The Callback

by Brandy L Rivers

  “Hope not. He can hurt me a lot more than Russell.”

  Mona nudged Leona. “Come on, he’s not a douchebag.”

  “Then change the topic, or let me write. And when he calls again, I need you to leave me alone.”

  “Oh, going to get dirty?”

  “Maybe. Either way, I don’t need a pep talk. I told him he could tell the public. I figured he would in an interview, not post us all over. But this probably works faster.”

  The home phone rang. “Go answer the phone. I’ll write. Thank you for letting me crash here.”

  “Anytime.” She climbed off the bed and headed to the living room.

  Leona snatched her phone off the nightstand and pulled up Instablast.

  There were so many comments, and he was answering without too many details, just making sure everyone knew they were indeed together.

  Biting her lip, she hopped in and replied.

  LeonaShay - I’ll never forget that day. Can’t wait to be next to you again.

  His answer came seconds later.

  LukeChance - There you are, dreamer. I hate being this far from you.

  And his fans went nuts. A few hateful jealous remarks. The rest were positive, well wishing.

  LeonaShay - Won’t be long until I’m back in your arms.

  LukeChance - Every time I fall asleep you’ll be there in my dreams, until I’m back there with you.

  And then the questions started. Everything from where did you meet to where have you done it. Seriously?

  LolaChance – OMG! She’s an author. They’re turning her book into a movie! Are you going to be in it?

  Oh God, how do they know that? Oh wait, there were people gossiping about it on her page. Shit, what was going on there?

  She flipped to her page real fast. Now that was blowing up with questions about the movie deal, about who would be in it, about if she was really with Luke Chance.

  Her phone rang and she nearly jumped out of her skin and tossed the phone up. She caught it and answered.

  “Oh god, you startled me,” she squealed.

  “Too far?” Luke asked.

  Her eyes squinched shut. “Uh…what did you answer about being cast?”

  “You didn’t see?”

  “Uh, I had to check my page, which is now going crazy.”

  “Too far, huh?” he asked, the smile gone from his voice.

  “No. It’s fine. Promise.” She let out a sigh. “You haven’t eaten yet. Why are you calling?”

  “Making sure I haven’t committed some horrible unforgivable crime against you.”

  “No crime. That was sweet. Though you have a few wannabe Mrs. out there.”

  “Don’t know what to do about them. That is why my PR person is already harping on me, but hey, at least now everyone knows you’re mine. And your reaction on the post was perfect. Ms. Claire applauds your responses.”

  “Ms. Claire?”

  “Yeah, I don’t know her first name.” He let out a laugh. “My agent hired her long ago. She’s good at what she does. And she will likely call you tomorrow. Don’t let her push you around. She probably won’t.”

  “Will this get you in trouble?”

  “No, it’s not like that. She would have preferred a warning before I did it so she had a statement ready to go, but she’ll have one in the morning. And I told her we’re definitely dating, that it’s early, but it’s very real. As much as I wanted to tell her it was far more than that, I wasn’t sure you’d go for that yet.”

  “You’re amazing, you know that? And I’ll reply in a moment. I need to figure out what to say about us on my page.”

  “Post a picture of us together. I can send you some of mine. I took a lot more.”

  She let out a shaky laugh. “I felt weird having it on my phone if it fell apart. I mean, wouldn’t that make me seem like a stalker fan?”

  “Stop worrying about that. Please. And I’ll call you soon. Maybe we’ll post a few more pictures.”

  “We?”

  “Yeah, the ones Raven took last time we went on the yacht.”

  “Oh, you’re going to involve them?”

  “They’re your friends too now. Why not? And Raven offered to post the picture.”

  “That’s going to imply Raven and Ryan are together.”

  “Sure, but then she gets left alone for a while. She does that sometimes.”

  “Okay. You all know what you’re doing. I don’t. But I think I know what to post.”

  “Got to go. I’ll chat with you in a bit. I do want you alone for our conversation.”

  “Hmm, me too, but promise that won’t get posted.”

  “Oh no, not going to take it there. I may show you off and say how beautiful you are, but I’m not going to post you naked. Just maybe in a bikini under the sun.”

  “I can live with that,” she murmured. “Talk to you soon.”

  Mona came back and leaned in the doorway. “Russell’s sister called. He’s got her trying to help you guys work out your shit. Since Luke just posted that picture, I told her that you’re over Russell and onto a hot young star who rocks your world.”

  Leona sat up, her mouth popping open. “You did not!”

  “Well, I told her you were with him. I left out the rock your world. She’s jealous, by the way. Told me to tell you good for you.”

  “Thank God. I swear, he only cares now that he knows about the movie deal. Why should that matter? I do well without that.”

  “Of course, but that will most likely increase your sales. A lot of people like to read a book before seeing the movie.”

  “True, but that makes me nervous too. Anyway, maybe without his sister in his corner, things will settle down. And I’m selling the house. I’ll look for a rental, on a lake. A nice one.”

  “A lake house? Does that mean I’ll be invited?”

  “Always, Mona. Always. Maybe Roach will come out and you two can stay with me awhile.”

  “Ooh, now there’s an idea. We can make plans. Luke can be there with you.”

  Laughing, Leona lay back and grabbed her laptop. “Okay, I’m going to write for a bit before he calls. This story is flowing.”

  “Have fun. See you in the morning.”

  “Nighty night.”

  It was time to reply to Luke and post her own picture.

  Chapter 27

  At the restaurant, Luke ordered and immediately picked up his phone. Right at the top of his notifications was Leona’s picture tagging him.

  They were snuggled on the hammock, before the clothes came off. Both smiling. Her caption was perfect.

  LeonaShay – You all wanted answers. Yes, I found someone who puts a smile on my face. Can’t wait until he’s done filming.

  Grinning, he said, “We do make a gorgeous couple.”

  “You do,” Ryan answered. “Having fun with Instablast and claiming your woman?”

  “Hell yes. I have a hundred more pictures I can post.” He looked up at the ceiling. “Okay, some of those she’d kill me if I post.”

  “Oh my God! Tell me you didn’t take any nude photos of her on your phone,” Raven squealed.

  “No, I’m not that crass. Just, a few sexy morning shots when she hadn’t woken up, but damn it, I didn’t want to forget how beautiful she is in the morning.”

  “Oh?” Ryan asked.

  “Totally uninhibited, radiant smiles. She does it for me in a way I’ve never experienced.”

  Ryan laughed. “Yeah, we’ve all noticed.”

  Luke’s brow arched. “Can you really tell me she’s not attractive?”

  “Oh, she is. The way her eyes latch onto everything is really damned sexy. How she studies everything, gets lost in thought. Man, I want in her head sometimes.”

  “Yeah, me too.” Luke nudged Ryan. “And why do you want in her head?”

  “Curious what she’s thinking, is all. Don’t worry, she’s not my type, gorgeous as she is.”

  “No one is your type,” teased Raven. She tur
ned to Luke. “Shall I post that picture of the three of you?”

  “Only if you are ready for what that will stir up.” Luke lifted a shoulder.

  Raven lifted a shoulder. “It will be fine. I’m not hanging on Ryan, and if people want to assume, let them. It’s better than half the people they want to put me with.”

  “That or they’ll think we’re tag-teaming Leona,” offered Ryan.

  Luke laughed. “You better set them straight if they go there.”

  Raven chimed in, “She did write a threesome, a really hot one.”

  Luke tipped his head from side to side. He couldn’t imagine sharing Leona with anyone. What he felt for her was too real, too all-consuming.

  He smiled at the picture on his phone and started reading through some of the comments. And some of her readers were filthy. Not that he minded, but he wondered how she would respond. She hadn’t responded to those and stuck to vague answers about what he was working on and how long they’d known each other.

  He couldn’t let her field them all on her own. So, he started handling some of the lewd ones with his own reply.

  LukeChance - Come on, people, let’s not get too personal here. We don’t ask what you do behind closed doors.

  Seconds later they were replying to him.

  ShayReader4Life - No, but have you read some of her hot scenes? We just want to know if she’s like that in real life.

  LolaChance - How hot are these scenes? I bet I need to read these.

  “Shit, shit, shit, fuck,” he whispered.

  “Oh, what did you do?” Raven asked, swiping the phone out of his hand as the waitress came over.

  They placed their order while Raven read the questions.

  As soon as the waitress left, Raven shook her head. “What is wrong with people?”

  He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Think they asked her this shit when she was married?”

  “Doubtful. She had no mention of him on her page.”

  While waiting on food, Luke did his best to field questions without details and show how much he missed her.

  Raven nudged Luke and passed over her phone. He hadn’t even realized she took the picture, but he smiled and read the caption.

  RavenStar - A new friend and a couple old ones. Aren’t Luke and Leona perfect together?

  “Might want to slow down on the pictures. Otherwise people will think it’s a publicity stunt,” warned Ryan.

  “I just posted one picture and answered some of them. Same with Leona. We both know Raven won’t answer anyone.”

  She lifted a shoulder. “I don’t mind sharing the right picture, but I’m not the one who wants to chat with all my fans. With my stalker out there, I won’t risk it.”

  “Don’t blame you,” Luke answered. “And thanks for posting the picture.”

  * * * *

  Mona came back into the room. “Wow, did you see what Raven posted?”

  “Uh, no. He said she might, not that she would.”

  “Look at it, Leona. Now! By the way, you look amazing. I’m jealous.”

  Shaking her head, she picked up her phone as the door shut and pulled up Raven Star’s Instablast account. Luke and Leona were curled up on one of the benches with Ryan leaning in to get in on the shot, giving them the thumbs-up.

  That moment played through her head. Her head had been on Luke’s shoulder, his fingers trailing up her ribs. He leaned in with a compliment and she lit up like a beacon. The things he made her feel were unreal.

  Raven didn’t answer anything. In fact, Luke had stopped too, and Leona only did a few before letting everyone know she was diving back into the book she was writing. Only, she kept looking at Raven’s picture.

  Insane to think she had a man she admittedly fantasized about but never imagined she would meet. And even if everything fell apart, at least she experienced something amazing.

  She went back to write, but her phone rang sooner than she expected. Probably for the best. She couldn’t concentrate as it was.

  Hopping up, she locked the door and answered, “Hey, Luke. Miss you.”

  “Sorry about the questions blowing up your page.”

  “It happens sometimes. I won’t answer anything inappropriate, and I have been known to delete comments and block people.”

  “Block people often?”

  “Not often, but I’ve had the occasional reader pissed off about a direction I took. When they start telling me I’m writing the story wrong on my page, I remove them.”

  “Wow, really?”

  “Yeah, and I’m sure you’ve been through the same thing with characters you’ve played.”

  “Yeah, but I’ve always just ignored them. Maybe I should remove them, but my fans will tear them down.”

  “Yeah, I just don’t want that drama on mine. So, I remove them. I removed a few of the questions people posted.”

  “Like what?” he asked.

  She laughed. “About how big you were, or your favorite position. Not talking about either publicly.”

  “That mean you’ve had better?” he teased.

  “Never better or bigger, but you know you’re the second man I’ve been with. I was just with the other far too long.”

  “That’s hard to imagine with how responsive you are, how commanding you can be. No one makes love like you do. It’s fucking amazing.”

  She laughed. “I can say the same about you, even if I don’t have the experience to back up that claim.”

  “Let’s not talk about him. Unless you need to.”

  “Don’t want to think about him. You’re much better to think about.”

  “I’m alone, in my hotel room, the door’s locked, the lights are on. I have a laptop next to the bed if you want to take this to a video call.”

  She licked her lips. “It will never leave your computer?”

  “Never, and I’ll make sure no one can find it. But it will help me late at night when I’m missing you.”

  “Won’t be the same as you here with me.”

  “No, but I can’t have that tonight. I can have this.”

  “Sure. What are you thinking?”

  “We’ll get hooked up on Skype, then maybe you can show me what you like with your favorite toy.”

  “That’s not here,” she answered immediately.

  “We can do that when you go to your home. You’re at Mona’s, right?”

  “Yeah, might stay here a while. Don’t really want to be in the house.”

  “I could have my sister give you the keys to my place. You could go back to LA.”

  Sighing, she set up her laptop. “After you get done with filming. When I can meet her with you.”

  “Nervous about that?”

  “A little. Think your parents want you with someone so much older?”

  “You’re not that much older, Leona.”

  “People can be weird about age.”

  “Your parents?”

  “Need to talk to them. Haven’t yet. Not for any reason other than you’ve kept me busy.” She cleared her throat. “I’ll tell them tomorrow.”

  “Just a warning, they may hear before then.”

  “It will be fine. Hey, so how do I find you?” Her parents would support her no matter what she did or who she chose.

  “Skype. And you can find me as BigLilBrother.”

  Her head tipped slightly. “What’s that from?”

  He laughed. “High school. My friends used to call me that.”

  “Why?” she asked, truly curious.

  “Punched out a guy bullying my sister. I’m four years younger.”

  “I really do want to meet her.”

  She pulled up the name and found him sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing nothing but a smile on his lips.

  Clicking the phone off, she nodded at the screen. “Seems I’m overdressed.”

  “Very. I need to see you.”

  Her eyes trailed over his sculpted body to his hard length. “Thinking about me?” she a
sked, slowly pulling the shirt over her head.

  “Haven’t stopped since the moment I first saw you.

  She pulled her bra off and pushed her breasts up. “Better?”

  “God, you look good. I wish I were there to touch you.”

  “Me too.” She bit down on her lip, closed her eyes, and stood up to rid herself of the jeans. Sitting down, she made sure her legs were open to him.

  His hand wrapped around his base to stroke. “Show me what you like.”

  “You know what I like,” she murmured, trailing one hand up to cup her breast and play with the nipple, the other down to stroke her clit.

  He licked his bottom lip. “Mmm, were you writing something sexy?”

  “Mmhmm, why?”

  “You’re glistening. Wish I were there to taste you.

  “Luke,” she whispered, sinking two fingers into her. “Your touch is better.”

  “Forget about that. I want you to come for me.”

  She watched the way he stroked himself and matched his pace, sliding another finger into her. He watched her with such passion, she threw herself into following his suggestions, then riding the pleasure.

  “Imagine me there, touching you.”

  Two could play that game. “Imagine my mouth wrapped around you, my tongue exploring your tip.

  “Shit.” His chest heaved, his eyes lowering, but he kept his gaze on her as she lay back on one elbow and put one foot on the bed to rock her hips into her touch.

  He stroked faster, his stomach working with the effort. God, he was so damned gorgeous it was hard to believe he was hers.

  “Leona, hurry up. Not lasting much longer.”

  She focused on her bundle of nerves. “Neither will I,” she moaned as she pinched, then drove her fingers into her.

  “God, yes,” he cried, coming the same time she shot off the edge.

  Sitting up, she smiled at Luke. “I could watch you every night.”

  “Same here.”

  She leaned forward. “Thanks for answering some questions on Instablast for me. I wasn’t sure what I was doing.”

  “You were perfect. And I may have to delete some of the stuff on mine, too.”

  “I trust you.”

  “You’re tired. Lie down, and I’ll talk with you until you fall asleep.”

  She lay on her side and pulled a blanket over her waist. “I hope the time goes by fast.” A yawn escaped.