The Price of Fame

by Gower, Hazel

  When she had the spray hot enough, she pulled off the shirt and got in, rinsing off the evidence of her first sexual encounter. She would never forget it. It had been everything she had hoped for and more.

  Nothing had ever felt so good, though she’d been scared and unsure at first, but he’d made her think she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The only woman for him. She felt special for the first time since her parents had died.

  Hopping out of the shower, she turned the water off and wrapped the towel around herself, debating what to do now. Should she get dressed and go home, or stay and try to sleep? Should she go exploring and try to find out more about the man she had just lost her virginity to?

  She looked around the bedroom, and her eyes rested on the man sleeping in the bed. He was magnificent.

  Kylie didn’t want to go home. She wanted to stay the night and wake up to his masculine scent, and she was dying to find out more about Markus.

  Going to one of the drawers she’d seen shirts in, she grabbed one and put it on. Not bothering with shoes, she padded out to explore the rest of the house.

  She found several unused rooms holding only basic bedroom furniture, the living room, and a balcony off that overlooking the beach. At the back of the living room were a kitchen and dining room. Walking out onto the balcony, her breath caught at the sight before her—a table for two set with wine glasses, candles, flowers, and a gift, nicely wrapped with a bow, lying on a plate.

  “Wow, Kylie, this guy is going to break your heart. Look at what he did for you tonight. When he leaves in a month, you’re going to regret not running from him. You should leave now.” She deliberately said the words out loud, repeating what James had snarled at her the night before when he dropped her home after class.

  Trailing her fingers along the bow on the present, she realized that James was angry because she spent most of her time with Markus, time Kylie usually spent with James and Gemma.

  With her heart racing, she undid the bow on the present and lifted the lid, only to drop it on the table at the sight before her. Diamonds surrounded an oval blue sapphire, which had been set in a gold pendant hanging on a gold chain. Oh God, she couldn’t accept this. Could she? Hesitant at first, Kylie lifted the necklace out of its box, the whole time telling herself not to get attached to the beautiful jewelry.

  Sitting in one of the chairs, she stared out at the ocean, holding the necklace. She didn’t know what to do.

  Did she give Markus up before he broke her heart and she alienated her friends? She thought about the last three weeks and how he’d met her at her house each morning for her walks with Buddha. How he listened to her babble on about anything. She was even starting to get used to him picking her up from work and staking his claim of her in front of everyone.

  Kylie loved all his stories about his family and friends. The only thing he never talked about was his work.

  She let out a groan as it all came together. She was already falling in love with Markus. Kylie had been saving herself for a man she loved. That was why she’d never had sex with anyone. Sure, she had a small vibrator, her ladyfinger, but she had hardly ever used it.

  Getting up as the direction of her thoughts had started to scare her, she put the necklace back in its box and decided to explore the house some more. Kylie crept around the house until she came to stairs at the end of the hall. Following them, they opened into a family room that held musical instruments—guitars, drums, piano, and keyboard. Pencils and notebooks sprawled across the coffee table.

  Kylie carefully maneuvered herself around the instruments and sat on the sofa, telling herself she was wrong and she shouldn’t snoop. She should wait for him to tell her about it, but a million scenarios ran through her head like what if he was some big-time music producer, sound engineer, or a famous singer. Kylie might have been young, but she ran through all the bands she knew, all the artists on the charts, but she couldn’t remember Markus’ face. His face was hard to forget.

  Taking deep breaths, she told herself not to freak out. She picked up the top book and started to read.

  First verse

  I believe I have found my only

  In a dark time in my life.

  When I needed love, and I had given up

  Love struck me in the head.

  I looked to see the woman of my dreams run from me.

  She ran with my heart and I feared I would never see what was lost

  But then I found and she again ran from me.

  This time I will capture her.

  This time you will see

  There is nothing to run from.

  I will make you see you’re all there is for me

  Chorus

  When I see her, she is all there is to me.

  When I touch her, I feel alive.

  I would give my all just to have her for one night.

  She is my world, my one and only delight.

  Second verse

  Can I catch her?

  Can I keep her?

  Will she let me be her one?

  I will give up whatever if she will let me be the man she wakes up to every morning.

  I have given my heart and I hope she keeps it safe.

  Will she keep it?

  Will she hold it?

  Can I hold onto her tight?

  As

  Chorus +2

  Last verse

  I will do anything to prove she will always be my one and only.

  So I sit here now praying she sees

  I am her one, the only one she should see.

  I will never give up.

  I will fight to my last breath to show her she is my one true love, the only one for me.

  Chorus +2

  I have her now and I’m never letting go.

  Kylie read it several times, frozen, unable to move until a voice she knew well said, “Do you want me to sing it for you?”

  She nodded and tried to calm her racing heart.

  He casually moved around everything and sat next to her, reaching for the guitar as he murmured, “Remember, this may be rusty.”

  She didn’t say anything as he sang. Her heart was beating fast. Oh God! His voice was like an angel’s. When he sang, his eyes filled with a light that hypnotized her. She knew he was going to break her heart.

  Kylie had never been so scared in her life. If Markus left her, he would break her heart. She knew whom the song was about. As much as she hated to admit it, she wasn’t the only one who felt the chemistry between them. The problem was what should she do now? Because he wasn’t who she’d thought he was.

  Chapter 5

  Markus watched the emotions cross Kylie’s face as he sang the song he’d written about meeting her. Her song. At first, she looked surprised, her mouth in an O shape. Next, she looked happy, and then she moved on to worried. The last expression seemed scared, her eyes wide, looking anywhere but him as she played with her hands and bit her lips.

  He would have to fight for what they had. When he’d woken to find her gone from his bed, he’d been scared she had run, especially when he didn’t find her in the bathroom. He’d shoved on his sweatpants, only to realize he was still sticky from sex, and then it dawned on him that he hadn’t used protection. He always wore a condom. He’d even stopped sex before because he didn’t have one. Markus hadn’t ever trusted any woman to take care of protection, even when he knew they took the pill.

  He had wondered if she’d run because of that. He searched his house, surprised and relieved to find her in his music room. He debated what he should tell her. The whole truth? Or just enough to keep her happy?

  He finished the song. Kylie sat quietly for a moment before she closed her eyes and whispered, “You sing like an angel. You’re going to break my heart.” She let out a loud sigh. “Sing it again for me.”

  Leaning forward, he brushed his lips against hers. “Kiss me, and I’ll do anything you want.”

  She let out a moan, opened her eyes, and pulled h
im closer to her. Not caring about his guitar, he dropped it on the floor as she slid his pants off and moved to straddle his lap.

  His hands glided up her body. He bit her lip and pulled away. “Oh, you’re not wearing anything under this.” She hummed her approval as he lifted her. He muttered, “Please tell me you’re not sore.” She answered by slowly sliding down his painfully hard erection.

  Markus plastered his mouth to hers as he held her close, and their tongues moved to the rhythm their bodies kept. Her nails raked down his back, and he pulled away, panting. “You are so hot. Ride me, omorphoula.”

  He lay against the sofa and let her set the pace. He loved her lust-filled eyes and her hair that fell in messy disarray around her. Her tits bounced beneath his shirt.

  Markus reached up under the shirt to caress her breasts and leisurely moved his other hand down her body to play with her clit. He licked his lips as she bit hers when his fingers found her nub. “Come for me. Squeeze my dick with your tight pussy.”

  She picked up her speed, grinding against him until she screamed and came around his cock.

  “I love it when you speak Greek.”

  “Was I speaking Greek?”

  “Yes, and it makes me all hot and turns me on,” she murmured against his neck as she rested against him.

  “I didn’t even know I changed language. That’s what you do to me.” He felt his cum shoot from him as he thrust deep into her one last time. He moaned and decided not to say anything yet about not using a condom. Markus was too scared to say something now for fear she’d run away.

  She groaned and wrapped her arms around him. “Take me to bed. Sing my song to me.”

  He kissed her forehead and slowly stood up with her legs still wrapped around him. Markus felt his now soft penis fall out of her. She winced, and he cursed himself for forgetting she would still be sore for having her first sexual experience tonight.

  He walked back to his room. “I’m going to run you a hot bath so you can have a soak.”

  She gave a sleepy reply against his chest. “No bath. I just want to sleep. Tomorrow, I want all the answers. Tonight, sing me my song, cuddle me, and don’t let me go.

  He placed her on the bed, went to the bathroom and wet a cloth, and then returned to her and gently cleaned her. She moaned and turned away from him. Chucking the cloth toward the bathroom, he joined her on the bed, pulling her close.

  * * * *

  The sound of music woke him. Kylie begged him for more sleep. Carefully he detangled himself from his woman and went in search of the music. Finding the noise in Kylie’s red clutch bag, he walked out of the room to answer her phone.

  “Hello. Kylie’s phone.” There was a long pause on the other end before he heard James growl.

  “Who the fuck are you? Why are you answering the phone?”

  Walking farther from the bedroom so Kylie wouldn’t hear, he answered, “It’s Markus. I answered the phone so you didn’t wake Kylie. Do you want to leave a message? I’ll get her to call you when she wakes.”

  Markus heard curses on the other end of the phone and the sound of something smashing.

  “Leave Kylie alone. Go back to your life in wherever and forget about her. I know she said you were going to stay another month, but if you go now, I’ll pay for your flights, first class. I don’t want you to hurt her. I’ve waited two years for her.”

  Markus clenched his fist and gritted his teeth as anger rolled through him. How dare this man think he would ever hurt Kylie? James knew nothing about him. He would never hurt his girl. He couldn’t believe her supposed best friend was saying any of this. “I’m going to hang up now before I say something that would hurt the precious woman in the other room because, for some crazy reason, she thinks you’re her best friend.” Angry, he hit End.

  Now that he was up and wide awake, he checked all his phones, sighing when he saw he had eight missed calls from his manager. Markus called his manager back, and Gaelan’s words came out in a rush.

  “I can’t give you the full two months. You have to come back, even if it’s just for a week. The paparazzi and media are starting to search for you. So if you want to keep where you are a secret, I would come back and make some appearances. Recording a song or two would be even better. It would keep the record company off my back.”

  Looking around him at his piece of paradise, he glanced back toward the bedroom. He wasn’t giving this up. Markus supposed he could go home to Greece for a couple of days. He would explain to Kylie. She would understand; he hoped. “Fine, hold them off for two more days, and I’ll be back, but not for long. Book a studio. I’ll ring tonight with details.”

  Hanging up, he turned to head back to Kylie to find her standing at the entry.

  “So you’re leaving in a couple of days?”

  Cursing his manager and his life, he watched Kylie straighten her shoulders and bite her lip.

  “I have no choice.” He took a step toward her, and she took two back, retreating. “Please, omorphoula.”

  Kylie let out a growl. “Don’t call me that.”

  Frustrated, he stalked toward her, grabbed her, and pulled her to him. She fought to get away.

  “Just hear me out.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “You’re mine now and forever. After I’ve explained, if you want me to quit or stop, I will, but only for you.”

  She turned her flashing brown eyes up at him and nodded.

  Leading her to the couch, he explained that he was a famous Greek model turned singer and that he’d come to Australia because no one knew him here. He could relax and have some peace before he went back to the mayhem.

  She nodded and seemed to take everything in. Taking a deep breath, he got to the hard part. He reached for her hands and gripped them, praying she felt something for him. “It was the best thing I ever did, choosing to come here, because I met you. As soon as I saw you, I knew you were special to me, and when I touched you, I was certain I was right.”

  Markus ran his shaking fingers through his hair, trying to calm himself. He took a deep breath and then continued. “I haven’t told you about who I am sooner because, at first, I didn’t want to scare you off. As I got to know you, I learned that you weren’t one for the spotlight, and I feared you’d leave me because you didn’t like stuff like that. It stopped me from telling you.” Holding her tighter, he kissed her forehead. “Why don’t you come with me? I would love that.”

  She sat quietly for a while, just staring out the window at the ocean. Finally, she murmured, “When will you be back?”

  He sighed in relief that she’d give him another chance. “Tops, eight days. I’ll call and talk to you anytime you want. I’ll stop what I’m doing, just for you.”

  She relaxed into him.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come this time?”

  “Not this time. Maybe if things work out, I’ll come next time.”

  Turning her, he kissed her, putting all the love he felt into the kiss since he couldn’t say the words right now for fear of scaring her more.

  Pulling away, she tried to catch her breath. “Promise me one thing.”

  “Anything, omorphoula.”

  “Don’t release our song, my song, to the public, please. Let that be just mine.”

  He grinned and picked her up. “Okay, that song is only yours, just like me. How about we get a shower before we go get Buddha for his morning walk?”

  She hugged him back, and he felt tears hit his bare shoulder. “I love that you’re mine,” she whispered.

  She let out a squeal of laughter when he stood and flung her over his shoulder, smacking her ass.

  “Oh, omorphoula, I’m yours, just like you’re only mine.”

  She laughed again as he whacked her bottom and then whacked his chest.

  “Kylie mine.”

  She giggled. “Always.”

  * * * *

  Eight days without him was going to be tough. She’d gotten used to their morning walks. The las
t couple of days, Kylie had taken off work, and they had spent every moment together, but tonight he was leaving, and Kylie had to keep reminding herself he would be coming back. Her pep talks didn’t seem to be working because her heart felt as though it was being squeezed.

  Kylie lay in bed, cuddling Markus as he spoke into the phone. She’d started to understand little bits of Greek when he spoke slowly, but when he spoke this fast in Greek, she understood nothing of what was said. He didn’t sound happy. His face was a granite mask as he spoke through gritted teeth. His hand had stopped making soothing circles down her back, and his body had stiffened against her.

  She’d noticed Markus’ stress levels increasing. Markus didn’t talk to her about his work, and in a way, she was thankful, but the strain had begun to show. The easygoing man she’d been falling for had turned tense, uneasy, and had become tightly wound.

  Kylie tried to look on the bright side about him going home for a week. She hoped this little break would give them time to see if this relationship was really going anywhere, and she could sort out her feelings.

  Markus gripped her tighter as she tried to get out of bed. It was nine-thirty, and since she’d been with Markus, her usually early mornings had all been non-existent. Kylie didn’t know if she would be able to get back into her routine.

  Pushing at Markus’ chest, she managed to get out of his hold. She walked to the bathroom and turned the shower taps on. While waiting for the hot water, she did her morning ritual before getting in the shower under the hot spray.

  Kylie closed her eyes, excited about the day ahead before she had to drive him to the airport. That’d been a sore point. He hadn’t wanted her to drive all the way to Sydney Airport just to drop him off, but she wanted to give him a farewell to remember.

  Hands slipped around her, pulling her into his body. “Why didn’t you wait for me? You know how much I love showering with you.”

  “Because we have too much to do today, and when we shower together, I always feel like I need another shower afterward.”

  He chuckled against her neck as he trailed kisses down it. She maneuvered out of his hold and got out of the shower before they got carried away.