Strange Addiction

by Alexis Nicole

  Finally, I spotted the two of them, and I watched with eagle eyes as King led Blair through the party the same way he’d done me. He paraded her around like she was a trophy. His hand was around her waist as he took her from one guy to the next. I frowned the whole time, until I watched King settle in front of some guy that I had seen before—not at our house, but at some of the other Hollywood parties we’d attended.

  The guy—I couldn’t remember his name—was all over Blair. Now he was the one who was holding her and whispering in her ear. King stood back like he was the proud papa. Then I watched him chat until the guy pulled out something from inside his jacket pocket. I was too far away to see exactly what it was, but it didn’t take a genius to figure it out.

  It was a plastic bag, and I suspected there was some white powder or some pills inside.

  I watched as King led Blair and the guy into the study off of the living room. When they disappeared, I started down the steps. But when I got to the bottom, I stopped. Why was I going to follow them? What was I going to do? It wasn’t like I was going to do any drugs.

  Truly, I wanted to know what was going on, especially with Blair. I hadn’t seen her in eight months, and she came to my house and just left me?

  It didn’t make any sense.

  But I just turned around and walked back up the stairs. Maybe King was just introducing Blair to someone in the industry. Before we went to Connecticut, she was always talking about King introducing her to someone. Maybe that was what this was all about.

  Maybe, or maybe not. I didn’t know. But I was so over this party, so over these people, so over Blair and even King. Honestly, I was tired and couldn’t care less about what was going to happen for the rest of the night.

  Inside our bedroom I locked the door, stripped, then went into the bathroom and took a Valium that King’s doctor had given to me to help me calm down as we were moving into our house. This was only the second time I was taking one of these pills. I didn’t want to start a bad habit, but with the music blasting and all the people talking and laughing, I was going to need something to help me sleep.

  I slipped underneath the heavy satin duvet and closed my eyes. In no time, I was able to tune out the world. My last thought before I lost consciousness was that it would all be different in the morning.

  Chapter 10

  Breakfast in bed was a rare luxury. But that was what I woke up to this morning. When I finally opened my eyes, King was standing over me.

  “Sleeping Beauty,” he said.

  It took several moments for my eyes to focus and fully see King, smiling down at me, holding a tray.

  “What is this?” I asked, knowing that I sounded groggy. I was still a little out of it; I guess it was the Valium.

  “Breakfast.”

  As I scooted up in the bed, pulling the sheet with me, King laid the tray across my lap.

  “Good morning,” he said as he kissed my cheek.

  “This is wonderful,” I said, looking down at the tray, which held a plate filled with eggs Benedict and salmon croquettes, and a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.

  Looking up at King, I couldn’t help but smile. I knew he could see the love I had for him in my eyes. It was wonderful. This was the reason why I loved this man. He treated me like his queen when he wasn’t so stressed out. “Baby, thank you so much for this,” I said as I scooped a forkful of salmon into my mouth.

  “I thought you deserved a little pampering after all you did to make sure that the party went off without a hitch. Did you have fun last night?”

  I did everything I could to keep my smile in place and the words that I really wanted to say out of my mouth. I wanted to tell King, “Hell no!” That I hadn’t had fun at all. And that I would be happy if we never, ever had another party in our house again. I didn’t say any of that. I just nodded sweetly and kept on eating. At least I didn’t lie out loud.

  “Yeah, it was a great party,” King said. I guess he was pleased that I seemed happy. “But you went to bed early, huh?”

  “It wasn’t that early,” I said, betting on the fact that he hadn’t missed me.

  “When I came up, the door was locked.”

  “Sorry about that. It was just that there were a few people still here when I came up here.”

  “That’s okay,” he said, kissing me again. “I know where we keep the key. Finish up. I have another surprise for you when you’re finished.”

  “What?” I said, clapping like I was a five-year-old.

  “You’ll just have to wait and see.” Then he disappeared into our master bath.

  I didn’t have to wait too long to find out about my next surprise. As soon as I pushed aside the tray, King came back in, took my hand, and lifted me from the bed.

  There was a bubble bath already prepared for me, and as I settled into the warmth of the Jacuzzi tub, King pampered me. He washed my back, my arms, my legs, and everywhere else. And then he carried me back to our bed, where he laid me underneath the covers and told me to relax.

  “Just lay back and let your King take care of you.”

  As Kem sang all my favorite ballads, I closed my eyes and melted under the gentle massage from King’s fingertips. I fell deeper, deeper, deeper into a state of relaxation. With the music still in my ears and King’s hands still on my body, I dreamt about what my life would be like when King and I made our relationship official, when we became husband and wife. By then King would be more settled, more used to being a star, and I imagined that our life would be this wonderful all the time. Breakfast in bed, massages all the time.

  As King made his way up to my shoulders, I knew that I never wanted this to end. Not any of it. He was too wonderful a man for me to give up just because he had a few bad moments. I just had to remember times like these. I just had to remember that through it all, he loved me.

  My eyes were still closed when King leaned over and kissed my neck. Then his tongue made its way to my ears, my cheeks, until he turned me over and kissed my lips passionately.

  I moaned, hardly able to wait for what was next.

  But when King pulled away from me, my eyes snapped open.

  “Babe, I gotta head out.”

  I frowned. Was he serious? He gave me this beautiful morning of pampering, and then, just like that, he was leaving me?

  “What?” I asked, thinking that I had misheard his words.

  “I have to make a run.”

  “But what about all of this? You planned such a beautiful morning.” I put on the best pout that I could muster.

  But that did nothing for King.

  “Heiress, I can’t,” he said, not budging a bit. “I have to make a run, and then I have loads of meetings today.” He kissed me softly on my forehead. “I’m sure you can find something to do. Right, baby? I mean, the people have to come clean the house and put everything back in order from last night. I’ll see you later.”

  Two seconds after that, he was gone. I sat up in our bed for several minutes afterward, asking myself what had just happened. I couldn’t believe it. Here I was, alone again. When I finally pushed myself out of bed, I wrapped myself inside my bathrobe, then wandered through the eight thousand square feet of our home. That was all I had to do, just wander. I moved from room to room, glancing in all the guest bedrooms and the two libraries and the gym, which I never used. I wandered until the phone rang. I sighed until I saw the number on the caller ID screen. I couldn’t believe it.

  “Blair!” I couldn’t hold back the excitement in my voice.

  “Hey, Heiress.”

  “What’s going on, girl? How’ve you been?”

  “I’m good. I’m sorry we didn’t get to spend any time together last night. After King introduced me around, I was looking for you but couldn’t find you.”

  “Girl,” I said, “I went straight to bed. We’ve had so many of those parties, I was so over it.”

  “Well, I was wondering if you wanted to do lunch at my town house, since, like you said, we h
aven’t had time together.”

  “I would love that!”

  “Me too, because we really have to catch up.”

  “Definitely. Hold on. Let me get your address.” I jotted it down on a notepad and told Blair that I would be on my way soon. “All I have to do is get dressed. Give me an hour.”

  It turned out that Blair wasn’t really that far away. King had set her up in a town house in Venice Beach, so all I had to do was head down PCH, then make a right onto Lincoln. Within thirty minutes I pulled into the driveway of the address that Blair had given me, and peered through the car window. There were four matching town houses, all new. I parked, then trotted up the steps and rang the doorbell.

  When Blair answered the door, just like last night, I had to pause to take in my best friend. My goodness, she had changed so much in just eight months. Not that Blair didn’t always look good, but now she was so . . . Hollywood. Her hair and makeup were as flawless as they’d been last night, though today they were much simpler. Her hair was slicked back in a bun, and her makeup was light. Even though she was home, she was wearing a vintage Chanel suit and some killer Versace shoes. But the thing that looked most different about Blair was that she glowed. I knew what it was immediately.. . . Blair had a new man in her life.

  Inside I chuckled. No wonder I hadn’t been able to get in touch with her. She had been spending all of her time with some man. And now she wanted to tell me all about him.

  “Come on in, girl,” she said, sounding more cheery than she had last night. “Welcome to Blair’s lair.” She opened the door wider so that I could step in.

  When I walked inside, right away I could see that this place was gorgeous. It was decked out with leather furniture, expensive rugs, and had mini chandeliers everywhere. Clearly, Blair hadn’t decorated this place herself. Not that she didn’t have good taste—she did. But having worked with an interior designer myself, I knew when a place had been professionally laid out.

  “Oh, my God, bestie,” I said as I moved slowly through the living room, “this place is gorgeous.”

  “Thanks,” she said with a big grin on her face.

  “Wow, King really felt bad for taking me away from you, huh? I guess he figured this would make up for that.”

  “Well, he did get this house for me, but I decorated everything myself,” she said quickly.

  “Really?”

  She nodded, walked over to her coffee table, and picked up the remote for the sound system. In an instant, soft music flowed through the living room.

  I smiled, impressed.

  “Come on. I have lunch set up in the dining room.”

  I followed her, feeling like we had both changed so much in less than a year. I felt so grown up as I sat at her mahogany table, where she had two fish salads set out for us.

  “I guess we’re not struggling college graduates anymore,” I said as I sat across from her at the table.

  “I guess not.”

  “Just think, a year ago we were both struggling, trying to make it in the City of Angels. And now . . .”

  “We’re living the life that we talked about,” she said, finishing my sentence and my thought the way she used to.

  “Blair, everything here is so beautiful.” I eyed the paintings on the dining room walls. But then I shook my head and turned back to my friend. “Okay, tell me what’s up.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What’s up with you? I mean, look at you. You’re glowing.”

  “Well, you don’t look so bad yourself.”

  I laughed. “Yes, and it’s because of King.” I put down my fork. “So tell me, who’s the man in your life?”

  Even though she was the color of rich peanut butter, I could tell that Blair was blushing. The blush of new love.

  Bingo! I was right. Not that I had any doubt. I knew Blair, and all these changes . . . It was all about a man.

  “So . . .”

  Finally, she opened up . . . a little. “It’s very new, and I don’t want to ruin it by saying too much.”

  “You can tell me. I’m your best friend.”

  “Well, I will say this. He’s really great.” She began to smile harder.

  That made me want to ask her all kinds of questions, but I figured that I wouldn’t press it. There was enough to talk about with me, and so I told Blair all that had been going on: how I’d been so bored in Connecticut and how we’d come back and how King did not want me to work.

  “How do you feel about that?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d always wanted to be a journalist. You know that. And I miss it, but . . .”

  “King wants you to stay home.”

  I nodded. “He says that he loves taking care of me.”

  “That’s a good thing, right?”

  “Yeah, but I’m just afraid that I might lose myself to King’s life, and I don’t want to do that.”

  “I’m sure that’s not what King wants to do. I’m sure he’s thinking that he’s doing what’s best.”

  “Yeah . . . maybe . . . yeah.”

  “Let’s not talk about this anymore.” She pushed her plate aside. “Come into my bedroom. I want to show you my photo albums. I’ve been taking lots of pictures.”

  “You’re going back to that?”

  “Uh-huh. The guy I’m dating thinks he might be able to get a book of my photographs published.”

  “Wow. Now, that would be great.”

  Inside her bedroom we kicked off our shoes, lay on her bed, and talked and laughed for hours. We reminisced about our college days, past relationships, and our families.

  It was almost seven o’clock by the time I glanced at my watch.

  “Girl, I need to be heading home. King will be there soon.”

  “It was so good seeing you,” Blair said as she held my arm and walked me to the door. “We can’t go for months again without talking.”

  “I agree. Just make sure that you answer your phone when I call.”

  Blair laughed. “Okay, I will.” When I gave her a long look, she added, “I promise.”

  Just a few minutes after that, I was back in my car, heading toward Malibu. As I let the evening air into the car, I thought about the hours I’d spent with Blair. Days like today were what life was all about to me. I had started the morning with the man I loved and had spent most of the daytime hours with the friend I adored. Life was truly good now, and I had a feeling deep down that everything was only going to get better from here on in.

  Chapter 11

  King was working on a new film, which gave me time to do some of the things I’d been wanting to do since we’d returned to Los Angeles. Like some serious shopping.

  I rarely made the trek from Malibu to Beverly Hills, but when I woke up this morning to find that King had already gone to the set, I decided that I was going to do some retail therapy.

  As I dressed, I thought about King. It had been only two weeks since he’d started filming, but in that time he’d been so distant, that is, when he came home. Of course, he came home every night, but it was often after midnight, and he’d just drop into our bed, exhausted.

  We hadn’t talked all that much, and that meant we definitely weren’t making love. It had been only two weeks, but still I was worried. I might have been young, but I knew how important romance was in any relationship. And I didn’t want too many more days to pass without King and me connecting, especially since our one-year anniversary was approaching. I needed to come up with some ideas, and Rodeo Drive seemed to be the best place to brainstorm.

  It was a forty-five-minute drive to Beverly Hills, and after I pulled into a parking lot, I strolled through the streets. It really did feel like the streets were paved with gold in this city.

  I passed by all the famous stores and stopped in front of a china shop. The windows were filled with wineglasses and dinner sets, and for some reason, I wanted to go inside and get a better look.

  Now, I wasn’t the type to be excited about plates a
nd glasses, but in this place I was in a trance. The beauty of these pieces was so apparent, and I walked from one chest to the next, studying them all. Every glass seemed to be unique, and I loved the way the crystal ones sparkled, some of them even brighter than diamonds.

  “This one is called Heiress,” a deep voice said from behind me. “I named it after a girl I once knew.”

  My smile was instant when I turned around. I recognized him right away, but it was only because of his smile. Because the scrawny, nerdy, goofy boy that I’d grown up with was now a handsome man.

  “Donovan? That cannot be you.”

  His smile got bigger, and now I was sure.

  “Oh my God, how are you?” I leapt into his arms and wrapped mine around him. I held on to him for as long as I could before I finally released him. Taking a step back, I took in the sight of him.

  “I’m doing great.” He laughed, and it warmed my heart, as well as brought back so many memories. The last time I saw Donovan back in Ohio, he had braces. But now he was a man with a model-beautiful smile.

  “What are you doing here . . . in California?”

  “You’re standing in my shop.”

  I took another quick glance around and couldn’t believe that all of this belonged to Donovan. I remembered that he used to work with blown glass and stuff like that, but it wasn’t like I had spent a lot of time paying attention to Donovan or his hobbies.

  “How did you . . .”

  Before I could finish my thought, Donovan explained. “Remember Mrs. Patrick from church?”

  I nodded.

  “Well,” he continued, “I made a vase for her niece’s birthday, and she loved it. It turned out her husband was a venture capitalist, and the rest, as they say . . .”

  “Is history,” I said, finishing for him.

  Donovan nodded. “He invested in me, helped me to expand, at first in Ohio, but then I really believed there was a market out here.”

  “And how are you doing out here?”

  His smile was enough of an answer, but he said, “It’s going pretty good.”

  “Donny, this is really great. I am so proud of you.”