It had done the same to me, when I’d first seen it.
I’d purchased it thirty years ago from an actress who was a legend in the fifties, and she’d lived here with her husband, raising a family and living out their golden years. Her husband died and her kids decided she was better off in a nursing home and sold the estate to pay for it.
It was quite sad really, but I promised her I’d take care of it and let her visit anytime. She died shortly afterwards, but I kept my promise. Years later, it was completely restored to its previous luster and I’d never left.
I’d done it all on my own.
The designing, the decisions, paying for it all out of my own pocket, which was unheard of back then. Sometimes, when I’m strolling around the property, having my coffee and wandering barefoot through the lush green lawn, it seems like I’ve lived here forever.
I barely remember where I came from.
I barely remember the abuse, the poverty, my sorry excuse for a family.
It was so long ago. I’ve made a life for myself here. A new life. And yet, sometimes, even though it was so long ago, even though the memory is a distant ghost, the haunting still takes place deep inside of me. It’s a part of me.
But so is this life.
This world I’ve created.
Sure, I may be packing on the years, and I never married, never had kids of my own, but I have absolutely nothing to complain about.
Not only do I have the freedom to make the films I want to make now that I own my own company, but I have the freedom to do whatever the hell I want to. The consequences that used to exist when I was younger have been obliterated.
No longer do I care what anyone thinks of me.
No longer do I have to be concerned with my reputation.
Hell, I don’t even have to worry about getting pregnant anymore.
Life is fabulous.
And this darling hunk of a man?
Standing on my doorstep all hot under the collar and holding a bunch of lilies and a bottle of bubblegum wine over his crotch in a terrible attempt to hide his attraction to me?
The fact that I can do whatever I want with him is just icing on the cake.
If this is what getting older is about, then bring it on, I thought, as I stepped back and gestured for him to come inside.
CHAPTER 17
BLAZE
I was convinced everyone in Hollywood was rich. Nobody lived in normal houses. They lived in estates. Manors. Chateaus and villas…
Harley’s house was the most elaborate of all I’d seen. High up in the hills, her place was surrounded by huge iron gates that an elephant couldn’t get through.
“You live here alone?” I asked, my eyes wide at the sheer size of the place.
“Pretty much,” she said, smiling up at me, flashing those Liz Taylor eyes my way, making me quickly forget about anything but her. She was dressed up for dinner, a form-fitting black wrap-around dress hugging her delicious curves and dipping to a low v in the middle, revealing a healthy dose of cleavage that I found it hard to tear my gaze away from. A chunky turquoise necklace snaked around her slender neck, partially hidden by the lush, loose waves of her long black hair.
When she stepped aside to let me in, I brushed past her, the scent of the same perfume she’d worn the night before washing over me and bringing me right back to the memory of her in my arms. I turned back to face her, handing her the flowers and wine and watching as she placed them on a large round table before turning back to me with that beautiful smile.
I longed to pull her in. I opened my arms slowly, offering her a soft smile. She stepped forward, slipping into my embrace as if it was a dance we’d practiced a hundred times.
“It’s nice to see you again,” I said, my words lost in her hair.
“You, too,” she murmured against my chest.
I hugged her gently, desire coursing through my limbs. Taking a deep breath, I remembered the promise I’d made to myself earlier: dinner first. Then, whatever happens, happens.
She deserved much more than the premature quickie that was trying to lure me in now that she was in my arms again.
“Do you like Italian?” I asked, instead of kissing her. God, I wanted to kiss her. Her lips tasted like home. They felt like falling into a sweet dream and never wanting to wake up. They felt like everything I wanted to feel. And they were right there.
So close.
Smiling.
Calling my name…
“I do,” she replied. It took me a moment to remember what I’d asked, I was so lost in my desire to rush through to the good parts.
But then it hit me.
It’s all good.
The waiting I’d endured until I’d arrived. The anticipation that was making it hard for me to even breathe properly right now. The memory of her kiss and the fantasy of what it would feel like again to feel her touch.
It was all perfect…
“We should go,” I offered, before I took too many steps into her home. Too many steps closer to her bed…
“Let me grab my purse,” she said, leaving me standing in the marble entry way that looked like it was out of a movie set from the fifties. A wide marbled staircase wound up to the top floor, leading to a catwalk type landing that looked out over the two-story windows at the sweeping view of the canyon outside of the front of the house.
Inside, everything was white. The marble floors, the furniture, a huge round table with a massive flower arrangement in the center that made my little bouquet of lilies look like the sad offering of a child.
I turned to take in the view, taking a few deep breaths to try to compose myself. Harley intimidated the hell out of me and I desperately didn’t want to feel that way. I wanted her to see me as a confident man, not some flailing amateur that didn’t know how to act around luxury.
“Ready?” she asked, appearing with a small beaded purse in hand.
I offered her my arm and we walked out to my Porsche. I sent a silent thanks to Daine as I opened the door for her. He’d convinced me to buy this car when we’d first moved here, insisting my old truck needed to be upgraded to match my new lifestyle. The thought of picking Harley up in my old beat-up Ford embarrassed me.
I slid behind the wheel, smiling over at her before starting up the engine. She reached over and put her hand on my knee casually, looking out the window and leaning back in her seat like she belonged there.
My heart cracked wide open when I realized the truth was so clearly spelled out for me right now.
She did belong there.
CHAPTER 18
HARLEY
Dinner went by like a dream. Blaze chose well, reserving a courtyard table at Il Cielo in Beverly Hills. One of the most romantic restaurants in town, I was impressed he’d been so thoughtful. We sat at a private candlelit table under the stars, feasting on lobster, calamari, and risotto so delicate it melted in our mouths.
By the time we’d polished off a bottle of wine and eaten like royalty, we’d shed any awkward first-date jitters and were laughing and joking with each other like two old friends.
That’s what Blaze felt like to me and friends were a rarity in my life. Outside of a few close girlfriends, I didn’t have much time for new friends. To find one in Blaze that felt like an old connection was special and I knew it.
He didn’t treat me like I was a number. He didn’t grill me on what it was like to be in Hollywood during the golden era. He didn’t ask me what famous people I knew.
He treated me like I was special, but it was the fact that he treated me like I was just any other woman that appealed to me. I was used to be treated like a celebrity. His lack of knowledge of who I was, or who I used to be, was addicting and foreign and completely intoxicating. I found myself opening up to him in ways I usually didn’t with others.
“Tell me about where you grew up,” he asked, after the tiramisu arrived.
“Oh, it was a world away from here,” I said. “I grew up in Savannah, Georgia. I
t was a tiny town back then, still isn’t much bigger, I’ve heard.”
“You haven’t been back?”
“Oh, not in a very long time.”
“Family?”
“All my family has passed now. When I turned eighteen, I got out of there as fast as I could. Los Angeles became my home and it’s stayed that way.”
“I just moved here a few months ago,” he said. “I grew up in Las Vegas. Danced there for years, until Richie met Tillie and we all came out here to start Tomcats.”
“It’s a remarkable place,” I said. “Richie and Tillie are your partners?”
“Yes, along with a few others. Daine and Fox, too.”
“Looks like it’s doing quite well,” I said. “I was hesitant to go at first, but you made it worth it.”
“I don’t usually do this, you know,” he said.
“Do what?”
“Meet up with clients outside of work,” he said.
I nodded, smiled, pleased I was the one that made him break the rules.
“Right, because it’s against the rules.”
“That’s one reason,” he said. “But I’ve found it’s just as easy to keep things separate.”
“I’m sure there’s no shortage of available women for a man like you, in or out of work.”
“That’s true,” he shrugged. He wasn’t arrogant, he was just confident, and I knew I was last in a long line of women to drink from his well. That didn’t make it taste any less sweet to me. Though I suspected he might think so. “But you…”
“Me?”
“You’re different than the women I usually date.”
“You mean I’m older?”
“No, not at all. Maybe that’s true, but I don’t care about age. What I mean is, Harley — you’re the whole package. I know we just met, hell, this is our first fucking date. But something tells me you have a lot more to offer than anyone I’ve dated before.”
“Let’s make a deal, Blaze. If you don’t compare me to the endless stream of pussy that came before me, I won’t compare you to all the vapid, vacuous, possessive men I’ve been involved with.”
His brows rose in shock and I laughed.
“I hate games. I hate comparing apples and oranges. I know I’m not like most girls in this town, Blaze. I don’t need reminding.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he insisted.
“I know what you meant, and you’re right,” I said, winking across my glass of wine at him as I brought it to my lips, “I am pretty awesome.”
“That’s what I’m trying to say!” He winked and laughed with me, his eyes peering deeply into mine. He was so warm and laid-back and mellow, so self-assured in his sculpted skin that all he needed to do was sit back and let all of life’s pleasure come to him all wrapped up in pretty little bows.
What would he do with a package that wasn’t wrapped up quite so pretty?
“Would you like to get out of here?” he asked.
I nodded. Indeed I did want to get out of there. I was ready to take him to my bed days ago. He paid the bill and whisked me back to his Porsche. I sank into the low seat next to him, my hand lying casually on his knee.
“Nice car, by the way,” I said.
“Thanks,” he replied. “Daine convinced me to buy it when we moved.”
“Sounds like a good friend,” I replied.
“He is,” he said. “In fact, I’d love it if you met him. His birthday is this weekend. We’re having a party tomorrow night. You should come.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, at Tillie’s place. We all live there. It’ll be a blast. You can meet everyone!”
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “You don’t think it’s a little too soon?”
“Too soon? Why?”
“We haven’t even slept together yet and you want me to meet your friends?” I asked, playfully.
“You’re right,” he said, growing serious, reaching down and gently caressing my knee, “I’ll ask you again in an hour.”
I laughed and shook my head.
“You’re pretty sure of yourself,” I replied.
He looked over at me, his eyes open and soft, as he shook his head.
“No,” he whispered, his voice a low, soft growl. “I’m just sure of you.”
CHAPTER 19
BLAZE
Despite the mutual flirting, part of me still expected her to slam the door in my face.
She was the opposite of everything I was used to.
Once I got them home, women usually did one of two things: they either pretended they didn’t want to have sex for a while before giving in, in order to avoid appearing a slut, or they attacked me with the aggression of a wildcat as soon as we were alone.
So, as I drove Harley home after dinner, I pondered what might happen.
The only logical conclusion I could come up with was that she’d reject me.
But that’s not what happened, not at all.
I walked her to her door, convinced the night was ending, and anticipating the feel of her sweet lips on mine, hoping I’d at least get a kiss.
But she opened her front door and turned back to me with a silent smile, reaching for my hand and pulling me in with her. With a slow, purposeful stride she led me through her house. Her curvy hips swayed with each step, each swing like a hammer to my heart. By the time we crossed the threshold of her bedroom, decorating in the exact same shade as her lavender eyes, my cock was throbbing painfully.
She’d not said a word.
She’d not kissed me.
She’d barely smiled at me since we walked in the house.
Just this silent march into a violet promise of heaven.
Stopping next to the bed, she turned back to me, her expression solemnly seductive. She lifted her chin slightly and kicked off her vertiginous heels, leaving her inches shorter. With deft fingers, she reached down and untied the side of her dress, pulling it open and sliding it off her shoulders and letting it land in a puddle at her feet.
My eyes drank in her beauty.
Her olive skin was smooth as silk, her soft curves ample and womanly. Barely covered by two wisps of delicate, lilac-colored, French silk, her breasts rose and fell with each drum of her heart.
With trembling fingers, I reached out for her, but she pulled away, shaking her head.
“Harley,” I growled, aching for her, yearning to touch her.
She took a step away, a sly smile spreading across her face.
“I want you so bad,” I groaned.
“I know. I want you, too,” she nodded, her sly smile growing as a mischievous sparkle appeared in her eyes. I took a step forward again, my cock straining in my slacks. She took another step back and then began laughing quietly.
“Lillian!” she shouted loudly.
“Lillian?” I cocked my head in confusion as footsteps quickly approached. A beautiful young girl, around twenty-five, with long red braids and wearing a white lacy dress, appeared in the doorway.
“Yes, Ms. Jamison?” she asked, her voice a high lilting song.
“Undress me,” Harley demanded, lifting her arms to her sides.
I watched with wide, shocked eyes as the girl rushed forward. Harley’s eyes peered into mine boldly as the girl stood behind her and unhooked her bra and pulled it off. My mouth opened as Harley’s gorgeous, round breasts came into view. The girl sank to her knees behind her, gently reaching up and grabbing Harley’s lace panties and slowly pulling them down her thighs, revealing every inch of her stunning beauty.
I stared in awe, unable to hold her gaze, my eyes raking over her naked body with hunger. Mixed with the confusion of Lillian’s presence, my head was spinning.
“Thank you, darling,” Harley said. The girl stood up and waited. I brought my eyes back up, my heart pounding in my chest as I met Harley’s gaze again. She was so boldly staring through me that I found myself holding my breath. “Lillian, this is Blaze. Blaze, this is Lillian. Say hello.”
“Hello, Lillian,” I mumbled, my voice thick with lust, my eyes glued to Harley’s. From behind her, Lillian nodded and flashed me a shy smile.
“Lillian, darling, undress Blaze now.”
My heart stopped.
I’d been in countless threesomes, but this was new.
And entirely unexpected.
A twinge of disappointment ran through me as Lillian stepped forward. With nimble hands, she quickly pushed away my jacket. I stared down at her, but she refused to meet my gaze. I inhaled deeply, a soft perfume that lingered like an aura around her, slightly more floral than Harley’s.
“Slower, Lillian,” Harley demanded.
“Yes, ma’am,” she replied, her voice a submissive whisper.
Slowing down, she unbuttoned my shirt and gently pushed it over my shoulders, her fingertips brushing against my bare shoulders.
“Shall I continue, Ms. Jamison?” she asked, staring straight at my bare chest.
“Yes, darling,” Harley replied.
The girl sank to her knees and I swallowed hard.
She was face to face with my raging erection as she slowly reached up and unbuckled my belt, then slowly unzipped my pants. Time stood still as I felt her reach for the waistband of my underwear. Once again, her fingertips brushed against my skin like wisps of air, pulling them around my hips and freeing my throbbing cock, leaving it bobbing in the air between us.
My eyes shot back up to Harley and she nodded approvingly, completely at ease in her own nudity.
The only one still dressed was Lillian.
Harley’s smile was playful and light as Lillian stood up and turned back to her. Still slightly confused, I stood there feeling vulnerable and hard as a rock, unsure which way to turn, or if I should even take a step in any direction at all. Harley had taken the reins and was not giving me any clue which way we were headed.
She leaned down, pressing her lips to Lillian’s softly, before patting her on the ass.
“Sit in the corner, sweetheart.”
TOMCATS [BOOK TWO] Page 5