Up All Night Long: From Lust to Love (Romance Anthology)

by Ali Parker

  My brother acted as if he were smacking someone while he fucked the air dramatically.

  "On that note... I need to wash up for dinner. I'll be back." I turned and walked as slowly as I could to the bathroom as laughter bubbled up in me. This fucking idiot that I called family was in his early thirties and still acting like he was fifteen. I made it to the bathroom before a laugh rolled off my tongue.

  I gave in to it and sat down on the toilet, laughing hard until my eyes watered. Where I was left numb by the world, my brother, though fucking insensitive as hell, infused humor back into my life every time I saw him.

  "Oh... shit." I wiped my eyes on a towel hanging beside me as a knock resounded at the door.

  "Get out here and stop jacking off in my bathroom." He chuckled.

  I opened the door and rolled my eyes. "You're an idiot."

  "Right? She's fucking insane hot, right?" He glanced down the hall. "You want her?"

  "No, but thanks. I already got mine this morning, or tried to." I shrugged and moved past him.

  "Awwww, man. That shit again?" He moved up beside me.

  "Yeah, it's whatever. I don't really want to get into it with Barbie in the next room." I walked back in the kitchen to find her standing out on the patio by a fire my brother had started.

  "Want me to get rid of her?" He rubbed my back and leaned against the counter.

  "No, I can go. I'll come back-"

  "Fuck that. Bro's before hoes forever, man." He walked toward the patio.

  "How old are you? I swear you're the biggest frat boy idiot I know." I picked up a cracker from the cheese tray he had sitting out.

  "And you're better? You tease women around the world into believing you have a heart. Hilarious." He walked out and left me with my thoughts.

  He was right. I was as fake as he was.

  Chapter 9

  Riley

  It had been two days since the audition and nothing. Crickets. I kept thinking that at least Darren would call and give me a pep talk, but nothing. Frustration raced through me as I picked up a tray of food for a large table I was serving.

  Being at work was cathartic, so much so that I had picked up three extra shifts in the last two days. I was bone tired, but my mind was occupied. I would have gone nuts otherwise.

  Charlotte hadn't stopped asking questions about Ethan, and he was the last thing I wanted to talk about. I couldn't shake him, which I knew was exactly what he wanted. Not just from me. No. From every woman with a pulse in America.

  "Here we go, guys. Lunch is served." I lowered the tray carefully and then started to hand out the plates as my phone buzzed in my back pocket. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

  "No, this looks great." The older guy at the end of the table glanced up at me. "Settle a fight for me, please."

  "Yeah, sure." I ignored the buzzing and turned my attention to the guy.

  "Are you a model?" He lifted his eyebrow.

  "No." I laughed, almost flattered, but I'd stopped letting customers influence my mood a long time ago. Otherwise I'd be an emotional roller coaster.

  "See!" the teenage boy at the end of the table yelled. "You're an actress aren't you? I've seen you in a commercial on TV."

  "That's right. I do a few commercials." I picked up the tray, glancing down at the guy closest to me. "Hope you didn't lose any money."

  He chuckled. "It's all good."

  I smiled before walking to the back and putting the tray up. I pulled out my phone and walked to the break room. Unknown number.

  I hit redial and waited until a woman answered the phone.

  "Hi, this is Riley Phillips. I think I missed a call from you." I leaned against the wall and glanced around, grateful that the room was empty. I liked most of the people I worked with, but wanted some time to myself more than anything. I'd eventually wear out and spend a day in bed working through my fears over working with Ethan, which were growing larger than taking on the job if I were even offered it. It seemed far bigger than I was capable of grasping.

  "Hi, Riley. This is Deza. I was hoping that we would hear from you yesterday, but we didn't. I just wanted to make sure that Darren called you with our offer."

  "Your offer?" The room spun around me, and I sank down in the chair closest to me.

  "Yep. I assume that means he didn't call?" Her voice showed her disdain.

  "No, but I'd love to hear whatever offer you guys are calling about." I pressed my fingers to my mouth, contemplating for the first time in four years that things might actually work out. Maybe this pipe dream wasn't a waste of my life.

  "How about we have an early dinner and talk. I'd rather go over it all in person. Will that work?"

  "Absolutely. I get off in two hours. I could shower and be anywhere you want me to by five or six?" I leaned back and let the smile that was pulling at my lips lift them until my face hurt.

  "Let's meet for sushi and sake at Pho Village at six. Sound good?"

  "I'll be there." I took a sharp breath. "Is Ethan coming?"

  "Do you want him to?"

  "No. I'd rather it just be us." I held my breath, not sure if I was coming off right.

  "That sounds great. See you there."

  "Thanks again." I dropped the call and glanced around as tears filled my eyes. Was this shit real? Was I really meeting with Ethan Lewis's agent? There was a chance that nothing was going to come of it... but what if something did?

  And if she offered me the part in the movie, was I up for it? We were talking about Ethan Lewis. Academy-award-winning Ethan Lewis.

  Wicked, sinfully hot Ethan Lewis.

  I let out a groan and got up. I couldn't think about it or I'd chicken out.

  Anyone with any measure of sense would.

  *

  "Thanks again for meeting me tonight." I sat down across from Deza as my heart worked harder than it ever had before to keep up with my racing pulse.

  "Of course. I can't believe Darren didn't call you." She rolled her eyes. "I swear. That man is going to be the death of me, and yet there isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss him."

  "He's a good guy, but he doesn't care much about my career. I've been doing commercials under his care for four years. I'm graduating soon and honestly have started to give up on my dreams of being an actress." I shrugged and pulled my napkin in my lap, deciding to go for honesty with the woman across the table from me. It was make it or break it time for me.

  "That's sad. You're one of the most talented actresses that I've seen in forever, at least for your age." She huffed and picked up her menu. "I only got to see you for five minutes, but never in the ten years that I've been with Ethan have I seen him come alive like he did with you."

  "Really?" The air pulled from my lungs as I watched her. "I thought he was just messing with me."

  She laughed. "Oh, he tried to, but I think you won that round. He's a good guy with a shitty reputation. It's a lot harder to stand in the bright lights than most people know. You start to burn and your life flakes away while everyone's getting married, having kids and finding purpose."

  "Wow. That's deep." I leaned back and set my menu down. "Don't humanize him for me, please. I'm already fighting against the attraction of him just being him. I might have put on a good show, but I'm one of the girls standing in line to see his next film, and don't you dare tell him that."

  She laughed and set her menu down. "I like you already. We didn't get much time to talk the other day. Tell me about yourself."

  "First you tell me what offer it is that you're bringing with you. I've been scared shitless over what you might or might not be offering me. I'm at the point of wanting to give up, remember?" I tried to hold back the emotions that beat hard against my insides. This lady didn't know me, and if she was anything like the other agents in Hollywood, she didn't want to.

  "We're doing one more round of auditions. There are three of you that will be trying out." She gave me a tight smile. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but you're
in the lead by a good amount. Come to the audition and kill it like you did the other day. You hit a home run, and I'm thinking we're going to change your whole life."

  "Okay." I nodded and glanced up as the server walked up. Deza ordered a sushi platter and I handed over my menu, willing to share with her.

  "Now, tell me more about you. Darren must have seen your talent and been blown away. I'm a little shocked that he didn't work to develop your career a little, but he's a hard man to read." She shrugged and picked up her wine, taking a quick sip.

  "I started acting like most people do in junior high and high school. I joined up with the drama club, though I was a cheerleader. Odd combination, I realize. I just wanted to express myself in a way that brought people joy or sadness or something. Drama was my outlet. I graduated valedictorian of Billmore High just down the road, and my speech at commencement was more of a dramatic retelling of the last four years for some of us. I used humor and strong emotions to bring the crowd every experience I could provide. Darren approached me afterward and offered me an audition for a commercial."

  "His niece must have graduated with you." She smiled. "Keep going."

  "I started at UCLA, hoping that the acting career would take off, but it never did. I tried to get my foot in the door over and over the first two years, but after that it was easier to pull my head from the clouds and get a real job that would pay the bills. My dad died when I was little, and my mom never has gotten herself back together. I kept hoping that I would land something big so that I could pull her out of her poverty, you know?"

  She nodded and took a slow breath. "That's powerful stuff. I love it. Thank you for sharing yourself with me. Most actors will make something up and live behind that made-up persona just to survive. I'm scared that Ethan has started to do that."

  I tilted my head to the side and studied her a little. "You really care about him, don't you? I mean, not just as a meal ticket, but as a brother or friend or lover."

  She smirked. "Is that your way of asking if we're sleeping together?"

  "No. I would have just asked. I'm embarrassingly straight forward. I can't seem to help but be direct, even when it's detrimental." I laughed and picked up my mixed drink, lifting it in the air and smiling at her. "To new beginnings, even if we never get one. Someone's getting it."

  She laughed and hit my glass. "I think you have one coming, kiddo. You've got a great story, a good cause to push you forward and passion. It's the thing that will drive you to be better than the best."

  "I'm not sure that's who I want to be, but I'm willing to show up for the audition whenever it is." I leaned back. "It's another love scene, right?"

  "Yeah, but this one is long and far more intimate. Ethan actually hates them, but we figured if we were going to do another action movie, that we'll be filming two to three sex scenes that force him to make like he's having sex with his co-star. They are the hardest scenes to pull off."

  "I know." I tapped the table and pursed my lips, thinking through whether I wanted another scene with Ethan's hands on me. I wasn't sure it was such a good idea, but it was just acting. Just play making. Nothing real or sustaining. No commitment.

  I needed to find Jace and have him take me to his bed the night before going to see Ethan again. That would at least chill me out. I was far too sexual to just show up and go through the motions with him without wanting to push things past the casual working relationship. Not that a guy like him would ever want a simple girl like me, but one could dream.

  "So we'll do another one and then make our final decision. Should you get the part, we'll give you a week to think things through."

  "And would you guys consider letting me have a long conversation with Ethan? I want to pick his brain and make sure we would be compatible as co-workers. He's a little more crude than I expected, and where that doesn't bother me too much, I want to understand what I'm getting into." I picked up my glass and took a drink, enjoying the burn of the liquor as it raced down my chest.

  "You're not like anyone I've ever met. Most women would jump at the chance to breathe Ethan's air, but something tells me that you're going to give him a run for his money, and honey, he's got loads of it." She laughed.

  I smirked. "I'm just practical. I want the part, don't get me wrong, but I can't chase a dream that's too hazy to make out. I want to understand it better and make a good decision should the offer come up."

  "Then we'll have you meet with Ethan either way." She thanked the server as the girl set the sushi platter down. "One more thing."

  "Sure." I picked up my chopsticks and started to pull a few items onto my plate.

  "Darren isn't doing you any good. Consider letting me pick you up to be agented by me whether this offer goes through or not. I have time for one more strong actor on my list. I'd like that to be you." She lifted her eyebrow at me. "Just consider it."

  "Okay. I can do that, but if we decide to work together, I have one request."

  "Sure, anything."

  "You tell him." I laughed, teasing her as her face fell.

  "Never mind! You're not that great."

  Chapter 10

  Ethan

  I'd talked myself out of texting Riley a million times by Saturday morning. I laid in my bed, watching shadows move across the open window and wishing like hell I had someone next to me. Where it would have been nice to look over and see the pretty girl from my dreams, I was willing to take just about any warm body. Just someone to hold and have hold me.

  I rolled over to my stomach and let out a long sigh as I pulled my phone toward me and pulled up her picture.

  "Text her. Fuck. You're Ethan Lewis for shit’s sake." I dropped the phone and rolled back onto my back, as I tugged the cover down and glanced down the length of my body. My cock was hard as a rock, thick and huge. "I hate you sometimes."

  I got up and stretched before walking out to the balcony and leaning against it, grateful that the privacy I paid for actually afforded me complete seclusion.

  "Ethan?" Deza's voice surprised me.

  "I'm out here." I turned toward her as she stopped at the open door and screamed, turning quickly.

  "You ass. Why didn't you tell me you were naked? Shit, Ethan. Ain't nobody trying to see that." She walked back out into the hall. "I'm going to the kitchen. Put some fucking clothes on. Trying to give me a heart attack."

  "Bet your black man ain't sporting a cock like this." I leaned out the door and laughed as she flipped me off. Life had very few pleasures, but shocking D was my favorite.

  I pulled on a pair of jeans and tugged a t-shirt over my head, owing her as little skin on display as I could manage. She was good to me, and let me act like a child most days of the week. I'd keep her as long as she'd let me.

  "All right. Better?" I walked in and made my way to the large espresso machine that sat on the counter near the stove.

  "Why are you always trying to showcase your cock? Girls want a man with a heart and a great personality. Nobody cares about the size of your stuff." She glanced over at me with the big sister look on her face.

  "You're telling me that women wouldn't be thrilled to see something like this fall out of my pants on our first date?" I grabbed my dick and laughed hard as she popped me in the chest three times with a spatula.

  "You're going to hell, Ethan Lewis. Go sit down and rest. It must be exhausting carrying all that dick around." She rolled her eyes and dropped some sausage into the pan on the stove.

  "Finally. Someone who understands me." I walked to the coffee machine and made her a cup and then myself one. She smiled at me as I set hers beside her. "You know I love you. I'm just teasing."

  "Whatever." She picked up her coffee. "This helps, but really... no more streaking around me. I'm a single girl, and you're a good-looking young man."

  She gave me a look that said she was thinking about things that perhaps she shouldn't.

  "Really?" My eyes widened. All these years and finally she wanted a romp in the sheets with me?r />
  "Nope. Go sit down. Ain't nobody interested in your emotional ass. Stop playing around." She swatted me with the spatula, getting sausage on my t-shirt.

  "Gross." I pulled it off and tossed it back at her. "You know raw meat is nasty to me."

  "You’re such a girl." She glanced over her shoulder and winked. "So guess who I had dinner with last night."

  "Let's see... Darren?" I sat down and pressed my forearms against the counter in front of me.

  "Nope." She turned and lifted a carton of eggs. "Want an omelet, a scramble or some breakfast tacos?"

  "Tacos." I took a sip of my coffee. "Stop teasing me with foreplay and just tell me."

  "Oh Lord. You need to get laid. Soon." She walked to the pantry and got out the tortillas. "Speaking of that girl... I had dinner with-"

  "Riley?" My ears perked up as my heart skipped a beat.

  "Oh. I see I hit a nerve." She laughed. "What is it with this girl?"

  "She's beautiful, seems smart, confident, a bit of a bitch, and the look in her eyes during the audition was..." I took a shallow breath and chuckled. "Mesmerizing. So much passion. I wanted to throw her down on the bed behind us and work her into a moaning, wet-"

  "Okay. Thank you for the visual. Jeez." She turned back to the stove as I chuckled.

  "She's got me thinking about her nonstop, D. I can't shake her." I ran my fingers through my hair. "I keep pulling up her damn headshot and staring at her like a stalker."

  "No you don't." She turned to face me and took a sip of her coffee.

  I picked up my phone and held it toward her, showing her the picture. "Yeah, the fuck I do."

  "Oh my goodness." She laughed and walked toward me. "Have you texted her? I shot you her number the night of the audition."

  "No. I want to so bad that it hurts, but I really don't need a woman in my life. They're all the same. She'll like me at first, but soon she'll have dollar signs in her eyes. Then she'll deny me access to her body and things will just go down from there. No thanks." I took my phone back, glanced down at the beautiful girl and pressed the delete button. "I need to let it go."