We found all of Gray’s bags without anyone else noticing who he was. I was glad to get in my car with him. I was nervous, but I didn’t want him to know; I had to quickly become calm and play cool. He didn’t want to date some obsessed fan.
I took a deep breath, started my car and turned onto 43-North, towards home.
“On the right, you will see Milwaukee and Lake Michigan,” I said, playing the cheerful tour guide.
“Very nice,” he said, looking around at all the old buildings that line 43 North.
“Small huh?” I asked with a laugh. “Nothing like LA or NYC”.
“No, it’s beautiful,” Gray said. “I love all the old buildings.”
Over the next thirty miles, I found myself trying to make as much small talk as I could. Gray got a kick out of all the farmland and cows. We finally made it to my street and pulled into my driveway.
“Before we go in, I just wanted to remind you that I don’t make movie star money. Most of my things are hand-me-down.”
“I prefer hand-me-downs,” he said. “They have more charm.”
“Well, my house is full of charm then,” I said.
I brought Gray into my house and gave him the grand tour, which ended with the guestroom. I took Melanie’s advice and put his bag down. He looked at me funny but seemed to get the point that he would be sleeping in there.
“This is my guestroom,” I said.
“Oh, it’s nice,” he said looking around the room. My guestroom was honestly just a room with a bed. I desperately needed to decorate it but was lacking in time and money to get it done.
“I have to show you my guest bathroom.” I walked down the hall and opened the door to the bathroom. “Ta-da!”
“Wow! It’s really pink,” he said.
“Sorry, I don’t have the money to re-do it yet.”
“No need to apologize. I will feel extra manly in here.” He said with his sexy movie-star smile.
“Let’s go for a walk, and I can show you why I bought the house.” I opened my front door and we both started walking the two blocks to the Upper Bluff Park. It was a warm summer’s day; the wind was mild, and the sky was clear. I brought him to the edge of the bluff, so he could see the lake and the lighthouse.
“I see why you love it here.” Gray gently put his arm around me as he spoke to me.
“Thanks.” I looked up at him and caught him looking down at me.
“You know, we haven’t even been on a proper date yet,” He said, “But I feel like we have known each other for years.”
“Me too,” I admitted.
Grayson looked into my eyes and brushed a lost strand of hair behind my ear. I could tell that he wanted to say more but wasn’t sure if he should.
“This might not be entirely proper, but this is a great place for a first kiss,” He whispered to me. He slowly closed his eyes and leaned in towards me. I let myself go and enjoyed feeling his lips on mine. I counted the seconds the kiss lasted.
“Wow,” I said quietly. “It’s been a while for me.”
“How long?” he asked as he brushed my hair back from my face again.
“Four years,” I admitted.
He smiled and kissed me again. “I guess we have to make up for lost time,” he said. “How can you not have had a boyfriend for four years? I’m sure there are plenty of guys beating down your door on a regular basis.”
“It’s not that easy to meet new people in a small town. That’s why I always volunteer for trade shows,” I said.
We walked down the bluff towards my city. I was excited to show Gray around. Most of the buildings in Port Washington date back to the 1800s, which gave Port a cool, old feeling. I showed Gray our butcher shop and our bakery. After strolling through the downtown business area, we made our way back to my house and into my den.
“Thanks for the grand tour,” Gray said, giving me another hug.
I wanted to do a little celebration dance. I loved it that he couldn’t keep his hands off me. I was enjoying the embrace when my doorbell rang.
“Hmm, I’m not expecting anyone.” I said. “Wait here.”
I walked down the hall and opened my front door to find Lisa there, looking extremely excited.
“Is he here?” She asked in a quiet squeal.
“Yes,” I said in an unusually matter-of-fact voice. Drat, I thought to myself. He has only been here for a couple of hours, and now I would have to introduce him to Lisa? I had hoped to get more time with him alone before she came over. Now I would have to compete for his attention. Lisa was dressed for the occasion wearing a slinky, sexy tank top and an extremely short jean skirt. Was she actually trying to outdo me?
“Come in,” I said with a sigh.
“Ooh, someone’s hair is already messed up,” She teased.
“We walked down to the lake. It’s just windblown,” I stated.
“Sure, windblown,” She said with a roll of her eyes.
We walked down the hall to the den. Lisa was a pile of nerves. She was barely holding it together. I had never seen Lisa not in control of a situation – especially not one that involved a guy.
“Gray, this is my best friend Lisa. Lisa, this is...”
“Grayson Edwards!” she shrieked. “OH, I love you in Texas High. I can’t believe you are here!” She ran over to Gray and threw her arms around him.
Gray looked at me as if he didn’t know what to do. I was sure he normally handled things differently but didn’t want to hurt my feelings.
Lisa could not resist him. She exploded into tears and tightened her grip around his neck, almost choking him. I did my best to pull her off him and drag her down the hallway.
“We’ll be right back,” I said and pushed her into the kitchen. I closed the door behind me.
“What are you doing?” I asked her in a loud whisper.
“I’m so sorry,” Lisa said. “I just lost control.”
“Well, get it together,” I snapped. “You look like a mess. Go get cleaned up in my bathroom and come back when you can hold a conversation.”
Lisa ran off down the hall to my bedroom, and I went back to find Gray, hoping that he hadn’t run down the road screaming.
“I’m really sorry about that,” I started to say. I was beyond embarrassed. He had opened up to me about how much he hated all the attention on him, and I had let one of his biggest fans into my house.
“No problem. It happens to me more than you know,” he replied.
“I hope you are still glad you came,” I said. I would have killed Lisa if he had decided to leave.
“I am. In fact, I have a surprise for you.” Gray said with his sexy smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a charm bracelet. I immediately realized where I had seen the bracelet before. It was like the one in the Texas High movie that his character gave his girlfriend. It had a silver H on it, and a silver State of Texas charm dangling from it.
“This might seem really corny, but this is one of the prop replicas from the movie. They always make four or five in case you lose one. I thought you might get a kick out of a movie prop.”
“Thank you,” I said and watched as he put the bracelet on my wrist. I should have gotten him something. I gave him a hug, and my lips met his again.
“You’re so cute; I may not be able to control myself around you either,” I teased.
“Well,” he whispered in my ear, “I’m not stopping you.”
Just then, Lisa reappeared a bit more together. I let my arms slide down from around his neck.
“Sorry about before,” she apologized. “I have never met a famous person before.”
“No problem,” he said. “Would it help if you just thought of me as Abby’s boyfriend?”
“That might help a little,” she said and shot me an excited face.
I was surprised that Gray didn�
�t even seem to notice her cleavage, or her lovely looks. I couldn’t believe that he wanted to be referred to as my “boyfriend.” My head was spinning.
I noticed it was getting a bit late, and I was sure that Gray was getting hungry.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, hoping that Lisa would take the hint.
“Do we have any plans for dinner?” he asked
“No, I thought we could go to Beanies in town. They have great Mexican food.”
“I’m sure they do,” Gray said. “but is there any place to get a beer and a burger? My agent never lets me eat them in LA, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
“Sure,” Lisa chimed in. “The Deck has a great burger, and we could sit outside. It’s such a nice evening.”
“Okay then,” Gray said to Lisa. “Lead the way. I’m starving.”
I shot Lisa a look after Gray had left the room. She jokingly stuck her tongue out at me.
“He is hotter in person,” she whispered.
“Do not ruin this for me,” I said; “You can stay for dinner but take off after that, and drive your own car,” I said.
“Okay. You’re no fun. How often do we have a movie star in Port?”
“Never again if you don’t behave!” I teased.
The Deck, our local bar, was mostly empty. I showed Gray the way to the outdoor section and was relieved to see that the patrons were all older men who seemed to have no idea we were with a movie star. The waitress, however, was younger. She recognized Grayson immediately.
“Oh my God, you’re Grayson Edwards!” she exclaimed. “Can I get your autograph? Wait, I have the Texas High CD in my car. I’ll be right back!” She ran off with our even taking our order.
I shot Lisa a worried look.
“Let’s go sit at the bar inside. I know the bartender. I’m really sorry that happened,” I said apologetically.
“Don’t worry about it; this happens all the time,” Gray said. “but I do think it might be a good idea to sit at the bar.”
We got up and relocated to a corner section of the bar where we were least visible. Brian was the bartender on that night. Lisa and I had known him ever since we started going to the Deck. He was in his late-thirties and honestly had no idea who Grayson was or what had gotten the waitress all worked up. Finally, we were able to place our order and get a few beers.
“You have to try the fried cheese curds,” I said. “They are a Wisconsin specialty.”
“That sounds terrible,” Grayson said with a chuckle.
“They are really good. You’re from England; isn’t all the food there bad?” I asked playfully. I caught Lisa’s eye. She was used to me being the third wheel on all her dates and not the other way around.
“Well, British food is an acquired taste, but I do love fish and chips. That is why I came here after all,” Grayson said.
“So, Grayson, what was it like to film Texas High?” Lisa asked.
“Well, it’s wasn’t a big-budget film like Crystal Cauldron. I liked that the cast and crew became close,” he said and took a gulp of his beer.
“Didn’t your character die in Crystal Caldron?” Lisa asked.
“Yes my character died in one of the final scenes of the movie. I was a bit disappointed not to be in any of the sequels.”
“I don’t remember that part.” I stated it has been years since I had seen the movie.
“Abby doesn’t get out much,” Lisa teased.
My cheeks turned red, but Grayson already knew I wasn’t up on current movies. We got our food and Grayson graciously signed the waitress’s Texas High sound track.
The rest of the meal went off without a hitch. After dinner, and after much prodding by me, Lisa finally said her goodbyes, and Gray and I made our way back to my house. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to be normal and comfortable around him. We sat on my couch and talked.
“This is one of the best first dates I have been on,” he said.
“Me too. Too bad Lisa had to join us,” I replied. I adjusted my weight to lean on him slightly.
“I don’t mind Lisa,” he said and put his arm around me. He started to rub my back.
“Thanks. I was worried she would drive you crazy. But she is my best friend in town, and I had to invite her.”
“The charm will wear off soon, and she will see I’m just normal Gray,” he said.
“I’m impressed by how you handle yourself with your fans. That must be tough to get interrupted all the time.”
“I have to appreciate my fans while I have them. Someday they won’t be chasing me down for autographs. It’s because of them that Grayson Edwards, the actor, exists.”
“Thanks for being so nice about it. My small town doesn’t get many celebrities,” I said as I snuggled next to him. I could feel that things were taking a more romantic turn. My head started to rush.
“Where do you want me to sleep tonight?” he whispered as he kissed my neck.
I had known this question would come up, and a strong feeling of guilt washed over me. I was hoping to stall him a bit more, but of course I wanted him to stay with me; he was utterly gorgeous and seemed totally into me. I tried to get lost in the moment, letting him kiss my neck and caress me, trying to persuade me. But I was unable to. The extremely responsible part of me knew that it was wrong to do that on a first date, even with a movie star. The idea of letting him stay in my room on the first night was too unsettling for me. It also scared me to death. I didn’t have much experience in that department, and I was sure that he had plenty. I was afraid he would be terribly disappointed.
I let him kiss my neck. When he moved his hand onto my breast, my brain stated to scream out RED ALERT! This was going to be extremely hard, but I knew I had to stop him without offending him. I managed to roll over on my side and look up at him.
“Don’t think I’m a prude, okay,” I said. “but maybe you should stay in the guestroom for tonight.”
“I understand,” he said. He kissed me gently on my head and pulled my body close to his chest. I rested my head on his chest. I could hear his heart beating and feel the movement of his breathing. It was all immensely calming, like the ocean’s waves. I closed my eyes and let out a happy sigh. I hadn’t been this content in a long time.
Chapter 8
The next morning, I woke up in Grayson’s arms on the couch. Did last night actually happened? Grayson appeared to be asleep still, so I gently got up, started the coffee and took Thor outside. I was glad that I was the first one up. This allowed me some time to shower and put myself together. I honestly didn’t want Grayson to see just how scary I could look in the morning.
I quickly put on the jeans and tank top Lisa had helped me pick out. It was early on Friday, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with him today. I took one last look in the mirror and thought I looked fabulous.
When I walked into the kitchen, I found Gray there, looking for a mug.
“The mugs are up here,” I said and handed him one.
“Thanks,” Gray said sleepily. Even though, he was still in his clothes from the day before and looked half-asleep, I was amazed by him.
“I guess last night worked itself out,” I said, pouring some coffee for myself. I suddenly realized I only had cold cereal for breakfast. With all my planning for this visit, I had totally forgotten to go to the store for groceries. I was so used to having only myself and Thor to feed.
“I guess so,” he replied.
I handed him cream a sugar for his coffee. “The couch must not have been very comfortable,” I apologized. I got out some bowls and milk and cereal. Grayson grabbed a bowl and made himself at home.
“I was comfortable next to you,” he said.
“Did you fall asleep right away?”
“No, I watched you sleep for a while first,” he replied.
“
You could have woken me up,” I said. “My guestroom bed is much more comfortable than the couch.”
“I’m enjoying every moment with you. I didn’t want to waste any,” he said.
I could feel myself start to blush. I hadn’t had someone be so nice to me in a long while.
After Gray was ready, I took him to Cedarburg, another cute small town. We had lunch at one of the local restaurants. I tried to think of other places to take him to keep him entertained. We walked out on the breakwater to the lighthouse. I brought my camera and wanted to take as many pictures of us as I could. I only had three days to make an album with him. Afterwards, we walked around the Upper Bluff Park, again I was starting to run out of ideas.
When we got back to my place, Gray turned to me and started to kiss me hard. This time, I didn’t stop him. I just let it happen. Soon we were stumbling down my long hallway to my bedroom. Gray pulled my top off over my head as I helped him unbutton his pants. I guess this was one way we could spend a Friday afternoon. Gray gently laid me down on the bed and started to kiss me all over my body. I rolled on top of him and started unbuttoning his shirt. I ran my hands over his sculpted chest.
“I guess your abs are real and not edited,” I teased.
“I work hard for my abs,” he replied. “Not that this trip will help with all the beer and fried food you keep feeding me. My agent will never let me come back to Port Washington if I put on weight.”
“I’ll help you work it off,” I said in a sexy tone. I was shocked that something so dirty came right out of my mouth. Grayson was sure bring out a different side of me. I knew that we were moving fast, but who cared? I thought I had proved my point that I wasn’t a sure thing, and he had proved that he hadn’t come all the way to Wisconsin for a booty call.
Grayson, perhaps realizing that I wasn’t quite paying attention, suddenly stopped and looked directly into my eyes.
“Are you okay with this Abby? You seemed a bit hesitant last night … I don’t want to rush anything if you’re uncomfortable.”
“Gray… shush,” I said and put my finger on his lip.
My Life With The Movie Star Page 5