Just like that, the spell was broken. There’s a chance he may have been referring to our ostentatious setting … unfortunately, I took it as a reminder that he had been forced together with me by the studio that employed him. That realization snuffed out the fluttering in my gut caused by his undeniable charisma—at least until the next cloud of denial blew through.
Needing some space to clear my head, I side-stepped directly into the billowy ruffles of Tandy’s coral-colored mermaid-style gown. “I know I agreed to be Mateo’s date,” she muttered through her teeth, her beaming smile holding firm, “but I didn’t realize he would come dressed like a tiny little matador. Is it just me, or does he look like a lawn ornament?”
Cocking my head, the waves of my painstakingly-styled hair brushed over my bare back. “Now that you mention it, that’s all I can see.”
His costume choice got upstaged by a long limo slithering alongside the curb like an ominous Black Mamba—exquisite beauty on the outside to distract from the soul-sucking venom within. The door opened. Kole stepped into view, his ebony hair glistening like a fresh oil slick. The tuxedo he’d chosen wore him in a way that made Bruce Wayne look like a hobo. His face was freshly shaven, revealing the strong jawline and swoon-worthy dimple that had hid beneath his beard.
The world’s rotation ground to a screeching halt the moment he turned and offered his hand to another passenger … and Willa emerged. My vision tunneled, ears ringing. The evil vampress sported a dress—and I use that term loosely—comprised of a web of leather straps and fine silver chains. The elegantly casual tresses she’d had for filming had been arranged into pin-up style curls. Her pouty lips were stained a deep red. Not a vibrant version of the hue, but the blackish-red gore of fresh pooling blood.
Greyson followed my stare, jolting in surprise at the startling two-some. “Camden and the Queen of the Damned? Ah, man. That makes me want to warn him and light a candle to ward off the bad juju.”
I wanted to make a snarky comment in response. Unfortunately, seeing the two of them together sparked heaving flames on the sides of my face that burned to life violent, homicidal inklings that, quite frankly, terrified me.
“She’s going to gnaw his face off in his sleep.” Mateo edged up beside me, sucking air through his teeth. Shaking his head, the tassels on his black and red monetera hat slapping the side of my face.
“Without a doubt.” Greyson’s eyebrows rocketed into his hairline. Cautiously, he glanced my way, as if worried we were going to have an Animal Planet moment on our hands where I charged like a ticked off rhino.
It was a valid concern. Not that Kole owed me anything, or that our relationship had ever ventured past the point of unlikely friends. I mean really, I had gone farther than that with the flasher on the subway back in New York that accidentally sat on my hand. Still, I couldn’t help but feel he was being a tool showing up with her and kind of deserved whatever pain and anguish her Venus flytrap snatch inflicted on him. Even I winced at the cattiness of my own inner monologue.
Reading my mood, Tandy grasped me by the shoulders and turned me toward the theater entrance. “How about if we disregard the nauseating freak show and focus on your amazing career milestone?” she soothed with an encouraging smile.
Our path was blocked by a photographer with three wobbly chin-folds, his camera posed and at the ready. “Can I get a shot of all of you together? The whole cast and crew?”
I turned on Tandy, my face devoid of emotion. “Hollywood can kiss every inch of my ass.”
Greyson guided me to his right, next to Mateo and Tandy, while Kole and Willa took their place on his left. “Camden, I didn’t realize you had experience handling vipers,” Grey said through his charming smile, the second the fresh wave of clicks and flashes began.
“Don’t tell me you buy Willa’s act,” Kole answered, his hand hovering over the small of her back. “She brands herself to stand out, just like everyone else in this town. I thought you were open-minded enough to see past that.”
“My girlfriend broke up with me after I smashed her car windows with a lawn jockey,” Willa interjected, her tone flat and impassive. Unlike the rest of us, she couldn’t be bothered to even attempt a smile. Flipping her hair, she cocked one hip and graced the photographers with a smoldering pout. “I’m getting back at her by trying penis again.”
“And you’re okay being used like that?” I hissed, shooting daggers in Kole’s direction—all whilst maintaining my forced smile.
Soothing down the front of his tux, Kole stared straight ahead, seemingly unaffected by my question or harsh tone. “At least it’s real and honest. Willa is a woman that always says exactly what she wants.”
At the mention of her name, Willa rolled her darkly-lined eyes and sashayed forward through the line of photographers.
“What is it you would like to do now, my sweet?” Kole called after her, moving to catch up.
“Don’t call me that,” she glowered. “I’m going inside before the stench of the mundane rubs off on me.”
“See?” Kole glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes sharp with challenge. “That’s a girl that knows what she wants. She’s as real as it gets.”
His blatant jab snuffed the smile from my face, my teeth grinding to the point of pain.
Picking up on the waves of hostility permeating off of me, Greyson ducked into my eye line and offered me a flirty grin. “If you want, we can demonstrate to him how real things can get between us. There’s a bathroom right inside the theater, and the movie doesn’t start for thirty minutes. If we hurry, we can prove him wrong twice.”
That was just the right tap needed to shatter the ice-bitch façade frosting over me. Chuckling in spite of myself, I nudged him playfully with my elbow. “As insanely romantic as hooking up in a public restroom sounds, we should probably go schmooze the nice folks inside. Play the serious professionals angle.”
“Whatever you think is best,” he shrugged and offered me his arm, “just know that the offer stands. Maybe we should work out some intricate hand signals in case you change your mind?”
Every dream I ever had was realized, every expectation surpassed, the second I stepped inside of the TCL Chinese Theater. Deep crimson tapestries draped the walls, floor, and soaring ceilings. Ornate polished gold fixtures hung throughout the space—expensive jewels adorning this ageless Hollywood icon. Strangers offered me their congratulations as they passed, recognizable celebrities making claims of my literary brilliance. My knees shook in nervous apprehension at it all. What if the work didn’t translate to film well? What if my story wasn’t strong enough? What if seeing my characters come to life brought on a rush of emotion that crumpled me to the ground in a full-out ugly cry in front of all these people? There were too many unknowns!
“Breathe,” Greyson whispered against my ear, guiding me to my seat with his hand bordering the perimeter of quadrant four.
Pursing my lips, I expelled a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “My stomach isn’t just flipping, it’s doing giant Shamu belly flops.” Easing the constricting fabric of my skirt up slightly, I took my seat.
Greyson waved across the room to the actor I recognized as his sidekick from The Vindicator, then took the seat beside me and grasped my hand in a comforting squeeze. “It’s out of our hands now and up to the public to decide how we did.”
My wildest dreams and literary fantasies had manifested in an opulent vision around me, the magnitude of its grandeur sweeping away any of my “other” grievances. Until those very grievances shimmied their way into the seats directly in front of us. The second Kole and Willa sat down, I noticed through the gap in the seats that her black painted nails tiptoed up his thigh. He didn’t recoil and pull away, like I hoped he would, or adamantly slap her hand aside. His alternative was to lean closer and whisper something that made her head fall back with a husky chuckle. Skank.
Maybe it was the endorphin rush talking, but realistically why shouldn’t they enjoy themselve
s? They were young, single people in the prime of their lives. So what if one of them could potentially be Lucifer? If they could overlook that, who was I to judge—or spew hatefully venomous thoughts in their direction? As the lights began to dim, providing Willa a cloak of darkness for further acts of debauchery, I was struck with an epiphany. This was my chance. My night that could change all other nights. It needed to be revered and celebrated to the fullest extent. I need to indulge myself … any way I saw fit.
Wetting my lips that had suddenly gone sandpaper dry, I tipped my head to Greyson. “About that whole proving Kole wrong thing …”
My offer sizzled in the air between us, Greyson hungrily glancing my way. The lights from the screen cast deep shadows over the sharp hollows of his face, giving him a predatory appearance. “I’m in the movie and you wrote it. We know how it ends. We can hit that bathroom right now.”
“Not now,” I nervously giggled at his exuberance, “the studio gave us all rooms at the Beverly Hills Hotel tonight. I was going to share with Tandy, but maybe instead we could … spend time together.”
A writer unable to find an acceptable word for nookie? Yep, that’s a sure sign of solid decision in the making.
Greyson dipped his head in a formal bow, his eyes never leaving mine. “It would be my honor.”
The music swelled, and the opening credits began.
Chapter 21
Night had descended on Los Angeles. Twinkling lights, like eager eyes, flickered to life in search of adventure. My hands encircled the balcony rail and rolled over its edge. A delicate breeze licked over my skin, gently tossing the hair from my shoulders.
“Enjoying your afterglow?” Greyson asked from behind me, where he leaned against the door frame. He had taken off his tuxedo jacket, the shirt beneath untucked with the first three buttons freed.
“A little …” I couldn’t have suppressed my grin if I tried. “I can’t help it. It was everything I expected and more. You, in particular, were amazing.”
Pushing off his perch, he closed the distance between us. “I had amazing material to work with.”
Blushing at the heat brewing in his stare, I turned back toward the stellar view of the restless town. “It really was an incredible movie. It took all of us to make that happen.”
“The team worked well together.” His body skimmed against mine, his fingers tracing down my arm. Flaxen hair tickled the sensitive skin of my neck, his lips finding the spot where my pulse pounded in my neck. “Imagine what we could accomplish if we focused our attentions … elsewhere.”
“We’re doing this now?” I stammered in all my awkwardness. “This is happening?”
“We’ve waited so long,” he murmured, “it’s time to play catch up.”
Slow, skillful hands inched down the zipper of my dress, one of which snaked beneath the fabric and over my stomach to draw me closer. His technique was masterful, yet my body bristled. Something just felt … off. A key ingredient was missing from this recipe, unfortunately my limited pallet couldn’t quite place it. Vowing to power through—because that’s romantic—I tried to ease myself in and enjoy the sensation of Greyson kissing his way down my spine.
“You like that?” His hot breath tingled over my lower back.
Shuddering at the chill it gave me, I turned to face him, my back against the rail. “I do. Really … great stuff. But can we start with something a little more traditional? Like a kiss?”
“Absolutely.” He rose to his feet, a light chuckle lifting the throaty cadence of his tone. Pillow-soft lips found mine, kneading and sucking with fevered intensity.
Mentally, I coached myself to relax. The guy was physical perfection with undeniable skill. Even so, I couldn’t seem to get out of my head for five minutes to enjoy the moment.
It was Greyson, and not me, that slammed on the brakes by pulling away. His closed fist covered his mouth, deep creases furrowed between his brow. “This feels … off.”
Oh, thank God, I thought, my shoulders slumping in relief.
“I think sexual tension has an expiration date and we passed it,” Grey grimaced. “Because that was like kissing my sister. I just can’t do this.”
In spite of my own lacking interest, the sudden realization that my dress was half off and I was being rejected caused my cheeks to burn red hot. “This was a mistake,” I stammered, yanking my dress straps back into place, “I–I have to go.”
“Aubrey, you really don’t have to! Just hold on for second, let’s talk about this,” he called after me.
My determined strides didn’t falter. Snatching my clutch from the table, I bolted from the room without the luxuries of shoes or a plan.
“Tandy! Tandy! Tandy!” I pounded on the door, each shout of her name more high-pitched and desperate than the last. Of course I had to give her the only key to the room, leaving myself at the complete mercy of a woman that slept as heavy as a fallen tree in the forest.
“What?” my disheveled friend gasped in exasperation. Flinging the door open, she fumbled to knot her thigh-length kimono.
“I was almost with Greyson, like actually with him, and we both realized …” figuring this wasn’t a hallway conversation, I pushed my way past her into the room, “that it wasn’t right. I think I may have been jealous and trying to get back at Ko— Are those boxer shorts?”
Mateo popped up from behind the couch, covering himself with a throw pillow. “There they are! I couldn’t find them. Would you mind tossing those bad boys over here?”
My bulging stare, which may never again return to any semblance of normal, volleyed from Mateo to Tandy and back again. “No. Nononono–NO! What sort of black-magic hoodoo is happening in here? Tandy, you wouldn’t actually …”
“Okay, Aubrey, calm down,” Tandy soothed, both her hands raised to halt my freak out. “It’s not what you think.”
“At least have the courtesy not to talk down to her by denying the blatantly obvious. That’s just condescending.” Mateo shimmied into his boxers behind the couch, his tone more scholar than thug … a fact that only added weight to my growing theory that I’d stumbled into some alternate universe.
“You’re right.” Tandy graced him with a Stepford Wife smile that crinkled my nose in disgust. “To clarify, it’s Mateo that isn’t what you think he is. We’ve been talking since I left L.A. three months ago. His name is actually Mathew. He got his graduate degree in marketing from Stanford and used that to brand himself as Mateo. It’s all an act!”
My hand rose to silence her, or attempt the Vader choke hold—I’m not sure which.
“I,” had no idea where I was going with this, “can’t deal with this right now, and am taking your shoes because I forgot mine.”
I managed to snatch one of her Jimmy Choo’s off the floor before Tandy confiscated the other—as if that would somehow hinder my storm off. “Can we please talk about this?”
“Nothing to talk about. You’re a grown ass woman, seemingly happy in her own twisted delusion.” Sliding the lone shoe on my foot, I held my head high and hobbled from the room, slamming the door behind me.
I had no idea where I was going, but damn it I was going.
Rounding the corner that led to the elevators, the ankle of my shoed foot rolled. Pain shot up my calf, sending me stumbling into the wall.
“Aubrey? Are you okay?” a familiar voice asked.
Kole. Of course. Why wouldn’t the universe get its sadistic ya-yas by sending him out from the vending area at that particular moment with an ice bucket on his hip?
“Camden,” With a curt nod in his direction, I adjusted the strap of my dress that fallen back onto my shoulder. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“Are you sure?” Situating the bucket on his hip, the ice within rattled. “Do you want to come inside? Maybe use my phone—or my slippers?”
“Oh, you’d like that wouldn’t you?” I snapped, my grasp on decorum rapidly slipping.
He shrugged. “I’m not overly attached to my slipper
s, but I guess I’d be kind of bummed to see them go.”
“Not the slippers!” I spat hard enough to make the veins protrude from my neck. “You are the worst kind of hypocrite! You accuse me of being a sell-out for going along with the deal with Greyson because it’s not real, but want to drag me into your room to witness your little performance with the Mistress of the Night? She devours souls, you can see it in her black eyes! But, no, I’m sure what the two of you have is pure and beautiful.”
“Go out for ice and stay for the crazy,” Kole muttered to the bucket in his hand.
“Don’t stay on my account.” I waved him toward the line of doors with a flick of my wrist. “Get back in there. Ice your beloved’s horns. I’m sure it smarts when they rip from her skull.”
Kole’s free hand fell limp at his side, his head falling to the side with an easy laugh. “Willa is not in my room. She clawed my leg during the movie hard enough to rip off a couple layers of skin. That’s what the ice is for. I don’t doubt she is currently in her own room searching for a fresh victim.”
“Oh.” Rage deflating, my shoulders sagged, allowing my other dress strap to stray.
His blue eyes sparkling with intrigue, Kole caught my stare and held it. “The real question becomes … why did it bother you so badly?”
“Those tables turned quick. I think I even heard a weehee-weehee,” I snorted, and pantomimed scratching a record.
Kole took a bold step forward, a simple act that caused my heart to lurch in a stutter-beat. “That’s not an answer.”
Adjusting the bodice of my gown, I averted my gaze to the carpet, the illuminated exit sign, and the room service tray left on the floor. Anything was better than looking directly into his prying stare. “I was concerned about you, as one friend to another.”
“You don’t storm down a hallway with your dress hanging off and a missing shoe over a friend,” he argued, shifting the ice bucket from one hand to the other.
“That’s not true. The one shoe thing was totally Tandy’s fault. She was doing vile things with Mateo and it cost her one shoe. I stand by my decision there.”
Adapted for Film Page 14