Curtis had stopped looking at his iPad, his brows pinched into a frown. Tyler was beginning to recognize his assistant’s expression of worry and panic.
“Curtis? Is everything okay?”
Being new, the younger man would often be concerned about things that didn’t need to be worried about. He’d learn eventually. So far he was doing well, considering Tyler had pretty much just thrown him into the role with only Billie to show him the ropes.
“No. Yes. Well…it’s just…the magazine thinks they’re interviewing both of you. Together. Garrett said something about this being your first interview as a couple. Is that not right?”
Fuck. Billie had stiffened next to Tyler, her fingers curling so tightly around her handbag that the knuckles were white.
She hated surprises. She didn’t even like them on her birthday.
As an actress, Billie was fine with the press. She’d done photo shoots and given interviews so Tyler could only assume that her reticence was because they were going to be asked about their impending nuptials.
Curtis’s gaze was darting back and forth between Tyler and Billie, his face pale. “I think I was supposed to mention it to you. I’m really sorry.”
Before Tyler could respond Billie piped up. “It’s fine. It’s not like we didn’t know this was coming at some point this weekend. Good thing I brought plenty of clothes. I’ll just need a few minutes to do my hair when we get to the hotel.”
“No problem.” Curtis’s pale face had turned pink. “I’m really sorry, Billie. I was trying to get everything set up for the convention and I guess this slipped through the cracks.”
Billie smiled at the young man and Tyler was once again reminded of how sweet and kind she was. So different than many of the people in Hollywood. No wonder she’d been practically chewed up and spit out by the industry. She was tough but this town was hell on people in general and women in particular. Tyler reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze of gratitude.
“It’s really okay,” she assured him. “You’re learning and there are going to be bumps in the road. This is actually rather minor. You’re doing a good job.”
“Thanks,” Curtis said with an eager smile. “I really like this job.”
That made Tyler laugh. “I’d like to hear you say that in about six months after we’ve racked up tens of thousands of miles in the air and you haven’t seen your friends or family in weeks. I actually had an assistant who threw a plate of tacos at my head.”
Curtis’s eyes had gone wide. “She hit you?”
“She missed.” Tyler chuckled at the memory. “And quit immediately. I think she has a nice, calm job now at the DMV. Not everyone is cut out for this life.”
“I like it so far. It’s so exciting.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Curtis. I hope it continues.”
They arrived at the hotel and luckily there was no welcoming committee of paparazzi waiting for them. The bellman handled the luggage while the three of them went to the front desk where a smiling woman stood behind the counter.
“Mr. Gaylord,” she exclaimed, her smile widening. “We’re so glad to see you again this year.”
Again? He remembered staying here last year but he didn’t remember her. He met way too many people to commit all of them to his memory banks.
“Good to be here. Are our rooms ready? We’d like to get unpacked before our next appointment.”
“The same suite as last year.” The hotel clerk leaned forward to accept his credit card, showing off her ample cleavage. Frankly, Tyler was a leg man. Specifically Billie’s legs. “I have your keycards all ready for you. Is there anything I can do to make your stay more…pleasurable? I’m happy to be of service.”
One glance over his shoulder told Tyler that his fiancée was finding the exchange with the desk clerk amusing. Her lips twitched and she was clearly trying not to burst into laughter. He was lucky that she wasn’t threatened by all the female attention he received from fans.
“I think we have all that we need.” He accepted the two key cards and the clerk handed another set to Curtis. “Thank you.”
The clerk named Lucy wasn’t giving up without a fight. She giggled and fiddled with a strand of her blonde hair. “There are a few new restaurants in the area that you might want to try while you’re here. I’d be happy to show you when I get off of work later.”
“I’m pretty booked up–” he began but Billie interrupted him.
“That’s a great idea,” she replied with a gleeful smile. “Except that Tyler and I are going to be in interviews and photo shoots all day. You wouldn’t mind showing Curtis, would you? That would be very helpful. Thank you so much. This hotel has amazing service.”
Score one for Tyler’s fiancée. She was smart and beautiful.
Lucy’s eyes went round with surprise and she didn’t answer for a moment. “I guess I could do that.”
Curtis didn’t seem to get what was happening, though. Frowning, he shook his head. “Won’t I be with both of you?”
Billie tapped her chin and nodded. “That’s right, Curtis. You’ll be with us. Looks like we’ll have to say no to your very kind offer. Thank you, though. It was very thoughtful.”
Lucy looked relieved and a little embarrassed. Curtis still looked confused. And Billie wore an angelic smile.
Tyler held up his keycard. “We need to unpack but thank you again, Lucy. You’ve been very helpful.”
The three of them didn’t say much as they rode the elevator to the sixteenth floor. Curtis gave them a few reminders about appointments the next morning but Billie didn’t say anything. Tyler was planning to give her some praise for her smooth move down at the check in desk. It couldn’t be easy being his intended bride around all these predatory females, yet she never complained.
Their bags had made it to the room ahead of them and Tyler gazed longingly at the huge bed in the suite. He hadn’t been sleeping well lately and he would love to crawl under the covers and catch a nap. No such luck. The next three days were jam-packed with work.
Curtis pulled open the drapes so the sun shone in and they could look out over the San Diego skyline. “I’m on floor twelve, room twelve-oh-eight, but if you need anything all you have to do is text me. I’ll be back in about an hour so we can head to the photoshoot. Is there anything I can get you before then?”
“Wait.” Billie was scowling as she gazed around the opulent suite. “Is this it? Shouldn’t there be two bedrooms?”
Curtis looked confused again which was becoming his default expression, the poor bastard. He had no idea that Tyler and Billie were a showmance and there was no reason for him to know. Now he had to be wondering why one of the biggest womanizers in Hollywood had a separate bedroom from the woman he was going to marry.
“Snoring,” Tyler said before Billie or Curtis could say anything. “I snore loud enough to wake the dead. Poor girl often has to crawl away into a separate bedroom to get any rest. I should have told you, man. Sorry about that. We usually get a two-bedroom suite so Billie can get away from me if she needs to. When the initial arrangements were made Billie wasn’t planning to attend. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
This might actually be a good thing. He and Billie forced together to act like a newly engaged couple for a long weekend. They could both use the practice.
Wearing a strained smile, Billie nodded in agreement. “Tyler’s right. I forgot that the original arrangements were only for him. It’s not a big deal. I was just confused for a moment.”
Curtis started tapping on his iPad. “I can try to change–”
“No point,” Tyler said crisply. “It’s convention weekend and there won’t be a hotel room to be found. Don’t worry about it. If my snoring gets too bad, I’ll just bunk out here on the couch. I’ve slept on much worse on location.”
“If you’re sure?”
Curtis didn’t look sure at all. Billie, however, had recovered her composure and she appeared completely unruffled
by the room snafu. She was a terrific actress.
“Quite sure,” she replied, grabbing the handle of her suitcase. “I better get started unpacking.”
She disappeared into the bedroom and Curtis tugged at his collar, looking uncomfortable.
“Did I screw up? Is she mad?”
“She’s not,” Tyler assured him. “Billie doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t worry about a thing.”
The assistant seemed to accept the explanation and then headed to his own room, leaving Tyler to deal with Billie. Cautiously he entered the bedroom, unsure as to what mood she’d be in.
“Hey, babe. Thanks for not yelling at Curtis.”
Her back was to Tyler and she was hanging up her clothes in the closet.
“It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know.”
Was she saying that Tyler should have known? That this was his fault? He’d take the blame if that would make this situation better.
To complicate matters, he was warming to the idea of sharing a room and a bed with her. He’d meant it when he said he wouldn’t rush her but this certainly might move them along at a quicker pace.
“Then I’m sorry.”
Whirling around, she frowned at his apology. “What are you sorry for? Did you make the reservation?”
“No, but I feel like I should have done something.”
“It doesn’t matter. It is what it is. We’ll just have to bunk together. I can sleep out on the sofa.”
She could but…
“Billie, it doesn’t make any sense for you to sleep on the couch.” His arm swept over the bedroom. “The bed is huge. It would fit you, me, and maybe Sam too. We can both use the bed and get a decent night’s sleep. We’re going to need it this weekend. We’ve shared a bed before and it wasn’t a big production.”
“I think Sam should stay in his own room.”
Laughing, Tyler walked over to the dresser and twisted open one of the complimentary bottles of water. It turned out convincing a woman to sleep with him was thirsty work. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had to do it. High school, maybe?
“I’ll let him know that he’s not welcome.” Tyler gingerly stepped out onto a limb, hoping it didn’t snap out from under him. “We need to get used to this. We’re going to be traveling quite a bit and sharing a room isn’t going to be optional after the wedding.”
“Okay.”
Billie turned back to her unpacking and didn’t expound on her answer, which immediately had Tyler’s warning sirens going off. When she stopped talking was when they had issues.
“Are you upset?” he asked again. “We can talk about this.”
“I’m not upset,” she said without even a glance at him. “But I hope that at this point you can admit that I was right. More is changing than my last name and you know it. We may have shared a bed in the past but that was then and this is now. It’s different.”
Tyler couldn’t argue the facts. It was different. He was aware of her in a way he hadn’t been before.
And he didn’t want to go back to what they’d had. He didn’t want to be just her friend, but he wasn’t sure exactly what he did want. It was probably time to figure it out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The interview turned out to be less of an ordeal than Billie had thought it would be. This certainly wasn’t her first interview and it wouldn’t be her last, but it was the first as Tyler’s fiancée. She’d been dreading intimate questions into their private life but the magazine interviewer seemed much more interested in Tyler’s career and their wedding plans.
There were a couple of questions about Billie’s own acting career which she answered as vaguely as possible. Her former agent Ina had called Billie right after the engagement was announced but she couldn’t see herself going back to someone who had ended their relationship over a set of silicone boobs. A few other agencies had shown some interest but Tyler wanted Billie to sign with his own agent Josh. She liked Josh and had a great deal of respect for him, so in the end that’s what she was going to do but it was kind of nice to be courted by people who wanted her. It was so different than the majority of her career, even if it was only because she was marrying Tyler.
Luckily the evening ahead was going to be relaxing and pleasant. Billie had met Tyler’s Thunder co-stars on several occasions and they were always friendly and fun. Sam Collins was Tyler’s closest friend but Mike Watson, Nate Mason, Maxwell Hayes, and more recently Kirby Glenn would be there as well. Much had changed since they’d made the first movie. Nate and Max were married now to amazing women and were deliriously happy. Mike and his wife Amy had added a second child to their family. Meanwhile, Tyler, Sam, and Kirby seemed determined to hold onto their bachelor status. Until now.
Sam hopped up from his chair and beckoned to Billie when she and Tyler entered the private basement of the restaurant through a side entrance. The actor had positioned himself as something of an older brother to Billie and she adored him. Although less than five years older than Tyler, he seemed to be much wiser in the ways of the world and people in general. She wasn’t sure what he’d gone through that had made him that way but she was often grateful for his down to earth advice.
“How’s my girl?” Sam asked, pulling her into a giant bear hug. “Is that asshole treating you right? Just say the word and I’ll kick his ass, darlin’.”
Billie had no doubt Sam would do exactly as he said. He’d been known to get into a bar room brawl or two which simply ramped up his reputation with the fans as a total badass action hero.
Kissing Sam’s cheek, she laughed at his declaration. “He’s been behaving himself but I’ll keep that in mind.”
“It’s like I’m not even standing here,” Tyler muttered, getting his own man-hug from Sam and then the rest of the cast. “Some best friend you are.”
“I wouldn’t be a decent friend if I didn’t make sure that you were taking good care of your woman,” Sam shot back with a grin. “Now quit your bitching and grab a chair.”
The private room had a large round table in the center of the room and a long buffet table against the wall with a parquet dance floor off to the right. Sam had known what he was doing when he chose this restaurant. There were no windows for paparazzi to see through and the double doors to the upstairs public area were closed with a guard on the outside. No one was going to get a photo of tonight’s festivities without explicit consent.
As soon as Billie and Tyler were brought drinks by the waitress, Nate clinked the edge of his glass with his spoon and stood up to get everyone’s attention.
“Excuse me.” He cleared his throat. “Paige and I, well, we have something of an announcement.” He looked lovingly down at his pretty, smiling wife, holding her hand in his. “Paige and I are pregnant. That is, she’s pregnant and we’re expecting. And that’s not all. We’re expecting…twins!”
The room erupted into a free for all. There were tears, smiles, hugs, laughter, and many congratulations. Nate appeared emotional and misty-eyed while Paige glowed with true happiness. Billie hadn’t even known the couple was trying to have a child but she was absolutely thrilled for them. Paige was already a great mother to her college-aged son Jason and Nate was going to be a wonderful father. The twins were lucky as hell to be born into the Mason family.
“I’m just happy to get all of the pregnancy and childbirth done in one go,” Paige laughed. “I’m not getting any younger. It will be good to only do this once.”
Nate shook his finger at his friend Max. “We’re expecting an announcement from you two any day now.”
Carrie blushed prettily and tried to hide her face but Max beamed with pride and gave them a naughty wink. “We’re working on it. Stay tuned.”
Nate slapped Tyler on the back and grinned. “Maybe you two will be next.”
Billie wanted a hole in the floor to open up and swallow her. Marriage was stressful enough. She couldn’t handle thinking about children right now. Besides, kids weren’t a part of the agree
ment. This wasn’t for real. It was a surprise that she needed to remind herself of that these last few days. It was starting to feel like a true engagement. Sort of.
To her utter shock, Tyler wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “I wouldn’t mind having a cute little toddler that looks like Billie.”
“He should look like you,” she heard herself saying before she could stop the words. “I mean, I bet you were cute as a little boy.”
A strange look passed over Tyler’s features, so quickly and then gone as if it had never happened. He smiled and tugged at a strand of her long hair. “Naw, I want him or her to look just like you, baby.”
There was a series of “awwws” but Sam’s expression was one of playful disgust. “That was the most nauseating thing I’ve ever heard. The only thing missing was violins playing in the background.”
“You’re just jealous,” Tyler mocked. “Go find yourself a good woman before you turn into a crotchety old man yelling at kids to stay off your lawn.”
It was strange to hear Tyler speak of settling down as a happily married man. Only a month ago he’d been a lighthearted playboy.
“Jesus, I’m with Sam on this,” Kirby groaned. “I hope all of this love and commitment isn’t contagious. I’m rather enjoying my bachelor status.”
Kirby was in his early thirties, a few years younger than the other men, and he was playing the field for all he was worth since becoming a star in the Thunder movies. The tabloids were full of pictures of him whooping it up in Vegas or closing down the clubs in New York City.
Max shrugged as the wait staff began to load the buffet table down with food. “It gets old eventually. Trust me on this. It’s all a party now but soon you’ll be so jaded all you’ll want to do is have a quiet evening at home.”
“I’ll take my chances,” laughed Kirby. “Damn, the food smells great. I could eat a horse.”
“Just make sure that horse has no carbs,” Sam said as they all stood to fill their plates. “You’re a sex symbol now and that means you have to watch your figure.”
Wild on the Red Carpet (The Hollywood Showmance Chronicles Book 3) Page 13