“You look amazing,” Jessica said, after studying her friend.
“He’s going to jump your bones,” Zoë said, nodding her affirmative.
“Nicely put, Zoe,” Jessica said flatly.
“I’m driving you there,” Zoë announced, grabbing her car keys. “Call me when you want me to pick you up.”
Erin, Jessica and Zoë piled into Zoë’s new pink Mini-Cooper, and within ten minutes, they pulled up to the very crowded Roosevelt Hotel. Erin got out, sucking in her stomach as much as she could. She walked in after waving goodbye to her friends and swallowed. She had no idea where to go, and could not make out Johnny anywhere.
“Are you lost, love?” a voice asked from behind her. She turned, and was glad that Zoë put concealer on her for she knew she was blushing crimson. It was the new up and coming English actor, Chase Morgan. He had short black hair and clear blue eyes, tall and slim, about twenty-two years old. He was very attractive, and even Erin found herself drawn to him. Of course, whenever Johnny’s face popped into her head, nobody else really mattered.
“Actually, I’m supposed to be meeting someone here,” Erin managed to say.
“And they left you here all alone?” Chase asked. “Come, now, I’ll lead you up to the party, and you can wait for him there.”
As he was about to place his hand on Erin’s back to lead her upstairs, she stepped forward so she would avoid his touch. “Actually, I would rather just wait for him here,” she said as politely as she could. He made a move to touch her again, but she repeated her action. “Thank you for your kindness, but you do not have to wait with me.”
Before Chase could respond, Johnny crept up right behind her and wrapped her arm around Erin’s stomach. Erin was so surprised she nearly fell over, but she managed to steady her heart rate and maintain her composure. Johnny smiled at Chase, but it did not meet his eyes, which bore into the young man almost as if to challenge him to try and touch her again. Chase walked away and Johnny let go of Erin so he could see her for himself. She looked absolutely stunning, her curves fitting perfectly in the short, tight black dress. Her legs, those legs he got a glimpse of while she was in New York, were long and gorgeous. He almost could not blame Chase for hitting on her. Almost…
“You look…” He couldn’t find the right word to say that she had not heard before.
“So do you,” Erin said after a giggle.
“I am lucky to have you with me here tonight,” Johnny said. He offered her his arm and Erin slipped it through him. “You look absolutely stunning.”
Johnny led Erin to the special party room set up specifically for tonight. Erin was overwhelmed at how many people were there, how many celebrities were there and how many photogs were outside. Johnny introduced her to everyone he knew, making sure his arm was holding her tightly around her waist.
Women stared at Johnny while men stared at Erin. This was definitely something Erin was not used to, but her face passed as though she was quite content. Erin tried to converse with the people surrounding her and Johnny, in hopes to appear friendly, when all she really wanted to do was go home. Not that she was not flattered to be there, but the more time she spent at the after-party, the more she realized how boring celebrities really were. She didn’t mean Johnny, but the young up and coming actors all seemed like they were only there for the party. Everything that once seemed so cool and mysterious about these young stars to her faded and she was sad at that moment because a piece of her innocence slipped away.
After an hour of being there, Johnny leaned towards Erin, who was trying to contain her laughter by keeping her mouth closed, but that just caused her throat to restrict, her eyes to tear up, and once it was over, she had to cough a few times. Johnny watched her with a smile, and when Erin finally caught sight of him, straightened up. He chuckled, his smile causing Erin’s heart to flutter. God, would she ever get over her body’s initial reaction whenever he smiled at her?
“Are you bored?” he whispered to her, his low voice causing a thrilling shiver to run down her spine.
“No,” she replied, her eyes looking at the table in front of them.
“It’s no wonder you’re not an actor,” Johnny remarked dryly, “seeing as how you’re incredibly bad at lying.” He looked at her expectantly, his brow raised.
“Well, to be honest with you, parties aren’t willing my thing,” Erin said, shrugging her shoulders. “If that offends you, I’m sorry.” She was blushing again, but not because of him. She just hoped he did not think she was rude.
“Don’t apologize for telling me how you feel,” Johnny said seriously. He then grinned and wrapped his arm around Erin’s bare shoulders, pulling her closer to him. “Because, between you and me,” he told her, lowering his voice and inclining his head so that his lips were nearly brushing her ear, “I’m not really into these things either.” He paused, just looking at her and how close she was. “Do you wanna get out of here?” he asked her, looking up at her with imploring brown eyes.
“I do,” she murmured back, her eyes drowning in his.
He grinned again, and this time, she grinned back. She felt so naughty as he slipped his hand around hers, and snuck away with him, out of the room with the beautiful women, the handsome men, the delicious food, the variety of drinks, and instead of going out the front, Johnny took Erin out the back where there was no one save for a valet boy. Erin let Johnny lead her to his car, and he opened the door for her, once the pair reached it. After Erin was tucked safely inside, Johnny slid into his own side, and without looking back, the two were off.
Erin could not keep the smile off of her face as she and Johnny drove through Hollywood. They would stop at tourist landmarks and took pictures of each other doing goofy things. At some point, they would ask a lone tourist to take a picture of the two together. Along the way, Johnny would stop and sign autographs for lucky late-night people, out and about. Slowly, Erin was becoming much more comfortable with the man she was with. It was not that he was not friendly, on the contrary; she was simply intimidated and nervous whenever she was around him. But seeing him goofing off with her, seeing him politely accept autograph and picture requests made her feel a bit more relaxed, and thus, much more happy.
“You look freezing,” Johnny commented, once the two were back in the car. Skillfully, he kept his eyes on the road while turning on the heater so his guest would not freeze to death in his car.
Erin’s cell phone rang at that moment, and after she thanked Johnny, she answered it.
“Hello?” she asked, although her caller identification already branded the culprit as Zoë.
“Hey,” the voice on the other end replied. “Do you still need a ride? It’s getting kind of late, but I want to you to have as much fun as you can… if you know what I mean.”
Erin rolled her eyes. “Yeah, unfortunately Zoe, I do know what you mean,” she remarked, leaning her head against the cold window. Johnny looked at her from the corner of his eyes, and a grin slid on his face as he saw a piece of her personality. He wanted to see more.
“Where are you right now, Holl?” Zoë asked, trying to stifle a yawn.
“In his car,” Erin replied, without even thinking about it, and then snapped her head off the window. “Not like that Zoë!” she exclaimed quickly.
This time, Johnny could not muffle his chuckles, but Erin did not seem to hear him.
“Hey, Johnny,” Erin said after a moment, turning towards him, and placing her hand over the receiver of her phone. “Would it be possible if you dropped me back off at the hotel so my friend can pick me up?” Her brow was furrowed, and her eyes looked anxious.
“Nonsense,” Johnny said, shaking his head. “I’ll take you home, and don’t say no because I insist.”
“Thank you very much,” Erin said with a smile, and then put her phone back to her ear. “Hello?” she said, trying to get Zoë’s attention once again.
But getting Zoë’s attention was not the problem. “He insists, Holl,” Zo�
� said with a smirk on her face.
“Oh, shut up, Zoë,” Erin snapped. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Take your time,” Zoë taunted, and then lowly added, “I know you want to.” Before Erin could respond, Zoë hung up.
“Sorry about that,” Erin apologized, putting her cell phone away. “My friend is just crazy sometimes.”
“She seems fun,” Johnny said. He glanced at her once again, and then added, “I like how you loosen up when you talk to her.” He changed the subject as he looked back out onto the dark road. “Now, where is your place?”
After Erin gave Johnny the easiest directions she could think of, she leaned back in her chair, letting out a silent breath. Johnny, although without knowing it, was thinking the same thing as the girl next to him was. They wished the night was longer. Erin wished she did not have to return home, and Johnny wished he could spend more time with her, so that she could be as comfortable with him as she was with her friend.
Fifteen minutes of small talk, and Johnny pulled up to Erin’s apartment complex. Johnny parked the car, and the two walked up the stairs together. When they reached the top of the stairs, Johnny entwined his fingers with hers. Erin looked up at him, a smile on her face, and the two proceeded down the hallway until they reached the very last door. As Erin began to fumble in her purse for her keys, Johnny’s mind was racing with what he should say. He wanted to see her again, he wanted to be more than a flirtatious friend. The way she looked tonight, the way she carried herself, the way she joked with her friend. He could already start to feel more than just attraction to her. The clinging of her keys caused him to look sharply at Erin.
“I had a wonderful night,” Erin said. “Thank you again, for taking me home… for everything, really.”
“Erin,” Johnny said lowly. She froze and her eyes locked with his, looking at him with curiosity and subtle hints of lust. She bit her lip subconsciously, which only propelled Johnny’s dark eyes to cloud over even more, filling with desire. Slowly, he leaned his head forward to hers, so that his nose was brushing hers. This time, the contact did not make Erin blush, but she simply stared up at him, waiting. He reached up to cup her cheek, and then, softly pushed head towards him, and then captured her mouth softly with hers.
It was one of the best feelings Erin had ever felt before. It was not even because she was kissing her Hollywood crush, but the fact that he was kissing her, the fact that it was more than just some random hookup. She was kissing Johnny Barker because she liked him, and she hoped that he was kissing her because he liked her as well.
The kiss did not get incredibly passionate, but the feeling was still there. When Erin pulled away, Johnny leaned his head on her forehead, a genuine smile on his perfectly-sculpted face. “I want to see you again, Erin,” he murmured to her. “I want to see you whenever I can, whenever you can. I want you, Erin.”
Erin looked at Johnny with such a smile that Johnny could not help but smile back. He leaned down and quickly kissed her again and again and again. Erin was laughing by the time Johnny pulled her into a hug, lifting her feet off the ground and twirling her around in a circle. When he stopped and gently placed her back down, she was still beaming.
At that moment, a soft, icy snowflake – small enough to be one of Erin’s freckles, landed on her cheek. It wasn’t snowfall, but it was still a miracle. Just like this. Just like him.
“I want you too, Johnny,” she said. “I want you too.”
He grinned. “I hope this means that I can finally have your number now then.” And without warning, he proceeded to kiss her again.
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