by ZN Willett
"Andrew the Hughes?"
"Andria!" she drawled out. Keira would never admit it, but she had a bit of a twang. When her relatives came to visit from Japan, they mentioned she sounded like a cowgirl, and I thought she was going to kick them out of the office.
Not able to contain the gigantic grin on my face, we both giggled like schoolgirls. I told her everything. Well, not everything.
Andrew and I spoke every day for the remainder of the week. We talked about everything and nothing. We spoke a lot about our childhood as well as our families. He was very close to his family, and I loved that about him.
He also had a tight knit group of friends. The number may have been few, but they were very loyal. If they weren't working for him, they were involved in some way in his life. Except for Frank; he was an outsider.
The manager that discovered Andrew was like a godfather to him. He was up in age and had health problems. When he died, it had affected Andrew deeply. He didn't want to get close to anyone again at that time, so he picked Frank. Andrew said he was a prick, but he knows the business.
Frank was the one that brought on Amy, along with a favor he mumbled about. Andrew never wanted an assistant, but Frank felt it would make his life easier. I couldn't agree more. I never thought I needed Keira, but she made everything seamless.
Andrew invited me to stay at his place, but I knew that wouldn't be a great idea. If I was going to stay strong, the last thing I needed was Andrew in the next room.
Naked.
Maybe not naked, but I would imagine him naked, and then everything would be thrown out the window, and yet, why did I care?
The moment the plane hit the ground, I was sick from the butterflies that had been fluttering in my stomach for the entire flight. I didn't want to drink, but I had two screwdrivers to take the edge off, and I was still a mess. Andrew was picking me up.
Both excited to see him and nervous at the same time, it had only been a week and yet it seemed like forever. I thought talking to him on the phone would make the ache disappear, but it only made it worse. Then, I had the bright idea to watch some of his films with Keira, which only made our separation even more excruciating.
The pain of seeing his face kissing and touching someone else was unbearable. Last night, I asked Andrew how he was able to "act" a love scene without feeling something; breasts were everywhere, in his face, in his hands, all over his body. He said it wasn't as simple as I thought. He explained that the end result of what we see in the movies was far from what was actually going on while on set. I missed seeing the production crew standing around, as well as the director and their assistants placing arms and legs in proper positions.
Andrew actually sounded as if it were a pain in the neck. I told him I wasn't falling for it. He became suspiciously quiet before saying that I sounded jealous. Of course, I was jealous! He reminded me I could have him anytime that I wanted. I couldn’t take it anymore, and my body said 'enough!' My girly bits furiously protested. I wasn't sure how much longer I would be able to hold out before I gave in.
Needing to freshen up before seeing Andrew, I headed straight to the bathroom upon deplaning. I hated airplane bathrooms, which was ironic since I had written about a mile high scene in Deception.
When I arrived at baggage claim, I was surprised to see Wade. "Andria!" He bolted towards me, opened his arms and gripped me into a bear hug.
I couldn't breathe. "Hi, Wade. Great to see you, too."
"Andrew is going to flip his lid. You have that hot librarian thing going on," he said and nodded.
I laughed at the fact that I had forgotten to take off my reading glasses. Although, I did have a suit on, and my hair was in a messy bun because I had overslept. I had a meeting this morning and didn't think I would have time to change. "Thanks, I think."
"Which one's yours?"
I pointed to the matching set of designer bags. "Those four."
"Why do women insist on over packing?" he asked to himself. "You may have beaten my wife Taylor, and that's saying a lot."
I grabbed the duffel. "It's my stylist. She always says I should be prepared for anything and everything."
Wade stacked the bags and escorted me through the exit doors. "Drew’s in that silver SUV," he said and walked behind it to open the trunk.
The back door opened up, and I couldn't understand how the man could look better every time I saw him. Andrew looked as if he had rolled out of bed and hadn't shaved in a couple of days. But, that paired with the ripped denim jeans that sat low on his hips and the rolled up oxford shirt, which showcased his toned forearms, made him look like walking sex.
I gawked as he swaggered up to me with a cheeky grin that fell as he looked behind me. "What are you looking at?"
That wasn't what I expected.
I turned to see a guy staring and starting to scowl back at Andrew. He had taken a step forward in our direction before Wade blocked his path. The man grumbled something under his breath like "just looking," and walked away.
The Andrew that stood in front of me wasn't the sweet, charismatic, gentleman I thought I was getting to know. This man was raw, primitive and agitated. He didn’t say anything as he wrapped his large hand around my arm, leading me to the backseat of the SUV. He closed my door and helped Wade with the luggage before entering the opposite door. "Andrew?"
He looked straight ahead as Wade sat in the passenger seat, and the driver took off. Andrew started to wipe his hands nervously on his jeans as the black privacy partition came up. The moment I saw and heard it lock, Andrew pounced.
My head flew back against the window while my body slid down on the leather seat as he pressed his chest against mine. Andrew's mouth was claiming dominance, and I submitted willingly. His scruff was scratching deliciously along my face as I tried to find a breath of air. It didn't matter that I could have a concussion from the impact of the glass; Andrew wanted me.
The small space filled with our moans, which they kept getting louder and deeper, the more we kissed. Andrew abruptly stopped just in time, as I felt light-headed from the lack of oxygen. "Did I hurt you?" he breathed out.
"No."
We lay there panting and staring into each other's eyes. "Those glasses. It's been too long…pant…need control…pant…slow," he rambled on.
Wade was right; he liked the glasses. He really liked the glasses. I made a mental note to wear them more. Then I thought better. I couldn't handle another attack like that one and keep my panties on.
Andrew placed soft kisses all around my mouth as he sat us back up. "Are you sure I didn't hurt you?"
"I was just thinking about wearing my glasses more often, so I’m good."
He chuckled. "Not sure if I could handle that. I'm not usually a glasses man, but you look…incredibly sexy. And they make me want to lift up that skirt and bury my face between those long legs."
OMG! I died.
My heart stopped. All blood flow was being directed to my throbbing core, and the aching was causing me to see stars. I was revived when Andrew placed a gentle kiss on my lips as he sat back unaffected by the shocked turned on woman sitting next to him.
"Okay," he said as he answered the cell that I hadn’t heard ring. "We're here."
I looked out the window and saw that we were parked in front of a tall building. Still in a daze, Andrew handed me water and told me to drink it.
What he didn't realize was that, at that moment, he could have told me to do anything, and I would have. Thankfully, the car door opened and Wade stared at me, smiling. "You okay there, Andria?" he winked.
I nodded embarrassed by what he could have heard and looked at Andrew. "We'll pick you up after the meeting. If it ends earlier, call my cell."
"Okay," was all I could say in reply.
"I'll drop your things at the hotel, and Andria, you may want to stop by the restroom. It looks as if someone got carried away," Andrew said and pursed his lips smugly.
"Ready?" Wade asked still grinning.
Andrew had squeezed my hand before I exited the car.
When I looked at myself in the mirror on my way to the elevators, I saw that my lipstick was smeared, and my hair was all over the place. I didn't want to think about what the people in the lobby had assumed.
The meetings seemed to go on and on. I found it hard to stay focused, but since it was a million dollar deal, I needed to have a clear head. Maybe I should have told Andrew that before he made me lose my mind, and my thoughts drifted elsewhere.
I thought of his eyes, for one as they burned hungrily into mine. When he said what he was hungry for, I wanted to throw caution to the wind and tell him to feast on me. Literally—on—me.
“Andria?” All eyes were now on me.
I was embarrassed that I had been interrupted from daydreaming, and caught by Elena’s attorney when he asked me a question. I decided to push Andrew to the back of my mind until business was resolved.
By six o'clock, we were days away from an agreement. It would have been completed that day, but I heeded good advice and asked for more control of casting and to work more closely with the scriptwriter.
Even though Don was caught off guard by the sudden change, he held his own. He did ask that next time I could give him some warning, but I told him he worked better on his toes. He didn't find that humorous as we walked out of the meeting. I mentioned that I placed a call to my personal attorney who didn’t get back to me until that morning. I had planned to brief him on my way there, but Andrew distracted me—I left that out. After I had explained that I wanted my attorney to look over the contract once it was written, he understood and promised to send all the paperwork over as soon as possible.
Don was a little surprised by Wade's presence when he walked up to us as we exited the building’s doors. "Are you done?"
"For today. Don, this is Wade…"
"Robinson," he finished after noticing that I was at a loss.
"It’s nice to meet you. Don't you work for Andrew Hughes?"
"Yeah." He smiled at me. "Andria," he said as he opened up the back door of the silver SUV.
"Hey beautiful," Andrew said as he smiled looking incredible in a dark gray suit.
I turned back toward Don. "I'll see you tomorrow."
He stood in shock looking at Andrew and me before the car door shut.
Andrew leaned over and placed the sweetest kiss on my lips. It was gentle yet warm, and he lingered on them for a brief moment. That Andrew was totally different from the Andrew that had picked me up at the airport.
"I thought you could do a quick change at the hotel before we went to dinner."
I smiled. "That's why you look so good. Where are you taking me?"
"Somewhere private."
"Private sounds nice. Although, it's hard for any woman to get dressed quickly."
"If you want, I could help." He looked like a kid wanting to stick his hand in a cookie jar.
I wasn’t sure what he saw on my face, but he looked as if that kid was going to eat said cookie. "Not tonight, but I'll try to hurry."
And with that, he kissed me again.
We arrived an hour later to my hotel. Traffic was horrible, but I enjoyed talking to Andrew even though we didn't say much. We listened to jazz and had wine from his collection to unwind. He had a couple of meetings himself and was pretty wiped out.
It took me about thirty minutes to get ready, and Andrew had another drink in my suite. The agency was always generous when it came to my hotels, and I greatly appreciated it. Even though I would be happy with a standard room, having a suite was a luxury I enjoyed. It was nice being able to come back from a long day and plop on a sofa.
When I came out of the bedroom, Andrew's eyes glided over my dark blue dress. It was a short and simple long sleeve v-neck cotton dress, which hit every curve of my ample bottom that I had inherited from my mother.
Andrew smiled as I walked to him. "Ready?"
"You look amazing, Andria. Your blue eyes are radiant in that dress." I could feel a blush coming over my entire body.
He reached out for my hand, and we walked out the door to the awaiting car.
Twenty minutes later, we arrived at a small restaurant that had high tapestry greenery around the front. It was well hidden, and if you walked by, you probably wouldn't notice it. As soon as we entered, Andrew was greeted by the male host who immediately walked us to a private table with two chairs. Actually, every table was private. The restaurant didn't have more than ten tables at most, all separated by decorative glass walls. The lighting was low, and the red candles flickering off the tables enhanced the romantic atmosphere.
"Mr. Hughes. Your usual, sir?" the woman server asked.
"Could you bring any bottle of red and a bottle of white from my reserved collection?"
"My pleasure, sir."
I gaped at him.
"What?"
"You have your own private collection?"
"I like wine, and some of the cases I bring back with me from Europe are stored in their wine cellar. It's hard to find wines in the US without sulfates."
"I see." I had no clue what he was talking about. I drank white wine. The sweeter, the better. That's all I cared about.
Andrew reached over and started playing with my fingers. "I wanted to apologize for this morning."
My heart sank. I didn't understand, and he looked remorseful. "You don't have to do that."
"It was wrong of me to advance on you like that. I hope you don't think I do that often. I'm usually better in control of myself, and I did not mean to put you in a situation that wasn't warranted."
I looked at him dumbfounded. "Andrew. I would tell you if I were uncomfortable, and trust me when I say nothing about this morning made me uncomfortable."
He squeezed my hand. "I promised you I would take it slow. This morning, I lost control."
The server placed two glasses of wine on the table and left.
"Andrew. Ummm…I actually liked your losing control." I took a sip of wine, diverting my eyes away from his.
"Andria," he waited until I looked at him. "I enjoyed losing control. But that doesn't excuse the fact that I promised I would behave until you're ready."
I picked up my wine and downed the whole thing as I watched Andrew watch me. He said nothing else but had that smirk on his face.
"Mr. Hughes, are you ready to order?" He nodded towards me, and I placed my order for the butternut squash risotto in Bordeaux sauce. Andrew ordered the pan-seared sole with wild mushrooms and butter sauce.
Our conversation fell away from the morning activities, and we talked business. I told him about the requests I had made, and he was very glad to hear that. He told me he would be shooting his next film in four weeks. Washington D.C. was the last press junket for his new film opening in theaters this week. Andrew was currently under contract for two more films and was in negotiation for another one to start filming in eighteen months.
It was fascinating to hear all that he had to do before even meeting with a director or producer. I told him I had been doing a lot of research, but still had so many questions. He said it would take time, and if I had any questions to ask him and if he didn't know the answers, he would find out. Something about that made me happy inside. He was thinking about the future and having a future with Andrew was worth smiling over.
The food was amazing, and I was surprised that I was full. The portion had been small, and I could guess, expensive. The restaurant's menu didn't have prices. Andrew asked if I wanted dessert and I couldn't say no. I loved chocolate, and I wasn't sure what was in theirs, but it was so good Andrew gave me his too. Maybe I should have been embarrassed, but when he said he loved watching me eat, I wanted to eat more.
By the time we finished, it was extremely late, and I had an early breakfast meeting the next morning. When I mentioned that I needed to pick up my rental car, he insisted that his driver could take me anywhere I wanted while I was here. When he said that he wouldn’t be able to joi
n me in the morning. I was a little saddened that he couldn't meet me. More so that he didn't tell me why, but I brushed it off. I reminded myself that he was not my boyfriend, and I had no right to pry, but it still bothered me. Yet, Andrew was still going to meet me at my book event tomorrow night. I hadn't done a lot of them, but I was excited about this one. The bookstore had invited a few celebrities, and it would be the official launch for my world tour.
Since I had written about Hollywood, my public relations team wanted to make it the theme for the tour, starting in Hollywood, California. Each event would have a red carpet and everyone would be treated as a VIP. The only thing I fought for were the ticket costs. These events weren't free, and the prices were outrageous. I told them I wouldn't do them if they didn't bring the prices down. In exchange for lowering the ticket price, I had agreed to free bookstore signings in each city.
After dinner, Andrew had taken me back to my hotel, and we said goodnight in the car. He didn’t want to take a chance of "losing control" again and was afraid if he walked me to my room, the temptation would be too great to resist. He did walk me to the elevator.
On the way to my room, the thought came to me that Andrew had never kissed me in public while I was here. It was always in the car away from other's eyes. I played with that thought as I got ready for bed.
It had to be a coincidence, yet he didn't kiss me at the elevator. He kissed me goodnight in the car before coming in. I was making a big deal out of nothing, I thought. But if that were the case, why did it bother me?
You know when you think your day is going to go in one direction, and instead it ends up going in one you never had imagined?
My day had started out normal enough. I had a quick breakfast at the hotel restaurant and people watched as I finished my eggs. Los Angeles had a diverse mix of people, and they all seemed to be in my hotel lobby. The hotel was eclectically decorated for the holidays. Instead of the typical red and green color scheme, they used blue and purple with silver thrown in for added flair.
Andrew's driver arrived early, leaving me plenty of time to get settled. We were meeting outside of the studio at an office building close by. The last time I had come here, they had taken me on a studio tour. Mom and Bob took me on one when I was a teenager, but it paled in comparison.