“That’s her building right there.” I leaned forward and tilted my head.
“Would you like for me to go get her, Mr. Delaney?” The driver glanced over his shoulder.
“Nah, I got it.” I patted him on the shoulder. “Just keep the engine running.”
“Is this a date or a kidnapping?” He chuckled under his breath.
The driver pulled the car up to the curb, and I opened the car door. Lauren’s apartment building was one of the newer ones that had been built to handle the overflow as the college expanded—the same apartments that pulled all of the college students away from my old neighborhood and set the stage for it to die a slow death. It looked to be a fairly busy building with students going in and out constantly as I approached. I grabbed the door and held it open for a group of girls to enter, and several of them gave me more than a second glance. If they recognized me, they didn’t realize who I was fast enough to say anything. I started up the stairs to the third floor. I wasn’t a fan of elevators unless there were so many flights of stairs that walking up or down them was infeasible. I made it to Lauren’s door and knocked several times—a few seconds later I heard footsteps on the other side.
Hopefully, she doesn’t open the door in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. I didn’t exactly tell her what to wear…
“Hi. Lauren is almost ready. Come on in.” The woman that opened the door wasn’t Lauren—she looked a little younger than the one I was there to meet.
“Thank you.” I nodded and stepped into the apartment.
“Wow, I guess she really did meet Jamison Thorn at a bar!” The woman took a step back and stared at me. “I’m Madeleine.”
“And I’m Walker Delaney—I just play Jamison Thorn on television.” I gave her a nod and shook her hand.
“Right, of course.” She looked down, and I saw a hint of a blush on her cheeks.
A door opened to my left, and I turned to see Lauren—my god, she was even more ravishing than I remembered. I could tell she was beautiful in the dimly lit bar, but she looked absolutely angelic when she stepped out of her room. Her raven-colored hair had a slight shimmer, and her eyes had two different shades of hazel that blended together to make them almost haunting when they locked on mine. I think my jaw fell open, and that was before I saw her curves pressed against a gorgeous black dress. It might not have had a designer label like some women wore when I took them out, but it was amazing on her.
“You look beautiful.” I smiled and extended my hand. “Shall we?”
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” She still had a hint of nervousness in her voice, but she still reached out and took my hand.
“Alright, have fun you two.” Madeleine held the door open for us and then closed it once we were in the hallway.
“I wasn’t sure what to wear.” Lauren looked up at me. “I hope this is okay.”
“It’s perfect—just like you.” I exhaled sharply and led her towards the elevator.
I can’t ask her to take three flights of stairs in those heels.
“So, how does this work? Are you just going to drive me back to your place or are we just getting a hotel room?” I felt her hand tremble as she spoke.
“We’re going on a date.” I squeezed her hand to try and offer a little bit of reassurance. “We’ll see where it goes…”
I know where I would like for it to go—especially now that I’ve seen how beautiful she really is, but she’s not ready for that yet.
“I wasn’t expecting you to take me out on a date. That didn’t seem like what you had in mind last night?” She looked over at me as the elevator started to descend towards the lobby.
“Yesterday was rather difficult for me, and I behaved like a jerk. I want to make up for that.” I met her gaze and smiled.
“You were charming at first…” She exhaled sharply.
I escorted Lauren to the car that was waiting outside and opened the back door for her. Once we were both seated inside, I could really tell that she was nervous. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to be there, and she was conflicted about it. I decided that it would be best to take things very slow and see where we were after we spent some time together. She might have thought she knew what she wanted when she picked up the phone and called me, but she hadn’t completely succumbed to the idea of spending the night in my bed. I was glad that I planned to take her on a date first because I didn’t want to do something that made her uncomfortable. I had no problem with seduction—that was one thing I was really good at.
“So, what are you studying at school?” I tried to start a normal conversation—one that I hoped would help ease some of her concerns.
“Journalism.” She shifted slightly so that she was facing me. “I just don’t know what I’m going to do with that degree yet…”
“Are you wanting to become a reporter or something?” I tilted my head slightly.
“I’m not sure.” She sighed. “I thought I did. I had fun writing articles for my high school newspaper, and it seemed like something I could do for the rest of my life—then I realized that reporters don’t make very much money.”
“It’s not always about money.” I shrugged. “I’m sure there are reporters that make a decent living.”
“Yeah, if you have the right connections.” She sighed again. “I’m not going to make any of those at California State though.”
“Why not transfer to another school?” I tilted my head in the opposite direction.
“I didn’t get accepted to any of my top schools. Trust me; nobody applies to California State because they want to go there—it’s just where you end up when the other schools turn you down.” She exhaled sharply. “You’d know that though, right? You grew up around here.”
“I did.” I nodded in agreement. “I didn’t go to college though—wasn’t really my thing.”
“Really? How did you end up becoming an actor?” She raised her eyebrows inquisitively.
“By accident.” I chuckled under my breath.
“Okay, that sounds like a story I want to hear…” She narrowed her eyes.
She seems to be a little more relaxed now at least.
“After I graduated high school, I was looking for any job that would put some money in my pocket. My friend’s dad ran a construction company and needed some extra guys for a big project he landed for a movie studio. I was one of the only guys on the crew that spoke English, so I spent most of my breaks wandering around the studio lot.” I closed my eyes and laughed as I remembered the events that changed my life. “Next thing I know, I’m being ushered onto a set and told to pretend like I’m working in the background.”
“They thought you were a member of the cast?” She blinked in surprise.
“Yeah—well, they thought I was an extra.” I nodded. “I just wanted to get out of there and get back to my real job before my boss thought I skipped out on him, which I did as soon as the scene was over.”
“But you went back?” She raised an eyebrow.
“It was an interesting experience, so I was curious.” I leaned back against my seat as the memories came back. “I never saw myself as a movie star or anything, but once my shift was done, I started asking some questions. There were a lot of opportunities out there for extras, so anytime I wasn’t working at the construction company, I was on set making a hundred bucks a day.”
“That’s crazy…” She blinked in surprise. “Well, obviously you weren’t an extra forever.”
“No.” I chuckled under my breath. “I’ll have to tell you the rest when we get to our table though—the restaurant is right up there.”
We’re off to a good start—maybe dating a fan will work out better than I expected.
Five
Lauren
I was extremely nervous when I called Walker, but there was no way that I was going to be able to get him out of my head unless I did. Madeleine was happy that I decided to go through with it. She helped me go through my closet until I found something to wear
and even loaned me the pair of shoes on my feet. I was surprised when Walker said he was actually going to take me out on a date. It was clear what he wanted when he gave me his number at LA Dark. I definitely wasn’t expecting to have a romantic evening with him—I was just ready to give in to the desire that had seeped into my soul. The conversation in the car was fascinating and eased some of my concerns. I felt like I was with a normal person instead of the character I saw on Dangerous Thorns.
“Ah, Mr. Delaney. Welcome back. Your table is ready.” The maitre d’ motioned for us to follow him.
“You must come here pretty often.” I looked towards Walker and smiled.
“Yes, it’s my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles.” He nodded. “I used to drive by this place all the time when I was younger and dream of actually being wealthy enough to walk through the front door one day—now I have a standing reservation to do that anytime I want.”
“I’m sure this will be my first and only visit.” I looked around at all of the people that were already seated.
“It depends on how the evening goes.” He took my hand and helped me into my seat once we reached our table.
Does that mean he’s already thinking about a second date? Would I even want to go on a second date with him?
Once we were seated and placed our drink order, Walker finished the story he started in the car. He worked as an extra for a couple of years before he felt comfortable auditioning for a real part—and he completely bombed it because he had never really acted. He was frustrated, but he didn’t give up. He kept working as an extra and used the money he made doing that to pay for acting classes. Those classes taught him timing, delivery, inflection, body language, and all of the things that would help him make it through a scene. It was still two more years before he got his first speaking role, but the director was impressed with his performance. A few months later that same director called Walker and asked him to read for another part—a new soap opera he was working on called Dangerous Thorns.
“I guess that director made a good choice because Jamison Thorn became an icon.” I sipped my wine and smiled.
“Funny thing is…” he chuckled under his breath. “I didn’t audition for Jamison Thorn. I auditioned to play John Thorn—I thought I was too young to be the patriarch of the Thorn family.”
“I don’t even remember John Thorn.” I tilted my head slightly.
“They killed him off in the second year and brought in a child Jamison Thorn didn’t know he had—to make things a little more dramatic. There was also a mystery about who killed John and whether or not Jamison had something to do with it because—as you well know—my character seems to be obsessed with bedding every young girl on the show.” Walker winked at me and lifted his glass to his lips to take a quick sip.
“Yes, that’s what he’s known for.” I reached for my wine and laughed.
“It’s worked out well for me.” Walker nodded. “I was able to get my parents a nice house and help my brother out from time-to-time. He’s not a big fan of handouts though.”
“You have a brother?” I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
“A twin brother, actually.” Walker took a sip of his drink and placed it on the table.
“If he looks anything like you, I might have some friends who would be very interested.” I laughed and took another sip of my wine.
“He’s a bit rough around the edges.” Walker chuckled under his breath. “But he’s got a good heart, and he’s actually done a couple of scenes for me over the years—not that he particularly enjoyed it.”
“Interesting…” I raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, I’m tired of talking about Dangerous Thorns. Tell me more about yourself. Are you from California originally?” He sipped his drink and leaned back in his chair.
My story wasn’t nearly as interesting as the one Walker told me. I grew up in a suburb of Seattle, and my childhood was as normal as it could be for someone who was raised by a single mother. There were struggles, especially when my mother got hurt on the job and was forced to retire early. She got a settlement for the injury and started working from home. She didn’t make nearly as much money doing that, but the settlement was enough to take care of the rest—and she was able to pay for me to go to college. I was a fairly average high school kid. I wasn’t the prettiest girl by any means, and I couldn’t afford nice clothes like the preppy kids. I fell somewhere in the middle—one step above the outcasts and several steps below the kids everyone idolized.
“It’s hard to imagine you being average.” Walker narrowed his eyes. “You’re far too beautiful for that.”
“I bet I’m below average compared to the women you usually date.” I blushed from the compliment, but I struggled to just accept it. “Nobody would ever put me on television—or on the cover of a magazine.”
“I would.” His reply was immediate—and very convincing, even if I wasn’t sure I actually believed it. “I’d put you next to anyone in Hollywood—and choose you every single time.”
“You’re crazy.” I shook my head back and forth. “Charming—but crazy.”
“You don’t know how refreshing it is to go on a date with someone who doesn’t ask me for a job before we even get our first drink.” He shrugged. “They don’t give a shit about my career—they just want to know how I can help theirs.”
“I guess it’s a good thing I have no interest in becoming an actress.” I laughed and picked up my glass of wine.
Walker seemed to be a lot different than he was the previous night. He was actually being nice, and it felt like I was on a date with a real person instead of the over-the-top character he played on television. His charm certainly wasn’t making it any easier to stop thinking about what had been embedded in my thoughts since I met him. His mesmerizing eyes had me entranced. His smooth voice made me hang on every word. Everything about him was making him practically irresistible. If he wanted to take me back to his place, it was going to be nearly impossible to say no. I knew what I was getting into when I dialed his number—and he wasn’t doing anything to make me feel like it was a mistake.
“Ah, our food is here.” Walker motioned to the waiter that was approaching our tables with two plates.
“Perfect. I skipped lunch.” I looked towards the waiter and thanked him once the food was in front of us.
“This place actually makes broccoli taste good.” He picked up his silverware and made a quick slice down the middle of a floret. “Want to try a piece?”
“Broccoli isn’t my favorite…” I tilted my head slightly. “I guess I could try. Want to try my mashed potatoes?”
“Nah, I try to stay away from carbs.” He chuckled under his breath. “My metabolism isn’t what it once was.”
“I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts.” I pushed my fork into the broccoli and lifted it to my mouth. “Okay, that’s not bad.”
Walker and I continued talking as we ate. He told me more about his life, and I was surprised to find that he had been married—more than once. I could tell that there were a few regrets there. The show dominated his life. He put it above everything and everyone. Age had given him a lot of wisdom, and he was able to reflect on his past with a unique retrospective view. I wondered if I would be in that position one day, looking back at things I could have done differently with no way to change them. I hoped I wouldn’t reflect on my night with Walker and regret my choice. He was a remarkable man—distinguished, gorgeous, and too tempting not to have dirty thoughts, even while I tried to focus on finishing my meal.
“If you don’t do carbs, dessert is probably out of the question.” I glanced at the menu next to me.
“Not for me, but you’re welcome to get something if you want.” He reached for his glass. “I’ll just have another drink.”
“The molten lava cake did sound pretty good…” I picked up the menu and opened it.
“Order it.” He nodded.
The waiter came back to our table, and I ordered the molten
lava cake. We got lost in conversation again while we waited for it to arrive. Everything about Walker’s life was just so fascinating. He had come from literally nothing—just a kid from the wrong side of Los Angeles that stumbled into a career he wasn’t expecting. That made me respect him even more. So many people got opportunities and turned them down because they didn’t realize how important they were until it was too late. I wondered if I would ever have one of those opportunities—or if one of them had already passed me by.
“Here’s you go.” The waiter walked up to our table and put the molten lava cake down in front of me.
“Thank you.” I looked up at him and smiled.
“And here is your drink, sir.” He put a glass of whiskey on Walker’s side of the table. “Miss, did you want another glass of wine?”
“No.” I shook my head back and forth. “I think I’m all set.”
“Is it good?” Walker tilted his head slightly as I took my first bite.
“It’s—wow…” I blinked a couple of times in surprise and immediately took another bite.
“You got a little—fudge on your chin.” Walker leaned forward. “Here, I’ll get it.”
I expected Walker to grab a napkin, but he just extended his hand and wiped the fudge off my chin with his finger. I knew he wasn’t going to eat it, and it seemed criminal to let it go to waste. I had never really flirted with anyone before, but the opportunity was right in front of me. I leaned forward and licked the fudge off his finger. I wasn’t sure how he would react, but when I saw him grin, I was relieved. I couldn’t resist letting another drop of fudge land on my chin when I took my next bite. When he wiped it away, I let my tongue linger on his finger a little longer than I did the first time.
“I think you did that on purpose.” He narrowed his eyes and grinned again.
“Maybe…” I suppressed a smile and took another bite. “This is just too good to let you wipe it on a napkin.”
“Perhaps I should get one of those to go and see if you’ll lick the fudge off anything that it lands on.” He chuckled, but the look on his face suggested that he might not be joking.
Once Upon a Daddy: A Romance Anthology Page 35