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

by Ali Parker

  "She's coming back for the last audition." Deza moved back to the stove and moved around as I tried not to react.

  "Just her? If I recall, I only saw her." I finished my coffee and got up to help her plate up the tacos.

  "We're bringing in a few well-known actresses. Trish Desmount and Dani Lee." She turned and handed me a plate with three tacos on it.

  "You're trying to fatten me up. I should take a picture of this. It's proof." I leaned over and kissed her cheek. "This looks great, but I'm not kissing Dani Lee. She's a bipolar witch with voodoo dolls. I'm pretty sure my left nut hurts all the time from her playing with those dolls’ balls."

  "Are you serious right now?" She laughed loudly and grabbed her plate. "I mean, really, where do you come up with this shit?"

  "Reality becomes fiction, D." I sat down and gave her a cheeky grin. "I'm not kissing her."

  "There is no kissing in the scene we chose, so you're welcome." She sat down and picked up her taco, lifting it to me. "To you being the bestest friend a girl could ever have."

  "Can we add the kissing scene in just for Riley, or would that be a little unethical?" I slapped my taco against hers. "Us girls gotta stick together."

  She rolled her eyes and took a big bite, talking around it. "We're not doing the kissing scene, but it's a love making scene. You're going to be in bed together. Good enough?"

  "Hell yes, except with Dani. Can we do a scene where I dangle her ass over the side of a building and for some odd reason I greased up my hands with lotion first?" I shoved half a taco in my mouth as she slapped me.

  "You guys fucked, didn't you? You're only salty about women when they've denied you or you have bad blood between you." She turned and pinned me with a hard stare.

  "What? No. Fuck no." I finished up my first taco. "She got in my face a few years back because she was pissed she didn't get that role in Deep Dive with me." I shrugged. "She wasn't at all the girly type. You remember that poor blond girl they cast to play-"

  "Mitsy. Yes. She was horrible." Deza shook her head. "I'm sure glad for where we are instead of where we were."

  "Me too." I took a big bite of my second taco and chewed slowly, enjoying just how well Deza could cook. I picked up her coffee and drank most of it before letting out a long growl of contentment. "You're the best cook ever. Can you and I just get married and stop acting like it's not going to happen?"

  "I'm holding out for a big black man." She glanced over at me and wagged her eyebrows.

  "What? No way. I'm packing what they pack, and I'm much prettier." I batted my eyelashes at her.

  "You, my favorite, are a bipolar mother fucker." She got up and walked to the fridge, pulling out a gallon of juice. "Why don't you just text Riley and get it over with?"

  "Maybe after the next audition. I really don't think it would be smart to do before then." I finished my second taco and got up, walking into the kitchen and setting my plate down by the stove. "Leave this one. I'll eat it for dinner."

  "That's in twelve hours, Ethan. It's going to taste like shit. It's eggs." She reached for it as I pushed her back softly.

  "I'm serious. I'm a bachelor. I'll eat it." I leaned against the counter and smiled. "Thank you again for breakfast. Sorry I made you jealous with the monster."

  "Oh, brother." She rolled her eyes and walked toward the living room. "Why would it be better for you to wait on talking with Riley?"

  "Because at this point, I would just be trying to bed her." I walked into the living room, picking at my teeth.

  "Is it always about sex with you guys?" She sat down and pulled a pillow into her lap.

  "It is at the beginning. That love crap comes later... I guess. I've never been in love." I shrugged. "I wouldn't even really know what it feels like."

  "I don't believe that. You star in romance movies or at least movies that have a strong focus on romance. Every woman in the world thinks you’re Casanova."

  "They're wrong. I understand sex, but love? Hell no." I leaned back, turning to stretch out and put my feet in her lap.

  She reached down and rubbed them as she watched me. "You've really never been in love?"

  "Not unless you consider me loving how tight some girls are. That's love, right?" I smirked as she pushed at my feet and got up.

  "Damn, you're gross."

  "Typical male, D. Don't be a prude. Come rub my feet." I yawned and turned onto my side, letting my thoughts slip back to Riley. She was everything I wanted in my bed and then some. But love? No way. I wasn't interested in anything more than making a great movie with her and then offering her a physical release or two. Something told me that she would be more than capable of matching me in the sheets, but would she beckon to my request to strip down and bend over?

  I laughed at the thought. I barely knew her, and yet something told me that she would be the one making the requests.

  "What are you laughing at?" Deza stopped by the couch and put her hands on her hips.

  "I was fucking Riley in my head." I tapped the side of my head. "Why?"

  "Why is that funny?" She pulled her keys from her pocket.

  "Because I'm thinking she might own me far before I own her." I rolled onto my back and cupped my hands over my stomach. "Come back over here and rub my feet."

  "Nope. You lost your chance by being nasty." She walked to the front door. "Get Riley out of your head, handsome. You know as well as I do that Frank won't go for you dating a co-actor. It's a huge no-no. It could fuck up everything in the movie because of tension between you guys if things don't go right, and honestly, I've never seen your relationships turn out well. Just forget her, okay?"

  "Relationships? I'm talking about a quick fuck in the trailer." I sat up and gave her a cocky grin. "Relationships. Please. I’m Ethan Lewis, remember?"

  “How could I forget?” She turned and walked out, leaving me to my thoughts.

  Chapter 11

  A Week Later

  Riley

  A text came in early that morning that they were hoping to swing the auditions at seven that night, which gave me about eight hours to pace the floor. I'd accepted their invite, though I was a little wary of trying to pull off my facade in front of Ethan again.

  My mother wasn't staying with me and Charlotte anymore, but with some old friends of hers. To say I was uneasy was a massive understatement. My mother's friends reminded me a little too much of my brother, Derick's, old friends.

  I dropped down on the couch and let out a shaky sigh, wishing that Charlotte was home for the day so we could talk things through. I needed someone to unload my shit on, and after hiding from the world for a few years, I was alone.

  I pulled out my phone and texted Jace to see if he was free for an afternoon romp in the sheets. It was tacky and not something I did too often, but between lamenting over my brother's death four years ago, my mom's shitty choices and having to make out with Ethan Lewis later that night, I was a hot mess.

  Jace called, surprising me a little.

  "Hey." I leaned back against the couch.

  "Hey yourself, sexy. You need some stress relief?" He chuckled.

  Bastard. "Yep. Come over and fuck me. I'm at Charlotte's place."

  "I'm headed that way. Give me fifteen minutes. I gotta drop off a paper for my psych class first."

  "All right. Bring condoms." I tried not to think about just how stupid I was being in my current mood, but guilt had a way of lingering around until it was acknowledged and dealt with. "And hurry before I change my mind."

  "All right, sexy. I'll be right there."

  I hung up the phone and pursed my lips. It was a mistake to call him.

  I grabbed the phone and stared at it, thinking through how badly I wanted to call him back and say never mind, but I couldn't. I hadn't been with a man in four months at that point. There was no way I could shake like a leaf in Ethan's hands later that night. That shit wasn't happening no matter what. He was far too much man for his own good. I wasn't playing the role of ego fee
der.

  A knock on the door a few minutes later had my hormones standing to attention.

  "Coming," I called out and opened the door.

  "Not yet you're not, but you will be soon." Jace walked in and dropped his keys on the table before turning and wrapping me in a tight hug. He lifted me off the ground and gripped the back of my neck, pulling me down to press his lips to mine.

  I groaned softly and opened my mouth to him, sucking on his tongue as he walked us back to my new bedroom. My hands ran down his chest to tug at his shirt as I wrapped my legs around him and ground against his thick erection.

  "Hell yes. I love it when you don't have sex for a few weeks." He licked at the side of my neck as he sat me down and we started to tear at each other's clothes. He was a god in his own head, and I was willing to do a little bit of worshiping. It wouldn't go to his head... not too badly.

  "It's been four months." I reached down and ran my hands over his stomach, gripping his cock and stroking him as my eyes moved back up to his. "God, you're hot."

  "Yeah, I am. Take advantage of it." He laughed and pulled me from my current activities. "You want me to eat you out or you just want the dick?"

  "The dick." I got up on the bed on my hands and knees, feeling very much like the whore I was acting like. Had we not been fuck buddies for the last five years, I never would have offered up my ass like a hot dish served on a platter.

  "Damn, Ri... you're so fine." He got up on the bed and gripped my ass tightly. "How is it that you don't have a man?"

  "Do you have a condom on?" I reached between my legs and groped him before letting out a long sigh and stretching my hands up the length of the bed. I pressed my face to the soft mattress below me and rocked my hips, teasing him. "I don't want one. They're too much trouble, and besides... I have you."

  "Yeah you do, baby." He pressed into me, and I lifted up to my hands as pleasure shot through my center.

  "Oh fuck." I pushed back as I glanced over my shoulder to watch his face contort with sensuality.

  "So tight. Has it been four months? Fuck. We gotta start hanging out more. It used to be a few times a week. What happened?" He rocked against me, and I turned back around, pressing my hands to the bed and letting my head drop.

  "We grew up." I pulled forward and slammed backward against him. "We'll reminisce over tea and cake later. Right now I want to be fucked. Hard, please."

  He laughed and ran one strong hand up my back, gripping my shoulder as he rammed into me again. The power of his thrust jolted me forward and the world melted. I was going to come before we even got started. He would eat that shit up.

  "Like this?" He thrusted again.

  "Shut up and go faster," I growled and bounced back on him.

  "Anything the lady wants." He stopped talking and worked me hard and fast. I gripped the sheets, falling deep into the high the feeling of his hands provided.

  A scream ripped from my chest as I lifted my head and arched my back hard.

  "Hell yeah. Damn, girl." He reached around and gripped my throat, pulling back to hold me in place as he lifted up and pressed in deeper.

  I cried out again and dug my nails into the bed, lost to him and the insanity of his thrusts. Life was far too short to live without the type of pleasure Jace could provide. Who needed the pipe dream of Ethan Lewis anyway?

  "Not me," I whispered and closed my eyes as Jace took good care of me for the next few hours.

  *

  Jace left the minute we were done taking turns making one another scream, which was good. No need to give me hope that maybe he had the possibility of changing from the whore he was to a guy I could see myself with. It wasn't going to happen, which was fine. I wasn't sure I could handle that massive of a shift anyway.

  I showered and got dressed in a navy cotton dress before strapping sandals on my feet and fixing my hair and make-up. As much as I hated to get all dolled up, it wouldn't do me any favors to not look my best at the audition.

  The front door opened as I grabbed my keys and walked toward it.

  Charlotte smiled and lifted her eyebrows at me. "You look great! Where in the world are you going?"

  "To my next audition." I had a wild thought. "You want to come?"

  "Are you shitting me right now?" She dropped her purse and stood in shock.

  "Nope. It's a love scene though, so no getting jealous. He doesn't have feelings for anyone but himself. I told you... he's a dick." I moved up beside her and picked up her purse for her. "You got ten minutes to freshen up if you're going."

  "Am I going? Are you nuts? Of course I'm going." She darted past me, screaming like a school girl and talking so quickly that I couldn't keep up. I was too relaxed to even try.

  "Time's up," I called down the hall a few minutes later. "Let's go."

  "Really?" She walked out looking like a million bucks in her tight jeans and pretty pink shirt. "Does this scream whore?"

  "No, but letting Jace fuck me for hours today and going through five condoms does. I'm playing whore today. You look hot, but not slutty. Let's go. I don't want to be late. Ethan is the kind of guy that will use just about anything to get pissy over. He likes being pissy from what I can tell." I smirked and opened the door. "This train is leaving the station."

  "All right. Jeez. I get the biggest opportunity of my whole life, and you're going to rush me." She gave me a playful glare as she walked out of the apartment. "I'll drive if you need to go over your lines."

  "Sounds good, but there aren't many lines. It's a sex scene, so it should be fun seeing how this goes off." I rolled my shoulders and tried to stifle the need to run to the bathroom and crap my guts out.

  "Are you wearing your bra or are they expecting you to show your boobs to him?" She glanced over at me with a look of wonder mixed with horror.

  I couldn't help but laugh. "I don't know. I assume the bra is good, but if not... it's part of the deal, right? I think in the actual film I'm topless, but I don't think they're going to show it in the movie."

  "He'll still see you though, right?"

  "Yeah. He'll be naked too. He’ll probably have the cock cup on that we're always talking about." I laughed and got into my side of the car. My nervousness was all but gone after having Jace worship me for the afternoon. I felt centered, steady, like Ethan nor his approval mattered. Getting the part mattered, but taking the pressure off of me that he mattered helped. A lot.

  "Please tell me that he'll be mostly naked today." She reached out and pawed at me.

  I swatted her away. "I doubt it. It will probably be undies for both of us."

  "How are you not freaking out right now? I know you play it cool when I talk about him, but he affects you, Riley. How can he not?" She started to pant softly.

  "Hey, no panting or acting like he's a god or any of that. Okay? No crazy school girl crap. We're going to play it cool and act like grown women for the first time in our lives."

  "You are. I can't help the fact that my dreams are coming true." She bounced in her seat as my stomach turned farther. She was going to lose her fucking mind when she saw Ethan. Any woman would.

  "Right. Maybe you shouldn't come then. It's going to affect the audition if you act like a fool and I was the one that brought you there." I gave her a look, even though my words were a little harsh. "Unless you can act like you're cool even though you're not?"

  "All right." She sighed and pulled into the studio parking lot, turning off the car and glancing over at me. "How long do we have?"

  "Fifteen minutes, and we're not going in early. I'm sure he's going through the motions with some other actress now." I shrugged and pulled the small mirror above me down so that I could reapply my lipstick.

  "I still can't believe this is happening." She pulled her mirror down too. "Do you think I could change my name?"

  "What?" I glanced over at her as I pursed my lips.

  "My name. It's too old fashion. Maybe you should introduce me as Jade or Sicily?" She shrugged and gave me a nervo
us grin. "It's not like he's going to ask me out. He doesn't need to know my real name."

  "I like your real name. It's you." I lifted my eyebrow at her and unlocked the door. "Come on. Let's stand at the back and wait for him to get done. Then I'll introduce you to him."

  "Call me Jade though, okay? Seriously." She got out of the car and gave me a stern look over the top of it.

  "I'm not introducing you as Jade. If he does ask you out, or I get the part and we all hang out for the next year, then what? That's dumb." I reached into the backseat and grabbed my duffle bag. "You're Charlotte. Always have been, always will be."

  "You are a complete dud. Total and complete dud. You hear me?" She pushed her shoulder against mine as we moved toward the large gray building ahead of us.

  "Yeah, you're right next to me." I laughed. "Stop being a turd. This is going to be fun, but no getting jealous."

  "Of you? How can I not be? Anyone with half a brain and a crush on Ethan would be." She slid her arm against mine and let out a soft squeal as we walked into the studio and moved to the back. "Oh my God. There he is!"

  "Shhh..." I glanced over at her. "Seriously. Don't mess this up."

  "Never. I promise." She bounced on the balls of her feet as I groaned internally. She was going to lose her shit when Ethan walked over.

  Hell, I might too.

  Chapter 12

  Ethan

  "Promise me that you're going to behave today." Deza gave me a side glare as we walked toward the set.

  "Nope. That would take the joy out of my life. I thought you cared about me, D. Why would you ask something like that of me?" I winked at her before stopping by the snack table and picking up a Twinkie. I'd almost gotten Riley off my mind, but the thought of seeing her left butterflies dancing in the center of my stomach. It was weird, and yet I knew what it was. Lust.

  I wanted to put the pretty girl to the mattress beneath me and see what she was made of. Nothing else.

  "Let's go. Dani is early." Deza popped my butt as I shoved half the Twinkie in my mouth and glanced over my shoulder.