Center Stage (Bright Lights Billionaire #2)

by Ali Parker

"I wish," he mumbled and gave me a soft smile. "To be completely honest, I can almost feel those emotions when I act. If I have the right co-star."

  "I think you pull off those emotions beautifully if you have the right co-star or not." I took another bite of my dinner and studied him as he returned the favor. "You have the heart of America sitting in the palm of your hand. It must be exhilarating and frightening all in the same moment."

  "It's exhausting, but I make it work. I've been doing it too long to know anything different." He picked up his plate and moved to sit in the seat right next to me, scoring me with his nearness.

  The scent of his cologne filled my senses and left me weak. "Do you think you'll always be an actor?"

  "Of course. What else would I be? The expectation has been set, and I’m rather stuck dancing along to the tune the puppeteer plays.” He shrugged. "This is the life for me. Only love could pull me from it, but I already told you that it's harder than you think to find love after you’ve made it big. It's a good thing you have Jace, and that you really know him. That will give you a bit of comfort when shit gets rough, because it will."

  The look on his handsome face told me that he was hiding behind a mask. He was depressed, moody, but why? Was he like that often and I was just getting to see behind the curtain a little?

  "You want to dance now that the dance floor is filling up?" I brushed my napkin across my lips and moved to stand.

  "You just want to get your hands on me. Naughty girl." He got up and gripped my hand tightly as he moved us to the center of the floor.

  "I'm failing your first test miserably, aren't I?" I slid my hands up his thick chest and felt the need to apologize again for lying about the kiss. If the memory of seeing the hot blond at his door that same night hadn’t kicked me in the face and filled me with regret, I would have. Fuck him for denying me and then taking another woman to his bed.

  "I failed yours." He smiled and rested his hands on my lower back.

  Some part of me wanted him to inch his fingers lower until he grasped me intimately as I had him in our second try-out scene. The soft feel of his flesh beneath my fingers wouldn't be something I would soon forget.

  "No, you passed mine, remember." I looked up into his warm brown eyes and saw something that scared me. Neediness. Was he lonely? Was I willing to do anything about it? Could I and survive?

  Tell him. Tell him that it wasn’t a test. Tell him that you came back to express how much you wanted to stay the night, to get lost in his arms. Tell him!

  "No, I don't think I did." He breathed in deeply and spun me to the left, pushing me from him only to pull me back closely. "You know there is a dancing scene in this next movie, right?"

  "Really? I haven't seen the script. When will I get it?"

  "When we get on the plane next week." His fingertips brushed along the top curve of my ass, causing my heart to race harder. "You're panting, Riley. Why?"

  "What is the scene?" I ignored him as I was getting good at doing.

  He awarded me with a cheeky smile. "It's a tango scene in a restaurant. Do you tango?" He licked his lips and moved closer. The strong press of his erection against my stomach left my insides melting. I’d never been with a man his size, much less seen someone sporting so much dick. The thought of getting my hands on him and seeing what I could do was incredibly exhilarating.

  Warmth raced up my chest and coated my neck and cheeks as my nipples budded tightly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and brushed the tiny pebbles against him, wanting him to know that whatever he was thinking… I was thinking it too.

  "I can learn." I spun and pressed my back against his chest as his hand slid over my stomach and locked me tightly to him.

  "Somehow I believe that." His lips grazed past my ear. "Your boyfriend might not like how close we're dancing."

  “True. Let’s not upset him, lest he take his anger out on my body later tonight.” I pulled from him and walked back toward our table as Jace and Charlotte entered the room again. No reason to make Jace jealous, not that I thought it was possible, but to cause Ethan’s blood to burn?

  Now that was my deepest desire.

  Chapter 5

  Ethan

  Bitch. Man she was such a bitch. A bitch I wanted groaning my name and begging for more of what only I could give her.

  "Dude, really?" Deza moved to stand in front of me as she wiped at her eyes. She'd been crying.

  "What?" I reached out and brushed my hands over her shoulders before looking behind her for Darren. I was going to whoop his ass if he hurt her. "Where is he?"

  "No. We're good." She rested her hands on my chest. "His mom had a heart attack and isn't doing too well."

  "What were you getting onto me for?" I turned my attention back to her, grateful that she was okay. I didn't have many people in my life that I'd defend, but Deza was one of them. Something told me that Riley was soon to join the crew.

  "Your dick is halfway up your stomach. Are you seriously thinking that no one is going to notice that?"

  I glanced down and released her before tugging my shirt out of my pants and rolled my shoulders. "Better?"

  "Yeah." She patted my chest and glanced over her shoulder. "What is it about this girl?"

  "No clue." I moved past Deza as Trish walked into the room. "I plan to find out though."

  Riley was being a cheeky bitch by teasing me with her bedroom talk about Jace, but two could play her game. I wasn't going to stand on the side of the dance floor like a junior high boy with my dick caught in my zipper. Nope. Not happening. Besides, the pretty little tart still believed that Trish was my wettest dream. No reason not to exploit that.

  "Hey, beautiful." I stopped in front of Trish as she paused by Riley's table and gave me a warm smile. I was happy as hell not to see her new hubby on her arm. She most likely got an invite just for being one of Deza's clients.

  "Hi, Ethan." She slipped her hands into mine and leaned in for a kiss. "This looks fun."

  "It's the same old shit if you wanna be honest about it." I turned her and wrapped an arm around her lower back as my eyes met Riley's. "Hey, guys. I'd love for you to meet Trish Desmount. She's a co-star of mine and my childhood crush."

  I forced warmth up to coat my cheeks by thinking of an embarrassing moment from my childhood. It had nothing to do with anything, but by the look on Riley's pretty face, she was falling for my shit, hook, line and sinker. My brother, Liam, would be proud.

  "Oh, stop it." Trish glanced over at me and blushed herself. "Everyone knows that you're the big stuff in Hollywood."

  "Maybe, but you're right beside me." I let my eyes move across her pretty face and allowed an uncomfortable silence to fall between all of us. It was almost too easy.

  "Right, well, I'm Riley. This is my friend, Charlotte and my man, Jace." Riley stood up and walked around the table toward us.

  "Oh, yeah. Nice to meet you Riley." Trish leaned across the front of me.

  I kept my eyes on her and breathed in softly, just loudly enough for Riley to hear. The laughter that bubbled up inside of me was locked behind my clenched jaw.

  "The pleasure is all mine." Riley shook Trish's hand as her friends stood and did the same.

  I finally released the pretty blond and moved back, but kept my attention on just her. The weight of Riley's eyes on me left my stomach tightening, my pulse quickening.

  "I'm thirsty." Trish glanced back at me as Deza walked up and handed me a phone.

  "You left this on the table. Liam's on it." Deza pulled Trish into a quick hug after I took the phone and turned to walk toward the windows.

  "What's up, bro?" It took everything inside of me not to look over my shoulder to see if my girl was watching me. She's not your girl, idiot.

  "Hey, man. You still with me this weekend?" Liam's voice was professional. He was still in the office.

  "Yeah. We're going out on the boat on Saturday?" I turned and tried to find Riley with my peripheral vision, failing miserably and turning around
fully. She and Jace were on the dance floor, looking more and more like the couple I would grow to hate.

  "Yep. You need a bitch, or you got one?" He cleared his throat.

  I rolled my eyes. Where I'd have been more than happy to think of women as objects a few years back, Deza was finally influencing me for the better.

  "I'll find someone to come with me. Those girls you pick are all the same." I crossed my free arm across my chest and let my eyes run down the back of Riley's dress to the swell of her ass. "I have the perfect girl for the trip, but she's unfortunately taken."

  "This the same one you were whimpering about last week?" He chuckled.

  "Yep. Fuck you too. I gotta go. I'll see you at the dock at ten on Saturday. You good with Deza and Frank joining us?"

  "Yep, and make it nine."

  "Suck a nut." I hung up the phone and slipped it into my pocket as I walked back toward the dance floor. It was a dick move to cut in, but I was totally doing it.

  Trish moved in front of me and put her hand on my chest, stopping me. "Hey."

  "Hey, Trish." My expression softened as I let my guard down a little. Of all the people I'd worked with over the years, Trish was my favorite. She was like the sister I never had and might actually like. Deza was like the one that would put ants in your bed and shave your eyebrows when you slept.

  "You okay? You were being really weird earlier." She lifted her eyebrows and pursed her lips.

  "Oh. Right." I glanced down and gave her a sheepish smile. "I really wanted to make Riley jealous, so I kinda told her that you were my crush."

  "Your crush?" She laughed and touched the side of my face. "That's so damn cute."

  "All right. Stop it." I cupped my hand over hers and searched her face. She wasn't teasing me in a malicious way from what I could tell. "It didn't work as you'll see." I nodded toward the dance floor. "Her Channing Tatum-looking boyfriend is spinning her around the dance floor a little too well."

  "Hmmm." Trish turned and moved to stand beside me as I slipped my hands into my pockets.

  "I got a hard-on during our audition the other day."

  "No. Really?" She glanced over at me with surprise on her face.

  "I know, right? First time since I was a kid with too much gusto." I wagged my eyebrows and turned back to watch Riley. "There's something about her."

  "You know that you need to be careful. Falling for a co-worker is death to an actor’s career." She pressed her head against my arm and chuckled softly. "And just so you know, they aren't together."

  "Who isn't together?" I turned my face toward her and thought about kissing her forehead just in case Riley was watching, but decided against it. I might be a class-A asshole, but having anyone believe that Trish was cheating on her new man was out.

  "Riley and her date." She moved away from me and seemed to be studying them. "I've watched lots of romance films in my life. You know, trying to get better. I swear I can do just about anything but fake lust."

  "Yep. You do suck at faking the sexy stuff." I laughed as she yelped and popped me in the stomach playfully.

  "You turd." She turned back toward the floor. "I shouldn't help you for that."

  "Please? Pretty please with a big juicy cherry on top? A cherry I'd like to-"

  "All right. Jeez." She laughed nervously. "See the way he grips her hips as they dance close? He wants control of her but doesn't have it."

  "What? How do you know that?"

  She turned to face me. "If you and I weren't lovers, but you wanted us to be. How would you hold me while we were dancing?”

  I glanced out at the dance floor and then back to her as I turned to face her. "I guess I'd grip your hips to remind you who should be in control. Seems like the natural way to act. But I'd do that if we were together too."

  "No you wouldn't." She shook her head.

  I chuckled. "Yeah. I would."

  "Nope." She slid her hands up my chest and moved closer. "Play with me for a minute."

  "I thought you'd never ask." I reached out and gripped her hips tightly.

  "No, you buffoon. Really. Close your eyes and imagine me to be the one woman that lights up your nights with more passion than you ever deserved. We aren't just lovers, we're in love. You belong to me and me to you." She reached up and brushed her fingers over my eyes. "Close your eyes and imagine it."

  I closed my eyes and gave her a cocky smirk as I sucked in a quick breath of air and sank down into character. She was Riley within seconds though I barely knew the poor girl. I'd been with a million women over the last ten years and yet no one had stained my desire the way she had. I yearned to simply take her to bed for one night to see if she was everything I'd built her up to be. I'd most likely be disappointed as I was every time I took my clothes off, but the possibility was there of finding something different, something overwhelming and right.

  "Now... Reach out and hold me like we're dancing in the kitchen. It's just me and you, Ethan, and I'm her, whoever she is." Trish slipped her hand up over my chest and grasped her hands together just behind my neck.

  I kept my eyes closed and ran my hands down her extended arms, over her sides and down to cup her ass tightly. I leaned down and pressed my face to the crook of her neck and breathed in deeply.

  "Yeah. They aren't together." I moved back and turned to the floor as Trish took a shaky breath and moved away from me.

  "Remind me not to play match maker again." She fanned herself and walked toward the drink table. "You're too much for even me."

  "That's right, girl. Don't forget it either." I moved to the edge of the floor and watched them for a few more minutes. My mind wanted to fold and agree to the fact that she was taken, but too much of it didn't add up. There was heat between her and Jace, but it was a familiarity, a comfortable heat. Something like Deza and I might experience if we ever let ourselves start fucking. Maybe that was it. Maybe they were just fuck buddies.

  "You look lonely." Riley smiled as she walked toward the edge of the floor. Jace was headed toward the bar, which gave me the only chance I might get that night.

  "Me? Never. All the voices in my head keep me company." I offered her a hand. "Dance with me again?"

  "Sure." She slipped her hand into mine and moved out onto the floor before turning to face me. "So how is it that you're in love with Trish and she's married?"

  "It sucks, right? Nothing ever really is fair in love and war." I gripped her wrists and tugged her closer before lifting her arms and clasping her hands around my neck for her. "She's taken and I just have to get over it."

  "I would say that you already have." She glanced down, but moved in closer, pressing her sexy little body against mine and starting my show and tell below my belt all over again. The sadness that brushed across her face caused me to pause in the middle of the dance floor.

  "What are you talking about? I'm not here with anyone. How have I moved on?" I forced myself to stop making up shit in my head and start asking. I'd have a million lies spun around Riley and her actions before we left for the night if I wasn't careful.

  "The blond that slept over last week." She glanced up at me as her expression tightened. She was closing down on me.

  I softly ran my hands over her hips and gripped them tightly. I couldn't seem to force myself to finish the deal. To slide them over her ass and pull her in closer, to speak a million words without having to open my mouth.

  "I don't know what blond you're referring to." I swallowed hard. Her nearness had desire swelling in my stomach and pressing a hot ball of need up my chest. Every part of me wanted to experience her. Why, though? She was stunning no doubt, but it wasn't just her looks. I'd held a million beautiful women in my arms over the years. It was her denial of me, her authenticity to remain unmoved by my shit. I loved it.

  "Never mind." She licked at her lips and turned to smile at someone.

  I glanced over to see Jace watching her like a hawk.

  "Hey. My brother is taking me, Deza and Frank out for a trip
to Catalina Island for the day. I'd like for you to come with us, unless you're busy." I wanted to grip her chin and force her to look back at me, but it would give away too much.

  "Saturday?" She turned her attention back to me. "Yeah, let me just ask Jace what we have going on."

  I smiled. "Yeah. Do that for me."

  She was lying, and I almost loved the effort she was putting into making me jealous. The asshole in me wanted to tell her just how cute it was, but I let it go. Not letting her on to just how jealous I was would be a much better bet.

  Chapter 6

  Two Days Later

  Riley

  "Are you sure I can't go with you?" Charlotte gave me the saddest look I'd ever seen on her face.

  "No, but next time I'll make sure they let me bring a friend, okay? Today we're going over stuff for the movie. You know they can't have anyone else hear that but those of us who signed our lives away to them." I turned around in the bathroom, making sure the white cotton dress I had over my shorts and bikini top looked the part. Casual, but elegant.

  "Isn’t Ethan's brother going? He's not signed his life away." She flopped back on my bed and let out a long groan. "Besides. I want to meet him. He's so funny in Ethan's bio."

  "I guess I need to read this damn biography." I ran my fingers through my short hair before grabbing a tube of hooker-red lipstick and putting a little one. I needed more color in my face, and Nancy wasn't exactly available to help a sister out. Funny how quickly I'd come to want the attention that my future was going to provide.

  "Did you hear me? Liam didn't sign a confidentiality agreement." She sat up and huffed again.

  "You don't know that, and I'm the new kid on the block, Char. Ethan has them wrapped around his fingers. He's Ethan Lewis. Hell, he has the world wrapped around his fingers." I rolled my eyes at the thought and let my mind move back to the party the week before.

  I'd forced myself to ask about the blond who spent the night at his house after our pseudo-meeting, but he seemed confused. Maybe I should have mentioned that he was moaning like a whore in the early morning light of the weekend. Maybe not. It really wasn't any of my business. I wanted to know who she was, but the truth would only send me scurrying toward dark emotions that wouldn't help either of us.