Secret Relations: Women in Hollywood, Book 1

by Sheila M. Goss

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  The hot stream of water in the shower felt good as Charlotte leaned back and closed her eyes.

  She opened them when she felt Sean’s hands roaming her soapy body.

  “You didn’t think you were going to get away that easily, did you?” he asked, as his hands touched her in sensitive spots.

  Her back remained towards him as he played with her clit with one hand, kissing the nape of her neck at the same time. He brought her to the edge of an orgasm and then stopped. He turned her around and then bent down on his knees. He positioned her where he could devour all of her in his mouth. She almost lost her grip as her legs shivered and she came in his mouth with an intensity leaving her legs weak.

  Sean held her as she gained her balance. They took turns washing each other off before exiting the shower.

  Sean took the time to dry Charlotte off first and then dried himself. He wrapped the towel around his waist.

  Charlotte licked her lips. She loved looking at him and knowing that one of the sexiest men she’d ever known wanted to be with her. He’d awakened something in her. When they were together, nothing else mattered. It was like they were in their own little world. She felt safe around him. For the first time, she’d found someone who had her back.

  The more they made love, the more she wanted him. It’s like she could never get enough of his love. She’d never felt that way about any man. This magnetic pull Sean had over her was undeniable.

  Sean sat on the bed and watched her get dressed. “Charlotte, when I’m here with you, I feel like I’m at home.”

  “They say home is where the heart is,” Charlotte said, as she pulled up her jeans and fastened them.

  “You have all of me.” Sean placed both of his hands over his heart.

  Charlotte walked over and stood in between his legs. “I love you too, Sean Maxwell.”

  “She loves me.” Sean fell back on the bed and pulled her down on top of him so that they were face to face.

  Charlotte planted kisses on each side of his lips. “Yes, I do.” She then kissed him on the lips.

  She attempted to get up, but he wouldn’t let her. “Come on, Sean. I need to get up. I want to cook you a nice breakfast.”

  “You’re a full course meal,” Sean said, as he kissed her on the neck.

  She leaned back. “Baby, come on. I want to do this.”

  Sean stopped. “Okay. I’ll stop. For now.”

  Charlotte stood. Sean sat up.

  Charlotte asked, “What are you going to do about clothes?”

  “I’ve got someone dropping off some clothes and my car.”

  “I’m not complaining. I love looking at you in nothing but a towel.”

  “There’s somewhere I want to take you and I’m pretty sure clothes are required,” Sean said.

  “I thought we would stay in today,” Charlotte commented.

  “Maybe, tonight, but today, we’re going out.”

  The doorbell rang. “That’s probably for you. I’ll be right back,” Charlotte said, before she could inquire more about Sean’s plans.

  Charlotte opened the door and Priscilla stood there dangling keys in one hand, suitcase in the other.

  “So this is where you stay,” Priscilla said with a snarl on her face. “Nice house,” she remarked, as she handed Charlotte the keys. “Tell Sean, he owes me a bonus for this.”

  Charlotte took the suitcase from Priscilla. “Thanks for bringing these over.”

  “Sean’s welcome.”

  “Priscilla, I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to stay so it’s in both of our best interests we get along. So can you drop the attitude?”

  Priscilla laughed. “I don’t have an attitude. Maybe you need to check your attitude.”

  Priscilla left Charlotte staring at her as she got into the passenger side of a waiting truck. Priscilla waved at her as the truck pulled off. Sean’s SUV was parked behind her car.

  She’s a strange one, Charlotte thought to herself. She closed the door and took the things to Sean.

  “I heard everything. You have to forgive Priscilla. She sometimes acts like a mother hen. She doesn’t mean anything by it.”

  “Why do you keep making excuses for her?” Charlotte asked.

  “She’s not always like that. You’ve seen her in action. She’s usually polite and very professional,” Sean said, as he unzipped the suitcase. He removed a pair of jeans and shirt. “Do you have an iron and iron board?” he asked.

  “I sure do. While you’re ironing, I’ll go cook breakfast,” Charlotte said.

  Charlotte left the room. She returned with an iron and iron board. She plugged the iron into a nearby outlet. She looked at Sean. “Sean, I understand Priscilla’s someone you’ve had around since you started off in this business, but if you want to go to the next level, you will need to get rid of her. She was supposed to tell you I was in Houston, but she didn’t. What if she’s kept other things from you that you should have known? Just something to think about.”

  Charlotte left Sean alone with his thoughts.

  Chapter Forty

  Sean ironed his clothes and thought about what Charlotte said regarding Priscilla. Priscilla normally was nice, but this was about his business and he couldn’t have her being rude to people. He made a mental note to speak with Priscilla later about her attitude. Maybe she was dealing with something but he would find out later. For now, he wanted to concentrate on Charlotte.

  Sean dressed and followed the aroma of the food. Charlotte stood over the stove making an omelet.

  “Anything you want me to do?” Sean asked.

  “Just sit down and relax.”

  Sean sat at the table, pulled out his cell phone and surfed the internet. He snapped a photo of Charlotte cooking. He cropped the picture so Charlotte’s face wouldn’t be in it then posted it on his social media accounts with the caption, “There’s nothing sexier than a woman cooking her man breakfast.”

  Within a matter of seconds, his social media platforms lit up. He laughed out loud at some of the comments.

  “What’s so funny?” Charlotte asked.

  “Nothing. Just reading comments on this picture I just posted on Instagram.”

  Charlotte walked to the table and sat a plate in front of him. “I hope you like my omelet.”

  Sean licked his lips. “If it tastes as good as you, I’m going to love it.”

  “Get your mind out the gutter.”

  “You shouldn’t be so sexy,” Sean said.

  He put his phone down. Charlotte picked it up before sitting down. He reached for it but she swatted his hand away. “Nope. I want to see this picture.”

  He waited for her response.

  She looked at him. “Why did you post this? What happened to anonymity? You of all people know I cherish my privacy.”

  “Nobody knows it’s you, but me. And you should be happy. Did you see the comments? The men agree.”

  Charlotte scrolled down on his phone and then handed it to him. “You’re all perverts.”

  “I just caught your best ass-et. Men like me like big butts.” Sean burst out with the “Sir-Mix-A-lot” song.

  “You better eat your omelet before it gets cold. I forgot to get us some juice. Do you want orange juice or cranberry?” Charlotte asked.

  “Cranberry works for me,” Sean responded.

  Charlotte went to the refrigerator and returned with a plastic bottle of Cranberry juice.

  After breakfast, Sean made a few phone calls while Charlotte cleaned the kitchen. Charlotte plopped down on the couch beside him.

  “I’ve decided to not work today so the day’s yours,” Charlotte said.

  “Great. Grab your keys and let’s get out of here.”

  “Do I need to change?” Charlotte asked.

 
“What you have on is fine,” Sean responded.

  “Are you sure?” Charlotte asked.

  “Jeans and a t-shirt are perfect for where we’re going.”

  Sean and Charlotte left and got into his SUV. He got on the freeway and drove. Charlotte said, after an hour. “Sean, where are you taking me? The city is the other way.”

  “Sit back and relax.”

  “It’s hard to relax when you don’t know where you’re going,” Charlotte said.

  “We’re almost there.” Sean drove less than a mile and then turned on a dirt road.

  A huge sign that read, “Cartwright’s Ranch” hung near a fence.

  “Welcome to the wild wild west,” Sean said, as he turned off the air conditioner and let down the windows so the natural air could blow through the truck.

  The ranch had plenty of cows and horses. Sean parked his SUV near several other vehicles.

  Sean turned off the engine. “Have you ever ridden a horse before?”

  “No. And I’m not about to ride one now,” Charlotte muttered.

  “Come on, baby, it’s fun. I’ll teach you.”

  Sean opened her door. Charlotte got out. “I’m not too sure about this. I’ll watch you, if you want to ride.”

  They were greeted at the gate. “Sean, where you’ve been, man?” a stocky man wearing blue jeans, a blue jean shirt and a cowboy hat asked.

  “Making music. What’s up with you, Freddie?” Sean asked.

  Freddie patted his stomach. “Eating, riding and drinking and in that order.”

  Freddie and Sean laughed.

  Sean said, “I want you to meet my lady. Charlotte, this is Freddie. He lets me keep my horses here.”

  “You with this dude? You must don’t know the things I know about him.”

  “Freddie, chill out. I had a hard time ringing this one in. You’re going to make her bolt,” Sean teased.

  “Nice to meet you, Freddie. I think,” Charlotte said, as she shook Freddie’s hand.

  “Come on in. Let me saddle two of them for you,” Freddie responded.

  “She’s a virgin.”

  Charlotte hit Sean on the arm.

  “I’m talking about riding horses, baby. Chill out.”

  “Oh,” Charlotte responded.

  Freddie laughed. “You have to excuse Sean. He doesn’t know how to act around a lady. Now a fellow like me. I know how to treat a lady such as yourself.”

  “Oh you do. I might have me a new boyfriend when I leave this place.”

  Sean pouted. “Freddie, we are cool and all, but you better stop flirting with my woman.”

  They all laughed.

  “Is there a restroom I can use?” Charlotte asked.

  “Sure. Go through the door, down the hall and to your right. You can’t miss it,” Freddie responded.

  “You got any boots in a size nine?” Sean asked, once Charlotte was gone.

  “As a matter of fact, just got a new shipment of boots in. Might find some in your size too.”

  “How much will it cost me?”

  “I’ll add it to your bill.”

  “I think I would rather pay now.” Sean laughed.

  Sean followed Freddie inside. He watched as Freddie went through some boxes and handed two of them to him.

  “The top one is her size and the bottom one, you should be able to fit.”

  “Thanks, man.” Sean sat the boxes down.

  “I’m going to go saddle them horses. I’ll be waiting by the fence when you’ll get ready.”

  Sean removed his tennis shoes.

  “You’re going to be a real cowboy for real with those boots,” Charlotte said.

  Sean pointed at the box near him. “I got you a pair too. Try them on.”

  Charlotte shook her hand out in front of her. “I told you I’m not getting on a horse.”

  Sean pled with his eyes. “Please. Just try it one time. If you don’t like it, I promise never to ask you to go horseback riding ever again.”

  Charlotte sighed. “Okay. I’ll try it.”

  “Great. I can’t wait for you to ride my horse,” Sean teased.

  “I bet you can’t.”

  “Now, whose mind is in the gutter?”

  Charlotte smiled at him and put on her boots. “Been hanging around you too long I guess.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  Charlotte held on for dear life as the horse she was on decided to go full speed ahead. Sean rode his horse up beside her.

  “Pull the left reign slightly. It’ll slow her down,” Sean said.

  Charlotte did as instructed. The horse slowed down. Charlotte felt relieved. “I was enjoying it until she started to take off.”

  “When you kicked your foot, she thought you wanted to increase your speed. Every movement you make means something to the horse.”

  They rode the horses out to an open spring. Sean got off his horse and tied the horse to the tree. . He helped Charlotte get off her horse. They kissed briefly. Sean tied Charlotte’s horse up next to his. They stood near the brink while the horses drank some of the water.

  Charlotte looked out over the open land. “This is beautiful. How did you find out about this place?”

  “One of my buddies from back home. When I lived in Houston, we used to go to the rodeos and trail rides. I’ve been riding horses since I was a little boy. I stopped riding for a while, but a friend of mine told me about the Cartwright Ranch. I checked it out. Liked the people. Found a few horses, bought some and brought them out here.”

  “Freddie is something else,” Charlotte said.

  “He means no harm. Ranching is all he knows.”

  “I wish I knew someone. I’m sure living out here could be lonely.”

  “Freddie’s a millionaire. He has a house a few miles from here that will put my house to shame. If something happens to Freddie, his wife will be well taken care of.”

  “Wife?” Charlotte asked.

  “Yes. Believe it or not, the old coot is married. If you get to meet his wife, Betty, you’ll see they were made for each other. She’ll have you laughing just as much as Freddie.”

  One of the horses started making a sound. They turned to look. “Is he alright?” Charlotte asked.

  “Yes. But we do need to be making our way back towards the front. Are you thirsty?” Sean asked.

  “I’m not drinking that water after those horses.”

  Sean laughed. “No, silly. We’ve both got flasks.”

  Sean walked to her horse and removed the flask from the side of the saddle. He handed it to her.

  “After last night, I decided to slow down on the alcohol,” Charlotte revealed.

  “It’s water. Trust me.” Sean opened his flask and took a drink out of it. He held it to Charlotte’s nose and said, “See. No alcohol.”

  Charlotte unfastened hers and drank the water. It quenched her thirst.

  “Nothing like having your butt in my face,” Sean said, after he finally got her on top of the saddle after the third try.

  Charlotte said, “Sean, I’m glad you brought me out here. This was fun. It was different.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

  They rode their horses back to the front.

  Sean got off his horse. “Wait. I want to get a picture of you on the horse.”

  Sean removed his cell phone from his pocket and snapped a photo.

  He helped Charlotte down. Charlotte took his phone. “I need to get you on top.”

  They took turns taking photos of one another.

  They said their good-byes to Freddie and headed back to Los Angeles.

  Sean reached across the seat. Charlotte held his hand. Verbal conversation wasn’t needed between them. Being in each other’s presence was enough. Charlotte enjoy
ed spending the day with Sean.

  She’d never been horseback riding. They had pictures to mark their trip but she didn’t need the pictures because she could vividly recall the time in her head.

  She looked over at Sean. He seemed at peace. She smiled. She squeezed his hand.

  “I love you,” Sean said. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it.

  “I love you too,” Charlotte responded.

  Traffic increased the closer they got back to the city limits. The green sign saying Los Angeles County greeted them.

  Some rude person blew their horn when passing by them.

  “I guess I was going too slow,” Sean said.

  Charlotte leaned over and looked at the speedometer. “You’re going seventy-five.”

  “I know. Crazy, isn’t it?”

  “Some people don’t need driver’s licenses,” Charlotte said, as she leaned back in her seat.

  “You got that right.” Sean agreed.

  Before long, they were back at Charlotte’s place.

  Charlotte went to her kitchen, looked in the freezer and didn’t see anything she could thaw out quick to cook. She walked back in the living room. Sean sat on the sofa flipping through the television stations.

  “Let’s make this a pizza night,” Charlotte said.

  “You get no arguments from me.”

  Charlotte ordered a pizza with everything on it and a couple of cans of soda. “Someone should be here in forty-five minutes.”

  Sean looked at his watch. “The countdown is on.”

  The pizza arrived. They ate, talked, watched movies and made love into the morning light.

  The next day, they lounged around Charlotte’s house talking with one another. The bond between the two of them tightened.

  “Promise me, you won’t let anything come between us ever again,” Sean said.

  Charlotte looped her fingers through Sean’s as she laid on his chest. “I won’t. Our past is our past and will not have a place in our relationship.”

  “Exactly.” Sean kissed Charlotte on the top of her head.

  “Sean, one day I will be ready to share what we have with the world, but for now, thank you for keeping our relationship a secret.”