Kev walks in behind us and takes a seat in the corner. He nods to Sal before checking something on his phone.
Sal motions for me to take a seat. “Ever been in a recording studio before?” he asks. I shake my head.
He hands me a pair of headphones. “You’ll hear her better with these on,” he says as he puts on a set as well.
Vanessa sits down on a stool near a microphone and picks up her guitar; well what I assume is hers. “Ready when you are,” she says with a smile.
She begins to belt out a song while strumming the guitar. Her voice is hypnotic. I watch her as she closes her eyes and lets her emotions wash over her. She’s in the moment, and I can tell the song means something special to her. She sings about lost love and lies, about hurt and pain. I can’t help wondering if her song is about her ex. When she finishes, she keeps her eyes closed for a moment and then opens them and looks at Sal. Sal gives her two thumbs up and then hits a button.
“That was it, girl. I’m not sure if Jesse here is your good luck charm, but I don’t need any more takes on the vocals,” he says and gives me a wink.
Vanessa records the piano for the song as well. Then they spend the rest of the morning working out lyrics and melodies on another tune. It’s interesting to watch the process, and I can’t help being completely enamored by her musical skills. Her voice is amazing, yes, but her ability to play multiple instruments truly shows off her musical talents.