by Taylor Hart
She tried to pull away.
He kept her in his arms.
“It’s none of your business.” She would not discuss this.
“Fine. That’s fine.” He kept his tone calm. “I’m sorry.”
They danced in silence for a few minutes, and she refused to look in his eyes. Then she thought of the Wikipedia article on him she’d read, and she couldn’t stop herself. “I read about your mother. I’m sorry.”
He looked caught, and for a brief moment, she saw the vulnerability in his eyes. “Well, it looks like you know a lot more about me than I do about you.”
Compassion weaved through her, and she found herself connecting with him again. “I’m sorry.”
The side of his lip tugged up. “Everyone’s got a sad story, right?”
It unnerved her how he sounded so detached from that statement when only moments before she’d felt his pain. But the thing annoying her most about this entire date was she was attracted to him.
Majorly attracted to him.
That had not been the plan for the evening. Not even close. Yes, she knew he was a gorgeous movie star, but she hadn’t felt attraction for another man since Rob. She tried to pull away.
Sterling held tighter. “Wait.”
Her heart raced. “I can’t do this. Deal’s off.” She was poised to bolt as soon as he released his grip on her.
He just stared at her, holding her as much with his ice, blue eyes as he did with his hands. Then he shrugged and let her go. “Sure, whatever. I can’t even keep a paid date interested.” Turning away from her, he put his hands into his pockets. “Don’t worry about the money.”
The need to flee instantly went out of her. Was it the pathetic way he said the part about the paid date not even staying with him? Or was it the intent to still pay her?
In her experience, nothing was ever free. She sighed and wrung her hands together, wanting to leave, but feeling torn. She could easily give the money back.
Sterling took two small steps away from her toward the edge of the dance floor. There were so many people it wasn’t even noticeable he was alone.
But alone on the dance floor, she stuck out like the outsider she was.
A blonde wearing four-inch heels and a short strapless dress with a long slit walked up to Sterling. No, she didn’t walk. She shimmied up and leaned into him as if he were a comfy mattress.
Sterling pulled back, but the blonde was relentless, winding her arms around him and laughing.
It was clear the woman was drunk or something. There was something familiar about her, but Sayla couldn’t place her. The blonde made a flirty, pouty face at Sterling, and it hit Sayla. That was Kim Grant, the woman from his last relationship.
Something lit inside of Sayla, and she stalked up to him, taking him by surprise. Leaning into his other shoulder, she said, “Honey, you haven’t introduced me?” She tried to channel some rich, petty woman kind of energy.
Lifting his brows and hesitating for a second, Sterling grabbed hold of her arm and shrugged away from the other girl. “Oh, sorry. Kim Grant, this is Sayla Jones.”
All those pictures flashed into her mind from google. “Oh, your ex.” She flashed a snobby smile. “Charmed, I’m sure.” All of a sudden, she sounded southern. She didn’t know why that had happened.
Giving her a look of complete disgust, Kim immediately dislodged her fangs from Sterling and took a step back. She glared at him, puffing out her bottom lip. “I guess there’s no reconciliation?”
Sterling kept his face impassive. “Sorry.” He nudged Sayla, and she followed his lead, moving away from Kim.
He didn’t look back, only lifted his hand in a parting wave. “I guess the Southern accent sounded convincing.”
Sayla didn’t know why, but she leaned her head back and laughed.
Chapter 4
Sterling’s mouth felt dry, and he didn’t understand why she’d just done that. He didn’t stop walking, knowing he needed to keep up the pretense. “Thank you.” He managed.
Walking close to him with purpose, she kept her hand in his. Her shoulder next to his. She let out another small laugh. “That felt good. Payback for every mean girl who’s ever snubbed me.”
The air between them crackled with electricity, and he found himself liking this woman with an intensity he hadn’t felt in a long time. He grinned. “Can’t say I didn’t enjoy the look on Kim’s face when you let out the southern drawl.”
She covered her face. “Seriously, I have no idea why it came out that way. I was just trying to conjure rich and elite.”
Warmth filled him. “I dated a southern bell once, and I can say you played the part well.”
She laughed harder, and he found himself laughing too.
It was strange. The fact they were working together and had a private joke between them. It felt great. Taking her around the dance floor to a magnificent fountain sculpture with two cherub angels spitting water out of their mouths, he paused. The fountain shielded them from the people. He turned to her. “I told you that you could go.”
She bit her bottom lip nervously, and it was all he could do to look at her and not kiss her. She was adorable. He forced himself to focus on her eyes. “Why’d you stay?”
She exhaled. “Tell me something else real.”
He frowned. “I thought it didn’t matter?”
“It doesn’t.”
He recognized the determination in her eyes.
They both stared at each other for several moments.
“Why?” he asked.
She shrugged. “You seemed pretty miserable.” She nudged him. “So I deserve to know something more than just what the Wikipedia article says about you.”
He laughed, not expecting that answer.
They smiled at each other.
“I hate my father,” he said quietly. “He has a heart condition, yet he’s running for senator. I haven’t seen him since my mother’s death. I’m just a publicity stunt to him.”
She didn’t respond.
He couldn’t believe he’d told her that.
“Okay.”
He tried to play it off like he hadn’t just told her something intimate. “It’s not a big deal.”
In a very disconcerting way, she looked him up and down. Her mouth opened momentarily. She closed it, cleared her throat, and shook her head, biting on her lip again. “You’re lying.”
There it was again. She could see right through him.
“It is a big deal to you, and it should be.”
He turned back. They measured one another again.
Taking a chance, he reached out and took her hand. “Your turn.”
She shook her head. “No, you’ve got enough on me.”
“Your turn.” He insisted, wanting to know as much as possible about the woman in front of him. “Tell me something else.”
A spark glinted into her eye. “You can’t handle it.”
More determined than ever he nodded. “Yeah, I can.”
“Fine.” She took a step closer to him, getting into his personal space. “I killed him.”
He stood there. His blood ran cold because he knew it was the truth by the glint in her eyes.
Dropping her hand, he pushed his own back into his hair. “What the—?”
She kept his eyes. “Are you still sure you want me to be your paid date?”
It was a challenge. Was there some crazy in this girl? He wanted to pull his cell phone out and text Caleb to find out if he had even bothered to run a background check. “How?” He challenged, trying to seem unfazed by her.
Tears welled in her eyes, and she began to pull away.
He caught her again, holding her by the shoulders. “You can’t just drop something on me like that without explaining yourself.”
The next few moments staring into her eyes were the most intense he’d ever had with a woman.
Wiping at her eyes, she sniffed. “Oh, man, I don’t know why I said that.”
“S
ayla.” He pressed.
She looked down. “I was driving the car. I was driving the car when the semi hit us. The whole thing was my fault.”
Tugging her into him, he felt her melt against him.
Somehow, she fought back the tears. He wondered if they might fall anyway since he could feel her trembling.
Finally, she relaxed.
When he let her go, she was breathing in deeply. “You sure know how to use shock value.”
A half-smile filled her face then was extinguished by sadness. She let out a light laugh.
All he could do was pull her back in. “This night turned out a bit different than I’d expected.”
“Oh, believe me, this was not what I expected either.” She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes.
He noticed how tough and tender and fragile this woman seemed to be. All at once. Not to mention funny, witty, and apparently southern. It made him smile. He liked her.
For a few moments, she stayed in his arms. Then the music stopped, and lights lit up the center of the staircase that led to the dance floor. A voice came over the microphone. “Welcome, friends, acquaintances, business allies.”
Sterling paused. The guests stopped dancing and began clapping. He released Sayla, and she pulled back from him and began clapping too.
Harold looked every bit the movie director he was. In his mid-fifties, he was decked out in a pin-striped suit. With his dark Italian looks and gaudy jewelry, he looked like the Godfather.
“All right, all right.” Harold put up a hand to quiet the crowd, but everyone could tell he loved the attention. Which was the whole point. “Many of you know I just won the Academy Award for Best Director.”
The clapping and whooping started again.
Sterling was clapping and smiling, but it was a bit much. He turned to Sayla and saw her clapping, but there was no smile on her face.
Harold continued. “I’m on the precipice of casting for my next movie which we’ll start filming in October. I’m so happy you all came out tonight. Have a good time, and don’t forget to come over by the waterfall and say hi.”
Another round of clapping.
Sterling watched as Harold and some young blonde walked down the steps and across the dance floor toward the waterfall. A line of people was already following, as well as the photographer who’d been taking pictures all evening.
“Shall we head over?”
He turned to Sayla and noticed she’d slipped back into the role of aloof, paid date. He wasn’t sure he liked her professionalism. For just a moment, he’d felt a genuine connection to someone.
“Sure.”
He took her hand as they walked to the already formed line.
Neither of them spoke. They didn’t really have to. There was enough of a show going on as Harold greeted each guest and did the lean-in for the photo or the side smile as hands clasped.
Unexpectedly, Sterling felt a rush of nerves. He longed to direct movies, and Harold was a rocket ship to his goal. Any other path would take years as well as millions of his own money.
As they approached the front of the line, Sayla leaned over and whispered. “Don’t worry. I don’t think he’ll bring up Anne of Green Gables, so you’ll do fine.”
It surprised him that she was being so supportive. Or, he turned to look at her, was this just part of the paid gig for her? He surveyed her face, and detected complete sincerity. He flashed her a smile. A real smile.
When it was his turn, Harold opened his arm half-way. Sterling leaned in half-way too.
They paused as the cameraman snapped a few shots.
“Sterling. Sterling. It was fun to hobnob at the premiere a few weeks ago. The movie has gone gangbusters.”
Sterling grinned and pulled back, casually fixing the bottom of the cuff of his shirt. “I appreciate that, Harold.”
Harold’s eyes widened, and he turned his attention to Sayla. “And you have good taste in women too.” He chug laughed.
Sterling felt momentarily awkward because the blonde was still clutched to Harold’s arm. “This is Sayla Jones,” he said in a nonchalant way.
She put her hand out. “I loved your documentary on China last year. I thought the way you shifted points of view based on their interpretation of light and dark in regards to family and their perspective was brilliant.”
His eyebrows rose. “She’s smart too.” He turned his gaze to her breasts, and then looked at her like he wanted to take a bite out of her.
Sterling quickly took Sayla’s hand to tug her closer, feeling protective. He’d heard about Harold’s appetite for women. “Yes, she is.”
Harold flashed his attention back to Sterling.
Sterling didn’t want to lose his chance. “Harold, I’m interested in directing. I had a movie at Sundance last year, and I’ve been honing my skills on my own for a couple of years now. What do you think about working together on this next film?”
Briefly, Harold’s grin widened. He gave Sayla another look before turning back to Sterling. His top lip pulled back like a bull dog, and he put his hand over his mustache and brushed the lip down. “I like a man with the guts to ask for what he wants.” He ran his hand down his mustache again. “And I’m not gonna lie, having you as a protégé would be good for me.” He shrugged. “Let’s call it a strong possibility. I’ll have my assistant contact you next week.”
Sterling’s pulse raced, and he ordered himself not to laugh with relief and eager happiness. Instead, he reached out and shook Harold’s hand, taking a step down the line. “Looking forward to it. Thank you.”
Sayla stayed close, and they each uncomfortably shook the blonde’s hand while she avoided their gaze. She was obviously having a miserable night.
Rushing away from the waterfall and the guests, Sterling excitedly gripped Sayla’s hand.
It wasn’t until they got across the dance floor that he heard her laugh.
He stopped, turning back and seeing the wide grin on her face. “What?” He demanded.
She put her hand over her mouth. “He looked like he wanted to eat me. I feel like I need to take a shower. Dirty old man.”
Sterling shook his head, grimacing in agreement. “I know. He’s … eccentric.”
“That’s one word for it.” She snorted out a laugh.
Sterling laughed. “You snorted.”
Looking horrified, she covered her face. Then she laughed again. “I did. I totally did.”
The feeling between them was electric.
Without thinking, he asked, “Will you stay for the rest of the party?”
She blinked and pulled her hand back. “What?”
“The photo op is over, so technically, you’re free to go. But do you want to stay?”
The look she gave him was as if all the happiness had swiftly been sucked from the whole party. She shook her head. “I should go. The limo’s out front, right?”
Sinking disappointment overcame him, but he tried to hide it. “Uh, yeah. Yep.” His palms were unexpectedly sweaty. He hadn’t had sweaty palms since he’d asked out Loretta Simon senior year for the prom. “I’ll walk you out.”
Chapter 5
Would it be admitting she liked him if she stayed?
She and Sterling walked up the staircase and through the house where he got stopped a few times. Sayla patiently waited, determined to play her role as the ever-attentive date until the very end. When they finally got through the front doors, she flashed Sterling a smile, feeling better because it felt like there was more distance between them again.
“Must be hard to be so loved,” she said.
Playing the part, he flashed a smile back. “Part of the job.”
Following the long, winding driveway, she watched as Sterling gestured to the row of limos. One of them pulled away from the curb and moved toward them. It was still early for people to be leaving the party.
The light of the moon glinted off the shiny black car. Sterling opened the door for her before the chauffeur could get ou
t. It felt like the end of an actual date.
As she stepped past him, she paused. “Thanks, I had a nice time.”
Their eyes locked for a minute. Then she turned away and got in the limo.
Taking her off guard, he climbed in next to her. “I might as well make sure you get home.” He tugged the door shut and gestured to the driver. “Let’s go, Charles.”
This was not what she’d been expecting. “Uh, no. I think you should stay.” Her heart beat picked up speed at the proximity of him next to her in such a confined space.
“Why?” He didn’t raise his voice, just grinned and pulled off the mask. “I want to see you home. Is that a crime?”
Not knowing why she was reacting like this, she looked away, trying to calm herself down. “Fine, I mean, you could stay and make contacts or something, but whatever.”
He puffed out a laugh. “I made the only contact I cared to make tonight.” He grinned wider. “And it wasn’t Harold.”
Seeing the complete sincerity in his eyes, she felt nervous and looked away.
They lapsed into silence.
The driver appeared to know where he was going, so she didn’t say anything.
It was not lost on her that her nerves had nothing to do with the fact that Sterling Pennington was a movie star. The feelings he’d made her experience had been entirely off-limits a couple hours ago.
He lightly touched her hand. “Would you take off your mask?”
Her heart raced, and even though she didn’t pull her hand away, she felt frozen. To the seat. To this moment.
The limo turned onto Main Street and began heading out of town toward the lake. She stared at Sterling. Without knowing exactly why, she grinned. “No.”
A nanosecond later, he leaned in and brushed the back of his hand against her face. “Please.”
Closing her eyes, she shook her head. “Please don’t.” It couldn’t happen. She recognized he wanted to kiss her.
Slowly pulling his hand away, he searched her face. “I’m sorry for your loss. For your husband.”
The sincerity in his eyes wasn’t part of a character. They were back to that connection they’d had earlier.