She didn’t realize he was standing right next to her until he reached down and took hold of her fingers, pressing them to his warm lips. His eyes fixed keenly on her face and she knew he was waiting for her reply.
“Yes,” she whispered softly. “I would love to come back here with you.”
“Are you sure? Because you’re not as excited as I hoped you’d be.” Tom asked quietly, unable to mask the rejection in his voice.
“Sorry, actually I’m elated. It’s just that I…I’ve been telling myself I couldn’t keep you, so to speak. At the end of three weeks, I’d have to give you up and try not to be devastated. I’ve been attempting to convince myself you’re just a vacation.”
“I’ve never found someone I can put up with for two weeks, but I can’t be without you for ten minutes. You’re the best time I’ve ever had. I want us to be together.”
“I think you’re the best time I’ve ever had, too.” She confided in a hushed voice.
Tom’s eyes filled with skepticism.
“Please don’t look at me like that. It’s difficult for me to admit aloud. I feel bad enough when I admit it to myself inside my own thoughts, let alone confessing it to you. I feel like I’m saying Richard wasn’t as good, but that’s not how I mean it. What I had with my husband was wonderful and anyone should be as lucky as I was to have the marriage we had. But you make me feel like I’ve never felt and I’m not even talking about the sex yet.”
He smiled deliriously. “I have a job coming up my agent committed me to, so in a week or two I have to leave for a film. If I can figure out a schedule, will you come see me until I can make time to come back here?”
“Yes.” Staring into his dark brown eyes, she knew there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t go through or give up in order to be with him, except one.
Monogamy.
“But Tom, I need to know your definition of a girlfriend. I refuse to set myself up to be hurt,” she stated bluntly.
“I’m not sure what you mean. I want to be with you, like the last three weeks. You are my definition of a girlfriend.” He pulled her onto the bed playfully.
She realized he was oblivious of what she asked him. “Tom, I’m asking you if you’re going to go on ‘dates’ while I’m your girlfriend. I’m not going to see anyone else, not that I would have many options, but I know you have a hundred different options anywhere you go. So if you want to sleep with other women, or even just one other woman, then my answer is no! I’d rather say goodbye to you now.” She spoke directly. “I wouldn’t even be able to deal with that crap. I don’t care who you’ve been with, but it would hurt me if you sleep with someone now.”
“Tess, I don’t want to see other women.”
She straddled him, sitting on his stomach. “‘I don’t want to…’ is still a little vague, Tom. I want your word. I want to be with you, but that’s what I need. Your word.”
He sat up onto his elbows, looking her in the eye. “Tess, you have my word that I won’t date or sleep with or kiss another woman. No one else would compare to you. I promise.” He curled his lip in disgust. “And I don’t want you to date other men. I wouldn’t like that. At all!”
“I won’t. You have my word.” She smiled, kissing him. “Please don’t freak out in the middle of the night and leave me here, okay? If you change your mind and want to see other women, just tell me. First. Please.”
“Do you trust me?” he asked in a slow sexy tone.
She recognized a serious question underneath that steamy voice. “I have been trusting you, haven’t I?”
“That’s a little vague,” he said, mimicking her. “I’ve never denied the fact I’ve dated a lot, but I didn’t find you until three weeks ago. Now, I want you. Only you. The thought of you sharing yourself with another man, might hurt me more than I could possibly even imagine. So, Tess, do you trust me?”
She swallowed hard. “Yes, I trust you.”
“So it’s official. You’re my girlfriend. And I am your boyfriend.”
It sounded silly, almost juvenile coming out of his mouth, but in fact, Tess understood it was a huge commitment for him.
“Tom, just so you know, I’m very excited.” She hopped off the bed and danced around the room. “Was that the response you were hoping for?”
“No, this was.” He grabbed her from behind and planted a big kiss on her lips. “I have to make some calls. Let’s leave early in the morning.”
“Oh! I’m not sure if I’m going to like it here,” she replied sarcastically, gaping out the sliding glass door. Tess slipped on his shirt, stepping out onto the balcony. “No wonder you like Greece so much.”
The inn perched on a cliff with a view of the clear, blue sea. Whitewashed houses with blue shutters lined the brick street below them and fuchsia bougainvillea grew everywhere. Gorgeous!
“I like it.” Tom snapped a photo of her wearing his shirt.
“Are we really coming back here together?”
“Yes, we are and you haven’t seen anything yet. I know you’ll love it here; the islands, Athens. We can go hiking and go to an archeological site.”
Tess threw her arms around his neck. “I can’t wait.”
That night, the streets bustled with artists selling their work and people out shopping. Several recognized Tom, only a few approached him, most just pointed. Tess chuckled to herself.
“What’s so funny?” he asked with his crooked smile.
“I see you so differently than all these people.” Tess glanced around at the people in the streets.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He pretended she offended him.
“I see you as a person; smart, charming, funny, adventurous, gorgeous and very confident. They see you as Tom Clemmins the famous actor. I just think it’s ironic. I understand my fascination with you, but I don’t get theirs. No offense. Not only you, famous people in general.”
“I’m glad you feel that way because everything changes tomorrow, Tess.”
“Don’t tell me. I actually don’t want to know yet. Right now, I simply want to enjoy this place. Okay?”
“All right.” He agreed.
Chapter Twelve
Tom and Tess grabbed breakfast at a café before heading to the bottom of the hill to meet the car. He informed her it would be a long flight so she changed into comfortable clothes, lounged on a couch, and watched a movie while Tom stayed in the bedroom on the phone. He sounded unhappy about something, but finally joined her when she finished her second movie.
“All right, Tess,” he smiled nervously. “We have about five hours left, so we need to go over some things.”
“Okay.”
“First off, we’re going to my home in Malibu.”
“Great,” she paused. “It’s not a castle, is it?”
He shook his head and continued. “Did you know Benny has a new movie coming out?”
“No. Well, maybe. Lisa mentioned a film he’d finished recently.”
“We’re going to his movie premier. That’s one of the reasons I took you to see your girls, because you won’t be able to pick them up at the airport.”
“All right,” she agreed with a casual nod, not fully aware of what a movie premier entailed.
He wore an enormous grin. “Tess, it’s a big deal. There’s going to be a lot of people there, including reporters and photographers. Plus a little red carpet you’ll be walking down with your famous boyfriend, remember?” he teased sarcastically.
“Are you kidding me? Red carpet? No way! What am I going to wear?”
“It’s going to be a great time. Lisa will be there too, not at my house, but you’ll get to see her. She said she’d help you get…prepared.” His voice faltered.
“Prepared?”
“I have to tell you one more thing. There will be paparazzi everywhere when we land.” He rubbed his knuckles against his jaw.
“Why? What is it? What’s wrong?” She knew something was wrong by the way he scratched the rasp of his unsh
aven face. He would never win playing poker.
“Apparently, there’s a picture of me kissing a beautiful woman in Greece circulating on the Internet today. I don’t know if you can get a hold of your kids, but you might want to try, especially John because when the paparazzi get your name, and they will, they’ll want to know who you are.”
“How could that happen? Are you sure?”
“Oh yeah, I’m sure.”
“Have you seen the picture?” She knew the answer by the look on his face. “Let me see it.”
He pulled up the picture on his phone and handed it to her. “That’s when we were on the wall last night!” Utterly dumbfounded, she stared at the picture in astonishment. “Who took this?”
“Tess, it doesn’t matter who took the picture, probably the lady from the ice cream shop. They’re going to want to know who you are. They’ll be waiting when we land.”
“Let me see that picture again. Shit, we do look good together.”
Tom chuckled uneasily. “Tess, you need to call John. He’s going to see this, and we’re all over each other in this photo. Your girls might see it, too.”
Her eyes glued to the photo of Tom standing between her legs while she sat on the white curved wall. Her head hung back and Tom kissed the base of her neck. One hand squeezed her ass and his other hand rested right under her breast.
“How much money do they get for these pictures? I would’ve paid for this one. I can’t believe we look so sexy.”
“Tess, you should call,” Tom reiterated, sounding baffled by her lack of response.
“I need to think for a minute. What exactly is the problem? Photographers? Aren’t they going to be taking pictures in a couple of days anyway? Seriously, is there really going to be a red carpet?”
“Are you delirious?” he asked in confusion. “You don’t seem very upset.”
“They’re going to find out who I am anyway. Why not just tell them? I don’t get it. I’m proud to be with you Tom.”
“I thought you would be pissed, Tess. It’s an invasion of your privacy.”
“Well, at least it’s a good picture. I might be pissed if it were a bad picture. We look like we could be on the cover of a smutty romance novel.”
“Tess, why don’t you get ready? I have to make a phone call.”
“Is this picture a problem for you, Tom? You sounded upset earlier on the phone.”
“It’s not a problem for me at all. My publicist is unhappy with me, but I’m not going to hide you.”
Unsure of how to respond, she stammered, “I’m going to get ready, and then I’ll call home.” Tess headed for the bedroom, but turned back around. “I don’t want this to be an issue for you. Just walk me through it so I know what to expect and I’ll be fine. I don’t want to hide. I promise I won’t embarrass you.”
She turned toward the bedroom. Tom grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into his lap. “Wait a minute, Tess. I’m not embarrassed of you at all! That’s not what I meant. Sometimes in my business, there’s a certain way people like to handle things. I wasn’t going to take you out until the premier so you wouldn’t get anxious and be a wreck that night. I want to be seen with you. That’s why I brought you here.”
She smiled. “I was referring to the picture of you with your hands all over my body.” She grasped his hands and placed them over her boobs. “What I meant was, I will try not to do this in public. But I can’t make any promises.”
“Oh, well, please don’t promise me that.” Tom chuckled.
Tess paced in circles, trying to decide what to wear. She wrapped a towel around herself and ambled out to Tom who was still on the phone and didn’t sound any better. “Can you help me pick out something to wear when you’re done?” she whispered to him.
He nodded, hanging up the phone, trying to peek under her towel.
“What should I wear?” she asked, standing in a white lace thong.
“That looks perfect,” he said, inspecting her half-naked body. She shook her head at him. “What are you comfortable in?”
“I thought about my blue dress with the leopard pumps. Or should I wear jeans?”
“The blue dress is my favorite, but I love your jeans, too. Which is more comfortable?”
“Please, will you pick? I want to look good next to you.”
He pulled the picture of them back up on his phone. “You look beautiful next to me. I like the blue dress.”
“Thank you!”
“Call John, please. I don’t want your kids to get mad at me,” he sighed uneasily.
She called John’s cell.
“Hello?”
“Hi, son. How’s it going?”
“Well, hi, Mom. I thought I might hear from you today,” he scoffed.
Crap. He already knew. “I saw your sisters yesterday. I’m sure they’ve talked to you about picking them up at the airport.”
“Yes, I talked to them yesterday, but I’m sure I’ll be hearing from them again soon.”
“We’re still in the air. I called-” Tom stretched out on the bed watching Tess pace around the room.
John cut her off. “So, Mom! How was Greece?” he asked sardonically.
“Okay, go ahead. I can tell you’ve obviously seen the photo I’m calling to warn you about.”
“I haven’t, but my friends and girlfriend have.”
“I’m sorry. You haven’t actually seen it though?”
“No, but I heard about it. Blow by blow.”
“Sorry, I didn’t know someone-”
“You don’t need to apologize. And please don’t try to explain anything. That’s a little too much information for me. You’re obviously having a great time.”
“More than likely, there will be more photos,” Tess forewarned.
John groaned. “Please tell me you’re not naked or topless! I’ll never hear the end of that shit from my friends. They’ve already been telling me, ‘Dude your mom looks so hot’.” he mimicked with irritation.
“No, I’m not naked or topless in any photos.” Tess glanced at Tom. He reassured her, shaking his head no. “Sorry about your friends giving you crap.”
“I appreciate you trying to warn me, but you were too late. Everybody said it’s a great picture.”
She gave a slight chuckle. “That’s what I said. Tom wanted me to get a hold of you before you saw it.”
“Well if he wasn’t groping you in public, maybe he wouldn’t be feeling guilty right now. Sorry. I’m fine. It’s just weird. You’re my mom, but it sounds like, or should I say it looks like, you’re really into him. My only concern is that you’re happy.” Annoyance sat heavy in his voice.
“I am happy.”
“I’m gonna go. This conversation’s a little too weird. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
“He’s upset?” Tom asked, after she hung up.
Tess could tell it bothered Tom. He wanted her kids to approve of him. “Well, I’m not sure about mad, maybe embarrassed. However, he did request you not grope me in public. Please tell me there won’t be pictures of us from Bora Bora? They would die. I would die if there were topless photos of me.”
“No, there aren’t.” He attempted to be convincing.
“Lovely,” she smirked, falling straight back onto the bed.
Tom touched the Tahitian pearl necklace hanging around her neck. “If you don’t mind, Tess, I’d rather you didn’t wear this right now.”
She frowned with hurt feelings. “Why?”
“I don’t want them to have any idea where we’ve been. This necklace would be a dead giveaway. They probably assume we’ve been in Greece the whole time, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Okay.”
“I’m sorry. It won’t be near as crazy after our public interest wears off, but it’ll be an ordeal for a while. I’d love to sit here and tell you that it won’t be a nightmare, but it will. If I could make them go away I would, but the media doesn’t work that way. So, we can either
go out and get it over with or lay low until the premier. Either way, they’re still going to line up outside, hide in the bushes, and follow us everywhere. Waiting will only delay the inevitable.”
“I think I’d rather get it over with.”
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it, Tess. This might be very overwhelming for you. The paparazzi can be brutal. A few of them are decent, but some will say anything to piss you off so they can get their pictures.”
“Lifestyles of the rich and famous…” she smirked.
“Get dressed. We’ll go over some things.” He taught her how to stand. Don’t fidget, it shows weakness. And don’t ever look pissed. Move slowly. Don’t rush when you walk. “And, Tess, no matter what you do, be very careful getting in and out of the car.” He reached his hand under her dress, snapped the top of her thong, and raised his eyebrows. “I’d like to keep that out of the photos.”
She listened carefully, absorbing his instructions.
“I’m friendly with some of the paparazzi, so what we do will depend on who is here. Just follow my lead. If I stop, then stop with me.”
“Is there a problem with your publicist? I get the feeling I’m an issue of sorts.”
“Just a small one, but it’s fine.” He acted nonchalant, but obviously, there was a definite problem.
Tom’s phone rang. He smiled, handing it to Tess.
“Hi, Tracy. How’s your cruise going?”
“Hey, Mom. We are loving Greece! Apparently you did, too!” Tracy and JC giggled hysterically.
“Oh, great. I didn’t think you’d see it.”
“When we got into port, JC had eight photo messages from all of her friends. So yeah, we’ve seen it!”
“Did you have a message from your brother, too?”
“Oh, yeah. He was quite peeved.”
JC snatched the phone away from Tracy. “We had to explain to our brother the effect Greece has on you.” JC laughed. “We can appreciate how you could get caught up here. Greece is incredibly romantic. At least it was a good picture.”
“That’s what I said.”
Tracy had the phone now. “We can’t talk long because we’re getting off the ship. We told John he should bring his girlfriend here on vacation then maybe he wouldn’t be so judgmental. Europe is magically romantic. Anyway, we have to go. He’s fine now and we all want you to have fun. Do you know where you are going yet?” she asked enthusiastically.
What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 3) Page 39