by Kahlen Aymes
I wasn't sure what was worse; thinking of Cade with Wendy, or having to deal with David. Okay, I was sure which was worse.
Jeanne arranged for David and me to “double date” with Wendy and Cade and just the thought of it made me sick to my stomach. I sure as hell didn't want to sit across from the two of them all night, not being able to touch him, and then have David hanging all over me. I wanted to stay in and forget the whole damn thing.
The sound of the key card opening the door made my heart thump in my chest. I quickly turned from the bathroom and entered the sitting room of the suite just as Cade came walked in. He looked incredible, dressed in all black; jeans, button down shirt, leather jacket and stocking cap. His eyes met mine, and then he swept me up in his arms, his hand coming up to the back of my head and his face turning into my neck. He took a deep breath as he held me tight.
"Bloody hell. I don't want to do this." My arms were around his waist and back as I pressed into his chest. “Fucking Pinnacle.”
"You aren't supposed to be here," I whispered, even as my arms wound around his middle tightly, "but you feel so good. I missed you last night."
"I don't give a fuck if I'm supposed to be here or not. I belong with you."
I nodded and splayed my hands out on his back to press him closer. He kissed the top of my head and rubbed circles on my back before bending to take my mouth with his.
Jesus, you taste so good, I thought as his tongue teased my lips apart and slid against mine again and again. There was another knock at the door, which forced us to separate, but our mouths wanted to cling to each other.
"Damn it!" His mouth ghosted mine as he spoke. "How in the hell am I going to live through tonight?"
"You will. We both will. It sucks, but it's not real. Just remember it's not real, Cade." I rose up on tiptoe to press another open mouth kiss on his delicious lips as the knocking resumed. I hoped I could take my own advice.
I moved out of his arms and began toward the door, but he stopped me. His warm fingers closed around my forearm and pulled me back into his embrace. Strong arms enfolded me and lifted me off the floor. My arms slid around his neck and my hands went into his hair. He looked deeply into my eyes and I could see fear, longing, love and a hundred other emotions flicker in the blue depths before they closed, and he placed a deep, soulful kiss on my mouth.
"Let them wait. I love you, Brook." He pressed his forehead to mine as his hot breath rushed over my face. "Please don't let him touch you. I can't bear to watch it. Please."
"I know. I won't, babe. I love you, too," I whispered against his mouth. The knocking came again.
"Brook, for Christ's sake. Let me in," David called impatiently from the other side of the door.
Cade stiffened and set me on my feet, then brushed his fingers across my cheekbone.
"How do you want to do this? Should I just meet you at the restaurant?" he asked softly.
"Yeah. That would be easier, wouldn't it? Less torture." I touched his cheek and then went to grab my jacket and purse. "I'm coming, David!"
Turning one last time to look back at Cade as he moved into the other room, my heart stopped at the look in his eyes. I opened the door and stepped into the hall. David stared after me silently as I walked past him toward the elevator.
I TEXTED WENDY and told her to meet me out in front of the hotel. This was going to be the worst night of my life. Watching that little prick fawn all over Brook and pretending to be on a date with that twit, Wendy, was going to be hell.
And, then what? I was supposed to stay away from Brook all night, take Wendy out to a club after dinner to make it more official and make sure we were seen.
Fuck, I thought. I hope Wendy won't mind being ignored once we get there.
In the cab on the way, I felt weird; like I was suffocating in the closed space next to her. She glanced at me, looking me up and down, before she finally broke the silence.
"Look, Cade. I wanted to apologize for before. I should have listened to you when you told me you weren't interested in me, but honestly, I couldn't see any reason why you wouldn't like me." She dropped her head, and looked out the window. "I guess it bruised my ego and I made it a mission to prove you wrong.” She paused and contemplated what to say next. “But, I'm trying to help, now. Brook’s been a good friend for a lot of years, and I really didn't think she was interested in you. She was good at hiding it, I guess. I'm sorry that I hurt you guys."
I sighed. I wasn't sure if I believed her, but she made the words sound sincere. "Okay, Wendy. I accept your apology. I hope you believe me now when I tell you that Brook is the most important person in my world," I said softly so the cab driver wouldn't hear our conversation.
She smiled softly. "Listen, I get it. I do. And, to prove it to you, I need to tell you something... " The look on her face was pensive.
"What is it?"
"Well, David is my friend too, and he talks to me. I'm probably betraying his confidence, but I know he wants Brook back. He's going to try to get her back, Cade."
I turned quickly to look into her face. It wasn't anything I didn't already know, but hearing someone else say it aloud, somehow made it more real.
I nodded. "Yeah. Actually, I’ve known for a while. He'd be a fool not to try. She's an amazing person."
Her lids dropped over her eyes and she bit her lip. Obviously, my words caused her pain and that wasn't my intention.
"I appreciate that you told me. I hope we can work past all that's happened. I'm sorry if you've been hurt as well."
"Oh, hey.” Wendy shrugged. “I just wanted to have a little fun. I'm fine. Really. Don't worry about me." She reached out and took my hand as the cab stopped by the curb. I'd chosen an obscure little restaurant that wasn't well known because I wanted to get through this evening as painlessly as possible. What a bloody oxymoron.
Despite my efforts, there were at least a hundred fans and paparazzi outside waiting for us when we arrived at the restaurant. I could only hope Brook and David were already inside.
The screams increased and several girls were rushing toward me, restrained only by the bodyguards. My personal bodyguard, John, stood between me and the biggest share of the screaming women. I hated this part of my work. Bloody hated it, but it was part of the job.
"I'll sign. It's okay," I told him, and went through the routine. Cameras flashed like crazy as paparazzi took pictures of me with Wendy and I placed a hand at the back of her waist to guide her in, and we made our way through the double doors. The studio execs would be ecstatic and the fans would eat it up, but my heart sank. It was a role: just another role, but one that had the potential to ruin my relationship with Brook.
Can I leave now that the evidence of my ‘date' is solid? I wondered.
Wendy preceded me in, and I found myself searching the room for Brook as we walked into the building.
She and David were sitting at a table in the corner. Thank God Jeanne had asked the manager to put us somewhere semi-private so we could avoid as much traffic and attention as possible.
"Hi David, Brook," Wendy was congenial and calm. I wished I felt as at ease. My stomach tightened at the closeness David’s chair was sitting to Brook's; his arm draped casually over the back of it.
Wendy slid into the seat next to David and I took the one opposite him but next to Brook. Her chair was pulled closer to his than mine, and it didn't go unnoticed by me. I ran my hand through my hair, my fingers itching to pull her closer to me instead.
"Good evening, David." My eyes slid to Brook's face. I could see how difficult the situation was for her as David responded.
"Cade. How have you been?"
So, I guess this was going to be an evening of small talk.
"Absolutely brilliant up until now, I suppose." I took a deep breath as the waiter came to take our drink orders. David's eyes hardened as he looked at me, then softened as he turned back to Brook. He was sending me a message.
"But not as brilliant as the evening I'm
about to have, hmmm?"
The little wanker was taunting me.
Don't even fucking think about her like that, you bloody bastard; I wanted to yell at him.
I lowered my voice. "I don't know what ideas you have floating around in your head, David, but this doesn't change the fact that Brook is with me. It will be me holding her naked body next to mine, and my name she'll be moaning into the darkness… My mouth on hers as I take her tonight." My eyes were hard on his face, and my voice had a deadly edge. I glanced at Brook, worried that she’d be pissed at me for saying it out loud, but right now, all I cared about was making sure he knew she was mine.
"We'll see. You know; I had her first," he replied with a smirk.
Brook gasped and put a hand over her eyes.
"Fuck, boys! All this male bonding makes me horny," Wendy scoffed with a smirk. “If you drip any more testosterone, I’m afraid I’ll grow a dick; so cool it.”
I ignored her, my eyes continuing to bore into David's. "I think I just saw your life flash before my eyes," I growled and hoped to hell he got the message.
"David, Cade; please. Can we just get through this?" Brook shook her head at both of us as her face flushed bright red.
David shrugged slightly before bringing his eyes back to mine. He grabbed her hand that was resting on top of the table and pulled it to his mouth. He was daring me, challenging me, and fuck if I didn't want to beat that smug expression off of his face.
I felt so jealous and possessive. Stop fucking touching her! I wanted to jump across the table and pull her hand from his.
Throughout the evening, my eyes were constantly on Brook and David, save for the few times that Wendy managed to draw me into conversation; asking me about my new projects. She wasn't trying to be overly flirtatious, just enough to make the illusion of the “date” real when the waiters came around or the other patrons watched us.
Brook's eyes followed Wendy as much as mine were on David. Talk about fucking uncomfortable for all of us. I bloody hated that little bastard and vowed that I would not let the studio force me into this type of situation again. It was beyond unbearable.
I watched David push her hair back and touch her face over and over and it was all I could do not to fly across the table and rip his bloody head off. I didn't want to bloody see it. It did nothing but remind me of the many times I'd suffered through his visits up to Portland during production of the first film. Brook's eyes found mine and I knew she was silently willing him to stop, her hand slightly pushed him away several times.
My blood pressure was rising and I was drinking way too much, yet barely touching my dinner. The food tasted like cardboard in my mouth and I had to remind myself that drinking around Wendy wasn't a good idea. I still couldn’t trust her. This whole situation was a huge mess and I was reaching the end of my rope with Pinnacle Films. I was going to call a meeting, and soon. I didn’t give a flying fuck if they ever signed me again.
"Brook, you aren't eating. Are you okay, luh,-" I stopped myself before I said the word. I let out a deep, frustrated sigh. I wanted to reach out and touch her, but couldn’t.
She smiled weakly at me. "As well as you are," she said softly as her hand reached out to touch mine. It froze in mid-air as she suddenly pulled it back.
Wendy finally put her hand on my arm, "Cade, let's go to the bar at the hotel for while. We'd ask you two to join, but Brook can't yet, right?"
Brook's face hardened angrily. Pointing out Brook's underage status was the first slightly bitchy thing Wendy had said all night.
Okay, so if they couldn't go out, what would they do? Stay in? Fuck that!
I felt like my skin was falling off, crawling all over me, I couldn't breathe. It had to be as bad or worse for her. She knew my charade for the evening wasn’t over.
We all stood up to walk outside; David led Brook out ahead of Wendy and I. His arm was wrapped around her waist and his head dipped to whisper in her ear. It looked very intimate, and I wanted to throw him across the bloody street.
On the curb, we stood and stared at each other for an uncomfortable moment. I could read the worry and anxiousness in Brook's expression as her eyes searched mine. Wendy and David forgotten, we couldn't tear our gazes away from each other. It was as if gravity pulled me to her, and I wanted to give in.
"Okay, so thanks for coming out. Cade, Wendy," David nodded to both of us as he hailed a cab. The cameras were flashing so I could not even hug Brook goodbye. Her eyes were glassing over as he pushed her toward the cab and she climbed in.
I felt my chest tighten as I watched him drive off with my girl. Wendy hooked her arm through mine and turned me away to walk down the block in the opposite direction their cab was headed.
As we walked, I pulled my arm from hers. "I was just trying to make it look real, Cade. I'm sorry," she said hesitantly.
"No, I understand. Um, thanks. I'm sorry, too. I'm a little preoccupied. I won't be great company tonight."
"That's fine. There’s a band so maybe we'll have fun. You might, if you try." I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jackets and grimaced.
We had a fairly large band of fans and press trailing us down the street and we started to walk faster. We finally reached our destination and headed straight into the bar area, with the photographers flashing and the fans following us in.
I took my phone out and text Brook immediately.
That was so hard. Glad it's over. Please let me know when
you're alone so I can call you. I love you, beautiful girl.
"Cade, come on. Let's get a drink and talk. Just talk, okay?" Wendy persisted.
As if I’d let anything else happen, I thought.
As the night wore on and I had no message from Brook, I became more and more agitated. What the bloody hell was going on? Wendy found some of the fans more interesting conversationalists than I turned out to be, milling around the bar laughing and talking to everyone. I moved to a dark corner and kept checking my phone. I wanted to disappear into the background.
I was sick to my stomach, scared and fighting the urge to run right over to Brook's hotel. It was getting harder, by the moment, to stand there when it felt like I wanted to jump out of my bloody skin. I trusted her. I knew she loved me, but logic fought with the anxiety attack I was having.
I checked my phone again, and let my head drop back as I looked at the ceiling. No message; no call.
"Cade, will you look over here, please?"
A middle-aged fan wanted to take my picture, and while I was usually very gracious in my attempts to accommodate them, I wasn't in the mood and knew that my misery showed plainly on my face.
I put up my hand. "Please no pictures... just... not tonight. Please." I could see the disappointment rush across the woman’s face, but she nodded and
moved away. I turned back to the bar and texted Brook again.
Where in bloody hell are you, Brook? I'm worried now!
An hour later there was still no response, so I made my way over to Wendy.
"I've got to get out of here. Stay if you'd like. I'll send the driver back for you."
She shook her head. "No, I'll come with you now."
More paparazzi looking for photo ops hounded us as we left the bar and piled in the car and again at the hotel as we went inside. Wendy and I didn't touch as we went into the hotel and then the elevators. No hand holding, no arm and arm, nothing staged for the pictures. I had up an invisible wall, and finally, she was starting to respect it.
"Thanks, Wendy. I'll see you on set." The elevator stopped on her floor and she turned to speak to me after she stepped out, her hand holding open the door.
"Cade, I really do care about you and didn't mean to hurt you. I hope you know that."
"Yeah. Let's just all try to be friends. Thanks." My voice was flat, dismissive, and emotionless as I reached out to punch my floor button again, hoping she'd get the hint. "Goodnight."
She moved back and the door shut. My eyes closed as I contemplate
d what I wanted to do.
What I wanted to do was run straight to Brook's room. It was what I absolutely needed to do. I had to, or I'd go insane.
Decision made, I dialed my driver and asked him to meet me in the garage by the stairwell. Screw the studio and their rules about no visits to each other's hotels. I'd played a puppet enough for one evening.
I PUT THE key in the slot and waited for the click and green flash before slowly turning the handle so I could ease the door open. Truthfully, I knew I wouldn't find Brook with David, but maybe she wouldn't be here yet, or she could be sleeping. I hoped it was the latter. After all we'd been through, neither one of us should be worried about this evening, but it was still difficult to see her with him. The pain we both dealt with in January and February was still fresh, and emotions were still a bit raw.
The light in the sitting room was casting a low, golden glow showing the open door to the bedroom. A trail of clothes scattered the floor from the bathroom to where Brook’s suitcase was open on the luggage stand. My heart relaxed. At least she was here, and she was safe.
Tentatively, I made my way to the bedroom and peeked around the door. The window curtain was open slightly and the moonlight from outside cast a bluish sheen on the bed. Brook was lying in the center of it dressed in shorts and my white T-shirt.
The covers were messed up like she'd been tossing and turning, bunched up around her shapely legs. She was on her back with her head turned away; both of her hands up by her face on the pillow, but she was clearly asleep as her chest rose and fell in even rhythm.
I tangibly relaxed and took a deep breath. I hadn't realized how uptight I was all night. As my muscles unwound, my legs began to shake. I took a seat in the chair in the corner by the window to take off my shoes. I let my head fall back for a moment before my gaze was drawn back to watch the sleeping girl in the bed. I pulled my hat off and ran my hands through my hair. It was sweaty and messy.