An eerie silence overtook the room.
He had to stop the madness. “Allan.”
Allan looked around the room, his gaze stopping at each person and then down to the products.
In what appeared to be a slow motion movement, Allan lifted his hand. “You said the deposit was fifty percent?”
The room went up in cheers and the women hugged each other and Erin.
“Erin, can we do a treatment on you now and practice?” Allan’s daughter pulled her.
“I thought you would never ask.” Erin got up out of the chair. “I’m quite exhausted after my workout.”
The girls gathered around her and corralled her toward the exit.
“Thank you, Daddy!” The daughter called out.
“As long as you’re happy, love bug. Take your time and work with her.” Allan stood. “Why don’t the two of you stay here at the spa as our guest tonight? Everything will be covered for you.”
Erin looked over her shoulder at him. “Again, I thought you would never ask.”
“Erin.” It was his turn to stand, though his legs didn’t seem to want to hold him up. “Our schedule.”
Everyone turned to him. More like glared at him.
“Well, I’m staying here with my girls.” Erin lifted her chin. “Go collect your deposit Drew. You have a lot of work to do.”
The feminine whirlwind with Erin at the eye of the storm spun away. In its wake, it made a mockery of his business, but mostly of him.
How did he always end up in this position anytime Erin Holland entered his life?
HOLLYWOOD STARBURST
INT. OUTSIDE OF SPRINGFIELD, MO. IN A DINER – DAY.
Roxy sits at a table with a cup of coffee and a slice of pie. She stabs her fork at the pie and shoves a piece in her mouth, repeating the action.
WAITRESS comes over and tops off Roxy’s coffee and goes to turn.
ROXY swallows.
ROXY
(coughs)
Excuse me.
WAITRESS faces her.
WAITRESS
Careful.
ROXY takes a sip of the coffee and licks her fork.
ROXY
May I have a piece of the chocolate cake?
ROXY uses her fork to point to the huge chocolate cake on the counter.
WAITRESS nods, puts the coffee pot down, gets a piece of the cake and serves it to Roxy.
WAITRESS
So, what hole are you filling?
ROXY digs right into the cake and closes her eyes as she chews. She puts one finger up, finishes her bite and takes a sip of her coffee.
ROXY
Hole?
WAITRESS
(chuckles)
Do you have a hole in your stomach or hole in your heart?
ROXY takes another bite of cake and sits back.
ROXY
I think I have a hole in my head.
WAITRESS lets out a real laugh.
ROXY
You know a wise woman told me to always take a second helping of mashed potatoes, one day I’ll regret not taking it.
WAITRESS
So you decided rather than potatoes to have cake?
ROXY
(Shrugs.)
I decided to do what I want to do and not care about everyone else. I ran out of gas, got it myself, walked about 5 miles there and back. I got the gas, set off again, and didn’t make it two hours down the road when something went wrong with the car. The mechanic talked to me like a baby, asked where my dad was. I gave in and called William, no answer. I called Steven, no answer.
(Hits the table)
I called Charles, no answer! So you know what I almost did?
WAITRESS leans on the booth and shakes her head.
ROXY puts her elbow on the table and rests her head in her hand.
ROXY
I almost called my parents.
WAITRESS tilts her head
ROXY
But then I told the mechanic to fix the car and stomped over here and decided that since I can never decide between cake and pie I would have both.
WAITRESS
Well, now it all makes sense.
ROXY
You know what?
WAITRESS
Tell me.
ROXY
It’s really good.
Chapter Nineteen
AFTER SHOWERING, SHAVING, moisturizing, shampooing, conditioning, blow drying, and taking one last look at the woman who sold a six-figure deal for her darling Drew, Erin fluffed up her hair and made her way into the main part of their suite at the spa.
She had to make a mental note that the accommodations were much better than the night before. A retreat for the “it” crowd to be pampered, this place provided for every amenity, down to gluten-free toothpaste.
In a replay of her other night with Drew, she found him in the overstuffed bed with a book in front of his face. Since he abandoned her on the side of the road they hadn’t spent any time alone. After the meeting and her treatments, they ate a healthy meal in the spa restaurant. Once getting settled in their suite, they went their separate ways to their respective bathrooms. At least she didn’t have to explain to the girls to put them in the same room, it all happened naturally.
Without a word, she walked the perimeter of the space turning off the lights until she reached the bed. The moment she untied the sash of the spa robe and tossed the garment aside revealing a light pink, form-fitting short nightgown, Drew turned to her.
In a need to torture the man a wee bit before allowing him to make everything up to her by having his way with her, she took her time stretching, picked up her fashion magazine and got in the bed.
For several moments he stared at her, but she continued to slowly turn the pages of her magazine. Instead of a smile of congratulations on her win, or groveling, he lifted his book once more.
“I just want you to know I forgive you.” She continued to skim her magazine.
“For what?” His tone came out tight, as if ready to snap.
Who was playing hard to get here? She licked her lips, the tang of success and tart cherry lingering on her tongue. “You’re the smartest man I know, so I’m sure I don’t need to provide you a list.”
“Maybe we can compare lists.”
She tightened her hold on the magazine, crinkling the pages. “Does that list include you leaving me without a cell site?”
“Funny, my list has how you deliberately tried to make me late for an important meeting.” He slammed the book shut.
“Well, mine has how you didn’t listen to me, never asked my opinion, and took Barbie’s word over mine.” In an attempt to one up him, she threw her magazine off the edge of the bed.
“Bambi,” he corrected.
They faced each other.
She narrowed her eyes. “What’s the difference? They are both fictional characters.” If he only knew.
“If there is any fictional character in my life, I’m looking at her.” His voice came out low, vibrating through her and shaking her to her core.
The fire coursing through her, the same one ready for a fight, for the passion, for the explosion was snuffed out with his words. Before she gave into the tears, she turned out the light and laid down with her back to him.
They stayed in silence for only a couple of minutes, though it seemed like a few hours.
“Is that everything on your list?”
She shut her eyes. His voice didn’t remotely resemble the teenager of twenty years ago. “Silly me, I thought we should be celebrating that nice fat check in your computer case.”
“I’ll pass on you making a mockery of my business.”
“What? I walked two miles to get to the meeting, I made sure not to say anything about how you abandoned me, I showed the girls all the tricks with the products, what more did you want me to do? I can’t make it for you too.” She hit the bed. “Oh, excuse me, did I make a mistake and call you Drew instead of Isaac? I’m sorry I guess with everyth
ing my mind went on automatic.”
“I didn’t sell anything. For all they know that powder could be nothing but sugar and food coloring.”
Even though he couldn’t see her, she still shook her head.
“Not everything is about a check. You think my business is a joke, you think I’m a pushover. You always have, and when it comes to you, maybe I am, look where we are now.” At last, his tone dropped some of its anger, but in its wake left hurt.
Once more she turned away. Once more silence encompassed the room. Once more they lay there further apart.
“You always think the worst of me.” She toyed with the edge of her pillowcase. How long did she wait for her fruit to ripen? At what point did it get rotten?
He didn’t respond, but the bed moved, and she knew he heard her.
“Not that you care about anything I have to say, but I had been using your products since you made mine, and I don’t think I could have walked those two miles without them. I only saw the Orchard products yesterday, and when Bambi went to you I was so nervous I just started playing with them until she came back.” She took a breath. “If I knew the science, I would have said something. You said these deals are impossible to get, I honestly wanted to help.”
Her confession was met with nothing. He probably fell asleep.
“I walked along that road and I wanted to stomp into that meeting, slap you across the face and leave. Then I met with Allan’s father who helped me reach my destination, and before I walked inside I promised I would show you what I could do, how we could be a team. Maybe a little flash of what life could be like down the road, but as usual, I was wrong.” Tears heated her eyes. “You never believe in me.”
Again, the bed shook and in what seemed to be out of nowhere, Drew put his arms around her. “You didn’t even ask.”
“Not like this.” Refusing to turn him into a pushover or be an obligation, she shrugged him away.
With no argument, he turned back over.
For the first time since their reunion, she didn’t feel the need to melt into his embrace and try to escape into the fictional world she created.
* * * *
“MR. DREW FULTON, please tell us where we are on our way to now.” Erin aimed her camera in his direction.
For the umpteenth time, Drew ground his teeth together and made a mental note to visit a dentist when they returned to Los Angeles.
Unlike how they went to bed, they woke face to face, their legs tangled, her lying on his arm, as if their subconscious pulled them together. Of course, his throbbing morning erection basically cried out for what it craved. More accurately, who it craved.
In the shower, though he thought he could quickly satisfy himself, he instead found himself reliving the entire trip thus far, ending his rewind with how Erin basically won the manufacturing job for him. Who was he kidding? There was no basically about it, he owed her a commission check and he also ran out of time to fix his personal problem.
While they got ready and loaded up the car, his situation waxed and waned. He could do with a bit more waning. More than that, how did he even talk to her?
“Oh, Mr. Drew Fulton.” After an hour of silence on a barren highway, Erin finally spoke, basically calling her own type of truce. “Come on. Let’s try to make the most of our trip.”
At the moment, life held two choices for him, go with Erin’s peace offering or… well there was no other choice. “Yes, Ms. Holland.”
As if the games began, she bounced in her seat. “Tell your shotgun seat where we are going on this fine morning.”
She gave him a reprieve from the apologies he owed her, and he played along. “Grand Junction Colorado to visit Multimode Health who specializes in using a variety of both eastern and western approaches to treating patients.”
“Oh, that reminds me, I need to take my supplements.” She attached the camera to the little mount on the windshield and proceeded to pull her bag of his creations out.
Out of the corner of his eye he watched her methodical process of reading each container and choosing the right capsules.
“This one is for energy, this one for mental clarity, you told me this one is especially for females, and this one is for stamina.” She stared into her hand and tilted her head. “Interesting.”
“What?” He recounted the pills in her palm.
“If I didn’t know better, I would think you are trying to woo me with nutritional health.”
Unsure of what she meant, he waited for her to continue.
“Drew.” She held her hand out to him and crossed her legs. “Energy, female things, stamina and clarity. Are you trying to make me horny?”
He opened his mouth and glanced over at her and her leg. Nobody told him the dress code for the trip was short skirts and smooth thighs.
She gasped and pointed at him. “You’re staring at my legs, you are trying to get me in the mood!”
“Those are a perfectly acceptable choice for any woman.” He stared straight ahead.
“Is this the regimen you prescribe for any woman?” She inched toward him.
He sort of shrugged. Maybe he needed to be committed to the wayward home of passive aggressive men who couldn’t let go of their first crush.
A low chuckle escaped her throat. She leaned way over, reached for his bottle of water, popped all the pills in her mouth and swallowed them down. “Did you take your vitamins today?”
The last minute he didn’t hear a word she said, all he saw was her cleavage and he opted to shake his head.
“Let me help you then.” Again, she retrieved her bag and took out a sampling of the capsules. “Clarity.” She held up the pill to his lips. “Open wide, here come the supplements.”
Beyond his control, he opened his mouth.
She doled out the first dose and repeated her actions. “Energy.”
He forced himself to remain focused on the road.
“And the most important one of them all, stamina.” Once more, she put the pill on his tongue and allowed her fingertips to graze his lips. “Maybe I should give you two.”
Like earlier, his quote unquote situation waxed again, straining against his pants.
“You are most definitely not a contender for the female pill.” She held the water up and gave him a drink.
The water cooled his throat, but nothing else.
“Drew.” She placed her hand on his thigh and crooned in his ear. “I have another question.”
If her question involved pulling off the side of the road and fixing the fit of his pants, he would get over being late. “All right.”
“Do you think maybe you could learn to believe in me even a little, if I promise you that I don’t think anything you do is a joke, and I think you’re far from a pushover?” She brushed the back of her hand over his cheek.
Apparently, she decided to address last night. In all truth he had to admit he was more than surprised she not only showed up at the meeting with the spa, but only gave him an hour of the silent treatment. In many ways she proved she’d already changed. “I think that sounds like a plan.”
“Me, too.” She kissed his cheek.
He took a chance and held his hand out to her.
“The pills are working.” Without any hesitation, she put her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. “I don’t remember the last time holding someone’s hand turned me on, yet here we are.”
“If you only knew.” He didn’t mean to let the words slip, but his blood supply pooled elsewhere.
“How long does this meeting have to be and do you think you can adjust the couple of hours set aside for your work for something else?” She scratched her nails up and down his arm.
“We have to do the meeting right, because he’s a long standing client of mine, but if you’re a good girl, maybe we can forego the work and the corporate hotel and go stay at one of the B&B’s by the wineries instead.” Lord help him, they were planning their sex. He was never going to make it, but on a positive note, the
trip he originally wanted with her seemed to be materializing. Actually, the life he wanted may be materializing. He tried not to go there.
“What do I have to do to be good?” She lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed his fingers, wrangling one in between her lips.
“Keep that thought until after the meeting.” Not wanting to arrive at the meeting in his state, he needed to pull away, but lacked the strength.
“You want me to suck your fingers after the meeting?” Her voice taunted him.
“Erin.” Heat consumed him.
“Maybe somewhere more fun. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” She laughed and pointed out the window. “Look.”
At the moment he didn’t possess enough faculties to do multiple things at one time. Driving and Erin were a questionable mix at best. Still, he glanced over at the sign that caught her attention. “Former site of Climax Uranium Mine.”
“I think that’s telling. I know I could go for a climax or three.”
“If you only knew.”
“I have an idea.” She looked down at his lap.
“I told you to be good. I have to be able to walk.”
“Oh, I like it when you take charge.” She let go of his hand and slid over a few inches. “While you calm down, I better charge the camera for our meeting.”
Camera. He forgot about the camera. “Erin.”
Limelight (Hollywood Stardust) Page 23